Quest - Part 2...

~ Ayano's Pov ~

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First it was Makoto, then it was Katsura and now Sekai? What's with these random quest lines too? It feels like the system has me in some kind of random goose chase at this point. Whatever the case, I'm gonna get a reward out of it, so it's best to just suck it up for now, it's not like I can really refuse it either...

"Keiji-san, is... is there something wrong?"

"No, I'm fine, I just thought about somethings Katsura-san." 

"Oh, alright..." I felt a bit bad for lying to her about what was going on. But, it had to be done. Regardless, I have about... half of an hour left before class starts again, I can keep practicing with myself and improve anywhere I can within that time.

I just hope that whatever this system is trying to do, is worth it.

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Class ended like it usually, but this time, I kept my eye on Sekai. As soon as the bell rang, she got up, walking off...

I narrowed my eyes, watching her leave... There was definitely something off about her today. Ever since Chisaki showed up, Sekai had been acting... distant. Unlike before, she barely spoke during class like she typically would, and her expressions were just—blank. No irritation, no sarcasm, just this dull, empty look...

I sighed. The system clearly wanted me to get involved with her now, and I already knew what that meant—another tangled mess of emotions and complications.

I slung my bag over my shoulder and followed.

Sekai wasn't heading toward the usual spots, though... No clubrooms, no library. Instead, she was making her way toward the back of the school, where fewer people would probably be...

'Is... she trying to be alone?' I hesitated for a moment. If she wanted space, should I really bother her?

But then, the system PINGED in my head.

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{SIDE QUEST: Speak with Sekai and uncover what's wrong...

REWARD: ??????}

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I clicked my tongue, 'Guess, I've really got no choice then.'

Taking a deep breath, I picked up the pace, closing the distance between us...

"Hey, Sekai-san!" I called out. "You got a minute?"

Sekai stiffened for a moment before turning around, her expression unreadable. She didn't seem surprised to see me, but she also didn't look particularly happy about it.

"…What do you want, Keiji-san?" she asked, her voice quieter than usual.

I slowed my steps, keeping a bit of distance... "Nothing serious, I just… noticed you've been acting different today. Figured I'd check in."

She stared at me for a few seconds before scoffing lightly. "Why do you even care?"

'Ah, there it is. Classic defense mechanism.'

I shrugged, shoving my hands into my pockets. "I dunno... Maybe because we're classmates? Maybe because you usually have something sarcastic or cheery to say, and the silence is kind of weird for you... Or…" I tilted my head slightly. "Maybe I just have a bad habit of getting involved in things I shouldn't."

She let out a dry chuckle, but her expression looked slightly irritated, "Yeah… that last one sounds about right."

For a moment, it seemed like she was going to brush me off, but then, her gaze flickered toward the ground. She hesitated.

"…It's, nothing," she muttered. "You don't need to bother with me, Keiji-san."

But if it was really nothing, she wouldn't be acting like this. Hell, the system wouldn't have given me a quest if there wasn't something going on... For once, I had to pry.

"I know somethings wrong... It kind of hurts seeing someone like you in pain the whole day. I know it isn't really my place to pry either, but... it won't hurt to let it out..." I was practically pulling out all the cards I had at this point, she needed to spill these damned beans.

I saw Sekai freeze up, her back literally stiffening. Her lips parted like she was going to say something but quickly clamped shut... The silence between us must have stretched for a few moments before I saw her sighing, looking completely defeated...

"Fine." she finally whispered. "But you have to promise not to tell anyone..."

I nodded, "Of course, I won't say a word. Just tell me what's going on."

She took a moment to herself, then she finally responded, "It's... Makoto. Rather, what he's been doing. Specifically, who, he's been doing."

I raised an eyebrow at that... "Wait... You don't mean..."

She nodded, "It's exactly what I mean. Funny, isn't it?... Imagine it... The person you had loved for years ended up being some kind of make floozy in the end?" Every word that came out of her mouth felt, shaky. Like she was barely holding on to her own sanity...

'Woah... Hold on there... she loves Makoto?' That certainly explains a lot... Okay, now I'm starting to feel a little bit sorry for her. But, wasn't this the same guy who the idiot bully beat up because he was essentially screwing his girl? How does one man even get himself in such a predicament? 

I remembered Makoto, he was good looking, I guess? The cute kind of guy, but he wasn't that good looking either to make him stand out of the crowed. Yet, he was some kind of floozy? How many girls are we even talking here... I'm guessing like two more girls on the side, it couldn't be that bad.

I had to ask it, "How bad is he? You don't have to answer if you don't want to..."

She gripped her bag tighter, "H-Half of our class..."

I felt my entire brain short-circuit for a second.

"…Half?" I repeated, just to make sure I hadn't misheard.

Sekai gave a stiff nod, her lips pressing into a tight line. Her grip on her bag was so tight that her knuckles had turned white.

I stared at her, then blinked. Then blinked again.

There was just no way. That had to be an exaggeration, right?

I let out a short, disbelieving laugh. "You're messing with me."

Sekai's glare was sharp enough to cut steel. "Do I look like I'm joking, Keiji-san?"

Her voice was low, controlled, but beneath that, there was something raw—like she was trying so hard not to let her emotions spill over.

I swallowed, suddenly feeling out of my depth. "Half the class…? That's at least, what, fifteen girls?"

"Seventeen," she corrected bitterly.

I had to stop myself from physically taking a step back.

Seventeen.

Makoto wasn't just a floozy—this guy was a phenomenon.

How the hell did one average-looking dude manage to pull half a classroom's worth of girls and still be alive to tell the tale? Shouldn't some angry boyfriend or vengeful ex have taken him out by now?

The sheer logistics of it boggled my mind. Scheduling alone had to be a nightmare. How did he even keep up? How did no one notice until now?

Sekai let out a slow breath, shaking her head. "I feel so stupid. All this time, I thought maybe I had a chance, maybe he saw me as something more than just another... another option."

There was a pause.

Then, in a voice quieter than I'd ever heard from her, she whispered, "But recently, I found out that I was just another name on the list."

I felt something tighten in my chest...

This wasn't just about Makoto being a shameless womanizing whore. This was about her. The fact that she had believed—wanted to believe—that she was special to him, only to find out she was just another number in a long, long line of other girls.

And that? That hurt.

For the first time since this ridiculous system started throwing me into these tangled messes, I didn't feel like I was just completing a quest. I genuinely felt irritated.

Not for myself. Not even at Sekai.

But at Makoto...

Because to treat someone's feelings like this, is fucked—to make them think they mattered, only to throw them away like a used tissue—was just… disgusting. In fact, the idea fucking repulsed me to the very core.

I exhaled through my nose, running a hand through my hair. "Sekai-san… I don't really know what to say."

She let out a dry chuckle. "Yeah. There's not much to say, huh?" I clenched my jaw. No, maybe there wasn't anything that could magically make her feel better, but still...

"I think... You deserved much better than this."

She blinked at me...

I shrugged, looking away. "I mean it. I don't know what kind of weird spell Makoto has over half the class, but whatever it is, it doesn't change the fact that he's an asshole. And you? You're better than that. You shouldn't have to waste your time crying over someone like him."

Sekai stared at me for a long moment... Then, ever so slightly, her lips curled into a small, bitter smile, "...That's... The nicest thing I've heard all day." she muttered, the light returned to her eyes again, at least somewhat.

I huffed. "Well, that's because I'm the only one saying what everyone should be saying to be honest."

She let out a real, albeit tired, laugh at that. "Maybe so..."

"Can... May I ask you something else?" I needed to confirm something else.

"Today... I realized you were looking at Chisaki weirdly... Mind telling me about that. Also, I'm not asking this because I like her, but, I did pick up on it earlier in class."

Sekai's small smile faded almost instantly. Her grip on her bag tightened again, and for a moment, she looked like she wanted to tell me to mind my own business.

But then, she sighed. "...You noticed that, huh?"

I nodded. "Yeah. It was kind of obvious. You were staring at her like she'd personally ruined your entire life."

She let out a bitter chuckle. "Maybe not her, but... you're not wrong."

There was a pause there. Then, her shoulders sagged slightly as she spoke, "She's just... so much more beautiful than I am."

That one threw me off for a second...

Chisaki was definitely pretty—one of those effortlessly charming types—but Sekai wasn't exactly lacking in looks department either. If anything, she had her own kind of appeal that plenty of guys would be into... Admittedly, even to me, she was quite cute. Maybe it's a sort of self confidence issue that developed?

But the way she said it, like it was an undeniable fact, made my chest tighten the wrong way, makes me feel even more sorry for her. "And... you think Makoto would want her?" I asked.

Sekai let out a hollow laugh at what I had asked, "Of course he does. How could he not? She's practically perfect."

I frowned. "You don't know that for sure."

She shook her head. "I do know. Today, he was always looking at her differently. Even if he doesn't have her yet, I know he wants her... And if she ever decided she wanted him, too... I'd just be another girl he used to mess around with!"

Her voice wavered, and she bit her lip hard, like she was trying to keep herself from trembling.

"But even after everything..." she whispered, "even knowing how awful he is... I-I still love him."

That was the part that got me the most... She knew. She wasn't blind to what he was. She wasn't naive. She had all the proof in the world that Makoto was just using her at this point—just using everyone—and yet, that didn't change how she felt.

I exhaled slowly. "...That, sucks."

She blinked up at me, surprised.

I shrugged. "I mean, what else is there to say? Love's kind of stupid like that. You know you shouldn't, but you do it anyway."

She let out a soft, bitter laugh. "Yeah... it r-really is."

Her voice cracked at the end, and I could see the struggle in her eyes... The conflict. The pain. Before I even thought about it, maybe it was my paternal instincts, but I felt my feet moving on their own. Before I knew it, I closed the distance between us, stepping forward and wrapping one of my arms around her...

"E-Eh!?", Sekai stiffened, her entire body tensing in surprise. But after a moment, I felt her slowly relax against me...

Her hands gripped the fabric of my shirt, her breathing uneven. "I think, you definitely needed this," I murmured. She didn't say anything. She didn't have to.

For a moment, she just stood there, staring at nothing. Then, she shook her head. "I don't even know why I'm telling you all this."

I smiled. "Because, I asked?"

She rolled her eyes, but there was the faintest hint of amusement there. "...Maybe."

Then I heard the system PINGED in my head again...

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{HIDDEN QUEST: Check on Sekai Saionji, AND understand her feelings... (Complete)

REWARD: 1 golden key and the hidden skill Circulation of light unlocks}

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END