PHASE 1 - THE RED STRING OF FATE

Hiroshima. Nagasaki. B43. MOAB. Salted Nukes. Castle Bravo. Tsar Bomba. Kamehameha.

All those explosions are nothing compared to the one I'm getting right now. I was so mindblown that all my nerves in my pebble brain short-circuited, and now I'm lost in this endless feeling of romance.

"Tiara Hikari… I love you… Will you be my girlfriend?"

The man of my dreams said. For all those seven million timelines that I have repeated, this is the only life that I ever had a confession from the one I love.

"...Rikkun…"

I bowed to hide my red face. I was so lost in thought and endless questions echoed unto my consciousness.

Is this really the truth? Am I dreaming right now? What makes Rikkun say that to me? I thought he loved Necchan! But why is he confessing to me? I know it's my lifelong wish to be loved by him, but…

...I thought we would only stay as friends forever...

"W-What?" Rikkun hanged his jaws. "W-What do you mean f-f-friends forever…?"

SHIMATAAAAA!!!

I was narrating out loud! Quick, Tiara! Take it back!

"U-Um I-I…. Ahahaha… I…I mean… y-you… O-Of course!"

You're making it worse, me! I can't stop speaking nonsense! My brains won't work! I'm not ready for this! Maybe I'll just apologize for now!

"I-I-I-I'm sorry, Rikkun!" I made a powerful yet polite bow to the man in front of me. Never did I know that he's too close, and I made an accidental headbutt to his nose!

"Pwah!"

Rikkun held his damaged snout, but the bleeding won't stop! His white tux is stained with dark red liquid!

I'm getting everything worse! I'm such an idiot! The longer I stay here, the more I embarrass him! I should escape from this scene!

"I-I-I-I'M SOOOOOOOOOO SOOOOOOOOORRRRRYYYYY!!!"

I shouted as I ran away as fast as a racing motorcycle. I went five blocks away, zigzagging my trail, hoping that no one can follow me.

I freaked out. No. I already freaked out the moment he proposed to me to become his girlfriend.

When I thought that I was already in a hidden area, I went in front of an electricity post and slammed my head over and over.

THUD! THUD! THUD!

The electric post curled because of my continuous beating. I even had my forehead aching due to numerous merciless impact!

"I'm such an idiot! Idiot idiot idiot! I'm so stupiiiiiid!!!" I cried. "Tiara you idiot! You had one job!"

I want to die! I want to die! I want to die! I want to die! I want to die! That's what my brain and heart is telling!

"...Auuu..." I held my head that is now suffering from excruciating pain. I sat down on the cemented alley as I cried silently.

Geez, why has it come to this?

I decided to go home, to my original condo unit. I wanted to be alone and cry in the corner until I die. I can no longer show my face to Rikkun and live with him in Heushac's house…

<>

As soon as I open the door to my home, I was surprised by sudden cheers.

"LONG LIVE THE LOVERS!!!" Asumi-nee jumped happily.

Pooooooot!!! Ayano blew her party horn hard.

"E-Eeeek!" I cried.

When I realized that it's just my fellow shrine maidens who just invaded my condo unit, I sighed to calm myself down. But no good. My heart is still racing.

"Wait, where's your groom?" Asumi-nee tilted her head. Ayano is also having a clueless face.

"I...I…"

That's all I could mutter. I was so ashamed of myself that I don't want them to look at me. I covered my reddish face with my hands.

"Hmmm?" Ayano picked up her smartphone and opened the social media app. "Hey, Asumi-nee. Alaric's confession is all over Facebook! Ten thousand shares in just a half of an hour! Cool!"

"Let's watch it~" Asumi-nee said.

"W-W-Wait!" I tried to snatch the phone, but they evaded my attack!

<>

Watching the video made me realize my mistakes in a third person's perspective...

A handsome blonde man is in front of an idiot girl. He just gave out the boquet to the stupid girl's hands. The stupid girl's face became bright red as a result.

"Tiara… I love you…Will you be my girlfriend?"

"...I thought we would stay as friends forever…" The idiot girl answered.

"W-What!? W-What do you mean f-f-friends forever…?"

"U-Um…I-I…. Ahahaha… I-I mean y-you of course… I'm so sorry, Rikkun!"

Then the fool made a headbutt to the poor boy's nose! Thud!

"Pwah!"

Realizing how idiotic she is, the stupid girl was dumbstruck. She only knew that the only cure to this failed confession is for her to run away like a coward.

"I-I-I'M SOOOOOO SOOOOOOOORRRYYYYYYYYY!!!"

Swoosh! The girl ran like a charging speedboat in shallow water, leaving nothing but tears and dirt as she exited the scene.

There was a long awkward silence. Everyone… the Parade Club, the Idol Club audiences, Miss Awane... and even Macho Steel who was looking at the crime scene was dead silent.

And Rikkun became stone as if he was glared by Medusa.

The silence only broke when Heushac started to strum his guitar and sing a sad song with a surprisingly wholesome voice.

"Love hurts~ Love wounds~ Love scars~ Aaaaand marks~"

The leader of the Parade Club, Gerrick, raised his voice and made a proclamation!

"THE KING OF REJECTIONS HAS BEEN REJECTED!!!"

Then the whole Parade Club joined the music.

<>

Asumi-nee and Ayano are dumbstruck but their mouth continued to open wide.

I just hid my face in embarrassment.

"Way to go, Tiara!" Ayano made a heavy pat on my back! "You have utterly defeated the Arrogant King! I never wanted that guy in the first place!"

"E-Eeeeh?" I cried.

Asumi-nee pressed her face forward and took a good read in my shaking blue eyes. "Are you sure about your decision? I won't interfere if you really don't like Alaric, but considering his efforts getting wasted like that…"

I bowed as I silently cried.

"Asumi-nee… I… I like him… I love him more than anything but…"

"EEEEEEEEH!!!!???" Asumi-nee and Ayano exclaimed at the middle of my sentence.

"I-It's true… I won't repeat timelines seven million times if I didn't love him in the first place…"

"What a bitch you are, Tiara!" Ayano glared. "I liked that guy! I was shipping you two together!"

"If you two didn't end up married together, I'll kick you out of the shrine!" Asumi-nee furiously shouted at me. "The shrine business would plummet if you failed to marry Alaric, remember that! He's helped a lot on our fortune-telling business and souvenir shop!"

I really can't understand Asumi and Ayano sometimes...

"W-What should I do…" I cried. "Now I don't have the courage to tell him what I really feel… Now I'm too embarrassed to show my face… Auuu.."

"Don't stress too much about it, Tiara." Asumi-nee patted my back so hard that I almost thought my lungs would fly. Even though she's slightly angry, she still managed to comfort me with her calm voice. "I'm sure you two will still end up being together."

"E-Eh?"

"During the Christmas Raid, Jeannette gave you a part of her soul, right?"

"Y-Yes…" I nodded.

"And you said that in all timelines, Jeannette and Alaric are soulmates. Now that Jeannette is gone, and her soul now resides on your heart…"

"You guys are now meant to be together!" Ayano finished the sentence.

"I-Is that true!?" My eyes are now filled with hope.

Asumi gave a safe smile at me as she uttered the words that would keep me alive for a hundred more timelines.

"I can now see the red strings of fate between you and Alaric. So don't panic. Rest assured."