The constant rumbling she felt as she lay resting on the soft seats of the train.
The twilight of the sun in the windows truly beautified everything that it touches.
And that includes her, a person whose face she couldn't capture.
"It was all my fault."
She said, her voice filled with the emotions of a lifetime, ones that couldn't be visualized by mere words.
"My decisions, and everything they caused."
It was as if images were flashing through her head as more words entered her ears.
"It had come to this for me to finally realize that you were right all along..."
She wanted to see her; she wanted to stop the person from talking.
"So forgive me for being so bold, but I must ask for your help."
You're not at fault.
"Sensei."
I don't deserve that title.
"You'll forget these words, but it won't matter."
I don't want to forget. Don't make me.
"Even without your memories, you'll probably make the same decision in the same situation..."
But then it wouldn't matter since you won't be with me anymore.
"Therefore, I believe what matters most are the choices we make, not the experiences we have."
...
"There are choices only you can make."
You can make them too.
"I've spoken of responsibilities before."
I remembered.
"I didn't truly understand it then, but now I do."
Then, stop the depressing talk.
"Adulthood, responsibility, obligation... and the choices you make that extend beyond those ideals."
Yes. That's right. But that's not all.
"I even understand their implications."
"..."
"Therefore, Sensei..."
I am here.
"...you're the only one I can trust."
But you don't trust yourself.
"Only you can free us from this twisted, distorted fate..."
I am not that strong.
"...and find the choices that will lead us to a new reality."
That's... my responsibility.
"So, Sensei. Please..."
"...don't let ■■ ■■■ fall."
---
"Excuse me... I think this is your stop?" A dog person tapped a girl's shoulder, who seemed to be deep in her dream realms.
As she was shaken, her eyes fluttered, revealing black orbs to the world; her eyes were blank.
She was wearing a suit you'd expect a normal salary man would wear, with a short skirt and black stockings as her legwear.
Snapping out of her stupor, she panicked and stumbled her way to stand, not before bowing to the dog person who had woken her up.
"Thank you very much!" She bowed deeply as she quickly made her way out of the train, a small card holder falling from her inner pocket, revealing a picture of her front profile and a title, 'Sensei'.
"Um.. D.U? That's here... right?" She looked around at the massive skyscrapers and felt quite overwhelmed since this was her very first day inside Kivotos.
"Student Council Office... this way?" She hesitantly looked in the direction and glanced back at the GPS inside her mobile device, double-checking to make sure she wasn't making the wrong turn.
"Student Council is the opposite way, you know?" Then, a voice suddenly echoed behind her.
"Ah... Thank you very much...?" Turning around, she found that there was nobody there. "Eh...?"
Even as she looked around, there was nobody who seemed to have communicated with her, as if it were merely a figment of her imagination.
Confused, she looked at her hand again, at the GPS, and connected the words that were just directed at her. As she analyzed it deeper, she realized that the voice was right.
She was just about to head straight towards the outskirts if she kept following this road...!
Bowing to nobody, she followed the roads the GPS showed, not before turning around and muttering a quiet and confused 'Thank you' once again.
"..."
All that's left was the eerie silence of the place. If this was the wild west, a tumbleweed would've rolled down the streets a couple of times.
---
"They had boba tea here?! I've been missing out for months!" Akuta pressed her face against the glass pane, looking through the transparent surface at the menu inside.
She entered through the front door and put in her orders to the barista. Afterwards, she went to the front house to find a seat.
Fortunately, there was one just right beside a window. The atmosphere of this one seat literally screams 'Special Actors Only' inside her mind, and she didn't hesitate to take it.
It felt like she was at home.
"Money problem, practically done."
"Capabilities... not important right now, but it wouldn't hurt to be more powerful for the future. You never know what the world might suddenly throw at you after all."
She swung her legs a couple of times under the table, showing the others her relaxed attitude.
"Hm... I should rest for a bit before starting the next simulation... but what can I do while I wait?"
Brainstorming for ideas, Kasuka didn't realize her orders had arrived a while ago as she was deep in thought.
Stabbing the straw through the roof of the drink, she placed her lips onto the end of it and sucked.
"These black balls taste amazing..." Sighing dramatically, she lay her head on the table, trying to think of a hobby to pass the time.
"Speaking of which, where am I located inside the timeline?" Akuta asked the system as she looked around to see whether or not anyone was listening.
Seeing nobody around other than the barista in the distance, she relaxed.
[5 Hours before Sensei's arrival.]
"Ah? We're that far in already? I'd expected that it would be a year before they arrived..." Hearing the information from the system, Akuta thought her earlier conclusion that the surroundings would've been messier at the news of the President's disappearance.
'Why isn't there any news about the president who went missing?'
Her brain might be moving at light speed, but her mouth wasn't about to lose the battle as it finished the entirety of her boba tea in mere seconds.
Standing up, she muttered a 'thanks' to the barista and exited through the front door, and threw her trash into the nearest bin.
"Outskirts of the D.U... That means I'm at least 30 Kilometers away?" Placing a finger on her chin, Akuta decided to ignore the big problems for now.
...Should she just have fun while she's here?
Don't misunderstand, it's not that she found this world boring. After all, she's only been here for a couple of hours if we don't include the simulation.
But after entering the world of a game... it'd be such a waste to not see what kind of impact her appearance could have, right?
But then comes another problem.
How should she present herself in the real world?
She can't just reveal her true identity and call it a day; that's not ideal. Instead, if she were to make another persona in the real world that could take care of all the fun stuff while her real identity relaxed and watched the aftermath from inside her home...
Like... a phantom thief!
Yes!
In the morning, she's simply someone average, a person without an affiliation who's struggling to live even past another day.
At night... She's this monstrous troublemaker who just causes headaches to everyone who is associated with her!
Of course, she could tweak the identity a little bit. It doesn't have to only be at night; she could cause trouble in the morning and evening too!
...Remember a couple of hours ago when Akuta said that she didn't want to affect the story whatsoever?
Well, boredom does its thing, and suddenly, she started to imagine what kind of mess she could make in the world...
...How quickly can a person change?
Well, as long as she's happy.