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“GIVE me back my joy,” Celette said.
After final period, one of her friends had summoned me to the rooftop of the old school building. There were plans to reconstruct this building during the next long break due to its deterioration. As such, we were forbidden from entering it without permission. The fence surrounding the roof had fallen into visible disrepair as well.
“Why spin a lie just to bring me here?” I asked.
Three young ladies, including Celette, were standing in front of me. One of those young ladies had deceived me into coming here.
Celette giggled triumphantly. “I knew for certain you would come if you heard an animal was in danger.”
I felt a small spike of irritation. That said, didn’t Celette have a lot more sycophants a few months ago?
“Your entourage has shrunk quite a bit,” I noted. “Did you have a falling out?”
Celette burst into tears. “What a horrible thing to say when it’s all your fault.”
“Huh? My fault? What in the world are you talking about? I don’t remember doing anything.”
I was being completely honest. When I cocked my head, one of the other girls bristled. “Where do you get off?!” she shouted. “It’s because of that weird glitter you scattered everywhere!”
“Weird glitter?” I repeated.
Was she talking about the magic class from a while ago? Still, what did that have to do with anything?
“Everyone else stopped hanging out with me when you showered them in that glitter,” Celette said. “In other words, it’s your fault.”
“But how do you know the glitter was at fault?” I asked.
Something else entirely could have caused their falling out.
“Because only dark magic can defeat my holy magic,” Celette replied.
“But I can’t even use dark magic,” I countered. “Think about it for a minute. Dark power wouldn’t glitter, right?”
The girl who’d brought me here looked half-convinced. “Now that you mention it—”
However, the other girl elbowed her in the side to cut her off.
“See?” Celette asked in a choked voice. “You’re trying to rip me and my friends apart again.”
Despite her best attempts to fake cry, I didn’t glimpse a single tear in her eyes.
In any case, Celette continued speaking while covering her face with her hands. “I’ve been thinking about how best to counteract your dark magic.”
Apparently, she’d already made up her mind about my supposed dark magic. Wait, was she trying to set me up as the “villainess,” as she’d mentioned before?
“I didn’t do anything different this time,” Celette said. “I’ve used the same method every other time, after all.”
When she lifted her head, she wasn’t crying, just as I’d suspected. In fact, her sinister grin could have been ripped straight from a horror film.
“I knew events would play out differently on a hidden character route,” Celette continued. “Looks like I need to change my approach.”
What the heck is a hidden character route?
“I’ve been focusing solely on isolating you,” Celette said, closing the distance between us in a flash. Her lips twisted into a creepy smile before my very eyes. Not a hint of cuteness remained in her features. “When my usual plan didn’t work out, I realized that this time must be different. So, what if I did something unprecedented and manipulated you?”
Celette’s mana swelled around her.
“Ouch, that’s hot!” I exclaimed.
Heat flared through the pinky ring on my left hand. Apparently, Celette had tried to bewitch me. On instinct, I unleashed a small burst of magic.
This is hotter than I expected.
The thought of everyone enduring this heat astonished me.
I should probably improve everyone’s amulets.
As this thought crossed my mind, Celette’s magic vanished.
“Well?” she asked with a satisfied smile. “How does it feel to be my puppet?”
Someone really needed to tell this girl how creepy she looked.
“…I don’t feel any different,” I replied while moving my arms and legs. “Nothing out of the ordinary here.”
Celette’s expression twisted even further.
Then, a terrifying voice echoed from somewhere unseen. “…It’s not working on you, either?”
The two other girls and I looked around nervously.
“Why?” the terrifying voice echoed in front of me. “Why isn’t my magic working on any of the main characters?!”
Where is that voice coming from, exactly? Celette?
“I’ve cast this spell numerous times, but it never works,” she said. “Why the hell isn’t it working?!”
Celette’s madness sent a shiver down my spine.
“To begin with, why aren’t you engaged to Prince Lauris?” she demanded.
“Huh?” I asked. “No real reason. The topic never even came up between us.”
“And I’m asking why it didn’t, okay?!”
Whoa, she’s getting scarier by the second. She’s starting to look like an old hag.
“I was trying to romance Prince Embert this time,” Celette continued. “I stan him harder than anyone, but no matter how much I bewitch him, he doesn’t show the slightest interest in me! It’s infuriating…”
I couldn’t make out what she was saying due to all the mumbling.
“You’ve been reincarnated, haven’t you?” Celette asked.
“Huh?” I asked, feigning ignorance. “Me?”
“You know about this otome game, right?” she insisted.
I frowned. “What’s that?”
Otome meant “maiden” in Japanese, but I’d never heard the word used as a genre. That aside, did Celette think this world was a game?
“How bizarre,” she continued mumbling. “This route isn’t going according to plan because you’re not playing the role of villainess. Everything has always worked out fine until now. Even so, the very fact that you’re not engaged to Prince Lauris is bizarre.”
She’s giving me the creeps.
“Speaking of which, why are you so close to Prince Embert?” Celette asked. “You two are supposed to be no more than acquaintances.”
I see. Were those our roles in this game she’s talking about?
“I don’t know what to tell you,” I said. “Embert and I have been close since I was a young girl. My brother is his personal aide, after all. Still, we initially became friends after I stopped a rampaging magic horse.”
“Yes, this is definitely bizarre,” Celette replied. “Too many irregularities have occurred. I’ve had enough of this. How can I restore this route to normal?”
She was completely absorbed in her own world. Could I just go home at this point? I wasn’t sure what to do.
Celette sighed. “Since it’s come to this, I suppose I have no other choice.” She then met my gaze, seeming to have reached a conclusion. “Well then, would you please die for me, Lady Alexandra?”
“Say what?” I asked.
“It’s a long shot, but this route might return to normal if you die.”
Despite the outrageous statement, she spoke with a pleasant smile.
“Um, I don’t plan on dying any time soon,” I said.
Though Celette had been smiling a moment ago, her eyes darkened with fury. “Why not?!”
“Do you even have to ask? What kind of person would agree to die just because you told them to?”
“Okay then,” Celette said, her expression turning pouty. She then proceeded to say the most outrageous thing yet. “If you won’t kill yourself, I’ll lend a helping hand.” Here, she looked at her two sycophants with a smug expression, apparently thinking she’d come up with an ingenious plan. “Grab hold of Lady Alexandra, you two.”
However, the girl who hadn’t brought me here remained motionless. “Lady Delphina,” she said while hanging her head. “You’re taking this way too far.”
After lifting her head, the girl placed a hand on Celette’s shoulder in an attempt to stop her.
“Oh, shut up,” Celette responded, shaking off the girl’s hand. “Are you betraying me too?! You can die first if you’re just going to get in my way!”
Then, Celette shoved the girl’s shoulders.
“Eek!” the girl screamed, stumbling back and losing her balance. Though she grabbed hold of the fence, it couldn’t withstand even her slight impact. As it collapsed, she began teetering on the edge of the roof. Without thinking, I raced towards her, the clatter of the breaking fence still echoing in my ears. Right before the girl fell, I reached out and pulled her up with all my might. As a result of the recoil, I switched places with her. Thus, I began falling towards the ground alongside the broken fence. I slapped both hands over my mouth as a scream tried to escape my lips.
No, I have to stay quiet. If I scream, Em will teleport here to save me. If that happens, both of us will fall.
I tried to remain calm and stop my fall using magic. Unfortunately, I couldn’t imagine the spell due to panic.
The ground! I can see the ground!
The absurd thought of splattering all over the surface raced through my mind. Then, I fell onto something none too soft as the wind roared in my ears.
“What?” I asked. “That didn’t hurt at all.”
After opening my eyes, which I’d closed on reflex, I could still see the sky. At the same time, I could feel myself steadily ascending upwards.
“Wait, am I already going to Heaven?” I asked.
A chuckle reached my ears. “Holy woman,” an unfamiliar voice spoke to me telepathically. “You are interesting indeed.”
“Whoa, are you speaking directly into my head? You don’t sound like the Goddess though. She didn’t have such a low voice.”
“Fascinating. You’ve spoken with the Goddess, have you?”
“Yeah, we go way back,” I replied while sitting up straight.
“That must be why you have her divine protection.”
“You can tell?”
“Yes,” the unfamiliar voice confirmed. “I’m a sacred beast, after all.”
“A sacred beast? Where are you, exactly?”
The voice chuckled again. “You’re riding on my back.”
“Seriously?”
I better scrutinized what I was riding. Were those black scales? Upon closer inspection, the scales shimmered iridescently in the sunlight. What a strange sort of black. Furthermore, large wings extended on either side of my mount. Apparently, I was sitting on this creature’s back. Golden irises sparkled beyond its thick neck.
“You remind me of a dragon,” I said.
“That’s because I am a dragon.”
“Oh, I see… Wait, for real?!”
“For real,” the creature replied.
“Aren’t you supposed to live in the northernmost volcano?”
I remembered hearing this from Rosario.