Focused Reflection

My gaze landed on Cloey. Her eyes were locked onto Viveka, responding silently to her words. It was almost like I couldn’t help but be drawn to her.

Why do you have such a determined expression on your face?

That thought consumed my mind as I observed her.

Viveka, on the other hand, simply clicked her tongue, ignoring Tana’s outstretched hand that had been offered to help her up. Instead, she stood on her own and strode toward the cafeteria exit, but not before making a point to brush past me, her shoulder colliding with mine. Without a word, she left with her friends.

The three of us who had confronted Viveka stood in silence, watching her go. Then, we turned to one another.

“I’ve never liked girls like her,” Oberon muttered.

“Let’s just leave it be for now,” Cloey replied, reaching over to take my hand. “Come on, let’s sit down and eat. You can have some of my food, Anon.”

“…”

I hesitated, unable to find the words. But before I knew it, she was leading me toward Kira. Just as we were about to take our seats, I finally spoke.

“Are you sure about this?” I asked, my gaze dropping to the floor.

Cloey looked back at me and offered a small, reassuring smile.

“I promise everything will be fine. Trust me.”

And so, I chose to believe in her.

Lunch carried on as if nothing had happened, but the tension still lingered. Cloey was quieter than usual, Oberon was scowling, and eyes were on us more often than not. Kira, by association, was caught up in the aftermath.

But despite that, the rest of the school day passed without incident. Even Oberon seemed more subdued, whether due to the earlier situation or something else entirely, I wasn’t sure. Soon enough, classes ended, and school was officially over.

“The day’s finally over,” Cloey sighed.

“Today wasn’t even hard,” Kira replied, looking puzzled.

Oberon smirked and grabbed Kira in a playful headlock. “Of course, sis had an easy time! Some of us actually have to try.”

Kira jokingly apologized as Oberon eventually let go, both of them laughing. The mood had definitely lightened, thanks to their dynamic.

As we walked toward the exit, we heard quiet murmurs near the door. Students were still leaving, going about their day as usual, but a few stood around chatting. Then, just beyond the school gates, a small pink-haired girl caught our attention.

“Who’s she?” Oberon asked aloud.

Cloey and I exchanged glances, both of us equally confused. Without a word, we nodded to one another and approached Amy.

“Where are you-”

Oberon’s question was swiftly cut off by Kira, who simply shushed him. Cloey and I, oblivious to their exchange, continued forward.

“Amy,” I greeted.

“Anon,” she responded.

“I’m guessing you’re waiting for us?”

“That’s correct. We have some things to discuss…soon.” Her neutral expression was strangely reassuring.

“We can go back to my place,” Cloey suggested. “I’d rather not have this conversation out in the open.”

By then, Oberon and Kira had caught up, listening in on the exchange.

“Is she your little sister?” Kira asked, glancing between Amy and me.

I say that, but she was more looking at me which I wasn’t surprised by with her reaction. Amy’s complexion was pale like mine, and even obviously paler than Cloey’s.

“Yep,” I said, ruffling Amy’s hair. “Quite the spunky little girl, isn’t she?”

A part of me felt uneasy calling a goddess my little sister, but Amy didn’t seem to mind.

“Kinda wild to let her dye her hair so young,” Oberon commented. “Pink’s a tough color to pull off.”

“You look like a cherry,” Amy shot back.

Silence hung in the air for a beat…then Kira burst into laughter, much louder than she probably intended. Cloey and I barely held back our own as Oberon stood there, momentarily stunned, before laughing along.

“You two really do remind me of each other,” Kira noted.

Not sure how I should feel about that, but it was fun enough already.

Just then, Amy tugged at my shirt, signaling for me to lower myself to her height. When I did, she whispered, “You might want to say your goodbyes…just in case.”

A shiver ran through me, but I quickly masked my reaction.

So that’s how it is.

As the laughter faded, so did the lighthearted atmosphere. The weight of the situation became clearer, reflected in the faint smiles on Kira and Oberon’s faces.

“Guess this is goodbye, huh?” Oberon said.

“Kinda stings when you think about it,” Kira added.

“It’s only been a day, but…this was probably the most fun I’ve had at school,” I admitted, thinking back on everything that had happened.

Maybe it was the situation forced upon me, or maybe it was just them, but it was a welcome change of pace from the dull life I’d known.

Could something like this happen again? Could I find people like them…people I genuinely enjoyed being around?

Emi and Nova flashed through my mind.

Maybe…this was just the first real chapter of my life.

CLAP!

“Let’s not end this on a sad note!” Cloey declared, having clapped her hands together.

We all looked at her, and despite ourselves, we smiled. The mood lifted, if only a little.

“You’re right, this isn’t goodbye forever,” Oberon said, extending his fist toward me with a grin. “We’ll see you around, even if it’s just through Cloey.”

“Don’t forget about us,” Kira added, giving Cloey a knowing glance. “We sure won’t forget about you.”

Not a proper goodbye…

I extended my fist as well.

Wasn’t this just false hope? Pretending we’d see each other again?

And it connected with his in a solid tap.

“Yeah. This is just ‘see you later.’”

Adding my own words in the mix, we each had a smile on our faces.

Their smiles widened.

“See you later, Anon!”

Both of them loudly said as Cloey, Amy, and I left, heading toward Cloey’s house.

The walk was quieter, but their words lingered in my mind.

“Are you really okay with such a short farewell?” Amy asked, her expression slightly somber.

“You heard them,” I replied. “This is just ‘see you later.’”

Amy scoffed, though her face softened. “You mortals never change.”

“Speaking of us mortals, how did things go on your end?” Cloey asked.

Amy sighed. “Eheh… I got an earful from my big sis. But I did finally figure out how the two universes work in tandem.”

“Wait, you spent all this time studying?” Cloey asked, eyes wide.

“More than you think. Remember, I’m eight years old here, but in the gods’ realm, I’m actually 8,000.”

“That means time moves 1,000 times faster for you than for us,” Cloey realized.

“Correct. One human day (24 hours) is 24,000 hours for me. That’s 1,000 days, or about 2.74 years.”

“You were studying for nearly three years?!” Cloey exclaimed.

Amy sighed, looking exhausted. “Rounding up? Yeah.”

That definitely explained why she seemed so drained. She’d spent nearly three years figuring things out for us.

“Did you think I was doing this for fun?” she teased.

“No, just… surprised by your dedication.”

We eventually arrived at Cloey’s house. After making sure it was safe, she led us to her room, where we settled into our usual spots. This time, though, she motioned for me to sit next to her on the bed. I did.

“I apologize for the wait,” Amy said, her tone growing serious. “But I’ve uncovered the truth behind everything.”

“You mean whether or not Anon can return to his universe?”

Amy nodded, her expression darkening slightly. "Correct," she said, her tone more serious now. "It's not overly complicated, but it will take some explaining."

"That's fine with us," I said. "I can't speak for Cloey, but I trust you."

"We're in this together, so of course I trust you!" Cloey added, playfully pouting at my words.

"I'm glad to hear that," Amy said, her expression softening.

Amy raised both of her index fingers, signaling that she was about to speak.

“There’s some good news and bad news.”