First test!

"Uh, Ca—" 

As I entered the nurse's room, no one was there. It seems like the nurse has left for some work. So, without taking any permission, I sat down on the bed. There is no time to lie down and rest. I need to figure out what is exactly happening.

Let's start from the beginning. If I am not mistaken, today, May 3, was the day I first heard that strange woman's voice, forcing me to take part in a game without telling me the proper rules. But the game hasn't even started yet; she had given me some kind of test to complete before it began...

"Jezz, what the hell should I do?!?" I exclaimed, pressing my hand against my head with frustation. I don't understand what to do. The white-haired girl too—is she linked with all the strange events happening? I couldn't suspect her without proof, but the things she said were hard to forget, and the timing of her appearance made me suspicious. Hmm, if I remember correctly, the strange woman said I could start over again and again, but I needed to die. Does that mean I have died and the world has restarted?

For some reason, I wasn't acting like myself. Was the stress making me feel this way?

"Thud!" Suddenky, the door creaked open with a loud noise, echoing in the once-quiet room and snapping me back to reality. I looked up to see who had entered, my eyes widening in shock.

"Greetings, Ren Tanaka. We meet again," Suko said as she stepped into the room. Her eyes were sharp and cold, and her arms were crossed. Her white hair flowed behind her as she walked.

"W-Why? Why does she suddenly appear out of nowhere? Why this timing? Is she kind of a bad omen?" A whirlwind of questions swirled in my mind as she entered. I felt unsteady, unsure of how to face her.

"Oh my, it seems I shock you with my sudden appearance," she said, covering her mouth as if she were worried. But wait a second—the way she was acting resembled something out of a high-class or royal manga. Was she some kind of princess?

I didn't sense any bad intentions from her, but I couldn't let my guard down either.

"Yeah... eh? How do you know my name?" It may sound strange why I ask this, but I was back one month ago and I met Suko after a month in the future, so why "we meet again"? 

"Oh my, have you forgotten about me? I, Suko Frost, chose you as my master; use me however you want," she said, her expression remaining unchanged.

Wait! WAIT!! What is going on?!! I don't get it!! Is she joking?!! No way, her expression looks serious... Why the suddenly develop?!!

"W-What do you mean by "master"?" I stuttered, trying to grasp the meaning behind her words.

"Master means master; I, as your servant, will help you win this game," she replied, her voice steady and unwavering.

"Okay, I get that, but why do you... choose me as your master?"

"I can't say yet, but you need to win the game no matter what, so I will help you with anything you need."

"Uh, okay... but how do you know about the game? And—"

Cutting me off, she said, "I can't answer any questions related to that."

"Okay, I got it."

Can I really trust her? She wasn't even answering my questions, for whatever reason. But it seemed I had no choice; she appeared to follow me everywhere, even if I insisted I didn't need her. Yet I couldn't let my guard down. The tension in the air was palpable, and I felt a chill run down my spine as I considered the implications of her presence. 

"Uh, then—"

Cutting me off again, she said, "Sorry, but before we go any further, Master, I need to tell you that you have to break your friends' relationship. There's no other choice."

"Seriously? No other choice...?" 

"Yeah," she replied, her voice steady and firm.

"What should I really do? I don't want to break their relationship! But if I don't, I'll be stuck in this endless loop, dying over and over again." I pressed my palms against my temples, trying to ease the pounding headache that was building. "Jeez, my head hurts! I hate this; I really don't want to think about anything right now." My mind was a chaotic storm of thoughts, swirling around and making it hard to focus. 

"But I have no choice... Hmm... what if... what if I only break their dating relationship and let them stay friends? That might work, but how?" The question hung in the air, heavy with uncertainty. I felt a flicker of hope mixed with fear. Could I really pull this off without hurting them too much?

The weight of the decision pressed down on me, and the tension made the surroundings all black with no hope and sound. Suko watched me closely, her sharp eyes studying my every move, as if she were waiting for me to make a choice.

"Excuse me, but I need to leave now," she said as she walked out of the room.

"Okay..." I muttered, feeling a rush of confusion. I didn't have time to think about her; I needed to figure out how to break up both of them.

I rested my chin on my hands, deep in thought. "I've never been in a relationship before, and I don't really understand romantic feelings. But I know that relationships can fall apart over even the smallest disagreements. The first thing I can do is think. If I brainstorm, there are many ways to approach this. I could create doubts, spread misinformation, stir up conflict between them, manipulate situations, or even create a love triangle."

"Hey, are you even listening...?" Suddenly, a soft voice cut through my thoughts, hazy and dreamy. I looked up to see Kei and Aiko standing there, their expressions a mix of concern and curiosity.

"Eh? When did you come in?" I asked, surprised.

"Jeez, are you daydreaming again?" Kai placed her hands on her hips, a playful frown on her face. "We've been calling you for a while, you know."

"Why did you come here?"

"*Sigh* We were worried that you weren't feeling well, so we came to check on you. But it seems like you're okay."

Suddenly, Aiko clapped her hands together and said, "Then, should we go to the cafeteria?"

"Eh? It's not recess yet."

"Ren, are you so lost in your daydreams that you didn't hear the bell ring?" Aiko said, her eyes sparkling with excitement as she bounced on her toes, eager to rush to the cafeteria.

"Hey, we can't run in the hall," Kai reminded her, glancing at Aiko with a playful yet serious expression.

"I know," she replied, rolling her eyes but unable to hide her smile.

As I watched them, a wave of guilt washed over me. I knew I had to break them apart, and the thought weighed heavily on my heart. "Sorry," I mumbled, my voice barely above a whisper.

***

When we reached the cafeteria, almost every seat was full.

"Look like we're late~" Aiko said as she looked, keeping her hands near her head and looking around.

"Oh! There's one empty seat!" Pointing her hands at a seat where a girl was sitting alone.

As I looked more closely, I muttered, "Her again?" I turned to Aiko. "Hey, take your plate! How long are you going to make me hold this?"

"Oh, sorry, sorry~" she apologized, clasping her hands together as she took her plate from me.

"Uh, can we sit here?" Aiko asked Suko, who was quietly eating her lunch.

"Use it as you like," Suko replied without looking up.

"Okay, thanks! Come on, Kai, sit with me," Aiko said, pulling Kai to the opposite side of the table, facing Suko. That left me sitting next to Suko. I didn't mind being next to her, but I couldn't help but wonder: why was she sitting alone? She seemed popular and could have many friends, yet she looked like a lone wolf.

***

"Say, ahh~" Aiko said playfully, trying to feed Kai a bite of her food.

Kai blushed a little but opened his mouth to take a bite.

"Hey, you two, we're in the cafeteria, you know," I scolded them, trying to keep a straight face. "And we're sitting with this girl too." 

"Ohh~ sorry, was that inconvenient?" Aiko asked Suko, her tone light.

"No, I don't mind."As she looks up, taking her eyes off her food. "It may be rude. Yesterday, when I'm going home, I saw your boyfriend with another girl," she said, her voice steady and firm.