Festive Reflection

“But I’ll give you a hint about your future,” she added, her tone mysteriously playful.

This definitely caught my ear.

“A night of festivity will surely smack some sense into you.”

With that, Amy made her way toward the forest path, disappearing from my sight, leaving me with more questions than answers.

Her presence no longer lingered in the air as I stood there, lost in thought.

“Why does she keep walking away every time we meet her?” I muttered to myself.

Some goddess she turned out to be.

After joking to myself about what had just happened, I headed home. Time crawled by after waking up so early, so I just messed around in my room, mostly playing whatever games I had on my phone.

“Mahjong gets way too tiring after a while,” I sighed.

On the bright side, I had managed to rank up to A2 before morning fully arrived. Eventually, my mom came in to wake me, and I went through my usual routine before heading out.

I took the same route Cloey and I used to take to school. Alternate universes weren’t just a gimmick, they extended to every detail, down to school names. The building was the same, but here it was called Blue Valley High School, a place known for its soccer team.

Yeah…soccer. Not futball, apparently. Just realized I’d been calling it that without thinking.

I bring this up because not far from the school entrance stood Nova and his friends. They weren’t obnoxiously loud, but still managed to draw attention.

They're my friends, right? I mean, it wouldn’t be weird to say hi…right? Then again, from their perspective, I vanished one day and now I’m suddenly back. I’ve been bouncing around so much, and no one even knows.

As I approached the group, my eyes met Nova’s. He noticed me and slipped through the crowd, stopping right in front of me.

“Sup, Anon,” he said, raising his hand for a dap.

After a quick mental scramble, I returned the gesture.

“H-Hey.”

FU-

“Everything good on your end from yesterday?”

“What?”

It took me a second to recall the whole switching-bodies-with-Emi situation.

“Oh, yeah! Everything’s good. Just had to help out at their place.”

Another lie. What else could I do but double down?

“I didn’t know you worked,” he replied, sounding genuinely curious.

Well, we only started talking yesterday.

“It’s nothing serious. Just random stuff here and there,” I said, feeling my face heat up as I stumbled through the words.

Was it always this hard to talk to people? It’s way easier with Cloey and the others.

“Try not prying too much just yet,” said a voice behind Nova.

He turned, and I saw Emi standing there, smiling at us.

“Oh, didn’t notice,” Nova said, turning back to me. “My bad, Anon. Just curious.”

“...Maybe I’ll show you what they do,” I said, the words leaving my mouth before I could second-guess them. “It’s actually pretty fun.”

“Really?” Emi asked, tilting her head curiously.

“What is it?!” Nova chimed in, clearly intrigued.

“Secret for now,” I replied with a smirk.

It was odd. Nova and Oberon shared similar energies, but on different spectrums. Oberon was unapologetically wild, while Nova carried a more composed, noble vibe, even when excited. It was a little unsettling, if I’m honest.

“We’ll be waiting then,” Emi said. “But for now, let’s head to homeroom while we chat.”

The walk wasn’t long, but it felt drawn out with everything running through my head.

They’re so much calmer than Cloey’s universe. Here, I can have chill conversations. Over there? It’s pure chaos, Oberon’s wildness, Cloey’s intensity, and no Viveka equivalent in sight.

Then it hit me.

The universes were mostly similar, but what if the differences were more personal? What if Cloey’s school was more like a public school? But wait…her dad runs it. Would he really let it be that chaotic? Or maybe the school’s still growing? My school felt way more organized in comparison.

“You alright over there, Anon?” Emi asked, glancing at me from Nova’s side.

“Just had a little revelation,” I said. “I do that sometimes.”

I really need to stop overthinking.

“About next week’s event?” she asked.

“What’s happening next week?”

Nova jumped in, “Word’s getting around that there’s going to be a school festival next Friday.”

“Isn’t that Valentine’s Day?”

“Yup,” Nova nodded. “Apparently, it’s a tradition. One of the school’s first headmasters met their partner during the festival and wanted a whole week focused on love.”

Huh. Not sure how to feel about that.

“So it’s like prom? You gotta invite someone?” I asked.

“You can,” Emi said, eyes gleaming. “But there’s a superstition. If two people both want to go together, they can’t invite each other. They have to meet at the festival as if it were fated.”

“Konami cheat code over here,” I joked.

“Heh.”

“And the kicker? If you’re holding hands at midnight, you’re destined to be together.”

At this point, Nova and I could already get the idea that Emi was digging the idea of all this. She spoke as if she had just finished reading a romance novel and was giddy of the idea of it happening to her.

“Midnight? How long does this thing run?” I asked.

“I think it starts at 20:00 or 21:00.” Emi replied.

“Four hours straight is kind of a lot,” Nova said.

“You won’t even notice the time once you’re in the mood,” Emi shot back.

“Maybe,” Nova said, resting his head on his hands.

We were in class by now. I had my seat in the back while they took the ones in front of me, Nova sitting backward in his chair, Emi perched sideways.

“You got someone in mind, Emi?” Nova asked.

“Me?”

“Yeah, for the festival.”

I watched Emi’s face turn red as Nova stared on, completely oblivious.

Having literally been in Emi’s shoes before, I had a decent read on her feelings—especially about Nova.

“I think she wants to do the superstition,” I interjected. “So she can’t ask the guy she likes.”

Hopefully, that was enough of a save.

I looked away, trying to play it off. When I glanced back, I saw their expressions. Nova looked at me like I was some kind of genius. Emi looked like I’d just saved her life.

Maybe these two idiots are perfect for each other.

Not that I’m one to talk.

Soon enough, our homeroom teacher arrived and confirmed most of what Emi had said, minus the whole superstition bit. He explained the festival’s setup and announced that while regular classes would be paused, we’d all be pitching in to prepare for it, starting Friday, February 7th.

“He talked through all of homeroom,” Nova groaned, slumping over the desk again.

“He really knows how to drag things out,” Emi chuckled dryly. “At least we’ve got a fun class next, right?”

“...”

“Anon?”

“Huh? Oh, sorry. Just lost in thought,” I said, fumbling my words.

“About what?” Nova asked.

“He said February 7th, right?”

“Yeah. Why? You got something going on?”

“I’m…not sure,” I replied, glancing out the window toward the pond.

I chose to believe in her.

It’ll be fine.

Right?