General Explanation

Miyako aggressively kicking a vending machine.

"—come on...! Out with it!"

She had a murderous glare as she repeatedly slammed her foot against the uncooperative metal box, muttering curses under her breath. A plastic bottle of tea was lodged halfway in the dispenser.

"You piece of absolute garbage," she hissed, giving it one final smack. The tea finally dropped.

Riku barely processed this before the vision snapped back, and he was once again sitting across from Miyako in the restaurant, who was currently stopped in time while sipping her drink like a perfectly normal and composed adult.

The System, apparently reading his thoughts, responded.

[Not all glimpses hold deep significance.]

Riku blinked. Then, despite himself, he let out a short, incredulous laugh.

'Alright, fair enough. Anything else?'

[Yes. You can access the "Fate Index" to track heroines' destinies and possible inversions. You also have access to the Fate Store, where you can exchange Fate Energy for powers, skills, or reality alterations. Additionally, there's the Inverse Fate Log, which records past inversions and their impact on the world.]

Riku tried to ask about something else, but before he could, the hologram appeared again.

[The Frozen World condition is temporary. It will disappear in ten seconds. Would you like to stop?]

'Ah,' Riku pressed his lips together, realizing that the freeze hadn't lasted too long—probably only around five seconds or so. "Can it be extended later?"

[Yes.]

"Then stop it for now."

[Understood.]

The world around him began to shift back to normal, and everything started moving again. 

***

Riku stood in front of the restaurant, his back turned as he stretched and yawned. 'That took forever.'

He had spent a good amount of time chatting with Miyako and Ichigo, the manager of her agency. The whole conversation was a mix of pleasantries and awkward small talk, with Miyako offering him an unreasonably large amount of "well-wishes" for his new role. Ichigo had given him a few more business-like instructions, but it was mostly fluff. All he got out of it was an intense craving for a nap.

'Alright,' he thought, turning away from the restaurant with a grin, 'time to head to Ai's house.'

He was naturally given the address by them. 

The journey was peaceful. His bike roared down the street, weaving through the traffic until he reached a quiet suburban area. 

Ai's house wasn't anything extravagant—just another modest house among others. You wouldn't expect a public figure like her to live in a place this… normal.

He checked his phone again to make sure he was at the right address before knocking on the door.

"Excuse me! I'm Riku Nifuruji!"

"—ah, please wait a moment!"

A voice came from inside, followed by some hurried footsteps, a loud thud, and a groan. Then some shuffling. 

'Is she okay…?' he thought for a split second, before brushing it off.

When the door finally opened, Ai's face came into view. Riku barely stopped himself from showing any change in his expression. 'Yeah, that's Ai, alright.' 

He'd met Miyako and her husband before, so he knew this was for real. But seeing Ai herself in person—it hit different. Especially when he thought about what happened to her in the original timeline. He wasn't cold-hearted enough to not feel something.

The Frozen World came, and Ai's smile was frozen in place. He sighed. 'What a hassle.'

It seemed that without the Frozen World, he couldn't see the Fate Chains. And the thing about the Frozen World is the time it took for him to "see" them is short, at max only fifteen seconds, with the time to charge one second of the Frozen World is ten times of it, meaning about 1.40 minutes or 25 minutes for a maximum of 15 seconds.

Riku snorted. 'And also the colors.'

He used about a hundred Fate Energy just to find this out back while he was on the way here.

[—would you like to be given a special discounted package for the General Explanation of Fate Chains Colors for the generous price of 100 Fate Energy?!]

That was what the System offered him while he was on the road. Of course, he accepted. And this is what it gave.

[Fate Chains Colors' General Explanation]

- Gold → True Fate → The nearly absolute, unshakable destiny of a person. Almost impossible to change.

- Silver → Karmic Balance → Represents good karma, positive destiny accumulation, or spiritual protection.

- Black → Karmic Burden → Represents curses, heavy fate, or unavoidable tragic destiny.

[Event-Related Colors]

- Blue → Emotional Ties → Represents bonds formed through deep emotional experiences (family, love, or trauma).

- Red → Fateful Encounters → Indicates a life-altering meeting, often linked to romance, rivalry, or deep conflict.

- Green → Personal Growth → Represents learning, evolution, and overcoming obstacles.

- Yellow → Opportunities & Choices → Appears when a major decision is upcoming or has been recently made.

[Threat & Change Indicators]

- White → Undefined Fate → A fate thread that is still forming and can be easily influenced.

- Purple → Destiny Resistance → Indicates someone fighting against their predetermined fate. The stronger the purple hue, the stronger their resistance.

- Orange → Unstable Fate → A highly volatile event that can go in multiple directions, leading to wildly different outcomes.

[Inverse Fate Colors]

- Neon Blue → Inverse Protection → Indicates a fate that has been successfully changed to something better.

- Neon Red → Inverse Danger → A fate that was changed, but the alteration led to unintended negative consequences.

- Dark Violet → Paradox Thread → A fate that was rewritten in a way that defies reality and may cause a paradox.

- Crimson Black → Fate Collapse → A completely broken thread, meaning the fate tied to it has been entirely erased or overridden.

[Miscellaneous Colors]

- Pink → Romantic Potential → Not yet solidified but holds the possibility of deep love.

- Teal → Hidden Fate → Something that exists but cannot yet be fully seen or comprehended.

- Gray → Suppressed Fate → A thread connected to something that should have happened but was forcefully stopped or erased.

The strength and brightness of each color determine how strong or weak the effect is. A dull, fading thread means the event is nearly lost or avoidable, while a glowing, vivid one means the fate is approaching rapidly or is nearly set in stone.

Anyway, enough with word exposition. See you in the next chapter—

***

Rate it from 1 to 10 with the reasoning as well, if possible. That'll help me covering what's lacking from the story.

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