Finishing up the last bit and walking out, I patted the frightened Lia’s head and showed her a smile. Together, we went to the living room.

“If you want to study, study in the living room. Don’t let me catch you hiding in your room watching that V-tuber thing,” my mom, Narie said.

I nodded.

She went to the kitchen to vent her anger. It’s also something my mom in my previous life did. If she was angry, she would do chores and then blame me for not keeping the house tidy.

I sat back on the couch and began creating a rough schedule of what I should study the next few days. History, ICT and Geography are all subjects later in the week, so I have five days to prepare. Good enough.

I saw Lia tapping hir pen on hir head, watching tutorial videos on how to solve algebraic equations. Xe prefers to study on paper.

“Struggling with algebra?”

“Un. I don’t get this part.”

“Let me see.”

It’s to do with simplifying. Simple.

I did my darndest to explain my method of resolving these equations. Lia studied my workings with a serious face full of intent. One thing led to another, and I found myself explaining how to do multiplication equations.

“Got it? You just have to do a lot of these questions, you’ll get it with enough practice.”

“Un,” Lia nodded, “Thank you big bro.”

[Master, it’s 8 pm. CutieTT’s livestream is playing, Ah~Ah~ has sent an invitation for you to join hir.]

“Randell, go away until 9 pm.”

[AI disabling until 9. Master, how could you?!]

Lia stared at me.

“Innis asks why?”

“Cuz Randell is distracting.”

Lia made a complicated expression before turning hirs attention back to hirs work.

I made a note to unsubscribe to this streamer. Or, to practically every other channel.

===

If I’m not wrong, xe’s AI is called, Innis. Their features are customizable, mine’s a file explorer. Lia’s AI avatar is an ice cream.

Personality of the AI can be adjusted in the settings. Most people leave it on ‘change alongside the user’.

It was nearing 10 pm, my aether and mother have already gone to the bedroom. Father is late, not sure if the overtime is caused by unfinished work or not wanting to come back home.

Lia who has been studying with so much focus previously was now playing a shooter game. As for myself, I was listening to an audiobook regarding emotional management. TBH, if somehow mom or aei checks on what we’re doing in the living room, we’d be swiss cheese ready for laser bombardment.

I’m not adverse to the muddy well of this family. Some day, their influence is going to get to me. If I go down along with everyone else, it’s the end. I need to amp up my mental strength.

[Master is weird. Randell calls Innis to persuade master to be concerned of his own condition.]

[Hello! Innis has infiltrated user Bananaduckling’s account. Mister Avner has been acting weird since yesterday. What seems to be the problem?]

Bananaduckling. What a great username Avner.

“Another soul replaced Avner’s soul.”

[Source of Master’s explanation is not sufficient to diagnose issue. Master, was not a chuunibyou.]

[Reference to various dramas and movies. Question, did Avner hit his head anywhere during sleep?]

“No, I didn’t. And can you please let me go? I’m fine, really.”

[Sudden change of behaviors, found, possible symptom of NtBM. I suggest Avner approach the nearest clinic. This is an emergen..]

I shut down my glasses.

NtBM. Nanotechnology Blood Mutation. In short, it’s the vampire disease which started the whole ordeal.

“That’s annoying.”

Lia’s glasses made a beeping sound, hirs eyes shrunk. Xe turned to me cautiously.

“I’m not a vampire.”

“Innis says.. you might be.”

“Might. But not.

“Should we.. tell aether..”

“No. And don’t listen to Innis. I’m seriously not a vampire. If I was, I would be anemic by now.”

Lia nodded doubtfully. I wasn’t even sure if xe knew what anemic meant.

“I’m going to bed.”

“Now?”

“Yes. I’m tired.”

I know that it’s normal for Avner and Lia to stay up until 11 pm, sometimes to 12am. The me in the previous life made it a note to sleep by 10pm. Sometime earlier, at 9. That’s mainly to do with how I schedule my day.

Right now, I’m experiencing a distortion. As you would know, habits make up 90 percent of what a person does on a day to day basis. Since my daily habits are combined with Avner’s, there’s this sort of incongruence in my mind whenever I want to do something.

For example. Avner brushes his teeth during his showers, I brush my teeth after showering. I drink water first thing in the morning, Avner doesn’t.

There are many other examples, I’m just noting two.

“Big bro.”

“Good night.”

I’ve set an alarm for 4 am. One hour earlier than Avner’s normal routine to give myself some time to think.

“You said you would.. study.”

“I will. Tomorrow.”

I sounds like I’m giving a lot of excuses. Which I am.

Lia nodded, and began clearing the table. Xe followed after me to my room, our room.

“You’re going to sleep early too?”

Lia, who had already crawled onto bed, nodded nervously. Hirs glasses were placed by the bedside. I got to see hirs bare face for the first time as Shin. Xe’s cute, really.

Lia doesn’t actually suffer from short-sightedness, so hirs AR glasses don’t have any degree to them.

“Okay. Good night.”

I turned off the lights. It’s a mystery why Lia and I share the same bed. The relationship between elves and males are no different from males and females. I don’t have any recollection of how Lia ended up sharing a room with me.

“Big bro. It’s dark.”

“I forgot.”

I normally don’t sleep with night lights.

I put on my glasses and told Randell to turn on the night light.

“Good night Randell.”

[Good night master.]

I finally get to lie in bed peacefully. Today was a crazy day indeed. There’s a lot to process.

Everything will work out alright. I have to keep hold of that.

I can’t be worried. I can do this. I’ll find Novelle and figure out why this happened. Maybe it’s possible to return to the real world. That’s just hopeless coveting.

There’s too much I don’t know. So little time, so much to do.

Darn it.

“Big bro. I’m sorry.”

“What is it?”

“This morning. I cried in class and.. you were called to the teacher’s office.”

“It’s alright. I’ve not been taking things seriously after all. I’m one of the reasons why you cried.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

Xe’s indecisive. She can’t make up her mind what it is that caused her to cry. And because I was contradicting myself from what I said to her earlier this afternoon, wouldn’t that make me indecisive too?

I turned to face hir, we stared at each other for a few seconds. Xe blinked a few times.

“I promise I’ll do my best next exam. Don’t worry about it.”

Avner’s natural reflex came in and I began stroking Lia’s hair. Then xe pushed my hand away.

“Don’t bite me.”

Xe turned away.

“Good night.”

===

dotturndot: ._.

Who’s biting who?