Fierce Owl

Lyra and I could have spent hours talking, but I didn't want to keep hiding the apple any longer. 

"U-ummm there is actually 1 more thing I am yet to tell you." I sat up from the bed and reached down for my bag. 

"Okay?" Lyra raised an eyebrow and from her tone, she was more curious than cautious. 

"So you know how this world has a tree that can produce purple-looking apples?" Conveniently, the history lesson we got in homeroom came in handy, as I believe this apple is from that tree. 

"Yeah and what about it?" Lyra's response was interesting, as it suggests that she was transported through different means unless she just hasn't made the connection yet. 

"Well you see, I may have one of those very apples." Pulling the apple out of my bag, it still showed no signs of rotting, despite the small bite that was in it. 

"Huh?!" Lyra shot up from the bed to get a closer look and she couldn't believe her eyes. 

"This looks like the exact apple that transported me to this world. Hang on, have you already bitten into the apple?" The sound of confusion was evident in her voice and I couldn't blame her. 

"Yes and I was also transported here by a very similar apple, but this doesn't have the same effect." I began to get cold feet as I was reminded of all the things that happened before restarting. Being beaten, dragged and witnessing Lyra's death first-hand flashed in my mind 

My body began to shake as the same feeling of dread washed over me. Lyra noticed and placed her hand on my thigh, which made me jump, but it comforted me. 

"It's okay, I won't tell anyone about this." Lyra didn't know exactly why I was shaking, but it was still reassuring to hear that I could trust her with this. I took a deep breath and stomached all the unpleasant feelings that were associated with this apple. 

"To put it simply, this isn't my first time experiencing the first few days of this life. This one has gone a lot more smoothly, while the other didn't... go so well." My throat tightened as I wanted to explain what happened in the previous attempt, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. 

"So this apple lets you restart from the day you were transported here? Wha-" Lyra, at the end of the sentence, stopped herself from asking more. She was probably curious about my previous attempt but didn't want to overwhelm me. 

"Yes, after I took a bite, I woke up in my bed on the same day I initially got here." I expected Lyra to be more sceptical, but I guess when you were transported by a similar apple, it's easy to believe my story. 

"Interesting… Now I have to ask. What happened that made you take a bite?" I knew this question was coming and it made me feel sick. 

"P-promise me that you will stay calm." I was afraid of Lyra running off and killing April or Raja because of what happened. As much as I would like that, the consequences that come with it are too much to handle right now. 

"I promise." Lyra gripped my free hand tightly, and I returned the same grip, hoping she would not freak out.

"My previous attempt barely lasted a week and that's because…" 

I began to recall all the events that happened to me in that week and I could already tell Lyra found it hard to keep it in. 

Her grip became tighter and her breaths got deeper, especially when I described what happened when April took me to a private karaoke room. It wasn't until I reached the part with Raja invading her home that it became impossible to keep her cool. 

"Fuck! It all makes sense now. No wonder you were afraid of him and it lines up with the situation between Raja and Rev." Lyra tried her best not to let go of my hand, as it was the only thing stopping her from raging. 

"That motherfucking bastard needs to pay. That bitch April too, I can't believe she is that sick to do such a thing. Perhaps next time I'll do more than just threaten her if she is willing to almost kill someone." Lyra began to vent her anger while biting her nail and gripping my hand even tighter. I don't think I have ever seen her this angry before. 

"Tell me Saki, can I beat him?" Lyra looked at me with a stare that I'd never seen before. 

"W-wait r-right now he is too strong. We need to get stronger so it doesn't happen again… P-please don't f-fight him now. I don't want to lose you again." Hearing that she was thinking of fighting caused me to panic. I let the apple roll on the bed and hugged Lyra, as I didn't want her to run off. 

Tears had also decided to come out since I couldn't bear the thought of seeing Lyra die again. 

Suddenly Saki latched on to me, but then I realised it sounded like I planned to face Raja right away. 

My rage was hard to contain and I would love to smash the faces of April and Raja. It made me sick at how he killed me as it was by no means a painless death. However, I knew it wasn't a good idea to go in without a plan, especially if Raja was a trained hitman of some kind. 

I did take this moment to calm down since Saki hugging me had a soothing effect. 

'If I weren't transported from another world, I doubt I'd believe any of this.' It was bizarre how Saki had an apple that allowed her to reset and no doubt it came from this world. It was honestly cruel for such a thing to exist but at the same time, she wouldn't be here without it. 

'Urgh, I can't believe it. How did I lose?' What bothered me a lot was the fact that I lost so easily against Raja. I thought I was strong, but clearly, he is way out of my league right now. 

"It's okay Saki, I won't fight him yet. We will get stronger first before I try anything." With the flame within me tempered, I patted Saki's head as a way to let out my stress. 

"T-thank you." 

I leant back on the bed so we were more comfortable, but as I did, I was face to face with the apple. Seeing the bite mark already on it, I was kind of curious about what would happen if I were to eat it. 

'That's stupid, do I want to repeat everything up until now?' On paper, it might be a good idea, but I don't want to suffer growing up again. 

"Is there anything else that I should know?" Before discussing anything, I wanted to make sure there were no more surprises or information I needed to know. 

"I don't think so *sniffle*, I recalled everything that happened and that the apple takes me back in time." Saki raised her head from my chest and looked directly up at me. 

"Okay good, now that I am calm. I'm sorry that I wasn't stronger, but I'm glad you are okay." It pained me to know I wasn't strong enough, but in a morbid way, gave me motivation to improve. 

"Please don't be sorry. There was nothing that could be done and to be honest… the reason I was crying when you found me the other day was because I was so happy to see you alive." Saki turned her head away, clearly embarrassed by what she had just confessed. 

'Oh my god, she is so adorable.' Knowing why she was like that broke my heart, however it made me love her even more as it showed just how much she cared. 

"I would too, but let's hope for that to never happen again. If you ever think about eating the apple, please tell me beforehand if possible." It was something powerful that let Saki redo everything, but that's a big decision to make. 

"I'll try, but I can't guarantee that I can." Depending on the situation, it might be impossible, but if there is a chance, I would like it to be a calculated rewind. 

"Good, now the next thing." I took a deep breath before speaking so I didn't get too angry. 

"From today on, I will train you up to use magic, so if Raja ever! decides to attack you or me again, we are prepared. Of course, I plan to get stronger and I'll try to vouch for us to get dungeon access." Saying his name pissed me off, but I managed to keep it under control.

"Please do, but never antagonise him, I've avoided him the whole time and I would rather we kept it that way." I saw the concern on Saki's face and it was understandable. The smart choice was to avoid him at all costs. 

"Just know that if he ever gets close to you, I am not holding back." However, I don't think I could make that smart choice if he ever dared show any intent on hurting Saki.