Raphne Bell Martinez opened her eyes.
What she saw was a familiar ceiling.
The girls’ dormitory of Dedris Academy, her own room.
“Haah…”
Yawning as she savored the familiar morning, Raphne sat up on her bed, blankly.
There was a strange sensation, as if she had just woken from a long dream, and she stared at empty space for a moment.
Why was that?
She had definitely slept soundly, but somewhere in her heart, she felt restless, uneasy, and anxious.
It was a comfortable room, but for some reason, it felt awkward and unwelcoming.
And.
And a name kept surfacing in her mind.
“…Ken.”
Why was that?
Was it because she hadn’t seen him lately, and she was curious about his whereabouts?
But saying that name made her heart flutter even more.
That fluttering cleared Raphne’s drowsy mind.
She immediately got up and began preparing to head to the academy.
After finishing all her preparations.
Today, she paid extra attention to her appearance and stepped out of her dorm room.
‘…Why am I in such a rush?’
Even though she was walking on her own, Raphne felt puzzled.
Time was surely on her side.
She wasn’t one to worry much, even if she was late.
But Raphne’s footsteps grew quicker.
And the name that kept circling in her head.
‘…Ken, …Ken. ……Ken!’
Unknowingly, she kept thinking of his name and ultimately started running, reaching the academy in no time.
After dropping her bag in her classroom, Raphne swiftly moved on.
She was heading to another class.
Dada dada dada!
As she closed in on that classroom, a smile began to bloom on her lips.
Bursting through the front door of the classroom, Raphne exclaimed.
“Ken━!!”
Surely Ken Feinstein hadn’t come to the academy recently.
But for some reason, today she felt like he must be in the classroom, so she enthusiastically called for him and scanned the room for his spot.
‘…Who is that?’
However, the spot she was searching for was empty.
Only a strange boy sat there, grinning brightly and staring at her.
‘…Why is that guy in Ken’s seat?’
Feeling displeased, Raphne approached him with an annoyed gait.
As she got closer, the boy sitting in Ken’s place shifted from his bright smile to a look of confusion.
“…Hello? …Raphne.”
‘…Do you know me?’
He waved, calling her name.
But Raphne didn’t know who he was.
“Who are you?”
“Who… are you?”
I couldn’t fathom Raphne’s words for a moment.
But her gaze made it clear what she meant through my skin.
It was a cold, hard gaze she had never directed at me before.
I never imagined she’d look at me like that.
“…I am.”
Even in this confused situation, I opened my mouth to answer her question.
I thought that if I told her my name, her attitude would change.
But somewhere in my mind, the thought was rejected.
So, I couldn’t easily open my mouth.
As the cold air filled the classroom.
Druruk.
Someone opened the back door of the classroom.
Because of the sudden noise in the quiet room, I naturally turned to the back door.
There stood Emily, and our eyes met.
“…Huh?”
Upon spotting me, Emily suddenly looked shocked as if she had seen a ghost.
“Uh, uh?!”
She pointed her finger at me, her face turning red, clearly startled.
Then, she rushed towards me.
“Ke, Ken?! Is that… you?!”
“Ken… you say?”
Panic-stricken, Emily rushed over while Raphne shot her a cold look.
Other students, who were also watching the situation, began to murmur.
“Ken? Did Emily just call him Ken?”
“So, is that guy over there really Ken?”
“Maybe Emily’s just mistaken.”
Disbelief echoed among them.
But Emily, ignoring her classmates and Raphne’s gaze, continued talking.
“Did you, did you… lose weight?”
“…Yeah.”
“You don’t have to eat a ton anymore?”
“…That’s right.”
When I answered, Emily’s face instantly brightened, her expression turning cheerful.
And then, noticing the way I looked at her, she turned her head away, clearing her throat.
The reason I gazed at her suspiciously was straightforward.
‘They don’t know I’ve lost weight.’
Neither Emily nor Raphne knew.
Raphne didn’t even recognize me from the start.
So, she was still glowering at me in suspicion.
“Are you really Ken?”
“…Yes.”
“You haven’t been coming to the academy recently; did you lose weight in that time?”
“…”
I simply looked at her without responding.
I felt like I had been punched in the back of the head with the unbelievable revelation.
I could tell from the ongoing conversation.
Raphne’s glaring gaze, and Emily’s tendency to avoid looking at me.
They didn’t remember me.
At least, all the memories tied to Tower of Tarros had completely vanished.
“…Um.”
Just as I was about to ask her anything in this chaotic situation.
Druruk!
The front door of the classroom made a sound as it opened again.
“Raphne! Emily!”
There stood Mary, radiating icy anger.
“Tch.”
Raphne clicked her tongue upon seeing her and immediately turned to me.
“Are you two… picking on Ken again?!”
Mary stepped in front of me, blocking Raphne and Emily’s path.
I was a bit surprised watching her do that.
‘…She recognized me right away.’
She must have been like the other two.
After all, she said, “Are you two picking on Ken again?”
Raphne had picked on me back in freshman year, and it had been a while since Emily did too.
Now, however, it was as if they had been tormenting me up until recently.
“Ugh, whatever. I’m leaving.”
After a brief standoff with Mary, Raphne turned her head and approached the front door.
Druruk.
As she opened the front door to leave the classroom, she cast a fleeting glance back at me.
Not a glare, but a very gentle gaze.
As I watched her, Emily sighed and returned to her seat, plopping down and resting her chin on her hand, sneaking glances at me.
“Ken, are you okay?”
Once the situation settled, Mary, with her usual expressionless face, turned to me.
“…Do you remember me?”
“Excuse me? What do you mean… Ah, indeed you’ve lost quite a bit of weight. I was worried since you weren’t coming to the academy lately… Are you on a diet or something?”
When I asked if she remembered what happened in Tower of Tarros, Mary responded with something entirely different.
I scrutinized her closely.
The top she was wearing now was clearly the enchanted raincoat I had made for her.
“Well, I’ll stop by again during the next break.”
Once I confirmed my safety, Mary smiled gently and left the classroom.
Her attitude toward me was as amicable as it was before I changed history.
‘…What’s going on?’
After the morning’s commotion had settled, time passed, and classes began, but none of it registered in my head.
In my mind, only Raphne’s piercing glare remained.
And the reason for her transformation.
I could only guess one thing.
‘…The fact that I’m no longer the Child of Prophecy changed the present.’
Raphne was originally cursed into being trapped in the tower due to her fate as the Child of Prophecy.
But I had changed that fate.
That meant Raphne had remained in the academy without being trapped in the tower.
Based on the previous reactions from classmates and Mary, Raphne must have continuously picked on me since freshman year.
And Emily.
The bond we formed began with me saving her from monsters in the forest.
That incident had nothing to do with the Child of Prophecy, so it must have played out as it always did.
Thus, Emily recognized my changed appearance right away.
And according to my memories, that’s when she began to torment me.
From Mary’s reaction, it appeared she had been tormenting me ever since then.
I could guess the reason.
It stemmed from the event when the Demon Lord’s Army invaded to find the Child of Prophecy, which led to a ten-day loop.
That event had never happened due to my actions.
“…Haa.”
I sighed.
To sum it up, I had definitely succeeded in removing Raphne’s curse.
But because of that, events tied to the Child of Prophecy had completely vanished.
‘Why didn’t I think this through…’
I had been so focused on the potential chaos across the world due to the altered history of the Child of Prophecy that I neglected smaller details.
But ultimately, while the world was peaceful, my surroundings had grown chaotic.
Most importantly, Raphne’s gaze upon me.
Honestly, it was quite painful.
“…Raphne.”
I recalled her face, which always looked at me with a warm smile.
The promise I made with her.
The promise I had risked my life to fulfill by conquering the tower.
All of it seemed utterly futile now.
‘No, but I did save Raphne from the Demon Lord’s Army…’
Thinking that way, I also realized there wasn’t much I could do about it.
After all, my foremost concern was ensuring Raphne’s safety.
“…Haa.”
Still, I couldn’t help but let out another sigh.
In the end, I spent the entire day contemplating the changed Raphne.
Before I knew it, classes were over, and the sun was setting, marking the time for everyone to go home.
“Ken, shall we go back together?”
Once all classes finished, Mary gently approached as she opened the classroom door.
Come to think of it, I used to walk home together with Mary quite often before breaking Raphne’s curse.
“I’m sorry. I plan to stay a bit longer.”
“Ah… Is something the matter?”
Noticing my odd aura, Mary asked with an anxious face.
“No, I’m really fine.”
“…If you say so. Alright then, see you tomorrow, Ken.”
Nodding at my words, Mary waved goodbye as she left the classroom.
Then, I turned back to gaze out of the window at the sunset.
“…Haa.”
The reason I sighed while sitting there.
Was that returning to the dorm would really make me feel for sure that everything had changed.
Per the original routine, I would have gone straight to Raphne’s tower.
From there, I would have had dinner with Raphne before heading back to my dorm.
But now Raphne would be living in the girls’ dormitory.
That tower we shared was now as good as nonexistent.
Thinking about that made me feel downcast and unable to rise from my seat.
‘What should I do now…?’
Raphne no longer remembered me.
To be precise, all the memories we shared, the bonds we created, had disappeared.
And what remained were only the memories of her tormenting me.
Now, the relationship between her and me is simply that of a bully and the bullied.
Nothing more, nothing less.
That aspect was deeply painful.
“…Let’s go.”
Realizing that sitting and staring out the window wouldn’t change anything, I weakly got up from my seat.
I approached the back door and opened it.
Druruk.
“…Ah.”
“Uh?”
I came face to face with Raphne, who was leaning against the wall near the back door.
She looked startled upon seeing me, her eyes wide open.
Then, her expression quickly soured as she glared at me.
“Why are you so late coming out?!”
She snapped at me.
“Why am I late? Were you waiting for me?”
“Hah, can’t you tell by looking?!”
“…Why?”
Raphne would have no reason to wait for me.
If it had been before history changed, it would have made sense to leave together.
But now, there were no intersections in our lives.
She would head back to her dorm, and I would return to mine.
Yet she was waiting for me.
‘Does she have something to do?’
The only thought that crossed my mind was that she might want to torment me again.
As that thought crossed my mind, I tensed up, gazing at Raphne.
However, she didn’t attempt to do anything to me and simply turned her back, walking away.
Then suddenly, she whipped her head around, looking at me, and spoke.
“What are you doing? Aren’t you coming?”
“…Huh? …Uh, yeah.”
Her glaring voice coaxed me to follow her.
‘…Where to now?’
The path she was leading me down was far from what I had imagined.
I had anticipated she might take me to the back of the school for something dreadful.
Instead, she walked the familiar route leading back to the dormitory.
‘…What’s going on?’
If we kept going straight, we’d reach the girls’ dormitory. Beyond that, the boys’ dormitory.
But Raphne just continued walking ahead of me without saying much.
“…Are we heading back together?”
“…Hmph!”
Without thinking, I muttered that thought, causing Raphne’s back to stiffen, followed by a cute yelp.
She then quickly turned her head, blushing fiercely as she glared at me, shouting.
“W-Who says we’re going back together?! This is only a coincidence that our paths are the same?!”
“O-Oh, I see.”
Finishing her outburst, Raphne turned her body back to me, showing her back again.
I gazed at her, astonished.
After a moment of distance, Raphne turned around again.
“What are you doing! Are you coming or not?!”
Still red-faced, she yelled at me.
Seeing her like that, I couldn’t help but smile.
Then, I swiftly followed her as she urged me to walk together towards the dormitory.
‘So we are walking back together.’
She said otherwise, but that seemed to be her intention.
Without further conversation, we simply walked together.
And naturally, we arrived first at the girls’ dormitory.
When we reached the main gate of the dormitory, Raphne, who had been walking in front of me, suddenly came to a halt.
Noticing this, I scratched my cheek, wondering what to do.
I turned towards the boys’ dormitory to say goodbye.
“Well then, see you tomorrow. Bye.”
Though we had no major conversations, having walked home together made a farewell appropriate.
As I began to turn towards my dorm, suddenly—
Swish!
My clothing was yanked back.
I turned to see Raphne, blushing furiously with her head down, gripping my clothing with an irritated expression.
“Uh, Raphne?”
“…I’ll take you.”
“What…?”
She murmured quietly, then when I questioned her further, Raphne glared at me with a bright red face.
“I-I’ll escort you to the boys’ dormitory.”
‘…Why?’
I was almost about to blurt out my confusion, but I simply held my tongue and nodded.
Then once again, Raphne walked ahead, and I followed her.
‘…What is happening?’
We clearly reached her dorm, but she didn’t turn back and continued on with me to the boys’ dormitory.
Questions flooded my mind as her red hair swayed gently before my eyes.
Seeing her like that, memories of the old Raphne flashed through my mind.
I had this feeling that if I called her name right now, the Raphne from my memories would turn around and smile brightly.
As such thoughts swept through, something struck my mind.
‘…Could it be?’
Before long, we completely arrived at the boys’ dormitory.
Even then, Raphne hesitated, not turning around.
She merely folded her arms and turned her head, standing in front of me.
“Um, Raphne.”
“…What?”
“Aren’t you going back?”
“…I will.”
“Okay, well, take care.”
“W-Wait…!”
As I shifted to move, startled by her response, Raphne unexpectedly grabbed my arm, stopping me.
“W-Wait, I don’t know why….”
She looked at her hand gripping her own arm in confusion, the expression on her face reflecting that uncertainty.
Seeing her reaction, I turned my body back towards her, facing Raphne head-on.
I had been pondering this all the while I was heading back to the dorm.
“Um, Raphne.”
“Uh, huh?”
This was merely me checking her reaction.
But it was also genuinely heartfelt from deep within.
“I have someone I like.”
“…What?”
My sudden declaration must have seemed out of the ordinary and bizarre.
Usually, a normal person would frown or give a confused tilt of the head.
However, as Raphne heard what I said, her expression calmed down, and she looked at me seriously.
Then she spoke.
“What kind of girl is she?”
In that moment, I saw a familiar glint in her eyes.
Not the glare she usually had, but rather a hollow gaze devoid of light.
Such a look was unimaginable coming from her, who had no ties to me because of altered history.
Watching her, a smile escaped my lips as I answered.
“I’ve made a commitment. For life.”
“…”
Raphne stared blankly for a moment before suddenly shaking with incomprehensible emotions, glaring at me with teary eyes.
And then she began crying, tears streaming down her red cheeks.
“I-I’m leaving.”
With that, she turned and started walking back toward the girls’ dormitory.
The expression on her back was a mix of anger, sorrow, and annoyance—an emotional maelstrom.
‘…No matter how I look at it, this isn’t the response of a girl who has only tormented me.’
Standing still, watching her fade away, I began to feel an inkling of hope.
I started to believe that my theory was right.
While I had thought that altering Raphne’s fate caused our bond to vanish completely, I was now filled with despair.
After all, every memory I had accumulated with Raphne, Emily, Mary, and everyone else was entirely gone.
But watching Raphne’s reaction, I began to feel certainty.
‘Not completely gone yet.’
For some unknown reason, feelings she had for me still lingered within her.
It first struck me when she offered to walk me to the boys’ dormitory earlier.
Raphne didn’t want to separate from me.
She wanted to stay close to me, and without my presence, she felt uneasy.
And this was a fixation that developed due to the curse when Raphne was imprisoned in the tower.
For the newly altered Raphne, completely devoid of ties to me, that behavior shouldn’t exist.
Yet, just moments ago, Raphne clearly showed she was clinging to me.
And that last look she gave me.
The glimmer of anger in her eyes when I mentioned I had someone I liked filled me with conviction.
‘…I’ll do whatever it takes.’
Clenching my fists, I watched Raphne’s retreating figure.
I resolved to find a way to recover the memories lying hidden within her.
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