The Cause And Effect (1)

"That's some big baggage you got," I casually remarked, catching Aerial's attention. Her sudden stop caused the covered object, atop an artifact, to continue rolling until it bumped into her.

"Eeh!" Aerial flinched as the rough surface connected with her back, and I struggled to suppress my laughter.

"What? What's with that expression?" she asked, visibly annoyed.

"Nothing," I replied, covering my mouth with my hand to stifle my amusement. Taking a deep breath, I regained composure.

She crossed her and quirked a brow, asking, "What are you even here for? If you don't know, I won't be coming back."

How did you even come to that conclusion...?

"Haaa... Well, anyways, I'm just here to give something that belongs to you." Without further ado, I retrieved the flash drive from my pocket and tossed it lightly into the air. Aerial caught it, her eyes widening.

"...This!?"

Observing her reaction, it was apparent that the object held significant importance to her... Some kind of gift that contains picture? Not sure.

Suddenly, she turned around, lifting a part of the cloth to unveil a laptop. I watched as she turned it on, inserted the flash drive into a port, and a screen prompted her for a password.

[Enter Your Password...]

My curiosity piqued. Was she a hacker? The speed with which she clicked keys and the numbers displayed earlier intrigued me. Hacking wasn't my forte, but I knew someone quite skilled in breaking through government firewalls.

Nonetheless, as she navigated through the system, I turned my attention to the bustling street. And, oh boy, the attention we were drawing was impossible to ignore, and curious glances were directed our way.

"Are you finished yet?" I inquired, eager to conclude this situation.

"Shut up, I'm not done," came her nonchalant reply.

I closed my mouth, deciding to wait patiently. Despite the unabated attention we were receiving, I managed to maintain my composure by diverting my gaze to the opposite side of the street.

Before I knew it—

"—Done!"

Turning around, I shifted my focus back to Aerial. She, too, redirected her attention towards me and leisurely closed her eyes.

"Congratulations, you just saved the world," she said, punctuating her words with a yawn and a stretch, as though waking up from a nap.

Confused by her statement, I couldn't help but blurt out, "....thank you?"

What's with her? Saving the world? Was it that simple?

With that, she took hold of the handle of the artifact from earlier.

"Let's go back to school," she declared.

"Alrig— Wait! Didn't you just tell the Principal that you won't be returning there anymore?"

"Yes. But, I will."

...Her unpredictability is really... Let just leave it as that.

***

Later.

After helping Aerial return to school, as we reached the gate, I bid her farewell. She thanked me in her own unique way—by choosing to ignore me when I said goodbye.

...Is this how all women act, or have I just been associating with the wrong type of person? I found myself pondering deeply, though, in truth, I cared very little. It's not as if I have a particular interest in deciphering the intricacies of human behavior.

"Ugh..." Stretching my back and cracking my neck, I emitted a relaxed groan.

"Anyway, the meetup place should be at the cat cafe, right...? Right!" Deciding so, I gathered my things and set off to meet William.

It had been a while since our last encounter. Although I did manage to meet him before the first regression, it was now the third round, and William and I hadn't crossed paths this time. Thus, the anticipation lingered.

William was a childhood friend of mine. We first met during a family gathering. His parents and my adoptive parents had been friends even before the heated arguments over racial differences arose.

I wasn't entirely certain how the discord began. William and I only heard whispers of the ongoing rebellion outside the country. It seemed to have originated with half-races forming groups to protest the rampant discrimination against them.

What began as a peaceful demonstration gradually transformed into a full-blown rebellion. Considering the perceived threat these half-races posed to the country, the Imperial King, Adam Schaurr Impera, dispatched his forces to capture and control them.

However, I didn't mention the Emperor's name without reason.

William Schaurr Impera.

That was the full name of my childhood friend, William.

Meow~!

"...?"

Upon entering the cafe, a cat immediately sauntered up to greet me at the entrance before I could take a single step forward. It affectionately rubbed its head against my feet, causing an involuntary flinch.

No, it's not that I'm scared of cats, but I seem to have an unexplainable aversion. This issue dates back many years, and the roots of this unease can likely be traced to the trauma of a kidnapping that occurred during my time as Athan. I used to dream about it frequently as a child. Nowadays, when those memories resurface in my dreams, I remind myself that it's all in the past and won't happen again.

Well, technically, it did happen again.

Regardless, I moved forward and approached the woman at the counter.

"Uh, hey—?"

Just as I was about to seek her guidance, I caught sight of a familiar set of wings in the distance.

...I suppose I found him.