Adrift in a Dream Pt. 4

After finding a dark and secluded area, Lana teleported me to the library, where the others were already waiting in my usual spot. I took the corner and was met with a smile from Chloe.

"Ah! Aikami!"

"And here I was thinking you wouldn't come," Alice scoffed. "Made some new friends, did you?"

I sighed. "I wouldn't necessarily say that. It was kind of funny, though. The guy introduced himself to me even though he had done it some time ago—just forgot my name. It didn't take long for me to figure out that all he wanted was for me to hook him up with you guys."

"...Hook him up? With Us?"

"Yeah. You're probably already aware, but a lot of students find you guys attractive. That guy and his friends were no different, and since you've only ever spoken to and hung out with me, I guess he was trying to use me as leverage to get closer to you."

"Interesting... What was his name?"

"Kirishima Saito."

The moment I said his name, a smirk appeared on Alice's face, one that radiated a menacing aura as she pinched her chin. "Should I snip his thread?"

"W-what?! Isn't that just another way of asking if you should kill him?"

"Basically."

"I don't think we should go that far. It wasn't that big of a deal."

Lana threw herself onto a chair next to Alice. "No, it was. He disrespected Aikami. Said he was nothing and that we probably didn't remember his name. Oh, and also Aikami wasn't enough for us and didn't deserve us."

Alice's smile steadily grew darker. "Is that so? How very... interesting..."

"Should I mess with his fate?" Chloe suggested.

"Eh?!" I exclaimed. "I expected it from Alice, but you, Chloe? What are you even thinking about doing?"

"Nothing serious, I swear! Um... Maybe I'll make it to where he trips and falls on his face every morning."

"What... You can do something like that?"

"Of course. If someone is fated to fall flat on their face every twenty-four hours, then that's that. They can't run from it even if they tried. Fate will find a way."

It's strange to think that the misfortunes of a single person can be attributed to the pettiness of goddesses, especially when those goddesses are gossipy girly girls just like the rest of mankind. If the wrong person manages to piss them off, we might be doomed.

"Again, it wasn't a big deal. I don't take an asshole's words to heart, so you goddesses shouldn't either."

Lana scoffed. "You know the anger of the gods stem from the ignorance of mortals, don't you? Take Arachne, for example. She went prancing around, saying that her weaving skills were better than Athena's, and then what happened? Snap. Spider. The end."

"Um... C-cool, I guess?"

"I'm gonna punch you."

"Huh?! What'd I do?!"

Chloe giggled. "The point she was trying to make, Aikami, is that the gods don't lash out for no reason. Mortals talk a lot. They often think they're worth more than they actually are. Take that Kirishima guy for example. He thinks he's better than you and that we'd rather have him over you, which is definitely not true."

"Then that's that. There's no need to bother ourselves with harmless words that can easily be disproven."

"But those 'harmless' words were directed at you, and since we chose you, it was an indirect insult to us and our decision. Mortals ought to be punished for their blatant arrogance, don't you think?"

She said that line with such a soft and cute smile that I genuinely don't know if she's joking. Frankly speaking, I doubt it given her gentle nature. But historically speaking... That's a whole different story.

"Does it really bother you guys that much?"

Alice pinched her nails. "Yes, Aikami. It does. A lot."

That wasn't a joke. Maybe it's because of her serious tone or that serious face, but she was dead serious. Oh hey. I kinda cooked there.

"Well, I'm telling you guys right now—it's not a big deal. There's bound to be a guy or two jealous of me. No changing that unless you decide to haul ass and treat everyone else the way you treat me."

Lana straightened up. "Not gonna happen. You're a special case."

"Exactly. You can't stop the inevitable, so just let it happen and deal with it."

Still, they were reluctant to let it go.

Alice smiled coyly. "You're surprisingly mature for a young college student, Aikami."

"Uh... Thanks, I guess? I just want to live a simple life, so making enemies isn't really on my to-do list."

"Hm... Well, fine. Since you want us to drop it so badly, I guess we have no choice. But do not misunderstand, Aikami. Contrary to what you might believe, we do care about you, so if someone decides to badmouth you, we will react. Rest assured, if that fellow decides to come after you again, I'm going to twist up his fate with or without your consent."

They care about me. I know they do. As much as I try to downplay it or deny it, they've proven it time and time again.

In the way Lana always tries to make me laugh, the way Chloe quietly hovers nearby like she's afraid I'll slip through her fingers, and the way Alice looks at me like she already knows what I'm going to say before I do. They've made it painfully obvious that I matter to them.

So why… why is it still so hard for me to accept that?

Why does my mind insist on preparing for the worst? Why can't I just believe—for once—that someone's here to stay?

Because that's how it's always been.

At the end of the day, no matter how warm things feel right now, this relationship... it's bound by circumstance. A thread strung together not by fate, but by a mission. Research. Curiosity. A mystery that, one day, they'll solve.

And when they do—what then?

They'll move on. They'll go back to their world, their duties, and their divine existence whereas I... I'll be here, right where I started. Alone.

Just like that, the familiar weight returned to my chest. A sinking, aching pressure that I've never quite been able to shake.

Even without hearing a single word from me, Chloe glanced over, her expression softening. As if she'd felt the shift in my heart before I even realized it myself.

"Aikami? You okay?"

"Yeah. Just... thinking."

"Hah, you weren't the only one," Lana snickered. "I just remembered, I took a peek into that one guy's mind. Guess what I saw? His eyes were looking directly at me, but his attention was fixed elsewhere. He was imagining himself in bed with me. And not just that. You were there too, Chloe."

"W-what?! That's disgusting! Eugh... I'm getting the chills."

"Yeah? Well, it's not like it's uncommon for boys to have those thoughts. Nothing we can do about it. Just let them have their unrealistic fantasies. It's not like it'll ever happen anyway, and that reality will torture them for a while." Lana then turned her attention to me. "Hm... I wonder..."

Her eyes subtly glowed, and once more, my mind was read without my consent. This is getting out of hand.

Lana's eyes widened as he hesitated to speak, spewing broken sounds as if she couldn't find the right words to say.

Chloe's eyes narrowed a bit. "L-Lana? What did you see?"

"I saw... a bed.

"Oh?" Alice's eyes peered over to glare at me. "And? What else?"

"...Nothing. It was literally just a bed."

"Eh...?"

They all turned to look at me, and what impeccable timing too. I lifted my hand to cover my mouth as I let out a massive yawn.

I groaned. "What? I'm tired. Didn't get enough sleep last night. Not that I normally do anyway."

"Haa~ Really, Aikami?" Lana sighed. "Not even just a single thought?"

"W-what kind of question is that? Of course not."

Alice smiled as she rested her arms on the table with a smile. "I mean, you're still a boy, aren't you? It's okay to have those thoughts."

"Seriously? I'm not that down bad, and I respect you enough to not tarnish your image, even if it's in my mind. Especially since... I consider you my friends, so thinking about that stuff is just weird."

I knew I would feel the surge of embarrassment the moment I let those words slip out. The way they're looking at me right is definitely not helping either.

Alice giggled. "Hehe~ Is that so? Well, let's get through today without further complications so we can all crash Aikami's place, hm?"

Lana pushed herself off her seat. "Yeah! We still need to finish Ring Lords!"

"Ring Lords!" Chloe cheered.

"...Hah. Yeah," I chuckled.