Divine Reflection

“Uhm…thanks for letting me use your shower.”

“Yeah…it’s the least I can do.”

I had just finished washing up and now found myself standing in her room. To make matters slightly more embarrassing, I was wearing a pair of her pajamas, which were a bit too big for me.

I wouldn’t call her a tomboy, but her room certainly reflected that type of vibe. One of someone who was athletic yet unapologetically enjoyed whatever she pleased, no matter how unusual it might seem.

The atmosphere had become a little awkward. After all, it was a boy and a girl in the same room, both wearing similar clothes. The situation would’ve been even more embarrassing for the both of us if it weren't for her.

As I took a seat at her desk, both her and I looked over to the surprising guest that had joined us.

Another girl had been in the room, younger, with striking pink hair that cascaded all the way to the floor.

“Just who are you?”

The little girl simply smiled before she answered.

“Isn’t it obvious? I’m a god.”

⏣⏣⏣

“It’s obviously a parallel world!”

“I’m pretty sure it’s a parallel universe.”

After we both suggested similar outcomes, a small disagreement arose over the specifics. Sticking to my belief, I tried explaining how it was a universe, while she remained firm in her view that it was the world.

"Why would it only be our world? For there to be any noticeable difference in time and seasons, it clearly must be affecting a much larger area than what we can see."

"How about this? It has to be the world because all we know for sure is that our world changed. Everything else could still be the same."

“...”

“Stop giving me weird looks!”

“I was just messing with you.”

I leaned back on my hands, feeling an itch in my nose. It didn’t take long before she sneezed due to the chill. I followed not too long after.

Our eyes met, and we couldn’t help but find the situation amusing. She stood up and extended her hand toward me. “Shall we get ourselves dried off?”

I took her hand and nodded. I’d love to figure out a way back, but without any clear way to locate the pond and with the risk of charging in blindly, it seemed best to camp at her place for the night…if she’d allow it.

We walked in silence until she eventually turned toward me, offering a friendly smile.

“My name's Cloey. Cloey Sebastiane. I’m a first year student.”

“I’m Anon Kadekaru. A first year as well.

Maybe it was because we were so close, but I finally got a better look at her appearance. Besides her striking amber eyes and dark skin tone, she was much taller than me. If I had to guess, she was around 185 cm, while I’m 165 for reference. Her black hair had a little ahoge that bounced with the rhythm of her steps. And last, but certainly not least, there was the possibility that she had freckles scattered across her cheeks and the bridge of her nose.

I didn’t think I was anything special in comparison. Still wearing my school uniform, my hair was flatter than usual. Normally, the ends would stick out a bit, but right then, it probably resembled more of a mop. Both my eyes and hair were black, and I would’ve kept my hands in my pockets, but my pants were soggy, so I didn’t even bother.

I wonder what Emi or the guys would think if they saw the situation I was in now.

We chatted about whatever caught our attention or any random school-related topic that came to mind. Cloey was right about her place being surprisingly close, and before long, we found ourselves in front of her house. It was larger than I had expected, though still nothing compared to a typical wealthy household.

“Definitely bigger than my house.”

“Don’t be like that. My parents just work their butts off.” She reached for the doorknob, glancing over her shoulder at me. “They’re deep sleepers, so we should be fine. Just make sure not to do anything stupid.”

With that, she opened the door and brought me towards her bathroom. Telling me to wait there as she left for somewhere. She came back with a towel and a change of clothes before quickly showing me how to appreciate her shower.

“That should be all. And obviously, don’t use a ridiculous amount of shampoo and conditioner.” She pointed to the corner of the hall. “My room’s on the other side of that corner, so head there when you’re done.”

She smiled after speaking, then noticed my silence.

“You okay, dude? Your face is all red.” She leaned in closer, the bathroom light casting an unwanted glow on my face. "Don't tell me you're already catching a cold.”

Reflexively, I closed the bathroom door, then cracked it open just a bit. Poking my head out, I said, “Don’t mind me. I’m just a bit exhausted after everything that happened. I’ll be done as soon as possible.”

I listened for her footsteps, which eventually faded as I took my shower. I tried to wash off the pond smell as best I could. It wasn’t long before the next issue came up. As I picked up the clothes Cloey had given me, I noticed they had a similar style to the wet pajamas she had been wearing.

It’s kind of like we’re matching…

I decided to ignore it. Definitely ignore it.

Once everything was done, I found myself standing in front of her room door.

Do I knock? Would that be too loud?

“Uhm…” I lowered my voice to a whisper. “I’m done.”

She opened the door shortly after I said that, holding a pair of clothes that resembled mine. Maybe she just didn’t have a huge variety. Mine were black, while hers were white.

I wonder if she’s got a full rainbow set as well.

“You smell nice.” She leaned over while I was lost in thought, sniffing my hair. “That’s the one I use.”

“Apologies about that.”

I looked away, feeling a bit shy, as she patted my shoulder.

“Don’t worry about it. You’re my guest, and I did give you free reign there.”

She headed toward the bathroom, leaving me in her room. Being the normal person I am, I sat perfectly still at her desk, refusing to move an inch.

https://imgur.com/a/cloey-s-bedroom-da7vb9V (<- Image of Cloey's Room I created as a reference).

I looked around the room and noticed a lot of coordinated items scattered about: a couple of game consoles, controllers, a USB, a solar system decoration, and so many more along the walls. I think I even spotted a few Beyblades under her bed. I’m sure there’s more hidden away somewhere.

Some time passed, and the silence became deafening. It got to the point where it felt like a faint hiss could be heard.

Psst!

Or a ‘psst’ sound.

“Anon…come here real quick.”

I had a bad feeling about it, but the sooner we took care of things, the faster we could get to fixing our situation.

I made my way to the bathroom, only to find Cloey poking her head out. She was fully clothed but still hid her body behind the door. Of course, I made sure not to peek anywhere except her face.

Placing a hand on my hip, I asked, “Yes?”

“Well, it’s a bit embarrassing to ask this from a guy… or anyone, really, but I normally don’t wear a bra.” Her face was a bit more flushed than earlier that night, but I pretty much understood what she was asking. “Please, be a doll for me.”

She told me they were in the bottom drawer with the rest of her pajamas, where I had looked when I first entered the room. Pushing past any instinctive thoughts, I grabbed the first one I found without much hesitation and brought it back to her. She gave me a quick thank you before opening the door to reveal herself in her new pajamas.

“Refraining from sniffing her bra is some crazy work.”

“...”

Neither Cloey nor I had the time to properly process what was said; we were more focused on who had just spoken. Our heads turned to reveal an unnatural little pink-haired girl in a pure white gown.

“Your sister?”

“Don’t have one.”

“I see.”

We sat in silence, watching as the little girl leaned against the wall. We weren’t sure what to do until she started walking toward Cloey’s room, motioning for us to follow. “You lumps of meat have got plenty to talk about, I’m sure.” She turned the corner while the two of us stayed behind. After plenty of 'uhms' and awkward hand motions, we eventually followed after her.

We saw her sitting on the carpet as Cloey went on her bed and I at her desk.

“Uhm…thanks for letting me use your shower.”

“Yeah…it’s the least I can do.”

The atmosphere had become a bit awkward. As I adjusted myself at her desk, Cloey and I both glanced over at the unexpected guest who had joined us.

“So who are you?”

The little girl simply smiled before she answered.

“Is it not obvious? I’m a god.”

“A god?”

She let out a small, annoyed sigh before pulling out a piece of paper.

“One of you enters their parallel universe, and you’re surprised to find a god?”

I shot a smug look at Cloey as the god sketched something on the paper. When she finished, she set down her pencil.

Where did she get that stuff?

“To answer your question, I am the God of Love.”

“The God of Love?!" Cloey exclaimed, jumping from her spot in excitement. "Like a Cupid?!”

“Love is a bit more complicated than just a puny arrow, but we both get the job done in the end,” she said, proudly bragging about her methods in a lofty manner. “Also, while I don’t have a ‘real’ name, some mortals have referred to me as Amy.”

“Amy’s a cute name.”

This seemed to fluster Amy, as she looked away, both proud and a little sheepish.

“So, why did the God of Love come to visit us? I assume it’s not just to make friends.”

“Amy's expression became neutral, clearly having expected this question.”

“You’d be correct about that.” She paused, searching for the right words before pointing at me. “You’re the first human to enter a parallel world within my domain!”

“The first?”

“Doesn’t that make you pretty special, Anon?”

Cloey seemed more distracted by the bragging aspect than anything, but Amy snapped her fingers, bringing the attention back to herself.

“It’s not inherently a bad thing, but I figured I should clarify a few things for you, especially since you probably have a lot of questions.”

“Like a Q&A?”

“Bingo.”

Amy shot us some finger guns in response before magically summoning a banner above herself that read ‘Amy's Q&A Extravaganza!’

“Proceed with your questions, mortals.”