Chapter 4: An anomaly

Doing the work assigned to him was exhausting. "Clean the male toilet and make it sparkle? Bro, seriously? How the f*ck am I supposed to make that happen?" Chronos grumbled to himself.

He had already finished cleaning the auditorium—well enough for people to be comfortable in. Trimming the grass was another challenge, especially with the ridiculous 2cm rule he'd been given.

"Why does that fat dude always give out these kind of punishments?" he muttered under his breath.

"Doing our work, are we?" A voice echoed through the grassy field.

Chronos turned, startled. He didn't recognize the voice, yet it sounded like it knew him.

A beautiful girl was walking toward him, her skin glowing in the sunlight, her eyes sparkling like the ocean. Her hourglass figure was undeniable, and she moved with an effortless grace that almost made his jaw drop.

"Uh... do I know you?" he asked, pausing his work for a moment.

"Is that really a question to be answered?" she replied sarcastically, not realizing he was serious.

He chuckled. "A probability, if I must say."

She giggled. "You're a funny man, Chronos. If you forget someone you see every day, then I suppose I'll have to remind you every day." She smirked, clearly enjoying the conversation.

He ran a hand through his hair. "Funny."

"Well, again, my name is Elsie Bellwood." She extended a hand toward him.

"Chronos Magna," he replied, shaking her soft hand. It was unlike anything he had felt before.

"You have soft hands," he complimented.

"Thank you, my good man," she said with a blush.

Chronos sighed, picking up the lawn mower. "Well, I need to get back to work if I want to finish on time."

"What if I help you?" she asked, placing a finger on her lips.

He turned immediately. "What? I didn't catch that."

"I said, what if I help you?" she repeated.

He stared at her for a moment. "Why?" he finally asked.

"Why?" she echoed, a small grin playing on her lips.

"Yes, why? What's in it for you? Money? Tips on becoming stronger? An embarrassing experience for me?" He bombarded her with questions.

"How about just one thing?" she said.

"And what's that?" he asked cautiously.

"A date," she finally said.

Chronos stared at her for a solid five minutes, his brain still processing her words.

"I'm sorry, did you just say... DATE?!" he finally blurted out.

"Yes. Any problem with that?" she asked, tilting her head slightly.

"I'm sorry to ask, but have we met before? Like, to warrant this... uh... response?" He stroked his chin, clearly confused.

"You seem very forgetful. That's cute," she said. "I'll help you with that side, and you finish this side. We'll meet at the end and complete it together."

She walked away gracefully, leaving him standing there, mind racing.

"Where did she come from?" he questioned. "I don't remember meeting her. So how?"

"System, why do I see a new individual in my past?" he asked.

[SYSTEM ONLINE]

[QUERY PROCESSING...]

[User inquiry detected: Unrecognized individual in past timeline.]

[SYSTEM ANALYSIS]

{ - Cause: Reality divergence event (RDE) triggered by user's past actions.

Effect: Alternate timeline branch generated—new variable introduced: [ELSIE BELLWOOD].

Status: Stable integration (no critical paradox detected). }

[WARNING]

[Reality is non-static. Each decision spawns potential variants. [ELSIE BELLWOOD] now exists in this iteration due to [UNSPECIFIED PRIOR EVENT]. Adjustments are irreversible without [TEMPORAL ANCHOR].]

[OPTIONS AVAILABLE]

[ACCEPT VARIANT] - Proceed with the current timeline.

[ROLLBACK] - Attempt restoration (Risk: 78% collateral changes).

[DIAGNOSTIC] - Scan for additional anomalies.

[CAUTION]

(Further alterations may destabilize [CORE MEMORY ARCHIVES].)

[AWAITING INPUT_]

"What the hell does all this mean?" Chronos grunted. "How am I supposed to understand any of this?"

He stared at the system prompt for a while before Elsie's voice brought him back.

"What are you doing, slowpoke? I hate snails, you know."

He looked at her and sighed. "Maybe her being here isn't so bad," he muttered. "Since she likes me, what's the worst that could happen?"

He waved off the system screen and continued mowing.

After some time, they were both done.

"Well, thanks, Elsie," he said, panting from the heat.

"The pleasure is mine," she reassured him. "Don't forget your end of the bargain, Chronos." She winked before walking away.

Of course, she couldn't help him clean the male toilet. That was a disaster waiting to happen.

He trudged over to the restroom for what was about to be the worst hour of his life.

After an hour of suffering, he emerged, twitching and washing his hands thoroughly.

"The things I saw should never be seen by any living soul," he muttered.

Only one task remained—the 50m sprint around the field.

Technically, he had all week to finish, but he wanted it done today.

With a groan, he jogged onto the field and started his laps. It took some time, but he finally completed it.

Falling onto the grass, he stared at the sky as if he could float away.

"I'm so tired right now," he whispered, a single tear trailing down his cheek, though he refused to acknowledge it.

He suddenly gagged as memories of the male toilet resurfaced, forcing him to vomit.

Shaking his head, he pushed himself up and walked toward his dormitory, eager for a long, cleansing shower.