Roughly three months passed in the blink of an eye.
Most of those days were spent with the same clear white-haired girl I'd grown accustomed to, like now as she slept with her head resting against my shoulder.
"First day of class… again…" I muttered, staring up at the classroom ceiling while Anathasia's steady breathing warmed my chest.
Time really did move too fast.
My gaze drifted from the board at the front, to the windows lining the side of the room.
"Uh—hello?"
The voice felt distant, so I ignored it, letting out a small sigh as Anathasia shifted slightly in her sleep.
"Excuse me??"
This time, it was close.
A girl's voice.
I turned my head.
Standing beside my desk was a girl with white hair, uncannily similar to Anathasia's. The same pale shade. The same soft presence.
But her eyes were blue.
Clear. Calm.
Human.
"Yes…?" I answered, slowly.
The girl smiled, tucking a strand of her white hair behind her ear.
"May I sit here? If it isn't too much trouble," she said.
"I couldn't find any vacant seats, so I thought—"
"It's fine. Please do," I cut in. Not out of rudeness, but because I could feel a certain Outer God starting to seethe beside me.
Anathasia shifted deliberately, scooting closer to my side while leaving just enough space for the other girl.
The girl flashed a gentle smile and sat down beside her, setting her bag neatly at her feet.
"I'm Arianne Auclait," she said.
"And you two are…?"
I froze.
Auclait…? Here…?
Seeing how I suddenly went quiet, Anathasia spoke up without missing a beat.
"I'm Anathasia Dunaleff," she said calmly.
"His girlfriend. And he's Kyle Ruzen Abe."
Her hand found mine beneath the table, fingers squeezing gently. She shot me a brief, reassuring glance before turning back to the white-haired girl.
"Are you an exchange student?" Anathasia continued, her tone casual, almost friendly as she made small talk.
I stayed silent, eyes dropping to my textbooks, pretending to focus on anything other than the weight settling in my chest.
In the end, the professor never showed. We just sat there for attendance, no lecture, no introductions. First days were always like that. Formalities more than anything else.
Anathasia waved Arianne goodbye as we filed out of the room, her smile never faltering.
The moment the other girl disappeared from view, Anathasia shook her head.
"She's so sweet…" she muttered. "It actually makes me feel sick."
She turned to me like she'd just survived something horrific.
"Like, listen to this," she said. "Future Matriarch. Model. Philanthropist. Straight-A student."
She paused, taking a breath.
"At the same time."
Then she looked down at her hands.
"And she's kind," she added, shaking her head as we walked out of the gate. "Genuinely kind."
She wrapped her arms around herself.
"She's so perfect it's uncanny. She reminds me of Rania."
I stiffened slightly.
"Her kindness feels the same," Anathasia continued. "But she's sharp too. Like she's looking straight through you. Into your soul."
She shook her head again, more forcefully.
"Auclait… Arianne…" I murmured, only half-listening.
I think Marianne mentioned having a twin sister once…
But she didn't have white hair…
My gaze drifted to the girl beside me. Without thinking, my hand reached out, fingers brushing through her hair.
"Hair treatment…?" I mumbled.
"…?"
"Fluffy…"
"What?"
Before I realized it, I'd pulled Anathasia closer, nuzzling into her hair. She stopped walking entirely.
She stiffened, but didn't pull away.
A quiet sigh slipped from her lips as she leaned into me instead, the two of us standing there on the sidewalk.
By the time I noticed, people were staring.
Some with irritation. Some with disdain.
Others didn't bother looking at all.
---
Arianne Auclait.
After leaving him and the white-haired girl behind, the air around her shifted subtly, not enough for others to notice. Heads turned as she walked past, some turned away while others looked at her with admiration.
Arianne simply smiled, polite, practiced.
There's no need to dwell around, Hinami and Mei should be at the café by now.
Her cardigan draped loosely over her shoulders as a blonde girl wearing a light-brown knitted sweater over a white shirt stepped out, seemingly looking for someone before turning to her.
The girl's expression immediately brightened as Arianne approached.
"Ah! Arianne! I was waiting for you!" the girl sauntered over, smiling from ear to ear. "What took you so long? Did you meet them?"
Arianne paused, nodded gently, setting the pace without looking back.
"I did," she replied.
"He's exactly what I expected, but the girl however…"
Arianne trailed off as she continued walking, the other girl casually catching up to her with her hands behind her back, carefree.
"She's strange…?"
The other girl tilted her head.
"Strange? In what way?"
Arianne paused, brows furrowed.
"I can't quite put my finger on it, but let's be careful around her," she glanced at the other girl on her side, who simply smiled back at her.
"But I'm sure you already understand, right?"
The other girl's smile widened as Arianne continued. Bright, but far from innocent.
"Golden Heir, Hinami Fuyukawa?"
A smile tugged at Arianne's lips. Genuine, gentle, and unguarded.
The two girls walked out through the campus gate, where a black SUV waited at the curb. A man in a black suit stepped forward, opening the door for them before circling around to the driver's seat.
Once inside, Arianne leaned forward.
"Hinami's café. The one that recently opened near the airport," she instructed.
She settled back beside Hinami.
"That being said," Arianne continued calmly, raising an eyebrow, "didn't we agree you and Mei would meet up first?"
Hinami went quiet.
Then she smiled, just a little too carefully.
"I figured you might feel lonely riding alone," she replied lightly.
I can't say my phone died, Hinami thought. She'll think I'm careless.
Arianne, seemingly accepting Hinami's reasoning, didn't press further, Hinami's smile never faltering as their ride continued.
The scenery unfolded before Arianne's eyes. A rural area, plains and rice fields stretching as far as she could see. A stark contrast to France, and yet, her mind was elsewhere. To her older twin sister. The one who had fallen from grace, now deemed unworthy of the title 'Matriarch'. Marianne.
Her hand curled in a fist on her lap, gazing out the car window.
Mari...
She gently shook her head as Marianne slowly filled her thoughts. The quiet acceptance in her eyes, as if something essential had been taken away from her. Her cold, empty eyes…
Arianne clenched her teeth at the memory, then smoothed her expression, burying it where no one could see.
After a few minutes, the car slowly halted to a stop by a parking lot beside a newly opened café not too far from the city airport of Ozamis.
Hinami was the first to slip out, casually sauntering inside while Arianne followed shortly after, fixing her cardigan as she entered the café. Inside, Hinami was already sitting across a girl with long, straight black hair, light reflecting a soft sheen on her hair as it cascaded past her waist.
Arianne simply walked over and took a seat in-between Hinami and the girl, her expression remaining unchanged as she glanced at the quiet girl who simply took a delicate sip of her coffee while Hinami glanced at the counter, winking toward the counter, signaling for the person in charge.
"Still quiet as ever," Arianne spoke up, loosely crossing her arms over her chest as she leaned back on her seat.
"Mei."
The girl—Mei, slowly lifted her gaze as she glanced at Arianne. Then at Hinami sitting across her, who as always, was far too energetic for her to deal with. Yet, she still saw her as an important friend.
"We already know our main reason for being here," Mei said, the porcelain cup clinking as she placed it down with care, her eyes darting outside through the glass.
"And I have little to update regarding our progress, aside from the factory nearing its completion," she added, before meeting Arianne's gaze.
"As for what you asked," Mei said, gently taking out a folder. Plain white, thick with papers and placing it on the table. "All of his information is already included there. Birth, current status, hometown, birthday, blood type… everything."
Arianne looked at the folder before taking it into her hands, opening it and scanning through every detail about him.
After skimming only a fraction of its contents, Arianne closed it with a soft fwip.
"Do you have information about the girl he's with?"
Mei hesitated. Hinami simply sipped her cappuccino.
"You mean Anathasia Dunaleff," Mei said calmly, "the one Marianne asked me to investigate four months ago?"
Arianne nodded, her expression unchanged.
Mei fell silent for a moment, a flicker of unease passing over her face. A rare occurrence.
"There's an issue," Mei said quietly. "I couldn't find anything on her. No parents. No cousins. No family. Not even a blood type. Nothing."
"Just that she's listed as a close family friend of his."
Arianne raised an eyebrow, her hand hovering just inches above her cup.
Nothing…?
"Have you tried everything?" she asked. "Background checks? Local confirmation?"
Mei nodded, then slowly shook her head.
And for the first time, Arianne felt as though she had stumbled upon someone, something, that couldn't be unraveled by her usual methods.
Silence stretched between the two girls.
Hinami, however—
"Isn't that why we're here in the first place?" she said casually, sipping her cappuccino before setting the cup down with a soft clink.
"I looked into the girl too," she added. "Hit the same wall Mei did."
Both girls turned to her. Hinami just shrugged.
"Then direct observation is the best option," she continued. "Panicking because you don't know anything about the subject…"
She glanced between them, her smile light but sharp.
"That's not like either of you."
Arianne sighed. Mei stared at Hinami like she just said the sentence of the century.
"That's… true…" Arianne admitted.
Mei lifted her cup, taking a quiet sip before speaking.
"…This is rare," she said flatly. "You're applying thought to something that doesn't immediately translate into revenue."
Hinami sighed at Mei's words, but decided to brush them off with a small shrug.
---
Outside The Baseline Reality. The Collective Sphere.
"Anathasia…" Rania muttered, looking at the floating shard that showed a live projection of the three girls.
"This is just cruel…" Rania murmured, sighing as she watched.
Anathasia, casually sitting behind her, simply shrugged as she stifled a small laugh. While Roselia, the Fourth Outer God glanced at her with her fan covering her lips.
"Miss Veridielle can be quite twisted at times… more than myself, perhaps."
Anathasia stood up, then sauntered over the edge of the plane they were standing on. Her form gradually starting to fray on the edges.
"Just let them be. I already have countermeasures if they step out of line."
Rania glanced back, her eyes landing on her.
"You're not talking about a complete existential rewrite like what you did to Marianne…"
"…are you?"
Anathasia simply smiled as her form started to dissipate.
"Of course…" she said lightly. "I've mastered restraint after becoming his partner, after all."
Roselia's eyes widened fractionally, Rania let out another sigh.
"Miss Veridielle is… taken?" Roselia said quietly, her voice tinged with surprise and disbelief.
Rania glanced at her, then nodded.
"As impossible as it sounds… yes."
After Anathasia's presence disappeared, the Collective Sphere seemed to stabilize. Out of relief, perhaps something else. All while the projection continued, indifferent to the revelation.