Meant To Be~

I sure wasn't expecting someone as prideful as Ran to fall on his knees, wrap his large hands around my torso and start crying, while all I did was call what he believed to be love an obsession.

"Come on, look around you, would someone mentally stable decorate their room like this?" Then again I saw worse from k-pop or anime fans on the internet. But now when I focused more on the different paintings scattered on all four different walls, I spotted one that was depicting a wedding.

"No don't leave me!" Was the only thing he could utter between his sobs. What I just witnessed was a shell of a broken man, that couldn't stomach the sole thought of the person he had been searching for the past 12 years leaving him behind once again, in just mere hours from now on.

"My poor baby," I said while patting his head, I couldn't stomach seeing him like this. Especially because I was somehow the reason behind this all.

"Isn't there something I can do or say that will make you stay here with me forever?" He asked as I exhaled the air I didn't realize I was holding in.

"Listen Ran, this is not my place... I still look like a teenager, no one will really bless this marriage you're searching for, besides there is no document that will prove my existence."

"With money everything is possible." He argued, looking up to meet my eyes.

"Silly nugget, people will look down on you for dating someone so young and they will never understand where we are coming from." I reasoned.

"I don't care! I have been looked down upon for years because I have been reminiscing about you for literal years." So this wasn't his first time meeting the Toman admins.

"Listen Ran, you may be okay with it, but I wouldn't like to see the man I chose being looked down upon." He blinked a few times before opening his mouth again.

"Why are your words so gentle today? And flowing out like honey? Are you pitying me?" I guess I usually acted like I was annoyed by his whole existence.

"How can I be nothing but gentle with the idiot that waited for me patiently for literal years?"

"But now you're calling me an idiot." He noted.

"Well I'm sure happy you remembered me for all those years, even if it hasn't occurred to me yet, but I would prefer if you lived more happily," I admitted, seeing him like this broke my heart a little.

"You're just talking, I know you never liked me to begin with." I rolled my eyes.

"Would I be talking and letting you kiss me, even come to your house for help if I hated your ass?"

"No...?"

"Anyway, I bet my older version would have missed your stupid ass as well Ran."

"You really need to add the stupid part?" Now he was suddenly making demands?

"Ok, let me rephrase that, I bet my older version would have missed your dramatic ass as well." But he shook his head.

"Not much improvement." I thought deeply about my next response.

"Adorable?"

"Shouldn't you say something like sexy?" And now he was goofing around like normal.

"Like I even kept the hairstyle from my teenage years so you could recognize me more easily, can't you feel my dedication? I think I deserve more praise."

"Ugh fine, you're sure sexy." I expressed while making an irritated face.

Later I managed to convince him to sit on the bed instead so we could talk properly.

"So tell me in more detail about the situation, what events ensued before my disappearance? Since breaking up with Kisaki hasn't taken place in my timeline yet, I wonder if that was some cataclysm, that caused it all." I mean it sounded reasonable.

"Let's see... you just mentioned that you were a fool to trust this guy, and then refused to take a step outside your house, for 2 weeks, it actually took a lot of effort on my front to convince you to hang out with me." So he was trying his best to cheer me up, how sweet.

"And after 2 weeks passed everything changed, it began with me not being able to find my Toman uniform, I called up my brother, wondering if he misplaced it somewhere, but because I couldn't reach him, I concluded he would show up anyway, so I went there myself." I could tell it was painful for him just recalling the past events. But rather than inputting my own words, I decided to listen to the rest of the story.

"On my way there I bought sweets for Mikey as usual, not only did he refuse to accept them, everyone else was watching me with suspicion, feeling the hostility, I outright told them you wouldn't spare them as the 6th captain, but everyone started to treat me as I was insane, telling me there was no other Michi, beside Takemichi that they knew of." They didn't have to treat him like this, talk about being rude.

"From then onwards I started to reach out to anyone I could to find your whereabouts, your family, your brother that somehow was rotting in jail, found out that guy Baji was dead, even my own friends after listening to me, thought I lost it." But then his tone suddenly changed.

"But at some point, I thought this strange development was alright, once you returned I was allowed to have you all to myself, after all, all the other idiots forgot about your existence, then didn't it mean I was the only one worthy of your love, to begin with?" He had this sickening gaze that could make anyone want to run, and talk about major yandere vibes.

"If it helps I could spoil you a little." I patted my lap and in no time he managed to place his head on my thighs like an obedient puppy. And I thought there for a second he would lose all his remaining reasoning.

"It must have been really hard on you Ran, but if there is something I can do to prevent this from happening, I want to give it a try. I don't wish to see my friends suffer thru such obstacles or end up as criminals." I hoped he could understand my

logic.

"Sure, but then I want at least some reward for being patient." I nodded wondering what he was going to suggest.

"Once you break up with that rat of a person, I want you to grant my younger self a kiss." Wow, he was looking out for his younger self, how noble.

"That may take some time because I want to catch Kisaki saying something stupid red-handed, but if that transpires it's a promise." I guess part of me didn't want to believe any of this. Was it bad of me to keep hoping Kisaki wouldn't do anything of such against me? My mind suddenly felt complicated.

Furthermore, a mission embraced me.

'Would you rather question Ran Haitani about the harem or ask him if he slept with someone during your missing period?' Wow, what kind of choices were these? Did I look like someone that would hold it against him? I actually would prefer if he could meet some nice lady that could make him a little bit happier, rather than have him clinging to the distant memory of me.

"So what are the guys from the Harem doing? They aren't in some kind of criminal organization right?" Suddenly Ran rose up and took a hold of my arms.

"I don't wish to hear you speak about other men in my presence, no more." If I was someone with a less sturdy body, his grip could easily leave bruises behind, so I smacked him on the head.

"Are they not your friends first and foremost? Besides, why get jealous now? I just want to make sure they didn't end up having the worst life possible." He calmed down a little.

"So you are not asking because you want to meet them?" Was this his first conclusion?

"Why would I? They don't remember me, what's the point? I rather stay here to keep you company until the very end." He suddenly gasped.

"Yes, I should take some photos while I can, to capture this moment." He quickly took out his smartphone and started requests for poses.

"Aren't the pictures on your walls enough?" He shook his head, denying the fact.

"Wait I have a closet filled with clothes I bought just for you!" My jaw dropped at the amount.

"You can take some of them with you back to the past!" He insisted.

"Just imagining you wearing something I bought is enough for me." Wait, he has been collecting these for 12 years?

"I have jewelry as well if you want any of those." And it became some sort of dressing up session and after it ended, he started to load everything I liked into a black trash bag.

"I'm not sure I will be even allowed to take it all back." But he begged me to proceed and hold onto it. I suddenly felt even more exhausted while pampering this guy.

"I will even give you some surprise gifts." He mused, from the look on his face I was afraid of what I would find inside. I got so frustrated with this unexpected situation that I yelled.

"Agh! Michi Hirabayashi, where the fuck did you go!" And who would have thought, I would actually receive an answer.

Something looking like a system window opened up before me and it occurred to me that I wasn't the only one that could see it, I got to witness an older version of myself, wearing traditional hanfu clothing, but with a longer hairstyle standing before me.

"I been summoned and time is limited so I will be brief." Ran just dropped to his knees for the third time today.

"I was sent to another world by the system, it told me I failed to hold the requirements whatever those were." I nodded my head and since even my older self didn't know the full reason of the story I opted to figure out where the system was gonna take me next if I failed once again. Her face grimaced.

"As much as we like cultivation settings I hate it here... it's the Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation story that we were dumped into."

"Wait... it's been 12 years, you been stuck there for that long?" I asked as the other me agreed.

"Mastering martial arts takes too goddamn long, and since there is so much drama happening around me, I barely have time to focus on it... and because of my gender somehow I keep getting into danger, ridiculous. Also seducing men seems to be harder here, something about my complexion and mannerism." Well from what I could recall from the story, there were not many female characters involved, and most of them that were important met a tragic end. Then it hit me, it wasn't that much different from the story I was in now.

"I know what you're thinking, the thing is every time my name and skills get spread around more it comes to bite me in the ass in form of danger."

"Michi is that really you?!" Ran asked as his voice trembled.

"Why is he crying for?" She questioned confused probably not expecting to see him at all.

"Well sis, I traveled to the future and this guy has been waiting for you for whole 12 years." She gasped in shock.

"Oh so that's why we could communicate, but that's strange the system told me everyone would lose their memories of me."

"Please come back to me!" He outstretched his hand and finally, Rindou came into the picture.

"What's happening no-" He stopped astonished by what was ensuing in front of his face.

"Is that some sort of hologram?"

"As you see Rindou doesn't remember, Ran is the odd one out." I pointed out.

"I wish I could come back, but that's impossible... however nothing is stopping you from joining me." Wait, was it true, or was my future self just giving him false hope?

"But my brother is important to me." Ran admitted and looked back.

"Ugh whatever I can join you if that's what you wish for, I hope to see if that woman you've been bragging about is as wonderful as you made her out to be." Abruptly a portal opened up and a single hand was stretched out towards Ran. The two didn't hesitate in the slightest to grab onto it.

"Don't forget about your promise." So even if he faced a happy ending he was still demanding more? I just pushed those two Haitani Hoes inside.

Suddenly I was alone in this large apartment, and one item, in particular, caught my interest.

"Dumbo left his phone behind." I reached for it quite curious about what kind of secrets I would find inside, but the content was protected by a password. I automatically slip it into my pocket not thinking too much about it.

Time passed and I quickly got bored, carrying the bag everywhere I ate while holding onto it, and even fell asleep using it as a pillow.

Yet when I woke up it was inside an alley still holding onto the bag like it was my most prized item, and going thru my pockets I found Ran's smartphone.

"Wow, the system really let me keep all these? Crazy."