Tied in a Knot Pt. 5

Chloe and Lana rushed over and sat down on the other side of the table. The thing about this particular tapioca shop is that it is frequented by people my age. Drinks are good, it's close to the campus, so it makes sense for it to be so popular. The only issue now is that most of them, if not all of them, were gossiping within their own groups while staring at the girls. Naturally, I became a part of it because they were sitting with none other than me.

"How have you been, Aikami?" Chloe asked, a gentle smile adorning her face. "I haven't seen you in a while."

"That's not even possible," I said. "We had classes yesterday."

"Well, yeah, that's true, but what I meant was that I haven't been able to talk to you since... last weekend? Yeah, last weekend."

"I've been... busy."

"Oh, really?" Lana smirked. "Busy with what? It's not like you have a thread, so there really isn't anything going on in your life, is there?"

All of us turned to look at her with judgmental stares, especially Alice.

"Wha~t? I'm just saying."

"Allow me to apologize for Lana's rudeness on her behalf, Aikami," Alice said.

"W-wha...?! I wasn't trying to be rude, I swear!"

"It's fine," I sighed. "It's not like she's entirely wrong."

"Wait, so you haven't been busy?" Chloe mumbled.

"W-well..."

"Ahem," Alice coughed. "Anyway, since Lana brought it up due to her ignorance, how are you feeling Aikami? Anything new?"

"None since the headache that one time," I replied. "Whatever you did last time, it definitely helped."

"Hm... Is that so? That's good to hear. Now that we have that out of the way, I suppose we should get to the topic of today's visit. Aikami..."

At that moment, the girls sat up straight with rather serious expressions, which made me extremely nervous.

Today's topic? What could she possibly mean? My chest tightened as I thought about our first encounter, particularly when Alice threatened to cut my thread.

"Um... Am I... in trouble?" I gulped.

"Eh?" all three of them said at the same time.

"What gave you that impression, Aikami?" Chloe asked. "We just wanted to know how you're feeling about the idea."

"...The idea?"

"Did you already forget?" Alice sighed. "Remember what we spoke about last week? As a fateless and someone who will continue to be so, we need some time to assess you in order to figure out a possible solution. The caveat is that you'll need to stick close to us for an indefinite amount of time. During school, and after school, you'll be observed by us. Are you fine with that?"

"O-oh... That, huh...?"

I shut my eyes and crossed my arms as if thinking to myself.

In reality, I wasn't thinking at all. Truth be told, I shut out what Alice told me because I wasn't willing to entertain it. Maybe I should've given it more thought, but it's not like I'll tell them that.

Finally, I opened my eyes, and my soul was nearly sucked right out of my body. They were all staring at me, eyes wide with a subtle glow emanating from each pair.

What is happening...? It feels like something foreign is moving around in my head.

"Hm... How interesting," Alice muttered. "It appears the verdict of a goddess doesn't matter much to you, hm? Aikami?"

"I... I'm sorry...?" I gulped.

"And I quote, 'Truth be told, I shut out what Alice told me because I wasn't willing to entertain it.' Care to explain?"

What the...? Did they just read my mind?!

"Yes we did, Aikami," Lana smiled, a hinge of malice covering her expression. "Are we so insignificant that you would blatantly shut us out?  We're trying to help you, you know."

"Wait, I didn't—"

"Aikami..." Chloe mumbled with a hint of melancholy. "I thought we were friends..."

What is this? What am I supposed to do? I didn't mean to make them feel bad, but it's not like my words are gonna matter at this point.

"I... I just..." But the words wouldn't come out of my mouth, so I settled for the only thing I could say. "I'm... sorry..."

"Pft..." Lana snickered, but then she let out a fullhearted laugh. "Pahaha~! Okay, okay, I'm done. We're totally guilt-tripping Aikami right now, and I'm actually starting to feel bad."

"...Huh...?"

"Hehe, don't worry, Aikami," Chloe smiled. "We were just messing with you. Thought we should try and figure out what kind of human being you really were."

"Think nothing more of it," Alice chuckled. "We apologize, Aikami. I'll buy you a tapioca tea of your choosing to make up."

My head is starting to hurt. It's bad enough to know that they're actually goddesses who are capable of magic, but mind reading? That's way too much.

"That wasn't funny," I sighed.

"Loosen up," Alice smiled. "This is only the beginning. So, regarding our idea. Tell us what's on your mind. Are you willing to accept it?"

"Keep in mind, you're probably gonna have to come out of your hermit shell," Lana grinned. "Our family can get re~ally rowdy. Think you'll be able to handle it?"

"And we promise not to read your mind without your permission from now on," Chloe chimed in.

No matter how many times I think it over, I can only imagine how annoying this is gonna get. I don't like attention. I don't loud noises, excitement, or things that make me get up when I don't want to. These girls? They're the very definition of that.

Will I really be okay...?

"I mean, do I really have a choice?" I muttered. "After all, I 'defy fate,' don't I? I'm sure you goddesses can't afford to let someone like that run around as they please. So... I guess it should be fine? As long as nothing dangerous happens."

There was something about the way they looked at each other with smiles and relief. Do they really want me on board with them that badly?

Hah... Nah. Who do I think I am? I'm just someone who happens to be different. Nothing more.

"Alright, Aikami!" Lana shouted. "No take backsies, you hear?!"

"I wouldn't dream of defying a goddess," I scoffed.

"You yourself just said that you defy fate," Alice smirked. "In that sense, your whole existence has been defying us."

"What?! I can't help that!"

"Hehe~ Thanks for agreeing, Aikami," Chloe giggled. "Like you said, as someone who defies fate, we can't have you running amok. Even if you had said no, we would've dragged you away by force. It's a relief that we don't have to now."

"I-is that so...?"

"Hey, Chloe!" Lana said. "Come on! I just realized that we're in a tapioca shop. How can we sit down without buying something? Let's go, let's go!"

"Ah! O-okay!"

And then, they scurried off to place their order, leaving me with Alice once more. I threw my head down onto my arms and sighed.

Seriously... What is even happening right now?

"By the way, Aikami," Alice said.

"Yeah?"

"While I was poking around in your head... Those were some pretty interesting thoughts."

She propped her elbow on the tabletop, leaning her head on her hand with a smile that was clearly accusing me of something indecent.

"What did you see...?" I muttered. "Because I can assure you that I have NEVER stooped low enough to... t-to..."

"Hehe~ Worry not," she giggled. "I know you weren't. But, it is a shame. It didn't seem like you thought of us as anything more than goddesses. How straightforward. We're still girls, you know. Are we not your type?"

"W-what are you... talking about? I've always thought you girls were attractive. Look at everyone in this shop stealing glances at you. It goes without saying."

"It does, doesn't it? But the difference is that we're not interested in them. You, on the other hand..."

I averted my gaze as best as I could, but I could still see her cheeky smile from the corner of my eye.

"I look forward to working with you, Aikami," she said.

"...Same."