Belle received the usual amount of stares as she made her way home. Seeing people gawk at her unusual hair color normally put her in a bad mood, but today she was beaming. The pink-haired school girl travelled with light steps, practically skipping as she went. Anyone that knew Belle would have been put off by her abnormally chipper attitude, but there was no one to comment on it. Belle’s usual walking partner was currently indisposed, and so she gaily travelled alone. When Belle reached her front door, she paused. Her giddy expression fell into a familiar deadpan glare. Belle slowly curled and uncurled her fists. Once she was sure that her motor functions had returned, Belle raised her head and tested her voice.

“FUUUUUUCK!”

After enduring embarrassment after embarrassment, Belle had finally gotten a chance to deal with the source of her problems. But she failed. Whatever was controlling her had broken its own rules in order to protect itself. Belle had been forced to watch herself walk and talk while living as a prisoner in her own mind. However, even that experience was not what truly bothered her.

“What’s wrong!?” Shelly yelled.

Belle stepped back just in time to avoid the front door as her mother raced onto the scene.

“Nothing, I’m fine.” Belle didn’t even bother trying to hide her sour tone.

Shelly raised an eyebrow.

“But I need to check something. So, can I borrow some of your games?”

Belle’s mother grabbed her by the shoulders and practically threw her inside. Shelly’s vice grip didn’t yield until they made it to the attic. While her father had an impressive collection of books underneath the house, Belle’s mother balanced it out with her own library of digital media. Wooden bookshelves had been packed into every nook and cranny of the cramped space. The situation within each shelf was a microcosm of the room itself. Belle awkwardly shuffled sideways to fit within the lacquered maze while Shelly seemed to teleport from shelf to shelf.

“So, what do you need?” Shelly asked without stopping to hear an answer. “I’ve got one about a guy who befriends a sickly girl. One where everyone is already dead and they’re trapped in a high school that’s also limbo. Ooh, there’s a sequel where the sickly girl dies and the husband…whoops spoilers. Actually, how about this one? Everyone except the main girl is an armadillo. What a classic!”

“Mom, I already know what I’m looking for.”

Shelly pulled out a game with an armadillo in sexy lingerie on the cover.

“-And it isn’t any of those.”

Shelly reluctantly shelved her recommendation. Belle’s mother slunk away while whispering “It’ll be there if you need it.”

Belle quickly retrieved a handful of games and then retreated to her room. After playing out a few choice scenarios from each, Belle was sure of it.

“How did that compare to your fall from heaven? My Angel~”

Belle cringed as a character recited the same painful line that she’d used earlier that day. In fact, every game in her pile contained at least one familiar dialogue choice. It wasn’t particularly difficult for Belle to find these lines, since these were games she’d already played to completion. With every spoken cliché, Belle’s heart sank. It was possible that the entity controlling her and Senpai was a fan of these games, but it seemed unlikely. Belle wasn’t the only one under David’s spell, but she was clearly the only one acting like this was a dating sim.

“Everyone else is just normally falling in love with him. Which means that…”

Belle slumped forward in her chair and let her face hit the keyboard.

“It’s my fault.”

Everyone who looked at David fell in love with him. The only difference between Belle and the others was their romantic experience. While Belle certainly understood the concept of a normal romance, that knowledge was a mere drop in the bucket compared to her years of gaming knowledge. The painfully embarrassing outbursts that she’d been forced to make were the product of her own skewed experiences. Belle only had herself to blame.

“Goddammit mom.”

And Shelly. Shelly was also certainly at fault.

After taking some time to question her life choices, Belle’s thoughts returned to the problem at hand. What was really controlling her? And how? Belle released a frustrated sigh. If it was some kind of magical item, then Kazama might know how to deal with it. Belle pulled out her phone and shot him a text.

Belle >> Where are you? We need to talk.

Ten minutes passed without a reply.

Belle >> I didn’t see you at school today. Still alive?

This time there was a near immediate reply.

Kazama >> 322

Belle >> ??? What does that mean?

Kazama seemed to be typing for a few minutes before his next message.

Kazama >> 6969 🍆💦

Belle stared blankly at her phone until Kazama followed up.

Kazama >> Sorry! Lin and Remira stole my phone 0w0. I’m really busy so we’ll talk later, kay?

Belle >> You aren’t Kazama, either.

Kazama >> =0

Kazama >> What’s that? Twin ESP? =/

Kazama >> I just didn’t want you to worry. Kazama’s fine, but he’ll be busy with the three of us for a while.

Belle >> And you are…?

Kazama >> Your potential sister-in-law!

Belle >> Ok…?

Kazama >> =S

Belle >> Well, tell him I said ‘good luck’

Kazama >> Yes, ma’am! O7

Belle set her phone down and leaned back in her chair. That strange conversation had reminded her of something important. No matter how bad things seem, someone always has it worse.

- - -

Exactly one day after the Noh sibling’s ‘visual novel walk-in’ incident.

“Sorry, Belle. I promised Daniel that I’d get food with him, so, uh, bye.”

Kazama told a lie to avoid walking home with Belle. As expected, he still felt awkward around his sister who’d confidently declared that she watched hentai. This lead to him eating with Daniel at their favorite Asian takeout place, The Nood. It also created an opportunity that two stalkers would follow up on.

“My, what a coincidence.” Remira announced as she entered The Nood. “My good friend Kazama is also eating here. How lovely~”

“You don’t have to say that every time…” Lin retorted, shaking her head. “I don’t think Kazama believes in coincidences anymore.”

Kazama would later look back on this moment and realize that he had already passed a turning point. Nothing he could say or do would save him from the headache that would devour the rest of his week. Two-thirds of said headache had already arrived, and the third’s appearance was all but inevitable.

Remira gracefully took a seat beside Kazama. A radiant smile appeared on her cherry red lips. The blonde beauty brushed her long hair aside, giving the boy on her left a better view of her face. She puffed out her chest at the same time, dragging Kazama’s gaze down below her neck. Remira wore a simple tan vest with a white collared shirt underneath. It was the standard uniform for her school. But no matter how proper the outfit, Remira always managed to give off an aura of indecency. This was partially due to her figure, which had already developed to the limit of what could be considered high school level. But when Kazama wrenched his eyes back up to an acceptable height, he remembered that her body had nothing to do with it. Remira’s eyes carried a certain intensity that betrayed her ladylike appearance. At a glance, anyone could tell that she had experience far beyond her years.

Lin begrudgingly sat beside Daniel. He was about to utter a word beginning with ‘Lo’, but a sharp glare from the raven-haired girl shut him up. Lin observed Remira’s vaguely subtle attempt to draw Kazama’s attention with an austere expression. After losing a mental battle, Kazama found himself looking away in Lin’s direction. She flashed him a knowing smile that sent a chill down his spine. Physically, Lin and Remira were polar opposites. One could potentially pass for a college student while the other had trouble convincing people that she was in high school. The only thing that they shared was a certain look in their eyes.

“Don’t worry Kazama…” Daniel broke the silence. “Even if you flaunt your harem in public, I won’t be disgusted. This is simply the price I pay for having a normie friend. I’ve already come to terms with it.”

“Please don’t come to terms with my harem before I do.”

“Harem…It sounds so servile.” Remira shuddered. “I love it~”

“I don’t mind it either.” Lin nodded. “But it makes me worry that I’ll have more rivals in the future.”

“That’s my line, Lin. I was here first after all. Just thinking about other girls going after Kazama sends a shiver down my spine.”

“That’s…my line.” Kazama muttered as he placed his head in his hands. “Actually, you two going after me is also disturbing. How about you give up and find a different guy to stalk?”

“I refuse~” Remira chirped happily.

“For various reasons, that is impossible.” Lin explained.

Kazama let out a resigned sigh.

“Anyways…” Lin turned to Daniel. “I’ve seen you hanging around Kazama but I don’t think we’ve properly met.”

“Y-Yea.” Daniel replied. His eyes darted around to avoid making eye contact with the girl sitting beside him. “Kazama told me that one of you is from an alternate dimension while the other was reincarnated…apparently?”

“Yes, that’s me.” Remira raised her hand. “I have memories from my past life.”

“An alternate dimension…that’s an interesting way to phrase it.” Lin put a hand on her chin. “You aren’t wrong.”

“Daniel, can you guess who I was in my previous life?”

Daniel eyed Remira warily. Her way of speaking couldn’t be called normal, but it didn’t reveal her nationality. Saying ‘I don’t know’ would have been difficult, and so the portly boy simply guessed.

“Were you a…uh…princess? Maybe?”

It was a safe choice. Even if he was wrong, Remira would still appreciate the compliment. Daniel silently praised himself for thinking clearly under pressure. Eating with two beautiful girls had put him on edge, but his mental faculties were still holding strong.

“Yes! That’s correct!” Remira reported, grinning from ear to ear.

“Wait? Seriously!?” The disbelief in Daniel’s voice rang true.

An awkward pause followed Daniel’s outburst.

“Y-Yes…” Remira replied, crestfallen. “I may not really give off a royal vibe, but that’s what I was. Long ago I lived in a castle and fell in love with a commoner working there. That man was Kazama.”

“He was similar to Kazama.” Kazama retorted.

“You’re exactly the same!”

Daniel could sense that they were taking a well-trodden path towards an argument.

“You, uh, said he was a commoner right? What did Kazama do?”

Remira’s cheeks flushed. “You want to know what he did to me? Well…”

“No, no, no. I’m talking about his occupation!”

Lin grinned. “Why don’t you guess that as well?”

Daniel glanced at Kazama who was busy eyeing the door. He seemed to be considering his escape strategy.

“Um, some kind of servant?”

“Wrong~” Remira’s melodious voice denied him.

“An advisor?”

“Nope.” Lin said, maintaining her wry grin.

“Maybe a scribe? Castles had those right?”

Both girls shook their heads. Meanwhile, Kazama buried his head in his hands.

“I’ll give you a hint.” Remira’s face turned even redder. “He did all sorts of things in a dark room below the castle.”

“You’re not going to fool me with innuendos.” Daniel announced smugly. “He was a warden, right?”

Daniel turned to his friend, who was fiercely trying to avoid eye contact.

“I guess you could call him a warden.” Remira started. “Although, the standard title would be torturer. Of course, punishing the king’s enemies was merely his job. He didn’t enjoy it one bit. I was interested in this gloomy man who seemed to take no pleasure in his work. So, I asked him why he chose to live in the dungeon.”

Remira’s scarlet cheeks began to glisten with sweat. In any other situation, Daniel would have assumed that she was suffering from heatstroke.

“Then he picked up a pile of oiled rope and asked me; ‘do you want to find out?’ As a princess, it was easily the most intense thing I’d ever experienced.”

Daniel blinked. “Are you sure that was Kazama?”

“It fits with my image of him.” Lin replied, nodding knowingly. “If anything, this version of Kazama is a little too subdued. It must be this repressed society.”

“Just remember that nothing they say can be proven.” Kazama muttered. Though, his words were more for himself than anyone else.

“W-Well, that was an interesting story. Ahaha…” Daniel laughed weakly as he desperately searched for a way out of this conversation. “What about you Lin? How did you and Kazama meet?”

“Unlike Remira, I don’t really want to go into the details.”

“Ok, great.” Daniel replied hastily. “Then let’s-”

“-But I’ll tell you two things.” Lin cut in. “First, I’m a time-traveler from the future. Second, my goal is this…”

Lin plunged her right index finger into a hole created by her left index finger and thumb.

“But personally, I’m hoping it will be more like this…”

Lin tightened the hole and added two more fingers.

“The two aren’t really related.” Lin added while she continued her obscene gesture.

“She just showed up one day out of the blue.” Kazama explained wearily. “Nearly burned up my lawn when she did. Lin was incoherent at the time, and so my family took her in. Living with her ended up being too…frustrating…and in the end Remira’s family adopted her.”

“Well, I’m hoping absence will make the heart grow fonder.” Lin conceded with a slightly guilty look. “Although, I couldn’t ask for a better sister.”

“Aww.” Remira laid a hand on her chest.

“If you’re wondering why I was kicked out, it’s actually quite a funny story. Kazama here…”

“I-I don’t really care about that!” Daniel stammered. “You said you’re from the future, right? How could I ignore something so huge!? How far back did you travel? What happens to the world in your future? Does something happen to Kazama? Does world war three ever start? Do I ever get a girlfriend?”

“How many countries has the Canadian Empire annexed?” Lin asked as if it was a perfectly normal response.

“Um…None?”

“Then we’ve still got a long way to go before my historical knowledge becomes relevant.” Lin shook her head. “I don’t have a means of getting back to the future. Even if I could, I don’t plan on leaving this time period. So, you can forget about that part of my introduction.”

“I can’t just forget about something like that! And if you’re from the future, then how do you know Ka-”

*BAAANG*

A sudden quake brought Daniel’s interrogation to a grinding halt. The lights in The Nood flickered on and off rapidly before finally settling into a dim glow. The instant the shaking stopped, most of the customers ran outside like headless chickens. When Daniel emerged from under his table, his gaze fell on three people who had remained seated. Kazama hadn’t moved an inch. He sat stoically with a slight frown, but Kazama’s nerves likely had nothing to do with his immobility. Remira had taken the opportunity to grab onto him as tightly as she could. Meanwhile, Lin had followed Daniel under the table, but she didn’t stay there. Not wanting to be outdone by Remira, Lin had lunged at Kazama from below.

“Now that I’m standing…that looks really wrong.” Daniel muttered. He pointed to Lin’s head, which was barely peeking out from beneath the table.

“It is wrong.” Kazama replied through gritted teeth. “This could be serious, so please get off me.”

“I’m already getting off~” Remira practically sang her retort.

After enjoying Kazama’s disgusted glare, she released his arm of her own volition. Lin crawled out from under the table and turned her back to the others.

“S-Sorry…I got over-excited.” Lin’s voice was barely a whisper.

Daniel noticed a hint of red on her cheeks as she hurried out of the building.

Kazama, Daniel and Remira followed her out, only to stop dead in their tracks. The source of the quake was right in the middle of the street. Lying there in a smoking heap was the wreckage of a flying saucer. The quartet joined a crowd that had formed around it. Suddenly, a pulse of static noise flew out and everyone stiffened. Then they began to go about their business as if nothing had happened. Almost everyone on the street refused to acknowledge the alien crash site. Kazama’s group, the only exception to this phenomenon, continued to stare at the smoldering hunk of metal. A hatch swung open and the figure that crawled out was silhouetted by smoke.

“Wow, Kazama! I found you so quickly!” A girl’s voice called out.

Kazama stiffened. His cautious stare gave way to an expression of pure shock. He continued to stand, slack-jawed, while the figure climbed down from its spaceship and rushed to meet him. But what emerged from the smoke was not, as the voice indicated, a beautiful young girl. A slimy mass of rubbery flesh hurtled towards Kazama. He was too stunned to dodge and was knocked to the ground.

“Ah, sorry. I’m a bit too large like this, aren’t I?”

As the dust from their fall cleared, the white blob-like being began to shrink. When Daniel got a clear view of the scene, the creature was nowhere to be found. Instead, Kazama was lying on the ground underneath a slender blue-haired girl.

“A-Allie?” Kazama breathed.

“It’s great to see you again, Kazama~”