{"file_id": "55_1", "body": " \n\n\u201cAnd then Rei showed up with an offering that no one had ever heard off, the Branch of Eternal Love . She said she had spent days searching for it, scouring the forest, slaying dangerous monsters, never resting. She had barely made it in time. And when she offered it to the scales it sprouted into a massive tree. It was an outstanding victory for Rei, no one had every heard of it before and everyone was silenced. She then swore she would always love me. Even if she wasn\u2019t perfect, even if she couldn\u2019t give me a fairy tale romance, she wanted to be the one to make me happy and she would always be my partner.\u201d\n\nPerfect.\n\n\u201cOh.\u201d Melia looks fondly at her daughter, \u201cWell it sounds close to a fairy tale romance so far.\u201d\n\nClaire chuckles, \u201cIt really was in many ways.\u201d God\u2026 how am I ever - oh Claire has found my hand. She squeezes it.\n\n\u201cIs everything okay Rei?\u201d\n\n\u201cYeAh.\u201d\n\nShe frowns for a second, and gives my hand another squeeze and fixes a smile again. She. knows. Shut up. \u201cIf you say so, Rei.\u201d You're worrying her. \u201cWell Mother, with her complete defeat at the hands of my dear wife, that rival finally admitted defeat, but then she claimed she was only trying to take Rei for herself. The nerve! I made sure she understood that I would not stand for that.\u201d She chortles and god, is there a more perfect sound? \u201cThat said, I quickly was embarrassed by such a declaration. It honestly took me too long to admit much more than that. I wish the two of us could have been more honest about our feelings sooner\u2026 but I know I wasn\u2019t ready for that.\u201d\n\nThere is another gentle squeeze of my hand.\n\nMelia sighs in such a fond way, \u201cAh, yes\u2026 it is like that isn\u2019t it?\u201d She makes eye contact with me for a moment, uhhh did I do something? \u201cYour father was one to keep things too close to the chest too.\u201d\n\n\u201cGoodness yes, atrocious, however he was insufferable with the girls. Always gushing over them and spoiling them.\u201d Claire smiles, just like her mother did.\n\nMelia smiles again, but it\u2019s solemn. She misses him . \u201cJust like he was with you.\u201d\n\nBoth of them share a look, it\u2019s fragile. Like a lot is being said with just the silence. And I have no idea what . I don\u2019t feel like I belong here.\n\n\u201cMother, thank you for lunch.\u201d\n\nMelia chuckles, kinda like Claire does, but more muted, softer. \u201cOf course, I wish I could have made time sooner for this.\u201d\n\n\u201cPlease, I understand. And it\u2019s not as if we haven\u2019t also been busy.\u201d She\u2019s so kind.\n\n\u201cThat is how the world is, isn't it? Are you managing fine? Please tell me if it is too much.\u201d Melia lets herself fret a bit finally.\n\n\u201cOf course, I\u2019ve had my Rei the whole time.\u201d Claire runs her thumb over my hand.\n\nHer Rae.\n\nI catch Melia giving me another look, god I hate feeling like I\u2019m under a microscope.\n\n\u201cIf it\u2019s all right, would you two mind if I used the restroom for a moment?\u201d Claire asks. Her mother gives her a nod.\n\n\u201cOh, yah. Cool.\u201d\n\nClaire leans over and places a quick kiss on my cheek\u2026\n\nIn front of her mother?\n\nShe\u2019s gone\u2026 when did she\u2026?\n\n\u201cI think I might have some ideas on who this Love Rival might be.\u201d Oh right Melia is still here. \u201cI understand why she doesn\u2019t want to name her though.\u201d\n\n\u201cHuh?\u201d\n\n\u201cThe one you competed with, your offering sprouted a tree.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh right\u2026 yes, sorry. Her.\u201d Who?\n\n\u201cAre you alright dear?\u201d\n\nRight for the throat. God I can feel myself wither under her gaze.\n\n\u201cYeah.\u201d That didn\u2019t sound certain. \n\n\u201cAre you nervous? Rei, I assure you, I have no qualms with my daughter dating you or any of her displays of affection. It\u2019s cute.\u201d She smiles.\n\nFuck right she kissed me in front of her mother.\n\nMelia laughs, \u201cPlease Rei, it\u2019s okay. Really. But something seems to be bothering you, hasn\u2019t it? You have seemed tense this whole time.\u201d\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhatever you tell me will stay between us. You always seem the worst when she talks about you, from before .\u201d\n\nIs she a psychic?\n\nShe chuckles, \u201cI\u2019m observant.\u201d Not convincing me otherwise. \u201cIs there something wrong about what she said?\u201d\n\n\u201cYah, it doesn\u2019t sound like me.\u201d\n\nMelia looks a little concerned. Huh?\n\n. . .\n\nFuck I said that out loud.\n\n\u201cI-I just mean that she talks about all these things and how amazing Rae is and, but like that\u2019s not anything like me. I couldn\u2019t do any of those things that she said she did. Like she spent days grinding out monsters to find a rare drop? I get winded if I run. And then she\u2019s so talented and smart. I\u2019m not any of those things. I don\u2019t understand. Why does she think I\u2019m her? I'm nothing like her. I\u2019m-I\u2019m-m.\u201d Please don\u2019t crack voice\u2026 please.\n\n\u201cBreathe dear.\u201d\n\nBreathe.\n\nIt\u2019s really hard to level out my breaths. God.\n\n\u201cThis is bothering you.\u201d\n\nI just nod. I don\u2019t want to risk talking again. I\u2019ll either say too much again\u2026 or\u2026 turn into a mess.\n\n\u201cYou said before she knew who you were.\u201d\n\nI nod again.\n\n\u201cWas she wrong?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo! I\u2026 it\u2019s me\u2026 but like, that me, Rae , she saved the world?\u201d\n\nShe leans over the table, and places a hand on my shoulder. I feel like I\u2019m drawn in to look at her directly. It\u2019s intimidating even if she doesn\u2019t mean to look anything like that. \u201c Rei, she loves you. Of course she thinks the world of you.\u201d\n\n\u201cB-but I\u2019m going to let her down.\u201d\n\nMelia\u2019s hand massages my shoulder softly. \u201cIt feels like that, it\u2019s normal Rei. We always feel like we won\u2019t measure up.\u201d \n\n\u201cIt\u2019s not normal, the only normal and plain thing about this is me.\u201d\n\n\u201cRei, you should talk to her about this. She does think the world of you, but I do think you are being selective with your comparisons. It sounds like you were quite the nuisance .\u201d There is a teasing smirk. Never sounded like that to me.\n\n\u201cI wish I had the confidence to do half the shit she did. I couldn\u2019t even talk to Claire before she came up to me\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cRei, it didn\u2019t sound like confidence, and I don\u2019t think Claire thought it was either. It sounded like the past you had trouble being sincere. I think she was also afraid of rejection.\u201d\n\nHow? \u201cBut\u2026 Claire wouldn't reject her?\u201d She loves her.\n\n\u201cAnd she won\u2019t reject you either.\u201d\n\nThat doesn\u2019t make sense. We\u2019re not the same.\n\nMelia gives my shoulder a pat and pulls back. \u201cThink about it, Rei. I didn\u2019t doubt it before, and I don't doubt it now. She loves you. You. \u201d\n\nMelia feels like a level ninety-nine mom, it\u2019s hard to argue with her and I do feel a bit better. Even if I still don\u2019t agree\u2026 completely.\n\n\u201cOh yes, before I forget, Rei .\u201d\n\nCrap, that sounds like a wind up to mom finisher.\n\n\u201cI\u2019ve noticed that you haven\u2019t used the credit card. Even once .\u201d\n\nFuck .\n\n\u201cI\u2026 I haven\u2019t had a reason to?\u201d\n\n\u201cI said you could use it on anything Rei, even if it's just to pay for your meals, please use it.\u201d Please not the mom voice\u2026\n\n\u201cBut\u2026 like I have money already set aside for that?\u201d\n\nShe sighs and shakes her head. I don\u2019t want to be a disappointment. \u201cRei, you can save that money, really it\u2019s okay for you to use it. I insist. You might not think it, but you have done a lot for both Claire and I.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019ll\u2026 try to\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cYou better .\u201d  That sounded too much like Claire\u2026. Fuuuck. She smirks, I must be blushing. Okay, that\u2019s kinda unfair. \u201cIt\u2019s okay, I\u2019m not bothered by it.\u201d\n\nHow does she have me downloaded so quickly? \u201cI\u2019m sorry\u2026\u201d\n\nShe laughs, \u201cRei, it\u2019s fine. It\u2019s cute. I know it can be\u2026 well more conservative here but I've always believed in letting people love who they love. Your parents\u2026 are they okay\u2026?\u201d\n\n\u201cYeah\u2026. Yeah\u2026 like I don\u2019t think they really get it, but they\u2019ve been cool. I\u2026 got\u2026 outed in middle school and everyone found out\u2026 I\u2019ve been\u2026\u201d breathe \u201ctrying to be careful since then. My mom and dad were\u2026 I\u2019m lucky. They're still learning but they\u2019ve been good. My little brother is brat about it, but like in a good way.\u201d\n\nShe relaxes, \u201cThat\u2019s a relief to hear. If I had to, I would be happy to add to my collection. It seems to be growing. What is it? Collecting them like pokemon?\u201d\n\nWhat?\n\nOh god I snort loudly, then Melia starts to laugh, ah fuck it. I\u2019m laughing too. \u201cOh god, that caught me off guard, yah. Pokemon, haha.\u201d\n\nMelia wipes a tear, \u201cI\u2019m glad I said that right, I\u2019m afraid I was the wrong generation for that. But I was serious. I would have been happy to help if you needed it. I was happy to help Catherine, and I\u2019m glad I was able to cat", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "55_2", "body": "ch Manaria in that whole fallout. That was cruel of her father.\u201d\n\nI can\u2019t help but feel some sympathy but\u2026 she\u2019s trouble.\n\n\u201cWell it seems you\u2019re not a fan of her here either, are you? I know she can be abrasive.\u201d\n\n\u201c Huh ? Here?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes\u2026 I have to assume the love rival Claire worked so hard to not name or describe was Manaria.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat?\u201d\n\n\u201cI thought it was obvious.\u201d Was it?\n\n\u201cIt\u2026 but like\u2026 and\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026.. I BEAT Manaria?\u201d The princess?\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t believe Claire embellished that part at all.\u201d Why does she make it sound like it\u2019s no big deal?\n\n\u201cManaria really was interested in me? What? How? Why?\u201d Who the fuck was Rae?\n\n\u201cThat would have to be answered by the girl herself I suppose. But I doubt we could get a valid answer in this life, would we?\u201d Melia takes a sip from her tea.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m supposed to beat a princess?!\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019d hardly suggest that. Rei, I really don\u2019t think Claire expects anything of the sort out you either. She is just happy to be with you. And she can tell something is bothering you, just like I can.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo she\u2026\u201d\n\nShe knows.\n\n\u201cShe doesn\u2019t know why, but she can see something is bothering you. You are just as bad as Dole when it comes to it. She\u2019s\u2026 happy, she\u2019s so happy to be with you, I know it\u2019s scary but you need to talk to her about this. \u201c\n\nI can\u2019t.\n\n\u201cI know.\u201d \n\n\u201cA little faith goes a long way, trust me. Claire is walking back, make sure you use that card or I\u2019ll have words with you again.\u201d She smirks.\n\n\u201cHave you been interrogating Rei?\u201d Claire!\n\n\u201cWha?\u201d\n\n\u201cOf course not.\u201d Melia laughs and Claire looks a little worried. \u201cI was just offering some advice on a matter Claire. Don\u2019t worry, I like your girlfriend.\u201d\n\nClaire looks stunned for a moment, then smiles widely. Her eye\u2019s glisten and she quickly leans over and hugs her mom.\n\n\u201cMother!\u201d It\u2019s soft.\n\nMelia wraps her arms around Claire and looks so\u2026 serene. \u201cYour father\u2019s always had good taste, and I can see why. Make sure you take care of her.\u201d\n\nFeels like she's saying that to me too. I have to.\n\nClaire nods, her head still pressed against her mom. \u201cOf course.\u201d", "token_count": 508}
{"file_id": "5_1", "body": "I definitely left too early. And was up way too late researching. Prosthetics are expensive. I could open up\u2014oh, a text from Francois-san.\n\nGood Morning Rei, we are coming down now and should see you soon. Sincerely, Francois.\n\nOkay, that\u2019s pretty cute. I should let her know that with other people that\u2019s going to look weird, though. \n\n\u201cRei!\u201d Just a few minutes later, I peek up from my phone and see Francois-san waving to me with Achard-san just behind, leaning on her cane. I guess Francois-san was right about the leg. Francois-san walks slowly, being careful to not leave Achard-san behind. They almost look like sisters. \u201cSorry if we made you wait long. I\u2019m not used to the style of clothing here and I might have been stressing too much about appearances\u2026\u201d\n\nWow, I mean, I look so frumpy in my old hoodie compared to her. She\u2019s wearing a long and very pretty white dress with a form-fitting red sweater vest over it. I don\u2019t think I have seen her in it before but she does look great. For someone who probably has even less of an idea than I do about what\u2019s currently trendy, she\u2019s nailing it. \n\n\u201cYou look great,\u201d I say, meaning it sincerely.\n\nFrancois-san smiles at the compliment, looking right at me. Oh , this is going to take some getting used to. \u201cThank you, Rei, I hope my hair looks okay too. It\u2019s not how I usually wear it but my old style needed a lot of help to get right and Catherine said I just wear it straight here.\u201d It's hard to imagine her long blonde hair as anything other than its usual simple straight style. It\u2019s so smooth and pristine.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s good, very good!\u201d Oh God, Rei, keep it together. You sound even more awkward than usual.\n\nI can see Achard-san roll her eyes behind Francois-san. Francois-san just smiles again and God, if I could melt it would be dangerous to be around her. \u201cThank you, Rei. I tried to play it safe. I like your outfit too. It feels like you.\u201d\n\nOkay, Achard-san, you don\u2019t need to snicker. I\u2019m sure Francois-san meant it, but my clothes really aren\u2019t that nice. \u201cThanks, sooooo , we have economics first. That\u2019s probably not going to be easy to dive into right away so I can sit next to you for that. If your lackeys ask, you can say I\u2019m tutoring you.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s actually not the worst cover. Her grades haven\u2019t been doing well. She could even say her mom is making her do it,\u201d Achard-san adds in. Yeah, that\u2019s a good idea.  After all, there\u2019s no way someone like Francois-san would even look my way otherwise.\n\n\u201cMother\u2026right, yes, I can do that. Wait, did you say lackeys?\u201d Francois-san asks.\n\n\u201cYeah, you always seem to have two other girls around you. It\u2019s like your mean girls squad.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cShe\u2019s not going to understand the reference,\u201d Achard-san sounds a bit annoyed. \u201cYou need to use things she can understand.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, right, your, um, entourage?\u201d That will make more sense, right?\n\n\u201cOh, do you know who they are?\u201d\n\n\u201cNope.\u201d I let the P pop. I mean, why would I know them? I barely even had a chance to talk to Francois-san before this all happened, and it\u2019s not like I cared about her lackeys at all.\n\n\u201cWhat do they look like?\u201d Francois-san asks.\n\n\u201cHrm, one is a little taller, brunette, and the other is shorter and has pink hair.\u201d Did one of them have freckles?\n\n\u201cLoretta and Pepi!\u201d She says excitedly. I\u2019m not sure if they will live up to her expectations from that reaction. \u201cNow that you mention it, you did always call them my minions before.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s probably them,\u201d Achard-san throws in, ignoring the minions part. \u201cCan we get moving? It takes me longer to get there you know.\u201d\n\n\u201cDo you want to take a bus?\u201d I ask.\n\n\u201cNo, it\u2019s fine, I like the walk. The cane is usually fine. Let's just get moving.\u201d She seems eager to move past the topic.\n\n\u201cLet me know if you need anything, okay, Catherine?\u201d Francois-san gives Achard-san a polite nod. Achard-san definitely seems like she\u2019s not used to this yet, but she doesn\u2019t make a big deal about it. She seems eager to get to class. \n\nOur walk goes by quickly even though we\u2019re moving more slowly than usual. We try to cram in a bit more prep for class before we get there, but honestly I think we\u2019re going to have to go back through my notes to the beginning. At least it\u2019s still early in the semester. I allotted some extra time for the walk on account of Achard-san so  we should still be pretty early to class, hopefully without too many people around. Once we get to the building, we stop to get breakfast from the cafeteria. It doesn\u2019t take too long to finish our meal.\n\n\u201cOh, I might need to use the restroom,\u201d Francois-san says. She looks around, unsure of where to go.\n\n\u201cSure just\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s out that door and to your left, Claire.\u201d Achard-san cuts me off. Francois-san notices and there is a look between her and Achard-san.\n\nAfter a second or two Francois-san sighs,.\u201cFine, but be nice .\u201d Achard-san just gives her an extremely fake smile. Francois-san mouths \u2018I\u2019ll be back\u2019 and turns to follow the directions to the restroom.\n\nAnd then it\u2019s just me and her roommate slash friend.\n\nCool .\n\nAchard-san takes her time finishing her coffee. \u201cSo\u2026\u201d I attempt, but it doesn't really help the awkward mood.\n\nAchard-san puts her drink back down. \u201cRight\u2026\u201d She sighs. \u201cLook, this is kinda messed up and I appreciate you being there to help, but also Francois-chan is my\u2026 friend and I don\u2019t know the first thing about you.\u201d\n\nGreat. We\u2019re having this conversation already. I can\u2019t stop my nervous chuckle. \u201cYeah, I really didn\u2019t know Francois-san before this happened. I mean, we share classes and I think we\u2019re in a similar course of study, but I never really got a chance to talk to her.\u201d\n\n\u201cDidn\u2019t stop your massive obvious crush on her, did it?\u201d Achard-san mentions oh-so-casually. I nearly choke on my own cup of coffee\n\n\u201cWhat?\u201d I say, coughing. Rei, don\u2019t think about how much you\u2019re blushing. Count primes\u2026\n\n\u201cTrust me, Claire can be clueless when it comes to crushes, but even she is noticing this.\u201d She motions her hand at me. \u201cAnd sure, she thinks you two are married or whatever but she is still loving this.\u201d Catherine takes another sip of coffee. \u201cNot to be too harsh, but you\u2019re kind of a walking stereotype.\u201d\n\n\u201cNoted.\u201d I clear my throat. \u201cWhat is your point, exactly?\u201d I do not need this.\n\n\u201cEh, look, sorry, that came out worse than I meant. I\u2019m not great with people. I don\u2019t know. I don\u2019t get whatever this is between you and her. She\u2019s in a very vulnerable spot and I worry about her, okay?\u201d Achard-san fidgets, feeling awkward even having to say this much.\n\n\u201cI \u2026 I don\u2019t want to hurt her. I\u2019m trying to help.\u201d I offer.\n\nShe sighs. \u201cYeah, cool, just making sure we\u2019re on the same page.\u201d She leans back and seems content to let the silence return.\n\n\u201cErr, what was she like, y\u2019know, before this happened.\u201d I needed to say something.\n\nShe groans and takes a moment before answering. \u201cI guess you already know she lost her dad, from the talk last night. Well, it happened when she was really young. There was a car crash in Paris, and lucky me, I was in the other car. Hence the leg, and\u2026hrmm, no, that\u2019s me stuff. Anyways, after that the two of us often got bundled together. My dad pretty much  ditched me\u2014don\u2019t ask\u2014and while Claire\u2019s mom was picking up the pieces and getting their business back on track we spent some time with Claire\u2019s extended family, the Sousse, in the Alps. We bounced from country to country for a bit before settling here.\u201d\n\nI guess that\u2019s good to know. \u201cI was asking more about how she acted before this. But thanks for sharing all of that.\u201d\n\nCatherine shrugs. \u201cI don\u2019t know, she acted really shut off after the accident. She was better when she was a kid from what I heard, but losing her dad hit her hard and her mom was always busy. I don\u2019t like trying to psycho-analyze my friends, but honestly she seemed kinda depressed, or maybe detached? Superficial? It\u2019s weird seeing her like this. Don\u2019t get me wrong, it\u2019s good, but honestly I\u2019ve never seen her be even a fraction as\u2026 okay as she seems now.\u201d\n\n\u201cSo\u2026this is better, then? It\u2019s not like she\u2019s a completely different person now, right?\u201d\n\n\u201cErrr, people are going to notice, even if she tries to act \u2018normal.\u2019 It\u2019s a big change. It feels like she woke up or something.  But yeah, I think it\u2019s better because before she was just\u2026not great, honestly. So don\u2019t fuck it up, I guess.\u201d\n\nGreat, no pressure. The way Achard-san is eyeing me doesn't really help either. \u201cI\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m back.\u201d Francois-san announces herself, looking pleased", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "5_2", "body": ". \u201cI was worried that the restroom here would be more complicated, but at least our public restrooms aren\u2019t too different.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou took your time.\u201d Achard-san says over a sip of coffee.\n\nFrancois-san clicks her tongue and flicks Achard-san on the forehead, after she sets her cup down. Achard-san looks surprised and rubs the spot, but leans back and lets a small easy smile settle in. \u201cLook, I wasn\u2019t expecting the sinks to just turn on. I thought they had broken and they kept turning off and on\u2026\u201d\n\nI can\u2019t help but laugh as Francois-san tries to explain the situation, \u201cThey have a sensor for your hands. You just have to have them in the right place.\u201d\n\n\u201cI sort of figured that out, but I spent at least a minute trying to find a knob.\u201d She laughs. At least she isn\u2019t too embarrassed by the situation, and even Achard-san chuckles a bit. \u201cShe didn\u2019t bully you too much while I was gone, I hope.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, it was good.\u201d I mean, she did kinda grill me, but I understand why.\n\nI take a sip of what\u2019s left of my coffee, and Francois-san chooses that moment to shoot me a smirk.\n\n\u201cGood, only I\u2019m allowed to bully you.\u201d\n\nThat sends the coffee up my nose and sends me into a coughing fit. Francois-san just leans back, looking smug and unfairly attractive. I am so doomed. My grave will say \u201ckilled by teasing and gay panic.\u201d\n\n\u201cOkay, I want no part of this flirting.\u201d Achard-san blanches, sticks out her tongue as she pushes herself up from her seat. \u201cI\u2019m going to my classes. Have fun with your otaku, Claire.\u201d\n\nAnd she walks away and disappears out the exit.\n\nIt\u2019s just me and Francois-san now, and she smiles when she catches me looking over at her. I\u2019m not meant to last, am I? \u201cI just wanted to get a little bit of flirting in before we can\u2019t.\u201d She certainly has a mischievous glint in her eyes. \u201cYou\u2019re very cute when you blush, but I would rather not share it with others.\u201d\n\nOne, two, three, five, seven, eleven, thirteen, seventeen\u2026\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s not too much\u2026 is it?\u201d The glint is gone, replaced with concern. She looks like she wants to lean over towards me. She glances at my hands fidgeting on the table.\n\n\u201cNo! Yes?\u201d I let out a nervous chuckle.\n\n\u201cSorry, sorry, you said you wanted to take it slow\u2026 I can wait.\u201d Francois-san retreats a little, her eyes looking unsure and a bit sad.\n\n\u201cNo! It\u2019s okay!\u201d I blurt out.\n\nFrancois-san looks at me intently, like she\u2019s trying to see my thoughts. I feel a bit exposed. \u201cRei, you don\u2019t need to push yourself. It\u2019s fine, really. I\u2019m just being a bit impatient. It\u2019s hardly been a day, after all, at least for you. And you have a bad habit of putting others before yourself.\u201d\n\n\u201cI do not.\u201d I try not to pout, but Francois-san just hums in agreement and takes a sip of her own coffee. I don\u2019t, right?\n\n\u201cSo, what does that mark on your sweater mean?\u201d Francois-san asks, changing the subject.\n\n\u201cErrr.\u201d I have to take a second to remember what I threw on this morning.  Oh, it\u2019s this one. \u201cIt\u2019s a hoodie, cause y\u2019know, it\u2019s got a hood.\u201d I give the hood a flick and it pops up over my head. She gives an \u2018ahhh\u2019 and it\u2019s honestly adorable. \u201cAnd ummm.\u201d I point at the logo which is probably what she was asking about in the first  place. \u201cThis is the symbol of a game. It\u2019s kinda nerdy otaku stuff, err, right, that\u2019s not helpful to you. It\u2019s, ummm\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cIn our past life you sort of explained what games, well, video games, were like. We have games back in Bauer too, of course.\u201d\n\n\u201cI did? Oh, right, umm, okay, yeah I could show you some later if you want. But yeah, this is the title of the game.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe game is called P5?\u201d Francois squints like she\u2019s trying to see something she must have missed.\n\nI slap my forehead, annoyed with myself. \u201cIt\u2019s another acronym, sorry. It\u2019s short for Persona 5. That little mask is part of the logo.\u201d\n\nFrancois-san hums and takes another sip of her coffee, and I just feel awkward. I\u2019m really selling myself now, aren\u2019t I? \u201cI would like it if you showed me some of these games, if you don\u2019t mind.  You sometimes talked about them, as well as novels and, umm, \u2018manga\u2019 I think you called them. You said you even used to write some prose for them. You would occasionally write some when we were together too. It was lovely.\u201d\n\nOh God, is she talking about fan fiction?? It's embarrassing having your crush lay out exactly how much of an otaku you are, even if she lacks a lot of context.\n\n\u201cThough I must confess, the first bit of prose of yours that I found left me so embarrassed. It was before we were together. You had written a silly and fanciful story where we were knights fighting the forces of darkness. I wish I hadn\u2019t ripped it up now, but you had threatened to make two thousand copies of it.\u201d She lets out such a lovely laugh, but\u2026 I WHAT? Oh god this sounds way too similar to the daydream I had last week. Oh Goooooooood why?\n\nI shrink in on myself. \u201cI\u2019m sorry I was such an otaku. I\u2019ll find a hole and bury myself in it later.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh don\u2019t be so melodramatic, Rei, it's cute.\u201d She tries to soothe me. She actually cares\u2026 oh, this really isn\u2019t helping me calm down, though. \u201cThough would you mind explaining what an \u2018otaku\u2019 is? It\u2019s at least the second time you\u2019ve mentioned it and Catherine mentioned it too. It sounds familiar. I\u2019m sure you said it before in our past life, but I don\u2019t think you ever explained it.\u201d\n\nHuh? She looks genuinely curious, and it doesn't seem like she\u2019s trying to tease me about it either. \u201cOh, well, ummm, I guess the easiest way to explain it without context is someone who gets way into certain kinds of media , like kinda obsessively into it. Huh, I guess you didn\u2019t really have any media like that. Okay, so like, imagine if a play becomes really well known throughout the  whole country and is really easy to watch and see and some people really get into, like, the story, or maybe the characters, or two characters\u2019 romances. Or like, a singer gets really popular with a lot of people. Or an athlete. You had those, right?\u201d She nods. \u201cOkay so yeah, sometimes there is a whole subculture that talks about those things, and sometimes it gets derided for being too obsessive or whatever. Like, sometimes people make costumes of their favorite characters\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cOr write their own prose?\u201d Francois-san asks. I wasn\u2019t expecting her to be, well\u2026 really listening.\n\n\u201cYeahhh, we call it fan fiction here. The term otaku is not always meant politely, but it\u2019s not always used negatively, either.\u201d\n\n\u201cOkay, I think I understand it, but I expect more context will help. I do want to see some of this media. I love seeing you get passionate about things. Oh, if you don\u2019t mind, that is.\u201d How is she always so nice to me? She\u2019s been so calm and collected, at least when she isn\u2019t teasing me\u2026 stop that, Rei. She has to see how awkward I am, right? I don\u2019t feel like I deserve all this confidence she has in me. I can\u2019t see myself measuring up to the Rei she has in her mind, at all. I saved her, she said, but how can I do that when I can\u2019t even feel composed around her? And she looks at me like there is nothing else in the whole world. \n\nIt\u2019s all I wanted just a few days ago\u2026 and now? Am I going to lose it if she realizes I\u2019m not like her Rei?\n\nI\u2026 I need to make sure that she gets what she needs first. I shouldn\u2019t be so caught up in how inadequate I feel with everything she\u2019s going through. We need to take this one step at a time.\n\nShe is important right now.\n\nNot me.\n\n\u201cSure, no problem at all! But we should probably start heading to class before the rest of the students get there.  Are you ready, Francois-san?\u201d\n\nShe just beams. \u201cOf course. After all, I\u2019m with you !\u201d\n\n ", "token_count": 1865}
{"file_id": "63_1", "body": " \n\n\u201cRei?\u201d\n\n\u201cHuh?\u201d Where am I?\n\n\u201cI think our stop is next.\u201d Claire is gently shaking my shoulder.\n\nGod\u2026 what? I have to blink. Why am I so groggy? Train\u2026 I feel asleep\u2026 on Claire too, oh no\u2014 \u201cSorry I didn\u2019t mean\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cShh, it\u2019s okay. You needed it. We will be there in a couple of minutes.\u201d She\u2019s slipped an arm behind my back at some point to hold me close, and she tightens it to bring me in closer. \u201cIt was a nice ride.\u201d She seems so serene. I really like this.\n\n\u201c Chiba Station.\u201d\n\nThe train comes to a stop and we both get out with a bunch of other passengers, shuffling off the platform and down the stairs leading to the pickup lanes. \u201cSo where now?\u201d Claire asks as she looks about. She's taking in all the sights.\n\nOh\u2026 Wow, I feel a bit nervous. \u201cUmm, my parents said they would pick us up\u2026\u201d\n\nClaire blinks. Should I have told her? \u201cHere?\u201d\n\n\u201cUmm yes. I\u2026\u201d I take a breath. \u201cI want you to meet them. I haven\u2019t talked to them much since I left for uni.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh. Oh ! I would have dressed up more.\u201d She starts fretting with her outfit. \u201cDo I look adequate? I would have worn a proper dress.\u201d\n\nI don\u2019t get what she\u2019s worrying about. Her skirt looks perfect and she\u2019s wearing a cute red top that exposes her shoulders and God . \u201cClaire, you look amazing.\u201d\n\nShe puts on a smile. It\u2019s a little strained. \u201cI just don\u2019t want to leave a bad impression.\u201d\n\nAs if . \u201cYou\u2019ll be fine.\u201d\n\nShe takes a breath. \u201cOkay.\u201d\n\nI take her hand. We both feel nervous. That's okay . It\u2019s okay.\n\nSo my parents said they would be here somewhere. It seems pretty busy right now\u2014there are a lot of other cars parked here. I haven\u2019t gotten a text from Mom saying otherwise so they should be here, right?\n\n\u201cDo you see them, Rei?\u201d\n\n\u201cUmm not yet, we might have to walk further down the lane\u2014\u201d\n\nTHUMP !\n\nSomething bumps me in the back of the knee and my leg buckles. And that something is giggling like a brat .\n\nClaire gasps. \u201cWhat! How dare you, little cretin. What is wrong with you?!\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m gonna murder you, Masao!\u201d The laughter becomes boisterous and I regain my footing and pivot on the spot. \u201cMasao, you asshole! What\u2019s wrong with you?\u201d\n\n\u201cSo much. Hey Sis.\u201d\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t \u2018Hey Sis\u2019 me! I could have fallen.\u201d\n\n\u201cNah.\u201d\n\nDead. Fucking. God.\n\n\u201cI swear I will\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cWho\u2019s the blonde?\u201d\n\n\u201cHuh?\u201d\n\n\u201cExcuse me?\u201d Claire does not look thrilled. She might actually do something rash.\n\n\u201cMom said you were bringing a friend. There\u2019s no way that this is your\u2026?\u201d\n\n\u201cWait, this is your brother?\u201d\n\nThe little shit grins and slinks up right next to me. It\u2019s really unfair that he is almost as tall as me now. \u201cCan\u2019t you see the resemblance?\u201d\n\nClaire blinks and places a hand on her chin. \u201cActually, yes. This is odd.\u201d At least Masao shies away a little from the inspection.\n\n\u201cIs Dad here?\u201d I'm so telling Mom.\n\n\u201cUmm, yeah, he\u2019s way back. Parking was busy so they kicked me out to look out for you. Umm\u2026\u201d Don't tell me he has the same taste as me. \u201cI\u2019m Oohashi Masao. I guess you're friends with my sister.\u201d\n\nI can feel my eyes narrow. Are you seriously striking a pose?\n\nClaire looks a little unsure, \u201cOh, hello. I\u2019ve heard a bit about you. I\u2019m Claire Francois. Rei is my\u2026\u201d She doesn't know what to say she is .\n\nFuck it.\n\n\u201cShe\u2019s my girlfriend, so back off brat.\u201d\n\nHe bounces away from me. \u201cWhat! You\u2019re shitting me! Her?!\u201d He points at her. Oh, this is great.\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t point. And yes.\u201d\n\nClaire breaks into a wide smile. This was the right move . \u201cYes, we\u2019re dating. Romantically .\u201d\n\n\u201cBut she\u2019s like, a knockout.\u201d\n\n\u201c I know .\u201d \n\nHe takes another look at her. \u201cHOW?\u201d\n\nClaire laughs and moves up to me, bumping her shoulder into mine and taking my hand again. Aaaaaah\u2014 \u201cYour sister is very cute and handsome, that\u2019s how.\u201d\n\nMasao blinks again and then looks at me. Yeah, she\u2019s with me, punk . \u201cWow, nice.\u201d\n\nClaire bursts into a messy snort, and I can\u2019t help but laugh too. \u201cSo, like, where\u2019s Dad again?\u201d\n\n\u201cYeah, yeah.\u201d He starts walking and we follow. \u201cThis way\u2026 so you didn\u2019t tell Dad or Mom?\u201d\n\n\u201cI \u2014 I was going to tell them now.\u201d I can feel Claire\u2019s hands squeeze mine. I squeeze back. \u201cPlease let me say it, okay?\u201d\n\n\u201cUhhh, sure\u2026 sure. Sorry. Uni sure has treated you well, huh?\u201d\n\n\u201cYeah\u2026 mostly. It\u2019s been good.\u201d\n\n\u201cCool. They\u2019re over there, by the way.\u201d He points to the end of a long line of cars. Dad\u2019s old blue car is sitting there, the same as ever. \u201cI\u2019ll let you have a second.\u201d\n\n\u201cAwww, look at you being considerate.\u201d I give his hair a good ruffle and he immediately squirms and ducks away.\n\n\u201cWhatever.\u201d He huffs.\n\n\u201cThank you Masao-kun.\u201d Claire says. There\u2019s a soft smile on her face.\n\nMasao just blushes, looks partly away and runs his finger under his nose. Wow, and he calls me a cliche .\n\n\u201cCome on, Claire.\u201d I give her hand a slight pull and she follows me to the car. I can see them both in the car \u2014 Dad is in the driver's seat and it looks like Mom has spotted me. She\u2019s eyeing us and oh\u2026 yup. She's getting out.\n\nShe quickly runs around the car and wraps me in a hug. Come on, Mom. Claire manages to hold my hand through it. I\u2019m holding on too, but she has to give some room. \u201cRei! It\u2019s been so long! Have you been eating and sleeping? It hasn\u2019t been too much, has it?\u201d\n\n\u201cMom, come on.\u201d I\u2019m trying to get out of her hug but she\u2019s being really clingy. \u201cYes of course. Can you let go?\u201d\n\nShe pouts. Come on, Mom. I can hear Claire laugh. Mom finally relents, only now she\u2019s all misty eyed. This is so embarrassing. She finally notices Claire. She notices the hands. Us. Holding them. Each other\u2019s. Oh wow . Her eyes slowly rise to meet mine. She wants to ask . \u201cWho\u2019s this?\u201d Right, this. Now .\n\n\u201cUmmm\u2026 can Dad come out\u2026? I\u2026\u201d My throat feels so dry right now. I feel Claire gently squeeze my hand.\n\nShe knows already, doesn't she? \u201cOf course, honey.\u201d She turns around and taps on the window. I can see Dad's a bit surprised. He rolls the window down.\n\n\u201cEverything all right?\u201d\n\n\u201cJust come out. Rei wants to introduce us.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, is this the friend you told us about?\u201d\n\n\u201cJust come out, dear.\u201d Wow, Dad is not taking the hint .\n\n\u201cOkay, okay.\u201d He rolls the window back up and steps out of the car, taking a spot next to Mom. He looks at Claire. I can see his eyes casually float over our hands but then he just follows it back to me. He really hasn\u2019t put it together, has he ? I don't know which is going to be more awkward, the expectant look from Mom, or the surprise Dad is going to have.\n\n\u201c Sooooo\u2026 what do you want to tell us, honey?\u201d Oh god, Mom. Pleeeeeease.\n\nClaire squeezes my hand. I got this.\n\n\u201cMom\u2026 Dad\u2026 this is Francois Claire.\u201d God, I have to swallow the lump in my throat. \u201cShe\u2019s\u2026 my girlfriend.\u201d\n\nFuck.\n\nI said it\u2014 Oof!\n\nMom\u2019s hugging me again. TigHtly . Oh god. She's squEEzing. \n\n\u201cYou\u2019re dating an American?\u201d\n\n\u201cDAD! Come on, she\u2019s French.\u201d Oh my God .\n\n\u201cNice to meet you, Francois-san.\u201d Wow, he\u2019s really taking it in stride. He extends a hand to Claire, and she smiles and shakes it. \u201cIt\u2019s very nice of you to come out with Rei today.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m happy to be here. Thank you for picking us up, Oohashi-san.\u201d\n\nDad\u2019s got a dorky smile on his face. Wow, is he\u2026 happy ?\n\n\u201cShe\u2019s so pretty, Rei!\u201d Mom pulls back slightly and looks me in the face. \u201cAre you okay, dear?\u201d\n\n\u201cOf c-course.\u201d Why wouldn\u2019t I be? Mom\u2019s always been supportive. It\u2019s nice that dad is too. He never really seemed to get it before. Why is it affecting me so much?\n\nClaire squeezes my hand.\n\nMom shushes and wipes something from my face. I don\u2019t know what that could be . \n\n\u201cI\u2019m glad to have finally met you,\u201d Claire says. \u201cYour daughter is wonderful and I\u2019m glad we found each other.\u201d\n\n\u201cAre you crying?\u201d Go\u2014od . When did Masao get back here?\n\n\u201cShut up.\u201d\n\n\u201cKids, no fighting in front of the company.\u201d Dad flicks Masao in the head but the brat just grins", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "63_2", "body": ".\n\n\u201cI\u2019m sure your friends are waiting, so let\u2019s get you there, okay?\u201d Mom says.\n\n\u201cYeah, thanks, Mom. Thanks, Dad.\u201d", "token_count": 32}
{"file_id": "31_1", "body": "I thought the walk back to my dorm would clear my mind a bit but\u2026 fdjaslk;fjads;ldlfldajfldaldlkvnloi.\n\nWhat?\n\nShe called me her wife . She said that we are\u2014 were wives. Francois-san was my wife in a past life! She kept calling me Rei\u2026.\n\nRei\u2026\n\nOh God, even just recalling it makes me blush. I need to get this under control before I see Misha. Am I going to tell her? Francois-san said it\u2019s fine\u2026\n\nHow do I even explain it without sounding crazy? I\u2019m not an idiot for believing her, right? There\u2019s no way she could have known all of that stuff about me, and she does seem like she is genuine. Right? I\u2019m not just rationalizing it \u2018cause I want it to be true\u2026\n\nGod, how did my one college crush turn out like this? This is actually insane. Like, what are we? Actual soulmates? Just being reborn over and over? Together forever\u2026.\n\nOh God, why am I doing this to myself? It\u2019s way too warm and Misha is going to take one look at my face and know something\u2019s up. And then she is going to grill me and I need to not let that happen!. Cool it, Rei!\n\nLast week Francois-san didn\u2019t even look my way. She was so haughty and cool, and now she\u2019s so kind. It feels like my emotions have been thrown into a jet engine. And I think she was even teasing me a bit too?! I want her to tease me more \u2014 \n\nREI!\n\nI slap my face, both cheeks. I need to focus. First things first. Either tell Misha everything, or tell her something\u2026 or nothing. Nothing is easier, right? She doesn\u2019t need to know right now, after all. Right? Like, maybe I can tell her later when I get myself more under control. Right now I feel like a mess because of Francois-san.\n\nFrancois-san made a mess of me \u2014\n\nSTOP!\n\nOkay, let's get home first.\n\nThe room I share with Misha is small, just two beds and a shared desk, cramped but doable. Especially on our budget. Not like Francois-san\u2019s luxurious grand room that would put some entire apartments to shame.\n\nMisha is on her bed, busy working away at something on her laptop. She has earbuds in, but pops them out when she notices me.\n\n\u201cYou\u2019re a bit late.\u201d She states. Something about the way she looks at me makes me feel like I\u2019m being analyzed.\n\nI give a laugh, hoping to throw her off and not sound nervous. Not at all. \u201cYeah, just got caught up in something with a new friend.\u201d Okay, good cover. Not really lying, good start.\n\nMisha narrows her gaze. Fuck . \u201cWhat did you do?\u201d Seriously?\n\n\u201cI didn\u2019t do anything! Why are you looking at me like I did something?\u201d\n\n\u201cReeeeeiiii\u2026\u201d Misha just draws out the vowel and doesn\u2019t let up with her withering gaze. Dammit. .\n\n\u201cOkay, fine, I was with Francois-san.\u201d God, I can\u2019t believe I caved in already . \n\n\u201cRei\u2026\u201d Misha takes a breath and pinches the top of her nose. \u201cThat bitch? Seriously? Rei, you should stay away from her. I don\u2019t care if she\u2019s your silly crush. She\u2019s bad news.\u201d\n\n\u201cHey, that\u2019s not true!\u201d I can\u2019t help but blurt out.\n\n\u201cReally? You're just going to hurt yourself, and anyone who's paying attention knows you have no shot. She hasn\u2019t been exactly keeping it a secret that she\u2019s gunning for Thane-san, you know.\u201d I know Misha is just looking out for me, but that doesn\u2019t make this feel any less patronizing.\n\n\u201cWell, she thinks I\u2019m her wife .\u201d Which is probably why I just said that. God, this is why I didn\u2019t want to bring this up now.\n\nMisha\u2019s jaw drops. Okay, this really wasn\u2019t how this was supposed to go. \u201c What ?\u201d God, I wish we had AC in this room.\n\n\u201cOkay, this is going to sound insane, but she has memories of a past life where we were married and she sorta said that the version of me in that life had memories of my previous life and it sounds like some sorta loop\u2026.\u201d God, I\u2019m rambling.\n\nMisha\u2019s eyes glaze over pretty quickly, and then she just shakes her head, pops her earbuds back in and turns back to her laptop.\n\n\u201cMiiiiishaaaaaa, don\u2019t abandon me!\u201d I dash over to her bed and kneel beside it, shaking her leg.\n\n\u201cChrist, Rei, do you even hear yourself? You\u2019re a lost cause.\u201d She tries to pull her leg away.\n\n\u201cMisha, it\u2019s true.\u201d\n\n\u201cBullshit.\u201d\n\n\u201cShe knew things, Misha.\u201d\n\nMisha\u2019s eyes narrow again. \u201cSo she\u2019s stalking you too? Rei, she\u2019s playing you. Get away from her\u2014she\u2019s just setting you up for some sort of cruel joke. Or worse.\u201d\n\n\u201cShe couldn\u2019t have known about this stuff. You weren't there.\u201d\n\nMisha just stares, waiting for an answer. God, if I had just held it together and kept this all to myself for at least one night.\n\nONE NIGHT.\n\nI take a deep breath. \u201cShe knew about Misaki.\u201d\n\n\u201cSo? She probably just found some articles. Suicides make the news.\u201d Misha tries to sound nonchalant but I can see she doesn't like the direction this conversation is going.\n\n\u201cShe didn\u2019t just know about the suicide. She knew why he did it.\u201d I have to take a hard swallow. \n\nGod, today has made a mess of my feelings.\n\nMisha stares at the wall for a moment. Then she sighs and closes her laptop, pushing it to the side and storing her earbuds. \u201cExplain.\u201d\n\n\u201cShe said our past life took place in, like, a different world, and I found her there and we got married. In that life I think I had memories from this life, or some version of this life? She told me I told her about my previous life, and that's how she knew all these things about me. She knew about that awkward love square from middle school and she knew that Misaki was trans and that's why he\u2026 she even called him him . Only a few of us knew about that, and you're the only person I talked to about this. She just knew , it was like we had talked about it so many times already\u2026I\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cYou\u2019re being serious.\u201d It\u2019s not a question so much as reluctant acceptance.\n\n\u201cYes, trust me, I know it sounds insane but I don\u2019t have any other way to explain it. She doesn\u2019t remember anything from this life. She didn\u2019t even know what a phone was.\u201d \n\n\u201cOh Christ, Rei, are you sure? Are you sure you aren\u2019t both just\u2026 I don\u2019t know, is it amnesia or something?\u201d Misha sounds like she is trying to come up with some rational explanation, but I can see she\u2019s just grasping at straws. \u201cShe didn\u2019t know about phones?\u201d\n\n\u201cYeah, I\u2019m telling you, she has no idea about technology. I had to get directions from her roommate to get her home, and even her roommate seemed to believe her explanation after she talked to her. And they know each other well. Francois-san is like a completely different person. We were working on a plan to get her up to speed.\u201d\n\n\u201cWait, we ?\u201d\n\n\u201c...yeah?\u201d Wait, why does Misha look disappointed in me? \n\n\u201cRei\u2026.\u201d\n\n\u2026\n\n\u201cRei!\u201d\n\n\u201c What ?\u201d I huff.\n\n\u201cShe isn\u2019t your responsibility! This is insane\u2014you can\u2019t be the one to fix this, it\u2019s way too big. She needs to go home and get tutoring or something.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd what, completely derail her life?\u201d And worse, leave me behind right when I finally have a chance? I can make this work.\n\n\u201cRei, her life is already derailed. How is she supposed to get anything done? Classes? Homework? Hell, how is she even going to act normal around people? Her social life is going to be thrown out the window, and she was quite the little socialite despite being such a bitch.\u201d\n\n\u201cHey! She remembers some people from her past life! She still knew her roommate. She remembers you, too.\u201d\n\nMisha pinches her nose again, \u201cAre you telling me we all knew each other in our past lives?\u201d\n\n\u201cI think so? I don\u2019t know who else she knows from back then. It seemed like some stuff sorta lined up for her. She mentioned an accident\u2026 and okay, I don\u2019t think I should mention too much, but she asked if you were my roommate, by name, and she was relieved when I said you were. She even said I could tell you about this if I thought it was a good idea. She trusts you.\u201d\n\n\u201cRei, you know how insane this sounds, right? Even if what she\u2019s saying is all true, you can\u2019t do this by yourself. This is way too much for you to take on.\u201d Misha sounds concerned, but it\u2019s not like I don't understand how big this is. It\u2019s just, who else is going to help Francois-san and not just lock her up until they \u2018fix\u2019 her?\n\n\u201cMisha, she needs help from someone who won't think she\u2019s crazy. Her roommate is going to help, too. I\u2019m going to go pick her up tomorrow and take her to class. We share quite a few of the same classes. I think we\u2019re both in the business track so there\u2019s a lot of overlap.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis doesn\u2019t feel like it can work, Rei.\u201d Misha tries one more time.\n\n", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "31_2", "body": "\u201cI\u2019m not going to give up on her,\u201d I respond. I\u2019m not sure where the stubbornness comes from, and it seems to surprise Misha as well. Maybe that\u2019s why she just sighs in resignation.\n\n\u201cOk, fine. Save your crush, or wife, or whatev\u2014\u201d Misha pauses as she says that part out loud. \u201cWait, God, we just skimmed over that and how crazy it sounds. This is worse than those manga you read. She was your wife ?\u201d Does Misha really have to act like that\u2019s the most egregious thing about all of this?\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s what she said.\u201d Why is it so warm in here?\n\nMisha snickers. \u201cOh wow, and let me guess. She still loves you?\u201d\n\nI try to glare at Misha but she just stops holding back and lets herself laugh until she\u2019s doubled over. This is violence, Misha. How are you my best friend? \u201cMiiishaaa, pleeeease.\u201d\n\nShe eventually settles down and wipes her eyes, a smirk still on her face. \u201cSo you finally got yourself a girlfriend?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, laugh it up. I see how you get around Yu-san.\u201d She has no business making fun of me when she\u2019s just as bad.\n\n\u201cAnswer the question, otaku.\u201d\n\n\u201cFine! She said she\u2019ill wait \u2018till I\u2019m ready.\u201d\n\nMisha snickers viciously again. \u201cHow much more ready do you need to be? You literally haven\u2019t been able to shut up about her.\u201d Misha sits up and puts her hands together like she\u2019s praying. \u201cOh Misha, how can Francois-san look so perfect and pristine? It\u2019s like she\u2019s a princess from a fairy tale, or even better, the evil queen. Sure she can be so cool, proper and detached, but that glare of hers says that she wants to step on her unworthy minions, I just know it I\u2019ll bet she has a hidden fiery side if only\u2014\u201d\n\nThwak!\n\nI hit her square in the face with one of the pillows from her bed, knocking her down. I ready the pillow for another strike if needed, but Misha just smirks and doesn\u2019t say anything, as though she\u2019s already won. Damn her. I let out a huffy sigh and get up from her bed to sit down on my own.\n\n\u201cLet me know if any other crazy things start happening. Otherwise I have a paper to finish.\u201d Misha disappears back into her laptop and earbuds, though she does give the occasional glance my way.\n\nI fall back into my bed and let my bag fall on the floor. Before real thoughts can percolate into my consciousness I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket.\n\nOh, Francois-san sent me a text.\n\nNever mind, she sent a letter.\n\nHello Rei, I hope this finds you well and you made it to your abode safely. I must thank you again for taking the time to help me as you have. I\u2019m very grateful that you listened to me and took me at my word. I would have been lost without the help you have given me thus far, and for the further help you have offered in the coming days. I hope one day I can make this all up to you tenfold and I am sorry if I may have made you uncomfortable with the implication I made about our previous lives together. I understand and will respect your wishes if you do not want to pursue such a relationship, but I will not lie either. I do hope I can share this love with you once again, and you will always hold a place in my heart regardless. Sincerely yours, Claire Francois.\n\nI need to crack open a window. I can hear Misha snicker at me, again. Dammit, I\u2019m blushing. Great. Laugh it up Misha, I\u2019ll remember this.\n\nHi Francois-san, Thks np\n\nSorry, I mean thanks, no problem. texting is pretty informal and we tend to shorten words a lot\n\nThks is thanks. I will try to avoid using abbreviations too much, but just ask if something comes up that you don\u2019t understand\n\nWe use acronyms a lot too, like imo is in my opinion, but just text however works for you. oh but maybe avoid sounding too formal with people who don\u2019t know. You can probably even see some of your old texts to get an idea about how you used to text.\n\nAnd I\u2019m not uncomfortable\n\nAbout a relationship\n\nWith you\n\nI mean\n\nIt's just that a lot happened in the last 8 hours and I don't want to move too fast. And I\u2019m not out. I don\u2019t think you were either. \n\n(being out means being open about being queer)\n\nsorry, I\u2019m rambling, and I can see you are trying to type something back. I\u2019ll pause\n\nNow\n\nSorry, I am quite slow at this and you are very fast.\n\nIt's a thing you get better at over time\n\nThank you for your patience, Rei. I might have had to stop and rewrite my sentences several times.\n\nLol\n\nLol = laugh out loud\n\nI see. This feels more like a conversation than I thought it would be. It\u2019s a pleasant ability to have.\n\nThat said, I would like to try to call you if that is all right with you .\n\nOf course\n\nIt doesn\u2019t take too long for my phone to ring. I quickly hit accept. \u201cHello?\u201d I try to say it clearly for her.\n\n\u201cHello!\u201d Francois-san sounds very proud of herself. Oh God, it\u2019s adorable . She must be beaming on the other end. \u201cThank you again, Rei. Phones are incredible. Are you sure this isn\u2019t magic?\u201d\n\nI laugh. \u201cYes, it\u2019s not magic. I don\u2019t think I could explain it very well right now. It\u2019s very complicated how they work, but it\u2019s just a machine. How are you settling in?\u201d\n\n\u201cExcited, also a bit nervous, but otherwise well, I think. Catherine was showing me a few other things before I wrote to you. Did you know about TVs? She also showed me her computer laptop. Apparently I have one as well.\u201d\n\nI curl up in bed while listening to her voice. Something about this feels right. Just a day ago it was wishful thinking to imagine I could ever even talk to her. While this is pretty different from what I imagined, in many ways this side of her feels right. Like I was right about her all along. \u201cYes, TV\u2019s are everywhere, and most students have a laptop. They\u2019re very useful. We can get into it tomorrow after classes.\u201d\n\nFrancois-san hums in agreement on the other end, \u201cRei, I have a question.\u201d Her voice drops to a whisper. \u201cAre you still able to hear me?\u201d\n\n\u201cAh, yeah. Though if you\u2019re trying to not be heard you could try pocketing your hand over your mouth and phone. Or just leave the room. What\u2019s up, are you okay?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, yes.\u201d It still sounds like she\u2019s trying to whisper but her voice is coming through a little bit clearer now. \u201cI just would like it if Catherine didn\u2019t overhear this. You may have heard  when she talked about how I am to blame for the state of her prosthetic leg. It got damaged a bit at some point and it seems to be a pain to use but I don\u2019t know how to go about replacing it. I would suggest repairing it, but she said it\u2019s cheap and was poor quality to begin with. I think I have the monetary means to get her a better one but well, as you have seen, I am quite ignorant about how anything works here.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh yeah, we can look into that. I think at some point you\u2019ll need to let her know though, so she can get it fitted properly. But that sounds like something we should look into soon. I\u2019m sure she would appreciate it.\u201d\n\n\u201cThanks, Rei. I\u2019m getting the sense the other me was\u2026 well, probably insecure and immature in the ways I was before I met you. And she probably made some poor choices. I would like to remedy those if I can.\u201d Francois-san doesn\u2019t sound ashamed, but there\u2019s a sympathetic sort of  softness to her voice. A sense of responsibility, even if she herself isn\u2019t to blame. \u201cI did steal her life, in a way.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s quite a big assumption,\u201d I can\u2019t help but retort. \u201cWe don\u2019t know exactly what\u2019s happening, but from what you said it sounds like we might be reliving our lives over and over again? Maybe something just slid in a little wrong when you got here, and your other memories will come back in time. Maybe this version of you was just dormant this whole time.\u201d I\u2019m rambling again.\n\nFrancois-san just chuckles, and wow, it makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. \u201cThank you, Rei. You're right, as usual. It does no good to ruminate on conjectures with no information. Still, I will honor my responsibilities.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat was it like? Your\u2026 our old life?\u201d I ask her.\n\n\u201cUs? Early on, very chaotic and turbulent.\u201d She laughs pleasantly. \u201cWe met at the Bauer Academy, a school for raising the brightest and most talented. I was a high-ranking, noble-born daughter of the house Francois and you were a very cheeky commoner.\u201d The emphasis she puts on that last part causes a pleasant shiver to run down my body. \u201cThe first thing you said to me was that you loved me, and that I should bully you.\u201d She laughs again and the room suddenly feels several degrees warmer. I said that? Oh God, what was wrong with me? It\u2019s not like I didn\u2019t imagine- \u201cRei, are you still there? Hello?\u201d\n\n\u201cyES.\u201d Oh, that was too squeaky. I cough. \u201c", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "31_3", "body": "I\u2019m still here. Sorry.\u201d\n\n\u201cRei\u2026\u201d She slowly draws out my name in a husky voice.\n\nI shiver again. \u201cYes\u2026?\u201d\n\nI hold the phone close to my ear. \u201cWould you like it if I teased you?\u201d Her voice is so low and smooth. I huddle up into a ball and press my face into my pillow. I feel like I am about to explode.\n\n\u201cYes.\u201d The sound that comes out of my mouth is a whimper. Oh God, what am I saying?\n\n\u201c Good girl. \u201d I can hear her smile as she says it.\n\nI let out a groan and Francois-san just laughs. I might have heard Misha telling me to shut up, too. \n\n\u201cRei? Sorry, was that a bit much?\u201d\n\nYes. \u201cNo.\u201d\n\nFrancois-san hums contentedly. I love the way it sounds. God, I\u2019m so fucked. Who am I kidding? I\u2019ve already got it so bad for her. \u201cWell, back to your question\u2026.\u201d Oh, that is so unfair. \u201cWe went through a lot together, you and I. You taught me so much and saved my life when the revolution came. We became teachers at the Academy, raised two daughters and lived a good life, I would say.\u201d\n\n\u201cDaughters?\u201d Oh right, she did say something about that before. Wait, how did we-\n\n\u201cAdopted twins. May and Aleah.\u201d The way she says their names, so softly, I can almost imagine her with them.\n\nIt\u2019s a lot harder to imagine myself, though. \u201cI can\u2019t see myself as a mother.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou were wonderful, Rei. I couldn't have done it without you.\u201d I wish I could share in her confidence.\n\nShe yawns. I guess it\u2019s been a long day hasn\u2019t it? \u201cIt\u2019s getting late, Francois-san. We should probably get to sleep.\u201d\n\n\u201cAww,\u201d Francois-san pouts. \u201cI\u2019m enjoying this so much, but you are probably right.\u201d She yawns again. \u201cGoodness, fine, you are right, as usual. \u201d\n\n\u201cI liked this too, Francois-san. We\u2019ll do it again soon.  Oh, before we go, I wanted to tell you to make sure Achard-san shows you how the alarm on your phone works. You probably have one that will wake you up for classes.. She would know if anyone would.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019ll ask her. Thank you, Rei. Good night\u2014I will see you in the morning.\u201d\n\n\u201cGood night,\u201d I softly say back to her. I wait on the line until the call ends.\n\nGod, I feel so restless now. I can\u2019t help but fidget in place, rolling back and forth in my bed\u2014\n\n\u201cWow, you are such a simp,\u201d Misha\u2019s voice comes from across the room. I freeze in place and hazard a glance in her direction. Misha is still working on her paper, eyes only occasionally glance my way. \u201cEnjoy your call, much?\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s rude to eavesdrop.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s hard to not hear you when you sqwee so much.\u201d Misha states, deadpan.\n\nWow, rude. Fine. I\u2019ll remember this next time Yu-san is around and you get all sappy and starstruck.\n\nIt\u2019s late and I will probably have to leave quite a bit earlier to rendezvous with Francois-san tomorrow. I could go to sleep, but maybe I\u2019ll look up prosthetic legs for a bit before I pack it in.", "token_count": 719}
{"file_id": "54_1", "body": " \n\n\u201cHey.\u201d\n\n\u201cHey.\u201d\n\nMisha\u2019s reading something, or typing something on her laptop. Fuck I have some homework I should be doing too.\n\n\u201cSorry about that.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s fine, I was just at a point, I let you know. It was just a long day.\u201d She's not upset at least.\n\n\u201cKay.\u201d\n\n\u201cHow was your dinner? You good with Claire-san? You two seemed\u2026 up and down?\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s fine? I don\u2019t\u2026 I\u2019m not that bad right? Like I\u2019m sure Rae didn\u2019t have any problems doing it, but it\u2019s not like\u2026?\u201d\n\n\u201c Rei ?\u201d\n\n\u201cThat other me. The one Claire remembers.\u201d The better one .\n\n\u201cOh\u2026 That .\u201d She wants to say something but holds it back and goes for something else. \u201cI mean you did skip a school day once to play a game when it was released.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh my god was that game not worth it. I can\u2019t even remember what it was about anymore. Mom got so mad at me for it too.\u201d\n\n\u201cYah, cause it was stupid.\u201d Judgey.\n\n\u201cBut like\u2026\u201d I don't know\u2026\n\n\u201cRei, sometimes you are really bad at it. There were so many times you would show up at school like a zombie because you were either binging some fic, playing a game or what I assume was writing your own fics.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut that\u2019s like the only way I can get everything done.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s not healthy, Claire is right. You're not mad at her for pointing it out are you?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo!... I just\u2026 I wasn\u2019t expecting to get told off for it\u2026 and like\u2026 I felt like a... disappointment. Or something.\u201d\n\nMisha takes a breath, closes her laptop and turns to face me properly. \u201cIt didn\u2019t sound like that to me, did she say something like that later? It really sounded like she just wants you to not drop dead cause you forgot to eat.\u201d\n\n\u201cShe didn\u2019t but\u2026 like there is something she isn\u2019t telling. I can feel it, it\u2019s about Rae, the other Rae. I feel like she keeps\u2026 like I\u2019m not anything like her. That Rae saved the world or something, saved her from dying in a revolution and here I am forgetting to eat because I got too caught up in holding her hand?\u201d\n\nMisha quirks her brow. \u201cHas she been comparing you to her?\u201d\n\n\u201cNot directly\u2026 but she thinks I can do things, or I\u2019m better at things than I really am. Like she thinks I can cook, and she keeps wanting to read my writing.\u201d \n\n\u201cSo\u2026 let her read it. And tell her you can\u2019t cook?\u201d\n\n\u201cBut then\u2026 I can\u2019t cook?\u201d I need to?\n\nCome on Misha, don\u2019t look at me like that. \u201cYah, because you can\u2019t, Christ Rei. She\u2019s not stupid, she can\u2019t really think you can do all the things that her version did right? And like, if she does, she\u2019s in the wrong.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut\u2026 I don\u2019t want to ruin this, I don\u2019t know how to say\u2026 and like what if I say I can\u2019t do this one thing. And then it\u2019s another, and another, another, another and then she doesn\u2019t even think I\u2019m Rae anymore and I can\u2019t be with her and then I lose\u2026\u201d She\u2019s going to realize\u2026\n\nAn arm wraps around my shoulder, I didn\u2019t even notice Misha get up. It\u2019s an awkward hug, pretty typical for her, but it\u2019s nice. \n\nShe pulls back after a bit, she probably counted the time in her head. \u201cLook, if that\u2019s true, she\u2019s wrong and you can do better. I think you need to tell her, it\u2019s probably going to be fine. And I mean it. It\u2019s freaky how well she knows you Rei, but she can\u2019t read your mind. And the more you keep not bringing it up, the more it\u2019s going to catch her off guard.  She really does seem like she wants what\u2019s best for you.\u201d\n\nI take a deep breath. \u201cIt\u2019s hard. I\u2026 you how stupid I can be but she\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cShe probably also knows Rei, come on. There\u2019s no way this other you wasn\u2019t also stupid.\u201d\n\nRude. And she hasn't been listening to Claire either.\n\n\u201cThis has really been eating you up hasn\u2019t it? Getting you to talk about Misaki was like pulling teeth. But this\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cWell Misaki is gone.\u201d\n\nIt\u2019s too quiet.\n\nWhy did I say that? Like that.\n\nHe\u2019s gone.\n\nI just wanted\u2026\n\n\u201cShe\u2019s not going to leave you.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou don\u2019t know that!\u201d\n\n\u201c Rei, Breathe.\u201d\n\n\u201cDon\u2019f fucking patro-\u201d\n\n\u201cShut up and breathe you idiot.\u201d She snaps.\n\nI inhale.\n\n\u201cNow exhale.\u201d\n\n\u201cMi-\u201d\n\n\u201cI said exhale.\u201d\n\nIn\n\nOut\n\nIn\n\nOut\n\n\u201cGood.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou suck.\u201d\n\n\u201cKeep breathing.\u201d\n\nFine. I was breathing fine .\n\n\u201cYou were like this last year too, you know. Snippy. I know it\u2019s coming up and honestly you have not had much time for yourself. You leave early, come back late. You\u2019re always with Claire-san.\u201d\n\n\u201cI want to be!\u201d\n\n\u201cOkay, but what about yourself? I don't think she would be happy if she knew how much you are stretching yourself thin.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut we don\u2019t do that much over the weekend.\u201d\n\n\u201cSorta, but you're still fretting over her all the time. And it\u2019s been almost two months of it now.\u201d\n\nThat can\u2019t be right. There has to have been at least one weekend\u2026\n\n\u201cSee? I\u2019m right.\u201d\n\n\u201cFine.\u201d Why is everyone else always right?\n\n\u201cAnd your wound up, and whatever it is you\u2019re not talking to her about it.\u201d\n\n\u201cI just want to be her Rae .\u201d\n\nMisha sighs. \u201cRei, look. This is weird, like I don't know how else to put it. But it feels fucked that you think you have to measure up to yourself . A version of yourself that was older right? Like she lived a whole life with Claire-san? You\u2019re not being fair to yourself.\u201d\n\n\u201cFair doesn\u2019t matter. She loved her .\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd you think she doesn\u2019t love you\u2026?\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m not her.\u201d\n\n\u201cGod we are going around in circles.\u201d She sighs and shakes her head. \u201cLook, two things. You need to find some closure with Misaki, it\u2019s still eating you up and you really need to talk about it. Two, you need to relax about Claire. Just have some faith in her, you\u2019re really bad at talking about yourself but you're not great at hiding that something is bugging you. She\u2019s not an idiot, and\u2026 I think she is just trying to help us.\u201d\n\n\u201cUs\u2026? What did she say to you?\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s not important.\u201d That was curt.\n\n\u201cOh that is such bullshit, she said something to you. About me, didn't she?\u201d\n\nShe gives me such a dead stare. Don't pretend I'm wrong. \u201cGod Rei, are you listening to yourself? It wasn\u2019t about you, christ. Look\u2026 I can\u2019t tell you-\u201d\n\n\u201cWon't tell me.\u201d\n\n\u201cLook it was fucking about me okay!\u201d She snaps.\n\n\u201cHuh?\u201d\n\n\u201cYou think I fucking believed it from what you told me? She told me something that there was no way she should have known, and there is no fucking way you knew either. So yes, she told me stuff but that stuff isn\u2019t fucking about you so get the fuck out your head.\u201d She takes a few heavy breaths\u2026 I almost never see her like this. She finally takes a final deep breath and her breathing mellows out.\n\n\u201cSorry\u2026 umm\u2026 you're right. I\u2019m just\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cRei, I get it, just\u2026 you\u2019re going to have to trust her at some point.\u201d\n\n\u201cI do-\u201d\n\n\u201cSshh! Let me finish! Trusting her doesn\u2019t just mean believing her. Trusting her means talking to her, being open. Letting her know.\u201d\n\n\u201cOkay\u2026 I\u2019ll try to think about it.\u201d I just need to figure it out.\n\nMisha nods, and returns to her bed.\n\n\u201cHey, we cool?\u201d I have to ask, Misha almost never snaps,\n\nShe raises her brow, \u201cOf course.\u201d\n\n\u201cCool.\u201d Thank god.\n\nI hop on my bed.\n\nShe\u2019s right .\n\nI know.\n\nBut the idea of telling Claire\u2026 It's terrifying. I am terrified that I won\u2019t measure up. Fuck. Being honest about it isn\u2019t really making it easier to deal with. Get out of your head.\n\nBreathe.\n\nOkay. I need to relax. Unwind. Not obsess. Claire\u2019s reading PrayLove right? Maybe I can read that too?\n\nYou're obsessing over her again.\n\nFuck.\n\nI\u2019m still going to do it. But not because of Claire. Liar. It\u2019s been a while since I read it. And Maybe I need to open my doc and write a bit more of Lady Shouko\u2019s Lover . Just not think. Zen out.\n\nJust don\u2019t think about it. Easy.\n\n\u201cHey Misha.\u201d\n\nShe hums.\n\n\u201cYou really don\u2019t want to tell me what Claire said to you?\u201d\n\nNo answer.\n\n\u201cI bet I could guess.\u201d\n\nStill no answer.\n\n\u201cI bet\u2026 it was about Yu.\u201d\n\nShe gives me a sideways glance. Getting hotter.\n\n\u201cI think I might have figured it out already . It sounds like you and Yu hooked up.\u201d\n\nShe\u2019s staring at me. It feels quiet, like I\u2019m the only thing making any sound in the room. It\u2019s a bit scary, but honestly I don\u2019t think I can help myself now.\n\n\u201cShe tried to hide it but sounds like you two are soulmates .\u201d\n\n\u201cHad me worried there for a second. Guess she did manage to not ruin that yet.\u201d She turns back to her work. She\u2019s bluffing.\n\n", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "54_2", "body": "\u201cAww come on, there is def something going on between you two.\u201d\n\nShe doesn\u2019t look back. \u201cLook I appreciate that you are trying to distract yourself, but I\u2019m not telling you anything.\u201d\n\n\u201cSomething is going on with you and Yu though. Like come on, even before Claire showed up it was super obv. Like what are you two waiting for?\u201d\n\nShe sighs. \u201cGod, I have no idea where to begin.\u201d She starts counting down on her hand. \u201cI guess for starters you are second only to Yu at being miserable about talking about yourself and your problems, and there's this whole bullshit with his-their family. Yu is expected to marry some girl, their dad is an associate or some BS with her dad, some stupid right winger dipshit policial, Lilium? God he sounded miserable when we looked it up. And even if that wasn\u2019t around, I\u2019m such a bad\u2026 fit. Like my dad used to work for Bauer-sama and he did not leave on the best terms. I know this is bullshit, but form their view I\u2019m way too mundane to even entertain the idea.\u201d\n\n\u201cOkay, so Yu\u2019s family sucks\u2026 like that\u2019s not new.\u201d\n\nShe sighs again. \u201cTheir brothers are mostly okay.\u201d\n\n\u201cRod seems full of himself.\u201d Can\u2019t believe he was trying to hit on me before still.\n\nShe shakes her head. \u201cOkay, Rod is kinda full of himself, but he\u2019s not the worst . Like he could be a lot worse, he\u2019s just got a big head I think, and honestly I think he struggles just feeling like\u2026 normal? I don\u2019t know, Yu has opinions. Thane is probably the most well adjusted of them, just seems quiet. He\u2019s pretty introverted but I think he\u2019s pretty nice overall. Thoughtful.\u201d\n\n\u201cHe seemed nice-ish the few times I talked to him, even if it was a bit stunted. But like, so what if his parents don\u2019t approve?\u201d This is stupid, they should just go for it already.\n\n\u201cYu cares.\u201d Misha says it like that\u2019s all there is that needs to be said.\n\n\u201cYou like him? What about what you want?\u201d\n\nShe sighs again, \u201cI don\u2019t know\u2026 it just feels like it\u2019s getting more and more complicated. I want Yu to be happy but\u2026 I don\u2019t know what that means yet.\u201d She slumps.\n\nI know that feeling. A lot . \u201cMood.\u201d\n\nThere is just a hum from her in return.\n\nFuck\u2026 I was supposed to be distracting myself, great job Rei. Again.\n\n\u201cYah, well at least your girl knows what she wants.\u201d\n\nYeah\u2026\n\nRae. ", "token_count": 547}
{"file_id": "24", "body": "Wow, it\u2019s been a long day, Claire has been pushing her studying a lot since her first test came in. I want to help her as much as I can, but it has been a long day. Fuck\u2026 I am beat.\n\nIf only Claire was the one doing the beating.\n\nOh.\n\nGod.\n\nThe intrusive thoughts are just getting worse. \n\nI guess that\u2019s fine.\n\nI\u2019m probably just tired, the lights are out and I just want to zone out.\n\nBut I feel my phone buzz next to me.\n\nIt buzzes again. Claire doesn\u2019t usually text me quite so late\u2026 but I need to check in case it is her.\n\nHey, where have you been, it\u2019s been a while since I heard anything from you. Did you die?\n\nOh it\u2019s Shiko, now I feel guilty, I wasn\u2019t trying to ignore her but\u2026 like a lot has happened.\n\nI\u2019m alive, sorry uni has been very busy\n\nFair Fair, you still have time to update your fic? You usually have something up by now.\n\nOh jeez, My lady Shouko fic\u2026 wow I haven\u2019t even had time to think about it.\n\nDo\u2026 I\u2026\n\nOh god I think I don\u2019t care?\n\nOkay okay. I don't not care anymore\u2026\n\nI just\u2026 I still want to finish it I think! But I don\u2019t want to cut into my time with Claire, she needs me!\n\nOh, yah I guess\n\n??\n\nIt\u2019s been busy\n\nSure, but even during exams weeks you manage to stick to your schedule, did you finally get tired of PrayLove?\n\nNonono, not really idk its weird stuff just happened\n\nWhat stuff\n\nIdk\n\n\u2026\n\nDont \u2026 me\n\n\u2026\n\nShiko\u2026\n\nDid you\u2026?\n\nDid I what?\n\nYou know ;)\n\n \n\nFuck you did\n\nI dont\u2019 know what you are talking about\n\nHoly fuck\n\nYes you do, don\u2019t lie to me\n\nWho is it?\n\nDont hold out on me oohashi!\n\nIt\u2019s a girl in my class\n\nFuck yes \n\nwho is it?\n\nIt might be the one I was crushing on\n\nAre you fucking serious, didn\u2019t you say she was like a model or something? How the fuck did you manage that?\n\nI dont know\n\nI need picture\n\nFine but you can\u2019t share it\n\nThere is a thumbs up emoji, I take a breath and find one of the photos from our\u2026 date. Oh god I was on a date with Claire\u2026\n\nWhat the fuck\n\nthere is no way\n\nwhere did you find this?\n\nI groan, and send her a second picture, this time with me included, wow I look nervous here, but at least Claire looks happy and gorgeous\u2026\n\nHoly fuck\n\nW\n\nHow?\n\nSrsly how did you do it?\n\nIDK\n\nIt wouldn\u2019t make sense if I told you\n\nW\n\nGetting a girlfriend is a good reason to forgot about a fic\n\nWait? she is right? Your not debasing yourself for a straight girl right?\n\nwe kissed\n\nThere isn\u2019t any immediate reply, is she done? I was honestly expecting her to say- The phone is ringing, shit I hit the button quickly and bury myself under the blankets and pillows. I don\u2019t want Misha to shout at me.\n\n\u201cShiko! I have a roommate!\u201d\n\n\u201cThen why didn\u2019t you just hang up?\u201d God she is smirking, I can hear it.\n\n\u201c...What do you want?\u201d God she can be an ass.\n\n\u201cYou have to tell me if you are fucking with me.\u201d\n\nI groan, \u201cI\u2026 I\u2019m not, we really\u2026\u201d Oh god, burying myself under everything is not helping with the heat I feel rising throughout.\n\n\u201cAnd you didn\u2019t think to tell me?\u201d\n\n\u201cIt just happened, we had a date on Sunday.\u201d\n\n\u201cWow, where were you two?\u201d\n\n\u201cThe zoo by the university.\u201d\n\n\u201cHmmm, couldn\u2019t find an aquarium?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh fuck off.\u201d\n\nShe laughs on the other end, \u201cSo\u2026? How is it?\u201d\n\n\u201cUghhh, wow, real good. I\u2026 kissing good. She is so pretty, and so nice, and I can\u2019t believe it\u2019s happening.\u201d\n\n\u201cHey you deserve it.\u201d\n\n\u201cUgh, Thanks, god it doesn\u2019t feel real sometimes, she is really into me for some reason.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou are cute.\u201d\n\n\u201cShiko\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cHey you can\u2019t fault me for having good taste. So is this finally the end of Lady Shouko?\u201d\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t know, I want to finish it, I have been doing it for what? At least three years? But it\u2019s different now\u2026 I\u2026 fuck I have never felt like this before, I almost feel like a gremlin when I think about her, and I was always obsessed with PrayLove before but this\u2026 this on a completely different level.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s fair\u2026 the real stuff kinda trumps the fictional.\u201d\n\n\u201cYeaaah.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe should hang out, I can rope in Kosaki too, I bet she would want to meet your new girlfriend too.\u201d\n\n\u201cOhh, ohh really? Umm, I-\u201d\n\n\u201cHey, Chill Rei.\u201d\n\n\u201cRight, umm maybe, yah sure, I think? Maybe in a few weeks, god I have been so busy and we have plans already for this weekend.\u201d\n\n\u201cSure, sure, lucky you. Just talk to her and see if there is a good time, it\u2019s easy enough to get on the train and meet you there.\u201d\n\n\u201cYeah, I\u2019ll see. I think she would like to meet you.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, did you tell her about us?\u201d\n\nWell technically yes? \u201cUh sorta, she knows about the\u2026 y\u2019know, and also about Misaki.\u201d\n\nI can hear her hum, \u201c... yah, his Day is coming up\u2026 you going to come out for it?\u201d\n\n\u2026\u201cYes.\u201d Wow, that\u2019s already next month isn\u2019t it?\n\n\u201cGood, he would like that.\u201d\n\n\u201cYeah.\u201d\n\n\u201cYah... well you sound tired, and I\u2019m probably not going to sleep for several hours still but I\u2019m not going to keep you up because I am a degen. Don\u2019t forget about me again, and keep me posted, m\u2019kay?\n\n\u201cSure thing Shiko, thanks.\u201d\n\n\u201cNight.\u201d\n\n\u201cGood night.\u201d\n\nThe line goes dead and I click the screen off. I pull myself out of the cover I made; the air was getting really stuffy, and it doesn't look like Misha has stirred. Good. Claire meeting Shiko and Kosaki huh? Should I also invite Claire to see Misaki when we go? She knows, it\u2019s not like I would be explaining anything right? I think she would want to come\u2026 I\u2019ll ask her later.\n\nI should have told Shiko, shouldn't I? Not the whole isekai and memory stuff; that would just sound insane, but I should have mentioned sooner that I have a\u2026\n\nGirlfriend .\n\nWow, oh wow.\n\nI\u2019m Claire's girlfriend.\n\naaaAAAaaaAAAAaaaAAAAaaaAAAaaaAAaaAAaaAaAaAaAaaaaaa\u2026\n\n \n\nFuck I need to sleep.", "token_count": 1463}
{"file_id": "4_1", "body": "I thought the walk back to my dorm would clear my mind a bit but\u2026 fdjaslk;fjads;ldlfldajfldaldlkvnloi.\n\nWhat?\n\nShe called me her wife . She said that we are\u2014 were wives. Francois-san was my wife in a past life! She kept calling me Rei\u2026.\n\nRei\u2026\n\nOh God, even just recalling it makes me blush. I need to get this under control before I see Misha. Am I going to tell her? Francois-san said it\u2019s fine\u2026\n\nHow do I even explain it without sounding crazy? I\u2019m not an idiot for believing her, right? There\u2019s no way she could have known all of that stuff about me, and she does seem like she is genuine. Right? I\u2019m not just rationalizing it \u2018cause I want it to be true\u2026\n\nGod, how did my one college crush turn out like this? This is actually insane. Like, what are we? Actual soulmates? Just being reborn over and over? Together forever\u2026.\n\nOh God, why am I doing this to myself? It\u2019s way too warm and Misha is going to take one look at my face and know something\u2019s up. And then she is going to grill me and I need to not let that happen!. Cool it, Rei!\n\nLast week Francois-san didn\u2019t even look my way. She was so haughty and cool, and now she\u2019s so kind. It feels like my emotions have been thrown into a jet engine. And I think she was even teasing me a bit too?! I want her to tease me more \u2014 \n\nREI!\n\nI slap my face, both cheeks. I need to focus. First things first. Either tell Misha everything, or tell her something\u2026 or nothing. Nothing is easier, right? She doesn\u2019t need to know right now, after all. Right? Like, maybe I can tell her later when I get myself more under control. Right now I feel like a mess because of Francois-san.\n\nFrancois-san made a mess of me \u2014\n\nSTOP!\n\nOkay, let's get home first.\n\nThe room I share with Misha is small, just two beds and a shared desk, cramped but doable. Especially on our budget. Not like Francois-san\u2019s luxurious grand room that would put some entire apartments to shame.\n\nMisha is on her bed, busy working away at something on her laptop. She has earbuds in, but pops them out when she notices me.\n\n\u201cYou\u2019re a bit late.\u201d She states. Something about the way she looks at me makes me feel like I\u2019m being analyzed.\n\nI give a laugh, hoping to throw her off and not sound nervous. Not at all. \u201cYeah, just got caught up in something with a new friend.\u201d Okay, good cover. Not really lying, good start.\n\nMisha narrows her gaze. Fuck . \u201cWhat did you do?\u201d Seriously?\n\n\u201cI didn\u2019t do anything! Why are you looking at me like I did something?\u201d\n\n\u201cReeeeeiiii\u2026\u201d Misha just draws out the vowel and doesn\u2019t let up with her withering gaze. Dammit. .\n\n\u201cOkay, fine, I was with Francois-san.\u201d God, I can\u2019t believe I caved in already . \n\n\u201cRei\u2026\u201d Misha takes a breath and pinches the top of her nose. \u201cThat bitch? Seriously? Rei, you should stay away from her. I don\u2019t care if she\u2019s your silly crush. She\u2019s bad news.\u201d\n\n\u201cHey, that\u2019s not true!\u201d I can\u2019t help but blurt out.\n\n\u201cReally? You're just going to hurt yourself, and anyone who's paying attention knows you have no shot. She hasn\u2019t been exactly keeping it a secret that she\u2019s gunning for Thane-san, you know.\u201d I know Misha is just looking out for me, but that doesn\u2019t make this feel any less patronizing.\n\n\u201cWell, she thinks I\u2019m her wife .\u201d Which is probably why I just said that. God, this is why I didn\u2019t want to bring this up now.\n\nMisha\u2019s jaw drops. Okay, this really wasn\u2019t how this was supposed to go. \u201c What ?\u201d God, I wish we had AC in this room.\n\n\u201cOkay, this is going to sound insane, but she has memories of a past life where we were married and she sorta said that the version of me in that life had memories of my previous life and it sounds like some sorta loop\u2026.\u201d God, I\u2019m rambling.\n\nMisha\u2019s eyes glaze over pretty quickly, and then she just shakes her head, pops her earbuds back in and turns back to her laptop.\n\n\u201cMiiiiishaaaaaa, don\u2019t abandon me!\u201d I dash over to her bed and kneel beside it, shaking her leg.\n\n\u201cChrist, Rei, do you even hear yourself? You\u2019re a lost cause.\u201d She tries to pull her leg away.\n\n\u201cMisha, it\u2019s true.\u201d\n\n\u201cBullshit.\u201d\n\n\u201cShe knew things, Misha.\u201d\n\nMisha\u2019s eyes narrow again. \u201cSo she\u2019s stalking you too? Rei, she\u2019s playing you. Get away from her\u2014she\u2019s just setting you up for some sort of cruel joke. Or worse.\u201d\n\n\u201cShe couldn\u2019t have known about this stuff. You weren't there.\u201d\n\nMisha just stares, waiting for an answer. God, if I had just held it together and kept this all to myself for at least one night.\n\nONE NIGHT.\n\nI take a deep breath. \u201cShe knew about Misaki.\u201d\n\n\u201cSo? She probably just found some articles. Suicides make the news.\u201d Misha tries to sound nonchalant but I can see she doesn't like the direction this conversation is going.\n\n\u201cShe didn\u2019t just know about the suicide. She knew why he did it.\u201d I have to take a hard swallow. \n\nGod, today has made a mess of my feelings.\n\nMisha stares at the wall for a moment. Then she sighs and closes her laptop, pushing it to the side and storing her earbuds. \u201cExplain.\u201d\n\n\u201cShe said our past life took place in, like, a different world, and I found her there and we got married. In that life I think I had memories from this life, or some version of this life? She told me I told her about my previous life, and that's how she knew all these things about me. She knew about that awkward love square from middle school and she knew that Misaki was trans and that's why he\u2026 she even called him him . Only a few of us knew about that, and you're the only person I talked to about this. She just knew , it was like we had talked about it so many times already\u2026I\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cYou\u2019re being serious.\u201d It\u2019s not a question so much as reluctant acceptance.\n\n\u201cYes, trust me, I know it sounds insane but I don\u2019t have any other way to explain it. She doesn\u2019t remember anything from this life. She didn\u2019t even know what a phone was.\u201d \n\n\u201cOh Christ, Rei, are you sure? Are you sure you aren\u2019t both just\u2026 I don\u2019t know, is it amnesia or something?\u201d Misha sounds like she is trying to come up with some rational explanation, but I can see she\u2019s just grasping at straws. \u201cShe didn\u2019t know about phones?\u201d\n\n\u201cYeah, I\u2019m telling you, she has no idea about technology. I had to get directions from her roommate to get her home, and even her roommate seemed to believe her explanation after she talked to her. And they know each other well. Francois-san is like a completely different person. We were working on a plan to get her up to speed.\u201d\n\n\u201cWait, we ?\u201d\n\n\u201c...yeah?\u201d Wait, why does Misha look disappointed in me? \n\n\u201cRei\u2026.\u201d\n\n\u2026\n\n\u201cRei!\u201d\n\n\u201c What ?\u201d I huff.\n\n\u201cShe isn\u2019t your responsibility! This is insane\u2014you can\u2019t be the one to fix this, it\u2019s way too big. She needs to go home and get tutoring or something.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd what, completely derail her life?\u201d And worse, leave me behind right when I finally have a chance? I can make this work.\n\n\u201cRei, her life is already derailed. How is she supposed to get anything done? Classes? Homework? Hell, how is she even going to act normal around people? Her social life is going to be thrown out the window, and she was quite the little socialite despite being such a bitch.\u201d\n\n\u201cHey! She remembers some people from her past life! She still knew her roommate. She remembers you, too.\u201d\n\nMisha pinches her nose again, \u201cAre you telling me we all knew each other in our past lives?\u201d\n\n\u201cI think so? I don\u2019t know who else she knows from back then. It seemed like some stuff sorta lined up for her. She mentioned an accident\u2026 and okay, I don\u2019t think I should mention too much, but she asked if you were my roommate, by name, and she was relieved when I said you were. She even said I could tell you about this if I thought it was a good idea. She trusts you.\u201d\n\n\u201cRei, you know how insane this sounds, right? Even if what she\u2019s saying is all true, you can\u2019t do this by yourself. This is way too much for you to take on.\u201d Misha sounds concerned, but it\u2019s not like I don't understand how big this is. It\u2019s just, who else is going to help Francois-san and not just lock her up until they \u2018fix\u2019 her?\n\n\u201cMisha, she needs help from someone who won't think she\u2019s crazy. Her roommate is going to help, too. I\u2019m going to go pick her up tomorrow and take her to class. We share quite a few of the same classes. I think we\u2019re both in the business track so there\u2019s a lot of overlap.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis doesn\u2019t feel like it can work, Rei.\u201d Misha tries one more time.\n\n", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "4_2", "body": "\u201cI\u2019m not going to give up on her,\u201d I respond. I\u2019m not sure where the stubbornness comes from, and it seems to surprise Misha as well. Maybe that\u2019s why she just sighs in resignation.\n\n\u201cOk, fine. Save your crush, or wife, or whatev\u2014\u201d Misha pauses as she says that part out loud. \u201cWait, God, we just skimmed over that and how crazy it sounds. This is worse than those manga you read. She was your wife ?\u201d Does Misha really have to act like that\u2019s the most egregious thing about all of this?\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s what she said.\u201d Why is it so warm in here?\n\nMisha snickers. \u201cOh wow, and let me guess. She still loves you?\u201d\n\nI try to glare at Misha but she just stops holding back and lets herself laugh until she\u2019s doubled over. This is violence, Misha. How are you my best friend? \u201cMiiishaaa, pleeeease.\u201d\n\nShe eventually settles down and wipes her eyes, a smirk still on her face. \u201cSo you finally got yourself a girlfriend?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, laugh it up. I see how you get around Yu-san.\u201d She has no business making fun of me when she\u2019s just as bad.\n\n\u201cAnswer the question, otaku.\u201d\n\n\u201cFine! She said she\u2019ill wait \u2018till I\u2019m ready.\u201d\n\nMisha snickers viciously again. \u201cHow much more ready do you need to be? You literally haven\u2019t been able to shut up about her.\u201d Misha sits up and puts her hands together like she\u2019s praying. \u201cOh Misha, how can Francois-san look so perfect and pristine? It\u2019s like she\u2019s a princess from a fairy tale, or even better, the evil queen. Sure she can be so cool, proper and detached, but that glare of hers says that she wants to step on her unworthy minions, I just know it I\u2019ll bet she has a hidden fiery side if only\u2014\u201d\n\nThwak!\n\nI hit her square in the face with one of the pillows from her bed, knocking her down. I ready the pillow for another strike if needed, but Misha just smirks and doesn\u2019t say anything, as though she\u2019s already won. Damn her. I let out a huffy sigh and get up from her bed to sit down on my own.\n\n\u201cLet me know if any other crazy things start happening. Otherwise I have a paper to finish.\u201d Misha disappears back into her laptop and earbuds, though she does give the occasional glance my way.\n\nI fall back into my bed and let my bag fall on the floor. Before real thoughts can percolate into my consciousness I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket.\n\nOh, Francois-san sent me a text.\n\nNever mind, she sent a letter.\n\nHello Rei, I hope this finds you well and you made it to your abode safely. I must thank you again for taking the time to help me as you have. I\u2019m very grateful that you listened to me and took me at my word. I would have been lost without the help you have given me thus far, and for the further help you have offered in the coming days. I hope one day I can make this all up to you tenfold and I am sorry if I may have made you uncomfortable with the implication I made about our previous lives together. I understand and will respect your wishes if you do not want to pursue such a relationship, but I will not lie either. I do hope I can share this love with you once again, and you will always hold a place in my heart regardless. Sincerely yours, Claire Francois.\n\nI need to crack open a window. I can hear Misha snicker at me, again. Dammit, I\u2019m blushing. Great. Laugh it up Misha, I\u2019ll remember this.\n\nHi Francois-san, Thks np\n\nSorry, I mean thanks, no problem. texting is pretty informal and we tend to shorten words a lot\n\nThks is thanks. I will try to avoid using abbreviations too much, but just ask if something comes up that you don\u2019t understand\n\nWe use acronyms a lot too, like imo is in my opinion, but just text however works for you. oh but maybe avoid sounding too formal with people who don\u2019t know. You can probably even see some of your old texts to get an idea about how you used to text.\n\nAnd I\u2019m not uncomfortable\n\nAbout a relationship\n\nWith you\n\nI mean\n\nIt's just that a lot happened in the last 8 hours and I don't want to move too fast. And I\u2019m not out. I don\u2019t think you were either. \n\n(being out means being open about being queer)\n\nsorry, I\u2019m rambling, and I can see you are trying to type something back. I\u2019ll pause\n\nNow\n\nSorry, I am quite slow at this and you are very fast.\n\nIt's a thing you get better at over time\n\nThank you for your patience, Rei. I might have had to stop and rewrite my sentences several times.\n\nLol\n\nLol = laugh out loud\n\nI see. This feels more like a conversation than I thought it would be. It\u2019s a pleasant ability to have.\n\nThat said, I would like to try to call you if that is all right with you .\n\nOf course\n\nIt doesn\u2019t take too long for my phone to ring. I quickly hit accept. \u201cHello?\u201d I try to say it clearly for her.\n\n\u201cHello!\u201d Francois-san sounds very proud of herself. Oh God, it\u2019s adorable . She must be beaming on the other end. \u201cThank you again, Rei. Phones are incredible. Are you sure this isn\u2019t magic?\u201d\n\nI laugh. \u201cYes, it\u2019s not magic. I don\u2019t think I could explain it very well right now. It\u2019s very complicated how they work, but it\u2019s just a machine. How are you settling in?\u201d\n\n\u201cExcited, also a bit nervous, but otherwise well, I think. Catherine was showing me a few other things before I wrote to you. Did you know about TVs? She also showed me her computer laptop. Apparently I have one as well.\u201d\n\nI curl up in bed while listening to her voice. Something about this feels right. Just a day ago it was wishful thinking to imagine I could ever even talk to her. While this is pretty different from what I imagined, in many ways this side of her feels right. Like I was right about her all along. \u201cYes, TV\u2019s are everywhere, and most students have a laptop. They\u2019re very useful. We can get into it tomorrow after classes.\u201d\n\nFrancois-san hums in agreement on the other end, \u201cRei, I have a question.\u201d Her voice drops to a whisper. \u201cAre you still able to hear me?\u201d\n\n\u201cAh, yeah. Though if you\u2019re trying to not be heard you could try pocketing your hand over your mouth and phone. Or just leave the room. What\u2019s up, are you okay?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, yes.\u201d It still sounds like she\u2019s trying to whisper but her voice is coming through a little bit clearer now. \u201cI just would like it if Catherine didn\u2019t overhear this. You may have heard  when she talked about how I am to blame for the state of her prosthetic leg. It got damaged a bit at some point and it seems to be a pain to use but I don\u2019t know how to go about replacing it. I would suggest repairing it, but she said it\u2019s cheap and was poor quality to begin with. I think I have the monetary means to get her a better one but well, as you have seen, I am quite ignorant about how anything works here.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh yeah, we can look into that. I think at some point you\u2019ll need to let her know though, so she can get it fitted properly. But that sounds like something we should look into soon. I\u2019m sure she would appreciate it.\u201d\n\n\u201cThanks, Rei. I\u2019m getting the sense the other me was\u2026 well, probably insecure and immature in the ways I was before I met you. And she probably made some poor choices. I would like to remedy those if I can.\u201d Francois-san doesn\u2019t sound ashamed, but there\u2019s a sympathetic sort of  softness to her voice. A sense of responsibility, even if she herself isn\u2019t to blame. \u201cI did steal her life, in a way.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s quite a big assumption,\u201d I can\u2019t help but retort. \u201cWe don\u2019t know exactly what\u2019s happening, but from what you said it sounds like we might be reliving our lives over and over again? Maybe something just slid in a little wrong when you got here, and your other memories will come back in time. Maybe this version of you was just dormant this whole time.\u201d I\u2019m rambling again.\n\nFrancois-san just chuckles, and wow, it makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. \u201cThank you, Rei. You're right, as usual. It does no good to ruminate on conjectures with no information. Still, I will honor my responsibilities.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat was it like? Your\u2026 our old life?\u201d I ask her.\n\n\u201cUs? Early on, very chaotic and turbulent.\u201d She laughs pleasantly. \u201cWe met at the Bauer Academy, a school for raising the brightest and most talented. I was a high-ranking, noble-born daughter of the house Francois and you were a very cheeky commoner.\u201d The emphasis she puts on that last part causes a pleasant shiver to run down my body. \u201cThe first thing you said to me was that you loved me, and that I should bully you.\u201d She laughs again and the room suddenly feels several degrees warmer. I said that? Oh God, what was wrong with me? It\u2019s not like I didn\u2019t imagine- \u201cRei, are you still there? Hello?\u201d\n\n\u201cyES.\u201d Oh, that was too squeaky. I cough. \u201c", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "4_3", "body": "I\u2019m still here. Sorry.\u201d\n\n\u201cRei\u2026\u201d She slowly draws out my name in a husky voice.\n\nI shiver again. \u201cYes\u2026?\u201d\n\nI hold the phone close to my ear. \u201cWould you like it if I teased you?\u201d Her voice is so low and smooth. I huddle up into a ball and press my face into my pillow. I feel like I am about to explode.\n\n\u201cYes.\u201d The sound that comes out of my mouth is a whimper. Oh God, what am I saying?\n\n\u201c Good girl. \u201d I can hear her smile as she says it.\n\nI let out a groan and Francois-san just laughs. I might have heard Misha telling me to shut up, too. \n\n\u201cRei? Sorry, was that a bit much?\u201d\n\nYes. \u201cNo.\u201d\n\nFrancois-san hums contentedly. I love the way it sounds. God, I\u2019m so fucked. Who am I kidding? I\u2019ve already got it so bad for her. \u201cWell, back to your question\u2026.\u201d Oh, that is so unfair. \u201cWe went through a lot together, you and I. You taught me so much and saved my life when the revolution came. We became teachers at the Academy, raised two daughters and lived a good life, I would say.\u201d\n\n\u201cDaughters?\u201d Oh right, she did say something about that before. Wait, how did we-\n\n\u201cAdopted twins. May and Aleah.\u201d The way she says their names, so softly, I can almost imagine her with them.\n\nIt\u2019s a lot harder to imagine myself, though. \u201cI can\u2019t see myself as a mother.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou were wonderful, Rei. I couldn't have done it without you.\u201d I wish I could share in her confidence.\n\nShe yawns. I guess it\u2019s been a long day hasn\u2019t it? \u201cIt\u2019s getting late, Francois-san. We should probably get to sleep.\u201d\n\n\u201cAww,\u201d Francois-san pouts. \u201cI\u2019m enjoying this so much, but you are probably right.\u201d She yawns again. \u201cGoodness, fine, you are right, as usual. \u201d\n\n\u201cI liked this too, Francois-san. We\u2019ll do it again soon.  Oh, before we go, I wanted to tell you to make sure Achard-san shows you how the alarm on your phone works. You probably have one that will wake you up for classes.. She would know if anyone would.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019ll ask her. Thank you, Rei. Good night\u2014I will see you in the morning.\u201d\n\n\u201cGood night,\u201d I softly say back to her. I wait on the line until the call ends.\n\nGod, I feel so restless now. I can\u2019t help but fidget in place, rolling back and forth in my bed\u2014\n\n\u201cWow, you are such a simp,\u201d Misha\u2019s voice comes from across the room. I freeze in place and hazard a glance in her direction. Misha is still working on her paper, eyes only occasionally glance my way. \u201cEnjoy your call, much?\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s rude to eavesdrop.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s hard to not hear you when you sqwee so much.\u201d Misha states, deadpan.\n\nWow, rude. Fine. I\u2019ll remember this next time Yu-san is around and you get all sappy and starstruck.\n\nIt\u2019s late and I will probably have to leave quite a bit earlier to rendezvous with Francois-san tomorrow. I could go to sleep, but maybe I\u2019ll look up prosthetic legs for a bit before I pack it in.", "token_count": 719}
{"file_id": "51_1", "body": "\u201cI think that\u2019s going to have to be it for tonight Claire.\u201d Rae stretches out beside me, we have been sitting on my bed watching another video about history. That was a lot. \u201cI should probably be getting out soon.\u201d\n\nI think I can catch just a glimpse of a chain on her neck as she cranes her neck and reaches her arm high and tight. Please be wearing it.\n\n\u201cI suppose.\u201d That must sound like pouting, but I hardly want her to leave.\n\nRae\u2019s face scrunches, \u201cI'll be back tomorrow.\u201d She offers. It did sound like pouting.\n\n\u201cI\u2019ll be fine.\u201d \n\n\u201cYou need anything else?\u201d\n\n\u201cI can think of one thing.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes.\u201d I grab her by her collar and pull her close, she is surprised initially but grins as I pull our faces close. Not even an inch apart I say, \u201cI want a goodnight kiss.\u201d\n\nHer eyes twinkle, and her grin grows, \u201cI might be able to help with that. Maybe .\u201d\n\n\u201cShut up and kiss me you rube.\u201d I push forward and close my lips on hers before she can say anything else silly. Not that I don\u2019t appreciate her wit, but those lips should be kissing me.\n\nShe quickly falls in step and we move in tandem. I start to pull myself on top of her, resting on her lap and I deepen the kiss more. My tongue seeks out hers and we moan. My hands aren\u2019t idle, and I run them up her body causing her to shiver. With a bit of clarity I run a hand over the back of her nape, searching\u2026 yes the chain. She\u2019s wearing it.\n\nPerfect.\n\nGoodness, that makes me feel giddy.\n\n\u201cTen seconds is the limit while I\u2019m in the room you horn dogs.\u201d Catherine\u2019s voice calls out from across the room. I can't see her, she must be laying on the sofa.\n\nRight .\n\nRae breaks away, and looks embarrassed. It was getting good too . \u201cCould you stay the night?\u201d\n\nClaire!\n\nRae looks extremely sheepish. \u201cSorry.\u201d She squeaks out.\n\n\u201cNo. No I\u2019m sorry, I shouldn\u2019t be asking that sort of thing of you.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, but\u2026 it\u2019s fine. I need to get going for real though.\u201d She\u2019s deflecting but I\u2019m not going to pressure her either. And she does need to get back and attend to her own matters.\n\nWhy do you keep doing this to her, Claire?\n\n\u201cYes, of course. Let me know when you make it back safely.\u201d\n\nShe chuckles, \u201cOf course. I always do.\u201d\n\n\u201cThank you.\u201d\n\nWe share a smile, there is a part of me that is always greedy for more. More time with her, more contact with her, more of everything. But I cherish every moment we have, without her this would be dreadful. But with her, it\u2019s bliss. I just want to make her happy.\n\nWe rise and Rae gathers her things and I help her to the door. \u201cOkay, so I think we have one more video to get through and maybe we can like, review after that. Sounds good?\u201d\n\n\u201cThat sounds perfect. Thank you again.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, well no problem.\u201d She smiles like a fool. My fool.\n\n\u201cGood night Rae.\u201d\n\n\u201cGood night Claire.\u201d She stands there awkwardly before the door, and her face scrunches as she contemplates her next action. Without much warning, she darts in and gives me a kiss on the lips. It\u2019s quick and she retreats back, her face is equal parts surprised and pleased. \n\n\u201cGOODNIGHTCLAIRE.\u201d She forces out through a cracking voice, and then practically throws herself out the door. I barely have time to register the action and the door falls back shut.\n\n\u201cYour wife is a Dork .\u201d Catherine comments from the sofa, still hidden from sight, as usual. \n\n\u201cYes, she is lovely.\u201d\n\n\u201cSo how\u2019s eastern history treating you?\u201d\n\n\u201cFascinating, complicated. A lot.\u201d\n\n\u201cI bet, I\u2019m glad Rae is doing it cause I could not.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou have done a good job with western history so far I believe.\u201d\n\n\u201cAh, credit to videos more than me, I\u2019d be lost without those honestly. Anyways, fun stuff, we get to do the french revolution next week.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cYah, it\u2019s much bloodier than yours was. I\u2026 guess good job on that?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, well Rae set so much in motion. Without her, I would probably be dead.\u201d\n\n\u201cYeah\u2026 anyways, it\u2019s been what? Like almost two months now?\u201d She asks, it sounds as if she is focusing more on the conversation now.\n\n\u201cI believe so, it\u2019s odd how much has become routine now. I wasn\u2019t expecting to\u2026 well acclimate so quickly?\u201d\n\n\u201cYou\u2019ve done a pretty good job I\u2019d say.\u201d\n\n\u201cThere's still a lot to go over.\u201d\n\n\u201cYeah, but we have time, and the important thing for now is to make sure you don\u2019t flunk your course.\u201d\n\n\u201cI did get an A minus on the last test we had.\u201d Almost perfect .\n\nCatherine gives me a thumbs up and sits up. \u201cGreat, smooth sailing so far. Man I thought more things would go wrong after Melia found out but so far no one else has clued in on it and you are learning everything you need.\u201d\n\nExcept for Pepi.\n\n\u201cWhy are you making that face?\u201d Her eyes narrow. \n\n\u201cWhat face?\u201d\n\n\u201cCome on Claire, what did you do?\u201d She's not let this go.\n\n\u201cNothiNG\u201d\n\nShe does not look pleased.\n\nFine.\n\n\u201cI told Pepi.\u201d\n\nHer face scrunches. \u201cWhy?\u201d\n\n\u201cShe figured out that I didn\u2019t remember things. I had to tell her something.\u201d\n\nCatherine sighs. \u201cWhen did you tell her?\u201d\n\n\u201cA few days ago.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd the fact that I haven\u2019t heard about it till now\u2026 is good?\u201d\n\n\u201cI think so, like I said, she had divined I didn\u2019t remember our shared past. The question of how we met came up and Loretta really didn\u2019t think too hard of it, but Pepi knew in the moment that something was wrong. And I had to explain, she\u2019s still internalizing everything it means, but I think she took it well. I\u2019m not too worried about it. We talked more since then, I think it\u2019s made the fact I changed so much more palatable.\u201d\n\nCatherine starts to relax. \u201cSo\u2026 you\u2019re not worried.\u201d\n\n\u201cI wouldn't have told her if I didn\u2019t trust her.\u201d\n\n\u201cOkay\u2026 well, she is your friend.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd I knew her nearly our whole life.\u201d\n\nCatherine nods, \u201cThat\u2019s still a really weird thing to think about. Have you heard anything from Melia yet about\u2026 y\u2019know, anything?\u201d\n\n\u201cNot much, we have had a few messages and we are planning to get together but\u2026 Mother is really busy. Sometimes it takes her a while to respond.\u201d\n\nCatherine nods her head, \u201cYeah, Melia deals with a lot, honestly I can\u2019t even imagine what she has to deal with. Francois is a lot to deal with.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe business?\u201d\n\n\u201cYah.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat\u2026 is it exactly?\u201d\n\nCatherine makes a face, her brow goes high and eyes wide, \u201cGod, like I don\u2019t really know how to condense that. It\u2019s a luxury brand, I think way back it was stuff like clothes and fashion but in modern age it branched out more. It\u2019s been your family's for a long time with your dad, but now your mom runs it cause\u2026 well you know . Anyways your mom\u2019s been trying to reform it\u2026 like it\u2019s got roots\u2026 god this is complicated, a lot of colonization stuff. She could explain it better than me, I\u2019m sure she would like to tell you.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe have much to catch up on. So it grew on exploitation?\u201d It hasn't been surprising to learn of all the unsavory bits of history. Nor our part in it.\n\n\u201cYeah, I think your mom\u2019s done a lot to be accountable, it\u2019s been a long project that she started with your dad.\u201d\n\n\u201cI think she always brought out the best in him, even when she was gone.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat\u2026 what was he like?\u201d It's a delicate question.\n\n\u201cVery principled, he said Mother revealed the faults of nobility, and he couldn\u2019t abide by it any longer. He worked for a long time to reform our country too. He did a lot to stoke rebellion from behind the scenes, and after our revolution he helped reform the country so all people were equal under the law. He had a soft side too, he was always quick to spoil me, and then our girls.\u201d I can\u2019t help but smile, \u201cHe was very good at picking out the right person. He trusted Rae, and I will always be thankful we were all a family together.\u201d\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t get too sappy on me, kay?\u201d Catherine smirks and leans over the back of the sofa.\n\n\u201cFine. How have you been? I hope we haven\u2019t been too much to deal with.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s fine, as long as I don\u2019t have to watch you to make out. Seriously, I mean it, please don\u2019t do it with me in the room.\u201d I know, she's always been averse to those sorts of\u2026 tendencies. It's hard to stop myself though.\n\n\u201cI have self control\u2026 it's just sometimes it's easy to get caught up in the moment.\u201d\n\n\u201c Sure .\u201d\n\n\u201cYou can\u2019t be upset that I want to kiss my own wife?\u201d\n\n\u201cYou can kiss, it\u2019s when you start trading saliva and are trying to eat her that I draw the line. Seriously, you're so thirsty.\u201d Her brow arches.\n\n\u201cI can control myself.\u201d\n\n\u201c Sure. \u201d\n\nI don\u2019t need this.\n\nA little laugh escapes me. \u201cFine. I\u2019m going to do some more reading for fun.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh\u2026 didn\u2019t", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "51_2", "body": " you finish that manga\u2026 dungeon something?\u201d\n\n\u201cDungeon Meshi. And Yes. You should read my copy.\u201d\n\nHer face goes flat. \u201c...No\u201d\n\n\u201cYour loss.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat are you reading now?\u201d\n\nI find the book and pluck the first entry. \u201cPray Love, or more accurately, \u2018Between Prayer and Love\u2019, Rae just always called it Pray Love.\u201d\n\n \u201cOkay\u2026?\u201d She raises her brow again, \u201cWhy are you reading that?\u201d\n\n\u201cRae likes it, and if I read it I can read the stories she wrote herself based on it\u2026 her fan fiction.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou\u2019re going to read your girlfriend's fics?\u201d She's barely holding a smirk back.\n\n\u201cOf course.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m surprised she shared those with you.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201c Claire \u2026\u201d She extends her hand, palm face up and open. \n\n\u201cShe told me all about them in our other life. I already know a lot about them.\u201d\n\n\u201cHow did you even find them?\u201d\n\n\u201cHer friend Shiko sent me the address to the internet pages she published them on. And her Tumblr .\u201d\n\nCatherine snorts through her nose, \u201cOh god did you go through her tumblr?\u201d\n\n\u201cI tried\u2026 it\u2019s confusing. Even by Rae\u2019s standards. I don\u2019t understand so much of what I\u2019m reading. There is so much slang and abbreviations, and it has a lot of her chaotic energy. I do adore it.\u201d\n\n\u201cDid you make a tumblr account?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh\u2026 I could do that couldn\u2019t I? I was just looking at hers.  I think she has been using it less as of late. If I\u2019m understanding the dates correctly.  I think I found an entry about me before we talked.\u201d This feels like such a delightful secret to share.\n\nCatherine does not share in my enthusiasm. \u201cDo I even want to know?\u201d\n\n\u201cGive me a moment, I can find it.\u201d I grab my phone and quickly trace me back through the page. Thankfully it\u2019s not far in. I clear my throat.\n\n\u201c Have you ever seen a girl, and just been like wow. She could kill me and that would be fu-... hot. Like she could hit me and I would say please, you missed a spot. God she\u2019s so unreal when she walks around and radiates such a\u2026 sorry that is another curse, around energy and find out, but like I bet, no I know that she needs someone to love her. I could make her happy if I wasn\u2019t chicken sh- ugh, but chances are she would make me worse. I would die happy either way . And then there are a few addition notes below, each with a pound sign-\n\n\u201cHashtag.\u201d\n\n\u201cRight, well I\u2019m still learning. Anyways, Hashtag , It\u2019s never going to happen. it could happen though. I would die if she talked to me honestly. She was too pretty. I have no chance. I would be happy to just be her footstool. God I wish I could actually talk to her though. I\u2019m just going to simp in the shadows. My tsundere queen. \u201d\n\n\u201cHuh\u2026 wow. That\u2019s\u2026 embarrassing .\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s cute .\u201d\n\n\u201cLook I know you\u2019re real down for whatever it is that Rae is\u2026 but\u2026 I think you should ask her before you really go looking through that sort of stuff. Like she doesn't know right?\u201d She almost sounds disappointed. \n\n\u201c...No.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s like you are reading through her diary.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2026 but isn\u2019t this available for anyone to see?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, but it\u2019s not like someone could figure out who she is right? It\u2019s anonymous. She doesn't want people to know it\u2019s her right?\u201d\n\n\u201cHer tumblr name is \u2018bad woman make brain go brr\u2019.\u201d\n\n\u201c Wow .\u201d Catherine!\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s adorable .\u201d\n\n\u201cGod you are just as stupid as her, Whatever. I\u2019m not trying to judge her, really. But I really don\u2019t think she would be happy about you reading all this.\u201d\n\nShe\u2019s not wrong. That does sit uneasy in my stomach. It has felt like a diary in some parts, and I would have dreaded it if Rae read mine before I was ready to share.\n\n\u201cNo\u2026 you\u2019re right. I got caught up in the idea. And when Shiko shared it before\u2026 I didn\u2019t think.\u201d\n\n\u201cI mean you don\u2019t know how a lot of things are right? Like just ask her, and don\u2019t look more till then?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes you're right about that, I\u2019ll hold off. It\u2019s not like I lack for other things to do either. And I do want to read Pray Love, it was the impetus for all this in the first place. And maybe Rae will be more willing after that. I really do want to read her writing. But she seems scared to share it.\u201d\n\n\u201cYah\u2026 well I don\u2019t know what to tell you.\u201d\n\n\u201cI just\u2026 it would be too much. It\u2019s hard to\u2026 pace myself with her.\u201d\n\n\u201cI noticed\u2026 you really do like her.\u201d\n\n\u201cOf course.\u201d\n\n\u201cYah, I just\u2026 I\u2019ve never seen you like this.\u201d\n\n\u201cI wish I could have\u2026 well whatever it was, sooner.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s not your fault\u2026 and it\u2019s fine, honestly. Maybe all it took was you seeing her again. This is good, I like how things are now. You\u2019re happy and it\u2019s not tense anymore. I don\u2019t feel like I\u2019m on edge anymore around you.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m sorry that it was like that.\u201d\n\nCatherine waves a hand to dismiss the need for my apology. \u201cPlease, it\u2019s not really your fault. Anyways I just want whatever this freaky little romance you are wrapped in is, I want it to work out for both of you. And Rae\u2019s not always on the same page as you.\u201d\n\n\u201cI wish she would talk to me more.\u201d\n\n\u201cSure, but you've known her for years, right? Decades. She\u2019s known you for just two months now.\u201d She\u2019s right.\n\n\u201cYou\u2019re right. I can\u2019t believe you are still giving me advice on how to deal with Rae.\u201d\n\n\u201cStill?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes.\u201d A little chuckle escapes, \u201cGoodness, when our positions were switched, she was so much to deal with. She had no qualms yelling how much she loved me in front of everyone and everything. I didn\u2019t know what to make of it, and I\u2019m glad I had at least you to talk to about it.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m glad you\u2019re here Claire.\u201d\n\n\u201cMe too.\u201d I lean down to the sofa and give her a hug. She feels a bit stiff.\n\nA tenuous tap on my back, \u201cThat\u2019s all you're getting.\u201d\n\n\u201cI know, that\u2019s fine. I\u2019m going to get ready for bed.\u201d I let her go and despite her awkwardness she looks content with a small smile.\n\n\u201cSure, I\u2019ma going do the same.\u201d\n\nI quickly change into night attire, brush my teeth and soon I am in bed. A soft buzz from my phone, it\u2019s Rae.\n\nI have traversed the treacherous evening and returned home safely.\n\nLol\n\nHuh\n\nThat\u2019s not a full sentence, and that\u2019s a abbreviation?\n\nAcronym\n\nI wanted to try it out. Laugh out loud, correct?\n\nYes\u2026 are you really Claire?\n\nLol\n\nCatherine? Did you steal her phone?\n\nIt's me you goof. Surely it\u2019s not that odd that I want to try to adjust my vernacular?\n\nWhen in Rome, right?\n\nI said that correctly, right?\n\nLmao, yah you got it. Good pull.\n\nOf course, this is me we are talking about.\n\n:)\n\nFor wat its worth i like the way you text. It feels very you\n\nThank you dear, I care more about not standing out too much around others more than anything else. Catherine does say that I text like an old lady.\n\nIt\u2019s totes adorbs\n\nThank you, don\u2019t worry. I doubt I will be able to completely shift my habits when it comes to writing. I do have my standards.\n\nI do have a slight confession.\n\nThat sounds maybe a little ominous\n\nNot really\n\nOkay maybe a little\n\nUmmm\n\nDid I so something?\n\nI can fix thi what id I do?\n\nPlease wait\n\nSry\n\nThank you, sorry. I should have finished my thought before sending that last message, I\u2019m still much slower at this than you. I wanted to say I picked up more reading material aside from Dungeon Meshi. And since I finished Dungeon Meshi last week I wanted to start it up. I got the first two novels for Pray Love.\n\nThere is a pause, did she walk away\u2026? No she wouldn't. She\u2019s thinking too much about this. I can feel it.\n\nRei, is that okay?\n\nyes\n\nsryy\n\ntotally \n\nwhy?\n\nBecause I wanted to read it too. You said it was a favorite of yours.\n\numm\n\nyah\n\nIs it okay If I read it?\n\nI can\u2019t tell you not to read it\n\nHowever?\n\nsry this\n\nI wasn\u2019t expecting this like it caught me offguard. Yes read it\n\nAre you certain?\n\nyes, umm, let me know what you think. And like it\u2019s not really the best thing in the world.\n\nlike I don\u2019t mean don\u2019t read it\n\njust like it is\n\nit\u2019s okay\n\nI probably made it sound way better than it was\n\nYou actually complained about it a fair bit. That was your main impetus for why you wrote your prose for it.\n\nOh\n\nI\n\nyah that kinda tracks\n\nI really enjoyed reading Dungeon Meshi and talking to you about it. And even if I don\u2019t like this; which I doubt will be the case, but even if so I still would want to talk to you about it. Okay?\n\nYes\n\nim like 2 parts really excited and 1 part really nervous\n\nI hope you like it claire\n\nI have a feel", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "51_3", "body": "ing I will enjoy it, you never steered me wrong with reading suggestions before.\n\n<3\n\nGood night Rei.\n\nnight Claire\n\nWith that I settle into bed and crack open the book. I can\u2019t believe I can finally read this, after everything Rae has told me about it, about her personal fictions based on it. Her first one exploring a different conclusion, Praying for a Better Ending. Her delicious one, Lady Shouko\u2019s Lover . I still remember the first night we tried out those fantasies. She looks so delectable in a collar and nothing else. Writhing as I press into her, twisting and squirming. Equal parts pain and delight.\n\nAnd this time I can be the one to walk her through it. How tantalizing.\n\nIt starts off simple enough, the main protagonist has been accepted into a prestigious catholic school, a religion remarkably similar to the Spirit Church from Bauer. The protagonist is a devout follower but quickly her faith and preconceptions come into question as she realizes she has feelings for her upperclassman, Lady Shouku. Romantic feelings. Those feelings and faith are like water and oil.\n\nI read through the first few chapters, the prose is a bit dry if I am being honest but the characters are excellent. I can see bits of Rae in the main character, she\u2019s enthusiastic like her, and at the same time has trouble being honest. She struggles with what she wants and what she thinks she should do. A very familiar problem, and one I haven\u2019t avoided either. Lady Shouko is almost exactly like I envisioned her, and then nothing like it. She is cool, detached, distant and seems cruel so far. I expect there is more to her, just given on what Rae has told me, and she feels so familiar. The duty of station and family weighs heavily on her it seems, it\u2019s hard not to see elements of my younger self in her. She is cruel to the protagonist initially, but somehow that only seems to draw her in more. The first cracks on Shouko\u2019s visage chip away at a tea party. Every girl was to bring their own desert, and the protagonist made cr\u00e8me br\u00fbl\u00e9e.\n\nOh goodness I miss her cr\u00e8me br\u00fbl\u00e9e.\n\nThe chapter ends with them talking, the first few sparks of a budding romance bounce between them. It\u2019s delightfully cute.\n\nBut now I\u2019m left with a deep craving for cr\u00e8me br\u00fbl\u00e9e.\n\nRae said she doesn\u2019t have the ingredients to make it. I could remedy that, couldn't I?\n\nI could.\n\nI can .\n\nIt doesn't take much to fetch my phone.\n\nLene, apologies for messaging so late, but would you be able to gather everything I would need to make cr\u00e8me br\u00fbl\u00e9e from scratch for myself. All the ingredients and tools we would need, aside from the oven. No rush is required. I would greatly appreciate it, and let me know whenever it is convenient for yourself. Thank you.\n\nThe message is sent and already the anticipation is building. This has always been her favorite confection to make, she always cooks to wind down and she really could use it lately. To zen out , as she used to say. She needs it\u2026 and I won't lie, I really miss her treats.\n\nOh, this will be delicious .\n\n ", "token_count": 683}
{"file_id": "37_1", "body": " \n\nMother believes me.\n\nOr she at least believes that I\u2019m not lying. I think.\n\nGracious, why did it have to happen right now\u2026\n\n\u201cSo\u2026\u201d It\u2019s Manaria, I\u2026 what is she doing here? \u201cRavaging?\u201d Oh fantastic\u2026 She heard that too.\n\nShe has her usual smile, mischievous. This feels like the first time it's been directed at me \u2026 Rae might have had a point about her\u2026\n\n\u201cYes. She is my wi-girlfriend.\u201d\n\n\u201cReeeeally\u2026? Well she is pretty cute. \u201cShe rubs her chin as she looks at the door\u2026\n\n\u201cShe\u2019s mine.\u201d\n\nThe curt declaration causes her to laugh, \u201cOhhhh? Well, university has certainly been treating you well.\u201d\n\n\u201cI suppose it has\u2026 how long has it been Manaria, since we talked?\u201d\n\n\u201cHrmmm, I don\u2019t know a few years, but I\u2019m not surprised you don\u2019t remember. You never seemed like you were paying attention before.\u201d She finishes the statement by observing her nails, I don't like being on this end of it.\n\n\u201cWell, like you said. University has been good to me.\u201d I don\u2019t need to make this more of a mess than it already is by letting something slip around her too.\n\n\u201cI\u2019ll say, all it took was you getting the stick out of your ass and start kissing girls.\u201d She laughs.\n\nShe\u2019s not wrong. \n\nJust one girl though .\n\n\u201cSo how\u2019d that happen? Hmmm?\u201d\n\n\u201cI told her I love her, and then we started dating.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s it?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes.\u201d\n\n\u201cCome now Claire, where\u2019s the fun in that?\u201d\n\nI can\u2019t help but sigh. \u201cManaria, please\u2026 I wasn\u2019t expecting any of this, can I just tell you later. What are you even doing here? I thought\u2026 Mother was away\u2026 and then she shows up with you in tow.\u201d\n\n\u201cFair, Fair. Well If you must know I might have been in a similar predicament, I was caught ravaging poor defenseless ladies and then your Mother allowed me tag along to avoid the paparazzi.\u201d She makes a mocking performance of putting her hand to her head, like a fainting lady in waiting.\n\nPa-pa-what? Hmm, I suppose this must be similar to the scandal she went through before coming to the academy.\n\n\u201cYou don\u2019t seem surprised.\u201d She comments.\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s anything to make a fuss over.\u201d\n\nShe smirks, \u201cI suppose not, not when you are also ravaging poor defenseless girls.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2026 I\u2019m not taking advantage of her.\u201d\n\nShe raises her brow.\n\n\u201cI didn't mean to say you were either.\u201d\n\n\u201cHmm, and how would you know that?\u201d I know that tone, she is being cruel to herself.\n\n\u201cDo you think you were?\u201d\n\n\u201cWho's to say?\u201d There she goes, deflecting\u2026\n\n\u201cManaria, I really don\u2019t have the patience to play-\u201d\n\nI am interrupted as the door swings open. Mother is there, she looks\u2026 tired.\n\n\u201cManaria, I\u2019m sorry but I need to talk some more with Claire, and I expect it will take a\u2026 while. Can you go down and have Lene take you back to the apartment?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, trying to get rid of me already?\u201d\n\nMother sighs, \u201cManaria, that's not the case. Something came up\u2026 that is complicated and I need to sort through this now. I\u2019m sorry it worked out this way and I didn\u2019t want to send you home alone. It seems none of us were expecting all these surprises this morning.\u201d\n\nManaria drops the aloofness finally, she looks curious enough to ask but must decide it's not worth it. \u201cWell I suppose a choice between that and standing out here alone is not much of a choice. I\u2019ll see you later.\u201d\n\n\u201cLet Lene know I will contact her when I know I am ready for her.\u201d\n\n\u201cWill do.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, Manaria, sorry if I came off\u2026. Curt. I missed you, we should catch up while you're here.\u201d\n\nShe looks a little surprised, then smiles, \u201cDon't worry about it. I was being a bit of a shit. Of course. I need someone to show me around Tokyo after.\u201d\n\nOh\u2026 well that\u2019s a problem for another day. \u201cThank you.\u201d\n\n\u201cGood, see you later than Manaria, again sorry, please let Lene know if you need anything in the meantime.\u201d\n\nManaria makes a show of a mock bow and then goes down the hall to the elevator.\n\n\u201cPlease Claire, we have\u2026 much to discuss.\u201d Mother motions me back into the room.\n\nThis feels ominous, does she not believe me? Does she think me a liar? Or worse, does she believe me and want to get rid of me now that I\u2019m not her daughter.\n\nRae and Catherine are sitting on the sofa and both look nervous, at least Rae tries to smile.\n\nThe door closes and Mother guides me to sit down.\n\n\u201cSo I understand you have a lack of\u2026 an education then?\u201d\n\n\u201cWell technically I do, it\u2019s just from a different world.\u201d I\u2019m not uneducated .\n\n\u201cAnd that would mean?\u201d\n\n\u201cHer history and general know-how with technology is not there.\u201d Catherine replies.\n\nRae follows up, \u201cYah but she is still good for all the Math, and she\u2019s better at writing than I am.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd how has that affected your ability to continue your classes?\u201d\n\n\u201cShe\u2019s still-\u201d\n\n\u201cOohashi, I am asking my daughter.\u201d\n\nRae shrinks, \u201cIt\u2019s fine Rae, It\u2019s been a challenge. For me it\u2019s been a while since I was taking courses myself, but I was a teacher and professor for many years. Rae has been an excellent tutor and has been very diligent in helping me relearn, or well\u2026 learn.\u201d\n\n\u201cShe passed her first test.\u201d Rae chimes in.\n\nMother raises her brow at Rae's second interruption, but makes no further comment at her. \u201cWe could hire tutors, you could postpone your education till we-\u201d\n\n\u201cI can do this.\u201d\n\n\u201cAre you sure ? You don\u2019t know what you don\u2019t know. It\u2019s one thing to cram and pass a test and it\u2019s an entirely another thing to have no context of everything around you. You don\u2019t know technology ?\u201d\n\n\u201cRae has been showing me how to use my phone and-\u201d\n\n\u201cClaire, it's much more complicated than using a single device. This world is powered by technology. This world is connected by technology. I can make a decision that could make headlines across the whole world. If I make a comment the whole world could hear about it in seconds. The scandal that Manaria embroiled herself is plastered all over the world even though it should have been a private matter. We came here to Japan to create some privacy for you girls to grow up in but you will be adults soon. What happens next? What will you do when you graduate? What will you do when someone expects an opinion from you? A political one? A social one? Even a simple question about a film. Do you know what the Titanic is? The Roman Empire? The moon landing? The Milky Way? What an atom is?\u201d\n\n\u201cI, I\u2026\u201d I have no answers. This is how I'm going to lose it.\n\n\u201cFrancois-sama, She isn\u2019t a child. And She is incredibly clever!\u201d Rae stand ups.\n\n\u201cClever or not this can\u2019t be ignored!\u201d\n\n\u201cI know! We know! But you have to give her a chance to try. You are acting like everyone has perfect knowledge of everything but I had kids in my school who didn\u2019t know what fucking Hiroshima was!\u201d Rae is breathing heavily, a shaky breath she collects herself and continues. \u201cGive her a chance to learn before deciding she can\u2019t do it her way. She can do it! She is smart and aware. She is kind and deeply empathic. She understood Misaki, she knew what that meant. I didn\u2019t tell her anything but she knows. She understands her privilege, your daughter is incredible, you just have to give her a chance to prove it!\u201d\n\nRae\u2019s strong proclamation leaves me feeling fragile, she is always coming to my rescue, she has always been the fist to champion me. \u201c...Rae\u2026\u201d\n\nMother sighs, and looks like she is about to collapse into the sofa. \u201cAnd you think the best way is that she stays here, keeps doing this?\u201d\n\n\u201cI do\u2026\u201d I answer this time. \u201cIt has been difficult but I know I can do it. I won't be bested.\u201d And I won't leave my friends and family here. I won't leave Rae.\n\nMother looks surprised, and her eyes get watery, she has to give them a wipe.\n\n\u201cWhat\u2019s wrong? I can do this Mother.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s just\u2026 you remind me so much of when you were just a child, before the accident. So ready to take on the world\u2026\u201d She has to wipe her eyes again.\n\n\u201cMother\u2026\u201d I\u2026 I move to her and give her a hug again. Every embrace is so precious to me.\n\n\u201cOh my Claire\u2026\u201d\n\nShe places a hand on my cheek, this is how I must have looked when I looked at May or Aleah\u2026\n\n\u201cYou were hurting for so long\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m sorry-\u201d\n\n\u201cSshh, there is nothing to be sorry about.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2026 do think she can do it, Francois-sama. She is working very hard already.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd you will help her?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, whatever she needs I will help her with. But even without me I think she could do it.\u201d Don't say that Rae. \n\n\u201cI\u2019m helping too.\u201d Catherine throws in, \u201cClaire is working very hard, and we have been walking her through all the basics and are working up.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou said you did a test already Claire?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes\u2026 I got just under seventy percent\u2026\u201d If I got higher maybe this would be easier-\n\n\u201cOkay\u2026 Fine. We will see how this goes. But I ne", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "37_2", "body": "ed to know how things are going. We won't rush into something more drastic such as taking you out of classes for private tutelage but when this first semester ends I want you to take an exam. Something that would amount to highschool education. I want you to have a grasp of the sciences, math, literature, history\u2026\u201d She sighs, \u201cAnd I want to be kept in the loop with your current grades. This isn\u2019t going to work if they dip too low.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2026 Thank you Mother.\u201d I grab Rae in joy.\n\nMother doesn\u2019t elate though. \u201cThis will be very difficult.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m aware. I\u2019m not a child. I can do this.\u201d\n\n\u201cPlease tell me if it is too much, it\u2019s fine if it is.\u201d She says. She is still worried.\n\nI nod, it won\u2019t. I can do this. I am Claire Francois.\n\nI saved the world with Rae by my side. I can do this with her by my side. We can do anything together. \n\n\u201cGirls, it's been a long day\u2026\u201d Mother slumps into the sofa, \u201cWe just arrived this morning and the flight was very long. This was the last thing I expected when I heard you were acting odd from Lene, or that you finally got a new leg Catherine.\u201d She laughs softly.\n\n\u201cUhh\u2026 thank you for the leg again,\u201d Catherine says softly.\n\n\u201cCatherine, you are family, I could do no less.\u201d\n\nCatherine looks a bit taken off guard, but smiles. I send her a smile as well. And I find Rae\u2019s hand.\n\nMother said yes.\n\nShe said yes.\n\n\u201cAre you girls hungry? It seems neither of you got far into your day. What\u2019s open at this time? I don\u2019t feel much like sitting down, but take-out would be nice. Even if it\u2019s greasy.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, most places don\u2019t open till eleven but I think there are some breakfast places\u2026 are you feeling picky?\u201d Catherine answers. \n\n\u201cSomething with Western options is preferable, I don\u2019t want to think too much.\u201d\n\n\u201cYah, sure, umm, give me a sec\u2026\u201d\n\nCatherine gets up and starts to go over choices with Mother with her phone.\n\n\u201cThank you Rae.\u201d I say once we have a degree of privacy.\n\n\u201cOh I didn\u2019t do that much Claire-chan.\u201d Rae gets a little shy.\n\n\u201cShush, don\u2019t be modest, just accept it.\u201d I tease her.\n\n\u201cOh, well thanks. I do think you would be able to get by without me.\u201d That\u2019s nonsense, besides\u2026\n\n\u201cWhere\u2019s the fun in that?\u201d\n\n\u201cYeah\u2026\u201d She doesn't really want that either.\n\nI can\u2019t help but grin, \u201cWe will be busy won\u2019t we?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, yah, for real. Prepping for that exam is not going to be easy. We won\u2019t have a ton of time.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, especially with all the ravaging I need to do.\u201d\n\nShe reacts just as I expect, \u201cClaire!\u201d\n\n\u201cOh..?\u201d\n\n\u201cYour mom is right there.\u201d She shouts a whisper at me.\n\n\u201cAnd she interrupted us.\u201d I can\u2019t help but pout, it\u2019s very effective against Rae.\n\nShe whines, \u201cBut we have to be serious.\u201d \n\nI suppose, I\u2019m just trying to calm myself down after everything.\n\n\u201cOf course. But I\u2019ll need you to help recharge, with that I can take on even a demon, three even.\u201d I can feel the cheeky smirk on my face. \n\n\u201cI don\u2019t doubt you,\u201d she laughs.\n\n\u201cClaire, is there anything you would want?\u201d Mother's voice comes from across the room.\n\n\u201cAnything is fine.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd you Oohashi-san?\u201d \n\n\u201cHuh?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat would you like?\u201d\n\n\u201cAh what do you mean? You don\u2019t have-\u201d\n\n\u201cNonsense, both of you come and look at the menu, you too Claire.\u201d\n\nRae is trying to be too polite, \u201cBut-\u201d \n\n\u201cCome on Rae, please?\u201d Her resistance dissolves as I ask her, breaking down into a soft smile.\n\n\u201cOkay \u2026 Sure.\u201d\n\n \n\n \n\n\u201cSick, leftovers.\u201d\n\nCatherine is right. Mother ordered a lot of food, even with four of us. Even after serving out the first round, I can\u2019t imagine finishing it with another sitting. It was good, and a bit of everything. Mother seems to not have had a proper meal in a while.\n\n\u201cMother?\u201d\n\n\u201cHmm?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhere were you? Before you came\u2026 you said\u2026 flew?\u201d She can\u2019t have meant literally\u2026 right?\n\n\u201cYes, it\u2019s the fastest way to get to Paris and back\u2026 have you two not told not explained planes?\u201d\n\n\u201cThere has been so much\u2026uh, Melia.\u201d Catherine looks a little sheepish.\n\n\u201cYah, we were going to build up to it, we started small with cars and trains, and we can see those easily around here too.\u201d\n\n\u201cWait, you actually flew? You were flying?\u201d\n\nRae looks apologetic, \u201cYah, we were going to get there-\u201d\n\n\u201cHow?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh well.\u201d She gets an intense look as the gears in her head wind up, \u201cOkay, you know that some animals fly right?\u201d\n\n\u201cBirds? Yes, we had birds, we saw birds at the zoo. Come now Rae  I'm not so removed from this world.\u201d\n\nShe looks a little sheepish, \u201cRight, so, birds fly by creating lift with their wings, they are pretty light creatures so it\u2019s easy for them to push themselves up from the surface area of their wings, and once in the air those wings keep them aloft, they can ride air currents\u2026 err wind and such. We haven\u2019t got to the deep physics yet but air is made up of stuff, gasses, and most things can sorta turn into gas with enough heat, that\u2019s not the point, but rather that air is made up of stuff and it\u2019s that mass that birds are using to push against. If there was literally nothing there, they wouldn\u2019t be able to fly, so like in a vacuum.\u201d\n\n\u201cOkay\u2026 so you mimic that?\u201d\n\n\u201cWell yes, and no. We have some machines that mimic it more closely, but the main vehicle we use for flying is called a plane. Here, give me a sec.\u201d She pulls out her phone, types away for a second and turns the screen showing me an image of something that looks long, sleek and a pair\u2026. of wings? \u201cThis is a plane, you mom probably rode in something like this, it\u2019s big, and heavy. So birds are light. This isn\u2019t and it requires a lot of power. Force specifically. It creates this push with,\u201d she points to small cylinders on the wings, \u201cwith these, they are called jets, they create a lot of force, like a lot a lot of force. They push the plane forward and with that speed the wings can pick up enough resistance against the air that they stay afloat, or fly. It also makes them really fast. If you had to travel by car it would take you weeks or more to make the trip your mom made, umm how long was your flight Francois-sama?\u201d\n\nMother has been listening to Rae, I hope she is impressed with her general knowledge. \u201cPlease, just Melia is fine, or Melia-san if you must, our flight was 18 hours, exhausting, but she is right, it would probably take the better part of a month by car and that would be miserable to say the least. Would you prefer Rae or Oohashi?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, umm just Oohashi-san, umm\u2026 Melia-san\u201d\n\n\u201cOf course, Thank you. You will get a chance to ride by plane too Claire.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh.\u201d I can fly ?\n\n\u201cOohashsi-san, I just want to say, despite the circumstances of the situation It has been nice to meet you. I wasn\u2019t expecting Claire to have a\u2026 partner\u2026 let alone them being a girl. I hope I haven\u2019t scared you off. It\u2019s obvious how much Claire cares about you.\u201d\n\nRae gulps, \u201cOh\u2026 um yah, thank you.. I, um yah I really\u2026 like her\u2026 too. I um\u2026 \n\nMother Laughs, does she like Rae? Oh thank goodness, \u201cThat\u2019s good, If I am to understand correctly you are the reason for my daughter awakening .\u201d\n\nRae blushes, \u201cI\u2026 I guess. It\u2019s not like I did anything\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cShush, you've done so much.\u201d I chide Rae, \u201cYou saved me, I wouldn\u2019t be here without you.\u201d\n\n Rae looks a bit overwhelmed and opts to eat more food instead of responding.\n\n\u201cSo Oohashi-san, you also go to the same university then?\u201d\n\nShe swallows, \u201cUh, yah, Claire-san and I have several of the same classes-\u201d\n\n\u201cNot all,\u201d we really should. It would make everything more pleasant. \n\n\u201cUh, yah, not all the same but just a few different ones, the overlap is big thankfully, for Claire I mean. Not me. I mean I like having classes with her I-\u201d\n\nMother laughs a bit at Rae\u2019s verbal stumbling, \u201cOohashi-san, calm down. This hasn\u2019t been affecting your studies too much has it? How often have you been helping her?\u201d\n\n\u201c...Like everyday\u2026 I get my stuff done at the same time, it\u2019s been helpful for me too I guess.\u201d\n\n\u201cHmmm, so are you from here?\u201d\n\n\u201cChiba.\u201d\n\n\u201cAh, and you came here? Did you have an aspiration? You are also studying economics.\u201d\n\n\u201cAh\u2026 we sorta?... I\u2026 well\u2026 you get a job\u2026 and do that right?\u201d\n\n\u201cMother, you don\u2019t need to worry about that, I\u2019ll make sure she is happy.\u201d\n\nRae looks puzzled, \u201cHuh?-\u201d \n\nMother cuts her off however, \u201cWhat do you mean Claire?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh\u2026\u201d I", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "37_3", "body": " can\u2019t just say I am trying to make sure Rae doesn\u2019t work herself to death again right? \u201cI just\u2026 I\u2019m going to be here, I\u2019ll help?\u201d\n\nRae has a look like she wants to say something, but doesn\u2019t, just takes another bite of her food instead.\n\nShe knows I am omitting something.\n\n\u201cI\u2026 see.\u201d Does mother suspect the same?\n\n\u201cRae is very capable, she was a genius in our past life, and a hero. She taught me so much and we lived our life together\u2026 I hope we can do that again\u2026 as long as you want to Rae\u2026\u201d\n\nRae blushes and her eyes dart between me and Mother, \u201cClaire, please don\u2019t rush into things\u2026 you have only known each other for a few weeks.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut I have known her for-\u201d\n\n\u201c Then , and this is now, it\u2019s different Claire\u2026 I just want what\u2019s best for you Claire, and I don\u2019t want either of you two to get hurt along the way. I\u2019m happy that you are\u2026 so happy that you are here. But we don\u2019t know exactly what is going on. It could be a coincidence, I can\u2019t completely rule out a more mundane answer but I don\u2019t want to lose you again Claire. You\u2019re here, you're present for the first time in ages, you\u2019re you again.\u201d\n\n\u201cMother\u2026\u201d\n\nBut it isn\u2019t like that\u2026 It's not a coincidence. \n\nBut I am rushing it. It hasn't even been a month for Rae. And I.. don\u2019t want to hurt Rae. Rae does have a problem saying no to me. I\u2026 I know she wants to help me, but is doing this just for me? She is different now, I love her all the same, love getting to see this younger side of her\u2026\n\nLove being her first\u2026\n\nBut these are all her firsts. These first should be special for her, and I shouldn't be so greedy with them.\n\n\u201c... I understand. I have no intention of going anywhere. This is\u2026\u201d second does not sound right , \u201canother chance, and I want to make the best of it.\u201d\n\nMother nods, \u201cI\u2026 I\u2019m glad to hear that Claire. And please let me know if you remember anything new. We don\u2019t know what has happened, but whatever it is, you will always be my daughter.\u201d", "token_count": 484}
{"file_id": "38_1", "body": "\u201cMust you leave already?\u201d Claire asks, her voice sounds so small.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m sorry my dear, I have matters to attend to tomorrow and I need to sleep or I will fall over.\u201d\n\nClaire looks like she wanted to object but thinks better of it, \u201cI understand.\u201d\n\n\u201cClaire, we will talk again soon, don't worry.\u201d\n\n\u201cMother\u2026\u201d Claire's eyes glisten, \u201cPlease.\u201d\n\nHer mom moves in and gives her a hug. She has to lean just slightly, she's only a bit taller than her. Claire returns the hug, she is squeezing tightly and her mom just hums into the hug. It feels odd being here for it\u2026 but I am happy it\u2019s gone this way.\n\n\u201cNothing is going to take me away Claire, I\u2019m here for you.\u201d\n\nClaire buries her head in her mom\u2019s shoulder, \u201cThank you, thank you Mother, I don\u2019t want to lose you again. It\u2019s really you, it\u2019s not a dream, it\u2019s not a simulacrum. It\u2019s you. It\u2019s you\u2026\u201d There is a sharp inhale, and her breath wavers.\n\n\u201cOf course Claire.\u201d Her mom also sounds close to crying, but she stays firm. \u201cYou are always my Claire.\u201d\n\nThey remain locked in their embrace for a while, and I try my best to give them privacy, but both of them seem to be in their world either way. It\u2019s sweet, I\u2019m happy for them, but I do feel like an intruder here.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s time,\u201d Claire\u2019s mom finally says, and she breaks their hug.\n\nClaire sniffles, \u201cI\u2019m happy today\u2026 finally happened.\u201d\n\n\u201cI am as well Claire, even as it did. It\u2019s for the best. We have plenty of time to catch up more later. But I do have to go, Lene is waiting, and I only have so much left in me at this point.\u201d She beams as she looks at Claire. \u201cThere is one last thing though.\u201d\n\nShe turns and looks at me.\n\n\u201cOohashi-san, might I have a word before we part.\u201d\n\nI gulp, Claire\u2019s mom definitely has the mom tone in her voice. Claire notices and gives me a smile, I guess she isn\u2019t too worried. I go out into the hallway with Claire\u2019s mom, and it\u2019s just us, Claire and Catherine still in the room.\n\n\u201cUmm, what did you want to talk about?\u201d She seems like she isn\u2019t writing Claire off, but she; understandably, still has to have some worries.\n\n\u201cForgive me, I feel I haven\u2019t had many chances to be a proper mom for Claire\u2026\u201d She sighs, \u201cIt feels like I have gone through more of the usual with Catherine, and none with Claire. I still can\u2019t believe Claire convinced her to replace her leg finally, I have been trying to convince her for years now\u2026 anyways, this isn\u2019t\u2026 I was worried, and I still worry, but in different ways. First, whatever Claire is going through, I have more faith in her than when we started this conversation, but I still want to keep a close eye\u2026 I still worry\u2026 but\u2026 I thought I lost one of my daughters, and she is here again\u2026\u201d\n\nShe takes a deep breath\u2026 I\u2026 how bad was it?\n\n\u201cSecondly, you and her are both adults\u2026 It\u2019s not my place to make mandates on who she should or shouldn\u2019t  have a relationship with. I wasn\u2019t expecting to\u2026 well find her and you in that state and that was the furthest thing from my mind when I\u2026 barged in. I hope\u2026 this was just another surprise, it\u2019s an\u2026 a lot more to consider but I don\u2019t want to be seem\u2026 in the  way. Or against it.\u201d\n\n\u201cAhhh\u2026 I\u2026 thank you?\u201d\n\n\u201cJust\u2026 I\u2019m sorry there is\u2026\u201d she chuckles a little, \u201cMy first instinct is to think that it\u2019s Claire who is new to relationships, but I suppose that isn\u2019t the case to her is it? And it\u2019s her I should be telling to be careful\u2026 I\u2026 how are you doing in all this? This has to be a lot for you. Don\u2019t get me wrong, I appreciate what you have done for her but just today has been a lot.\u201d\n\nOh god, I can\u2019t stop the nervous laugh, \u201cumm, yeah? God, yeah it\u2019s been a rollercoaster, and it was bad enough when my roommate walked in on\u2026 us\u2026 before\u2026 umm\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cDear, it\u2019s okay. You're both adults.\u201d\n\n\u201cyeAh\u2026 I really just wish that wasn\u2019t the first way you saw me though\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m sorry, I should have given you more\u2026 warning\u2026 but between everything I heard from Lene, and how dodgy Catherine was acting, Mother\u2019s instincts , I knew something was happening. Again, I\u2019m sorry, it\u2019s not the worst thing, I am happy that she found you.\u201d\n\n\u201cThanks, I want\u2026 I want to be\u2026 to be right? I\u2019m trying.\u201d\n\n\u201cDear, there is no being right , allow yourself some grace.\u201d\n\nSure\u2026 but Claire needs help still, she needs to catch up, she needs to pass. Even if I'm not her , Claire needs me. \u201cYah, I\u2019m just doing the best I can\u2026 It\u2019s been a lot of work, like I said we really have been doing so much studying\u2026 me and Catherine-san have been working together to show her what she is missing and she really is picking it up fast, she really is clever. I\u2026 it catches me off guard when she mentions something obscure and it\u2019s because I told her about it.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat do you mean\u2026?\u201d\n\n\u201cThere\u2019s a lot\u2026 it\u2019s like she knows things that will happen. She knew I am writing a\u2026 fan story online, what it was about, and I think she knows how it ends? I\u2019m not even finished with it, but she was\u2026 teasing me about the ending\u2026?\u201d\n\n\u201cReally?\u201d\n\n\u201cYah\u2026 I know\u2026 rationally\u2026 this sounds impossible, but I haven\u2019t found a single thing to even suggest otherwise. It just makes more sense the more I am around her. It\u2019s not just me either; Catherine-san is picking it up too, and it\u2019s like she is already tapped into my social network. It\u2019s not big or anything but\u2026 she was talking to my roommate, and even with her it was\u2026 surreal just how naturally she fell into conversation with her, and Misha is a bit prickly too.\u201d\n\n\u201cOohashi-san\u2026 Rei\u2026 Thank you for being honest about this. I really appreciate everything, and I do trust you\u2026 I want to give you my personal number, in case an emergency happens, for whatever reason. I know you know this, but this has to stay a secret, the last thing any of us needs is for this to get out. Hopefully you won't need to reach me for emergencies, but if you need help with anything, let me know. I\u2019m not always in the country and may be in different time zones, but this number is the best way to reach me. Very few people have it, it\u2019s for family.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh\u2026 Thank you Francois-sama-\u201d\n\n\u201cMelia.\u201d She smiles. \n\n\u201cRight\u2026 Thank you Melia-sama. Hopefully no emergencies.\u201d\n\n\u201cHopefully, secondly, you have been committing a lot of time to tutoring Claire.\u201d That\u2019s not a question.\n\n\u201cYes\u2026?\u201d\n\n\u201cThat is a lot of your personal time, I want to reimburse you for that.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat- No!, it\u2019s not needed.\u201d\n\n\u201cI have to insist, I can\u2019t in good conscience allow us to take advantage of you in the meantime. I would be hiring a tutor for Claire if she didn\u2019t insist on you helping her.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh\u2026 but I want to help, I would\u2026 feel weird if\u2026 I\u2026 my\u2026 girlFriend\u201d fuck my voice cracked, \u201cpaid me for this.\u201d\n\n\u201cThere has to be something we can agree on then. Is there something I can cover in the least, meals? I could arrange a scholarship for you?\u201d\n\n\u201cA scholarship?!\u201d\n\n\u201cOohashi-san I run a multinational business, a scholarship is trivial.\u201d The smirk makes that easy to believe.\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s\u2026 that\u2019s still a lot\u2026 can I think about it?\u201d\n\n\u201cI suppose\u2026 We will talk about it more later then, but please consider it. For now, here.\u201d She pulls a card out from her purse, a credit card. \u201cUse this in whatever way you deem appropriate, it could be for meals, it could be for a new laptop or whatever equipment you need for school. It could even be for something fun. Don\u2019t worry what it is, just please use it.\u201d\n\nI hesitate to take the card, it\u2019s not a gold card like Claire\u2019s was, but\u2026 fuck a credit card attached to Francois-sama\u2019s account? \n\n\u201cPlease don\u2019t stress out about it too much.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut-\u201d\n\n\u201cIt has a limit, you can\u2019t be that irresponsible with it.\u201d She teases another smirk.\n\n\u201cWhy\u2026 are\u2026 how can you trust me?\u201d\n\nHer face shifts, something more\u2026 professional, \u201cSeveral reasons, I trust my intuition, and trust me when I say this, I deal with a lot of untrustworthy people. You care for Claire, greatly. I can tell that, I could tell that before you two even had a chance to recover. You stood up for her and you were very vulnerable doing so. That wasn\u2019t easy dear, and thank you for being honest about it. You're not doing this for your own gain, and if you were I would be doing something about it.\u201d She closes my hand around the card, \u201cI could take control of this, take Claire away, hire a private tutor, bring her up to speed, but she doesn\u2019t want that. She thinks she can make this work, and I want her to succeed. I believe she can do this. But she will need help and", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "38_2", "body": " for you to help her, I need to trust you too and I need to make a show of good faith. We are asking a lot out of you and only you can help her in the way you can. I\u2019ll be here, Catherine will be here. We will always be here to help too.\u201d\n\nOhhh, wow it\u2019s hard to swallow. \u201cI want to help\u2026 I want to do this\u2026 I\u2026 I really do\u2026 I\u2026\u201d\n\nLove her\u2026\n\n\u201cShe said Dole also liked you, I can see that\u2026\u201d She really looks so much like Claire, they smile the same way\u2026 Then she chuckles, \u201cPerhaps I\u2019m also just making a poor decision after an eighteen hour flight that was delayed, either way nothing is perfect we just make it work, and even in the bad we can find new things to cherish\u2026\u201d\n\nI\u2026 she\u2019s talking\u2026 about the accident \u2026 isn\u2019t she?\n\nWoah\u2026\n\n\u201cWe'll make this work, one way or another, won't we Rei?\u201d\n\nI have to.\n\n\u201cYes\u201d\n\n\u201cExcellent, now that that is out of the way, I\u2019ll feel better about passing out in my bed.\u201d She sounds happy and chuckles. \u201cJust please help Claire and I\u2019ll be happy. Okay?\u2019\n\nI can do that.\n\nWhatever Claire needs.\n\n\u201cOkay.\u201d\n\n ", "token_count": 266}
{"file_id": "52", "body": "\u201cNo! Not yet!\u201d\n\n\u201cCome on\u2026 you\u2019re so close Claire, just a little more\u201d\n\n\u201cAaahh!\u201d\n\n\u201cJust a little more.\u201d\n\nClaire\u2019s stiff as a board, leaning forward and gripping the controller tightly. Yusuke and Ann are both knocked out. Morgana is out of SP, and Joker is nearly out of health.\n\n\u201cWhat do I do?\u201d She\u2019s exasperated. I'm truly blessed. \n\nI\u2019ve been trying to be as hands off as I can about this. I really don\u2019t want to be microing the way she plays the game, and I've tried very hard to be subtle about all the mistakes she makes. She\u2019s learning. She\u2019s picking up on elemental advantages, and god she gets sooooooooooo fucking cute when she gets an all out attack off.\n\nJust little hints. Can\u2019t outright tell her.\n\n\u201cIs there something you haven\u2019t used?\u201d\n\n\u201cArrrrr.\u201d God her frustration is so adorable. Then it dawns on her, she pops open her inventory stash, and scrolls through her items. She always forgets about them. She finds some food and uses it on Joker, topping her health off and then Morgana uses a snuff soul to bring his SP back up. Madarame attacks again and she survives the turn. \u201cYes!\u201d She cheers while shaking the controller.\n\nGod I LOVE this. She starts to relax again as she takes back control of the fight, leaning back into me and I let my arms wrap around her again. God playing video games with your girlfriend is the actual best.\n\n\u2026.Girlfriend\n\n\u2026woah\n\nClaire cackles, oh she beat the boss. \u201cDid you see that Rei, that disgrace of an artist. He never stood a chance against Me !\u201d She cackles some more and moves a hand daintily to her face, oh she is so perfect .\n\nShe quiets as the plot starts to pick back up, she\u2019s so into it . I\u2019ve seen the scene so many times at this point, but I still feel for Yusuke here. Like how do you figure out who you are when everything gets upturned like that? And soon enough Claire finishes the day.\n\n\u201cI did it!\u201d Even facing away, I can feel the grin on her face.\n\n\u201cGood job Claire. That\u2019s two Palaces down. We should probably save and pack it in.\u201d\n\n\u201c Please .\u201d It\u2019s Misha. Rude. But okay, she might have a point.\n\n\u201cYeaaaaah, I think it\u2019s been eight hours.\u201d I love a good gaming marathon.\n\n\u201cWhat? That can\u2019t be. I would be hungry if that was the case.\u201d As if on cue, one of our stomachs rumbles, loudly, and I honestly can\u2019t tell who\u2019s it is. Probably both. I can see Claire\u2019s ears turn red from behind. Cute .\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s really easy to lose track of time playing games like this.\u201d\n\n\u201cGod, you are teaching her the worst habits.\u201d Wow , thanks for the commentary Misha.\n\n\u201cBut that would mean it\u2019s past four?\u201d Claire is still processing.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s five. \u201d Okay, I get it Misha.\n\n\u201cSorry Misha, I had no idea. I didn\u2019t mean to overstay my welcome.\u201d It's not that big of a deal Claire.\n\nMisha sighs, \u201cIt\u2019s fine Claire-san. It\u2019s not your fault.\u201d Come on Misha, not willing to cut me some slack?\n\n\u201cHey if Yu was here the whole day I wouldn\u2019t give you hell for it.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes you would you fucking liar.\u201d Misha sighs and pinches her nose, okay\u2026 yes\u2026 \u201cLook, I\u2019m just trying to be civil about boundaries here Rei. The roommate agreement was we would give each other space right? And there ain't that much here.\u201d\n\nShe's right\u2026 \u201cAaaah\u2026. Okay fine. Right\u2026 Sorry.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s okay, just this was my limit. I need some quiet now.\u201d At least Misha doesn't seem upset. She's better at letting me know than I am.\n\n\u201cWe understand, I should have not let myself get so absorbed in it.\u201d It's cool Claire, don't worry.\n\n\u201cIt happens Claire-san, and trust me, compared to your gremlin girlfriend this is nothing. She\u2019s pulled twenty-four hour plus marathons before.\u201d Why you gotta say it like that Misha?\n\n\u201cREI!\u201d Claire immediately turns and looks at me, she's somewhere between worried and concerned. \n\nHuh? \u201cWhat?\u201d\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s absurd, you\u2019re going to collapse doing something like that!\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat? It\u2019s fine, really. I can totally do it.\u201d I have. A bunch. \n\n\u201cIt\u2019s not fine. You\u2019re going to\u2026.\u201d the words die in her throat... \u201cRei, please don\u2019t push yourself like that.\u201d She sounds like actually upset\u2026? I'm\u2026 not measuring up am I?\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s just gaming though.\u201d What's the big deal?\n\nShe looks terrified that I said that. \u201cYou need to eat properly, you need to sleep and rest. I\u2026 I don\u2019t want anything to happen to you. Please take care of yourself.\u201d\n\nThere is something she isn\u2019t saying there, again . What? Probably not a problem with Rae . \u201cWell sorry I\u2019m this way.\u201d\n\nFuck I hate it the minute it comes out of my mouth. The way Claire looks at me\u2026 fuck I have no idea what she is thinking. She looks upset with me. I sounded the fucking worst.\n\nFix it.\n\n\u201cRei-\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m sorry!\u201d\n\nWe both pause from our mutual interruption. Claire is waiting.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m sorry, that was\u2026 I know\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cRei, I just want you to take care of yourself, okay? Look I\u2019m not saying it\u2019s not fine in moderation, or even that today was over doing it. Heavens, there were some days we would hardly leave the bed.\u201d\n\nFuuuuuu \u2026\n\n\u201cI really don\u2019t want to hear about this.\u201d This is the closest to a whine I have heard from Misha, like ever.\n\n\u201cApologies Misha, and Rei, I only\u2026 an entire day can really wear you down.\u201d\n\n\u201cYeah\u2026 you\u2019re not\u2026 I know.\u201d I need to be better\u2026\n\nShe puts a hand to the side of my face, cupping my cheek gently, ahhh. She smiles softly for a moment and then it turns just a bit devious. \u201cIf anything is going to wear you out, it\u2019s going to be me. \u201d\n\nHoly\n\nShit\n\n\u201cPlease take your flirting outside.\u201d Misha groans from her bed.\n\nClaire looks a little embarrassed, but she doesn\u2019t remove her hand. \u201cFine, yes. Rei?\u201d\n\n\u201cYah?\u201d\n\nGrrrwwl!\n\nOkay, that was my stomach for sure this time. Claire laughs, \u201cI was going to ask if you wanted to get something to eat before I return home.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh\u2026 yah. Misha?\u201d I should ask her too, right?\n\nOkay, that stare definitely says \u2018 get the fuck out already\u2019 . ", "token_count": 1455}
{"file_id": "11_1", "body": "\u201cOkay so, you know how we showed you videos, right?\u201d Rae breaks into an explanation as we cross between campus buildings. She had mentioned anime in passing and I was curious, so I asked for more details. People keep referring to it around me for some reason.\n\n\u201cYes, so it\u2019s like that?\u201d Photos are already one of the more impressive things I\u2019ve seen. Videos are on an entirely different level. The technology here is so advanced that it feels like magic to me a lot of the time.\n\n\u201cSort of, yeah. So, what we\u2019ve shown you so far was mostly just recordings with maybe a few extra edits thrown in. Oh right, you don\u2019t know what those are either. Ummm, to keep it very simple, edits are kinda like when a painter touches up a painting after it\u2019s made, only with photos or videos. So then anime, which is short for animation, is like doing that without the photo part, or recording a video because  it\u2019s all hand drawn, or something like that. That\u2019s a really oversimplified explanation but let's start small.\u201d \n\nRae takes a quickie breath. \u201cAnime is animation from Japan, which was actually inspired by early western animation, and then it took on a life of its own and now it\u2019s an entertainment genre in its own right. Well, there are actually lots of genres in anime. It\u2019s often treated like a single genre but that's really reductive; it's like calling theater a genre. You had theater in your world, right?\u201d \n\nShe is talking so quickly, but she obviously cares about the topic and is very happy and eager to share. Adorable. Rae had tried to explain some of these things before in our old life, but the context of seeing some of these things in person is helping me understand them far better.\n\nAnd if Rae wants to \u2018 infodump, \u2019 as she calls it, I am very happy to oblige her.\n\n\u201cYes, we had theater, and I can understand how it would seem strange to consider it a genre in and of itself. After all, there are comedies, dramas and tragedies and so on.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, exactly, anime is the same! So anime has a lot of works\u2014it\u2019s been around for over half a century and in the last couple of decades the amount of published works have increased a lot. Not all of it is good by any stretch of the imagination but there is good stuff there if you are interested. We should watch some together sometime! Not just anime but movies and other shows too. There\u2019s far more out there than just the educational stuff we showed you when we were trying to ground you in the basics.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt looked like there was a lot to see on that \u2018you tube\u2019 too.\u201d I had noticed what looked like dozens of other videos on the side of the screen when Rae was showing a few to me earlier.\n\n\u201cOh, yeah, there are a ton of videos on YouTube, but let's be careful\u2014 that\u2019s a whole other can of worms. Remember what I said about the internet?\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s full of lies?\u201d Is that what she is referring to?\n\n\u201cYes,\u201d Rae sighs, looking extremely disappointed, though not at me specifically. She always looks like this when the internet lies comes up. \u201cThere are a lot of people spreading misinformation online and you don\u2019t have anywhere near enough context to know what\u2019s true and what\u2019s not.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes\u2026\u201d I wish I could say I am surprised, but Rae mentioned things like this back in our past life too.\n\n\u201cYouTube can be really bad with that and it can be hard to tell the good videos from the bad ones even when you have lots of experience.\u201d\n\n\u201cShouldn't lying like that be\u2026I don\u2019t know, subject to punishment?\u201d\n\n\u201cWouldn\u2019t that be nice? But the question of who gets to determine what content is good and bad is a tricky one. For a long time being gay was considered\u2026 well abnormal and unhealthy. Back then it would have been considered lying to say it was okay\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cViolence by numbers, then.\u201d I murmur to myself.\n\n\u201cWhat was that?\u201d Rae asks. \n\n\u201cOh, it was something you once said to me. I\u2019ll just rely on your and Catherine-chan\u2019s guidance for now when it comes to things on the internet.\u201d\n\n\u201cThere are a lot of cute animal videos if you want a safe place to\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cFrancois-sama.\u201d Rae is interrupted by a smooth voice. We both turn, and it\u2019s a young Thane Bauer. I had forgotten he used to wear his hair long. \n\nRae looks annoyed to have been interrupted. I try to send her a sympathetic look. \u201cJust a moment R\u2014Oohashi-san. Hello Bauer-san, how can I help you?\u201d\n\nThane looks slightly nonplussed. Perhaps he was expecting a different reaction. \u201cOh, well, I just want to respond to you from the other night in person, now that you are not so\u2026inebriated.\u201d Oh no, what did the other me say to him? He is trying so hard to be polite. \u201cI apologize, but I must politely decline, Francois-sama.\u201d\n\nOh thank goodness, that makes this much easier.\n\n\u201cThank you, Bauer-san, you have nothing to apologize for. If anything I wanted to apologize if the way I acted has made you uncomfortable.\u201d\n\nThane\u2019s confusion returns. \u201cFrancois-sama\u2026Just so we\u2019re clear, I\u2019m turning you down. You\u2019re a lovely woman but I have no interest in a romantic relationship with you.\u201d Oh, he thinks I misunderstood. I know young Claire would want to kill me for this, but she didn\u2019t know Rae yet.\n\n\u201cNo, I understand. It's fine. If anything, I had hoped to apologize to you first and let you know that I had no intention of\u2026well, doing whatever I suggested we do before. I\u2019m afraid it was the alcohol talking, as embarrassing as that is to admit. I hope we can be friends despite how I may have acted.\u201d I give Thane a courteous bow.\n\nHe scrutinizes me, as if he is unconvinced it is not an act. Oh, the things I would tell the other Claire if I could. \u201cBauer-san, I assure you I have no further intent of acting like I once did. If I may be honest, I have found someone I care for deeply and only now do I realize that I have been trying to force something that wasn\u2019t meant to be.\u201d It's as close to the truth as I can make it. I steal a glance at Rae, who has been forced to observe this conversation. I give her a smile.\n\n\u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d she says, so hushed that I don\u2019t really hear it so much as see her lips form the words. She blushes slightly. Thane coughs.\n\n\u201cI see\u2026well, Francois-san, I am glad this came to an amenable conclusion and wish you well.\u201d He takes a look at Rae, who blushes even deeper, and then turns back to me. \u201cI hope you two enjoy each\u2014\u201d He coughs, \u201cI mean, your day.\u201d He walks away stiffly, a faint blush on his face. It takes an effort to not laugh.\n\nOnce he is out of sight, Rae moans, \u201cFrancois-san! He totally thinks something is going on between us now!\u201d\n\n\u201cI wasn\u2019t the one who blushed and gave it away.\u201d I can\u2019t be blamed if she blushes at everything now.\n\n\u201cThis isn\u2019t funny, Francois-san!\u201d She seems a bit upset, and more than a bit embarrassed.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m sorry, I didn\u2019t mean to make things difficult for you. Bauer-san is courteous, though, and would never say anything about it to anyone else. Unfortunately I am a poor liar so it would be worse if I tried to lie. I need a bit of truth to work with if I want people to believe what I am saying.\u201d\n\nRae pouts. \u201cRumors are going to start, Francois-san\u2026 People are going to hear about you turning him down. Well, not turning him down exactly, but losing interest all of a sudden. And if you keep telling everyone it\u2019s because you\u2026ummm\u2026\u201d She swallows hard as she struggles to say it.\n\n\u201cThat I am in love with someone?\u201d I can\u2019t keep the playfulness out of my tone.\n\nShe turns away, blushing and waving her hand in the air as though trying to use it to help articulate words. \u201cRight\u2026people are going to talk. And you have been spending a lot of time with me\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cDo you not want to spend time with me?\u201d The question just pops out, and it feels wrong the second it leaves my mouth. It\u2019s just going to make her feel guilty. I wish I hadn\u2019t asked it like that, but the idea of avoiding her, or of her avoiding me, is simply unbearable.\n\n\u201cNo!\u201d she squeaks. \u201cI mean I do, I like spending time with you\u2026it\u2019s just\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cYou don\u2019t want everyone else to know.\u201d\n\nShe nods. She looks almost ashamed of herself, but she shouldn\u2019t. I want to hold her, but that would draw too much attention out here in public.\n\nThis wouldn\u2019t have happened if I had better controlled myself.\n\n\u201cCan I make it up to you in some way?\u201d I ask sincerely. Rae, please stop blushing at everything I say\u2014that wasn\u2019t meant to be innuendo! . \u201cI also owe you for all the help you have given me, on top of also keeping me company tomorrow.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou don\u2019t need to do anything Francois-san. I enjoy your company.\u201dRae is quiet but she means it.\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s good, because I very much enjoy your company too. I look forward to enjoying a casual day tomorrow. We\u2019ve had to do a lot of studying lately. So, what do you have planned for our d\u2014day?\u201d I can do this.\n\nRae narrows her eyes at me.", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "11_2", "body": " She definitely noticed I stopped myself from saying date. \u201cI\u2026you\u2019ll have to wait and see. Like, don\u2019t get your expectations up or anything. It\u2019s nothing fancy. I don\u2019t know, I was thinking we could go out and see a few things, then maybe get lunch and hang out at my place, or maybe your place? I could bring my laptop and show you a game, if you want. I don\u2019t want to seem too much like an Otaku or anything but I think I have a good suggestion for something you might like.\u201d She rambles on very quickly; it seems she is getting a bit self conscious.\n\n\u201cThat sounds lovely, Rae. I don\u2019t need anything fancy either. Getting lunch, enjoying a nice walk around town and then doing something at home sounds perfect. I wouldn\u2019t mind coming to your dorm.\u201d We have spent a lot of time in mine .\n\n\u201cUgh\u2026well, honestly it's pretty small, and now that I think about it we would have to share my bed if we wanted to play something on my laptop.\u201d Rae averts her eyes and presses two fingers together.\n\nI don\u2019t see what the problem is\u2026okay, I will concede that this might be a lot for this version of Rae.\n\nBut returning to my dorm might be unfair to Catherine. She has been very patient so far, but I can see she really wishes she had some privacy again with all the time Rae has spent at our  place over this past week.\n\n\u201cI\u2019ll see what Catherine would prefer. She can be\u2026well, she enjoys her privacy and I worry this is getting to be a bit too much for her.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, yeah, for sure. In that case I think Misha will be out for most of the day, so we can play it by ear I guess.\u201d\n\nWe resume our walk to the other side of the campus. I can see Rae is lost in thought for a moment.\n\n\u201cIs something wrong?\u201d\n\nShe snaps her fingers. \u201cNow I remember! Before Bauer-san showed up, I was going to tell you about something on YouTube you might like that\u2019s pretty harmless.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh?\u201d That has piqued my interest.\n\n\u201cYeah, okay\u2026\u201d She pulls out her phone and starts it up, or \u201cunlocks it\u201d as Rae explained is the correct phrase. \u201cOkay, in your opinion what is the cutest animal?\u201d\n\n\u201cHmmm, well, cats are always adorable\u2026but I\u2019ve always been fond of otters.\u201d\n\nShe grins and types away, then turns the phone towards me as a video starts to play. It displays a pair of otters floating in the water together, sleeping soundly. \u201cAwwww, they are holding each other\u2019s hands!\u201d Oh, goodness! ", "token_count": 559}
{"file_id": "8_1", "body": "There are so many of these notifications\u2026\n\nRae sort of explained how these work. Pepi and Loretta each have sent me dozens of messages over the last day, and I tried to send them a few replies to keep them calm. Thankfully I think I am starting to get a better idea of texting now. Reviewing my old messages has been\u2026 informative , but even with the lack of proper context I feel the need to chastise my other self. It's far too familiar. I don\u2019t feel comfortable matching that previous tone, needless to say.\n\n\u201cCatherine\u2026 is there a way to stop all of these notifications?\u201d\n\nNotification, to notify. Hrmm, all they seem to do is vex me. I appreciate that it alerts me to messages people have sent, but what is this \u2018 X \u2019? I don\u2019t understand what any of the X notifications mean, much less how there are over a hundred from it alone. It\u2019s utterly inane. Instagram ? Rae tried to explain it, but it also seems to be a steady stream of messages that have no relation to me?\n\n\u201cI guess, can you pass me your phone?\u201d Catherine says from the sofa. She looks rather comfortable sunk into it and reading her own phone. \u201cHmmm, I think we can mute all the non essential ones, so you only see what you want to see, which I guess would be texts. Yeah\u2026 let's get rid of Twitter. No one should have that.\u201d\n\n\u201cTwitter? I don\u2019t think I saw anything from that.\u201d Was there something else on the phone I was missing?\n\n\u201cOh, right . It used to be called Twitter, but then the idiot who bought it decided \u2018X\u2019 would be better. No one calls it that, people still call it Twitter. And it sucks .\u201d There is an unusual glee to her voice as she derides this \u2018X\u2019, or Twitter, whatever it\u2019s called.\n\n\u201cWhat is it?\u201d \n\n\u201cGod, I don\u2019t know, it\u2019s a machine designed to make people miserable. Trust me, don\u2019t think about it, it\u2019s not worth it. I\u2019ll turn it off rather than deleting it just in case you need it for something, but I really doubt it. Besides, no one would be surprised if someone stopped using it now. Huh, that\u2019s a lot of Instagram\u2026 wow .\u201d\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t understand that one, either.\u201d\n\n\u201cErrr. I think this one is more straightforward, but honestly it\u2019s probably best to not use it for now. You remember what the internet is, right? All this stuff\u2014\u201d She waves her hand in the air as she talks. \u201cTwitter, Instagram, etc. are using the internet to share their thoughts and photos and videos with other people. It\u2019s like\u2026 it\u2019s not magic, but it\u2019s like a magic place that computers can look at, and in this case \u2018computers\u2019 includes your phone. So with Instagram you post pictures and then people can leave messages on them or give them a like\u2026 I think. I think that\u2019s what most of these are for. This explains why your phone was always buzzing. Jeez, I had no idea you were this active there.\u201d\n\n\u201cI think I followed all of that. It is starting to come together, I guess? Did that many people really leave a message on these pictures?\u201d I looked through some of the pictures from instagram with Rae before, but I don\u2019t get it. A lot of pictures of food? The outfits maybe make more sense. Besides, Rae\u2019s food looks better than anything I saw there.\n\n\u201cI guess? It\u2019s muted for now. You can look at it later again if you want to when you get more in the swing of things. I suppose it\u2019s not that bad. It will probably be more manageable if you ghost it for a month. I think that should help you, and just let me or Oohashi-san know if other things pop up. And don\u2019t ask about Tik-tok.\u201d She sticks her hand up from the sofa with my phone, waving for me to take it.\n\n\u201cThanks again, Catherine.\u201d\n\nHer hand just gives me a thumbs up, and then disappears behind the sofa cushions. As I start to walk away, she springs back up, \u201cWait, one more thing before I forget!\u201d\n\nThe suddenness is startling. She looks very intense right now. \u201c...Yes?\u201d\n\n\u201cIf you get any texts or other messages trying to get information out of you, or claiming you are in trouble or whatever, do not respond to them. If you really aren\u2019t sure, let me or Oohashi-san see them. This is important\u2014I cannot stress this enough. Those are almost always scams and are not legit, even though they can look convincing. Okay?\u201d She looks deadly serious.\n\nA scam? \u201cBut\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, trust me, you have no context and the last thing we need is someone hacking your phone or bank. Just trust me when I say this. If you don\u2019t recognize the person, which, okay, will probably be the case for most people who contact you, don't give out any information. Better yet, don\u2019t respond at all, and that goes the same for if you get a random call.\u201d I have not seen Catherine this intense in a while. How would one hack up my phone when it is in my hands?\n\n\u201cOkay, I will check with you two first then.\u201d That gets Catherine to release her breath and relax back into the sofa. Another thumbs up rises over the side.\n\nThere is a knock on the door. That must be Rae. I quickly walk over and peek through the peephole. I can see her standing on the other side fidgeting. I can\u2019t stop myself from grinning, and why would I?\n\nI unlock and open the door. \u201cRae!\u201d I have to hold myself back from going in for a hug, but I do give her shoulder an affectionate squeeze. Even that causes her to blush, which is delightful .\n\n\u201cHello, Francois-san,\u201d The quiver in her voice is adorable. \u201cHello, Achard-san, I hope I\u2019m not intruding.\u201d\n\nA hand just sticks up from the sofa and waves. \u201cYou\u2019re helping, Rae, you aren\u2019t intruding. Come in. Your other class went well?\u201d I bring her over to sit at the desk, and I take a seat on my bed.\n\n\u201cUmm, yes, thank you. Sorry I couldn\u2019t escort you again. It can get easy to get turned around on campus.\u201d She doesn\u2019t need to apologize, but it\u2019s cute when she does. \n\n\u201cI managed. Having a map on your phone certainly helps. It updates your position as you move! I know you say it\u2019s not magic, but it feels like magic.\u201d They weren\u2019t lying about how valuable a phone is, but at the same time they both seem to treat it so mundanely?\n\n\u201cCool, Cool. I\u2019m glad you\u2019re starting to get the hang of it!  Soo , umm, how was your first day of classes, then?\u201d Rae asks.\n\nI have to take a long breath, \u201cTruthfully, I didn't retain anything nor really have any idea what we were talking about. The lessons were of arithmetic, business and economics and I thought I would have had some understanding. I have read so many texts and treatises on economics back in Bauer but the fundamentals seem so different here.\u201d \n\n\u201cYeah\u2026 I don\u2019t have a good solution, or at least not an easy one. You have the textbooks, right?\u201d She takes a look at the desk and spots the pile of books, then plucks one and flips it open, \u201cAh, perfect, okay, so this is a good place to start. This intro chapter is actually well written and it does a good job of explaining and walking you through the basics if you can manage to sit down and read through it.\u201d\n\n\u201cI have trudged through treatises, letters and tomes far denser than these and with the most god awful prose you could imagine. If I could bludgeon those morons with a style guide, it would be far too kind.\u201d I let my frustrations out in a chuckle, just for show. \u201cI suspect these will be far easier and more pleasurable to read. Any other suggestions?\u201d  These texts should be more straightforward, and hopefully they won\u2019t be full of justifications for taxing commoners\u2014or whatever the term for them would be here\u2014, to death and ruin.\n\n\u201cCool, cool, yes. This is a good place to start. I think for the math bits we can use my notes, and I\u2019ll help show you how it works. It seems like you\u2019re mostly just unfamiliar with modern notation and formulas, right, Francois-san?\u201d She digs through her bag and pulls out a spiral-bound notebook. \u201cWe can start with this and then you can read the textbooks afterwards. I can even stick around for a bit and work on my own stuff if you want me here to ask questions.\u201d\n\n\u201cI would love to have you around, Rae.\u201d Rae nearly drops her book as she blushes, and I can\u2019t help but smirk. Catherine makes a gagging noise from the sofa. Hush, you.\n\n\u201cC-c-cool.\u201d Rae puts her book of notes on the desk with haste and stiffens.\n\n\u201cRelax Rae.\u201d I get up to fetch the second chair from Catherine\u2019s desk and pull it over next to her. She tries to not visibly react, but I can see her tense up. She seems so wound up, and I know exactly how to unwind her\u2014Claire! Goodness, Claire, leave the poor girl alone. But she is so close, and it would be so easy to push the chair just a bit closer, lean into her and\u2014\n\n\u201cF-Francois-san, are you ready, then?\u201d\n\nI blink. Get it together, Claire, you have more important things to tackle first.\u201cYes, let's start.\u201d I can hold myself toget", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "8_2", "body": "her. I am Claire Francois, after all, and this should be a trivial issue. It doesn\u2019t matter that my wife is right here, inches away, and I could very well just reach over and ki\u2014 It doesn\u2019t matter. I will not be one to give in to such desires, no matter how delicious they may be.\n\nBesides\u2026Rae will give in way before I will.\n\n ", "token_count": 81}
{"file_id": "78", "body": "It\u2019s exciting being in the front seat. Too bad Rei can\u2019t fit up here with me.\n\nLene is driving us to Rei\u2019s old home in Chiba. And not in a limo, either. We thought a normal car would be more cozy.\n\nRei has fallen asleep in the back seat. The ride has been rather relaxing and the scenery is lovely. Japan is a marvel. It\u2019s my first time really getting out of Tokyo and the change of scenery is great, even if we are shackled to the highway. Lene has resisted all attempts at conversation, though.\n\n\u201cLene, how have you been?\u201d\n\nLene startles, not expecting me to break the silence. I\u2019ve had very few opportunities to talk to her in private for more than a few minutes. Every time we\u2019ve spoken, it always feels stilted. She insists on being so formal with me. Even in my previous life I don\u2019t think she ever treated me this\u2026 professionally. I miss the easy relationship we had.\n\n\u201cPardonne moi?\u201d She doesn't take her eyes off the road. At least she isn\u2019t dressed in her usual suit for this trip, which has always felt exceedingly stiff, but even in more casual attire her demeanor is consummately correct. It\u2019s frustrating. \u201cI should have no problem finishing this drive,\u201d she says crisply, misunderstanding my question.\n\n\u201cNo\u2026I meant how have you been. We hardly ever talk, and I feel like I don\u2019t know you.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh,\u201d she says slowly, taking a moment to focus on driving before speaking again. \u201cI have been well, mademoiselle. I find that living in Japan suits me now that I\u2019ve adjusted, and working for your mother has been wonderful.\u201d She still sounds too formal.\n\n\u201cHow long has it been, now?\u201d\n\nLene mulls the question. \u201cI\u2019ll have been in your mother\u2019s employ for a decade next February.\u201d\n\nA decade. I must have been barely a decade old myself. How much older is she here? Lene had worked for us from a very young age in Bauer, but that would have been unacceptable by this world\u2019s standards. \u201cHow old are you, Lene, if you don\u2019t mind me asking?\u201d\n\n\u201cThirty-two, mademoiselle,\u201d she answers frankly. So she\u2019s much older than I am, then. That\u2019s a vast difference from Bauer. It drives home the enormity of the difference between us now.\n\nI want to tell her about our past lives. I should at least tell her something. Mother wants to avoid telling people unnecessarily, and while Lene is close to the family, Mother did not want to introduce the complication. Understandable, if unfortunate. \u201cLene, I\u2019m not sure how else to broach this, but I have to assume you have noticed a change in my demeanor.\u201d\n\nShe\u2019s quiet, and for a moment she looks at me before returning her gaze to the road. \u201cOui.\u201d She\u2019s too polite to ask why, but I can hear the question. I owe her this much, at least.\n\n\u201cYou see, I\u2026I feel better now, and I wanted to apologize for anytime I acted\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cMademoiselle, that isn\u2019t necessary.\u201d She didn\u2019t let me finish.\n\nBut it is necessary. \u201cOf course it is. I know I have treated you poorly, and I\u2019m sure that there is much I wasn\u2019t even aware I was doing.\u201d\n\nLene is quiet, and her focus is on the road again, but I know she is mulling over how to respond. \u201cI appreciate the thought, Mademoiselle Claire, but I knew what I was signing on for when your mother hired me.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat still doesn\u2019t excuse my past behavior.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s not\u2026\u201d Lene can\u2019t quite find the words. I see her glance in the rear view mirror quickly. She sighs. \u201cI didn\u2019t think it was a good idea for you to go off to school on your own with Catherine.\u201d\n\nWhat? \u201cI\u2019m not sure I follow?\u201d\n\n\u201cYour mother tried many things to help you, mademoiselle. Both you and Mademoiselle Catherine have been through a great deal, and I\u2019m aware that I don\u2019t even know the whole of it. I don\u2019t need to know more, but I believed that going off to school on your own would have made things worse. I never expected to see you laughing, smiling. Happy. Depression is\u2026suffocating. It\u2019s like being trapped under a black sea. I don\u2019t mean that it excuses your behavior. I just know how much it can hurt to lose someone.\u201d\n\nI wasn\u2019t expecting such a heartfelt response. I can tell from the sound of her voice that she speaks from painful personal experience.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m sorry, who did\u2026\u201d It\u2019s a painful question, one I maybe shouldn\u2019t ask.\n\n\u201cFamily.\u201d She replies. The hurt in her voice and the cruelty of the situation twists my stomach. Lene does not linger too long on it. \u201cBut you found someone, you found your reason to move forward. If I might be so bold, mademoiselle, I am proud of you. I always knew you knew you could move forward and overcome the past if you only decided you wanted to.\u201d\n\nThat makes my breath catch in my throat. Even when the distance between us feels so vast, Lene is still a pillar. \u201cThank you, Lene.\u201d\n\n\u201cYour partner is wonderful. That was another surprise.\u201d She sounds happy to say it.\n\nI can\u2019t help but glance back at Rei softly snoozing in the back seat. \u201cI love her so much. She\u2019s done so much for me, and still does so much every day.\u201d\n\nLene lets out a content hum and smiles.\n\n\u201cLene, could we spend some time doing something leisurely? I\u2019ve been trying to teach myself to cook, and I would appreciate your input.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, well if that is what you would like, mademoiselle, I would be happy to.\u201d There is a soft smile on her face.\n\n\u201cThank you, Lene.\u201d\n\nThis has been a nice drive.\n\n ", "token_count": 1256}
{"file_id": "58", "body": " Fuck.\n\nFuck!\n\nI need to get out of here, away. Out of the building.\n\nBzzzt!\n\nDon\u2019t answer that. It\u2019s her . I\u2026 can\u2019t right now. I can\u2019t talk to her. I\u2019m just gonna make it even worse. I can\u2019t cook and I'm a coward. I just had to tell her she was wrong but I was too greedy. I didn\u2019t want to let her go. I didn't want to disappoint her by being me and not her .\n\nFuck\u2026 it\u2019s over now. I really fucked it up. Why did I think I could make a fucking cr\u00e8me br\u00fbl\u00e9e of all things? I must have mixed it wrong. I rushed it. I almost set her kitchen on fire-\n\nThump- fuck, my hand stings .\n\nWha- who did I just- \u201cRei?\u201d\n\nOh\u2026\n\n\u2026Oh no\u2026\n\nNot her.\n\n\u201cAre you okay?\u201d Manaria asks.\n\nOf fucking course not.\n\n\u201cP-peachy.\u201d Hold it together.\n\nHer eyes narrow, and like fuck off already. Just get out my way please. I just want to get out of here. \u201cWhat happened?\u201d God, I beat her? What a fucking joke\u2026\n\n\u201cN-none of your f-fucking business.\u201d Fuck I wish that sounding at least a fucking bit stable.\n\n\u201cWhat did she do?\u201d Please leave me alone\u2026\n\n\u201cS-she d-didn\u2019t fucking d-do anything, get out-t of my way already.\u201d Hold it together Rei\u2026\n\n\u201c No , what happened?\u201d She tries to grab my hand and I panic before she can make contact. I swing my arm wide and it causes her to back away, wary of another swing.\n\nShe blinks.\n\n\u201cYou w-wanna know what happened? I fucked up! I\u2019m a loser, I was an idiot thinking I could be with her. What was I t-thinking? She\u2019s wrong about me\u2014I\u2019m nothing like she thinks I am. Of course I was going to f-fucking d-d-dis\u2026.\u201d\n\nOh god the words are drowning in my mouth.\n\nManaria looks wary still. She's treating me like some scared animal , but there is some space between us.\n\nFuck it. I take my chance and bolt past her.\n\n\u201cRei!\u201d I can feel the swish of air but no contact. I dash out of the building and I don\u2019t think she\u2019s chasing me.\n\nDoesn\u2019t stop me from running though.\n\nFuck\n\nFUCK\n\nI just keep moving, pumping my legs. Maybe I can think my way through this. How ? I don\u2019t know\u2026\n\nEveryone tried to tell me \u2026\n\nI need to get out of here. ", "token_count": 545}
{"file_id": "26_1", "body": "\u201cNo.\u201d\n\n\u201cJust listen.\u201d\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t need a new leg.\u201d\n\n\u201cLike hells you don\u2019t. You told me it\u2019s broken!\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s\u2026 fine.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou have been limping everywhere!\u201d\n\n\u201cI have my cane.\u201d Catherine stomps it to ground, I guess for effect but she winces when she has to put more pressure on her bad leg.\n\n\u201cJust please see what needs to be done, Lene said you are long overdue for a replacement.\u201d\n\nCatherine groans.\n\n\u201cAnd it's hurting you!\u201d\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s to be expected Mademoiselle, your socket needs proper maintenance, even if you are not growing much anymore your body is not made of stone, it needs to be readjusted or it will put undue pressure on the area. And you have grown since your last check up.\u201d\n\nCatherine just groans again and I feel really awkward and useless in this whole exchange. I\u2019m just\u2026 moral support I guess?\n\nGo Claire.\n\nLene-sama continues, she seems eager to make sure Catherine goes through with this at least. \u201cMademoiselle Francois would be most pleased if you would finally allow us to help you.\u201d\n\nCatherine glances between the two of them, trying to find some way to counter. She looks at me, like I can offer some relief.\n\nBut Claire is just trying to help her, \u201cUhh? I\u2019m sure they just want what\u2019s best, like it has to get fixed eventually right?\u201d\n\nClaire takes her hand in both of hers, clasping it gently, \u201cPlease Catherine?\u201d\n\nThat would get me to concede, like on the spot.\n\nCatherine still has a some resistance though, but ultimately, not enough, \u201cFuck, fine. Fine, let's get this over with.\u201d\n\nClaire bounces in place, still holding her hand which causes Catherine to roll her eyes.\n\n\u201cTr\u00e8s bien, please this way then Mademoiselle Catherine, In the meantime Mademoiselle Claire and Oohashi, there will not be much space for you in the waiting room, if you desire you can stay with the Limousine, or you may walk about as you wish. It should not take us more than an hour. There is also a caf\u00e9 across the street if you so desire as well.\u201d\n\n\u201cI think the cafe sounds lovely, Rei?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, yah sure?\u201d\n\n\u201cTr\u00e8s bien, then, I will text you when we are finished.\u201d And with that Lene-sama bows, and escorts Catherine to her appointment. Her clinic is part of the hospital I guess.\n\nA part of me is relieved that my part in this was pretty painless, but I also hate feeling so\u2026 useless in this all?\n\n\u201cOh that went so well, Thank you again Rei for coming with me.\u201d I feel her taking my hand in her own.\n\nOkay, as long as she is happy, I suppose that is all that matters in the end. \u201cYah, no problem, it\u2019s not like I did very much.\u201d\n\n\u201cNonsense,\u201d she tuts at me, \u201cYou always help.\u201d She drags me along to the cafe and she orders a small brunch for the both of us. We then find a more secluded booth for us to enjoy our sandwiches, coffee and pastries. \n\nThere is some small idle chatter as Claire comments on the quality of the food, she has such a discerning tongue when it comes to food. Thankfully she hasn\u2019t made much mention of having me cook something, but god I am dreading the topic again. I can barely even offer much of my own commentary on the meal we just had. Like it\u2019s fine? Like it\u2019s good but I don\u2019t even know what to say. She doesn\u2019t seem to make much of a deal of it, she just looks happy.\n\nGod she really does just look happy, and pretty. No she looks fucking gorgeous, I still can\u2019t believe that I am here. Not just here in a cafe with her, sharing a meal, but everything in the last week.\n\nI\u2019m dating her.\n\nShe is lost in thought at the moment, her chin resting on her palm as the ideas filter through her mind. Then she blinks and her eyes meet mine, a lazy smile creeps across her lips and an idle finger plays on the corner of it.\n\n\u201cRei\u2026\u201d\n\nShit, I was staring.\n\nShe seems amused though, \u201cMmmm, Rei, I was wondering\u2026 Is there a style you favor?\u201d\n\n\u201cStyle?\u201d\n\n\u201cHow do you like to dress?\u201d\n\nWhat ?\n\n\u201cI only mean since we will be perusing attire later\u2026 I know how to make you look good but I am more unfamiliar with fashion here and I want you to be happy with whatever we purchase.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh\u2026 umm well I wouldn\u2019t really say I have much, umm sense when it comes to fashion, I don\u2019t know I just wear whatever\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cSomething comfortable?\u201d\n\n\u201cSure?\u201d\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t worry, trust me, I know you dislike dress-up so we won't spend forever. I have ideas in my head but I will have to see what the venue offers first. I will make this as painless as I can.\u201d\n\nI\u2026 I don\u2019t like dress-up? I mean do I\u2026 maybe? There have been a few times when mom was getting me clothes I guess, and maybe that was boring but\u2026 I haven\u2019t really\u2026 This is weird? Is she right? \u201cOh\u2026 Umm sure. You don\u2019t have to go overboard or anything.\u201d\n\n\u201cOf course, I can be frugal but maybe I also want to enjoy the wealth while I have it again.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, umm sure\u2026 did umm, what was it like? You know\u2026 back then?\u201d\n\n\u201cWe were still well off, but I went from exceedingly wealthy to a comfortable modest lifestyle, don\u2019t worry it was well worth it. We had to be careful at times with money but we still were able to enjoy many luxuries. Our daughters wanted for little.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh that\u2019s\u2026 good, did you ever miss it?\u201d\n\n\u201cIn some ways\u2026 but not really. It was the transition that was more so difficult I suppose, unlearning wasteful habits and figuring out how to live on our own. Going from having every meal being prepared by staff to\u2026 well you still prepared most of my meals, but more so I mean that we had to take care of ourselves. Mending our own clothes, cleaning up, chores, even keeping our employment and finances in mind was never a concern I would have had, had I still been a noble.\u201d\n\nI\u2026 she gave up a life of luxury?\n\nFor me?\n\n\u201cIt was worth it.\u201d She answers as if reading my thoughts, there is a soft smile and she reaches over, placing her hand over my own. \u201cThank you again for coming.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh\u2026 well no problem. Really. You and Lene-sama are doing most of the work.\u201d\n\n\u201cHrmmm, you are important too.\u201d\n\nSure\n\n\u201cHey, you're not going to pout that I want you around are you?\u201d\n\n\u201cOhh-What? No I-\n\nShe laughs, \u201cOf course not.\u201d She smirks and breaks into a silly cackle\u2026 oh god she is adorable.\n\nI can\u2019t help but laugh along with her, and once we both calm down I realize she has found my hand\u2026 again. Not a bad thing to keep happening I suppose.\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s better\u2026 This is lovely.\u201d\n\nYah, it is.\n\n\u201cI would like to be together tomorrow as well.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes.\u201d\n\nWhat?\n\nYou said Yes.\n\nShe smiles warmly, \u201cGood, I would very much like to finish your game, Persona, but I also want to finally see some of the other things you like. I know you mentioned a Dungeon Meshi before-\u201d\n\n\u201cReally? You want to know about Dungeon Meshi!?\u201d Oh shit I\u2019m squeezing her hand. God Rei, you are such a fucking little goblin, can\u2019t you just be chill-\n\n\u201cOf course, I have to say, I\u2019m surprised I never heard about it before from you given your current reaction\u2026 I have to ask, there was a novel series you were reading when you were still a teenager. Forgive me, I believe it\u2019s name was Pray\u2026 Love?\u201d\n\n\u201cPrayLove? Between Prayer and Love?\u201d\n\nShe gleams, \u201cYes! That\u2019s the one. You said that was your first yuri series, Shiko showed it to you.\u201d\n\n\u2026\n\n\u201cAm I wrong ?\u201d She smirks, she knows she isn\u2019t.\n\nBut\u2026 I\u2026\n\nOkay, rationally, yes it makes sense she knows this based on what she told me\u2026 but It doesn\u2019t stop it from throwing me for a loop.\n\n\u201cYou were writing stories for it as well?\u201d\n\n\u2026 I need\u2026 to reset my brain\u2026\n\n\u201cI\u2014------------Yes?\u201d\n\n\u201cRei?\u201d\n\n\u2026.\n\n\u201cOh Wow! Sorry that\u2026 is. Wild. Wow.\u201d\n\n\u201cAre you okay Rei?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, Yes.\u201d God I\u2019m chuckling like an idiot now, \u201cGod, sorry, the only person I really ever talk about this with is Shiko\u2026 and Misha, but just a little. She\u2019s a nerd too, but she is not really\u2026 into that stuff. It just really catches me off guard I guess.\u201d\n\n\u201cSorry, I don\u2019t mean to do that to you, it\u2019s just I never imagined you used to be so guarded about this sorta thing. You were always so proud of it before. You told me about one story you had been working on for over five years for Pray Love.\u201d\n\n\u201cFive\u2026 years\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cAre\u2026 you still writing it?\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2026 think so?\u201d\n\nUhhhh\n\n\u201cCould I read it?\u201d She asks sweetly.\n\nFuck no.\n\n\u201cAre you sure? I don't know\u2026 it's\u2026 unhinged. I don't even know if it would make sense\u2026\u201d oh god please don't ask this of me. I will DIE .\n\nOh please don't pout at me Claire, \u201cRei I can assure you, nothing will surprise me, I have seen how unhinged", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "26_2", "body": " you can be,\u201d oh God why is she smirking? What does that mean\u2026 I\u2026 I\u2026 Can't deal with this, oh god. Please let me hide behind my hands. \n\n\u201cRei, it's really not that bad, I think we even might have played some scenes in the bedroom-\u201d\n\nbEdRooM?\n\n\u201c- it was honestly a lot of fun, we can even get a collar again-\u201d\n\ntHE cOllAr?!\n\nOh god please.\n\nAaaaaaaaaaa\n\n\u201c- as well as a few other toys\u2026 umm Rei are you okay?\u201d \n\nPeachy\n\n\u201cReiiii\u201d\n\n\u201cRei, look at me please,\u201d\n\nI don't want to.\n\nShe does look worried, god just get over yourself. Stop being so embarrassed over\u2026 sex.\n\nYou want it .\n\n\u201cHey\u2026 it's okay Rei,\u201d she's so kind\u2026 \u201cI'm sorry, it's easy to forget how different you are now.\u201d \n\nI bet\n\n\u201cDoes it make you uncomfortable?\u201d\n\n\u201cNO! Yes? I\u2026 I don't know\u2026 I'm embarrassed? God I\u2026 I wrote this stuff\u2026 and\u2026 now\u2026 you\u2026 me\u2026 \u201c\n\nI can hear my swallow. \n\n\u201c bed\u2026 I\u2026 it's a lot, it sounds amazing,  scary\u2026 I-\u201d\n\n\u201c Rei\u2026 that's normal, the first time I was ever with anyone, it was with you. I didn't know anything about being physical, let alone with another woman. It was intimidating as it was alluring, trust me, I understand. But you were there for me, gentle and you never rushed me. Let me do that for you.\u201d\n\nI feel her squeeze my hand, When did she\u2026?\n\n\u201cI\u2026 want\u2026 to\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cWe can go slowly.\u201d\n\n\u2026okay. Yah slow works.\n\nSlower Claire\u2026\n\nGet out of here!\n\n\u201cI\u2026 Yes\u2026 that. Thanks Claire. Sorry I shouldn't be-\u201d\n\n\u201cPlease don't apologize, Rei. I'm sorry if I ever push you too much. I'm too greedy with my desires. And I might have too much fun teasing you.\u201d\n\nThanks Claire.\n\n\u201cThe teasing is fun.\u201d\n\nShe smirks proudly, \u201cI know it is.\u201d\n\nHuh?\n\nYou said the quiet part out loud and the loud part\u2026\n\nShit!\n\n\u201cYou're adorable Rei.\u201d\n\nShe\u2026 god I really want to do this.\n\nI want to be hers.\n\nHer Rei.\n\n\u201c Soooooo? \u201d\n\n\u201cHuh?\u201d\n\n\u201cYou let me read your works, eventually?\u201d\n\nShit!\n\n\u201cEventually?\u201d God I am not ready for this.\n\nI just started writing the really deranged stuff too.\n\n\u201cIt's not done though?\u201d\n\n\u201cThat's okay,  after all,   I think I know how it ends.\u201d Oh god, she always sounds so- I freeze as her hand moves to my face, she has a discerning look and her thumb rubs against my cheek.\n\nShe pulls her hand back, \u201cAh that was bugging me.\u201d She inspects whatever it was she cleaned off my face, then looks up at me and as she holds my gaze she licks her thumb, in the most fucking suggestive way possible, and she KNOWS what it\u2019s doing to me.\n\n\u201cEventually.\u201d She looks so satisfied.\n\nI\u2019m not meant to survive.\n\n ", "token_count": 675}
{"file_id": "60_1", "body": " This was a stupid place to come. There\u2019s too many people, and I can see the lotuses on the lake from our date before. \n\nGod I fucked up .\n\nI just want to be alone. Maybe if I sit off to the side under a tree I can just\u2026.\n\nI need to think. Calm down. I need to fix this.\n\nHow?\n\nTell her I\u2019m not her Rae?\n\nJeez, My hand still stings.\n\nGod, I\u2019m so fucking stupid. I should have said something, anything . Why did I act like I could make cr\u00e8me br\u00fbl\u00e9e?\n\nI can\u2019t do anything.\n\nI can\u2019t do anything she needs from me.\n\nI\u2019m just pretending to be her Rae.\n\nI just want to disappear-\n\n\u201cOohashi-san?\u201d\n\nHuh ? Oh, what\u2019s he doing here? Can\u2019t I just go one minute without running into someone? Yu\u2019s brother\u2026. ah fuck, what was his name? Thane-san?\n\n\u201cH-Hi\u2026 Bauer-san?\u201d\n\n\u201cAre you alright?\u201d\n\nNo. Obviously.\n\n\u201cP-peachy.\u201d\n\nHe frowns.\n\n\u201cWhy are you here?\u201d I ask. He makes a face at that. Don't snap at him . \u201cSorry\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cI like to come out here and think. Sometimes it helps me compose.\u201d I hate how calm he sounds right now.\n\nOf course he composes . God I feel so\u2026 worthless .\n\nHe doesn\u2019t seem taken aback even though I\u2019m being an ass. He sets a bag down and takes a seat with a view of the lake.\n\n\u201cYou\u2019re upset.\u201d\n\nNo shit .\n\nStop. Breathe . \u201cL-Look\u2026 I\u2026 I don\u2019t want to\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cI know we don\u2019t really know each other\u2026 but you are Yu\u2019s friend\u2026 and he has worries. Perhaps you need someone to talk to that is outside your circle. If you want, I can listen.\u201d\n\n\u201c I fucked up .\u201d Nononono I wasn't supposed-\n\n\u201cHow so? Is\u2026 is this about Francois-san?\u201d\n\n\u201cUghh\u2026. Umm, I\u2026 fuck. Yes. It is.\u201d No use in denying it now is there\u2026\n\n\u201cOohashi-san, if you don\u2019t mind me asking, I have\u2026 maybe an intuitive guess as to your relationship with her, but I would rather you tell me.\u201d \n\nGod\u2026 do I\u2026 \u201cWe\u2026 were\u2026 dating.\u201d\n\nHe doesn't look surprised. Of course he figured it out. Claire has not been great about keeping secrets. That\u2019s how I know she\u2019s not telling me everything. That I'm not her Rae. \u201c Were dating?\u201d\n\n\u201cWell she\u2019s going to break up with me now. She knows I\u2019m not what she wants...\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat she wants?\u201d\n\n\u201cShe thinks that I\u2019m some super girl. That I can cook. That I can write. That I can punch god. She thinks that I\u2019m perfect. But I\u2019m not. I\u2019m a l-loser .\u201d\n\n\u201cHmmm, did something happen?\u201d\n\nGod, how do I even begin to explain what happened? Is this even going to make sense? \u201cShe wanted me to make a cr\u00e8me br\u00fbl\u00e9e.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd?\u201d\n\n\u201cI couldn't. Obviously.\u201d\n\n\u201cDid you tell her?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo. Because I\u2019m a fuck up! She thought I could but I couldn\u2019t. I should\u2019ve told her I couldn't but I didn\u2019t. And I fucked it up.\u201d Of course I did.\n\n\u201cBut\u2026 why would she think you could do that in the first place?\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s complicated .\u201d\n\n\u201cComplicated?\u201d Why is his every response like that?\n\n\u201cAre you just going to repeat everything I say?\u201d\n\n\u201cYou aren\u2019t giving me a whole lot to work with Oohashi-san. How is it complicated? Was there a misunderstanding? Did you lie?\u201d How is he always so calm ?\n\n\u201cI\u2026 didn\u2019t lie\u2026\u201d You lied by omission. \u201cI\u2026 guess it was a misunderstanding. She\u2026 thinks I\u2019m way more talented than I really am and I was too scared to tell her otherwise. I didn\u2019t want her to leave me when she realized I\u2019m not the person she thinks I am. There. Happy? She obviously would be better off with someone else...\u201d With Her.\n\nHe just hums.\n\n\u201cNothing to say to that, huh?\u201d\n\n\u201cMaybe she would\u2026\u201d\n\nGod\u2026\n\nNo\u2026\n\n\u201cMaybe she wouldn\u2019t. I don\u2019t know Francois-san that well, and my few\u2026 encounters with her were\u2026 well quite different from the last time that I saw her with you. Even Yu is perplexed by her shift. But there is one thing we have noticed. She seems\u2026 happier now, very much. Yu said he doesn\u2019t understand it.\u201d\n\n\u201cEven Yu thinks we make no sense. Great .\u201d\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s not what he said or I said.\u201d He sighs. I must be frustrating. I\u2019m frustrated with myself. He's being nice and listening and I'm being an ass. \u201cYu said he found her talking with her friends, and she was talking about an anime of all things. He said it was because of you. He eavesdropped for a bit and she was trying to convince her friends to watch it. He didn\u2019t get that .\u201d\n\nShe was telling her friends to watch\u2026 \u201cDungeon Meshi? We\u2026 she\u2019s just read the manga, she hasn\u2019t watched it.\u201d\n\n\u201cOohashi-san, I wasn\u2019t there so I may be getting exact details mixed up. Regardless\u2026 it was odd, out of character for her I suppose. Honestly Yu had a better grasp of her than I\u2026 I just was the subject of her\u2026 advances? Flirtations? Honestly I\u2019m not sure what to call it. If I\u2019m being honest it was off putting and unwelcome. But when I ran into the two of you together\u2026 she\u2019s different. The way she talks now is nothing like when she talked to me before.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh\u2026\u201d I mean of course\u2026  with all that\u2026 but\u2026 \u201cWhat\u2026 was she like? Before?\u201d\n\n\u201cMechanical.\u201d There\u2019s little hesitation. \u201cI didn\u2019t really know her but it felt like she was\u2026 on autopilot? Maybe? It\u2019s hard to say really. I had known her for less then a month but she left a strong impression. The difference with you is night and day though. Yu\u2019s been keeping tabs on her, and she\u2026 maybe Yu would be better to talk to about this-\u201d\n\n\u201c I\u2019m not talking to Yu about this .\u201d\n\n\u201c...Fine, Yu has been suspicious of her this whole time. But in his words, she just likes you. Even the \u2018stupid\u2019 stuff.\u201d \n\nHe uses air quotes when he says stupid. Clearly he feels guilty about repeating it. Not like Yu is wrong though.\n\n\u201cUghhhh, of course that\u2019s what he would say\u2026 what an ass .\u201d\n\nThane just sighs. At least he shares the sentiment. We sit there for a moment. \n\nI don't know why I'm even telling him all of this. \n\n\u201cYou like her?\u201d\n\n\u201cClaire? Of course. She\u2019s perfect!\u201d She's amazing and I don't deserve her.\n\nThane raises a brow, \u201cSo perfect that you think she fundamentally misunderstands you?\u201d\n\n\u201cWell\u2026 I mean\u2026 you don\u2019t understand.\u201d\n\n\u201cI suppose. I am an outsider. I probably will never understand it like you do. But Francois-san is human, and she can be wrong. She can act irrational, and from my perspective she has acted quite\u2026 unusual as of late. But I do think she cares for you. And you care for her. I think it would be a shame if this ended over something like a misunderstanding.\u201d\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t want it to end\u2026 but she knows now\u2026 I\u2019m not her Rae .\u201d\n\n\u201cOohashi-san. Forgive me if this seems\u2026 callous, but this outcome seemed destined to happen. It sounds to me like you have been worrying about this image that you think Francois-san has of you, yet you never talked to her about it. Regardless of whether it would be a point of contention for her or not, your relationship would not have survived if you can\u2019t talk to her about these sorts of things.\u201d\n\nI was always going to ruin it, wasn\u2019t I?\n\n\u201cI can\u2019t speak for how she feels, but it seems genuine. To repeat myself, it really was like night and day. She really was enamored with you when we talked. It was very obvious something was happening. And I think she would want to try to make whatever happened between you two better. But I don\u2019t know what actually happened between you too. I wasn\u2019t there.\u201d\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t think she will\u2026 and even if she did\u2026 I ran away\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cHmmm\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cGod what do I do\u2026?\u201d\n\n\u201cHard to say, but what do you want ? Do you want to apologize, to make amends?\u201d\n\n\u201cCan I?\u201d I ran away.\n\n\u201cWhy not?\u201d It can\u2019t be that simple.\n\n\u201cBut\u2026 I ruined it?\u201d\n\n\u201cWorse things have been fixed, Oohashi-san.\u201d Stop making it sound so simple.\n\n\u201cBut\u2026 I can\u2019t\u2026 I don\u2019t know if I can be what she wants.\u201d\n\n\u201cHave you asked her what she wants? She might have made some assumptions, but aren\u2019t you also making some assumptions if you haven\u2019t asked? If she really wants you to be someone else\u2026 well\u2026\u201d He sighs, \u201c People like that are wrong .\u201d\n\n\u201c She can\u2019t be the one who\u2019s wrong.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy?\u201d\n\n\u201cShe\u2026 she knows better than me\u2026?\u201d\n\n\u201cBecause she\u2019s perfect?\u201d\n\n\u201c You don\u2019t get it .\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, you don\u2019t get it. She has obviously fallen in love with you, and I can\u2019t claim to be an expert but love seems to have a way of turning people into fools. It\u2019s the worst kept secret that something is going on between you two and Yu says she is fooling no one. Even Rod is asking questions now.\u201d\n\nRod\u2026 Every", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "60_2", "body": "one knows\u2026\n\n\u201cI c-can\u2019t\u2026 I need to-to\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cOohashi-san? I\u2019m sor-\u201d\n\n\u201cI can\u2019t. I\u2019m not her. I can\u2019t cook. I can\u2019t save the world. I can\u2019t even fucking keep it t-together when ev-veryone k-knows. I\u2026 I \u2026\u201d\n\nNeed to not be here.\u201d\n\n\u201cOohashi-san, I-\u201d\n\nI\u2019m already up and walking away as he starts up whatever he was going to say. \n\nEven Rod knows.\n\nFuck.\n\n ", "token_count": 110}
{"file_id": "29_1", "body": " Bars\u2026\n\nI knew I wouldn\u2019t like it in a place like this\u2026\n\nBut I really don\u2019t like it in a place like this.\n\nThe light is just poor, the music is too everywhere\u2026\n\nAnd it\u2019s too small with too many people.\n\n\u201cAre you okay?\u201d Claire asks me, a hand on my arm, she has to raise her voice over the ambient noise\n\n\u201cYah, it's just\u2026 umm in here.\u201d\n\nShe hums and nods in agreement. \u201cI don\u2019t want to linger longer than we have to either. Let's mingle and get it over with.\u201d\n\nShe pulls me further into the bar, we have to squeeze past people too often, and I am bumping into too many people here. Ugh, this sucks.\n\nThere is already someone trying to talk to her, she is caught off guard at first but she quickly recovers. With practiced ease she slips into a conversation with what I assume are other students but I don\u2019t really recognize anyone here. My only hope is I might see Misha; or at least Yu, at some point.\n\nWait, is that another person talking to her now? At least she seems in her element, I can\u2019t even hear anything being said right now.\n\nJust\u2026 zone out Rei. I can do that.\n\nJust detach yourself from this body, time is a social construct. It\u2019s already eight now right?\n\nRight phone?\n\n6:49 PM\n\nHow could you betray me phone?\n\nAt least Claire looks like she is managing okay, she laughs and looks my way for a second. She flashes a quick smile and returns back to the conversation at hand. She seems good at this all things considered, I can\u2019t really hear the specifics of what they are saying, but it looks like they are laughing. At least I don\u2019t need to do anything. I\u2019m just here as an emotional support.\n\nMoral support. \n\nRei Oohashi, emotional support girlfriend.\n\nHmph, I\u2019m going to be the best fucking emotional support girlfriend possible.\n\nI think. I am helping\u2026 right?\n\n6:57 PM\n\nOh just fucking kill me now.\n\nOh Claire is moving back to me, I hope that went we-\n\n\u201cClaire-Chan!... and Oohashi-san\u2026 So glad you could make it\u201d Fuck that made me jump, oh it\u2019s one of Claire\u2019s lackeys, the pink haired one.\n\n\u201cPepi-Chan, Loretta-Chan!\u201d Claire moves in and gives the two a quick hug, oh, I\u2019m in the conversation circle now\u2026.\n\n\u201cWe missed seeing you at these, Claire-chan.\u201d Aaaand there's the other lackey. She\u2019s tall aint she?\n\n\u201cSorry Loretta-chan, I don\u2019t really think I\u2019m meant for these anymore.\u201d\n\nThe second lackey gives me a stink eye. Ha whatever, she kissed me jock . \u201cBut\u2026 umm how will you keep up with everybody then?\u201d\n\nClaire just shrugs, and leans into me\u2026. oooooOOOOHHHhhhh fuck. The lackeys look like they want to kill me.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s not really that important in the long run is it? And I like the way things are now\u2026\u201d I can just catch her smirk from the corner of my eye. \u201cWe can make time for other get togethers.\u201d\n\nEveryone is staring\u2026\n\nI can\u2019t help the stray thought\u2026 god I can\u2019t help it, I'm trying to scan around and I'm just just overreacting\u2026 I think. It\u2019s dark and crowded and everyone is in their own conversations\u2026\n\nAnd I just want to enjoy being with her\u2026 that\u2019s okay right?\n\nPink lackey breathes in through her nose, \u201cI guess seeing is believing\u2026\u201d She gives me one more appraisal, she\u2019s not impressed, \u201cAt least you made her look reasonable for tonight.\u201d\n\n\u201c Very reasonable if you ask me, but it\u2019s not really that hard if you ask me.\u201d\n\nOh boy, dark, crowded and hot in here.\n\n\u201cRiiight, well no one is catching on, as long as you don't shove your hand down further.\u201d\n\nOh fuck please\u2026\n\nClaire hums.\n\nPink lackey shakes her head, \u201cI\u2019m getting a drink, do you want your usual Claire-chan?\u201d\n\nI can feel her stiffens, \u201cOooh, sure, Thanks Pepi-chan.\u201d Claire has no idea what she just agreed to drink does she?\n\n\u201cDo you want something?\u201d She asks me, oh god no, I shake my head and then she turns to the other lackey. They share a few words, the second one nods and then pinkie leaves, making her way to the bar.\n\n\u201cSooo.\u201d Claire says at the Lackey left behind.\n\n\u201cYes?\u201d\n\n\u201cPepi-chan is looking quite lovely tonight isn\u2019t she?\u201d\n\nHuh?\n\nShe quirks a brow, and then looks at me. \u201cHuh?, I thought you were\u2026 I\u2026 what?\u201d\n\n\u201cNoooo, I just meant don\u2019t you think she looks lovely Loretta-chan?\u201d\n\n\u201cUmmm\u2026?\u201d\n\n\u201cYou should tell her she looks great when she comes back, I\u2019m sure she would love it.\u201d What\u2026 is\u2026 she doing?\n\n\u201cI\u2026 I guess? Pepi-chan\u2019s dress does look good.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes! I bet she thinks you look good too, the shirt and slacks really suit you. Quite handsome, I\u2019m sure she thinks so too.\u201d\n\nThe lackey blushes brightly, \u201cAaaaa\u2026 thank you Claire-chan\u2026.\u201d It\u2019s almost impossible to hear as her voice implodes. \n\nIt is funny to see someone else have a gay panic over Claire.\n\n\u201cPepi-chan is quite cute isn\u2019t she?\u201d Noooo, is she\u2026?\n\nLackey seems to be at a loss for words, and from the looks of it now is stuck in her own head.\n\nI can feel Claire sway, somewhat in beat with the music.\n\n\u201cUmm, how are you liking this Claire-chan?\u201d I ask her.\n\n\u201cNot really that pleasant if I am being honest. This is not like any social gathering I or we ever attended. It\u2019s\u2026 oppressive. Thank you for coming with me, are you okay? You seem to be a bit on edge.\u201d\n\n\u201cNooooo\u2026 well maybe a little. This really isn\u2019t my thing.\u201d\n\n\u201cI know.\u201d She says, and I can feel her hand wrap around mine, \u201cWe don\u2019t have to stay too long.\u201d\n\nA cough causes us both to startle a little, oh it\u2019s her lackey back, carrying a few drinks, \u201cHere Claire-chan.\u201d It's a tall glass of a reddish drink, a fair bit of ice, staw, and a lemon slice on the side. Claire hesitantly takes it, and her lackey passes a drink to the other one.\n\nShe looks at her as she takes the drink, a slow glance up and down the pink one, and turns away. \u201cThanks Pepi\u2026chan.\u201d Oh god, she is blushing again. And Misha gives me grief\u2026\n\nI lean into Claire, \u201cDo they\u2026.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhatever could you be implying\u2026,?\u201d Oh they totally do, she can\u2019t even keep a straight face, she is totally trying to kick it off too.\n\n\u201cYou are a bad liar.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh hush.\u201d She gives me a playful bump with her shoulder, and then she carefully examines her drink some more. \u201cDo you know what this is?\u201d\n\n\u201cYou\u2019re asking me?\u201d\n\nShe gives a hesitant smell, and considers for a second before taking a sip, \u201cOoooh, that\u2019s sweet.\u201d She gives it one more sip. \u201cHmm, that is strong.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou going to be okay?\u201d\n\n\u201cI think so, as long as I ration it, I should be fine.\u201d Okay\u2026\n\n\u201cSo what did those people talk to you about before?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, it was mostly just your typical pleasantries, honestly I think they were just trying to schmooze but it was polite enough I suppose. I might be bad at straight up lying but I am very good at telling people what they want to hear.\u201d She chuckles.\n\n\u201cDid you-\u201d\n\n\u201cOh look who we have here!\u201d\n\nShit.\n\nClaire is also startled and we both turn as Yu-san\u2019s older brother weaves his way into our circle. It practically forces the lackeys out. Almost felt bad for them, almost.\n\n\u201cOh Claire-sama, how kind of you to grace us with your presence.\u201d God he isn\u2019t really that loud, but he feels so loud.\n\n\u201cOh Rod-san, it\u2019s good to see you\u2026 in one piece.\u201d She is definitely staring at his right arm, what\u2019s so interesting about his arm\u2026 did-\n\n\u201cAnd who might you be?\u201d Oh\u2026 he is staring right at me, why is he grinning like that?\n\n\u201cUmm, Oohashi-san. I\u2019m friends with Francois-san.\u201d\n\nHe glances curiously at Claire, before snapping back to me. His eyes run up and down\u2026\n\n\u201cThat sounds familiar, you wouldn\u2019t happen to know my baby brother would you, Yu?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes\u2026 I\u2019m friends with him and Misha Jur, we were in the same highschool.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh that\u2019s great. I knew you seemed familiar! What are you doing with Francois-san here?\u201d He asks all conspiratorially, like she isn\u2019t even there. \u201cDo you want to talk for a bit?\u201d\n\nWhat the actual fuck?\n\nClare huffs up, but grits her teeth. \u201cShe is also MY dear friend Rod-San.\u201d\n\n\u201cIf you are looking for Thane, he isn\u2019t going to be here.\u201d He deadpans, and tries to shift his focus back to me.\n\nClaire looks hot\u2026 I mean pissed. She takes a deep drink, \u201cWell I\u2019m not looking for him!\u201d\n\nHe sighs and gives an eyeroll, \u201cSure, I guess you finally took a hint.\u201d\n\n\u201cExcuse you? I talked to Thane, maybe if you actually talked to him you would know, it was", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "29_2", "body": " mutual, and Rei is not interested!\u201d\n\nUghh\u2026\n\nThat gets him to turn back fully to her, he doesn\u2019t look too impressed. \u201cUh Huh, and you don\u2019t sound upset or jealous, that's why I want to talk to your friend over you.\u201d\n\nFuck\n\n\u201cOh god, young Rod.\u201d Claire mumbles and then takes another drink, oh that\u2019s going away quickly\u2026 \u201cI have someone, and it\u2019s not You or Thane.\u201d She moves slightly between me and him, making a bit of a barrier.\n\n\u201cThen how about you go bug them, and let me talk to your friend.\u201d\n\nShe wickedly cackles, like the perfect villainess catching the hero in a perfect trap. \u201cYou think she wants to talk to You ?\u201d \n\nOh god she is perfect.\n\nHe looks a bit taken aback, but decides to ignore her once again, now focusing right on me. \u201cOohashi-san, would you like to exchange nu-\u201d\n\n\u201cNo.\u201d\n\n\u2026\n\nOh shit, that just slipped out, wait fuck, he was asking for my number? REAlly? He really was trying to pick me up, oh god please no\u2026\n\nI feel Claire lean into me and she weaves her arms around mine, very possessively and if it weren\u2019t for all the eyes I can feel on us I might just die happy right now.\n\n\u201cSee?\u201d She says very triumphantly, \u201cShe is Mine. \u201d She laughs again and how does it sound so perfect?\n\n\u201cFine,\u201d he finally looks ready to call it quits, \u201cI\u2026 hope you enjoy the party, let me know if you change your mind, Oohashi-san.\u201d And he pushes back into the crowd.\n\nEveryone is watching us, like actually watching us now.\n\nClaire is still clinging to my arm, and her drink is completely drained.\n\nThere is a laugh from the side and fuck I am so on edge.\n\n\u201cNever thought I would see you here Rei-chan, with Francois-san nonetheless.\u201d\n\nIt\u2019s Yu, and he has Misha with him too. Unlike me, Yu looks in his element, Misha might be a bit bored.\n\n\u201cYu!\u201d Claire glees, \u201cIt\u2019s so good to see you, oh I hardly recognize you!\u201d She gives his arm a pat, and it looks like she is looking for something not there. Do all the Bauers just look wrong to her?\n\nYu definitely looks taken off guard by that, Claire seems to have a way of doing that to people doesn't she, \u201cIs that so\u2026? Might I suggest laying off the drinks then my dear?\u201d He says smoothly, Claire just laughs, a bit too freely. \n\nMisha glares at her though and places herself part way in between the two\u2026 it's def not jealousy right? \u201cI\u2019m surprised she dragged you here Rei.\u201d Yu comments.\n\n\u201cOh yah, hahaha, Claire-san wanted me to come so\u2026\u201d\n\nI can feel Claire tighten up along me, wrapping her arm around mine again\u2026 oh god.\n\nShe just smirks, like it is her victory. Who are you fighting?\n\n\u201cWell when did this happen? I heard from Misha that you two have become friends \u2026 and I also heard some interesting things from Thane, seems that that ship has finally sailed away.\u201d Yu's enjoying this, the shit.\n\nClaire laughs, \u201cYes I suppose it has, he was rather sweet about it.\u201d\n\n\u201cReaaally?\u201d\n\nClaire just smiles, I can feel her warmth seep into me. I\u2019m burning up.\n\nYu laughs, \u201cI would have never guessed.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt certainly is something .\u201d Misha deadpans, thank god she hasn\u2019t been telling any major secrets to Yu. She is just so much better at this than me.\n\n\u201cI am dying to know how this,\u201d He waves between us, a slight grin on his face, \u201cHappened.\u201d\n\nFuck\u2026 He def knows, not about Claire\u2019s Isekai but us , of course he knows. He isn\u2019t an idiot, even if Misha said absolutely nothing, he knows I am the gayest lesbian ever. He can put two and two together, he can see that I am blushing and I know Misha has been telling him what an idiot I am for having a crush on Claire. \n\nAt least my crush is going somewhere, Misha.\n\n\u201cWhatever could you mean ?\u201d Claire hums, clearly happy to play along and continue to hang on my arm.\n\n\u201cOh, whatever could I mean ?\u201d Yu gives me a smirk.\n\nFuck.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s good to see you here with Misha-chan Yu-chan \u2026 would you two\u2026?\u201d She counters, and Yu blushes a little.\n\n\u201c Francois-san \u2026\u201d There is a warning edge to Misha\u2019s voice.\n\nDid Claire talk to Misha about something before?, \u201cDid you two-\u201d\n\n\u201cWe had a talk after she decided to\u2026 friend with you Rei. I just hope she remembers to not out people before they are ready? Right Rei?\u201d Misha states, more so than asks me, just glaring at Claire.\n\n\u201cOh\u2026 umm\u2026\u201d\n\nClaire pouts, \u201cI haven\u2019t said anything about anyone\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cAre\u2026 you okay with this Rei?\u201d Yu asks, oddly sincerely.\n\nGod, am I okay with my crush, the hottest girl I have ever seen, the girl who seems perfectly tailored to my tastes, who is totally into me, who thinks I was her perfect wife in her past life\u2026 am I okay with whatever this is.\n\nOh god yes.\n\n\u201cyeS.\u201d Squeaks out. Fuck it\u2019s way to warm in here.\n\nClaire just tightens gently around me after I say that, I don\u2019t even need to see her face to know she is grinning madly.\n\nYu, looks a little less concerned but he still looks confused, can\u2019t really fault him for that.\n\n\u201cWell I guess this will be our little secret\u2026\u201d He leans to Claire\u2019s ear and whispers something I can\u2019t make out.\n\nWhen he pulls back there is a serious look on Claire\u2019s face, \u201cI will never do that, I will always be there for her\u2026 and I will be there for you and Misha as well, for whatever that may come.\u201d\n\nHe was not expecting that, but he just laughs, \u201cOh, well aren\u2019t you full of surprises ? Well I hope you two enjoy your night. Misha I heard that Tanaka-san was making a fine ass of himself and he is somewhere to be found, shall we?\u201d\n\nMisha just rolls her eyes at his glee, \u201cSure, but don\u2019t complain when it\u2019s not really that interesting.\u201d\n\nYu just laughs and pulls Misha through the crowd, it's wild how easy it is to lose track of people in such a small bar. At least I can\u2019t really lose track of Claire when she is clinging to me\u2026 she is putting more weight onto me though isn\u2019t she?\n\n\u201cUmm Claire-san?\u201d\n\n\u201cGoodness, I feel just a touch dizzy. I think that drink went straight to my head.\u201d\n\nOh\u2026 \u201cAre you okay?\u201d\n\n\u201cI think I need a moment\u2026 just let me cling here\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cOh jesus Claire-chan!\u201d Fuck the pink haired one jumpscared me. \u201cI just gave you that drink.\u201d\n\n\u201csorry.\u201d she mumbles softly.\n\nThe lackey pinches her nose, \u201cGreat, she doesn\u2019t usually get like this until at least two drinks\u2026 really? Why did you think you could down that so quickly?\u201d\n\n\u201crod was being rude. rei is mine\u2026\u201d She slurs. Oh she really is leaning on me for support now.\n\n\u201cGod you are a disaster, We should take her home before this becomes worse.\u201d\n\nWait, escape?\n\n\u201cOh, yes, let's do that.\u201d\n\nShe rolls her eyes. \u201cCome on Claire-chan, let\u2019s get you out of here, come on Oohashi-san.\u201d \n\n\u201crei has to come\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, yes.\u201d She starts to pull us through the crowd to the door. \u201cWatch the steps with her.\u201d she says once we break the threshold and start navigating the stairs back to the street. Out of the corridor the air is cooler again, and I can hear everything normally again. Thank god.\n\n\u201cCome on otaku.\u201d\n\n\u201cUgh, thanks\u2026 umm\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cPepi Barlier.\u201d\n\n\u201cThanks Barlier-san\u201d\n\nThere are soft mumbles from Claire as we start walking towards her dorm, it is mostly quiet. I don\u2019t really know what to say to her lac- friend. \n\n\u201cWhat did you do?\u201d \n\n\u201cUgh\u2026?\u201d\n\nClaire seems mostly out of it at this point, just hanging on my arm as we slowly move down the street.\n\n\u201cShe didn\u2019t even know your name a month ago.\u201d She\u2019s mad at me.\n\n\u201cYou think I can explain it?\u201d\n\nShe groans, \u201cHow did this even start?\u201d\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t know. She walked right up to me and said she loved me.\u201d\n\n\u201csoooo much.\u201d Claire manages to add while her face is in my shoulder. Oh god I love her.\n\nBarlier-san doesn't look\u2026 thrilled, but she doesn\u2019t look like she is trying to pick a fight either. I think she just wants to understand, an explanation.\n\nIt must seem weird.\n\nIt is weird\n\n\u201cUmm, how\u2026 you\u2019ve been friends with her for a while?\u201d\n\n\u201cHighschool\u201d, she doesn\u2019t offer much more elaboration.\n\n\u201cSo she\u2019s changed?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes.\u201d\n\n\u201cHo-\u201d\n\n\u201cDid you do something?\u201d\n\n\u201cExcuse me?\u201d\n\n\u201cMagic, mind control? I don\u2019t fucking know.\u201d She huffs.\n\nJeez, that wouldn\u2019t be an easier explanation than whatever version of isekai Claire has. \u201cNo, I really didn\u2019t do anything like that, and I wouldn\u2019t if I could. I never talked to her before, but she came up to me\u2026 and was just honest. I listened and\u2026I guess she told you already, I\u2019m not going to lie, I had\u2026 have a massive crush on her, I was too nerv", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "29_3", "body": "ous to even talk to her.\u201d\n\n\u201cSo the whole tutor thing has been a lie?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, no that\u2019s true, she needs the help and we haven\u2019t had much chance to do much else.\u201d\n\nShe makes a face that I can\u2019t really make out in the dark, maybe she is just annoyed at the lack of confirming evidence? \u201cSo you aren\u2019t dating?\u201d\n\n\u201cUghh, we did sorta go on a date last sunday\u2026\u201d\n\nWow, that night is going to be a memory for a while, I'm feeling flush even in the cool air.\n\n\u201cLu-ck-y you...\u201d\n\n\u201cYah\u2026\u201d\n\nShe huffs, and just focuses on walking the path.\n\n\u201cSo like, what were you guys like, was she like a Regina George?\u201d\n\nThere is a humorless laugh \u201cSure, whatever I guess. You weren't there, we don\u2019t have to justify anything.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2026 sorry that was maybe\u2026 well very rude, I\u2019m just trying to piece it together. I don\u2019t think she liked the way she used to be.\u201d\n\n\u201cCan we just get Claire-chan back?\u201d\n\n\u201cShe just doesn\u2019t talk a lot about what she was like, just that she didn\u2019t like it.\u201d\n\nShe groans, \u201cWhat do you think I am going to say, that we were terrible? Look, we looked out for each other. You think it\u2019s easy going to a private school where everyone's mom or dad is some big shot politician, an actor or some rich asshole? Where you get judged for every little fucking thing. Claire-chan took care of us.\u201d\n\n\u201cI-\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd we were going to be doing that just fine but then YOU show up and now all her priorities have fucking screwed up? She always said she wanted Thane-san for the clout and now she is saying she LOVES YOU!? That we are her friends? She never fucking said that before. She never told us what she was thinking! How is she\u2026 happy now?! What fucking happened?!\u201d\n\n\u201c...pepi\u2026\u201d I can hear Claire mumbling and reaching out towards her friend.\n\n\u201cHuh?\u201d\n\n\u201c... come here\u201d\n\nPepi comes closer, and Claire pulls her into a hug.\n\n\u201cI wish I told you how important you were.\u201d She says slowly.\n\nI can see Pepi-san just still as Claire closes her arms around more so, like an animal caught in headlights. After a moment she coughs, \u201cSheesh Claire\u2026 um you don\u2019t need\u2026\u201d Her voice wavers.\n\n\u201cHush you dolt, let me apologize.\u201d\n\n\u201c...\u201d\n\nI should give them some space I think, god I feel awkward right now-\n\n\u201cWhy noW?\u201d Oh fuck she is crying now.\n\n\u201csorry, I don kno\u2026\u201d\n\nClaire just hums as she holds her friends crying softly.\n\nI\u2026 should I be here for this? We are just in the middle of the walkway\u2026\n\nEventually I can hear them calm down. \u201cBetter?\u201d Claire asks.\n\n\u201cYeah\u2026 hey Oohashi-san, take your girlfriend.\u201d\n\nGirlfriend\u2026\n\nOh snap out it Rei.\n\n\u201cRight, yes, yes.\u201d Claire hesitantly lets go, but once she sees I am available there is a sly grin and she hangs herself off me. Ouph, well this is awkward but at least we can move again\u2026 if slowly.\n\n\u201cUmm\u2026 Barlier-san\u2026?\u201d\n\nShe turns her head to regard me, but doesn\u2019t offer much more than a hum.\n\n\u201cI just wanted to say I sorta get it. It\u2019s not the same, but it\u2019s also not not the same\u2026 I\u2026 a close friend of mine took his life in highschool because he was born with a girl\u2019s body and\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cJeez, I\u2026 sorry.\u201d\n\n\u201cThanks, I just\u2026 yah it sucks. God he even outed me as a lesbian in middle school-\u201d\n\nThere is a sudden tightening and growling coming from Claire at that moment. I can just catch the icy glare from the corner of my eye.\n\nI try to catch my breath again, \u201cUmm, and yeah I don\u2019t know what you had to go through and that wasn\u2019t the same, obv, but\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cYah, yah. I get it. You can drop it already.\u201d\n\n\u201cYah\u2026 yah, sorry.\u201d\n\n\u201cUgh, stop apologizing, it\u2019s fine okay? Whatever. This is your fault, but fine . Whatever\u2026 Claire is happy now. Just don\u2019t fuck this up or I will get Loretta to fucking kick your ass.\u201d\n\nRight.\n\nYes.\n\nJust don\u2019t fuck this up.", "token_count": 937}
{"file_id": "46_1", "body": "\u201cOkay, so this place isn\u2019t high end by any stretch of the imagination, but they do meat good. My treat.\u201d Shiko wears a wide grin as she directs us into a small bar. We did much better than Shiko earlier estimates, there were only a handful of doujin left. Few enough that we could pack them away in our bags for later. Shiko even let some go for pretty cheap near the end.\n\nOh wow, it smells good here. We grab a table in the back and Claire sets our bags on the seat next to her. I really wasn\u2019t expecting her to buy anything, let alone that much. She bought all of Dungeon Meshi\u2026 I should marry her- God I don\u2019t need to sound unhinged in my mind please.\n\n\u201cEverything alright Rei?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, yah definitely\u2026 so, umm\u2026 what did you think? You seemed to enjoy yourself.\u201d\n\nThat's what she said. Shut. Up.\n\nShiko leans her elbows on the table, and rests her chin on the back of her intertwined hands, grinning\u2026\n\n\u201cIt was very lovely meeting you Shiko-san finally.\u201d\n\nShiko winks, \u201cI have to say the same Claire-san.\u201d\n\nClaire smiles, and looks back to me, \u201cIt was really lovely, we should do it again when we can properly enjoy it. I should have a better idea of\u2026 well everything later too I imagine. I\u2019m still quite new to\u2026 well you know, everything .\u201d She chuckles cutely at her joke, thank god Shiko doesn\u2019t know what she was hinting at.\n\n\u201cYou're blushing Oohashi.\u201d\n\n\u201cShut up Shiko\u201d God why do I put up with her.\n\n\u201cSo Shiko-san, do you do this sort of thing often?\u201d At least Claire is enjoying this.\n\n\u201cOh, yah for a few years now. Started in highschool. Small, but I kept ramping up each time and it kept working so yah. I love drawing and I think I\u2019ve gotten pretty good at it.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019ll say, your works are lovely. You have a real talent for it.\u201d\n\n\u201cThanks, your girlfriend\u2019s a charmer Oohashi.\u201d\n\nShe could be quieter about the girlfriend part.\n\n\u201cI look forward to reading them, Bonds looks sinfully delightful I must say.\u201d\n\n\u201c Ohh, yah that was a fun one, Rei had a bunch of good feedback for that one.\u201d\n\nThe bondage one ? \u201cSHIKO!\u201d Are you for real?\n\n\u201cIs something the matter Rei?\u201d Claire asks, \u201cIt\u2019s fine Rei, you don\u2019t need to be self conscious about it.\u201d\n\nShouldn\u2019t I? \u201cWe shouldn't be talking about that sort of thing here.\u201d\n\nClaire pouts, \u201c Fine , I suppose you are right about that. Thank you again Shiko-san for these.\u201d\n\nShiko grins, and eyes me. You little shit . It doesn\u2019t take too long for the waiter to stop by and take out orders. Even Claire decides to order a meat cutlet. Shiko also gets a beer, but Claire ultimately thinks better of it and we both just get water. It\u2019s probably for the best, even if I like clingy Claire .\n\nSoon rice and meat are served, and god after today, it\u2019s just perfect. Claire and Shiko both look to be enjoying it too. Claire\u2019s meal looks way too big for how delicately she is approaching it. She really does feel like she comes from a different time in these little moments.\n\n\u201cShiko this is excellent, there is so much good food everywhere. You really were cheating, weren\u2019t you Rei?\u201d Claire grins.\n\n\u201cHuh? Oh\u2026 I guess?\u201d Oh no.\n\n\u201cWhat\u2019s that supposed to mean?\u201d Shiko asks.\n\n\u201cOh Rei is just fantastic when it comes to cooking.\u201d Claire beams.\n\n\u201cReally?\u201d Please don't ask Shiko . \n\n\u201cSure?\u201d God, just say you're not already, you idiot .\n\n\u201cOh don\u2019t be so modest.\u201d\n\nShiko gives me a look, fuck she is going to ask about that later isn\u2019t she?\n\n\u201cSo what was Rei like when she was in highschool?\u201d\n\nOh please, can we stop talking about me already?\n\nShiko\u2019s look just turns mischievous though and she gives a toothy grin. \u201cWhat would you like to know?\u201d\n\n\u201cAnything, Everything .\u201d Claire's grin nearly matches Shiko.\n\n\u201cAh come on, I\u2019m not really that interesting.\u201d\n\n\u201cHush, you never talk about yourself. You were also friends with Misha?\u201d\n\n\u201cAs a consequence of Rei, yah. Yu too I guess because of that. Misha shared a class with Rei. After the whole love square thing Rei got way more into otaku stuff. She didn\u2019t quite hangout at the manga club at school as much but she kept reading a lot more on her own. And she also started playing games a lot, lots of RPGS, even the bad ones.\u201d \n\nWow that was judgey. \u201cOh come on, they weren\u2019t that bad.\u201d\n\n\u201c Sure , anyways for a while she was either playing at home on a PS4, reading some manga, bonus points if it was a yuri, or walking around playing on her DS. And you can\u2019t forget about your fan fics either.\u201d Shiko smirks at that last addition. Please don't mention the fics.\n\nClaire looks a little caught up on the names, \u201cPS4 and DS are things to play games on, kinda like we do on the laptop, they are just meant mainly for games.\u201d\n\n\u201cDo you still play with those? I haven\u2019t seen you play anything other than when we play Persona.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh\u2026 I\u2019ve just been busy. I have my DS stil, and a Vita, couldn\u2019t afford a Switch right now. And my PS4 is too big to take so it\u2019s at home. And since we have\u2026 started dating, y\u2019know. Not much time.\u201d And it's not like I want to cut into my Claire time. \n\nClaire hums, \u201cI suppose.\u201d\n\n\u201cShe was also way in the dumps back then.\u201d\n\n\u201cShiko!\u201d\n\nShe just shrugs, you asshole.  \u201cWhat? You were. You were really depressed back then. Even if you don\u2019t want to say it. She got better; like I said before, in highschool. But she was still really into all that stuff. You caught Misha reading Dungeon Meshi right?\u201d\n\n\u201cYah\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cShe was so excited, she told me right away but was too chicken to bring up with Misha for a week.\u201d\n\n\u201cShiiiiiko!\u201d God stooooop.\n\nClaire starts laughing, at least she is enjoying it.\n\n\u201cNo this is my right as your bestie, deal with it . Anyways she eventually broke and gushed to Misha about it. And they became friends. Misha\u2019s not that much of an Otaku, not like us, but she likes the occasional fantasy stuff I think. She\u2019s also been reading Frieren?\u201d\n\n\u201cYah\u2026 I don\u2019t know\u2026 it\u2019s fine .\u201d\n\n\u201cOh boo hoo, I\u2019m sorry it doesn\u2019t have the same gay vibes as Dungeon Meshi.\u201d Shiko reaches over and ouch! She flicked my forehead.\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t glare Rei.\u201d Claire takes a practiced sip from her drink, how does she look so proper?\n\n\u201cYou\u2019re taking her side, Claire?\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m always on your side dear.\u201d gaAAahh .\n\nShiko cackles, then takes a drink from her beer. \u201cSo yah, that was highschool. She tragically stayed an otaku.\u201d She sombers a bit, \u201cYou told her about Misaki and\u2026?\u201d\n\nClaire casts her eyes down and before I can answer, \u201cYes, I know what Misaki went through as well.\u201d\n\nThat\u2019s coming up soon\u2026 I hate that time of the year- oh that\u2019s Claire\u2019s hand. I loosen my hand and let her hold mine. This is always nice.\n\n\u201cThat happened. That really sucked. For everyone. We bounced back eventually. Misaki and Kosaki went to a different highschool, and we stayed in touch here and there after, but second year was a shock when we heard.\u201d\n\nShiko lets the silence hang a bit after that, \u201cAnyways didn\u2019t want to bring down the mood.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh please don\u2019t worry. I know it must have been hard.\u201d Claire leans gently on me.\n\nIf she didn\u2019t know about this\u2026 would I have ever believed her?\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s next month isn\u2019t it?\u201d Claire asks.\n\nWhat ?\n\n\u201cUgh\u2026 yah? Did you already ask her to come, Rei?\u201d Shiko asks surprised.\n\nDid I? I didn\u2019t but\u2026 Of course. RAE told her.\n\n\u201cYes?\u201d I look at Claire and hope she just agrees\n\nShe nods, \u201cI never miss it.\u201d Her hold on my hand tightens softly.\n\n\u2026Breathe.\n\n\u201cCool, I\u2019ll let Kosaki know then. Since you're still sorta awkward around her.\u201d She points her chopsticks at me, oh come on, most people would be awkward in my spot.\n\nI\u2019m kinda tired about being talked about, \u201cWell I went to Uni after highschool. Shiko here decided to try to make it as a mangaka.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, a manga artist and author, correct? Are you not already doing that?\u201d\n\n\u201cShe means professionally, I\u2019m trying to get a deal with a publishing company but most say I don\u2019t have enough experience, well professional experience. So I make do by doing events, commissions online and other things. Today was a good sale. I think I\u2019m good for a while at least. Again, thanks you two, it would have been a mess by myself.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou said you've been doing this for a few years\u2026 is that not experience?\u201d Claire questions.\n\nShiko sighs, \u201cThey want\u201d, Shiko makes air quotes, \u201c Real experience,  they want someone who's already published stuff. In a magazi", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "46_2", "body": "ne. It's hard to stand out, and yuri is niche . It's not all bad, I think I'm close. Some publishers are actually looking for stuff like mine, and those talks have been better. But it feels like I would need to have a viral hit for some of them to really take me seriously. Blah.\u201d It's been rough for her, but she's been determined to make it work. I wish I had the confidence to do that.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s good that you have been making it work so far, I really do think you have talent for it. Rei, have you thought of doing something like it? Writing, I mean?\u201d\n\n\u201cHuh? What? Why would I try to do that?\u201d\n\nClaire scoffs in turn, \u201cBecause your writing is excellent of course.\u201d\n\nWhat? \u201cNo\u2026 it\u2019s not.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes it is, mostly\u2026 I thought you said you didn\u2019t read her fics Claire-san?\u201d Shiko interjects and quirks her brow. Wait what?\n\n\u201cOh, well I haven\u2019t.\u201d Claire gives me a stink eye. Oh come on . \u201cShe won\u2019t let me see it, but I have read some of the prose she has written. You are very talented at it, Rei. I\u2019m not just saying it.\u201d\n\nProse I haven\u2019t written though. Prose Rae wrote. \u201cLook, I just write my stupid stuff. It\u2019s not good.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes it is!\u201d Claire is just shy of raising her voice.\n\n\u201cRei, I wouldn\u2019t be reading your stuff this long if I didn\u2019t enjoy it.\u201d Shiko sounds annoyed. \n\n\u201cLook, just cause it\u2019s fun doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s good.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt is, and I think you would enjoy it if you made it a career like Shiko does with manga.\u201d Claire crosses her arms, are we fighting?\n\n\u201cBut\u2026 that\u2019s so hard to do, to make a living off\u2026 it sounds nice but I don\u2019t think it\u2019s realistic.\u201d\n\n\u201cRealistic? But\u2026\u201d Claire doesn\u2019t finish the thought, instead she glances down and sighs. \u201cFine, I\u2019m sorry if I\u2019m pushing you too much. I just think you do have a talent for it. I just want you to\u2026 to enjoy what you do.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s a nice thought\u2026 but I\u2019m already enrolled in classes. It would be dumb to bail on them and switch into something completely different wouldn\u2019t it? I\u2019d lose my scholarships and I don\u2019t have that kind of money and\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cI would help.\u201d Claire says, it sounds so vulnerable. Tantalizing. A part of me wants to just say yes.\n\nGod what do I say to that. I can\u2019t? I don\u2019t want to disappoint her. But I don\u2019t think I can do this. She has to know I\u2019m not her Rae right? I\u2019m not anything like her. Rae the hero. Rae the master chef. Rae the author. Rae her\u2026 wife.\n\nI\u2019m going to fuck this up\u2026\n\nClaire surprises me, she nestles her head into my shoulder. Oh wow. \u201cJust think about it.\u201d\n\nI just nod. That\u2019s easier than saying the wrong thing. Feels like I do that a lot.\n\n\u201cSo you enjoy today then Claire-san?\u201d Thank god Shiko. Thank you for taking the heat off of me.\n\n\u201cIt was fun honestly. I wish I could help again sometime, but I expect school will be keeping us very busy.\u201d Claire wraps her arm around mine as she really settles into the nook she has carved out.\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t worry about it, it was an emergency and Ami didn\u2019t exactly give me a heads up either\u2026 bitch.\u201d Shiko sighs, and scoops up a bit of her leftover food. \u201cI have to say, you two are cute together. Rei you seem too worried-\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat?\u201d\n\n\u201c-but you two have a good vibe honestly.\u201d Shiko smiles, not one of her grins either. It\u2019s just\u2026 genuine.\n\n\u201cThank you Shiko. It really was good to finally meet you too.\u201d Claire responds, and she just hums softly on my shoulder.", "token_count": 844}
{"file_id": "45_1", "body": "\u201cHey Claire, you should take a break now, go wander about, Rei and I should be good for a bit.\u201d Shiko says after she puts away the money from the last purchase.\n\nClaire looks a little hesitant. \u201cOh are you certain? I would enjoy another perusal but I don\u2019t have to.\u201d\n\n\u201cNah it\u2019s good, go take another sweep of the floor, it\u2019s winding down anyways, and most of my stock is sold too. We got a couple hours left before we pack it in and grab dinner.\u201d\n\nClaire nods, \u201cOkay, well take care of Rei for me, I\u2019ll return back shortly.\u201d She then turns to me, I feel her take my hand squeezed under the table by her and she gives me a wink. \u201cI\u2019ll see you soon Rei.\u201d\n\nI can feel my mask shift as a smile forms underneath it, \u201cHave fun, I\u2019m sure I\u2019ll survive.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou better .\u201d She grins, collects herself and slips out from our booth. She gives one last turn and a wave and disappears into the aisles.\n\n\u201cWow she has it bad for you.\u201d Shiko sounds somewhere between surprised and impressed. \n\n\u201cReally?\u201d\n\n\u201cAre you for real?\u201d Okay, now she looks unimpressed. \n\n\u201cWhat? I mean\u2026 I\u2026 I\u2019m the one whose... Aren\u2019t I the hopeless one?\u201d\n\n\u201cNever said you weren\u2019t but she is too, have you seen how she looks at you?\u201d\n\nYes, doesn't mean it makes sense. \n\nI gulp\u2026 \u201cYeah\u2026 I\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd the way she talks to you, or about you. Girl likes you.\u201d\n\n\u201cYah, but like it\u2019s\u2026 I don\u2019t know\u2026 complicated?\u201d\n\nShiko gives me a side eye, \u201cIs it really?\u201d\n\nYes . God I can\u2019t just tell her that she didn\u2019t fall in love with me first, she fell in love with a different version of me first. \u201cOkay, fine yes, I know she likes me. I can be stupid but I\u2019m not an idiot.\u201d\n\n\u201cAre you worried\u2026?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo\u2026 I don\u2019t know. It feels too good to be true, and there\u2019s stuff I can\u2019t really talk about\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cYou can\u2019t talk about it with me ?\u201d\n\n\u201cI shouldn't talk about it, it\u2019s a privacy thing.\u201d\n\nShiko\u2019s eyes draw tight. \u201cIt\u2019s not a bad thing is it\u2026 like the thing you can\u2019t talk-\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, it\u2019s not. I don\u2019t know how to talk about it without explaining it, and I can\u2019t do that.\u201d\n\nShiko loosens up, \u201cFine, but you know I\u2019ll keep a secret if I have to, right?\u201d She would.\n\n\u201cI know, I trust you Shiko, but Claire trusts me. And I\u2019m not going to ruin this.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou\u2019re not going to ruin anything Rei, she loves being around you.\u201d\n\nBut like\u2026 why? I don't feel like I've done anything to warrant it. I'm not saving her life\u2026 I'm showing her how to play video games.\n\n\u201cFine, we don\u2019t have to talk about that. You two have moved fast, it\u2019s only been a couple weeks now? If I didn't know it almost seems like it\u2019s been years, you sure you two just hooked up?\u201d\n\nI know she is joking but\u2026 \u201cI like her\u2026 a lot.\u201d\n\n\u201cYah, I know. It\u2019s very obviously mutual you dork.\u201d\n\n\u201cYah but what if I\u2019m not what she thinks I am, what if she thinks I\u2019m better than I am and then I just turn out to be a disappointment? I don\u2019t feel like who she thinks I am. I feel like a creep, I feel like I\u2019m always playing catch up, I don\u2019t know what I\u2019m doing.\u201d Please shut up me.\n\n\u201cWhoa, Rei relax, come on. No one really knows what they are doing\u2026 have you talked to her about this?\u201d\n\n\u201cSorta\u2026 I don\u2019t know, it\u2019s hard\u2026 I should just\u2026 but\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cHey Rei, calm down, look you trust her right?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes\u2026?\u201d\n\n\u201cSo start with that, I know that Kosaki did you bad before\u2026 but that was middle school, you're an adult now. The stakes aren\u2019t the same.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe stakes are worse now.\u201d\n\n\u201cThey aren\u2019t Rei, they're different but if things go bad, you can move on. You're not trapped in a classroom with her and have to see her twenty-four seven.\u201d\n\n\u201cMove on?\u201d Leave her ?\n\n\u201cIf things go bad, Rei, come on. I\u2019m trying to help but you need to get out of your own head too. She doesn\u2019t want that. I think she has a pretty good idea of who you are, even if it\u2019s only been a few weeks. She has you read if I\u2019m being honest, and I really don\u2019t think she\u2019s off the mark. She\u2019s going to be okay with what you're feeling. She\u2019s going to be okay if you feel insecure, she\u2019s not expecting you to be a superhero.\u201d\n\nEasy for you to say Shiko. Rae was a superhero. Didn't she say they saved the world? \n\n\u201cHello.\u201d My focus snaps to a person who has approached our table, looking up at them\u2026\n\n\u2026What is she doing here?\n\n\u201cHello Rei, I thought Claire was going to be here too.\u201d Manaria says, she glances down casually at all the leftover doujin on the table. \u201cSo this is what you were doing today?\u201d\n\nAh fuck, I\u2026 \u201cIf you wanted to talk to Claire, she should be back in a bit, she went on break. We are helping my friend sell her work.\u201d\n\n\u201cYo.\u201d Shiko eyes Manaria cautiously. \u201cIf you have questions about anything, this is my stuff. I\u2019m the degen.\u201d\n\nManaria laughs, \u201cOh how delightful, any recommendations?\u201d\n\n\u201cIf you want something vanilia I suggest Why do I keep running into my Childhood Rival , if you want something spicier I have Longing for You , or Your Dirty Little Secrets .\u201d Shiko is def putting on her customer service face right now, and not asking questions.\n\nManaria regards her for a bit and turns back to me, \u201cDo you have any recommendations?\u201d\n\nGOD. \u201cWhat do you want?\u201d\n\n\u201cI wanted to see Claire, I was also bored. I figured this wasn\u2019t the worst way to spend the evening. How is dating my little cousin by the way?\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s. Great.\u201d\n\nManaria arches her brow. \u201cIt sounds great, she\u2019s not treating you badly is she?\u201d Is that concern?\n\n\u201cNo, god, what do you want?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat? I can\u2019t be interested in the first thing my cousin actually talks about?\u201d\n\nGod what is it about her\u2026 Calm down Rei\u2026 you are just snapping. \u201cI\u2019m sorry, I\u2019m just\u2026 I don\u2019t know\u2026 tense. It\u2019s been busy.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou know I\u2019m not going to make a big deal about being there when we caught you half naked with Claire chewing on you\u2026 well I\u2019m probably going to tease you two about it, but you go girl.\u201d\n\n\u201cWAIT WHAT?\u201d Shiko turns to me, \u201cYOU SAID YOU WERE ONLY KISSING.\u201d\n\n\u201cFuck can you two keep your voices down? The last time I talked to you that was\u2026 all we did. And we didn\u2019t sleep with each other\u2026 well we slept in a bed-\u201d\n\n\u201cI can\u2019t believe you would leave me out of the loop like this.\u201d Shiko clicks her teeth.\n\n\u201cIt was just a few.. Um some hickeys\u2026 and like we it didn\u2019t go any further.\u201d\n\n\u201cCause her mom and I crashed the party.\u201d Manaria grins.\n\n\u201cWoa\u2026.\u201d Stop looking at me like that Shiko.\n\n\u201cIt wasn\u2019t going to go any further than that!\u201d I shout.\n\n\u201cShe isn\u2019t forcing you is she?\u201d Manaria says, the glibness has dropped from her voice. I think I hate this pity or whatever even more though.\n\n\u201cWhy do you care?\u201d Fuck, I\u2019m snapping again.\n\n\u201cWhy Indeed. Maybe, just maybe, I was a bit worried.\u201d\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t know you.\u201d You just irritate me. \n\n\u201cAnd I don\u2019t know you either, but you are dating my cousin. And despite what you think, I do care about her. You know nobody is telling me anything? Maybe you don\u2019t know this but Claire has changed, we weren\u2019t that close necessarily but I remember when her dad died. I know how she was last year. So can you blame me if I want to suss out what\u2019s going on?\u201d\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t know what you think I can tell you\u2026?\u201d And it's not like I would.\n\n\u201cLook, I\u2019m not trying to grill you-\u201d\n\n\u201cCould have fooled me.\u201d\n\nShe smirks at me, \u201cI\u2019m happy for you two, and glad your little reveal didn\u2019t go anywhere as catastrophic as mine did. I don\u2019t want that to happen to Claire, not when she seems to be doing better now.\u201d\n\n\u201cNothing bad is going to happen, I won\u2019t let it.\u201d\n\n\u201cGood.\u201d She says coolly, as her attention turns back to the doujin.\n\n\u201cGood.\u201d God she is fucking miserable.\n\n\u201cOh, this looks cute, How do I Marry the Villainess? I'll take this and all the other ones you mentioned before. Hell if you are hiding anything depraved, throw that in too\u2026?\u201d She pauses as she looks at Shiko now. \n\n\u201cKanato, Shiko Kanato.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, thank you Kanato-san, These look fun. Might as well enjoy myself now that my shame is out.\u201d\n\nThat makes Shiko click her teeth, in a pissed off way. \u201cThere\u2019s no shame in being in gay, or queer, whatever the label. I don\u2019t know what you went through but if your family or whatever is being shitty, that\u2019s on them, not you", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "45_2", "body": ". There is nothing wrong with being queer.\u201d\n\nManaria wasn\u2019t expecting to get told off by Shiko like that, she blinks before she recovers. \u201cRight\u2026 of course. I\u2019ll make sure to let my father know the next time I see him then.\u201d \n\n\u201cSister?\u201d Was that Claire ?\n\nWe all turn and see Claire behind Manaria, she looks to be carrying a small tray of fries, and a bag at her side, did she buy more stuff? Are those pride pins?\n\n\u201cSister?\u201d Manaria shifts again, getting mischievous, \u201cWe aren\u2019t five anymore Claire, what do you have there cuz?\u201d\n\nClaire fumbles a bit, at least she wasn\u2019t expecting this either. \u201cOh, apologies, of course. I was just not expecting\u2026 what are you doing here?\u201d\n\n\u201cYou mentioned you would be at a thing. I was bored waiting around and it sounded like it could be interesting. So I looked it up online and came down. Not my usual fare, but it was fun.\u201d Manaria has moved herself behind Claire, and puts her hands on her shoulders \u201cAnd I missed you.\u201d She grins at me.\n\nWhat are you doing?\n\n\u201cOh I see\u2026 I\u2019m sorry I don\u2019t know if I can be quite so available now, we still have a few hours before we finish.\u201d\n\nManaria chuckles, \u201cOh don\u2019t worry about that, I wasn\u2019t even sure if this would be the one. I just needed something to do. Running into you and your girlfriend was just an extra bonus.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m sure messing with me was a bonus too.\u201d I mumble.\n\n\u201cDid you say something Rei?\u201d Claire asks,\n\n\u201cWhat? No!\u201d Fuck I must have mumbled that to loudly.\n\n\u201cDid you say anything untoward to Rei, Manaria?\u201d There is an edge to her voice, she tries to look over her shoulder at Manaria.\n\nManarai feigns shock. \u201cMy, sooo possessive, relax Claire. We\u2019re all good aren\u2019t we?\u201d\n\n\u201cSuuure.\u201d\n\n\u201cDid you have an idea on where to go for tomorrow's lunch? I think I have a suggestion, I wanted to try some sushi, I found a place that I think won\u2019t be too busy.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh\u2026 Sushi? Umm, Yes, if you have a place already in mind that should work. You can send me a message with your phone to let me know the specifics.\u201d\n\n\u201cSure, I\u2019ll text you the deets then. Oh and you should bring Rei as well. The more, the merrier afterall.\u201d Can you stop grinning at me?\n\nClaire blanches a little at that, and looks to me, \u201cRei. Would you like to?\u201d Wow she sounds strained.\n\nI don\u2019t want to\u2026 but I also don\u2019t really want to leave her alone with Manaria either, what if she tries to grill her for more information too\u2026? I should be there just to be back up.\n\n\u201cSure, as long as you want me there Claire-chan.\u201d\n\nShiko snickers. \u201cChan?\u201d Oh my god, it\u2019s embarrassing saying just Claire infront of everyone!\n\n\u201cExcellent, I really am looking forward to getting some local sushi, I looove fish.\u201d\n\nAre you fucking for real?\n\n\u201cThen it\u2019s a date, I\u2019m sorry I haven\u2019t had much chance to catch up until now. It is nice to see you again.\u201d Claire says.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s good that you have been doing well as well Claire. Well have fun with your nerd stuff. I should be heading out soon.\u201d She pays for and collects her doujin, gives Claire a hug and waves as she departs.\n\nGood riddance.\n\n\u201cYou\u2019re on edge, she didn\u2019t\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cOh\u2026 no I\u2019m fine\u2026 I don\u2019t know, it was weird. She\u2019 soooo\u2026\u201d My words just kinda trail off.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m sorry, you didn't have to agree to come if you didn't want to.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut I don\u2019t want to leave you alone with her.\u201d\n\n\u201cI can manage Rei.\u201d\n\n\u201cI know\u2026 but I want to.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou're so sweet, I do appreciate it, but I think she is just trying to rile you up.\u201d She slips back around the table, sets the food down on the side and drops her new bag off and takes a seat next to me. Her hand finds mine again.\n\nOh\u2026 That\u2019s always nice.\n\n\u201cOh, what\u2019s sushi?\u201d Claire asks.\n\n\u201cHmmm? What\u2019s sushi, what do you mean?\u201d Have I never mentioned Sushi before?\n\n\u201cJust what I meant.\u201d\n\n\u201cWait, how do you not know what sushi is?\u201d Shiko butts in, we both look at her, and she looks surprised.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s fish, raw fish on rice and seaweed, and then like a hundred variations on that.\u201d\n\nClaire gulps, \u201cRaw?\u201d\n\nShiko laughs.\n\n\u201cYes, don\u2019t worry it\u2019s safe, it\u2019s fresh. It\u2019s not for everyone though.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo\u2026 I can do this\u2026\u201d She doesn't sound too sure. \u201cIt surely can\u2019t be that bad? Right?\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s delicious, but it\u2019s also not the cheapest thing. Man, I could go for some of the good stuff\u2026\u201d Shiko gets lost in the thought.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s fine, it\u2019s really not for everyone, I can let you know what\u2019s safe to start with okay?\u201d\n\n\u201cO\u2026kay.\u201d Claire smiles, but it\u2019s strained. She\u2019s not fooling anyone. Hopefully it\u2019s not that bad for her.\n\n\u201cSo you got some more stuff?\u201d There are now two full bags sitting beside her.\n\n\u201cOh, yes, just a moment.\u201d She hands the food over, careful to keep it away from the merchandise. \u201cI got some fries to tide us over for now, and I also looked more at some of the merchants selling manga. Did you know there is a manga for Persona Five?\u201d\n\n\u201cHmm? Oh yeah\u2026 I haven\u2019t really checked it out, there is also an anime\u2026\u201d She fishes out a book and holds it out in front of me. \u201cNo\u2026 Did you\u2026?\u201d\n\nShe grins oh so delightfully. \u201cYes, I only bought some of the first volumes. The merchant said that it was still being made. Anyways I thought you might like to read it\u2026 I bought it in excitement but then realized I would rather experience it the way we were already doing it by playing the game. Did you want to read them for me for now?\u201d\n\n\u201cSeriously?\u201d Oh the cover looks so slick, \u201cOh wow this is cool, I would love to!\u201d\n\n\u201cYou are playing Persona with her?\u201d come Shiko, I don't need you to make fun of me too.\n\n\u201cOh yes, it\u2019s wonderful. We started on our first date after we went to the zoo.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh. My. God. Rei you have no fucking game. You played video games on your first date?\u201d\n\n\u201cHey, give me a break!\u201d Not you too ?\n\n\u201cIt was lovely, don\u2019t tease her too much Shiko.\u201d They share a look and Claire laughs, \u201cAnyways I didn\u2019t want to overdo it with buying things today, so I only picked up the first few. How are the wares faring.\u201d\n\n\u201cGood, whatever is left at the end of day will fit into a box\u2026 maybe two?\u201d\n\n\u201cHow many did we have to start with?\n\n\u201cTwenty-five.\u201d\n\n\u201cGoodness.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt was a good day, and thanks to you two. It would have been a nightmare running this by myself.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh it was a pleasure. It was a lot of work but it was well worth it. This event was also lovely, I\u2019m glad I got to experience this side of Rei.\u201d\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t take this the wrong way Claire-san. You sound like an old timey rich girl, but you really don\u2019t act like one.\u201d\n\nClaire laughs, well cackles, god I love when she does that . \u201cOh well that took a long time to grow out of, I had\u2026 help . I did grow up quite spoiled, but I grew out of most of it. I think the more egregious parts are mostly gone.\u201d\n\n\u201cHey, you got your hands dirty, that\u2019s a plus in my books.\u201d Shiko gives me a wink. Wow, Claire is a natural at getting along with people isn't\u2019 she? I had thought that maybe it was because she was cheating with her old knowledge\u2026 but she hasn\u2019t really met Shiko right? She said she only knew about her and all that second hand right?\n\nEither way, at least Shiko seems to like her.\n\nI don\u2019t know, maybe I was a bit too worried about this wasn\u2019t I?\n\n ", "token_count": 1780}
{"file_id": "69", "body": "I\u2019m not sure at first, but I think I hear a sniff. Then it happens a second time. I look up from my phone and glance over at Claire. She's pulled herself tight around the phone, eyes glued to it. How long has it been ? Her eyes are watering slightly and she sniffs again. Do I do something ? Is she still reading my fic? I sent her the right one, right?\n\nYeah, I did I\u2019m\u2014\n\nThere\u2019s another sniff, and I hear Claire put the phone down. She looks far off as tears trail down her cheeks.\n\n\u201cAre you okay, Claire\u2026?\u201d\n\nShe nods. \u201cY-yes\u2026 just give me a moment.\u201d She wipes her eyes and takes a deep breath.\n\nIs she upset? She doesn\u2019t seem upset, just\u2026 I didn\u2019t think what I wrote was that\u2026 moving?\n\n\u201cI finished. What you wrote\u2026it\u2019s us.\u201d What?\n\nShe turns and looks at me. There are still tears, but she\u2019s smiling.\n\n\u201cThat was us, that was you saving me. The feeling , it was the same\u2026\u201d She takes a wavery inhale. \u201cIt\u2019s us .\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2026 ?\u201d\n\n\u201cThe heroine\u2014she\u2019s you. You wanted to save me like she saved Lady Shouko. It\u2019s like a blueprint, it\u2019s the why, the need. How you never give up on me. I will always recognize it. It's you. Rei, I love you. \u201d She looks so beautiful.\n\nIt\u2019s not the first time she\u2019s said it. But this time\u2026 it hits differently. Harder . My heart aches and soars. I don\u2019t quite understand everything I\u2019m feeling. It\u2019s overwhelming, it's amazing, it\u2019s frightening.\n\n\u201cI love you, Claire.\u201d I know that much, at least.\n\nHer eyes are locked with mine, and there\u2019s another sniff as if she\u2019s trying to hold it all together. I get up from my seat, and I also have to sniff to hold back tears. I stand next to her and she extends her hand.\n\nI take it, and she pulls me down. Her other hand moves to my face, a gentle caress before she pulls me even closer and kisses me. I can feel her need, her passion. She wants me to know . She wants me to know how much she loves me. More than she can say with words, more than she can convey with just her body.\n\n\u201cI love you, Claire.\u201d\n\nI want to show her. I want to see it. I want to live it.\n\nShe wipes her eyes again, and they are lit from within. Burning. I don\u2019t quite trust my voice but I want to try. I have to. \u201cI want to\u2026 I want to\u2026\u201d\n\nShe smiles. She\u2019s so patient. \u201cWhat do you want, Rei?\u201d\n\n\u201c You. I\u2019m yours .\u201d \n\nI swear I can see the embers in her eyes smolder. She doesn\u2019t say anything. She doesn't need to. She understands. Her lips find mine again and I am ready.\n\n \n\n ", "token_count": 628}
{"file_id": "47_1", "body": " \n\n\u201cThat was a long day.\u201d\n\nClaire and I manage the walk back to the dorms with not too much fanfare. I feel tired, and I think she is too. But she has been a bit quiet. At least the evening is nice, and not raining. The temperature is enough that the walk isn\u2019t unpleasant.\n\n\u201cDo you mind if we sit down Rei?\u201d\n\n\u201cSomething wrong?\u201d\n\n\u201cNot really, I\u2019m\u2026 or well this me doesn't seem quite used to such long treks.\u201d She laughs. \u201cI just want to give my feet a rest for a bit. The moon is lovely, isn\u2019t it?\u201d\n\n\u201cAhh sure\u2026 wait?\u201d \u2026I can die happy ?\n\n\u201cHrmm?\u201d She tilts her head playfully. Despite being tired her eyes still glitter.\n\nShe knows. She knows what that means\u2026\n\n\u201cI know. Did I tell you that one?\u201d\n\n\u201cYou did, and you also said the normal response is I can die happy. But neither of us really wanted to hear the other say it like that so we just said \u2018I know\u2019 in turn.\u201d\n\nWait\u2026 \u201cHuh? I didn\u2019t know that\u2019s-\u201d\n\n\u201cRei I know\u2026 I just wanted to say it. Let\u2019s sit down.\u201d There is an easy smile on her face as she moves towards a bench and sits the bags next to her.\n\nIt\u2019s quiet tonight, I don\u2019t really see anyone else out walking. Sitting down wasn\u2019t a bad idea, we have been up for a long time haven\u2019t we.\n\n\u201cSo\u2026 how was today? It wasn\u2019t too much was it? Like everything?\u201d God why do I keep asking.\n\nClaire has her eyes shut for a moment, takes a light breath and looks at me softly. \u201cToday was wonderful. Busy, but wonderful. I\u2019m glad I got to meet Shiko, really. I always wondered what it would be like on this side, to be part of your life here. I want to keep seeing more of it, Rei.\u201d\n\n\u201cEven the weird parts?\u201d\n\nShe laughs, \u201cI think you worry too much. You have always been weird Rei, that\u2019s what I loved about you. You were always yourself, not who everyone told you to be.\u201d\n\nI wish\u2026\n\n\u201cAnd if you're still worried about Shiko\u2019s work upsetting me, don\u2019t. I admit, some of it was surprising, at least to see it in paper for the first time.\u201d She laughs, \u201cAnd some of the ones I had seen at other stands were quite\u2026 out there. Either way, a fantasy is different from reality. We played out many fantasies my dear, but those never left the bedroom. I would never try to hurt you for real after all.\u201d\n\nWait what?\n\n\u201cYou would hurt me?.\u201d\n\n\u201cIn delicious ways, yes. I thought I made this clear before.\u201d She leans towards me with a sly smile and half drawn eyes.\n\nDo I want that\u2026?\n\n\u201cI\u2026 I\u2026 didn\u2019t think you were being\u2026 serious?\u201d\n\n\u201cI was, you got me a whip for when we would get in character. \u201d\n\ncR-Rack!\n\nohgodohgodohgodohgodohgodohgodohgodohgod\n\n\u201cDo you not want to?\u201d\n\nOh god yes!\n\n\u201cBut doesn't that make\u2026 me\u2026 I don\u2019t know? Fucked up?\u201d I wince as the word escapes.\n\nClaire looks surprised by that, shit. \u201cIs that what you think? Rei, it\u2019s fine. I just said a fantasy is okay. And if you are wrong for it, I am right there beside you and would also be wrong. Glady I might add. We complete each other.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s not weird if I would be into\u2026 getting hurt\u2026 by you? You\u2026 tying me down\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cTaking away your control ?\u201d\n\nOh.\n\nGod.\n\nIt's too easy imagining her holding me down\u2026\n\nIt\u2019s really hard to swallow.\n\n\u201cRei, I mean it, but I also meant that I don\u2019t want to rush you into anything either. You knew what you wanted when we first got together, and you didn\u2019t rush me into anything I wasn\u2019t ready for. I can do that too\u2026 I can see that this is new to you, but please don\u2019t feel like you are wrong for any desires.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut it feels wrong. I\u2019m not supposed to be like this.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou\u2019re you. You\u2019re exactly how you\u2019re supposed to be. Trust me. I know.\u201d\n\nHer hand finds mine on the bench, and her fingers slowly seep into mine. It\u2019s unfair how much this makes me feel better. I don't feel like I deserve this.\n\n\u201cRei?\u201d Claire\u2019s voice cuts my thoughts.\n\nShe looks so lovely as she sits on the bench, just illuminated by the streetlights.\n\n\u201cYah?\u201d\n\nShe fidgets a bit, the nervousness is odd on her. \u201cI got something for you.\u201d\n\nOh ?\n\n\u201cI\u2026 you didn\u2019t have to get me anything.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut I wanted to, silly\u2026 I\u2026\u201d She frees a hand and reaches into one of her bags, letting the sentence hang. After a bit of shuffling, she finds what she is looking for. \u201cClose your eyes please?\u201d\n\n\u201cAhhh, sure?\u201d Did she find what she was looking for?\n\n\u201cClose them you dolt.\u201d There's no edge to it and she laughs.\n\n\u201cRight, sorry.\u201d I close them tightly and her other hand slips away from me. I can just hear her move a bit. It sounds like she\u2019s pulled out whatever it was from the bag, maybe she is opening something up? It\u2019s taking a while\u2026 should I have gotten her something too? She didn\u2019t get me something too much did-\n\n\u201cOpen your eyes now Rei.\u201d She sounds a bit small right now. I open my eyes, and she has her hands pocketed together, cupping something in them. \u201cHere.\u201d She moves her hands to me.\n\nA careful glance\u2026 is that a chain? \u201cCan\u2026 I?\u201d\n\nShe chuckles a little, \u201cOf course you dolt, it\u2019s for you.\u201d She is smiling, but it's shy, and her cheeks seem a bit redder than usual. \n\nI feel a bit sheepish. Okay. I pull the chain up from her hand and notice there is something attached at the end\u2026 a pendant\u2026 wait?\n\n\u201cIs this\u2026 you got me a Persona pendant? Really?!\u201d Oh it looks so good.\n\nI have to bring it in close, the light isn\u2019t helping, but it\u2019s cut so cleanly, the hat and mask, with the flames rippling out\u2026 this is so fucking cool.\n\n\u201c\u2026 do you like it?\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2026\u201d\n\nIt's so cool.\n\n\u201cI know you don\u2019t usually wear something-\u201d\n\n\u201cI love it.\u201d\n\nShe smiles, and relaxes. \u201cThank goodness, I was worried for a moment. Only a moment though.\u201d\n\n\u201cCan I put it on?\u201d\n\n\u201cOf course silly.\u201d She sounds so pleased.\n\nI feel stupid as I fumble with the latch it has, I click it open and try to close it again at the back of my neck\u2026 ok fuck this hard. I should be able to just\u2026 come on.\n\n\u201cLet me help.\u201d She steers my shoulder so that I\u2019m facing away from her and she takes the ends of the chain.\n\nClick.\n\nThe chain is let go, and its weight pulls down. It\u2019s a little cold initially, I wasn't expecting that but it feels like it warms up quickly. I don\u2019t normally wear stuff like this.\n\n\u201cI wanted to get you something\u2026 I know it\u2019s not your usual ware, but you also got me an amulet on our first\u2026 well it wasn\u2019t a date yet, but it was. And I really treasured it. I saw it earlier and\u2026 I just thought of you. I thought you would like it.\u201d\n\nI\u2026 I didn\u2019t get her anything.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m sorry I should have gotten you something too.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat? No\u2026 I wanted to get you something Rei.\u201d Her hand closes over one of mine.\n\n\u201cBut this is so nice\u2026 and if I got you something before\u2026\u201d I shift back to face her.\n\n\u201cNonsense, Rei I just want you\u2026 you don\u2019t understand. I wanted you to have something that reminded you. That I\u2019m here for you. You\u2026 we didn\u2019t get along to begin with, I was so terrible to you at first.\u201d\n\nI don\u2019t believe that for a second.\n\n\u201cAnd I still had a lot of growing up to do. Old biases to unlearn, and I didn\u2019t think someone could love me like you claimed. Let alone I had never even considered being with a woman before then. But you stayed by me, you told me I was worth it. And one day, you convinced me to walk the school fair with you. It was the most fun I had had\u2026 nothing had even compared before then but I couldn\u2019t even tell you that. And then the day\u2019s end drew near and you gave me the amulet. You told me that I saved you, even though you couldn\u2019t explain how. I don\u2019t know if I would have believed you at the time if you did, but I never let the amulet go until it broke.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt broke?\u201d Why ?\n\n\u201cYes\u2026it had magic and it saved my life I think. I was still too self conscious to bring it up when it did. If I did that\u2026 maybe I would be too obvious, show my hand too much. Admit that I really was in love with you too. Years later, for an anniversary you replaced it, after we talked about it. I was such a child back then.\u201d She sighs and smiles, she sounds so fond of those old memories.\n\n\u201cI wanted that for you. I want you to know how much you mean to me. That you also saved me. That I want you to always carry me with you in some way. And I want it to be in a way that matters to you. I love this part of you, and I love that I get to share it", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "47_2", "body": " with you this time. That\u2019s what this means to me Rei.\u201d\n\nThis means so much to her\u2026\n\nI don\u2019t deserve this. That wasn\u2019t me, that was her\u2026\n\n\u201cRei?\u201d\n\n\u201cUmmm?\u201d\n\n\u201cRei what\u2019s wrong?\u201d She places a hand on my cheek, it's so gentle. \n\n\u201cN-nothing\u2019s wrong.\u201d\n\n\u201cRei, it\u2019s alright.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo really. I\u2019m just being stupid and being a m-mess after my\u2026 you got me a really nice thing Claire. I really do like it. Please don\u2019t worry about me.\u201d\n\nClaire pulls me into a hug, \u201cI\u2019m glad, but of course I\u2019m going to worry. You're not being an idiot. Please. What\u2019s wrong?\u201d\n\nI didn\u2019t do that for you.\n\nI\u2019m not the amazing person you think I am. I\u2019m not special. I'm not confident. I\u2019m not clever. I\u2019m not cute. I\u2019m not sexy. I can\u2019t do magic. I don\u2019t know anything about you. I\u2019m an otaku. I\u2019m awkward. I can't even cook. I don\u2019t know what I\u2019m doing. Ever.\n\n \n\nI\u2019m not who you think I am.\n\n \n\nI\u2019m not Rae Taylor.\n\nIt\u2019s hard to swallow. I have to say something.\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t know, I\u2026 am I? Is this too\u2026? Are you sure?\u201d\n\nShe draws back and examines me. Her face contorts, as she considers, and it shifts. She looks dismayed. \u201cI\u2019m pushing you too much again, aren\u2019t I?\u201d\n\nNononononononononononononono\n\n\u201cNo! I\u2026 just\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cRei, you can tell me, please.\u201d She looks so worried.\n\nJust deal with it. Be better, be who she wants you to be. I can\u2019t lose her.\n\n\u201cI really do like it, Claire. I\u2019m just\u2026 bad at this\u2026\u201d\n\nShe pulls me into another hug, \u201cRei, you\u2019re not bad at it. Not like you think you are. I assure you, I was much worse. I love you, and I\u2019ll keep telling you that till it sinks in. Till it makes sense. Okay?\u201d\n\nTill I\u2019m right\u2026\n\n\u201cToday was fun, it really was. Every day with you has been wonderful. I hope you have also enjoyed it.\u201d I can feel her emotions through the embrace.\n\n\u201cI\u2026 yah. I\u2019m so l-lucky\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cWe both are.\u201d She tightens the hug, it\u2019s so nice. I really want to belong here. With her. \u201cI just want to be here for you, help you be happy this time. You know that right?\u201d\n\nWas I\u2026? \u201cI think so\u2026 but it\u2019s not me that\u2026 you have so much we still have to catch up on. You still have to keep up with class. We still haven\u2019t finished history, barely scratched it and then we haven\u2019t even touched pre-history and science is going to be so much too.\u201d\n\n\u201cRei, that\u2019s okay, I have no doubt we will manage that, but it\u2019s not just about me. You're here too. Remember, you swore that you would let me help you too. It doesn\u2019t matter what it is, I will help you too. Or did you forget?\u201d\n\nIt\u2019s hard not to feel the pendant when she says that.\n\nI made that contract. \n\n\u201cI\u2019ll remind you when you do you dolt.\u201d She pulls back, but just so she can give me a small kiss on the forehead. \u201cAlright?\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019ll try Claire\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201c Rei , I love you.\u201d\n\nI love you too\u2026\n\nI can\u2019t say that yet though, I\u2019m not ready. I need to be right for her first. I need to be better. Then I can tell her.\n\nI really want to tell her.", "token_count": 792}
{"file_id": "61_1", "body": "  \n\nPlease be here\u2026\n\nI look at Misha\u2019s text again.\n\nShe\u2019s here but she\u2019s not talking.\n\nI\u2019ve been down this hallway to her dorm so many times now. But this time it feels\u2026 foreboding. You can do this. You can make this better .\n\nI give a light rap on the door.\n\nA pause.\n\nThe wait is agony .\n\nThen there\u2019s a slow creak and the door barely opens, just enough for Misha to slip out. It\u2019s almost like our first time talking here, but in reverse this time.\n\nShe closes the door behind her and sighs. \u201cWhat happened?\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2026 I asked her to make a dish. She tried, but it wasn\u2019t how I remembered it\u2026 and she ran.\u201d\n\n\u201cDid\u2026 you say something?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo\u2026 but, I must have made a face. I was surprised\u2026 I didn\u2019t think she\u2026 I should have put it together that she doesn\u2019t have the same experience.\u201d\n\nMisha sighs again and looks down the hallway. She chews her lip before speaking up again. \u201cYou should talk to her.\u201d\n\n\u201cI want to.\u201d\n\nMisha nods. \u201cGood. Look, don\u2019t\u2026 she\u2019s\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cI know. It\u2019s not her fault. I\u2026 she gets in her head. She thinks she has to solve everything herself. Power through it.\u201d I have to exhale. \u201cI misinterpreted the signs.\u201d\n\n\u201cYah\u2026 She\u2019s kinda dumb like that.\u201d At least Misha knows how she can be too.\n\n\u201cShe\u2019s blaming herself, isn't she?\u201d \n\n\u201cProbably. She hasn\u2019t said anything since she came in.\u201d Misha glances at the door.\n\n\u201cDo you mind if we have some privacy?\u201d\n\n\u201cGo for it, just\u2026 I don\u2019t know, text me or something when you are done. I\u2019ll go get a coffee or something.\u201d She\u2019s being very accommodating. \n\n\u201cThank you Misha.\u201d\n\n\u201cSure, just\u2026 when you two fix this\u2026 don\u2019t be having sex when I come back. That\u2019s not a joke. Don\u2019t.\u201d She holds eye contact. \n\nHeavens Misha, I have self control .\n\n\u201c... Of course.\u201d\n\nEventually she breaks her stare and sighs. We aren't that bad.\u201cGood luck.\u201d And then she makes her way down the hall.\n\nJust a door between me and Rae.\n\nI can do this . \n\nI push the door open into their little dorm. Misha\u2019s bed to the left lies empty save for a closed laptop on it. Rae\u2019s to the right is a mess, her blanket in a ball. A Rae-shaped ball .\n\n\u201cRae?\u201d\n\nThere isn\u2019t an answer from the lump on her bed.\n\n\u201cRae, please.\u201d\n\nThe ball of blankets tightens.\n\n\u201cRae I\u2019m not leaving until we talk.\u201d\n\n\u201cPle\u2026 G-Go away.\u201d Her muffled voice barely escapes the cocoon.\n\nLeave? \u201cNo! I didn\u2019t come all this way just to turn around. We. Are. Talking.\u201d \n\nThe pile shifts a little. Not good enough.\n\n\u201cRae. I will rip off that blanket if you don\u2019t show yourself.\u201d\n\nThe pile shifts some more and soon Rae manages to sit upright, with only her head showing over the blanket. Her eyes are red and she looks tired and miserable. Rae\u2026\n\nI hate to see her so. And it\u2019s my fault . \u201cRae, I\u2019m sorry.\u201d\n\nShe sniffs. \u201cWhy? S\u2019not your fault.\u201d She sounds bitter.\n\nIsn\u2019t it? Deep breath Claire. \u201cRae this isn\u2019t your fault.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes it is.\u201d Of course she thinks so. Some things never change.\n\nI sit down on the bed next to her. She doesn\u2019t move away so I take a chance and place a hand on her shoulder, or as best as I can approximate while she is bundled in blankets. \u201cWhy? I asked you to do something you didn\u2019t know how to do.\u201d\n\n\u201cI should have told you. I\u2019m so s-stupid. This whole time I should have s-said something but I didn\u2019t. Everyones been telling me to say something but I've been too scared to do anything and I let it blow up\u2026 or burst into flames.\u201d The last part is mumbled under her breath. \n\n\u201cRae, you're not stupid.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes. I. am\u2026 I-I\u2026 I should have said\u2026\u201d She takes a deep breath, \u201cI\u2019m not \u2026.\u201d\n\nShe\u2019s quiet. There's another sniff.\n\n\u201cRae, you can\u2019t blame yourself for that. I asked you to do it. I\u2019m not upset about it.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou don\u2019t get it.\u201d She mumbles and her eyes shift down.\n\n\u201cWhat am I not getting Rae? It would be absurd of m-\u201d\n\n\u201cNo!\u201d She shouts, her eyes still downcast and her voice watery. \u201cYou don\u2019t get it. I\u2019m-m\u2026 I\u2019m not\u2026\u201d\n\nI swallow. \u201cNot what, Rae?\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m not fucking Rae!\u201d\n\nFor a moment it\u2019s like I can only hear my own pulse, feel it through my body, constricting.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m not Rae\u2026\u201d She repeats, sounding hollow.\n\nThat feels like a splash of cold water. What utter nonsense . \u201cRae, I would know . You\u2019re you.\u201d\n\n\u201cN-no you don\u2019t get it. I\u2019m not your Rae. Rae Taylor . I never was. I\u2019ve been\u2026 playing along this whole time because I'm\u2026 terrible\u2026 I\u2019m nothing like your Rae. I'm just scared\u2026 I didn\u2019t want to lose you. I didn\u2019t want to be a dis-sappointment but I still was\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cRae, you would never disappoint me.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut I did\u2026 I saw it\u2026 I was trying so hard\u2026 but I can\u2019t do what your Rae did. I\u2019m not her. I\u2019m not clever like yours was. I could never be a mother. I\u2019m the worst partner. I can\u2019t fight. I can\u2019t cook. I couldn\u2019t s-save y-\u201d She chokes on those last words.\n\n\u201cRae\u2026\u201d My hand moves to cup her face as tears stream down her cheeks. \u201cI was disappointed in myself . I should have realized.\u201d\n\n\u201cRealized that I\u2019m not her ?\u201d She sounds so bitter.\n\n\u201cNo\u2026 That I\u2019ve been making you think you had to be. Rae, please. I never expected you to be.\u201d\n\nHer eyes cast down. \u201cI\u2019m not her\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cRae, we are not the people we used to be. I\u2019m not the Claire I used to be.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd I was never that Rae. I don\u2019t know the things she knew. I didn\u2019t do the things she did. That wasn\u2019t me.\u201d\n\n\u201cRae\u2026 you don\u2019t understand. What matters is now . Everything could have been different and I would have found you again. I could have been on the other side of the world. It could have been another time. Another world. We will always find each other. I promised. A Francois doesn't break her promises.\u201d\n\nShe forces a swallow down. \u201cT-there\u2019s something you're not telling me.\u201d\n\n\u201cExcuse me?\u201d\n\n\u201cThere\u2019s something you d-don\u2019t tell me, I can tell. It\u2019s about her . You pretend you don\u2019t know when you realize it\u2026 but I can tell. I-I\u2019ve been too scared to ask. There\u2019s something wrong. About me. You aren\u2019t saying it.\u201d She sounds so fragile.\n\n\u201cSomething\u2026?\u201d \n\nOh.\n\n\u201cThat.\u201d She eyes me. Even with the tears in her eyes, there is an edge despite it all.\n\n\u201cRae\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cNo. Don't act like it\u2019s n-nothing.\u201d\n\nI take a deep breath.\n\n\u201cWhen you came to Bauer. You saved me. I was a character in the game you played. Revolution. The villainess. I was fated to die during the revolution.\u201d This isn\u2019t anything I haven't already told her.\n\nBut she is listening, good.\n\n\u201cYou knew what was going to happen when you came because you played the game. But it wasn't perfect, things were different, things changed. I know so much about you because you told me. About growing up here. Things are also different this time though. And I wanted to ensure one thing for certain played out differently this time. I didn\u2019t want to tell you because I wanted to avoid it entirely.\u201d\n\nShe\u2019s quiet.. \u201cAvoid\u2026 what?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy\u2026 you died here.\u201d\n\nShe stills and doesn't move for a moment. Eventually she gulps. \u201cI\u2026 I die?\u201d\n\n\u201cYou\u2026 did. Young. Or at least you think you did, I suppose. I think I died too. That's why I\u2019m here. But that was old age. Rae, you told me you had nothing in your last life. It was empty, you had no one, you worked nonstop and the only thing that kept you going was that game. Me . You said it was all you had to come home to\u2026 but you\u2026 it got to you.\u201d Hold it together. \u201cYou told me that you think you died from overworking. The last thing you remember was trying to play the game\u2026 and then\u2026 nothing.\u201d\n\nI can feel my eyes watering. Breathe.\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t want that to happen again. I want you to do something you love doing. Be happy, have time to live. I want to help you with that. I want to live with you again and I didn\u2019t want you to worry.\u201d I can hear how my voice trembles. \n\n\u201cOver\u2026working?\u201d It scares her.\n\n\u201cYou called it a black company, office work.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s\u2026?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes?\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m going to die working?\u201d She sounds on the verge of crying again.\n\n\u201cNo!... No.\u201d\n\nI hug her. I can feel the tears welling. \n\n\u201cNo.\u201d I say again, holding her tight. \u201cI won't let that happen again. It can\u2019t happen like that.\u201d\n\n\u201cB-but\u2026 what else am", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "61_2", "body": " I supposed to do\u2026 I\u2019m already doing my c-courses\u2026 I\u2019m training to get an office job like t-this\u2026 I\u2026\u201d She's spiraling.\n\n\u201cRae, listen to me please. This is different. I\u2019m here now. You\u2019re not alone.\u201d I run my hand over her neck.\n\n\u201cBut I\u2019m not her. Why would you do all this for me?\u201d\n\n\u201cRae.\u201d I let go of the embrace and pull back. I place a hand on her cheek, guiding her to look at me. She looks so lost. \u201c Rei . You're you. I don\u2019t want you to try to be some perfect version of the past. We were never perfect. I love your imperfections.\u201d It's so hard to keep my voice steady.\n\n\u201cBut you l-loved those things. You loved her c-cooking\u2026 and I\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cI loved what you did for me, Rei . You loved to cook for me because you loved to spoil me. It was the act I loved. Rei, you still do that. I don\u2019t expect you to do something you can\u2019t. It\u2019s all the things you do for me that I love.\u201d\n\n\u201cI d-don\u2019t. I\u2019ve been doing nothing this whole time Claire. It\u2019s just you. You could have done this without me.\u201d Her voice sounds so small.\n\n\u201cRei. I couldn\u2019t. I didn\u2019t know what a phone was. Catherine would have walked out on me. My mother would have sent me away. You helped convince them. Rei, you have spent so much time and energy helping me learn everything I didn\u2019t know about your world. I know you don\u2019t think much of it but\u2026\u201d I can\u2019t help but sigh. \u201cYou\u2019re being stupid.\u201d\n\n\u201cHuh?\u201d That snaps her out of it. Finally .\n\n\u201cI love you, but you are a moron. You think you were perfect before? You were terrified of being sincere, being true. You lied to me, you made decisions for me behind my back, and you kept me in the dark. You struggled to talk about your own p-pain, and you were convinced I would never love you back. Does that sound familiar? I still love you despite all that. You never gave up on me and I will never give up on you. You do so much for me and never realize how much it really is or how much it means to me. You could move a mountain and not think you are doing enough.\u201d I feel so raw.\n\nHer mouth moves wordlessly.\n\nI turn her face gently to mine again. \u201cI love that about you, but you need to trust me when I say this. You are doing so much for me. Every day. That has never changed. Can you accept that?\u201d\n\nHer eyes have trouble meeting mine but she nods.\n\n\u201cGood. Because I\u2019m not done. You are passionate. You care deeply about what matters to you. It\u2019s genuine, it\u2019s joyful. I always love listening to you talk about your passions, when you nerd out. It\u2019s all the little things. Persona, Dungeon Meshi, talking about science, the way the world works. That\u2019s what I love about you. You were passionate about cooking, and it\u2019s okay if that isn\u2019t true anymore. You don\u2019t ever have to be again. I don\u2019t want you to ever feel like you have to. Do you understand? I love you\u2014 that hasn\u2019t changed.\u201d\n\nShe\u2019s turning red. That\u2019s an improvement. \u201cI-I\u2019m sorry\u2026 I should have\u2026 I made a mess of this\u2026\u201d Her voice still sounds small, though.\n\n\u201cNo\u2026 I also made a mess of this. I thought I was helping you, but I should have talked to you more. I thought I was doing everything right. I\u2019m sorry I hid the whole story from you.\u201d\n\nShe sniffs, and I close my arms around the bundle she cocooned around herself. \n\n\u201cRei, you are allowed to be happy, and you are allowed to be yourself. I just want to be there with you for it.\u201d\n\n\u201cEven if I\u2019m an Otaku? Even if I spend too much time playing video games, I have no style, I\u2019m a bit of freak-k.\u201d\n\n\u201cNone of that bothers me. Do you think you spend too much time playing games?\u201d\n\nThe question catches her off guard. \u201cUmm\u2026 maybe\u2026 sometimes\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cI can say that since we have been together it hasn't felt that way.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut I have. Before. You got upset when Misha mentioned it.\u201d\n\nAhh.\n\n\u201cRei, I\u2019m sorry. It just reminded me\u2026 of that . I know you can get extremely focused and caught up in something. You do it when you are stressed, worried\u2026 or depressed. Rei, one thing you never told me much of before-and I\u2019m starting to piece it together now-is how much getting outed hurt you.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2026it wasn\u2019t that bad.\u201d Her voice is small. She\u2019s still doing it.\n\n\u201cRei, it\u2019s okay\u2026 When you told me about Misaki, you always struggled even if you never said it. It was the first time I ever saw you really upset. You told me about Kosaki first, and I couldn\u2019t tell\u2026 at the time\u2026 I just\u2026\u201d Just take a breath , \u201cIt\u2019s okay if that hurt you. Shiko told me. Misha told me.\u201d\n\nRei takes a deep wavery breath.\n\n\u201cAnd I think it took you a while to sort through that hurt, those feelings. I think you leaned into your hobbies to help yourself. Games. Books. Anime.\u201d\n\nI can see tears rolling down Rei\u2019s face.\n\n\u201cI-I\u2026\u201d She struggles to get past the first word.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s okay. It\u2019s okay Rei.\u201d I hold her tighter. I\u2019m feeling so raw. \u201cI want to be here for you. When you need me, I\u2019m here for you okay? That will never change. We swore that we would be there for each other.\u201d\n\nShe takes a sharp inhale. \u201cI\u2019m a fucking mess.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s okay Rei.\u201d\n\n\u201cC-can\u2026 can we j-just stay like this\u2026 for a\u2026\u201d\n\nI hum. Of course . \u201cLet me join you.\u201d\n\n\u201cHuh?\u201d\n\n\u201cIn your blanket, silly.\u201d I find an edge and peel it back slowly, exposing the rest of Rei huddled underneath it, legs pulled in tight. She looks so fragile. I scoot next to her and pull the blanket back over us while wrapping my other arm around her, holding her close. \u201cRight now\u2026 this is all it needs to be. Okay?\u201d\n\nI feel her nod her head slowly and pull her in further to rest against my shoulder. I want nothing more than to ease her hurt, her worry. I soothe my hand over her back and listen. The silence is broken by soft sniffles, our breathing. Her heartbeat.\n\nI focus on our breaths. Soon they sync with one another. The rhythm becomes more controlled. A steady in, then out.\n\n\u201cI love you, Rei.\u201d\n\nHer breath hitches and she stiffens.\n\nI said too much. \u201cYou don-\u201d\n\n\u201cI love you too!\u201d Her voice doesn\u2019t falter this time.\n\nNow I feel my heart stop.\n\n\u201cSo much, it\u2019s insane. I thought I fucked up.\u201d She takes a deep sob, \u201cI thought I ruined it. I thought I was stupid. I was trying so h-h-hard to-to-to\u2026\u201d Her voice is falling.\n\nOh.\n\n\u201cShhh, I was scared t-too. I w-want this to work. I want this to always work. I want you to t-trust me. And I should have t-trusted you more too. I feel like we have done this\u2026 so many times. I feel like there are some pieces I can\u2019t remember\u2026 but I know one thing. This . What we have. It has to grow and change. We can\u2019t be shackled by what we were, we can only move forward. We will always be redefining ourselves. We have to change or we will be stagnant. I don\u2019t know how many times we will do this again but I want to make sure we are there for each other, whatever that might look like.\u201d\n\n\u201cR-really? Even\u2026 even if everything changes?\u201d\n\n\u201cEverything changes, Rei.\u201d\n\n\u201cI-I don\u2019t know if I can promise I wont fuck it up again.\u201d She sounds so small again.\n\n\u201c We, Rei. If we try to do it alone, I think we are doomed to fail. But if we are together we can do anything. Even if we make mistakes.\u201d \n\nI can feel her nodding. \u201cOkay\u2026 Okay. I-I want to try. I d-don\u2019t want this to end. I don\u2019t want to lose you. I can\u2019t.\u201d Her voice cracks.\n\n\u201cI can\u2019t either.\u201d\n\nHer arms around me tighten. \n\n\u201cSo\u2026 what now?\u201d She says after several minutes pass.\n\n\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d I ask her after taking a steading breath.\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t know\u2026 what do we do\u2026 I\u2026 don\u2019t want to fuck up again.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe make mistakes and we help each other when we do.\u201d That's all we need to do.\n\n\u201cOkay\u2026 but like, I don\u2019t want to do this again. Not talking and stuff I mean. And what am I supposed to do? You said\u2026 I die?\u201d\n\nYou\u2019re not going anywhere anytime soon. \u201cYou died . I plan on us living full lives, Rei.\u201d\n\nShe tightens her arms around me. \u201cOkay. Okay. Am I\u2026. should I be doing this? The school I mean. You said I was miserable\u2026 I\u2019m only doing it cause\u2026 it\u2019s what I\u2019m supposed to do? Right? Am I not supposed to do it? I don\u2019t want to treat you like some kind of\u2026 sugar momma . I want to help support us both\u2026 I know you are loaded but\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cRei, I would be happy to help you thro", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "61_3", "body": "ugh whatever that may be. I know it might be hard to make your own path, and I don\u2019t want you to feel guilt for the help I want to give you. But I will help you through that. I think you have a talent for words, for writing. But it doesn\u2019t have to be that. You can think on it.\u201d\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t know\u2026 I know you said you liked\u2026 well her\u2026 the other me\u2019s writing but like\u2026 I don\u2019t think mine is that good.\u201d\n\n\u201cRei, that\u2019s fine. I know you have written much already. And Shiko has shown me-\u201d\n\n\u201cwHAT?!\u201d I can\u2019t help but crack a smile as fresh embarrassment overtakes her prior solemnity.\n\nStill. \u201cI haven\u2019t read anything! I was going to ask before I do\u2026\u201d\n\nRei shifts and lines up her face to look at me.\n\n\u201cI\u2026 might have peeked a little\u2026 eighty-seven chapters is quite impressive.\u201d\n\nShe blushes and groans. \u201c God damn it, Shiko .\u201d\n\n\u201cI didn\u2019t read anything! I won\u2019t unless, and I stress this, unless you want me to. But I promise I can give you a fair opinion. I can be quite unbiased, and I have been in the past.\u201d Please have faith in yourself, Rei.\n\nShe swallows. I can see her thinking. Her face is still stained from tears and her eyes are bloodshot. But she looks better. Finally, she nods. \u201cOkay\u2026 okay, kay. Umm maybe not like\u2026 right\u2026 now but like \u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cMaybe after I finish Pray Love?\u201d That should be a good amount of time for her.\n\n\u201cOkay. Okay. Yes. We can talk about it\u2026 and then\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cWe can see how you feel first. You can change your mind.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2026 I do want you to read it. It\u2019s just\u2026. Scary\u2026 I think it might not be\u2026 good enough. It\u2019s not going to be what you thought it was or\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s going to be what you wrote Rei, and that\u2019s all it needs to be.\u201d\n\nShe ponders for a moment then meets my eyes. \u201cOkay.\u201d \n\nI lean over and give her a kiss on the forehead. I\u2019m emotionally exhausted, but happy. It was worth it, it\u2019s always worth it.\n\n\u201cIs it okay\u2026 if we just stay like this for a bit?\u201d She asks.\n\n\u201cOf course. I love you, Rei.\u201d\n\n\u201cI love you, Claire.\u201d ", "token_count": 513}
{"file_id": "48_1", "body": "\u201cOkay, so you just dip it a bit in the soy sauce\u2026 yah, and good to go.\u201d Rae guides me through the process.\n\nI stare at the piece of sushi. White rice now soaked with soy sauce. Wrapped around bright red, raw fish. Package within a paper thin seaweed.\n\nI like rice, soy sauce and fish\u2026\n\nIt's just raw.\n\nManaria eagerly dips another roll, mixing in the wasabi; Rae very much cautioned against that for now citing it would be very spicy, and then downs it in quick fashion. Humming in delight.\n\nI can stomach string beans\u2026\n\nIn it goes. Oh\u2026 that\u2026 is different.\n\n\u201cYou don\u2019t really like it?\u201d Rae is perceptive, it's always hard to hide my displeasure from her.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s\u2026 not entirely unpleasant?\u201d\n\n\u201cI can\u2019t believe you\u2019ve never tried sushi. In Tokyo of all places. You\u2019ve been here for ten years.\u201d Manaria grins and eyes me, waiting for a response.\n\n\u201cAhh.. well yes. It\u2019s been a while hasn\u2019t it? I was just wary of trying raw fish\u2026 I prefer it cooked.\u201d Would it be rude to have it cooked? Of course it is, I can\u2019t even believe I entertained the notion of asking.\n\nI can\u2019t let it go to waste either. I hesitantly bring another to my mouth\u2026\n\nOh that is not better the second time is it\u2026\n\n\u201cYou don't have to force yourself, Claire-chan. We can easily finish your portions.\u201d\n\n\u201cI apologize\u2026 Thank you Rae.\u201d This is rather embarrassing. \n\n\u201cMy, aren\u2019t you two cute? How long have you been together now?\u201d Manaria\u2019s tone worries me though I can't quite discern why.\n\n\u201cA few weeks now.\u201d Nothing elaborate Claire.\n\n\u201cCould have fooled me.\u201d Manaria teases out, then she casually plucks another roll from the plate and eats it. \u201cI thought you would have loved the taste of seafood .\u201d\n\nRae blushes, profusely, at that comment. \u201cManaria. Please. That's rather uncouth.\u201d It's up to me to control Manaria. \n\n\u201cOh?\u201d She grins. Rae was right. She can be infuriating at times. \u201cDid I say something?\u201d\n\nRae grumbles something under her breath, she really didn\u2019t have to subject herself to this.\n\nLet\u2019s try to steer the conversation away from that. \u201cSo Manaria, how are you enjoying your stay so far?\u201d\n\nShe savors another portion of sushi as she ponders her response. \u201cWell it was nice to finally go out and do something. Your mom has been insistent that I try to avoid too many appearances till more time passes\u2026 so that's fun . It's been a mostly boring week so far. Your con was a nice change of pace even if I felt like a tourist.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, I\u2019m sorry it\u2019s been so hectic with everything.\u201d I should have reached out sooner. \n\nManaria shrugs and grimaces. \u201cIt\u2019s not your fault.\u201d She doesn\u2019t say it, but I can hear the implication that it is hers. \u201cI really don\u2019t need to be chased around by more cameras and mics shoved in my face so I should be careful. \u2018 Have you always been gay? Are you rebelling? How could you do something so heinous? \u201d She sighs.\n\n\u201cThat bad\u2026?\u201d Rae asks, I guess she doesn\u2019t really know much about Manaria here this time.\n\n\u201cWell when you are royalty, even if it's very distant, people think too much of you.\u201d\n\n\u201cWait, you're royalty?\u201d Rae brings her voice to a hush as best as she can and still be heard.\n\nManaria rolls her eyes, \u201cTechnically, nobility is a better way to describe it. In some world I could have a path of succession to the throne of Belgium but I really doubt that will ever happen. Especially after this scandal. You know Claire is technically nobility too. Or have you failed to mention that to your girlfriend?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, she told me.\u201d Rae is quick to answer. I did tell her in our previous life I was nobility. I never got quite around to figure out the minutiae of it all here though yet. \u201cHer mom runs their business right? Francois? That\u2019s like a french lamborghini?\u201d\n\nLamb what?\n\nManaria is watching me, is she waiting for me to answer? I can't . Then she turns her attention back to Rae. \u201cNot quite. Lamborghini makes cars first. Francois is a brand, and that\u2019s sometimes on a car.\u201d\n\n\u201cSure, I just mean it\u2019s high end stuff. Fancy right?\u201d\n\nManaria laughs, \u201c Fancy , I think Melia would not enjoy it put that way, but sure. Fancy. I\u2019m sure even Claire here would attest to the quality.\u201c\n\n\u201cOhh, of course. We wouldn\u2019t use our name on anything less than perfect.\u201d It feels nostalgic to play up a haughty laugh. \n\n\u201cOh I\u2019m sure.\u201d Manaria grins, \u201cSay Claire , what would be your favorite product? I\u2019ve always been partial to the watches , but I\u2019m sure Rae loves the lipstick.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh-\u201d\n\nRae clears her throat, bless her. \u201cWow, so a scandal huh?\u201d She glares at Manaria, some things never change. \u201cWhat exactly was so bad that you had to run to Japan?\u201d\n\nManaria rolls her eyes and looks unimpressed, but then her face shifts into something more sly. \u201cWell imagine something like what Melia and I walked into, except my father didn\u2019t take it in good humor, and there was more of an audience. With cameras. Caught sexually assaulting my own maid of all things. I\u2019m such a disgrace to the Sousse name. I\u2019m a monster.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou weren\u2019t and aren\u2019t\u201d\n\nManaria scoffs at my comment, \u201cOh I\u2019m sure you're the expert of what happened.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou didn\u2019t mean to hurt her.\u201d\n\nManaria\u2019s surprise catches her for barely a moment before she schools her face again. She narrows her eyes.\n\n\u201cI know you wouldn't.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m sure you do. Would it matter? She\u2019s gone now.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen find her, make it right.\u201d Don't take this lying down.\n\n\u201cWhen did you become so idealistic?\u201d She sounds so sardonic.\n\nSince I found Rae. I can\u2019t help but look at her, our eyes meet. She knows my answer is her, I can see it in her blush. \u201cWould it be cliche if I said since I fell in love?\u201d\n\nManaria mocks a gag, \u201cOh god you have turned into a sap. Stop before you cause your toy to explode.\u201d She rolls her eyes and stuffs another piece of sushi in her mouth.\n\nRae is\u2026 looking a bit uncomfortable. \u201cI\u2019m sorry, was that too much.\u201d\n\n\u201cAhh, no, well, maybe. I don\u2019t know. It\u2019s not like I\u2019m the interesting person here or anything\u2026\u201d Rae is not being fair to herself.\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s not true.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell apparently you're royalty.\u201d Rae remarks.\n\n\u201cDistantly!\u201d\n\n\u201cNot me. I\u2019m a princess.\u201d Oh, Now you're proper royalty Manaria?\n\n\u201cManaria, you are not helping.\u201d I say through gritted teeth. \u201cI\u2019m not any better or any more interesting than anyone else because of my birth. That includes you Rae.\u201d\n\nRae doesn\u2019t look quite convinced however. What's wrong?\n\n\u201cSo when did you two meet?\u201d Another question from Manaria.\n\n\u201cWell\u2026 just a week\u2026s before we started dating?\u201d\n\nRae grimaces, oh come now. Surely it wasn\u2019t that bad? Surely? \n\n\u201cI had seen her around for a bit before we talked the first time. We share a bunch of classes.\u201d Rae is quick to try to control the topic.\n\n\u201cOh, so quickly? Such a fast pipeline. Can I ask what sparked this little flame?\u201d\n\nLittle?\n\n\u201cOh, well I always thought Claire-chan was\u2026 pretty\u2026\u201d Rae is trying so hard to not, but is blushing so much.\n\n\u201cRae is very wonderful and charming. It would be inconceivable to not fall for her.\u201d\n\nOh Rae is turning very bright. And staring at the table. Adorable. I wish this wasn't in front of Manaria though.\n\n\u201cOkay, but like how did you get there? You don\u2019t just, y\u2019know, know that without something first.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2026\u201d I can\u2019t say\u2026 what do I say?\n\n\u201cShe needed some help with tutoring.\u201d Rae is quick to interject, she pulls her face back up trying her best to will down her previous blush. \u201cShe asked me for help, and then\u2026 um well\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cYou\u2019re dating your tutor?\u201d Manaria gives me the side eye, her tone does not sound impressed.\n\n\u201cShe\u2019s very charming.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s a bad look Claire.\u201d Is she judging\u2026 the nerve. \n\n\u201cIt\u2019s not as if I\u2026 we started dating after the fact.\u201d\n\nManaria hums, \u201cStill moving very fast. Do you feel it\u2019s been moving too fast Rae? Claire does seem to be rather possessive of you.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, she is a\u2026 a lot has happened.\u201d\n\n\u201cHmmm, have you ever been with another woman before?\u201d She's questioning Rae.\n\nRae is on edge. \u201cWell not really\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cShe\u2019s not pressuring you into-\u201d\n\n\u201cManaria!\u201d\n\n\u201cNo!\u201d Rae shouts in unison with me.\n\nThe nerve of her.\n\n\u201cLook it\u2019s been fast but I like her too okay? Like what are you even trying to get at?\u201d Rae sounds genuinely frustrated.\n\nManaria sighs, \u201c Fine , I\u2019ll drop it. I don\u2019t know what you two are being so defensive over.\u201d\n\nAn uneasy silence washes over the table, and Manaria decides to sample a few more rolls. I wish I could just cut through all the pretense and get to the root of whatever is going on with Manaria. And why is she trying to rile up Rae\u2026 it feels", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "48_2", "body": " different than before but I can\u2019t discern why. But this isn\u2019t the same Manaria I have talked to before many times. She is couched in old self loathing again. She is blaming herself for whatever this scandal is\u2026 I\u2019m skeptical. I know there is more that she isn\u2019t saying, her relationship with Eve was always complicated. If they would talk then maybe things could move towards repair. But I can\u2019t force Manaria to have the conversation can I.\n\nI try another different piece of sushi\u2026 oh that is worse , and harder to swallow isn't it?", "token_count": 117}
{"file_id": "33_1", "body": "I definitely left too early. And was up way too late researching. Prosthetics are expensive. I could open up\u2014oh, a text from Francois-san.\n\nGood Morning Rei, we are coming down now and should see you soon. Sincerely, Francois.\n\nOkay, that\u2019s pretty cute. I should let her know that with other people that\u2019s going to look weird, though. \n\n\u201cRei!\u201d Just a few minutes later, I peek up from my phone and see Francois-san waving to me with Achard-san just behind, leaning on her cane. I guess Francois-san was right about the leg. Francois-san walks slowly, being careful to not leave Achard-san behind. They almost look like sisters. \u201cSorry if we made you wait long. I\u2019m not used to the style of clothing here and I might have been stressing too much about appearances\u2026\u201d\n\nWow, I mean, I look so frumpy in my old hoodie compared to her. She\u2019s wearing a long and very pretty white dress with a form-fitting red sweater vest over it. I don\u2019t think I have seen her in it before but she does look great. For someone who probably has even less of an idea than I do about what\u2019s currently trendy, she\u2019s nailing it. \n\n\u201cYou look great,\u201d I say, meaning it sincerely.\n\nFrancois-san smiles at the compliment, looking right at me. Oh , this is going to take some getting used to. \u201cThank you, Rei, I hope my hair looks okay too. It\u2019s not how I usually wear it but my old style needed a lot of help to get right and Catherine said I just wear it straight here.\u201d It's hard to imagine her long blonde hair as anything other than its usual simple straight style. It\u2019s so smooth and pristine.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s good, very good!\u201d Oh God, Rei, keep it together. You sound even more awkward than usual.\n\nI can see Achard-san roll her eyes behind Francois-san. Francois-san just smiles again and God, if I could melt it would be dangerous to be around her. \u201cThank you, Rei. I tried to play it safe. I like your outfit too. It feels like you.\u201d\n\nOkay, Achard-san, you don\u2019t need to snicker. I\u2019m sure Francois-san meant it, but my clothes really aren\u2019t that nice. \u201cThanks, sooooo , we have economics first. That\u2019s probably not going to be easy to dive into right away so I can sit next to you for that. If your lackeys ask, you can say I\u2019m tutoring you.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s actually not the worst cover. Her grades haven\u2019t been doing well. She could even say her mom is making her do it,\u201d Achard-san adds in. Yeah, that\u2019s a good idea.  After all, there\u2019s no way someone like Francois-san would even look my way otherwise.\n\n\u201cMother\u2026right, yes, I can do that. Wait, did you say lackeys?\u201d Francois-san asks.\n\n\u201cYeah, you always seem to have two other girls around you. It\u2019s like your mean girls squad.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cShe\u2019s not going to understand the reference,\u201d Achard-san sounds a bit annoyed. \u201cYou need to use things she can understand.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, right, your, um, entourage?\u201d That will make more sense, right?\n\n\u201cOh, do you know who they are?\u201d\n\n\u201cNope.\u201d I let the P pop. I mean, why would I know them? I barely even had a chance to talk to Francois-san before this all happened, and it\u2019s not like I cared about her lackeys at all.\n\n\u201cWhat do they look like?\u201d Francois-san asks.\n\n\u201cHrm, one is a little taller, brunette, and the other is shorter and has pink hair.\u201d Did one of them have freckles?\n\n\u201cLoretta and Pepi!\u201d She says excitedly. I\u2019m not sure if they will live up to her expectations from that reaction. \u201cNow that you mention it, you did always call them my minions before.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s probably them,\u201d Achard-san throws in, ignoring the minions part. \u201cCan we get moving? It takes me longer to get there you know.\u201d\n\n\u201cDo you want to take a bus?\u201d I ask.\n\n\u201cNo, it\u2019s fine, I like the walk. The cane is usually fine. Let's just get moving.\u201d She seems eager to move past the topic.\n\n\u201cLet me know if you need anything, okay, Catherine?\u201d Francois-san gives Achard-san a polite nod. Achard-san definitely seems like she\u2019s not used to this yet, but she doesn\u2019t make a big deal about it. She seems eager to get to class. \n\nOur walk goes by quickly even though we\u2019re moving more slowly than usual. We try to cram in a bit more prep for class before we get there, but honestly I think we\u2019re going to have to go back through my notes to the beginning. At least it\u2019s still early in the semester. I allotted some extra time for the walk on account of Achard-san so  we should still be pretty early to class, hopefully without too many people around. Once we get to the building, we stop to get breakfast from the cafeteria. It doesn\u2019t take too long to finish our meal.\n\n\u201cOh, I might need to use the restroom,\u201d Francois-san says. She looks around, unsure of where to go.\n\n\u201cSure just\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s out that door and to your left, Claire.\u201d Achard-san cuts me off. Francois-san notices and there is a look between her and Achard-san.\n\nAfter a second or two Francois-san sighs,.\u201cFine, but be nice .\u201d Achard-san just gives her an extremely fake smile. Francois-san mouths \u2018I\u2019ll be back\u2019 and turns to follow the directions to the restroom.\n\nAnd then it\u2019s just me and her roommate slash friend.\n\nCool .\n\nAchard-san takes her time finishing her coffee. \u201cSo\u2026\u201d I attempt, but it doesn't really help the awkward mood.\n\nAchard-san puts her drink back down. \u201cRight\u2026\u201d She sighs. \u201cLook, this is kinda messed up and I appreciate you being there to help, but also Francois-chan is my\u2026 friend and I don\u2019t know the first thing about you.\u201d\n\nGreat. We\u2019re having this conversation already. I can\u2019t stop my nervous chuckle. \u201cYeah, I really didn\u2019t know Francois-san before this happened. I mean, we share classes and I think we\u2019re in a similar course of study, but I never really got a chance to talk to her.\u201d\n\n\u201cDidn\u2019t stop your massive obvious crush on her, did it?\u201d Achard-san mentions oh-so-casually. I nearly choke on my own cup of coffee\n\n\u201cWhat?\u201d I say, coughing. Rei, don\u2019t think about how much you\u2019re blushing. Count primes\u2026\n\n\u201cTrust me, Claire can be clueless when it comes to crushes, but even she is noticing this.\u201d She motions her hand at me. \u201cAnd sure, she thinks you two are married or whatever but she is still loving this.\u201d Catherine takes another sip of coffee. \u201cNot to be too harsh, but you\u2019re kind of a walking stereotype.\u201d\n\n\u201cNoted.\u201d I clear my throat. \u201cWhat is your point, exactly?\u201d I do not need this.\n\n\u201cEh, look, sorry, that came out worse than I meant. I\u2019m not great with people. I don\u2019t know. I don\u2019t get whatever this is between you and her. She\u2019s in a very vulnerable spot and I worry about her, okay?\u201d Achard-san fidgets, feeling awkward even having to say this much.\n\n\u201cI \u2026 I don\u2019t want to hurt her. I\u2019m trying to help.\u201d I offer.\n\nShe sighs. \u201cYeah, cool, just making sure we\u2019re on the same page.\u201d She leans back and seems content to let the silence return.\n\n\u201cErr, what was she like, y\u2019know, before this happened.\u201d I needed to say something.\n\nShe groans and takes a moment before answering. \u201cI guess you already know she lost her dad, from the talk last night. Well, it happened when she was really young. There was a car crash in Paris, and lucky me, I was in the other car. Hence the leg, and\u2026hrmm, no, that\u2019s me stuff. Anyways, after that the two of us often got bundled together. My dad pretty much  ditched me\u2014don\u2019t ask\u2014and while Claire\u2019s mom was picking up the pieces and getting their business back on track we spent some time with Claire\u2019s extended family, the Sousse, in the Alps. We bounced from country to country for a bit before settling here.\u201d\n\nI guess that\u2019s good to know. \u201cI was asking more about how she acted before this. But thanks for sharing all of that.\u201d\n\nCatherine shrugs. \u201cI don\u2019t know, she acted really shut off after the accident. She was better when she was a kid from what I heard, but losing her dad hit her hard and her mom was always busy. I don\u2019t like trying to psycho-analyze my friends, but honestly she seemed kinda depressed, or maybe detached? Superficial? It\u2019s weird seeing her like this. Don\u2019t get me wrong, it\u2019s good, but honestly I\u2019ve never seen her be even a fraction as\u2026 okay as she seems now.\u201d\n\n\u201cSo\u2026this is better, then? It\u2019s not like she\u2019s a completely different person now, right?\u201d\n\n\u201cErrr, people are going to notice, even if she tries to act \u2018normal.\u2019 It\u2019s a big change. It feels like she woke up or something.  But yeah, I think it\u2019s better because before she was just\u2026not great, honestly. So don\u2019t fuck it up, I guess.\u201d\n\nGreat, no pressure. The way Achard-san is eyeing me doesn't really help either. \u201cI\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m back.\u201d Francois-san announces herself, looking pleased", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "33_2", "body": ". \u201cI was worried that the restroom here would be more complicated, but at least our public restrooms aren\u2019t too different.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou took your time.\u201d Achard-san says over a sip of coffee.\n\nFrancois-san clicks her tongue and flicks Achard-san on the forehead, after she sets her cup down. Achard-san looks surprised and rubs the spot, but leans back and lets a small easy smile settle in. \u201cLook, I wasn\u2019t expecting the sinks to just turn on. I thought they had broken and they kept turning off and on\u2026\u201d\n\nI can\u2019t help but laugh as Francois-san tries to explain the situation, \u201cThey have a sensor for your hands. You just have to have them in the right place.\u201d\n\n\u201cI sort of figured that out, but I spent at least a minute trying to find a knob.\u201d She laughs. At least she isn\u2019t too embarrassed by the situation, and even Achard-san chuckles a bit. \u201cShe didn\u2019t bully you too much while I was gone, I hope.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, it was good.\u201d I mean, she did kinda grill me, but I understand why.\n\nI take a sip of what\u2019s left of my coffee, and Francois-san chooses that moment to shoot me a smirk.\n\n\u201cGood, only I\u2019m allowed to bully you.\u201d\n\nThat sends the coffee up my nose and sends me into a coughing fit. Francois-san just leans back, looking smug and unfairly attractive. I am so doomed. My grave will say \u201ckilled by teasing and gay panic.\u201d\n\n\u201cOkay, I want no part of this flirting.\u201d Achard-san blanches, sticks out her tongue as she pushes herself up from her seat. \u201cI\u2019m going to my classes. Have fun with your otaku, Claire.\u201d\n\nAnd she walks away and disappears out the exit.\n\nIt\u2019s just me and Francois-san now, and she smiles when she catches me looking over at her. I\u2019m not meant to last, am I? \u201cI just wanted to get a little bit of flirting in before we can\u2019t.\u201d She certainly has a mischievous glint in her eyes. \u201cYou\u2019re very cute when you blush, but I would rather not share it with others.\u201d\n\nOne, two, three, five, seven, eleven, thirteen, seventeen\u2026\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s not too much\u2026 is it?\u201d The glint is gone, replaced with concern. She looks like she wants to lean over towards me. She glances at my hands fidgeting on the table.\n\n\u201cNo! Yes?\u201d I let out a nervous chuckle.\n\n\u201cSorry, sorry, you said you wanted to take it slow\u2026 I can wait.\u201d Francois-san retreats a little, her eyes looking unsure and a bit sad.\n\n\u201cNo! It\u2019s okay!\u201d I blurt out.\n\nFrancois-san looks at me intently, like she\u2019s trying to see my thoughts. I feel a bit exposed. \u201cRei, you don\u2019t need to push yourself. It\u2019s fine, really. I\u2019m just being a bit impatient. It\u2019s hardly been a day, after all, at least for you. And you have a bad habit of putting others before yourself.\u201d\n\n\u201cI do not.\u201d I try not to pout, but Francois-san just hums in agreement and takes a sip of her own coffee. I don\u2019t, right?\n\n\u201cSo, what does that mark on your sweater mean?\u201d Francois-san asks, changing the subject.\n\n\u201cErrr.\u201d I have to take a second to remember what I threw on this morning.  Oh, it\u2019s this one. \u201cIt\u2019s a hoodie, cause y\u2019know, it\u2019s got a hood.\u201d I give the hood a flick and it pops up over my head. She gives an \u2018ahhh\u2019 and it\u2019s honestly adorable. \u201cAnd ummm.\u201d I point at the logo which is probably what she was asking about in the first  place. \u201cThis is the symbol of a game. It\u2019s kinda nerdy otaku stuff, err, right, that\u2019s not helpful to you. It\u2019s, ummm\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cIn our past life you sort of explained what games, well, video games, were like. We have games back in Bauer too, of course.\u201d\n\n\u201cI did? Oh, right, umm, okay, yeah I could show you some later if you want. But yeah, this is the title of the game.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe game is called P5?\u201d Francois squints like she\u2019s trying to see something she must have missed.\n\nI slap my forehead, annoyed with myself. \u201cIt\u2019s another acronym, sorry. It\u2019s short for Persona 5. That little mask is part of the logo.\u201d\n\nFrancois-san hums and takes another sip of her coffee, and I just feel awkward. I\u2019m really selling myself now, aren\u2019t I? \u201cI would like it if you showed me some of these games, if you don\u2019t mind.  You sometimes talked about them, as well as novels and, umm, \u2018manga\u2019 I think you called them. You said you even used to write some prose for them. You would occasionally write some when we were together too. It was lovely.\u201d\n\nOh God, is she talking about fan fiction?? It's embarrassing having your crush lay out exactly how much of an otaku you are, even if she lacks a lot of context.\n\n\u201cThough I must confess, the first bit of prose of yours that I found left me so embarrassed. It was before we were together. You had written a silly and fanciful story where we were knights fighting the forces of darkness. I wish I hadn\u2019t ripped it up now, but you had threatened to make two thousand copies of it.\u201d She lets out such a lovely laugh, but\u2026 I WHAT? Oh god this sounds way too similar to the daydream I had last week. Oh Goooooooood why?\n\nI shrink in on myself. \u201cI\u2019m sorry I was such an otaku. I\u2019ll find a hole and bury myself in it later.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh don\u2019t be so melodramatic, Rei, it's cute.\u201d She tries to soothe me. She actually cares\u2026 oh, this really isn\u2019t helping me calm down, though. \u201cThough would you mind explaining what an \u2018otaku\u2019 is? It\u2019s at least the second time you\u2019ve mentioned it and Catherine mentioned it too. It sounds familiar. I\u2019m sure you said it before in our past life, but I don\u2019t think you ever explained it.\u201d\n\nHuh? She looks genuinely curious, and it doesn't seem like she\u2019s trying to tease me about it either. \u201cOh, well, ummm, I guess the easiest way to explain it without context is someone who gets way into certain kinds of media , like kinda obsessively into it. Huh, I guess you didn\u2019t really have any media like that. Okay, so like, imagine if a play becomes really well known throughout the  whole country and is really easy to watch and see and some people really get into, like, the story, or maybe the characters, or two characters\u2019 romances. Or like, a singer gets really popular with a lot of people. Or an athlete. You had those, right?\u201d She nods. \u201cOkay so yeah, sometimes there is a whole subculture that talks about those things, and sometimes it gets derided for being too obsessive or whatever. Like, sometimes people make costumes of their favorite characters\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cOr write their own prose?\u201d Francois-san asks. I wasn\u2019t expecting her to be, well\u2026 really listening.\n\n\u201cYeahhh, we call it fan fiction here. The term otaku is not always meant politely, but it\u2019s not always used negatively, either.\u201d\n\n\u201cOkay, I think I understand it, but I expect more context will help. I do want to see some of this media. I love seeing you get passionate about things. Oh, if you don\u2019t mind, that is.\u201d How is she always so nice to me? She\u2019s been so calm and collected, at least when she isn\u2019t teasing me\u2026 stop that, Rei. She has to see how awkward I am, right? I don\u2019t feel like I deserve all this confidence she has in me. I can\u2019t see myself measuring up to the Rei she has in her mind, at all. I saved her, she said, but how can I do that when I can\u2019t even feel composed around her? And she looks at me like there is nothing else in the whole world. \n\nIt\u2019s all I wanted just a few days ago\u2026 and now? Am I going to lose it if she realizes I\u2019m not like her Rei?\n\nI\u2026 I need to make sure that she gets what she needs first. I shouldn\u2019t be so caught up in how inadequate I feel with everything she\u2019s going through. We need to take this one step at a time.\n\nShe is important right now.\n\nNot me.\n\n\u201cSure, no problem at all! But we should probably start heading to class before the rest of the students get there.  Are you ready, Francois-san?\u201d\n\nShe just beams. \u201cOf course. After all, I\u2019m with you !\u201d\n\n ", "token_count": 1865}
{"file_id": "64", "body": " \n\nThe drive\u2019s not far, but it\u2019s much better than walking or taking a bus. It\u2019s a bit out of the way. Mom and Dad spent the ride making small talk with Claire and she was eager, very eager , to partake. It was only slightly embarrassing, but it\u2019s not as bad as I thought it would be. And Masao stopped being a brat too, mostly .\n\nWhen we get to the graveyard I can see Shiko and Kosaki waiting at the corner already. The two of us get out of the car and Shiko spots us and waves. Kosaki is carrying some flowers, I think. For Misaki.\n\n\u201cTake as long as you need, okay, Rei?\u201d Mom says.\n\n\u201cYeah, sure. I don\u2019t think it will be that long but I\u2019ll text you when we\u2019re done.\u201d\n\nMom smiles and nods and we close the door and wave as they drive off to another spot. Claire takes a moment to fix her skirt, and once she does I slip my hand into hers.\n\n\u201cOh?\u201d She grins. She's pleased. \n\n\u201cYeah.\u201d God, I have trouble looking at her.\n\nShe just hums and turns to face Shiko and Kosaki. \u201cSo that\u2019s Kosaki.\u201d Wow, that was icy. Hot.\n\n\u201cYeah, it\u2019s fine. It\u2019s better now.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, sorry. I\u2019ll try to be civil.\u201d She\u2019s glaring.\n\nGod, I have a stupid grin on my face I can\u2019t get rid of. \u201cLet\u2019s go.\u201d\n\nShe nods, and as we close in I can see Shiko grinning at us. Kosaki notices us holding hands. \u201cHey Shiko, hey Kosaki.\u201d\n\nShiko just grins.\n\nKosaki comes in for a hug. As she pulls back she looks at Claire, who is trying to not glare. \u201cHi Rei, it\u2019s been a while\u2026 this is Francois-san?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes. Claire, this is Uchiyama Kosaki. Kosaki, this is Francois Claire.\u201d\n\nKosaki smiles. \u201cIt\u2019s lovely to meet you, Francois-san. It\u2019s good that Rei-chan found a partner.\u201d Kosaki has always been polite.\n\nClaire manages to finally school herself and she offers a smile back. \u201cThank you Uchiyama-san. I\u2019ve heard a lot about you. It\u2019s a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance.\u201d That sounds ominous .\n\n\u201cAnd the past is the past\u2014everything is better now. Come on, let's not waste time. Can we go see Misaki already?\u201d I don't need Claire starting a fight.\n\nClaire hmmphs. Aaaaaaaaaaaaah I love her . \n\n\u201cYou\u2019re right, let's.\u201d Kosaki says, looking pretty forlorn. This has always been harder on her than the rest of us .\n\nClaire sighs. \u201cMy apologies, Uchiyama-san. It\u2019s never easy to lose those close to us.\u201d\n\n\u201cThank you Francois-san. It\u2019s okay. I deserve it at least a little bit for what I put Rei through. I should have stopped Misaki.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe were teens. And stupid.\u201d We really don\u2019t need to talk about it, please.\n\nClaire\u2019s hand squeezes mine. Okay, I guess I should talk about it just a bit .\n\n\u201cIt did suck. I\u2019m not mad at you, or him, but it did hurt. A lot.\u201d That was somehow easier and harder than I thought it was going to be to say.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m sorry, Rei.\u201d I believe her.\n\n\u201cI know. I\u2019m feeling\u2026 starting to feel better about it.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s good,\u201d Kosaki says. She gives me a small smile.\n\n\u201cLet\u2019s go say hi to our asshole already.\u201d Shiko chimes in.\n\n\u201cShiko!\u201d Kosaki gasps. But then she laughs and shakes her head. \u201cHe really could be, couldn\u2019t he.\u201d\n\n\u201cYeah.\u201d Shiko sighs. She misses him too.\n\nIt\u2019s a quiet walk through the gravestones. There\u2019s no chatter, just our thoughts. Soon enough we find his grave. There\u2019s nothing there, so if his family came by they left nothing. Honestly I doubt they even came. Claire\u2019s other hand holds onto my arm. Oh, I\u2019m squeezing her hand aren\u2019t I?\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s fine. I\u2019m here,\u201d she says quietly.\n\nYeah. She\u2019s here. Even after everything.\n\nKosaki kneels in front of the grave and lays the bouquet she brought on the headstone. She straightens back up and just stands there quietly.\n\nWhat would I tell him if I could?\n\nHey, I feel better now. You hurt me but you also helped me. Helped Claire. Does that help? Does that make it easier? I hope it does. I don\u2019t want anyone to have to go through the shit you did. That wasn\u2019t fair. It was cruel.\n\nClaire drops my hand, but just to put it reassuringly on my opposite shoulder. Like a cloak.\n\nThis is Claire. It's wild but she woke up here. She knew me in another life, our past life. And in that life I did the same thing but in reverse\u2014I woke up there and met her and we fell in love. Does that make sense? Here in this life she was in a video game and when I woke up in that life she was there and I told her about us, about you and me and Kosaki. That\u2019s how I knew she wasn\u2019t lying\u2026 somehow in this life she knew about you\u2026\n\nMy eyes are watering and I can feel Claire\u2019s hand massage my shoulder as she holds me closely.\n\nClaire is amazing. Sometimes she feels too amazing but she tells me I\u2019m being stupid about that. She's probably right. I can be pretty stupid and neither of us are perfect. But she said she would set me right. Haha. I love her. It's wild. It\u2019s only been three months and I feel so crazy about her. I don\u2019t want to leave her. We were wives before. We had kids. We saved the world, and I don\u2019t know how I did it honestly but with her\u2026 it\u2019s not that unbelievable. It sounds like it\u2019s like a loop. It\u2019s happened, it\u2019s happening. Probably will happen again. I don\u2019t know if that means I have to find her again the next time or if she\u2019ll find me? Will she remember me or will I remember her? I don\u2019t know. But that\u2019s not going to happen anytime soon. She\u2019s here now\u2026 and I want to be here with her. I want to be happy with her. She makes me happy. I want to make her happy.\n\nI have to wipe my eyes.\n\nI miss you, and I\u2019m doing okay. Maybe even great.\n\nClaire runs hand up and down my arm. It\u2019s soothing. She understands. She always does. I lean my head on her shoulder and wipe my face some more.  I don\u2019t know how long it\u2019s been, but I think I feel at peace. Or at least settled. Better. Much better than last year. I don\u2019t even remember last year when we did this.\n\nThe only sound is the rustle of the wind and leaves.\n\nI\u2019ll see you next year Misaki, with Claire. There\u2019s no doubt in my mind.\n\nShiko is the first to break the silence. \u201cOkay, so I had an idea, and you can tell me if it\u2019s a bad one\u2026\u201d She trails off for a moment and looks away from us. \u201cI may have brought a chisel. I\u2019m not saying we should vandalize his family name from the grave, but I\u2019m saying we could. And \u2026 I doubt they would even notice.\u201d\n\nThat causes something to break in Kosaki. She inhales loudly and then sobs.\n\nShiko's composure breaks and it looks like she is trying to do damage control. \u201cHey\u2026 we don\u2019t\u2026 sorry if it was \u2014 \u201d\n\n\u201cGive me the c-chisel,\u201d Kosaki says, despite her voice threatening to break.\n\nShiko relaxes and just nods. She slides her bag off her shoulder and pulls out the chisel. \u201cCareful, it\u2019s sharp,\u201d she says as she passes it to Kosaki.\n\nKosaki stares at it for a moment. It seems too big for her, too heavy for her hands. She grips it as she inhales and steadies her breath. \u201cHe hated his family name after how they treated him. He never decided on a new one.\u201d\n\nClaire\u2019s grip on me tightens and I can hear her breath also grow unsteady.\n\nShiko nods and doesn\u2019t say anything.\n\nKosaki kneels again before the grave, carefully moving the flowers away for the moment and setting the chisel to Misaki\u2019s family name. She takes a deep breath and then starts to work away at it carefully.\n\nChips of stone flake off as she scratches the names away. Soon all the kanji are gone and all it says is Misaki. She passes the chisel back to Shiko and then sweeps the chips away, cleaning the spot and returning the flowers.\n\nThe void where his family name used to be looks much better. They should be forgotten after what they did to him . There\u2019s another gentle squeeze on my hand from Claire, and I squeeze back.\n\n\u201cHe never got to choose his name\u2026 but at least I can do this for him. Thanks, Shiko.\u201d Shiko offers her hand to Kosaki as she gets up. There are tears in her eyes, but she looks better. She wipes them away and swallows. \u201cCan\u2026 can we just sit down somewhere for a bit?\u201d\n\nShiko answers first. \u201cYeah, there\u2019s a cafe nearby\u2026 that good?\u201d\n\nKosaki just nods.\n\n ", "token_count": 2006}
{"file_id": "71_1", "body": "I hate moving.\n\nRei and Claire don\u2019t really seem to share that sentiment, however.\n\nMost people have their honeymoon after the wedding.\n\nAs if on cue, the two of them pop out of their room, Claire dragging Rei after her as they both giggle. God, they are obnoxiously cute.\n\n\u201cI love this place, Rei, and now the two of us can share a room again.\u201d Claire is full of excited energy, all directed at Rei.\n\nRei blushes, something she does more and more often now with Claire around. I try not to roll my eyes. \u201cIt\u2019s not too much, is it?\u201d Rei asks shyly, trying to ignore the \u201cagain\u201d from Claire.\n\nThis apartment is insane. I still can\u2019t believe Claire asked me to move in with them. It\u2019s even harder to believe I had to insist on paying rent. This place is so nice. It\u2019s crazy how I\u2019m going from sharing a small dorm room with Rei to having a room that\u2019s bigger than what I had growing up. It feels empty right now with just the bed and a couple of boxes. Mom said she and Dad were bringing more later. I hope they don\u2019t bring too much.\n\n\u201cI would be happy to be anywhere with you Rei, but mother insisted we get a place with plenty of space. And she is right. It would start to feel cramped fairly quickly with four of us living somewhere smaller. Even our old house started to feel small when the girls started to grow up. And of course I also wanted to spoil you a bit.\u201d\n\nRei\u2019s still blushing but she\u2019s got a soft smile, and that only makes Claire\u2019s smile widen. They really do have that spark. They are both dorks. Good for them.\n\n\u201cGod, you two are such saps.\u201d Catherine has emerged from her room, echoing my earlier thoughts with just a bit more snark. And she\u2019s leaning on her cane\u2026oh, she\u2019s removed her leg. \u201cHow are you doing over there, Misha? Did you need help moving your stuff?\u201d\n\n\u201cYou\u2019re offering to help me? Shouldn\u2019t it be the other way around?\u201d I could have probably said that more tactfully. Catherine looks down at her leg\u2014or lack thereof\u2014 and shrugs.\n\n\u201cI wasn\u2019t offering my help, I was offering theirs.\u201d Catherine gestures at the joined-at-the-hip duo that is Rei and Claire. \u201cI\u2019ve done enough heavy lifting and need to give my knee a break.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, well I don\u2019t really have much to move at the moment. Rei and I didn\u2019t really have much in our dorm to begin with.\u201d\n\n\u201cLu-cky. Claire spent most of the morning bringing her stuff up. And most of mine. We could have hired movers, you know, Claire.\u201d Catherine side-eyes Claire.\n\nClaire just clicks her tongue. \u201cFor goodness\u2019 sake, Catherine, that would have been highly unnecessary.\u201d\n\n\u201cNever thought I\u2019d see you push a dolly.\u201d\n\nClaire just scoffs. \u201cPlease, I\u2019m not above getting my hands dirty.\u201d\n\nCatherine shrugs, but I can see a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.\n\n\u201cYou said more of your stuff is coming?\u201d Rei asks me.\n\n\u201cUgh, yeah. Mom and Dad said they were bringing some stuff since I\u2019m moving into something more, well, permanent as Mom put it. Not that I don\u2019t appreciate it, Claire. I just don\u2019t know if I feel comfortable calling it permanent.\u201d Too many things seem to be changing too quickly as of late.\n\n\u201cOf course, I hardly consider this permanent either. Even if Mother did deign to purchase it outright. I\u2019m not sure what permanent looks like yet, but I do want Rei and I to have our own home again.\u201d She tightens her arms around Rei.\n\nI can see the journey on Rei\u2019s face as that thought sinks in, getting redder as each dot is connected. Sap.\n\n\u201cRight, so yeah, hopefully my parents aren\u2019t bringing too much. I\u2019m not exactly sure what they decided on. Probably more clothes\u2026and maybe my PC tower and a desk?\u201d I really hope Mom showed some restraint\u2026\n\n\u201cWell, we have plenty of room for all of that now,\u201d Rei says, and she\u2019s not wrong. God, everything is going to feel tiny after this place.\n\nStill, I can\u2019t deny it\u2019s pretty nice.\n\n\u201cWill you two have enough space for everything when you\u2019re both in the same room?\u201d I can\u2019t resist a little jab at Rei though. It's way too much fun to fluster her.\n\nAnd fluster her it does.\n\n\u201cOfficially,\u201d Rei takes a deep breath as she tries to stop blushing. \u201cI\u2019m in the fourth room.\u201d\n\nCatherine snorts. \u201cO-kay, you think Melia won\u2019t notice the extra large bed in Claire\u2019s room and the lack of bed in the fourth room?\u201d\n\n\u201cRei, we are adults. Mother won\u2019t mind.\u201d Claire is quick to allay Rei\u2019s concerns.\n\n\u201cLook, please just let me maintain plausible deniability in my head so I don\u2019t have to envision your mother killing me.\u201d Rei says in a tiny voice.\n\nClaire leans over and pulls Rei in by her collar for a kiss. As they finish Rei has the stupidest goofy grin on her face. \u201cI love you dear, don't worry.\u201d Claire tells her. \u201cMother will be fine with it.\u201d Pretty sure she just knocked most higher level thoughts right out of Rei's head.\n\nCatherine clears her throat. \u201cSpeaking of more stuff arriving, the delivery for the new sofa is supposed to be soon, right?\u201d\n\n\u201cI believe it\u2019s due at half past one.\u201d Claire pulls out her phone, double checking. \u201cYes, it should be soon.\u201d She sighs. \u201cWe could have kept the old one, you know.\u201d\n\nCatherine glares at her. \u201cWe should have burned it. It\u2019s unusable. Ruined. Tainted.\u201d\n\nClaire shakes her head. \u201cIt can be cleaned. You can\u2019t expect us to just throw out everything because\u2026well\u2026\u201d At least Claire has enough shame to blush at that. Catherine has mentioned catching them having sex on the old sofa. She mentions it all the time, actually. Not sure whether it\u2019s teasing or annoyance, probably both to be honest.\n\n\u201cI expect you to know better than to get all your gross bodily fluids all over the places I want to sit. It was slimy Claire. Slimy.\u201d Oh gross, more facts about my friends\u2019 sex life that I really don\u2019t need to know..\n\nRei gulps, pulls her hood over her face, and draws the strings tight. Nice try. You can\u2019t hide from this one.\n\n\u201cOh no, don\u2019t act like you aren\u2019t just as guilty, Rei. You\u2019re both to blame for the death of my sofa.\u201d Catherine stomps her cane to drive the point home. \u201cIf you have to be fucking horny goons, you have a room for that now. It\u2019s even mostly fucking soundproof.\u201d\n\nWe all hear Rei gulp.\n\nI do sympathize with Catherine. I\u2019ve also seen things no roommate should have to see. And ever since the two of them started getting intimate for real, it\u2019s only gotten much much worse.\n\n\u201cI also don\u2019t need to see Claire\u2019s hand in Rei\u2019s pants. Ever. Again.\u201d I can\u2019t help but add my own grievance to the list. God, I did not need that image in my head. I\u2019m glad that Catherine and I can form a united front about this.\n\nClaire lets out a defiant hmmph and crosses her arms, pointing her head upward and away.\n\nI sigh. \u201cI\u2019m just saying, as roommates, can we agree to keep stuff like that behind closed doors? Even if no one else is around. I know we didn\u2019t have our own rooms before, but now we do.\u201d I really don't think it's a big ask.\n\nI just barely catch Claire murmuring, \u201cYou\u2019re one to talk.\u201d\n\nExcuse me? Is she implying\u2026Jesus, Claire, I haven\u2019t\u2026we haven\u2019t\u2026Yu and I haven\u2019t done anything!\n\nClaire immediately looks apologetic, registering that what she said was out of line.\n\nRei\u2019s face pokes out from the depths of her hood. \u201cHuh?\u201d\n\n\u201cYou\u2019re correct, Misha, your request is very reasonable. I apologize to both you and Catherine.\u201d Claire\u2019s earlier defiance is gone as she tries to backtrack and brush past her last murmured comment. \u201cI\u2026I might have a little trouble\u2026controlling myself around Rei. But we can keep it in our chambers in the future.\u201d\n\nA little trouble?\n\nCatherine sighs. \u201cLook I don't want to sound like a buzzkill. It\u2019s just\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cI know, I know. It grosses you out. We\u2019ve talked about it in the past.\u201d Claire is still very contrite.\n\nCatherine blinks, confused. \u201cYou\u2019ve talked about it in\u2026the past? I\u2019m pretty sure I only got mad at you that one time when you two were butt naked on my sofa.\u201d\n\nClaire hesitates before continuing carefully. \u201cOh. That\u2019s right, we\u2026never talked about it here. Now. But before, you and I talked about the fact that you\u2026don\u2019t like sex.\u201d It\u2019s hard to tell if Claire is making a statement or asking a question.\n\n\u201cWe talked about it?\u201d Catherine looks bewildered and maybe a little uncomfortable.\n\n\u201cWell, yes. At first I was concerned that you never found anyone.\u201d\n\nThat makes Catherine roll her eyes. \u201cLook I don\u2019t need you to tell me how to\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cNo no, Catherine, I\u2019m sorry. That was me making\u2026\u201d She looks at Rei as she tries to summon the words. \u201cA heteronormative assumption?\u201d\n\n\u201cA what? You lost me. How is this being heteronormative?\u201d Catherine sounds unconvinced.\n\n\u201cTrust me, it was. I mean, it is.", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "71_2", "body": " There\u2019s more to being heteronormative than assuming people are attracted to the \u2018opposite\u2019 sex. It can also be heteronormative to assume someone feels attraction at all. Rei said you were probably\u2014ace, I think the term was called.\u201d\n\n\u201cAce?\u201d Catherine is lost.\n\nRei chimes in. \u201cAce? You mean like asexual?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes! That or\u2026aromantic! That is what you told me in our old life.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat?\u201d Catherine is still lost. I\u2019m not quite sure what they\u2019re talking about either. God, just trying to read about trans stuff was confusing enough, back when Claire first said all that about Yu\u2026 Anyway this is the first time I\u2019ve heard about any of this \u2018ace\u2019 stuff.\n\n\u201cSo, you don\u2019t like sex?\u201d Rei asks. \u201cOr, um, you don\u2019t feel sexual attraction, to maybe put it less bluntly?\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2026\u201d The frankness of the question catches Catherine off guard.\n\nClaire seems to have a habit of just casually dropping bombshells by accident, doesn\u2019t she?\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s how you were in our last life,\u201d Claire explains. \u201cYou were never really interested in a partner, sexually or romantically. At first I was worried, but then Rei told us about the spectrum of sexualities and it made much more sense. So.\u201d Claire isn\u2019t quite sure how to finish the thought.\n\n\u201cAce?\u201d Catherine echoes. She has a thoughtful look on her face as she mulls the word over.\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s right.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m not like\u2026you know, completely repulsed. I\u2019m just\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cNot interested. And you don\u2019t need to see Rei or I\u2026\u201d\n\nCatherine face frowns and she nods. \u201cYeah. Definitely not.\u201d\n\nI raise my hand. \u201c For what it\u2019s worth, I also really don\u2019t need to see it either. You don\u2019t have to be ace or whatever it\u2019s called to not want to see your best friend getting it on in the living room. Which is not to say ace isn\u2019t a thing, of course.\u201d\n\nIt\u2019s quiet for a few moments.\n\n\u201cFuck, seriously, there\u2019s a word for this? Like, it\u2019s just been right there the whole time?\u201d\n\n\u201cRei always managed to know the words and explanations for things like this. She helped a lot of us find ways to understand ourselves better.\u201d Claire wraps her arms around Rei.\n\n\u201cWell, it\u2019s not like past me made them up,\u201d Rei chimes in. \u201cThere are quite a lot of them\u2014pansexual, demisexual, poly, and that isn\u2019t even getting into the whole world of neo-pronouns.\u201d\n\n\u201cAce.\u201d Catherine repeats again. \u201cI don\u2019t hate it. Like\u2026hmmm. This is weird. I always felt\u2026off before but like\u2026this is a thing?\u201d\n\n\u201cSorry, I didn\u2019t mean to bring it up like this. I just\u2026it's normal for me now.\u201d Claire says softly.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m not upset. It\u2019s not the worst thing you\u2019ve spoiled.\u201d Catherine laughs at her comment. She\u2019s not wrong either. \u201cI need to think about this\u2026but I don\u2019t hate it.\u201d\n\nClaire nods her head. \u201cI\u2019m sure there is more written on the internet on the subject\u2014\u201d She stops short as all our phones start to vibrate. Must be the door buzzer. \u201cOh, that must be the sofa. I just press this, right, Rei?\u201d\n\n\u201cUhh, yeah.\u201d Rei confirms for Claire, who buzzes in the movers down below with her phone before pocketing it again.\n\n\u201cThey should be up shortly!\u201d Claire beams at Catherine.\n\n\u201cGreat. Can\u2019t wait to break in the new sofa. Okay, so I was thinking the two-piece sectional should be over here\u2026\u201d Catherine makes her way to the empty space in front of the large TV that has already been set up. She\u2019s waving and pointing her cane as she makes her suggestions to Claire about how to position everything, and the two get absorbed in the topic.\n\n\u201cYou\u2019re one to talk.\u201d Hearing that again catches me off guard. Rei has broken free of her \u201cwife.\u201d She\u2019s got a shit eating grin on her face. Great.\n\n\u201cWhat are you talking about?\u201d\n\n\u201cThat's what Claire said. You\u2019re one to talk. I bet we caught you in a \u2018compromising position.\u2019 I bet it was with Yu.\u201d\n\nI want to strangle her so badly right now. \u201cRei\u2026\u201d\n\nShe just waggles her eyebrows.\n\nJesus. Fucking. Christ. I don\u2019t need this right now. \u201cNothing is happening between us.\u201d\n\n\u201cSuuuuuure.\u201d God, I want to hit her. You're so lucky you're my best friend, Rei.\n\nWe are not talking about this right now, Rei. Like, please just fucking try to understand. It\u2019s gotten so God damn complicated since Claire told me that Yu is\u2026was trans. And now I\u2019m fucking reading into every move they make. I hate it. And I know Claire let something slip to\u2026them. Yu\u2019s been acting weird since they spoke. Overcompensating. God, stop hyper-analyzing everything little thing Misha! But it\u2019s true. Something has changed. What, though?\n\nOkay. Deep breath. \u201cRei, now is not the time.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy not?\u201d She drops the grin and now just looks uncharacteristically genuine. \u201cCome on, be honest, don\u2019t you want to be with Yu? Fuck what his mom wants, we can all tell he wants to be with you too.\u201d\n\n\u201cRei\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, I\u2019m being serious. It\u2019s stupid, this little dance you two are trapped in. Will they, won\u2019t they. I know I tease you but like\u2026you two feel meant to be. I just want you both to be happy. You\u2019re\u2026 my friends. I\u2019m happy you're still here with me.\u201d\n\nOh God\u2026I can\u2019t shoot her down when she says that. \u201cRei, I genuinely don\u2019t know what I\u2019m supposed to do about it. And it\u2019s\u2026it\u2019s so much more complicated than it was when we were in high school. I can\u2019t describe why. I\u2019m not even in a place where I can begin to do that.\u201d\n\n\u201cCan\u2019t? Or won\u2019t?\u201d Rei sounds a little hurt. \u201cI know Claire told you something.\u201d\n\n\u201cCan\u2019t. I\u2019m being serious, I wish I could but\u2026\u201d\n\nRei sombers, \u201cOkay, yeah. I\u2026sorry, I\u2019m not trying to guilt you into it. You never guilted me into spilling my secrets. And I\u2019m glad I got to tell you about\u2026well, you know. Being a giant raging lesbian, when I was ready. I just want to help you two. When we lost Misaki, you were there for me and so was Yu. And it kinda fucking rules to be in a relationship. I get to make out with Claire, Misha!\u201d Rei\u2019s eyes go just a bit too wide with that last comment.\n\n\u201cI regret to inform you that I've noticed.\u201d That makes Rei blush, but she laughs and rubs the back of her neck. I am happy for her though, really.\n\nRei coughs. \u201cIt\u2019s great. Seriously, Misha. I was kind of scared that it would fall apart, but it\u2019s so much better than I would have ever thought.\u201d Rei gives my shoulder a gentle squeeze.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m happy for you. I\u2019m sure I\u2026I\u2019m sure we will figure it out one day, but it\u2019s going to take time. I don\u2019t know if either of us are ready for what it means.\u201d\n\nRei just nods, like she understands. But she can\u2019t. Not really. I don't. If I\u2019m being honest I feel like I\u2019m grasping at straws. Is Yu, my Yu, trans? The question feels harder than ever now that whatever Claire said to them has put their guard up even more. And I shouldn\u2019t even know this.\n\nGod damn it.\n\nI asked for it, too. I mean realistically I don\u2019t think there was anything else Claire could have told me that would have\u2026well, convinced me doesn\u2019t sound quite right. There is a part of me that refuses to believe there is actually some stupid looping cycle happening, regardless of what Rei believes. But Claire does know us. She knows things that there\u2019s no way she could possibly have known. Not like this. I have no explanation for it.\n\nAnd Claire is genuine. This new version of herself is actually her. It\u2019s not an act. I don\u2019t think she could have convinced me to move in with them otherwise. As unlikely as it would have been just a short while ago, I actually trust her.\n\nExcept when it comes to letting shit slip.\n\nChrist. I wish I knew what she said to Yu that set them off. Knowing Yu, it was probably something small, too. He\u2014she\u2014they\u2014damn it\u2014always reads into everything way too much.\n\nI wish I could stop endlessly stressing out over this.\n\nYu has to have some idea about it, right? Right?\n\n\u201cHey, are you okay?\u201d Rei asks. Shit, I got stuck in my head. Again.\n\n\u201cJust thinking. Look, I do appreciate it, Rei. I\u2019m glad you\u2019re here. I\u2019m glad we still get to be roommates. As long as I don\u2019t have to watch Claire try to undress you again, that won\u2019t change.\u201d\n\nRei coughs and blushes again. \u201cGod, I\u2019m so sorry about that. We just got in the zone and you were so quiet and\u2014\u201d Dear God, just stop, Rei.\n\n\u201cI was there Rei, I know. But please, for my sake and Catherine\u2019s, keep it in your room in the future. It will be easier now, at least.\u201d I never need to hear Rei moan while being called a good girl ever again. Ever.\n\n\u201cYeah\u2026uh, we\u2019ll make", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "71_3", "body": " sure to do that.\u201d At least Rei isn\u2019t completely shameless about it. God, that would be absolutely insufferable.\n\nThankfully we\u2019re saved from this embarrassing conversation by a knock on the door. Claire quickly jumps up and lets in the sofa delivery men. The delivery doesn\u2019t take long at all, as Catherine is very quick to direct them to put the new sofa in exactly the right spot. The movers are finished and gone before we even know it.\n\nCatherine flops dramatically onto the sofa and sighs in absolute bliss.\n\n\u201cThis is a rather nice sofa, isn\u2019t it? It\u2019s much bigger than the old one, too,\u201d Claire says as she sits on the \u2018L\u2019 opposite Catherine. \u201cOh, it\u2019s quite comfy. I think the previous one looked comfier than it actually felt once you sat on it.\u201d\n\n\u201cHmmm.\u201d Catherine is blissfully lost in the plush cushions.\n\nClaire lets out a breath. \u201cIt\u2019s certainly been a long, busy day.\u201d She leans against the backrest and closes her eyes. Rei materializes behind her like a ninja and starts to massage Claire's shoulders, eliciting a happy moan from her \u201cwife.\u201d \u201cOh Rei, that\u2019s wonderful.\u201d\n\nCatherine stiffens and I can practically feel her glare at the two of them.\n\n\u201cWe aren\u2019t doing anything.\u201d Claire pouts. Rei doesn\u2019t stop massaging her shoulders as she grins.\n\nCatherine points two fingers at her eyes and then at the two of them. \u201cYou\u2019re lucky I let you sit on my pure, innocent sofa at all after what you did, you heathens. I\u2019m watching you carefully.\u201d They all giggle and Catherine relaxes back into the cushions.\n\nI should give the sofa a test myself\u2014at that moment my phone buzzes in my back pocket. It\u2019s Mom. \u201cHello?\u201d\n\n\u201cMisha dear, your dad and I are at the front door with your stuff. Could you let us in?\u201d It sounds like Dad is talking to someone in the background.\n\n\u201cSure, Mom, just use the buzzer by the door. It\u2019s apartment forty-six twenty-one.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, okay. This place is rather fancy.\u201d I did warn you that it was, Mom.\n\n\u201cYeah, it\u2019s really nice. I\u2019ll see you soon, Mom!\u201d\n\nIt takes a few seconds, but soon my phone buzzes again. \u201cI got it.\u201d I use the app to unlock the door. Handy. I could get used to this.\n\nNot too long after that my parents are knocking at our front door. I was expecting them to have brought too much stuff. What I wasn\u2019t expecting was the three extra people they brought with them.\n\n\u201cI hope you don\u2019t mind that we asked your friends to help bring all of this up. We saw them milling about downstairs and I realized I recognized these boys,\u201d Dad says. He\u2019s pushing a dolly loaded with several large boxes, and none other than Rod is helping him balance it. Mom is carrying several bags, and behind her Yu and Thane are lugging several boxes between them.\n\nYu peeks over their box, looking a little sheepish. \u201cHi. We were\u2026around.\u201d Smooth one, Yu.\n\nRod laughs. \u201cSuuuure. Around.\u201d He and Dad wheel the dolly into the living room. Dad shoots me an inquisitive look.\n\n\u201cUmm, that room is mine.\u201d I point in the direction of my bedroom door and he nods. Dad and Rod are quick to roll my stuff inside.\n\nMom brings her load of bags in next, marveling at the place. \u201cIt was so lucky of us to have caught Yu and his brothers out front. It would have taken your father and I so much longer to get everything up on our own. They\u2019ve grown up so much. Rod and Thane are so tall.\u201d\n\n\u201cUmm, Jur-san, do you also want these in your room?\u201d Thane asks, his arms still full of boxes.\n\n\u201cOh, yes, thanks. Mom, I said you didn't have to bring that much. Did you bring everything?\u201d\n\nMom clicks her tongue. \u201cWe didn\u2019t bring everything, dear. But I brought what I thought you might like. You said you had more room in this new place, and I know how much you love your books.\u201d\n\nGod, she really did bring everything.\n\nShe continues talking, oblivious to my exasperation. \u201cBut my goodness, you didn\u2019t mention how nice this place is.\u201d\n\n\u201cI said it was nicer.\u201d\n\n\u201cAre you sure you can afford this?\u201d She pitches her voice low so that the others won\u2019t hear. Come on, Mom, not now.\n\n\u201cYes, I already told you that I can. Francois-san\u2019s mom owns this place. She\u2019s not charging us more than we paid for the dorm.\u201d\n\n\u201cI have to thank her, then, for taking such good care of you all. This apartment really is lovely, and so spacious. The kitchen is so big! Oh, that reminds me, I brought food.\u201d She lifts one of the bags she\u2019s holding.\n\nReally, Mom?\n\n\u201cOh, thank you so much, Jur-san.\u201d Claire comes in from the living room to guide Mom to the fridge. \u201cI wasn\u2019t expecting everyone else to be here too.\u201d She glances over to the couch and I can\u2019t help but follow her gaze. Where did Catherine go? Ghosts make more noise when disappearing than she does.\n\n\u201cYou must be Francois-san?\u201d Mom addresses her politely.\n\nClaire nods as she helps Mom unpack the food into the fridge. \u201cYes, Misha is a very dear friend, even though she\u2019s only known me for a short while. I would have felt terrible if we stranded her after stealing Rei.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, I\u2019m sure Rei isn\u2019t complaining about being stolen.\u201d I quip.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m not.\u201d Rei laughs, still hanging out by the sofa. She moves to the kitchen to join us. \u201cBut I would never have let Misha get left behind, of course. She\u2019s like family.\u201d\n\n\u201cRei! It\u2019s so good to see you.\u201d Mom attacks Rei the moment she enters the kitchen, scooping her up into a big hug. It really does feel like she\u2019s part of the family sometimes.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s nice to see you too, Jur-san. Thank you for everything.\u201d\n\nMom beams and fusses over her. \u201cDear, it\u2019s our pleasure.\u201d\n\nShe turns back to Claire, who is still putting away the food along with several bags of groceries. Mom seems to have packed half of the contents of our kitchen at home as well. Sigh. \u201cFrancois-san, Misha mentioned that your mother owns this lovely apartment?\u201d\n\nClaire turns to her and gives a polite, friendly smile. \u201cYes. As you\u2019re probably aware from my name, Mother runs a large company. Money isn\u2019t an issue for us.\u201d\n\nMom looks at me, impressed. God, she\u2019s going to grill me about that later, isn\u2019t she?\n\nThey set to work unpacking everything and stowing it in the cabinets and fridge. Despite the size of our kitchen, there isn\u2019t much room for me to join in. Mom really does seem to have brought the entire pantry with her. I guess we won\u2019t need food for a bit.\n\n\u201cJust to be clear, we just happened to be around.\u201d Yu emerges from depositing boxes in my room, hands free. He\u2014they\u2014are trying way too hard to act casual. Come on, Yu, it\u2019s just me.\n\n\u201cNice to see you, too.\u201d At least that gets them to smile, even if they\u2019re still a bit shy.\n\nYu really can be cute.\n\nThen a hand descends on their head and ruffles their hair.\n\n\u201cYou dork, don\u2019t act like you weren\u2019t looking for an excuse to check out Misha\u2019s new place,\u201d Rod says.\n\nYeah, I figured as much. I can\u2019t help laughing as Yu tries to fend off Rod. It\u2019s nowhere near a fair fight and Yu\u2019s feeble attempts just make Rod laugh.\n\n\u201cI wish you wouldn\u2019t do that.\u201d Yu glares at Rod, but in typical Rod fashion he either doesn\u2019t notice or doesn\u2019t care.\n\n\u201cRei-san, Claire-san. You two finally hooked up!\u201d Jesus. Christ. Rod.\n\nClaire doesn\u2019t look phased, but Rei nearly drops what she was holding. She looks panicked.\n\n\u201cHooked up?\u201d Mom echoes. Damn it.\n\n\u201cRod, that was a rather crass way to put it.\u201d Claire clicks her tongue and discreetly tilts her head in Mom\u2019s direction. Ugh\u2026\n\n\u201cHooked up?\u201d Mom repeats again.\n\n\u201cIs that a problem?\u201d Claire asks, looking ready to fight if need be.\n\nMom blinks. It\u2019s hard to tell what she\u2019s thinking. She glances at Rei, who looks mortified.\n\n\u201cAre you dating Francois-san, Rei-chan?\u201d I still can\u2019t really read Mom\u2019s reaction. She sounds befuddled but I can\u2019t tell why. It\u2019s nerve wracking.\n\nAn eerie quiet falls over the kitchen. Even Rod seems to have realized the landmine he set off. The silence is finally broken when Rei gulps loudly. She squares her shoulders and looks Mom in the eye. \u201cYes. I\u2019m\u2026in a relationship with Claire.\u201d I can tell she\u2019s trying her best to put up a strong front. Claire comes from behind and gently takes Rei\u2019s hand.\n\nRei is nervous, but she looks\u2026proud.\n\nThen Mom abruptly pulls Rei into a hug. What?\n\n\u201cOh dear, I\u2019m so proud of you!\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat?\u201d\u201d Rei squeaks.\n\n\u201cI was worried it would be hard for you. And you found such a kind and beautiful girlfriend!\u201d\n\nHuh? Mom?\n\n\u201cWhat is going on?\u201d Rei squawks while being smothered by Mom\u2019s arms.\n\n\u201cWasn\u2019t even worried.\u201d Christ, Rod, you are so full of shit.\n\n\u201cOh. My. God. Rod. Shut the fuck up.\u201d Yu mumbles.\n\n\u201cHang on. You already knew", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "71_4", "body": "? How!? Misha? MISHA?\u201d Rei tries to find me and make eye contact despite Mom\u2019s all-encompassing hug. But\u2026how did Mom know?\n\n\u201cI didn\u2019t say anything!\u201d This is not on me, I swear!\n\n\u201cShe didn\u2019t, Rei-chan. The walls in our house are thin and one day I just happened to overhear you telling Misha about being outed in middle school when you were visiting us\u2026I\u2019m sorry dear\u2014I didn't mean to eavesdrop but I\u2019m so happy for you now.\u201d Oh God, how many things did Mom hear when we were growing up?\n\n\u201cSo you\u2019re okay with\u2026me being a lesbian?\u201d Rei\u2019s panic is gone now, but she still sounds a bit wary.\n\n\u201cRei, I have to admit that I didn\u2019t have the best of opinions about that sort of thing before I heard. But seeing how happy you are now, and knowing how close you and Misha have always been, well, I found a new perspective. You\u2019re like family to us. You deserve to be happy.\u201d It\u2019s such a relief to hear Mom say that.\n\n\u201cThank you\u2026\u201d Rei\u2019s voice cracks, and Claire pulls her in as soon as Mom lets her go.\n\n\u201cAnd Bauer-kun!\u201d Mom turns to face Rod, who immediately stiffens. She marches up to him. \u201cThat was careless of you.\u201d\n\nRod bows to Mom in a rare show of humility. \u201cYou\u2019re right, ma\u2019am. I apologize.\u201d Yu then shoves an elbow in his stomach and Rod elbows them back. \u201cSorry, Oohashi-san, I\u2026I meant it to be teasing among friends. I didn\u2019t think about who else was present. I\u2019m happy for you two.\u201d\n\n\u201cUhhhh\u2026please don\u2019t make a big deal out of it.\u201d Rei looks pretty uncomfortable.\n\n\u201cSure.\u201d Rod straightens back up and smiles.\n\nThane materializes behind Rod and sighs. \u201cThis is why Yu and I don\u2019t tell you everything.\u201d\n\n\u201cHey, come on, I\u2019m not that bad.\u201d Rod acts hurt, but Thane isn\u2019t deterred.\n\nYu glares at him like they want to strangle him.\n\n\u201cOohashi-san, I want you to know I didn\u2019t tell anyone about our talk. And I\u2019m also glad to see you two have patched things up,\u201d Thane says with a smile in Rei\u2019s direction.\n\nClaire smiles back at him gratefully.\n\n\u201cI didn\u2019t tell Rod shit, either.\u201d Yu remarks.\n\n\u201cYeah, I had to figure it out myself. So thanks guys. Anyway, sorry for hitting on you before, Oohashi-san. It won\u2019t happen again.\u201d Rod, surprisingly, gives another bow to Rei.\n\nClaire glares at Rod. \u201cIt better not. Ever.\u201d I can see the shiver that ripples through Rei. God, Rei, you are such a simp.\n\n\u201cPo-sses-sive much? Wow, you really dodged a bullet there, Thane.\u201d Rod laughs, but it comes off as a little stilted. Seems like he is trying to power through his fuckup.\n\nThane groans and then decides it\u2019s better to ignore the comment. \u201cJur-san, I did want to let you know that everything is in your room, and your father is putting together some of your furniture. Rod, I said we\u2019d help if he needed it.\u201d\n\n\u201cTotally, in fact I think I\u2019ll go check on him right now. Congrats again, lovebirds.\u201d It\u2019s not often that I get to see Rod acting very awkward. It\u2019s kinda funny.\n\nOnce Rod disappears, Yu speaks up. \u201cI really didn\u2019t tell him anything. I just want you to know, Rei.\u201d There\u2019s something odd in their voice. Yu always does their best to keep those kinds of secrets between us\u2026but now something feels different. Like it hits closer to home. God, I wish I could just stop with these thoughts already. Any moment now, brain.\n\n\u201cOh, yeah, don\u2019t worry. I believe you. Honestly, I think Rod probably just figured it out from being around us. \u201d Rei gulps. \u201cI don\u2019t really mind, I just, you know, don\u2019t need the whole school to know. Not again.\u201d\n\nClaire wraps her arms around Rei from behind and Rei chuckles and places her hands over Claire\u2019s.\n\nFor the briefest second Yu shoots a glare at Claire\u2014she definitely said something to them\u2014but I\u2019m the only one that catches it. Yu is very practiced at hiding their feelings, but I know them too well to miss something like that. \u201cWell, it\u2019s true that you two are\u2026quite obvious.\u201d Yu smirks, and that makes Rei frown. Claire giggles and kisses Rei\u2019s ear.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s good to see you visit, Yu-san. I want you to know you are always welcome. Don\u2019t feel like you are intruding if you ever want to come see Misha.\u201d Claire\u2019s offer is very sincere.\n\nFor another split second I see something flicker across Yu\u2019s face again. I think they\u2019re suspicious of Claire\u2019s sincerity. I\u2019m pretty sure Claire also caught Yu\u2019s expression this time, but she just smiles. She means it, Yu, she\u2019s just trying to help.\n\n\u201cWell, I\u2019ll try to not overstay my welcome either way.\u201d Great, now Yu is distancing themself again.\n\nI sigh. \u201cYu, you can always show up whenever. That hasn\u2019t changed.\u201d\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t mind either. Umm, Catherine might turn into a ghost again, though.\u201d Rei chimes in.\n\n\u201cWho?\u201d Yu looks around.\n\n\u201cOh, Catherine is my sister. We aren\u2019t related by blood, but we grew up in the same household. She\u2019s usually not fond of company, and she disappeared when you came in. Some things never change. Don\u2019t worry about her\u2014if she doesn\u2019t want to be around, she won\u2019t be,\u201d Claire explains.\n\nYeah, it took a while for her to warm up to me too. It\u2019s a good thing she did since we\u2019re roommates now. \u201cAre you up for hanging out for a bit, Yu? Or are you going to bail soon?\u201d I hope they stay for a bit but I don\u2019t want to pressure them too much.\n\n\u201cI suppose I could stay.\u201d Yu says nonchalantly.\n\n\u201cI suppose I might like that, if it\u2019s okay with you.\u201d Two can play that game.\n\nYu waits a moment, bashfully avoiding my eyes. \u201cSure, why not.\u201d\n\n\u201cThank you.\u201d I make the mistake of looking at Rei. She\u2019s giving me that look again and wiggling her eyebrows. Can. You. Fucking. Not.\n\n\u201cIs anyone hungry? I can heat up some of this food,\u201d Mom calls from the kitchen. Everyone turns to look at her.\n\nThere\u2019s a pause. Everyone seems hesitant to be the first to speak up. Fine, I\u2019ll do it since she\u2019s my mom. \u201cWhat did you end up bringing?\u201d\n\n\u201cCurry\u2014I thought it would be a crowd pleaser.\u201d\n\nI can feel my stomach stir. \u201cSure, that sounds tasty.\u201d\n\n\u201cIf you're offering, I\u2019ll gladly have some.\u201d Yu says with a polite smile.\n\n\u201cYes, please.\u201d\n\n\u201cThank you, I\u2019d love some.\u201d\n\nMom looks pleased and quickly pulls a stack of plates down from the cupboard. Claire is quick to step in and help.\n\n\u201cSo you\u2019re good, then? With Claire.\u201d Yu says to Rei in a low voice now that Claire is otherwise occupied.\n\nRei looks confused, glancing at Claire busying herself in the kitchen. \u201cYeah?\u201d\n\n\u201cBut she\u2019s\u2026?\u201d Yu can\u2019t quite figure out how to end their sentence.\n\nRei\u2019s face scrunches. \u201cShe\u2019s what?\u201d\n\n\u201cClaire.\u201d\n\n\u201cYu I really li\u2014I love her.\u201d\n\nYu shakes their head. \u201cIt\u2019s just so hard to believe given what the Claire I know was like\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cShe\u2019s changed,\u201d Rei cuts in, leaving no room for argument.\n\nYu sighs. \u201cI\u2019m just, you know. Looking out for you.\u201d\n\n\u201cJust trust me. Okay? Even Misha is okay with Claire. What\u2019s your deal?\u201d Rei\u2019s willingness to fight for Claire is clearly not something Yu anticipated.\n\n\u201cSomething is off,\u201d is all that Yu offers.\n\nBy this point Rei seems to realize that Yu has also picked up on Claire\u2019s odd behavior. The disjunction is obvious to anyone who\u2019s really paying attention. \u201cJust give her a chance, please.\u201d\n\nI need to help convince Yu. \u201cYu, please. I know how weird it seems, but if you give Claire a chance you\u2019ll see she\u2019s not who you think she is.\u201d I place a hand on Yu\u2019s back.\n\n\u201cMisha, she\u2019s hiding something!\u201d Yu abruptly turns to me, speaking in a low but very urgent voice. It catches us all off guard, themself included.\n\nRei is the first to respond. \u201cNo shit, we all have stuff we want to hide Yu. She\u2019s doing the best she can.\u201d\n\n\u201cSo you actually know what her deal is?\u201d I wish I knew whatever conspiracy Yu has cooked up in their head.\n\n\u201cOf course I know. Or at least I think I know whatever is setting off your wonky spider-sense. It\u2019s not what you think it is. Can you just, I don\u2019t know, not go Spanish inquisition on her please?\u201d Rei is deadly serious as she addresses Yu in hushed tones.\n\n\u201cI wasn\u2019t going to\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cI know, but you keep tabs on, like, everything, Yu. I trust her, and she trusts me. She\u2019s good, Yu. I promise.\u201d\n\nYu\u2019s shoulders sag. \u201cFine. I\u2019m just\u2026you two seem all over the place. One day you\u2019re breaking up, and then the next day you're moving in together.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh my God. We weren\u2019t breaking up. Look, I was being stupid. I was\u2026\u201d Rei takes a breath. \u201cIt", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "71_5", "body": "\u2019s fucking scary being honest with someone you love, okay? And I wasn\u2019t ready to be honest\u2026with her or with myself, but then we managed to work it out. I was scared, and I had to work through that.\u201d\n\nI can\u2019t help but look over at Yu to see how they react to hearing that. I know Rei was talking about herself, but\u2026\n\nI wish Yu would trust me.\n\nYu\u2019s eyes sink to the floor and they swallow. \u201cOkay\u2026sorry, Rei, I just\u2014\u201d\n\nRei puts a hand on Yu\u2019s arm. \u201cYu, it\u2019s okay. Really. I get it, but it\u2019s a totally different situation than it was with Kosaki.\u201d\n\nYu stiffens, hmm. \u201cYeah, okay.\u201d Yu still seems a bit unconvinced. \u201cI don\u2019t get her, though.\u201d\n\nRei ponders. \u201cDid she say something weird to you? Like, something a bit too personal that seemed to come out of nowhere?\u201d\n\n\u201cShe doesn\u2019t know me,\u201d Yu snaps. God, they are in such denial.\n\n\u201cOkay, sheesh. She\u2019s better than you think at reading people, for what it\u2019s worth.\u201d Rei tries to give Yu an opening.\n\n\u201cShe hasn\u2019t read me.\u201d Yu grits their teeth, still deep in denial.\n\n\u201cWhat did she say to you?\u201d I ask gently. I try to put a hand on their arm, but they just jerk away.\n\n\u201cShe didn\u2019t say anything to me. I don\u2019t know why you two are so obsessed with this.\u201d Oh, Yu\u2026\n\nRei just looks perplexed. At least I already knew that Yu was acting weird, but she has no idea what\u2019s going on. Thank God Claire has managed to keep this a secret from her.\n\nFor now I just want Yu to calm down. \u201cYu, we\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cFood\u2019s ready!\u201d Mom's voice rings out.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m starving.\u201d Yu says, and abruptly ends the conversation and heads to the kitchen.\n\nRei looks at me and mouths \u201cWhat the fuck?\u201d\n\nI wish I could say.\n\n ", "token_count": 421}
{"file_id": "3_1", "body": "It doesn't take long for us to buy the ibuprofen. I make sure to find some licorice as well. Rae explains how a credit card works; apparently coins are not such a common means of payment anymore, though paper bills are still somewhat common. I also notice the expression on Rae\u2019s face when she notes that my credit card is a gold one. A sign of affluence, I surmise. I might be something akin to nobility here as well, but I suppose that explanation is best left up to Catherine. \n\nOur trip off campus to the pharmacy doesn\u2019t take much time, and Rae decides to take the opportunity to make some headway into her \u2018crash course\u2019 in modern life. It\u2019s quite a lot of information to take in all at once, and I can already tell I will need to go over it again later. The university is in the middle of the city, Tokyo, and I try not to get distracted by all the new architecture all around us. I even spy several large towering buildings\u2014skyscrapers, as Rae calls them. They dwarf anything from Bauer.\n\nBy the time we make it to the dorms, the only thing I can really recall about what she told me is that the internet is important and I have to be careful when I use it. And it\u2019s not a literal net . Soon we are in front of my room, which has a six hundred and seventy two written on the door. I had not expected the hall to look so\u2026 plain. It's hard to believe that people are living in such a dull place. At least my door key still works the same way here.\n\n\u201cClaire?\u201d I can hear Catherine\u2019s voice inside as I open the door. The room is quite big, and looks well-serviced. I think I can even see something resembling a kitchen area, along with a couple of beds, two desks and a pair of sofas facing a thin black slate hanging on the wall. Its style and shape reminds me of the phone from earlier, but much, much larger.\n\nRae whistles. \u201cWow, sick flat.\u201d\n\n\u201cCatherine, I\u2019m back! We brought the ibuprofen you asked for.\u201d It doesn\u2019t take long to spot her\u2014 she\u2019s sitting on one of the sofas, rubbing her shorter left leg. She is missing the half below the knee in this life as well. The incident that claimed my mother\u2019s life was to blame before, but in this life I wonder\u2026\n\n\u201cCan you bring it over? I had to take my leg off. It\u2019s been a bad day.\u201d Take her leg off ? She is trying to keep her breathing steady through the pain. I waste no time giving her the bottle we acquired. \u201cThank God,\u201d she says, popping the bottle open and taking out two small pills. She swallows them in one gulp, then sighs and sinks into the sofa. \u201c Please let it kick in soon. So who is your new friend ? Oohashi-san, was that it?\u201d\n\n\u201cUm, yes, this is Rae.\u201d I gesture for Rae to come in and sit down. Catherine sighs. I feel a little guilty introducing the two of them while Catherine can\u2019t escape like she used to back in my old life, but this conversation has to happen. \u201cRae was my wife.\u201d\n\n\u201cFrancois-san! You can\u2019t lead  with that!\u201d Rae spouts, trying to keep herself from shouting.\n\nCatherine inspects the bottle once more. She shuts her eyes for a beat, then looks at me. \u201c What ?\u201d\n\n\u201cToday I woke up with memories of a previous life where I was married to Rae.\u201d I explain. I have no intention of wasting time by beating around the bush.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s also worth  mentioning that she no longer has any memories from this life.\u201d Rae jumps in, sounding a little annoyed.\n\n\u201cOh,\u201d is all Catherine says. She looks at the bottle once more, but can\u2019t find any answers there. Silence fills the room. I do my best to wait for her, but it is taking a while. I start to give an explanation, but she cuts me off before I can voice anything. \u201cPlease just let the meds kick in first.\u201d\n\nEventually Catherine leans forward again, rubbing her knee and its stump. Letting out a breath, she finally says, \u201cOkay, what the fuck Claire? What are you trying to pull?\u201d\n\nIt seems cursing is a far more common thing in this world. I sigh. \u201cI am not trying to pull anything; it\u2019s the truth.\u201d I try to school my temper but the accusation irks me, and I can hear the edge in my voice.\n\n\u201cRight, Claire, this is stupid. You can\u2019t actually expect me to believe this, and for what? To avoid apologizing for dragging me to a stupid mixer I didn\u2019t want to go to? My prosthetic got broken and you didn\u2019t even help me get home. You just ditched me to do what? Get laid! I\u2019m actually mad now! I can\u2019t believe you right now.\u201d Catherine is practically apoplectic. I have never seen her mad like this before, and it\u2019s apparently my fault. Or some version of myself. The story she recounts makes my stomach twist. How could I do that to her?\n\n\u201cCatherine, I have much to make up for, and I will start doing so immediately, but please\u2014I can\u2019t recall anything about what happened in this life before an hour ago.\u201d Please believe me.\n\nCatherine glares at me. I can see tears prickle the corners of her eyes. \u201cGod, I can\u2019t believe you would stoop to something this stupid. Find yourself a new roommate, Claire.\u201d\n\n\u201cHey, come on, she\u2019s telling the truth. I didn\u2019t believe her at first but there really isn\u2019t any other explanation.\u201d Rae jumps up and protectively gets in between the two of us.\n\nCatherine just lets out a humorless laugh, \u201cOh, and how did she wrap you up in this? Did she pay you to lie to me, wifey ?\u201d\n\nRae grits her teeth but overwise stays calm. \u201cWe\u2019ve never talked before today and yet she knew a lot of things about me, private things . Maybe you could try explaining that.\u201d\n\n\u201c Oh ? And exactly what sort of private things did she know?\u201d\n\nRae takes a deep breath. \u201cShe knew I was gay.\u201d The last word comes out a squeak and Rae blushes.\n\nCatherine just rolls her eyes. \u201cI could have told you that just watching you being around her for five minutes. Try again .\u201d\n\nRae take another deep breath, \u201cShe knew about my friend\u2019s suicide.\u201d\n\nCatherine doesn\u2019t say anything. She looks genuinely taken aback.\n\nRae takes a moment to stabilize herself. She\u2019s starting to tremble again. \u201cHe\u2026 he was born a girl, but he couldn\u2019t be himself. His family wouldn\u2019t let him\u2026 and after we all graduated he took his life. Only a few of us knew what he was going through, and his family still denies it.\u201d Rae is holding back a lot and she is visibly shaking. \u201cNo one could have known, but Francois-san knew and she knew why. The only way she could have known is if I told her. And she said the me in her past life told her.\u201d\n\nI move next to Rae and  wrap my arm around her, drawing her in. She feels so small.\n\nCatherine eyes us. I can see her still trying to figure out what is happening, but I think the doubt is starting to falter. \u201cYou could still be lying.\u201d\n\n\u201cMy friend is\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cHey, hey, that's not what I\u2026\u201d She sighs. \u201cI\u2019m sorry, that sucks. This\u2026 still doesn\u2019t sound real. Claire, you weren't surprised when you saw me missing half a leg. How do you explain that?\u201d\n\nI lead Rae back to a seat on a sofa and sit beside her. \u201cIn my past life you also lost your leg in that\u2026 accident.\u201d \n\n\u201cHow did that accident happen there, then?\u201d She narrows her gaze.\n\n\u201cMy father had been trying to achieve political reform amongst the nobility. Commoners were being abused by the nobility in many places in the Kingdom of Bauer. His opponents had arranged for an accident to happen on his carriage trip between states.\u201d I know how Catherine feels about her involvement with this \u2018accident\u2019. I don\u2019t blame her for her role in it, but I know she blamed herself for many years. \u201cHis carriage was pushed off a cliff pass and it collided with your own. You lost your leg, and my mother lost her life. Shortly thereafter I was sent to live with my second cousin, Sister Manaria, for half a year in the kingdom of Sousse. Despite it all, you and I remained friends thereafter. I am sorry for how poorly this version of me has treated you as of late.\u201d\n\nCatherine listens quietly, betraying little of her thoughts. Her only reaction is when I mention my mother dying. Seeing Catherine\u2019s amputated leg means my mother has passed on here as well.\n\n\u201cClaire.\u201d There isn\u2019t an edge to Catherine\u2019s voice this time; it\u2019s been replaced with\u2026 concern. \u201cThis is a really shity thing to do if you\u2019re not lying\u2026\u201d She lets out a heavy breath. \u201cBut I need to see one more thing. Can you please open up your phone and look at your photos from, like, a month back?\u201d\n\nPhone ? Oh right, the thing I used earlier. I dig through my bag and pull out the phone again. How I am supposed to open this? It is only one piece.\n\n\u201cOh, umm, when she says open it up she means start it up, turn it on,\u201d Rae says. She holds out her hand for the phone. Catherine watches the interaction but is otherwise silent. \u201cOkay, so before when she called you, it turned on beca", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "3_2", "body": "use that's what it does when a call comes in. When there isn\u2019t a call you can open it up like this.\u201d She tilts the phone to show its side, pointing out a small button. When she presses it, the phone lights up again. There is a picture of a scenic view. \u201cSo this is the lock screen, which shows the time and date. Let's hope you have it on face recognition.\u201d Rae looks to Catherine, but she makes no further comment. She taps the phone and the surface changes again. \u201cOkay so when you do this, it will unlock if you show it your face.\u201d The phone\u2019s surface is now like a mirror. She tilts it so my face is reflected and then it chimes and many symbols show up. \u201cThank god we didn\u2019t need a pin. Okay so should we go to her photo album or Insta or what?\u201d\n\n\u201cJust her album,\u201d Catherine replies, betraying no emotion. She is watching me carefully.\n\n\u201cRight\u2026\u201d Rae starts to tap the phone, moving the symbols and then tapping one which now shows many small pictures, perfect little images, like the reflection from before but still and unmoving. She swipes the phone more and the picture move quickly\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cStop!\u201d I grab the phone, feeling my heart in my throat.\n\nIt\u2019s my mother.\n\n\u201cHow do I\u2026?\u201d\n\n\u201cJust tap,\u201d Rae says.\n\nI gulp and tap the small picture which expands to fill the phone\u2019s surface. It's a picture of my mother and me, in which she is smiling and I am frowning. The me in the picture is the exact same me I am right now. The me from here\u2026.\n\n\u201cCatherine\u2026\u201d I can feel tears starting to well in my eyes. My throat is tightening and I can feel Rae\u2019s hand on my shoulder. I can\u2019t keep it in\u2014somehow, my mother isn\u2019t dead. A ugly sound escapes my throat but I\u2019m smiling through the tears. I can see my mother again. I can tell her I\u2019m sorry. Oh God, she won\u2019t even know what I am talking about but that doesn\u2019t matter\u2014\n\n\u201cClaire\u2026.\u201d Catherine's voice is very measured, careful. I understand that tone. \u201cWhat happened to your father in your other life?\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2026\u201d It feels like I am six again. I struggle to even get the words out. \u201cHe lived\u2026\u201d Catherine\u2019s silence is very telling and she looks at the floor. \u201cHe lived a long life. He lived to see our girls grow up, Rae, he\u2014\u201d  I choke back a very different sob this time. \u201cHe loved them.\u201d\n\nRae pulls me into a hug and another ugly sob escapes from me. Rationally I know that I shouldn't be so upset, but knowing everything he won't be here for this time is heartbreaking. May and Aleah loved him so much and now\u2026\n\nRae just holds me and rocks me. Bless her, she is still here for me. Trading one parent for the other\u2026\n\n\u201cI\u2019m sorry, Claire.\u201d Catherine sounds exhausted.\n\n\u201cI shouldn\u2019t be upset, I\u2026 I already lived a full life with him\u2026 I\u2019m\u2026 I\u2019m just being selfish.\u201d\n\n\u201cHey,\u201d Rae says softly, \u201cyou\u2019re allowed to be selfish.\u201d\n\nCatherine clears her throat. \u201cYou never let anyone touch your phone and\u2026 I\u2019m sorry, I\u2019m still having trouble believing it, but I had to be sure. At least I know you aren\u2019t lying anymore. You may be deluded, but you aren\u2019t lying.\u201d\n\nI take a breath to try to calm myself.\n\n\u201cThere\u2019s so much she doesn\u2019t know now. She doesn\u2019t know how to use a phone, if she could drive before she can\u2019t now, and I don\u2019t even know how she is supposed to do her classes.\u201d Rae tries her best to explain and slowly pulls back from me. Hesitantly, I let her. \n\nI miss the closeness and have to fight the urge to grab her again.\n\nCatherine just groans and sinks back into the sofa.\n\n\u201cShe needs help, umm\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s Achard, Catherine Achard.\u201d Catherine introduces herself, not hiding her annoyance.\n\n\u201cThank you Achard-san.\u201d At least Rae is being polite.\n\n\u201cSo are you helping her too, then Oohashi-san?\u201d Catherine asks.\n\n\u201cYes, I\u2019ll help. We share some classes, so I can help you catch up and you can ask me questions that would be weird to ask others,\u201d she says, turning to me. She has a soft smile, but she is bashful and has trouble looking at me directly.\n\nI give her a light hug. \u201cThank you Rae. Even here you come to my rescue.\u201d \n\nShe gives off a nervous laugh as I pull back. Catherine is analyzing us again. \u2018Really?\u2019 I can hear her say with just her stare. I make sure my return stare says yes.\n\nCatherine and Rae spend some time working out an itinerary, dubbed the \u2018Modernize Claire Plan\u2019. There is little I can do to assist outside of confirming I do have some education in subjects that can carry over, such as arithmetic and writing. My knowledge of science is extremely lacking, apparently. Evening falls before we\u2019re even aware of it.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m going to have to get going soon,\u201d Rae says after doing a stretch. \u201c My roommate is going to worry if I\u2019m out too long. I think we\u2019re off to a good start. I can come over early in the morning and help you get to class until you are used to it yourself.\u201d\n\n\u201cI would apprentice that. Thank you Rae.\u201d A light blush dusts her cheeks and it\u2019s too cute.\n\nI want to kiss her.\n\nRemember, take it slow Claire. She doesn\u2019t know you.\n\n\u201cOh, one more thing\u2026 it would be a good idea to maybe exchange numbers, so you can reach me.\u201d Rea stutters and her blush deepens. I can\u2019t help but laugh at how she acts.\n\n\u201cNumbers?\u201d \n\n\u201cPhone numbers. The phone can remember them, but you need to tell it first. It\u2019s how it knows who to call.\u201d She explains.\n\n\u201cOh right, I think you might have mentioned that. Sorry, it\u2019s been a lot to take in\u2026how does that work?\u201d\n\nThankfully the process isn\u2019t too complicated. Rae shows me where all the numbers are recorded. Apparently the other me had collected many of them, mostly from names I don\u2019t recognize. I think I might be getting a handle on using this device, though. I am even able to make a \u2018profile\u2019 for Rae. She has to help, of course, but it\u2019s still a little exciting. She shows me one more time how to call a \u2018contact\u2019. I know who I want to call first.\n\n\u201cOh, another thing you should know is how to text people. It\u2019s like, um, writing a letter I guess, but it\u2019s done through the phone. Here, let me show you.\u201d She starts tapping away on her own phone. \u201cCheck your phone now.\u201d\n\nMy phone shakes and I see, what was it called, a notification ?\n\nHi\n\nOh that\u2019s lovely. I imagine it\u2019s slow in contrast to how fast Rae did it, but I write out a simple reply.\n\nHello\n\n\u201cLook, you're a natural.\u201d Rae encourages me, even though this has to be a simple thing to her.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s starting to make more sense.\u201d It will be so easy to keep in touch with her now.\n\n\u201cCool\u2026. Um, you should probably not get too deep into all the other stuff on the phone yet. We can ease you into the rest.\u201d She waves her hand over the phone. She did mention there was a lot more it could do.\n\nCatherine chimes in. \u201cYeah, we don\u2019t want you ruining your life even more by doing something stupid on your phone.\u201d\n\nI laugh. \u201cSurely you jest.\u201d\n\nTheir silence is a bit unnerving.\n\n\u201cBut how\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cJust trust us, we\u2019ll ease you into it. You\u2019ve already had to take in a lot tonight and we haven\u2019t even really talked about the internet.\u201d\n\nShe mentioned that before. Wait, I think Rae mentioned something about that in our past life\u2026 \u201cComputers?\u201d\n\n\u201cYou remember something?\u201d Rae looks a bit surprised.\n\n\u201cWell no, not in the way you\u2019re thinking.  You used to talk about computers in our past life, mostly when you complained about not having them anymore or some such. Computers use the internet, right? That\u2019s why it sounded familiar.\u201d Rae missed those a lot.\n\n\u201cOh yeah, I guess that makes sense. It would suck to lose that. Well, I\u2019m going to get out of here.\u201d Rae pulls herself off the sofa and collects her bag, making her way to the door.\n\n\u201cWait, one last thing.\u201d I follow her over to the door. \u201cIs your roommate Misha, perchance?\u201d\n\nRae does a double take, \u201cHow did you\u2026  okay, that\u2019s kinda freaky, Francois-san.\u201d\n\n\u201cShe was your roommate when we went to school, too.\u201d I wonder if there are others from our past life here too. Yu, Thane, Rod, even Loretta and Pepi. I can worry about that later, however. \u201cI just thought to ask because we were all close friends, and I get the feeling that I don\u2019t know Misha here. The main point I want to make  is that you should tell Misha about this if you think it isn\u2019t a bad idea. I trust her, and if you think it would help I don\u2019t mind her knowing about this.\u201d\n\nRae nods slowly, though she seems uncertain, \u201cAre you sure? You\u2019re right that it might make some things easier, but\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cI trust her, Rae,\u201d I say again.\n\n\u201cOkay\u2026she\u2019s probably just going to think I\u2019m crazy.\u201d Rae gets a little lost in her head, trying to play out that conversation.\n\n\u201cOh believe me, she has put up with far worse from", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "3_3", "body": " you.\u201d I laugh and pull her into a quick hug. \u201cMake it home safely. I'll see you tomorrow.\u201d\n\nRae stutters, not really saying anything outside of squeaking a quick \u201cBye\u201d before disappearing out the door. I really want to tease her more. I miss the kisses we used to have when we parted.\n\n\u201cMan, what a dork,\u201d Catherine says once the door closes.\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t be mean.\u201d I take a seat on the sofa.\n\n\u201cYou really do like her, don\u2019t you?\u201d It\u2019s not hard to imagine how different I must seem to her now. Did the me here\u2026\n\n\u201cDid the old me ever show an interest in girls?\u201d\n\n\u201cIf you did, you were so deep in the closet you made sure no one else knew.\u201d \n\n\u201cRight, Rae used to use that expression too.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt means you were hiding that you were gay, or queer, I guess.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd I suppose I wasn\u2019t the most sympathetic about trans people either?\u201d\n\n\u201c...Yeah, I don\u2019t know. Not like this at least. So you\u2019re just cool with all of that?\u201d I\u2019m not quite sure what she means to ask.\n\n\u201cIt would be weirder for me to not be. Rae and I have been married for so long.\u201d It makes me feel so soft just thinking about it.\n\n\u201cThis is so weird. You never smile like that.\u201d\n\nI can\u2019t stop my brow from quirking. \u201cLike I\u2019m happy?\u201d\n\n\u201cErrr\u2026 yeah.\u201d Catherine is hesitant to elaborate.\n\nWhat was I even like here? In a way, I have erased the old Claire. What did she mean to other people here? \u201cWas I happy here before?\u201d\n\nCatherine gnaws her lip. \u201cI don\u2019t know. It didn\u2019t seem like it.\u201d\n\n\u201cI seem to have stolen your Claire, haven\u2019t I?\u201d Rae had said she held onto her memories from both of her lives. It would be a lie if I said I weren\u2019t frustrated to not have that same luxury.\n\nCatherine mulls it over some more. \u201cI don\u2019t know, it\u2019s weird. You still feel like you. Just not mad or absent anymore. You could be a real bitch before\u2026 sorry. You also talk a little differently, too.\u201d\n\nI can\u2019t help but chuckle. \u201cWell, I was definitely hard to deal with when I was younger. Oh.\u201d I pull open my bag and find the other half of my purchase. \u201cI got you some licorice along with your medicine.\u201d\n\nCatherine\u2019s brow furrows in confusion as I lean over to pass the bag of her favorite candy. \u201cHow? \u2026you haven\u2019t given me candy since we were kids.\u201d\n\n\u201cConsider it my apology for my earlier behavior. Can I ask, is your father terrible here too?\" In the world I remembered he had been arrested, and Catherine had used her magic to erase his memories before trying to disappear herself. I doubt she can pull that trick again here.\n\nHer face contorts in disgust. I can already tell what she\u2019s going to say, but she answers anyway. \u201cYes, and If I never have to talk to that shit stain again, all the better.\u201d She pops open the bag of licorice and angrily stuffs several pieces in her mouth. \u201cThanks,\u201d she huffs, and then eats a few more.\n\nI could ask about my parents, and about what happened here. But that would lead to potentially talking about a very touchy subject far too soon. It can wait. For now. It still feels unreal that Mother is alive and well here and I could talk to her again. I don\u2019t think I am ready for that yet. \n\n\u201cYou doing okay?\u201d Catherine asks, drawing me out of my thoughts.\n\n\u201cI think so, yes, it's\u2026 it\u2019s exciting, but it\u2019s also a lot and so much of it is intimidating. Rae honestly made it look so easy in our past life, yet here I didn\u2019t even know how to purchase something. Thank you for asking, Catherine.\u201d\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t thank me yet. I have no idea how we\u2019re going to onboard you as fast as we need to, let alone get you up to speed for classes. Not that your grades were that stellar\u2026\u201d Catherine mumbles that last part as she chews her candy. The licorice seems to have helped her mood even more than the medicine.\n\nHow could I let my grades slip, though? \u201cWhat was that about my grades?\u201d\n\nCatherine takes a moment to finish chewing and swallowing her treats. \u201cWell\u2026 I would say some social obligations had taken a higher priority for you. You\u2019ve had good grades in the past but\u2026 I don\u2019t really know the whole story. You don\u2019t exactly talk about yourself very much\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd even if I did, I didn\u2019t have the best self awareness when I was younger.\u201d I can\u2019t help the self-deprecating laugh that comes out.\n\nCatherine mulls the comment over, as if she had only planned to hint at what I just said and is somewhat nonplussed that I just spelled it out. \u201cHuh, this is weird. It\u2019s like I\u2019m talking to an older version of you or something, I guess.\u201d\n\n\u201cI raised two daughters, Catherine.\u201d I was older, but now I feel young again.\n\nCatherine just stares at me, trying to take in such a  misleadingly simple statement. \u201cReally? How old were you?\u201d\n\nWhat is the last thing I remember? Lying down. Rae holding my hand, or was I holding hers? The girls were there. Beautiful as always. The rest\u2026 feels hazy. \u201cI think we had grown old together, Catherine. Old enough that those last years are hard to remember.\u201d\n\n\u201cDo you feel like an \u2026 old lady?\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2026 don\u2019t think so? It\u2019s weird\u2014I can recall so much, but it\u2019s almost like a vivid dream. I feel young, like I am twenty again.\u201d There has been so much to take in, but I feel ready to take on this new life. I can see Catherine is mulling over some thoughts, brooding slightly. Is she trying to piece together how she fit into my old life?\n\n\u201cWe were friends until the end.\u201d That draws her out of her reverie and she looks up, a question clearly tugging at her. I can see she isn\u2019t ready to ask it yet, which is good because I don\u2019t think I am ready to answer. \u201cYou mentioned a party or something before?\u201d\n\nShe sinks into the couch and eats another piece of her licorice. \u201cYeah, there was a mixer. You dragged me into it and then disappeared. I think you were trying to get close to Bauer Thane-san but you kept a lot of that to yourself.\u201d\n\n\u201cKing Thane is here too?\u201d I can\u2019t help but sound elated at the idea that our other old friends are here. \u201cDoes that mean Rod-san and Yu-chan are here too?\u201d\n\nCatherine is caught more than a bit off guard. \u201cKing?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, are they not royalty here? They were the princes and princess before. Thane-san took the throne.\u201d My explanation doesn\u2019t really resolve Catherine\u2019s confusion.\n\n\u201cRoyalty? Well they are loaded since their dad is the CEO of a major corporation\u2026 wait\u2014princess?\u201d That last word hangs in the air.\n\nOh.\n\nOh no.\n\nIs Yu\u2026 Oh no, is Yu not herself here? Yet?  Is she the same? \u201cPlease forget I said that. I meant princes.\u201d\n\nCatherine just eyes me, not really satisfied.\n\n\u201cLook, I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s the same, but it\u2019s not my place to say something about Yu if it is not commonly known and they haven\u2019t said anything about it yet either. Please don\u2019t mention it to anyone, as it might not even be the case here.\u201d Goodness, I should have been more careful about that. Rae always stressed the importance of maintaining one\u2019s privacy about matters like this.\n\nMisaki... I am doing terribly at this.\n\nCatherine sighs. \u201cYou should be careful about spilling secrets then, or potential secrets. Yu, huh? Okay, now that I see it I can\u2019t unsee it.\u201d\n\n\u201cPlease, if she isn\u2019t ready\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cHe,\u201d Catherine corrects me. I take a breath. I know she is trying to reinforce that I need to use that pronoun here, but it still rubs me the wrong way.\n\n\u201cIf Yu isn\u2019t ready, I don\u2019t want to be the reason something bad happens. It was complicated then, and I have to imagine it will be difficult here too.\u201d\n\nCatherine just nods and snacks on another candy. It seems some things don\u2019t change, but she is going to run out at this rate. \u201cSo nothing on Bauer-san?\u201d\n\n\u201cHrm? We had always been friends with him and his siblings . What do you mean?\u201d What is she getting at?\n\n\u201cWow, nothing, huh? You were so\u2026 umm, how to put it. You were kinda desperate about Thane before?\u201d I can tell she is trying to be somewhat tactful about it, but honestly it\u2019s not needed.\n\n\u201cRight. I suppose I had a bit of a crush on him before Rae came along. Wow, I had forgotten about that. It was so long ago, and nothing more than a childish crush at the time.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis is so weird. You used to go on about him like dating him was going to fix everything and it was the only thing that mattered.\u201d\n\nI can\u2019t help but chuckle, \u201cWell, maybe I thought that at the time before too, but then Rae found me. And, well, she is my everything .\u201d \n\nCatherine smirks. \u201cWow, you really do have it bad for that otaku.\u201d\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t know what an otaku is, but I can\u2019t help how I feel.  I love her.\u201d I\u2019m smiling. Even after a lifetime my feelings have never faded, and something about doing it", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "3_4", "body": " all over again makes me feel nostalgic and hopeful.\n\n\u201cUgh, gross.\u201d Catherine laughs and throws one of the sofa cushions at me, which bounces off harmlessly. \u201cI prefer my treats bitter, not whatever you have going on there. But I\u2019m happy for you, I think.\u201d", "token_count": 60}
{"file_id": "14_1", "body": "I wasn\u2019t expecting Francois-san to be here before me, am I late? No, I'm twenty minutes early\u2026\n\n\u201cOohashi-san!\u201d She notices me pretty soon as I close in, she looks quite happy this morning. She also looks amazing. She has pulled her hair back into a high tail with a red ribbon, and is wearing a flowy red top with a orange jacket, and stylish white slacks and sandals. Her stomach is very exposed with how high her top is cut\u2026 \n\n\u201c Like what you see? \u201d\n\nHer words snap me back to reality, she is smirking, she looks quite proud of herself. She realigns her bag on her shoulder, \u201cYou look rather handsome I must say.\u201d Oh this teasing is so unfair, I need to pull my cap down to cover my face a bit to recover but it just causes her to giggle lightly. \u201cSo what\u2019s first?\u201d\n\n\u201cRight, well we can take a small tour, there is a park and more nearby that should be nice. And then I was thinking we could get lunch after and then head back and I can show you\u2026 game stuff.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat sounds lovely Oohashi-chan.\u201d She beams again, and I don\u2019t know if I can really meet her expectations but I have to at least try. A walk through a park has to be nice right? God I don\u2019t know what I am doing. Maybe I should have just gotten movie tickets instead. But then that might be too much for her to follow and she could\u2019t ask any questions in a theater, and what if it just makes the whole experience confusing and ruins it- \u201cI\u2019ll follow your lead, okay?\u201d Francois-san says, her eyes glance to my hands as we start to move.\n\nRight. We are\u2026\n\nDoes she want to\u2026 hold my hand?\n\nShe must either decide not to, or not have thought to in the first place. Why\u2026 Am I disappointed? God why am I overthinking this, girls hold hands all the time right? It doesn\u2019t have to mean something if we did right? People won\u2019t just assume we are\u2026 together right?\n\n\u201cEverything all right R- Oohashi-chan?\u201d Great, Francois-san is now picking up on my internal consternations. Get it together Rei.\n\n\u201cNo, yes, I\u2019m all right, you haven\u2019t had a chance to wander around much right?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, not much yet. Pepi and Loretta dragged me to a restaurant earlier to interrogate me but nothing else yet. It will be nice, it\u2019s very different from Bauer here.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, how did that go?\u201d\n\n\u201cOkay I think? They had definitely noticed the change in myself and Pepi was, well, quite suspicious to say the least. I think I smoothed it over but I don\u2019t expect the effort to be over yet.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s good, how did you manage that?\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, I did tell them that I had changed, I may have suggested it was because I wanted to be better\u2026 but I may have also suggested it was because I fell in love.\u201d\n\nOh no\u2026 \u201cFrancois-san\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cI didn\u2019t say it was you, but then they started jumping to conclusions. First they thought I was being sly and that I was going to bully you, never again\u2026 unless you want it. \u201d Oh GOD. \u201cAnd then I had to be blunt after that. Yes, I have feelings for you but that was\u2026 it. I don\u2019t want them giving you trouble, let me know if they do anything okay?\u201d She glances from the corner of my eye, and I can see she has a few worries.\n\n\u201cSure, but I really wish you would be more careful about that, first Bauer-san and now your two lackeys?\u201d\n\n\u201cPepi and Loretta. And I know Rei, I\u2019m sorry. If I thought I could have done it without falling back on it, I would have, but I am atrocious at lying and I don\u2019t think there is anyone else outside of my family who would know me better than those two.\u201d\n\nIt\u2019s hard to fault her, it would be like trying to lie to Misha\u2026 and I couldn't make it past one night with her. \n\n\u201cAre you nervous about being\u2026 out?\u201d\n\nThe image of my desk, kanji scratched on its surface just beckon forth in my mind.\n\nOohashi Rei\u2019s a Lesbo\n\nThe fucking pit in my stomach. Ugh,  that\u2026 was miserable.\n\n\u201cMaybe a little.\u201d\n\nShe wouldn't do that, but Kosaki didn\u2019t mean for it to get so out of hand either\u2026\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s okay,\u201d She tries to soothe me, \u201cI\u2019ll be honest, I never had to deal with that sort of anxiety but that was mostly because I was too stuck on trying to realize I did have feelings for you, and then a revolution happened. It didn\u2019t really matter what anyone thought because everything got turned over. Not to say we lived without prejudice, it still existed even if we were heroes.\u201d I have to guess the other me didn't feel like this\u2026\n\n\u201cWhat was it like? What happened?\u201d\n\n\u201cHmr, well I suppose I first met you when you arrived at the academy. The Academy had started to accept commoners for the first time, and you were an exceptional student. I believe you said that is when you \u2018woke\u2019 up, I suppose in a manner similar to how I did just a week ago. You said you had known of that world because it was the plot of a game you loved.\u201d\n\n\u201cWait you're telling me I isekaid into a game?\u201d\n\n\u201cI suppose?\u2026 I feel like I am forgetting something else but yes, you were reborn in our world. A lost soul.\u201d\n\n\u201cSo did I die in Japan? Did I say what happened?\u201d\n\nClaire turns away, and clutches her bag, \u201cNo I don\u2019t believe you did.\u201d\n\nShe is right, she is bad at lying, but what is trying to avoid telling me, people die-\n\n\u201cAnyways you, when we first met immediately proclaimed your love for me, it was very alarming at the time to say the least, I had even been just reprimanding you for sitting in the wrong place when you did. You went out of your way to be around me and I did not react well to it at first. You used your knowledge and cheated your way into being my maid, and then you were trying to play behind the scenes to guide the story you knew as it was unfolding. You knew a revolution was looming on the horizon. You were also a very gifted student, top of the class and one of the only dual casters around, you could wield two elements, earth and water. A very talented chef as well, I\u2019d be lying if I said I don\u2019t look forward to it again.\u201d\n\nI can cook? I mean I know how to make really basic stuff, but like cook cook? \u201cUmm, What sort of things did I cook for you?\u201d\n\nFrancois-san gets a dreamy look on her face, I already feel nervous, \u201cOh everything, you were always inventing new dishes, but I suppose many of those may have come from here. You were honestly as good or better than some of the chefs we employed when I was still a noble, I believe you even introduced chocolate to Bauer, and mayonnaise. Your cr\u00e8me br\u00fbl\u00e9e is divine .\u201d She looks so proud.\n\nI\u2026\n\nWhat?\n\nChocolate? hOOw? I don\u2019t even know the first thing to making that, but I know it\u2019s complicated, and mayonnaise? Maybe?... Isn't it just oil and eggs?  \n\nCr\u00e8me br\u00fbl\u00e9e? Ughhhhhhhh-\n\n\u201cI\u2026.\u201d She looks so expectantly at me\u2026 I can\u2019t tell her my level of cooking is just heating up a instant ramen right? \u201cI don\u2019t know if I am that good\u2026 but I can try making something later.\u201d I can\u2019t tell her\u2026 she looks so proud, how am I supposed to compare to that?!\n\n\u201cOh you don\u2019t have to be so modest, I\u2019m sure whatever you make will be good.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, well I haven\u2019t really had a place to cook, or time since I started university\u2026\u201d It\u2019s not like my dorm has a kitchen.\n\n\u201cYou could use ours.\u201d She counters rather quickly.\n\nSee looks so eager.\n\nShe has so much faith in my non-existent abilities. I need to let her know.\n\n\u201cSure.\u201d\n\nRei\n\nREI!\n\nWhy did I say that?\n\nShe smiles so fondly, oh god, that\u2019s why. This is okay\u2026. I can look up something right? I will be prepared this time. It won't be a repeat of the tea again, I am going to knock her out next time. I can do this.\n\n\u201cI am looking forward to it.\u201d\n\nChange the subject for the love of god Rei.\n\n\u201cSo a revolution?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, yes. To say there was imbalance between the nobility and common class would downplay the situation. Things had come to a boiling point and players behind the scenes were manipulating it for their own gain. You however, knew how it would unfold because you were very familiar with the game, so you tried to guide me to become the hero of the movement. I couldn\u2019t see it at the time but with you I learned of the disparity between the classes and I confronted a lot of my own biases. Things came to a head when a volcano erupted, King B\u2026 the king lost his life and the government was thrown into chaos. We worked hard to support the commoners while the nobility tried to consolidate power for themselves, things almost turned violent but thanks to you things were settled pretty peacefully. The nobility was abolished, a new government was formed and we eloped afterwards, adopted two girls, twins. May and Aleah, they are wonderful.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, wow that's a lot.\u201d That\u2019s an understatement. \u201cSo this was a game I knew here then?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, yes you", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "14_2", "body": " were very enamored by it.\u201d\n\n\u201cDo you know what it was called?\u201d\n\n\u201cRevolution, you said it was like a novel, a dating game?\u201d\n\n\u201cAn otome?\u201d She just shrugs, \u201cWell can\u2019t say I really ever heard of that game before, I wonder if it exists\u2026 did\u2026 I?... say anything about it as a game, like why I liked it or when I started?\u201d\n\n\u201cWell I don\u2019t think you would have played it at this age, I think you were probably older\u2026 To answer the other question, you played it because I was in it, it was love at first sight. Or so you had said.\u201d There is such a teasing smirk on her face.\n\nIs she suggesting I\u2026 She was my game waifu\u2026.?\n\nI want to sink in a hole\u2026\n\nWhat? How!?\n\nShe creeps in closer, \u201cYou're blushing Oohashi-chan\u2026\u201d\n\nOH GOD, I am going to die.\n\nShe laughs as she puts more distance between us.\n\n\u201cReally?\u201d my voice feels hoarse.\n\n\u201cYes.\u201d she answers, at least it doesn\u2019t sound like she is demeaning me over it, just really teasing me.\n\nGood .\n\nSHUT UP REI.\n\n\u201cRei?\u201d\n\n\u201cYeS?\u201d God why can\u2019t I sound normal.\n\n\u201cAre you okay\u2026 with this? It\u2019s not too much is it? Sometimes I just fall into old habits and I worry you are just humoring me.\u201d She looks concerned.\n\nThat's bad, fix it.\n\n\u201cNonononono, I\u2019m just\u2026 this is new, sudden. I haven\u2019t even had anything since you know\u2026 Kosaki\u2026 and that never went anywhere.\u201d\n\n\u201cSo I\u2019m your first?\u201d\n\nI gulp\n\n\u201cI\u2026 this is the closest I have been to a relationship\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cDo you want to? To do this again with me?\u201d\n\nI can\u2019t believe this is happening. I thought a week ago maybe the dust would settle and things would cool off. She would see what a loser I am and realize she was wrong about me.\n\nBut she didn\u2019t.\n\nThe look she is giving is so intense, I can\u2019t even lie to myself\u2026 she wants this.\n\nI want this.\n\nI nod.\n\nShe smiles.\n\nShe closes the distance between us, we are shoulder to shoulder and she has a conspiratorial look on her face. Her hand touches mine.\n\n\u201cIs this okay?\n\nHer hand slips into mine and she weaves her fingers into mine.\n\nI am holding hands with Francois-san.\n\nI AM HOLDING HANDS WITH FRANCOIS-SAN.\n\nI make the mistake of meeting her eyes directly, she is still expecting an answer. My voice doesn\u2019t really answer so I just nod again and I have to break eye contact.\n\nThis hoodie was a mistake, I am cooking.\n\nFrancois-san seems very content and enjoys the walk in silence as we make our way towards the park. I can\u2019t even remember its name anymore. It had a lake right? Or something. I hope the zoo is good, is that too much of a cliche? It\u2019s not an aquarium right, that would be way too much of a cliche but it\u2019s not like she would even know about that right? Like that\u2019s probably not a thing from where she is from. Is a zoo even going to be interesting to her, she said they had magic, did they also have magical creatures? Monsters? Is a zoo even going to hold her interest? How cool is a monkey going to be compared to a dragon? You don't even know if that\u2019s the case, stop psyching-\n\n\u201cOhh!\u201d I feel a tug on my hand and Francois-san is pulling me forward, \u201cOh this is so lovely!\u201d\n\nIt's the pond, though at first glance you can hardly see the water, it's so full of green leaves and dotted with pink flowers.\n\nFrancois-san pulls us to the edge and looks out at the pond, there is such wonder and vigor to her as she takes it all in. God she is so beautiful-\n\n\u201cWhat are these flowers called?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, these are lotuses, they grow on the water, I think there is supposed to be a pathway a bit to the south that we can walk through the pond on.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat sounds lovely, these are really beautiful, we didn\u2019t have these in Bauer. Do they hold a special meaning?\u201d\n\nYes? \u201cI think so\u2026 I mean I know they are important for a bunch of religions but I was never really religious so I couldn\u2019t really tell you about that. I think there is something about enlightenment? I think it's important in Buddhism?\u201d\n\n\u201cI see, what\u2019s Buddhism?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, yah right. It's one of the religions around this part of the world, it's pretty old but like I said, I\u2019m not really religious in the slightest so I\u2019m not the best person to be asking about it. Did you have religions back there?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, just one though. And I don't\u2026\u201d She pauses for a moment, lost in thought, like she is trying to recall something, \u201cHmmm, I can\u2019t say how much stock I would put into it now. The church did some good, but would also be a hindrance in other areas. You didn\u2019t really put much faith into it there either. So there are multiple religions here? How does that work?\u201d\n\n\u201cHonestly not well, I\u2019m sure you will get a better idea once we start getting into history stuff later when we aren\u2019t worried about our classes. Right now they kinda coexist with each other but they don\u2019t really\u2026 they don\u2019t acknowledge each other if that makes sense? They each have their own version of stuff and often they really don\u2019t line up with each other. It's been a source of conflict in the past.\u201d\n\nThere is a look of understanding as I say that, she grasps the idea of the conflict pretty quickly and I wonder how much she has had to see in her life.\n\nBut I don't want her to dwell on that too much.\n\n\u201cThere is a zoo on the other side of the pond.\u201d\n\n\u201cA zoo?\u201d She perks up quickly, the excitement is cute.\n\n\u201cYes, did you have those?\u201d\n\n\u201cNot in Bauer but I read that some wealthy cities in the Loro empire would build them\u2026 I never had a chance to visit one before.\u201d She is getting quite giddy, she isn\u2019t even trying to hide it in her voice and she squeezes my hand as she starts getting us to move forward again.\u201d", "token_count": 1322}
{"file_id": "25", "body": "I arrived a little early today. We wanted to get in some more studying, since today was going to be pretty busy, with Catherine's appointment, then clothes, and then the party.\n\nGod it\u2019s going to be a day.\n\nAt least Claire is putting a lot of work into studying, and impressively she is catching up a lot. Sometimes I feel like I can just sit back and let her do-\n\nKnock-Knock.\n\n\u201cThat must be Lene.\u201d Claire springs up from her work and goes to the door. As she opens it, there stands a woman, just a bit older than us I would guess. She is wearing a clean pressed suit, and has long brown hair that is pulled together in a tail and hanging off her shoulder to the front. She def has butler vibes. \u201cLene! You look wonderful, it\u2019s so good to see you again.\u201d Claire catches her completely off guard and pulls her into a hug.\u201d\n\n\u201cMademoiselle Claire?\u201d She recovers from her surprise, \u201cIs everything all right?\u201d\n\n\u201cQuite, sorry, sorry. I\u2019m just excited to start the day. Well we should be moving, Catherine, can you get ready?\u201d\n\nThere is a silence before she responds. \u201cWhat?\u201d She pulls herself up from the sofa. \u201cWhat are you talking about? I am not going anywhere.\u201d\n\n\u201cPardon moi, did you not inform Mademoiselle Catherine yet?\u201d Lene-sama asks as Claire moves quickly over with a grin on her face to Catherine.\n\n\u201cOf course you are coming, trust me. It\u2019s a surprise.\u201d\n\n\u201cClaireeee\u2026\u201d She tries to glare at her, but Claire just beams. God her resistance is much better than mine.\n\nIt does not hold out for long though. And she sighs. \u201cUghh, I hate surprises, what are you planning?\u201d\n\n\u201cI owe you, think of it as me treating you?\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2026 don\u2019t want to go shopping with you two.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s not that, please just trust me?\u201d\n\n\u201cUghhhh, fine. But I want to be able to say no.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou have to at least listen to me if you disagree\u2026\u201d\n\nShe tries to hold out again.\n\nShe sighs instead, \u201cFine. Fine, let\u2019s just get this over with. This better not be a social thing either, I am not going to whatever party you are going to later.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat's much later Catherine, and this will not take that long. Just get comfortable and be ready to leave soon.\u201d\n\n\u201cPreferably not too long, we do have a schedule to maintain Mademoiselles.\u201d Lene says from the door again. \n\n\u201cYah, Yah, Just give me a moment.\u201d She shoos us out of the room, and soon it\u2019s just me, Claire and Lene there in the hall.\n\n\u201cSo would you be the friend Mademoiselle Claire mentioned?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes this is my w- my friend. Rei Oohashi. We share a class. She is wonderful.\u201d\n\nShe was going to say wife, wasn\u2019t she?\n\nOomph, Claire gives me a nudge, a bit forcefully.\n\nKinky.\n\n\u201cOh\u2026 yah, pleased to meet you Lene-sama.\u201d I give a little bow.\n\n\u201cMerci, it is a pleasure to meet you as well Mademoiselle Oohashi. So Mademoiselle Claire, our appointment for Mademoiselle Catherine should not take long, and then we can visit your usual venues for clothes. If anything else is required please just let me know.\u201d She gives a formal bow.\n\n\u201cThank you Lene.\u201d\n\nIt doesn\u2019t take that much longer for Catherine to come out, she has put on a better shirt, and is leaning on her cane. Lene offers to help her down but she just waves her off and we make for the exit.\n\nAnd\u2026 I don\u2019t know, I am not really surprised but I wasn\u2019t expecting a limo to be waiting for us.\n\nI\u2026 Right, Claire is rich. Catherine\u2019s kinda made vague mentions of it but yah\u2026\n\nWoah.\n\nClaire looks at the limo, we have seen cars on the street but I think this is the closest she has been to one so far. She tilts her head, and whispers to me, \u201cWhy is it shaped so differently than other cars?\u201d\n\n\u201cIs everything alright Mademoiselles?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh of course Lene.\u201d Claire insists.\n\nLene-sama opens the door for us and beckons us in.\n\nIt's\u2026 really roomy in her, and Claire moves in carefully after Catherine, offering her a hand. The two of them sit opposite of me, and Lene closes the door.\n\n\u201cSo it\u2019s like a carriage without a horse then? It uses an \u2018engine\u2019, correct?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, and umm, this is a different type of car, it\u2019s called a Limousine. It's typically a symbol of wealth.\u201d\n\n\u201cYah, this is just our usual ride. Don't worry, Lene is a good driver.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, well yes.\u201d Claire is a bit awestruck taking in the I interior.\n\n\u201cSeat belt.\u201d Catherine mentions.\n\n\u201cHrmm?\u201d\n\n\u201cThis.\u201d Catherine leans over and pulls the belt over Claire, \u201cThis is in case of accident, keeps you secure, these move way faster than a horse.\u201d\n\n\u201cRight.\u201d It looks like Claire is just trying to take in everything she can, eyes glancing all over.\n\nLene-sama\u2019s voice comes in over an intercom, \u201cIf you are ready Mademoiselles, I will take us to your first destination.\u201d\n\nCatherine hits a button, then over intercom I guess, \u201cYes, we are ready, thanks Lene.\u201d\n\n ", "token_count": 1166}
{"file_id": "1", "body": "\u201cMother Claire, you should take it easy.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m fine, Aleah.\u201d I am, I\u2019m just a little tired. Aleah has been fretting too much since the girls came for a visit. I am happy they made it, though.\n\nAleah has just helped me into a seat. She made sure it\u2019s as comfy as possible. She really needn\u2019t worry so much, though.\n\n\u201cMama Claire will be fine Aleah, just let her relax.\u201d May comes over and puts a hand on her sister\u2019s shoulder. She tries to put on a smile to ease her sister, but even I can see she is anxious.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m glad you two made it. It\u2019s made your Mother Rae very happy.\u201d I lean back into my chair. Maybe I am a bit tired.\n\n\u201cOf course, Mother\u2026\u201d Aleah rises, after she has finished setting the blanket around me.\n\n\u201cYeah, we hope it was a good day for you, Mama Claire.\u201d May\u2019s smile looked strained. I wish they wouldn't look so sad. It\u2019s okay.\n\n\u201cIt was.\u201d I close my eyes for a moment. It was such a lovely dinner. I just wish I had more of an appetite. The girls put so much work into it. \u201cYou know we love you, right? We are very proud of you two.\u201d\n\nThey look so beautiful. We have been so blessed. They have grown up into fine, capable women.\n\nAleah looks over at May with concern. Despite trying to put on a brave face, May is starting to get misty eyed. Girls, it's fine.\n\n\u201cI think your Mama needs a bit of quiet, girls.\u201d Rae enters the room, carrying a tray with tea. I can tell from the aroma that it\u2019s perfectly brewed as usual.\n\n\u201cMother, you should have let us make the tea!\u201d Aleah rushes over and helps Rae keep the tray stable. The two of them keep fretting over the both of us.\n\nRae clicks her tongue, \u201cPlease Aleah, I\u2019m still capable. Besides, we both know she likes the way I make it better.\u201d Rae doesn\u2019t fight her off, though, and they bring the tray over to me and sit next to my seat. Rae pulls her own chair closer to mine and settles in. \u201cYou two should go clean up, it\u2019s okay.\u201d\n\nAleah sighs and pulls May towards the kitchen. \u201cCome on, May, let\u2019s give them some privacy.\" May looks like she wants to argue, but Aleah meets her eyes and she relents. \u201cWe love you, Mother.\u201d Aleah\u2019s voice is soft, and it looks like May might choke if she tries to say something, so she just nods her head.\n\n\u201cThank you girls. It will be fine.\u201d I\u2019m just tired.\n\n\u201cClaire?\u201d Rae's voice catches my attention. I must have nodded off. It\u2019s just the two of us now, and she pours us two cups of tea. It smells just right.\n\n\u201cThank you, Rae.\u201d She puts the cup into my hand and helps guide my hand to take a sip. It\u2019s perfect.\n\nShe smiles once we put the cup back down. She is still beautiful after all these years. The wrinkles and grayed hair are a mark of a life well lived. One I am so proud to have shared with her.\n\n\u201cClaire?\u201d She asks again.\n\n\u201cYes, Rae?\u201d\n\n\u201cI love you.\u201d I smile and she twines her hand in mine.\n\n\u201cOoh? Well, I suppose I might love you too.\u201d Her wrinkle crease as she smiles at our silliness.\n\nI lean back into my seat and let out a contented sigh. Rae\u2019s hand squeezes mine and I do my best to squeeze back. I feel very tired.\n\n\u201cRae?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes?\u201d The way I must have asked it has caused her concern.\n\n\u201cI love you.\u201d\n\nShe nods and waits for me to continue.\n\n\u201cIt was a beautiful life.\u201d\n\nRae\u2019s face scrunches at that. Please, my love, it\u2019s okay.\n\n\u201cPlease, Rae, don\u2019t lose hope. There is always next time.\u201d \n\nShe squeezes my hand and nods. I can see tears twinkling in her eyes. \u201cI\u2019ll find you again.\u201d Her voice wavers.\n\n\u201cNo\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cNo?\u201d Her voice cracks.\n\n\u201cI\u2019ll find you this time.\u201d I give her hand a squeeze. \u201cIt\u2019s only fair.\u201d \n\nHer face settles, still solemn, but the worry is pushed aside for now. \u201cIs that a promise?\u201d I want to. I want us to find each other over and over again. I want us to be there for each other every time.\n\n\u201cIt is. I love you, Rae.\u201d So much.\n\n\u201cAnd I love you, Claire. Always .\u201d I worry she might break, but she just smiles as her gaze locks with mine. Rae draws her face to mine and we share a kiss. Her lips melt into mine perfectly. I don\u2019t have the energy for much but I put all I can into one last kiss. Rae slides back into her chair and hums. She runs her fingers over my knuckles and I feel myself relaxing.\n\nI am very tired.\n\nPerhaps I just need a quick rest for my eyes.\n\n ", "token_count": 1071}
{"file_id": "18_1", "body": "I missed this.\n\nRae\u2019s breath is heavy as I draw back, I need air.\n\nHer lips are swollen from our connection, her eyes are dilated, she is in a daze.\n\nThe bruise on her neck bright.\n\nOh how I missed this.\n\nI place my finger under the tip of her chin, raise it ever so slightly and our eyes connect.\n\nShe whimpers with need, and I am generous. I lift her chin and bring her face to mine. Her lips to mine once again. I savor the taste, her taste, and our lips move in tandem with each other. In a dance we have played many times, and will play many more.\n\nBut I long for more.\n\nMy other hand creeps as if it has an agenda of its own. I feel it trace against her stomach, running gently over the surface, but that is not enough. Fabric bars me from the skin and so the hand winds its way beneath the sweater and makes contact with the skin below. She gasps as my fingers trace over the familiar territory and I use the moment to deepen the kiss. She is very inexperienced, but oh so willing. I run my tongue over the lips seeking entry and she acquiesces. Slipping in, my tongue runs over hers. I can feel her pulse quicken and she moans as our tongues twine.\n\nKnock Knock.\n\nIt comes from the door, and I pull away. That causes Rae to whimper again at the loss of contact, but she seems to have barely noticed the knock has even happened. She is extremely disheveled, her hair is a mess, her sweater has been pushed up high and left arm has nearly escaped from the sleeve.\n\nAnd best of all\u2026 she is smeared in my lipstick.\n\nMine .\n\n\u201cRae, that\u2019s probably Misha.\u201d\n\nShe whimpers again, \u201cBuuut we just\u2026.\u201d\n\nOh god she is adorable, I give her a quick peck on the cheek and then rise from the bed. I quickly pat myself down, I am far more composed than my partner and I turn to get the door.\n\nI was correct, it is Misha, and she is very surprised to see me. She does a double take at first and then notices Rae still on her bed in a stupor.\n\n\u201cWell Fuck.\u201dShe mutters, does everyone swear here? \u201cGuess she wasn\u2019t exaggerating\u2026 didn\u2019t think you would be the one to answer the door Francois-san.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s good to see you M- Jur-chan, Rae-chan said she told you about\u2026 well me .\u201d\n\n\u201cHmmhmm, yah I guess\u2026 seeing is believing\u2026.\u201d She eyes me cautiously. \u201cYou know what, let\u2019s have a talk while Rae\u2026 recovers from whatever you just did to her.\u201d\n\nI don\u2019t particularly enjoy her tone or implication, Rae was very willing to accept everything I just did to her.\n\nRight? I hazard one last glance at her, she certainly is in a stupor.\n\nCalm down, right, right. I may have gone slightly overboard. Rae doesn\u2019t even seem to realize I am talking to Misha. But she did enjoy it. \n\n\u201cAll right.\u201d\n\nWe leave the dorm room and she closes the door. \u201cSo what\u2019s your game?\u201d She is trying to keep her tone even, but I can hear the slightest of edges still.\n\n\u201cRae told you, didn't she?\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd now I\u2019m asking you.\u201d This is fair I suppose, she should be skeptical.\n\nFine, \u201cYes, I woke up a week ago with not memories of this life, but a previous life. One where Rae and I were married. In a very different world\u201d\n\n\u201cFrancois-san, that sounds like a load of shit even if I wanted to believe you, prove it.\u201d\n\nHrmmm, \u201cHow would you suggest I prove it? I knew you in our past lives too but I am unsure how much of that life is the same as the one. Would you just think I was making it up if I describe elements from then? Your family was part of the nobility, you had close ties with the royalty and grew up with prince.. Yu, but when you were still young your family was disgraced and lost their status as nobility. You were still close with Yu afterwards\u2026\u201d How much do I say?\n\nShe looks completely neutral. I\u2019m not making any progress.\n\n\u201cWhat if I say something I shouldn\u2019t.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019ll be the judge of that.\u201d\n\n\u201cFine, you and Yu became partners, romantically.\u201d\n\nNothing.\n\nI knew that wouldn\u2019t get her to take me seriously, I suppose I will have to drop something more dramatic.\n\n\u201cOnce things settled down the two of you became Nuns.\u201d\n\nHer eyes narrow, the first break in her mask. \u201cWhat did you say?\u201d\n\n\u201cI only said what happened in my previous life Misha, I don\u2019t know what that means for this one.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou certainly are sounding like you are implying something there Francois-san.\u201d Her ice is finally heating up.\n\n\u201cYou wanted me to convince you, I don\u2019t\u2026 know what is the same here but please believe me, I will be on your side whatever the case will be. Am I wrong? You know Yu here, sh- they, ughh, you knew then too!\u201d\n\nShe finally looks unfooted, \u201cFrancois-san if you say anything about this to anyone-\u201d\n\n\u201cMisha I know! God damn it I\u2019m not an idiot! Yu is my friend as well! I helped Rae commit treason to keep her safe!\u201d \n\n\u201cJesus Christ!\u201d What? \u201cWas\u2026 Yu\u2026 You know what trans is? Are you saying that Yu was trans?\u201d She sighs.\n\n\u201cYes, it was complicated, curse her mother for it, but yes. But she got to be herself, she got to be happy. She\u2026 got to live.\u201d\n\nMisha looks uncharacteristically rattled now, \u201cGod, you need to stop for a second. Look He\u2026 Yu\u2026 God damn it, look I don\u2019t know for sure, I don\u2019t even know if Yu knows.\u201d\n\nMagic doesn\u2019t exist here, was Yu born\u2026 \u201cBut you had a feeling?\u201d\n\n\u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter what I feel, Francois-san.\u201d\n\n\u201cOf course it does, Yu trusts you, I don't think there is anyone who knew her-them as well as you did. They need your help.\u201d\n\n\u201cStop, I\u2026. fuck I need to think.\u201d\n\nI just nod and Misha paces for a minute.\n\n\u201cYou can\u2019t say anything\u2026 to anyone. Not Rae, Not Yu.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd definitely not her mother.\u201d\n\nThat catches her off guard, \u201cHis, and your right, his mother would lose her shit, christ. Fuuuck, this is getting too real.\u201d She covers her face and throws her head back, a slow groan escaping in the process. \n\n\u201cSo Yu is\u2026?.\u201d\n\nShe snaps back to me. \u201cI don\u2019t know Francois-san and don\u2019t you dare go poking around into it. Please.\u201d She gnaws at her lip.\n\n\u201cShould I tell you more about\u2026 the last time?\u201d\n\nShe groans\u2026 \u201cI don\u2019t know, I don\u2019t think so. I\u2019m not supposed to know.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut you had a feeling.\u201d\n\nShe groans again, \u201cThere was\u2026 look it was just a feeling but it\u2019s not up to me to figure that out for him\u2026 them.\u201d\n\n\u201cI know, I just want you to know I will be there for both of you, you both deserve to be happy and I want to help if I can. But that will always be on your terms.\u201d\n\nShe\u2019s really looking at me now, really trying to figure me out, \u201cI\u2026 you're like a completely different person.\u201d\n\n\u201cI suppose, I never met the old me.\u201d What would that be like?\n\n\u201cThis is honestly the first real conversation we had, but Yu and I kept an eye on you, since you were kinda trying to get in Thane-san pants.\u201d\n\n\u201cMisha!\u201d ughh, \u201cGod I can\u2019t even imagine that anymore, please never mention that again. It\u2019s been a long time since I felt anything remotely like that for Thane-san.\u201d\n\n\u201cYah well I guess your work on Rae speaks for itself doesn\u2019t it. Jeez, Rae? Like she is my friend but really ?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes. Do you really want me to say what I find so enticing about her?\u201d\n\nI will.\n\n\u201cI suppose not.\u201d\n\n\u201cI do care for her, deeply. I\u2019m not lying when I said we were wives, she is the love of my life, in every sense. I\u2026 may have lost a small amount of control before you arrived.\u201d\n\n\u201cPfft!, Small? Well I don\u2019t think she is going to complain anytime soon, but don\u2019t rush her too much either. Pretty sure you were her first kiss.\u201d\n\nOh\n\nOhhhh\n\nThat\u2019s a delightful idea, isn\u2019t it .\n\n\u201cReally?\u201d\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t you sound pleased, and yes. Middle school\u2026 wasn\u2019t great for her and it took her a lot of work before she was comfortable to come out to me. I don\u2019t think anyone else here knows. So don't hurt her, okay?\u201d\n\nHrmm, she always glossed over this part of her life before, which considering Rae, does make sense. She said it was fine, but I suppose it must have only felt fine after enough time. I can\u2019t help but feel angry at Kosaki again, but that\u2019s hardly what Rae wanted. \u201cI understand, I just want what\u2019s best for her.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd that would be sucking out her tonsils?\u201d I do not need her sass.\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t need to hear this from you, I'll have you know, You and Yu were incorrigible once you got together.\u201d\n\n\u201cOkay I don\u2019t need to hear that, and we aren\u2019t\u2026 look\u2026 I don\u2019t need to explain anything but we aren\u2019t together right now.\u201d She sounds tired.\n\n\u201cOhh, I\u2019m sorry did-", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "18_2", "body": "\u201d Dear gods I am always putting my foot in my mouth.\n\n\u201cPlease stop, we\u2026 nothing happened between us, I don\u2019t know what\u2019s going on between us right now. It\u2019s complicated and you just made it ten times more complicated.\u201c\n\n\u201cApologies, you're right. I will mind my own affairs, Misha.\u201d I offer her a short bow.\n\n\u201cDon't do that please.\u201d She sighs and pinches her nose.\n\n\u201cHave you had dinner yet?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo?\u201d\n\n\u201cI wanted to treat Rae, I can treat you as well?\u201d\n\nShe mulls it over, \u201cFine, if you're paying. I was going to see if Rae wanted to get something to eat anyways. Let's go get your toy.\u201d\n\nMisha opens the door, and Rae is still sitting on her bed, her sweater is still incredibly askew and she is very lost in her head.\n\nI did go overboard, didn't I?\n\n\u201cHey loser! Let's get food.\u201d She smirks as Rae snaps out the stupor. \n\n\u201cMisha? Misha! Shit!\u201d She tries to right her sweater but just ends up tumbling in place and falling out of her bed, god she is cute.\n\n\u201cGod you're such a fucking cliche, you should wipe your face of and clean up a bit.\u201d\n\nRae finally rights herself and pouts at Misha, \u201cWhy do I gotta wipe my face off, I don\u2019t have anything on it?\u201d\n\n\u201cWell you do now.\u201d\n\n\u201cHuh?\u201d She still doesn\u2019t follow.\n\nShe spots me to the side, her brow is furrowed. I point to my lips, \u201cOops\u201d\n\nShe tests her face with her fingers and feels the tact, she gives it a rub and red lipstick sticks to her finger, a quick inspection causes her to turn bright red. \u201cI\u2019llberightback!\u201d She quickly hops up and makes for what I assume is a washroom.\n\n\u201cHow did you manage to make so much a fucking mess out of her, and not yourself?\u201d\n\n\u201cYears of practice.\u201d  I can't even fight my prideful smirk.\n\n ", "token_count": 431}
{"file_id": "21", "body": " \n\n\u201cYou seem pleased\u201d, Catherine comments almost immediately as I enter our dorm. I do definitely feel like I am glowing.\n\n\u201cI had a wonderful date.\u201d\n\nI can see she is in her usual spot, lounging on the sofa, \u201cWasn\u2019t it not\u2026?\u201d she inquires.\n\n\u201cYes.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd it was\u2026?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes.\u201d\n\n\u201cHuh, well grats I guess. So what happened?\u201d She sits up and aligns herself better for a conversation.\n\nI still feel giddy, I quickly jump into the adjacent sofa, \u201cShe took me to the park nearby, we first went to Shinobazu Pond and it\u2019s so pretty, the flowers were all in bloom, I think it was her first time being there too, and then there was zoo Catherine, with animals of all sorts, I saw a panda bear! It was so adorable I never knew a bear could look like that. There were monkeys, an elephant, they had otters, Catherine, Otters!\u201d Oh god they were so cute and they were so close to us.\n\nCatherine blinks, how is she not impressed? \u201cCool?\u201d\n\n\u201cThey had Otters.\u201d\n\n\u201cUmm, right that\u2019s cool sorry I wasn\u2019t prepared for you, Claire, an adult to lose her shit over going to a zoo.\u201d\n\nWhy I never\u2026 \u201cOf course I would love to go see a zoo, who wouldn't? The animals were cute, or majestic. They had a tiger, it was so big\u2026\u201d\n\nCatherine laughs, \u201cThat\u2019s great really, sorry you're right. I think. It\u2019s just easy to get jaded over the simple things.\u201d\n\n\u201cThere is nothing simple about a zoo, Catherine.\u201d\n\nShe just chuckles, \u201cIt\u2019s relative, don\u2019t worry about it, how was the rest of the day?\u201d\n\n\u201cWe got lunch there and then we went back to her room, she finally showed me a video game for the first time.\u201d\n\nCatherine\u2019s face scrunches, clearly unimpressed with that prospect, \u201cReally?\u201d\n\n\u201cIt was lovely Catherine!\u201d\n\n\u201cOkay, okay, what game did she show you?\u201d\n\n\u201cPersona 5.\u201d\n\nCatherine snorts, \u201cWhat a nerd.\u201d\n\n\u201cCatherine!\u201d\n\n\u201cSorry, she is, it\u2019s just funny.\u201d\n\n\u201cI wanted to see it for so long now, she has been telling me about them our entire life and I finally got to see what she was talking about. It's ridiculous how much I couldn\u2019t even picture what it was like. She even let me play it myself!\u201d\n\nCatherine nods, not laughing anymore but she still has a silly smirk on her face, \u201cSo you had fun?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes.\u201d\n\n\u201cGood, wow,\u201d she says quietly to herself, \u201cAnything else happened?\u201d\n\nYes\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t know if I should say\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cOh come on Claire, you have to say now, what did you do?\u201d She is curious now.\n\n\u201cHmm, what makes you think I did something?\u201d\n\n\u201cReally?\u201d She raised her brow, \u201cYou act like I haven\u2019t had to listen to you two for the last week, girl you are thirsty.\u201d\n\nExcuse me? \u201cThirsty?\u201d\n\n\u201cLike Rae is a tall drink of water and you are dying in a desert.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cAm I wrong?\u201d\n\nShe isn't. If I could drink deep of Rae\u2014\n\nCLAIRE! Not now!\n\n\u201cFine yes\u2026 I kissed her\u2026 a lot.\u201d I know I have the silliest smile on my face right now but I can\u2019t help it. I kissed Rae. I kissed my wife. I kissed my newly anointed girlfriend.\n\n\u201cDamn you had a mission girl.\u201d\n\nI can\u2019t help but giggle.\n\n\u201cSoooo what? You two are dating now? Again?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, she walked me home and we talked about it, she wants this too, she just doesn\u2019t want to be public about it.\u201d\n\n\u201cMakes sense. I\u2019m happy for you.\u201d Catherine looks happy for me, proud of me.\n\n\u201cThanks Catherine.\u201d\n\nThis is perfect, Everything is going right. We are together again, I can make her happy, I can make sure this life is a good one. Like our last one. I don\u2019t know how that future will play out yet, I still have so much to understand about how this world works but I can do this. \n\nI can make sure our life is perfect.\n\n ", "token_count": 883}
{"file_id": "12_1", "body": "I am looking through my closet\u2014there are so many choices for clothes. I guess it's the fashion here but I wasn\u2019t expecting to have so many pants. \n\nHrmmm\u2026\n\nThese pants do seem like they would look good on me, and they might be better than a skirt or dress if we go for a walk. Hrmm, these white slacks look good, and it would get less in the way if\u2014\n\n\u201cHey.\u201d\n\nI pull away from the closet, and turn towards the voice coming from the sofa. A head peeks up over the side.\n\n\u201cYes?\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2026are you planning an outfit?\u201d She definitely just second guessed herself and diverted into a different question, but I have no idea what it could have been.\n\n\u201cYes, I am spending the day with Rae tomorrow, though officially it\u2019s not a Date . We will be heading out on the town and taking a break from all of the studying. You don\u2019t have to worry about me tomorrow\u2014I\u2019ll be out of your hair.\u201d\n\nCatherine perks up, unsurprisingly. \u201cI would appreciate that. You've been doing pretty well with picking out your outfits, by the way. I suppose it wouldn\u2019t be that hard with how much work the previous you put into your wardrobe, but still, you\u2019re doing a good job. And the choices you\u2019re making now feel different, too.\u201d\n\n\u201cGood different?\u201d\n\n\u201cI guess? It\u2019s more of a vibe than something I can point to specifically. You were always more fashion aware than me, but now it feels\u2026I don\u2019t know. More authentic? Less showy?\u201d Catherine pulls herself up and lets her arms hang over the side of the couch. She shrugs.\n\n\u201cI have a question.\u201d\n\n\u201cShoot.\u201d\n\n\u201cI noticed in my portraits\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cPhotos,\u201d Catherine corrects. Right, photos.\n\n\u201c...photos, that I never curled my hair.\u201d\n\n\u201cErrr, well, yeah? Did you do that before?\u201d\n\n\u201cI did, like how Mother would do her hair.\u201d It does make sense that this Claire never picked up the habit. I\u2019m not even sure my relationship with my mother is on good terms, judging from the photo of us I saw earlier.\n\n\u201cOh\u2026\u201d Catherine slumps a bit on the couch. She looks downcast. \u201cWhy haven't you asked about it?\u201d She finally says after a long pause. The question feels like it is lined with lead. Is that what she wanted to bring up earlier?\n\n\u201cAbout which, Mother? Father? ...You?\u201d The accident .\n\nCatherine looks miserable and she tries to merge with the sofa. \u201cSo you know about that.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt wasn\u2019t your fault. At least, it wasn\u2019t your fault back in the world that I remember and I feel certain that wasn\u2019t your fault here either.\u201d I can tell she needs to hear this, like she needed to hear it back then.\n\n\u201cYou don\u2019t know that, you weren\u2019t there. You\u201d\u2014\n\n\u201cYou were six years old, Catherine! How could any of that have been your fault? You aren\u2019t responsible for what happened!\u201d\n\nThe fierceness of my voice takes her by surprise and I hold her gaze, not letting her look away. I can see tears forming in the corners of her eyes. \u201cBut if your mom hadn\u2019t tried to save me\u2026your dad might\u2026\u201d\n\nI close the distance between us and kneel beside the sofa next to Catherine. She curls into a ball at the back of the sofa but I gently take her hand. \u201cCatherine, I don\u2019t blame you for what happened. Can I tell you what it was like before, where I came from?\u201d\n\nShe doesn't say anything but I can see a slight nod of her head.\n\n\u201cIn the kingdom of Bauer, your father was a high-ranking noble and was at odds with my parents. I mentioned before that my parents had wanted social reform, and well, your father was adamantly opposed to their goals. He arranged for the accident to happen. As you told me back then, you were made an unwitting  pawn in their plan; you were gifted with a unique magic that could erase memories and he meant for you to use it to get rid of any evidence.\u201d\n\nI take a deep breath and continue. \u201cThe first attack failed to kill them, though, and my mother was able to save you before a second group of attackers came and killed her. You escaped and your father planned to use you again\u2014he assigned you to follow me as we grew up so he could eventually use both of us as part of some future ploy. As we grew closer, though, you saw his horrible plans for what they were and refused to play along with them. In the end you turned on him completely and helped me catch and arrest him. You even used your magic on him.\u201d I try to meet her gaze again as she averts her eyes. \u201cNone of that was your fault. You were being used. And once you were old enough to realize it, you refused to cooperate. You were always my friend and I consider you like a sister to me, Catherine.\u201d\n\nCatherine needs a moment, and tries to level out her breathing. Eventually she lets out a long breath and runs a hand through her hair. \u201cI hate how much your version sounds almost exactly like what happened here.\u201d Her voice is very shaky. I gently rub her hand, a careful nudge to encourage her to continue. \n\n\u201cOkay, yeah, my dad has had it out for yours for a long time. I\u2019m sure you\u2019ve figured this part out already, but you come from money, like a lot of money. The Francois name is a well-known worldwide brand, a high end, very classy brand. It\u2019s on all sorts of luxury goods, such as clothes, accessories, even custom cars. Your mom wanted to do some good with all of that money and fame when she married your father, at least that's what she told me. Umm\u2026she\u2014they\u2014were trying to reform a lot of the standards in the EU to combat malicious corporate malfeasance. Without getting into too many of the details, my dad didn\u2019t like that. It cut into too many of his profits. He didn\u2019t like me either, or my mom\u2014we were a mistake he wanted to get rid of. I overheard him arranging the \u2018accident.\u2019 He was going to kill us all. Our car was supposed to run yours off the side of the road into the river and....\u201d\n\nShe takes another breath to compose herself.The memory still causes her to tremble.\n\n\u201cHe caught me eavesdropping and told me the best thing I could do was to make sure we all died cleanly. I should have said something, anything, but I was so terrified\u2026and then it all happened so fast\u2014our car rolled into your family\u2019s car and we both went over the side. I thought I was going to die when we hit the water. I should have just died from the impact but I didn\u2019t and I remember seeing your mother\u2026she was trying to pull your father out of the car but he wasn\u2019t moving and then she somehow saw me. She pulled me out instead when she should have saved him. It should have been\u2014\n\n\u201cNo.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, Catherine, it\u2019s not your fault and you can\u2019t tell me my life would be better if you weren't here.\u201d\n\nShe takes a very shaky breath, tears welling up in her eyes, \u201cC-Claire\u2026you weren't\u2026you don\u2019t know what you were like\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cCatherine, our parents made that choice, not you. I\u2019m not going to lie, losing my mother in my old life hurt\u2026and I\u2026I\u2019m so scared to see her again. Knowing she\u2019s here but not Father, I don\u2019t know how to put it into words. He lived a full life in the world I remember. He was there for me, and for Rae and our g-girls. Knowing he won\u2019t get to see me grow up and find h-happiness hurts, but now I have M-mother again instead and I don\u2019t know what to make of it. I\u2026it feels wrong to be h-happy about it but\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cC-claire if you cry, I\u2019m\u2014\u201d\n\nThat breaks any semblance of control I have, and a loud sob escapes from me as I throw my arms around her. It catches her by surprise but she takes a shaky breath and embraces me back, tears streaming down her face as well.\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t leave again!\u201d I cry out.\n\n\u201cWhat?\u201d\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t you dare think about leaving me again!\u201d I repeat.\n\nCatherine stops crying, a look of confusion on her face. \u201cI\u2026okay.\u201d\n\nI\u2019m still crying, but I\u2019m also laughing too. Goodness, I feel like a mess. My energy is all over the place and Catherine is no better. \u201cGood.\u201d My face must be a mess from all of the crying. I haven't cried like that in a while. Feeling a bit calmer after letting all of that out,  I rise from where I was kneeling next to  the sofa and take a seat next to Catherine. I haven\u2019t a clue what to say right now. The silence is broken by occasional sniffles.\n\nCatherine is the first to speak, after taking a deep breath and exhaling. \u201cI know that rationally I\u2019m not accountable for what happened. I know that. But I feel accountable. I feel like I was the reason you were miserable growing up. If I had died, if I had drowned in the river because your mother pulled your father out instead of me, you wouldn\u2019t have lost anything.\u201d \n\nThe expression on her face is pained. I take a breath, wanting to tell her how wrong she is. She holds up a hand. \n\n\u201cLet me finish. My dad basically disavowed me after that. After all, I was a bastard child and that made me poor stock or whatever. I went to your mother, Melia, and I told her everything. I think she believed me, but there wasn", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "12_2", "body": "\u2019t any real proof. Your mother took care of me after that and you and I grew up together but you\u2014well the old you\u2014you didn\u2019t hate me, exactly, but\u2026it always felt like you were tolerating me, just barely. Sometimes you would get mad about things, but mostly you were just despondent. Your mother tried putting us both through therapy, and it helped me, it really did. I know I was a mess over what happened and\u2026\u201d \n\nI put my hand over Catherine\u2019s and give it a gentle squeeze. \u201cI never thought we would be able to have an honest conversation about this, after all this time. Jeez. You never really bounced back from what happened. It just felt like a slow decline. I guess I never knew you very well before but\u2026Claire, it\u2019s always been hard being around you. We were supposed to stick together, but I felt like I was the reason you were so unhappy. I wanted to be there for you but when we started uni it felt like it just got worse and then that night you came back and said all that stuff and you were suddenly so different from before and I just snapped. I\u2019m sorry.\u201d\n\nI pull her into a hug. Everything I could say to reassure her feels like an empty platitude, so I just hope the hug lets her know instead. \u201cThank you for this. For being honest and telling me everything. I know all of this has been a lot, and now that I am a different person with different memories we are both having to relive it all over again. It's surreal how much this life is like an echo of my old one. I am truly sorry for how the other me treated you.\u201c\n\n\u201cYou're different but you don\u2019t feel different , if you know what I mean. It\u2019s weird, like I see how you are now and I recognize a lot of things. Things that were there before but buried underneath all of the pain and loneliness you were dealing with. You used to bring me candy as a kid, licorice. I don\u2019t remember when it stopped but you brought it again for me recently, the day you\u2026changed. You might even be going a bit overboard with how much you have gotten me since then.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou say that, but it keeps disappearing.\u201d I\u2019m sure my gentle joke doesn\u2019t quite land how I intend it to with all of the tears in my eyes.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s been a week , okay? Your wife has been around a lot, and sure, she\u2019s polite, but\u2026\u201d She sounds tired, but she also sounds calmer than she has in a while.\n\n\u201cI know, don't worry, tomorrow you will have a break. And I will work on figuring out a better schedule with Rae to give you more time alone.\u201d\n\n\u201cThanks.\u201d\n\nI squeeze her hand, happy that she's still here.\n\n\u201cSo\u2014what is my mother like now?\u201d I ask the question I\u2019ve been dying to ask since I first learned she was alive.\n\n\u201cOh\u2026she\u2019s nice. Very kind and caring. She took care of me after the accident, and the two of us basically lived as sisters\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cWe are sisters.\u201d\n\n\u201cOkay, cool it with the sappiness. I\u2019ve done enough crying tonight.\u201d She rubs her eyes. \u201cI lived with the two of you after the accident. We moved around quite a bit. At first we stayed with your cousin, Manaria Sousse. After that we bounced around a lot, mostly living different places in Europe but eventually we ended up here in Japan after middle school. I\u2019m not sure why it worked out that way but it was related to your mother\u2019s business interests, I think.\u201d\n\n\u201cIs she here, too?\u201d\n\n\u201cSometimes, but business often takes her out of the country. If we need something from home we can ask Lene.\u201d\n\n\u201cLene?\u201d Lene?\n\n\u201cUmmm yes, do you know\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, oh sorry, yes. She was my personal maid in my previous life. We grew up together .\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, I see.\u201d\n\n\u201cUmm, so what is she like here?\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, she didn\u2019t grow up with us, if that\u2019s what you\u2019re asking. I wouldn\u2019t describe her as a maid, more like a personal assistant. She maintains the house and assists you and Melia with your daily needs. She even acts as a driver when necessary.  She\u2019s been with us for\u2026I want to say six years? She\u2019s also from France.\u201d\n\nFrance is a country here, right? The similarity with my name is odd. \u201cThat\u2019s in Europe?\u201d \n\n\u201cYes, that's where we were born.\u201d\n\n\u201cOkay. So did we\u2026I don\u2019t know, was Lene involved in our lives very much?\u201d\n\n\u201cYeah, sort of.  Like I said, her role is to help with day-to-day life stuff. Melia has always been really busy with the business and she wanted someone to help when we moved to Japan so Lene came with us. Sometimes she cooks, sometimes she cleans, sometimes she books appointments and drives us around, whatever is needed. She found this dorm and helped us move in here, too.\u201d\n\n\u201cSo I can ask her for help, if we need something?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, that\u2019s pretty much why she\u2019s here\u2026why, what are you thinking of?\u201d\n\nLene might know more about getting Catherine\u2019s prosthetic fixed, right? Not that I can tell Catherine about that yet. \u201cI\u2019m thinking of quite a few things. If something goes wrong, we can contact her, right? Like if something breaks here in our dorm?\u201d\n\n\u201cSure, if your laptop putzs out or something, I guess. You also used to have her drive you out for shopping trips.\u201d Catherine shrugs.\n\nShe must be in my phone then, right? I haven\u2019t seen her name pop up in my contacts\u2026 I pull out my phone to look again. Goodness there are so many names here\u2026. \n\n\u201cAre you trying to find her in your phone?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes! Why isn\u2019t she here?\u201d I am making my second run through this list now!\n\n\u201cLet me check,\u201d she says, reaching for the phone. I pass it to her and she flips through it several times. \u201cAhhhhh, I found her\u2026you had her listed as Driver.\u201d Catherine does not look impressed.\n\n\u201c Driver ?\u201d Really, Claire? Lene deserves so much better than that.\n\n\u201cOld Claire could suck sometimes, huh\u2026\u201d\n\nI put my head in my hands and groan. Driver ? \u201cI need to apologize to her. That\u2019s so demeaning!\u201d\n\n\u201cI doubt she even knows, to be honest. Old you was very possessive about your phone; you never really let people touch it, let alone use it. Here.\u201d She hands it back to me, and I update Lene's contact to her proper name. \u201cSorry, we got distracted with Lene didn\u2019t we. Did you still want to talk about your mom?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, I\u2026 in my previous life she passed away when I was just turning six. She and my father had to attend to important business so they missed my birthday. I had gotten so upset with Mother about it that I told her\u2026I hated her. That was the last time I saw her. It was so long ago for me\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cYour mother is\u2026well, she\u2019s more caring than she has any right to be. She didn\u2019t have to take me in after everything that happened. Sometimes she has high expectations. Sometimes it\u2019s a little hard, and you two have def clashed a bit over that, but she does care.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat photo you asked me to look at\u2026what were we doing?\u201d\n\n\u201cThat was before classes started here. She wanted to do one last trip with us before things got too busy with school and her business. We went back to France together for a week. I don\u2019t think you particularly cared for it. That photo you took was because your mom insisted. You weren\u2019t thrilled to take it but you eventually agreed, , and I guess you never actually deleted. It was hard to know what you were thinking back then.\u201d\n\nIt\u2019s easy enough to bring the photo up again on my phone. There are others of my Mother there too, but I keep coming back to this one. I don\u2019t like how unenthused I look next to her, especially with the smile she has on her face.\n\n\u201cDo you want to see her?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes?\u201d\n\nI drop the phone in my lap and fall back against the sofa cushions. \u201cIt\u2019s terrifying, if I\u2019m honest. I want to apologize for what I said to her here, but I don\u2019t even know what I am apologizing for .. I don\u2019t know what it was like between us here, after everything that happened. I only knew her as a child in my old life. And she\u2026she will definitely notice something has changed about me when we talk\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, I don\u2019t think you have to worry about seeing her soon if you\u2019re not ready. I\u2019m pretty sure she\u2019s away on a business trip right now. You have some time before you have to see her and I think she was also trying to give you some space.\u201d\n\nI nod. \u201cThanks, Catherine. I really do appreciate you being here.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis is nice,\u201d she says in reply, and I think she actually might mean it.\n\nIt really is nice.\n\n\u201cSooooo I had magic that could erase memories?\u201d\n\n\u201cYeah, you would use it to make yourself invisible to people when you didn\u2019t want them to see you.\u201d\n\nCatherine groans. \u201cDamn, not going to lie, I\u2019m really jealous of magic me.\u201d", "token_count": 1970}
{"file_id": "44_1", "body": " \n\nThe first lull didn\u2019t happen until two hours in\u2026 How are there still so many people? It has all felt like one giant blur.\n\n\u201cYou okay Claire?\u201d Rae asks and she finishes putting some money away from the last customer.\n\n\u201cYes\u2026 just goodness, I really should have slept more last night.\u201d\n\n\u201cOkay, hey do you want me to go find some food? I think the panels started opening up so more people are going to be there.\u201d\n\n\u201cPanels?\u201d\n\n\u201cUmm, it\u2019s like a presentation? Not that formal or anything. More like maybe they have a guest and they answer questions from the audience. Or they just talk.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh yah, they got a bunch of VOs for this one, did you hear they got both Loid and Yor\u2019s VOs? That\u2019s going to be packed. \u201d Shiko chimes in, that bit of news causes Rae to perk up.\n\n\u201cOh wow really? Man if I wasn't so busy with school I might have made this one. That\u2019s cool. But yah, panels could be like whatever, maybe a mangaka is there. Maybe they are showing off a new series, whatever gets people in the door I guess. There is probably a cosplay contest happening somewhere too.\u201d\n\nShiko nods.\n\nRae then fidgets, I can see that she's trying to figure out how to excuse herself. \u201cUmm, well anyways\u2026 I\u2019m going to\u2026 go. You know, get some food. And stuff... Cya in a bit.\u201d And there my awkward dolt slips out around the table to disappear down into the aisles of tables.\n\nI don\u2019t have much time to think before a new customer shows up. Shiko ends up helping them too, but after we finalize their purchase it looks like we have a moment of breathing room. She shifts her chair closer to mine, and gives me a cheeky grin.\n\n\u201cSooo\u2026 how\u2019d Rae score you. She\u2019s not exactly smooth.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh I disagree, she can be very smooth when she isn\u2019t trying too hard. But she\u2019s adorable either way.\u201d\n\n\u201cYah, well you be nice to her, Kay?\u201d The mirth drops from her voice.\n\n\u201cOf course! Are you suggesting that I wouldn't?\u201d\n\n\u201cCool, look you seem nice so far Francois-san, but like, I'm just looking out for my friend. She\u2019s had it rough before.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, do you mean about your\u2026 well the awkward love square as she called it.\u201d\n\nShiko snorts, \u201cThat\u2019s what she\u2019s calling it? I suppose. Yah.\u201d She leans back in her chair, letting it balance on its back legs. She seems to be rolling a thought in her head. \u201cWe made up\u2026 eventually. And thankful while we still could\u2026 but it was really bad for her for a while. She pretty much missed a month of school.\u201d\n\nWhat ? \u201cI didn\u2019t\u2026 she never mentioned that .\u201d\n\n\u201cOf course she didn\u2019t.\u201d Shiko sighs, it's not judgemental. She just understands her.\n\nOf course she never told those bits.\n\nI sigh too, \u201cIt\u2019s not surprising, she used to be so bad at being honest about her own pain.\u201d I wish she had told me more. I knew she always made light of that moment, even from the first time she mentioned it\u2026 Even an idiot could see she wasn\u2019t fine, and that was after years for her before.\n\nNow\u2026\n\n\u201cUsed to? Last I checked she\u2019s still doing it.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2026 yes, I just meant\u2026 I\u2019m trying to help her in that way. She\u2019s bad and telling me no, and I sometimes\u2026 I know she\u2019s worried about being out as a lesbian.\u201d\n\n\u201cYah\u2026 fucking Misaki\u2026 I can\u2019t believe he did that to her. But fuck, we were all pretty stupid kids still.\u201d She lets her chair fall back forward, and leans herself on her knees. \u201cThe whole school knew after that. And Rae pretty much lived in her room for that month. Even when she came back\u2026 she was struggling. Honestly it wasn\u2019t till we graduated  and went to a new highschool that things got better for her. Middle school was ruthless after Misaki outed her, they never let her forgot. At least she got to go back in the closet in a new highschool, and that helped. New friends also helped. Misha was, is a good friend, and she was always cool with us.\u201d\n\n\u201cDid you not also get\u2026 bullied?\u201d\n\n\u201cMe?... Sure I guess a bit? I don\u2019t know\u2026 it wasn\u2019t the same. It wasn\u2019t a big deal for me. Like I didn\u2019t care and she did? She was just figuring that out about herself, and then it blew up in her face. It\u2019s good that she\u2019s with you, I just don\u2019t want it to go bad. I don\u2019t want it to turn out that you are just messing around with her, she\u2019s just your phase, and you\u2019ll move on.\u201d\n\n\u201cMove on?\u201d The edge in my voice catches her off guard and she turns to face me, \u201cI\u2019m. Not. Moving. On. She\u2019s my everything, I couldn\u2019t leave her if I tried. I will always be there for her!\u201d\n\nShiko is momentarily stunned. \u201cUhhh\u2026 okay\u2026 wow, you're really serious?\u201d\n\n\u201cDid I sound like I\u2019m joking?\u201d Calm down Claire. Shiko is just looking out for Rae.\n\n\u201cNo\u2026 sorry, that just really caught me off. You know what, I think I do like you. What do you like about her.\u201d And with that Shiko\u2019s grinning again and she leans back.\n\n\u201cOh goodness, do you want the shortened version? Well, superficially, she is very handsome, the way she fills out a suit and is completely oblivious to it, divine\u2026 She\u2019s so cute and suave at the same time, it\u2019s absolutely ridiculous. She\u2019s so passionate about her hobbies, and so clever. I could just listen to her talk about anything honestly. She really tries hard at everything she puts her mind to. And it\u2019s ridiculous how modest she is about herself now, she used to be confident and now she seems so unsure about so much, but she is still good at it. She should see how talented she is. And she is so devoted, goodness, the way she looks at me has never changed. I have no doubt in my mind that she loves me too when we look into each other's eyes. She\u2019s amazing and she makes me feel amazing.\u201d\n\nShiko blinks slowly, \u201cuhh\u2026 used to be confident?\u201d\n\nShite\n\nDivert, \u201cYou also liked Rae\u2026?\u201d\n\nThat causes her to blush a little and her to pause. Perfect.\n\n\u201cYou still do?\u201d\n\nShe groans, \u201cLook I know I have no chance with her, but yeah\u2026 she\u2019s cute, I think I\u2019ll always feel it a bit. She\u2019s always going to be my friend though.\u201d\n\n\u201cSo that\u2019s it\u2026?\u201d It\u2019s hard to not think of every other woman; or the occasional man , who also seemed intent on chasing Rae in our past life. Even when I firmly established she was mine .\n\nShiko shrugs, \u201cShe\u2019s not into me, not as anything more than a friend. I tried, a few times even. The first was probably a bad time\u2026 for many reasons.\u201d She grimaces at herself. \u201cBut like, it\u2019s not going to happen. And now that she's with you, that was never going to happen with me. Trust me. As long as you too are good, I\u2019m happy with how things are.\u201d\n\n\u201cAre you?\u201d I can\u2019t help but ask, I remember how long Rae was an idiot .\n\nShiko gives a light chuckle, \u201cYou\u2019re good Claire-san. Don\u2019t worry about me, seriously. I moved on, I just find her attractive still despite my better judgment..\u201d\n\nI let myself chuckle, \u201cWe can be doomed to fall for quite questionable characters, no?\u201d\n\nThat gets Shiko to chuckle.\n\n\u201cI do love her, immensely.\u201d\n\nShiko nods and hums in agreement, \u201cYah, it\u2019s easy to see. Like you two seem to be moving fast, but like honestly, I don\u2019t doubt you. And she\u2019s bad at it saying it, but I\u2019m pretty sure she is really into you too. You make her act weird. Weirder . And like by lesbian standards? I\u2019m sure I know some who would have already moved together by now, Ha.\u201d \n\nOh it was blisteringly slow in our previous life, I had to wait nearly a year for her to kiss me after she basically proposed to me.\n\n\u201cThank you for being there for her, when she needed it. I wish I could have been there for her too.\u201d\n\nShiko looks a little shy after, and tries to wave it off. \u201cIt is what it is. Did you know she writes fan fiction?\u201d Now Shiko\u2019s diverting, she\u2019s trying to grin through her embarrassment. \n\n\u201cYes, and she wont share it with me. It\u2019s absolutely ridiculous.\u201d It\u2019s obscene .\n\n\u201cOoooh?\u201d Shiko's grin turns genuine and her glasses catch an angle of light. \u201cI could share her tumblr and fanfic accounts.\u201d\n\n\u201cWait, really? I always wanted to read her writing.\u201d\n\nShiko chuckles, \u201cYah why not. If that doesn\u2019t scare you off, nothing will.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh don\u2019t worry, that won\u2019t. Ahh, how does this work? You said a tumblr ?\u201d\n\n\u201cUh yah, a social media site, I\u2019ll text you the links, let's share numbers, kay?\u201d She fishes her phone out and holds it up to accept my number. I have to double check my number on my own phone, at least she doesn\u2019t think it too odd that I do.\n\n\u201cAwesome, I\u2019ve always wanted to embarrass her when she finally did hook up with some", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "44_2", "body": "one.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh don\u2019t tease her too hard, that\u2019s my privilege .\u201d We share grins. Oh this is delightful conspiratorial. \n\n\u201cOh don\u2019t worry, that\u2019s going to be real easy when you read her fic. It\u2019s so unhinged, I love it.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2026\u2019ve had a notion.\u201d\n\n\u201cReally?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes. We\u2019ve talked a bit about it but she usually shies away from really getting into it.\u201d Now.  \u201cBut she\u2019s not exactly the book of secrets she thinks she is, especially now. Wait, this is based off another work is it not? Would\u2026 should I read that first? Rae said her copies are with her parents, otherwise she would have lent those.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, you haven\u2019t read Pray Love? You might get away with not\u2026 have you read any fan fiction before?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen\u2026 yah, maybe diving right into it would be\u2026 confusing. You can always get your own copy online and read it on your phone. There are online stores, you could even get a physical copy if you'd rather, it\u2019s still in print I think.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, I could read it on either? I\u2026 yes that makes sense. I think I would rather get a copy in my hands, even if I do appreciate reading on my phone. Rae showed me how to read Dungeon Meshi on it, and that has been quite excellent so far.\u201d\n\n\u201cHell yah, Kui-sensei is such a goat.\u201d Goat? \u201cThat\u2019s a great one to start with if you haven\u2019t read much manga.\u201d It sounds like she approves of the choice.\n\n\u201cI haven\u2019t, it is my first, but I have been really enjoying it. I ended up reading it far too late last night.\u201d\n\nShiko raises her hand, oh it\u2019s for a high five, with a laugh I do my half of the motion. A customer shows up after that and that puts our conversation on hold for now as Shiko\u2019s attention turns back to her work. She seems very relaxed and casual as she helps them, but is still quite diligent. She\u2019s practiced at this work. The customer leaves quite satisfied and soon after Rae returns, carrying a fair amount of food that reminds me of what one could find at a fair. The smell causes my stomach to rumble nearly immediately.\n\n\u201cHey, hope Shiko wasn\u2019t too weird.\u201d Rae says, just a little nervous as she makes her way to the table.\n\n\u201cDon't worry, I only shared your deepest darkest secrets.\u201d Rae narrows her eyes, Shiko just laughs at her. \u201cWe just talked, relax Rae, your girlfriend is nice, I approve.\u201d\n\nRae digests that news for a moment and then does actually relax, \u201cOh.. well good. Claire-chan I hope you don\u2019t mind some greasy food.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou can drop the honorifics with your girlfriend Rae,\u201d Shiko teases.\n\n\u201cThat sounds lovely Rae, thank you very much.\u201d I offer to avoid Rae from having to feel too self conscious. Chan is an improvement over sama afterall, so I consider it a victory already. And she really only uses it in public too, another improvement.\n\nRae finally slips back in behind the table with us, and starts passing out some food and drinks. It\u2019s fried food, and it is just perfect for the moment. This will tide us over until we can have a more proper lunch later. Rae covers for Shiko and I and we quickly devour the food before returning to the task at hand. And just in time as it seems a new surge of people start to flood the venue floor.\n\nIt\u2019s not quite as busy as the first wave, and it gives me more time to make proper observations. True to Shiko prior predictions, her stock of booklets, doujin , are diminishing. Have we already sold half of her wares? \n\nAlso the people moving about are very interesting; we are frequented by many women mostly, but we do get a fair amount of men. Some are a bit\u2026 off putting, to say so politely. Shiko treats them as respectfully as possible. Thankful nothing becomes too unbearable, but otherwise most of them seem fine. All the women are lovely though, and so diverse. There is a fair amount in cosplay, but even those not in cosplay have such diverse appearance, and Rae starts pointing out the little things. All the symbols, the little flags and what means what. I never realized how prolific such things were here. Rae always had a little rainbow flag on her desk back home, but now is the first time I can really feel the connection with a greater community that it meant to her. I find myself wanting to also add a bit of that to my life.\n\nThe hours start to move quickly and soon Shiko is shooing us out, to take a break, get some food again and finally explore a bit. \u201cMake sure you show your girl a good time Oohashi.\u201d She teases as we leave, smiling like a Cheshire cat.\n\nThere is something very nostalgic about wandering about the floor with Rae. It feels so much like our first outing at the school fair, only this time I\u2019m the one finding every opportunity to cling to her. She is nervous, but I think the mask and hoodie are doing a lot to help her feel more comfortable.\n\nWe weave our way through the other amateur mangaka on the floor next to Shiko. Rae manages to pick out a few that catch her interest, and after some prompting concedes that I could read them as well. I do catch her trying to hide a few from my notice though. I have to push down the urge to tease her for it, it already feels like I have pushed too much in the morning. I\u2019m sure I\u2019ll get a chance to see them later. I must remember to be patient with her. \n\nSoon we arrive in the artist corner as Rae dubs it and the people here are selling prints of artwork, large prints as well. As Rae explains it, much like books it\u2019s easy to reproduce printed art. Much in the same way that we can share pictures across our phone, these images are easily printed to paper. And all the artists are able to work with a computer to produce this art. \n\nIt\u2019s amazing how much work is being shown off, and the styles of the art are all so diverse. So much of art in Bauer was focused on realism, but here it reaches all corners. For every bright and vibrant piece, there is something dark and moody. Some look nearly like photos, some look styled in the same way as Persona, or Dungeon Meshi, and others are uniquely surreal. The passion of the community is beautiful and I even manage to find pieces I recognize from Persona and Dungeon Meshi. After some encouragement from Rae I decided to find a print. After some browsing I picked out a lovely\u2026 If somewhat provocative; only slightly so , piece of Marcille and Falin after her dragon transformation. The piece is haunting yet beautiful in a way I can\u2019t describe. There is also the added bonus of Rae being absolutely \u2018losing her mind\u2019 over the choice. I also found a lovely print of the phantom thieves to add. These will be nice to hang up, I think.\n\nAfter that we find ourselves with merchants; well stores, as Rae refers to them. More professional collections of merchandise. Some are selling video games, Rae is currently trapped looking at a collection beneath a glass counter. She mumbles something about having to look to see if she can find a retro title. I take the chance to look about freely. There is a wide collection on display in the small area, incredibly packed and busy. A treat of the eyes. Little figurines and models of many characters, and books, many, many books.\n\nDo\u2026 they have Dungeon Meshi? Of course they do, I glance around, and see Rae is still trapped scanning through the collection. I could have my own copies\u2026 oh goodness there are fourteen volumes all together? Where was I exactly\u2026 Oh goodness. Checking my phone, I was already into volume six. There is still so much more to read. That\u2019s exciting . I should just purchase them for myself. It\u2019s a little awkward as I pluck all the books for the shelf, they certainly have many copies available. Hopefully they can provide a bag. It will be terribly awkward to have to carry these all back home later, or even now.\n\nThe man at the counter gives me a smile, he looks just barely older than myself. \u201cHi, you find everything you were looking for?\u201d\n\n\u201cOoh, actually I didn\u2019t see it but would happen to have the book Pray Love as well?\u201d\n\nThe man seems to run down a mental checklist in his mind, \u201cOh, Between Prayer and Love? That\u2019s the girl love light novel right? I think we might have some in the back. That\u2019s an older one. Let me check real quick. You can put your stuff on the counter.\u201d\n\n\u201cOf course, thank you.\u201d With that he disappears behind a curtain so I\u2019m left to let my vision wander. Rae is still in the same spot, I think she must be double checking\u2026 I expect she had little luck initially. There are more shelves behind the counter, full of cases. I think Rae mentioned those held an object to either watch videos or play video games. As I place the books down on the counter I notice there is more goods below the glass top.\n\nOh, is that jewelry? I hadn\u2019t expected to\u2026 Wait, these are styled after Persona?! They are, that\u2019s the Phantom Thief mask! Their brand, a top hat sitting on top an eye mask, flames licking out the side and colored in red and black. \n\nI hazard one more look at Rae, it looks like she's still busy. I could also\u2026 I could? Couldn\u2019t I? It looks lovely, and Rae really does love the game. It would be like when she bought me the amulet wouldn't it?\n\nOh\n\nI could\u2026 Oh", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "44_3", "body": ", I\u2019m feeling a bit too emotional over the idea already. Would she even think that much of it? She\u2019s never been much for such things in the past but this feels different. This feels right .\n\nI have to.\n\n\u201cHi, so we have a few, but it\u2019s only the first, second, fifth and seventh book. If you want, you could come to our main store in Shinjuku and we could order the rest for you.\u201d I was so caught up in the thought that the man surprised me with his return.\n\n\u201cOh I see, I\u2019ll consider it but I think just the first two books are enough for now, Thank you very much.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo problem, okay, are you ready to check out then?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh more thing, you have this pendant here, this is from Persona Five is it not?\u201d\n\n\u201cHmmm, oh yah, that\u2019s the official limited edition one, did you also want that as well? It\u2019s fifty-five thousand yen.\u201d\n\nThat is a lot, isn\u2019t it? That\u2019s many meals\u2026 It\u2019s not as if though I am a commoner anymore\u2026  or whatever equivalent it would be here\u2026 middle class? True, Catherine did say I could pay large sums to my credit card if needed. I could try.\n\nIt's a special occasion.\n\n\u201cYes, that will do. If I could get all of this, that would be wonderful, thank you again.\u201d\n\nThe man gives me a polite nod and opens the back of the counter and pulls the pendant from the display with a case. He closes the case, pulls a box up, also with a Persona design on it to store the pendant and collects the books over at a cashier. The card makes no objection when I use it to pay for everything. Excellent . I\u2019ll be more frugal going forward, this is being charged to Mother after all. And I did use it last week to buy clothes for Rae as well. I should probably talk to her about it next time we have a chance. Hopefully I don\u2019t have to justify this to her later.\n\nI will though if I have to. Rae is worth it.\n\nI collect my bag and prizes and move to Rae, she\u2019s still trying to find her prize. \u201cNo luck?\u201d\n\nShe sighs\u2026 \u201cNo\u2026 I mean it\u2019s not surprising\u2026 it\u2019s kinda hard to find and old. I was just hoping it might be\u2026 oh well. Oh did you get something?\u201d\n\nI give the bag a shake, and pull out one of the volumes of Dungeon Meshi and grin.\n\n\u201cNoooo, oh god I\u2019m so jelly!\u201d\n\nI can feel the smile spread across my cheeks. \u201c Oh ? How jelly?\u201d I adore when her silly vernacular slips out. \n\n\u201cOh these look so good.\u201d I let her take the book from hand and she starts flipping through it, \u201cReal Jelly. It was always hard to justify buying them, and the more that came out\u2026 it just meant paying more to get everything, I figure eventually when I was working\u2026 wait did you get everything?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, I was already up to volume six, and I couldn\u2019t imagine stopping now. I would be very happy to read them with you, or even lend to you once I finish my own reading.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh god please, I would love to read the hard copy. Did you get anything else?\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s a secret.\u201d You\u2019ll see it soon enough.\n\n\u201cOh\u2026 really?\u201d She sounds a little suspicious. Always so perceptive.\n\n\u201cYes, I\u2019ll let you know later.\u201d\n\n\u2018Oh, well okay.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat were you looking for, by the way. Those were video games?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh yah,\u201d She waves down to the glass case, it\u2019s like the one that had the pendant, except there looks to be hundreds of very little rectangular objects. \u201cThese are cartridges for the DS, they slot into a small device about the size of your phone, and you can play the game on it. It\u2019s older, I was still a kid when it came out, but I kinda got into it in highschool\u2026 I wanted to find a copy of Pokemon white.\u201d Her eyes trail back to the counter.\n\n\u201cPokemon?\u201d That name sounds oddly familiar\u2026\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s a game, I thought we\u2026 ah it\u2019s not important, we are busy enough as it is. So you happy? Did you want to check out anything else or should we go get some food finally?\u201d\n\n\u201cI think food would be good now, I think it\u2019s been nearly forty minutes now. We shouldn't make Shiko-san wait too long.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt has, hasn\u2019t it? Yah let's wrap up.\u201d Rae pushes herself away for the counter \u201cThere's a cafeteria of sorts set up around the corner. Let's go grab our lunch and then head back.\u201d\n\nToday really has been lovely so far. Spending the day with Rae, the glimpse into an aspect she was alway passionate about but I never could be a part of before. And now I can make the day end perfectly. The pendant stashed away safely in my bag, I can\u2019t wait till we have a chance to be alone and I can give it to her.\n\nThat I can let her know how much I love her again. That I love her, all of this, all of her.\n\nIt\u2019s perfect. ", "token_count": 1074}
{"file_id": "27", "body": "\u201cOh my god, just say it already.\u201d Catherine huffs annoyed, Claire has been quiet but her energy is very obvious.\n\nClaire smiles, \u201cHow is it?\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s good, happy?\u201d Catherine, rolls her eyes.\n\n\u201cVery, so that didn\u2019t take you too long?\u201d\n\n\u201cThankfully the socket was easy to adjust, and we had already custom ordered the new leg for Mademoiselle Catherine, afterwards it was simple to adjust it to suit her.\u201d Lene informs Claire.\n\n\u201cExcellent.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt was custom order?\u201d Catherine gawks.\n\n\u201cOf course, Mademoiselle Francoius would have little else. She was waiting a while for when you would be ready. It should be very reliable and it has a silicon finish to make it hard to distinguish from a normal leg.\u201d\n\n\u201cReally?\u201d Claire practically has stars in her eyes.\n\n\u201cShe didn\u2019t need to go that far.\u201d Catherine just looks very uncomfortable, I sympathize. Hopefully Claire has some restraint with our shopping trip later.\n\n\u201cNonsense.\u201d Lene-sama just looks professional during the whole affair. \n\n\u201cAhh, would it be too much to ask to see it\u2026\u201d God Claire is so cute when she is trying to restrain herself. \n\nCatherine groans, \u201cFine but in the car, I just want to get home already.\u201d\n\nIt doesn\u2019t take much more after that, Catherine practically shoves us into the back seat, but she isn\u2019t using the cane anymore and she is moving\u2026 well pretty normal. I can\u2019t tell anymore. Once the limo is moving Claire is beaming at Catherine.\n\nShe doesn\u2019t say much but I can see Catherine is under full assault from Claire\u2019s smile, and she eventually groans again. She reaches to the bottom of her left pant leg and pulls it up to the thigh. And Lene-sama was right, it looks like skin, the tone even matches her skin.\n\nClaire looks overwhelmed as she scans it up and down, and Catherine finally smirks. She pulls the shoe and sock and reveals a foot with toes. It seems to have some bend to it, it allows some articulation but I can see it\u2019s not moving completely like a real foot is. But I guess I would only notice that because I know.\n\nClaire hesitantly touches the thigh and sees that it has some give.\n\n\u201cYou\u2026 you don\u2019t feel that right? It's not a real leg right?\u201d\n\nCatherine laughs, \u201cNope, yah it does look convincing but we aren\u2019t regrowing legs yet if that what you are thinking\u201d\n\n\u201cOh\u2026 I see, sorry if that was stupid question. The capabilities of this world always surprise me.\u201d\n\n\u201cNah, it wasn\u2019t stupid. Here.\u201d Catherine pulls the pant leg higher and I can see the seam above her knee, she fiddles with it a bit and then the leg detaches\u2026 oh wow. She passes that to a surprised Claire.\n\nClaire holds the leg carefully but just looks stunned, doing very little but blinking.\n\n\u201cUmm, so you can walk comfortably?\u201d I ask to try to break the silence.\n\n\u201cYah, I can even run on it, Hell I might start jogging\u2026 that old one hadn\u2019t been good to do that in a while. Here let me have that back.\u201d She takes the leg back and reattaches it and quickly pulls the pant leg back down.\n\nWhen she comes back up after putting her sock and shoe back on Claire surprises her with a hug, there are tears in her eyes. \u201cCatherine, it\u2019s so wonderful!\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, umm.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s so much better than I thought it would be, you can walk!\u201d\n\nCatherine doesn\u2019t say much but she can\u2019t really hide her smile either. She just hugs her back.\n\nI feel like I am intruding.\n\nEventually Claire pulls back, a slight sniffle, \u201cSorry, I just\u2026 it really is amazing.\u201d\n\n\u201cThanks, I don\u2019t know if I deserve it but thanks.\u201d\n\nYah\u2026 same Catherine\u2026\n\n \n\n ", "token_count": 815}
{"file_id": "62", "body": "Okay.\n\nToday\u2019s the day.I just have to knock on the door and then Claire and I will jump on a train and be in Chiba.\n\nShe\u2019s going to be there with me. Man, I really hope I don\u2019t cry.\n\nShe\u2019s already seen you bawl your eyes out.\n\nShut up.\n\nIt\u2019s going to be fine.\n\nYeah. Yeah.\n\nKNOCK KNOCK. I give their door a few light taps.\n\n\u201cJust a minute,\u201d I can hear faintly from the other side. \n\nSoon enough the door opens and it\u2019s Catherine. \u201cHey, Dork.\u201d She smiles as she lets me in.\n\n\u201cHi Catherine.\u201d I can see Claire in the corner huddled over her desk. Is she working on something?\n\n\u201cJust a minute, Rei. I\u2019ll be ready to leave soon.\u201d She\u2019s pretty into her work and doesn\u2019t look up.\n\nMight as well take a seat. I sit on the edge of her bed and try to peek at what she's working on. Black cloth\u2026? Wait. \u201cIs that my hoodie?\u201d\n\n\u201cWait!\u201d She holds up a hand, pulling a string tight. Or is that thread? I hear a snip and then Claire holds the hoodie out in front of her and inspects it thoroughly. What\u2019s going on ? She gives the cutest little chortle and spins her seat to face me, grinning widely. \u201cHere, Rei.\u201d\n\nShe hands the hoodie to me. Didn\u2019t the sleeve get ruined ? I turn it over. \u201cWait, you fixed it?!\u201d\n\nOh God, she looks so proud of herself. I love her so much.\n\n\u201cHow? How did you do this?\u201d The part that was frayed and ruined by the flames has new material filling in the hole. It\u2019s a red and black pattern\u2026 wait, this is just like the picaro pattern on some of the personas. \u201cDid you\u2026?\u201d\n\n\u201cI mended it. Of course . There was no way I was going to throw it away when it was such minor damage. If anything the fire damage was the least of it. Were you aware there was a hole in the armpit?\u201d\n\nCritical hit. \u201cUuuugh\u2026 it\u2019s not like anyone could see that though\u2026\u201d\n\nShe quirks one eyebrow. \u201cI noticed it.\u201d She laughs softly. \u201cI fixed it, and many other places too. It\u2019s a well worn article and honestly without my help I don\u2019t think it would have had much time left. But I redid the stitching in many places, better than before in my opinion. I fixed a lot of the fraying that was happening on the other sleeve and the lining should be better now.\u201d\n\n\u201c How ?\u201d It's true, the other sleeve\u2019s cuff was getting pretty torn. I had no idea it was something you could repair. All of the holes have  been filled in with the same red and black pattern. It honestly looks way cooler than it did before. \u201cIt looks better than when I bought it. What the heck?\u201d\n\nShe crosses her arms and raises her nose. \u201c Of course , I didn\u2019t spend decades mastering tailoring only to fall short here.\u201d She cackles. God, I love her.\n\n\u201cWhen did you do this? This must have taken so long.\u201d It\u2019s barely been a week .\n\n\u201cI found time.\u201d She relaxes a bit.\n\n\u201cShe\u2019s been doing it every night. She panic-called Lene for supplies when she came back that night.\u201d\n\n\u201cCATHERINE!\u201d Oh, that's a treat. I don\u2019t normally get to see her frazzled like that.\n\nThere\u2019s nothing but a hum from the sofa. Guess Catherine\u2019s back in her usual spot.\n\n\u201cThanks Claire\u2026 uhhh wow\u2026 I\u2026 I don\u2019t know what to say.\u201d It\u2019s better than before . Am I tearing up? I have to swallow. The bed shifts. Oh, it\u2019s Claire. She puts a hand on my knee.\n\n\u201cI wanted to surprise you. It\u2019s not too much, is it?\u201d\n\n\u201cI l-love it.\u201d I'm not crying. Totally not. Liar.\n\n\u201cGood. It\u2019s not the first piece of clothing I\u2019ve fixed for us. And I promise, you will only have to say goodbye to it when you want to. It might pick up a few more patches here and there but I will make sure it\u2019s always better for it.\u201d\n\nI\u2019ll be better for it . \n\n\u201cThank you Claire\u2026 is it okay if I wear it?\u201d\n\n\u201cOf course, silly.\u201d She leans over and gives me a tight hug. I can really feel the tears prickle as I hug her back. \u201cI\u2019m glad you like it, Rei.\u201d\n\nWhen she pulls back I pull off the other sweater I had on. It\u2019s probably more stylish\u2014it\u2019s the one I used on our first date\u2014but honestly I just want to wear this one again. It\u2026 it feels better than before. She said something about the lining? I run my hands over the front. The fabric feels smooth again and I can feel the pendant underneath. I\u2019m glad I wore it today .\n\n\u201cAre you ready to leave, Rei?\u201d\n\nI run my fingers over the new patches on the sleeve. It\u2019s smooth, soft\u2026 perfect. \u201cYeah, let's get going.\u201d", "token_count": 1077}
{"file_id": "17_1", "body": "\u201cHello?\u201d\n\nI open the door to our dorm room and there is no Misha. That\u2019s good, she\u2019s out and about then.\n\nProbably with Yu.\n\n\u201cLooks like it\u2019s just us Francois-san.\u201d\n\nShe follows me inside and closes the door behind us, she lingers for a bit.\n\n\u201cIs it too soon\u2026 to use our first names?\u201d She hasn\u2019t been this shy yet, her glance is downturned. I\u2026 this is starting to feel very real. She looks so vulnerable, the request is simple enough isn\u2019t it?\n\nI\u2019m overthinking it aren\u2019t I?\n\nClaire\n\n\u201cUmm, no I think it\u2019s okay\u2026\u2026 Claire-san.\u201d\n\nShe looks up, and there is a small smile, \u201cWell it\u2019s better than Claire-sama.\u201d The teasing is mirthful, I remember she said not to call her that the first time but I am missing a fair bit of context aren\u2019t I? Did I just call her that before?\n\n\u201cI appreciate it Rei\u2026 chan, and please don\u2019t feel like you have to rush anything on my part. I don't want you to feel like you are being pressured into this.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m not, really, I\u2019m just weird. I have my own hangups about things and I don't know when I will get better about it. This is just very new to me. Umm\u2026  Anyways this is my ever so humble room that I share with Misha.\u201d It\u2019s so very plain, at least it\u2019s pretty clean. No clothes were left on the floor, I made sure of that before I left.\n\nShe\u2026 Claire is looking around judging the room, \u201cIt is rather humble isn\u2019t it, I wasn\u2019t sure but I had a feeling that mine was\u2026 well extravagant. I have to admit, I don\u2019t have a good frame of reference here in this world for this sort of thing.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh yah, your\u2019s is pretty nice, it's fine here. It does its job. Misha and I are mostly getting by on savings and scholarship so we can\u2019t really complain.\u201d\n\n\u201cI hope that didn\u2019t sound judgemental, there was a time when I was very young and would have been\u2026 well condescending about it.\u201d \n\n\u201cOh don\u2019t worry about it, F-Claire-san. Give me a moment to set up.\u201d I pop my shoes off, and pull my laptop off my side of the desk. We can sit on the bed, it\u2019s fine. The chairs sucks anyways.\n\nSo the laptop starts up and I drop it on the bed. \u201cAlso Claire-san, I did look up a bit about prosthetics, for Achard-san.\n\n\u201cOhh?\u201d She closes in behind me, I wasn't expecting that and I can feel a shiver run down my back from the proximity.\n\nCalm down Rei, \u201cYaH, so I think there are few places nearby, and there is a lot to consider, I think we would need to actually take her to them and figure out what needs to be done. It sounds like it's something that needs proper maintenance so routine checkups are normal. It will probably cost a bit but It might be covered? I don\u2019t know, we would have to probably talk to her\u2026 guardian? You said something about her dad right?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes\u2026 He can choke.\u201d Her voice is like ice.\n\nI turn to face her, she looks like she is ready to kill him. It\u2019s scary\u2026\n\n\u2026but also kinda hot.\n\nOH GOD REI SHUT UP\n\n\u201cI think my mother would probably be her guardian now, but I think I might be able to contact Lene, she is\u2026 our maid? Not a maid, but our butler I think. That\u2019s weird to say, I know her from before too, she was my personal maid but Catherine said it\u2019s not quite like that anymore? I haven\u2019t really talked to her but I think she would know what we need to do. I have a feeling she would even manage it in the first place but I think Catherine might be a bit resistant to it\u2026 I have yet to suss out the exact reason\u2026\u201d\n\nOh, well that would make things easier. It makes sense, like I wouldn't really be booking this for her right? That's silly, what am I expecting? Is there anything I can really do then? I\u2019m just a stranger and she has a medical history that I know nothing about, it\u2019s not like I could just suggest a random clinic and we take her there, she probably has a doct-\n\n\u201cRei, thank you, would you mind if I tried calling her now, I would appreciate it if you were there for it as I don\u2019t know what I am talking about really.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, ummm sure Claire-san.\u201d\n\nShe smiles and sits down on my bed, okay I can still be useful, that's good. She starts the call and it rings a few times before a voice comes through on the speaker.\n\n\u201cBonjour Mademoiselle Claire, how might I help you.\u201d The voice is very formal, and her accent is more noticeable than Claire's.\n\n\u201cLene! It\u2019s great to hear from you.\u201d\n\n\u201cIs everything all right?\u201d She sounds a bit concerned, I would guess most conversations didn\u2019t start like this before.\n\n\u201cOf course Lene, I am quite all right, but I was hoping you could assist me with something. Well Catherine more specifically, she has\u2026 well her leg has been damaged and she needs a new one I would say.\u201d Claire-san holds the phone at chest height between the two of us, and her free hand fidgets on her knee.\n\nThere is a long pause, \u201cOh\u2026 Well yes we could look into that, she is long due for an appointment but she has insisted it\u2019s not necessary. I\u2026 should she not be telling me about this?\u201d\n\n\u201cWell as you said she has been stubborn about it, I don\u2019t think it will be easy to convince her.\u201d\n\n\u201cI could bring this up with your mother then, she might be able to convince her, I know she has wanted to get her a new leg for a while.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, that\u2019s not necessary right now, I think I can convince her, it is partially my fault it\u2019s in its state it is in anyways.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell if that\u2019s the case I can arrange an appointment, I can pick her up probably next weekend. Would you want to accompany us or\u2026?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes please, and would it be alright if I brought a\u2026 friend as well?\u201d\n\nWait what?\n\n\u201cThat shouldn\u2019t be a problem, should I assume that you will inform Mademoiselle Catherine?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, I want it to be a surprise, and I think it would be easier too to bring her that way.\u201d\n\n\u201cI understand, I will text you when I finalize the details, do you require anything else Mademoiselle Claire?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo that will be all, Thank you Lene, I hope you have a lovely day.\u201d\n\nThere is a short pause, \u201cOf course, thank you Mademoiselle, have a nice day.\u201d\n\nThe call ends, and Claire looks up at me, her cheeks drawn high from a smile and she grabs my hand. \u201cWe did it!\u201d\n\nI didn\u2019t do anything though, but she is very happy, \u201cWell you ended up doing most of it, but I\u2019m glad for you.\u201d\n\n\u201cHush, you were important, thank you for being here with me for it.\u201d\n\n\u201cSo\u2026 did you want to bring-\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, could you come along too? I know I didn\u2019t really ask you beforehand but I would really appreciate it if you came. It might be a bit silly but it\u2019s less intimidating when you are with me.\u201d\n\n\u201cI would die for you.\u201d\n\nShe blanches slightly. Fuck, I wasn\u2019t suppose to say that. That was a bit unhinged.\n\n\u201cRei!\u201d\n\n\u201cSorry, that came out wrong I-\u201d\n\nShe wraps me in a hug, \u201cPlease don\u2019t, I\u2019m sorry we have just been through a lot. I understand it's a non-serious expression but I don\u2019t want to lose you.\u201d\n\naaaaaaaAAAAAaaaaa\n\n\u201cAre you okay?\u201d When did she let go? She is gently rubbing my arm and her face furls in concern.\n\n\u201cyUp, totally fine\u2026 Sorry about that Claire-san, it\u2019s just my weird otaku stuff leaking out\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2026 I don\u2019t mind the mannerism Rei, I just want you to know I don\u2019t want to lose you okay. Don\u2019t think you need to sacrifice yourself for me okay? That just hits\u2026 a little too close.\u201d\n\nI, right, she lived through a revolution, even if it was mostly non-violent. I have to imagine things weren\u2019t always safe in her old life. I am doing a bad job at this.\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t worry Claire-san, I\u2019ll be better.\u201d\n\nShe gives one more squeeze of my arm before letting her hand fall away, \u201cDon't worry about it too much either, I\u2019m just glad you are here and your otaku-ness is charming.\u201d She teases out a smile.\n\nThis can\u2019t be real.\n\nI clear my throat, \u201cSoooo\u2026 um video games!\u201d\n\nShe nods and I turn back to the laptop, I should grab the controller, \u201cFeel free to get comfortable on the bed, I\u2019ll just set it up.\u201d I reach under the bed and pull out the box with the controller in it, and then grab the charging cable to plug the laptop in. When I turn back I see that Claire has decided to sit in the corner of the bed, laying down its length, I had thought we would sit across the bed\u2026 I was going to pull the desk to prop the laptop on. She just looks at me innocently.\n\nShe planned this\u2026\n\nWe are going to be very close\u2026\n\nOh god.\n\nI can do this, don\u2019t make a big deal about it.\n\nDon't make a big deal about it.\n\nI slide in next to her and prop the laptop up before us on my legs and open up the launcher for Pers", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "17_2", "body": "ona. Claire focuses on the screen.\n\n\u201cIs this good? Comfortable?\u201d\n\nShe leans into my space just a bit, \u201cHmmh.\u201d\n\nOh god, I can do this.\n\nThe intro starts and Claire leans in as the title menu appears.\n\n\u201cOh this is the same as your hoodie right? You said that was also Persona right?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes.\u201d I can\u2019t help but feel pleased that she remembered that, \u201cThis is that.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis looks\u2026 different, this isn\u2019t real is it?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh no, it's ummm, Ok so we talked about anime, or animation before right?. A video is basically just a bunch of images pre-recorded with sound and then it gets played back, each fraction of a second is referred to as a frame, more frames, the smoother it looks. The videos we showed you before do that by doing something like by taking a photo, but every fraction of a second. Animation does that but is hand drawn, and once we start the game there is a little bit of that so you can see it. This is sorta different. In games things exist sort of more like puppets I guess? And they follow rules that are programmed by the game, so in the case of the silhouettes you see there, they just stand and repeat the animation, but when I swap between the different menu prompts you can see how things change.\u201d\n\nI do so and she oohs slightly.\n\nI\u2026.\n\nThank you god for this.\n\n\u201cThat's so fascinating. How does one even do this? This isn\u2019t magic?\u201d\n\nI can\u2019t help but chuckle, \u201cNo it\u2019s really not magic, but I don\u2019t really have an easy or short answer for how they work, these are 3D models, umm three dimensional models. That means they can be seen from every angle, they exist purely in the digital sense. The ones in this game like this are, mmm, well simpler but they can be very complex and very realistic looking. I can show you some examples later but this one is meant to look like an anime.\u201d\n\n\u201cOkay, this is very impressive, I didn\u2019t realize this was possible.\u201d She leans into me some more.\n\nI can feel my heart thud, \u201cLet's start the game.\u201d\n\nShe nods.\n\nThe intro plays and the short anime scene plays, Joker jumps through the ceiling of the casino and Claire is intently watching it all. Once it ends and the game proper starts she finally asks her question.\n\n\u201cWhat is happening?\u201d\n\n\u201cIt will make more sense, but this intro jumps to a moment much later in the story, it will go back to the actual start and things will make more sense. Right now the heroes are trying to escape getting caught after pulling a heist.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe heroes are thieves?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, sorta. It eases into it once we get into it but if something still doesn\u2019t make sense please ask.\u201d\n\n\u201cOkay\u2026 also did the person just turn into a girl?\u201d\n\n\u201cWha\u2026?\u201d I wasn\u2019t paying attention, and I check the model for Joker. It\u2019s definitely not him anymore.\n\nI forgot I had this mod installed, oh fuck this is going to be confusing. \u201cOh shit, sorry I forgot I did that.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou did that? What?\u201d Oh, this is just making things more complicated, isn\u2019t it?\n\n\u201cNot directly, ummm, okay so some people are very talented at changing games, it\u2019s called modding, short for modifying.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat's not really that much shorter?\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s usually just called mods, modding is the verb, errrr, anyways some people make mods and they can change games, in this case someone made a mod that changes the appearance of the protagonist, he\u2026 they are called Joker, I hope that\u2019s not too confusing.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat really is impressive, that seems like it would be like rewriting a whole novel.\u201d\n\n\u201cYah, kinda. Same idea at its core I guess. It\u2019s a lot of work, and in this case the mod is not completely done, it mostly is just a cosmetic change and the plot doesn\u2019t really change to match it. So you still get referred to as a guy.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou?\u201d\n\n\u201cUh, yah, you play\u2026 or control the protagonist, Joker, so it\u2019s like you are in the story. These types of games are called role playing games, cause you are playing the role of the hero, plot tends to be a big feature for these types of games\u2026 usually.\u201d Don't go off on a pointless tangent Rei.\n\n\u201cI see. It is unfortunate that it is incomplete like you mentioned then.\u201d\n\n\u201cYah, but I think it actually works in the context of the game in a weird way, the themes of the game are about rebelling against society, how the world tries to dictate who you are and finding your true self to break away from the norms, the game already had a element of the world treating you like a delinquent and adding in this idea that you are also trans just kinda clicked in my head. And you have to do some filling in the blanks yourself because not exactly everything lines up with that but there is a lot that does and it makes the game feel so much more queer when it really isn\u2019t and\u2026 I\u2019m rambling aren\u2019t I?\u201d\n\nThere is a soft chuckle from Claire and she weaves her arm around mine, god I can feel my heart thud. \u201cPlease ramble, this is so fascinating, I really had no idea that art could be like this.\u201d\n\nShe called it art\u2026\n\nRei, calm down and don\u2019t geek out too hard.\n\n\u201cOkay, okay, thanks, yah\u2026 Anyways I don\u2019t want to get too much in the way, so here.\u201d I give her the controller to her and she just stares at it like it's an arcane device.\n\n\u201cWhat\u2019s this?\u201d\n\n\u201cIt's the controller, you can play the game with it.\u201d\n\n\u201cMe? but \u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t worry, it's easy, press the X button and the next line of dialogue will play.\u201d She looks down at the controller and analyzes the buttons, once satisfied she taps the said button like an old person typing on a keyboard.\n\nI am so lucky\u2026.\n\nDon\u2019t laugh Rei\n\nThe next line plays, \u201cSo who's talking?\u201d\n\n\u201cThey are part of your group, they will get slowly rolled out but right now the game is just teasing them.\u201d\n\n\u201cOkay, this is an interesting way to introduce a story, I can\u2019t think of many plays that have done this.\u201d She presses the button as each line finishes, each time having to check the controller once more and then soon the dialogue is over. She looks a bit lost, \u201cWhat now?\u201d\n\n\u201cDo you see that stick on the left,\u201d she looks down at it and nods. \u201cOkay so put your hand around it like this, I guide her hands so they fit around the controller right, and show her where to place her thumbs, \u201cOkay, now try pushing the left stick around, but look at the screen.\u201d\n\nShe gives the stick one more look, as if she is trying to really commit its position to memory, and then hesitantly looks back at the screen. Joker moves as she tests the stick for the first time.\n\n\u201cShe moved!\u201d she bounces a bit in place as she gets excited, \u201cIt moves?!\u201d\n\nI can\u2019t help but laugh again, oh god this is so adorable, I don\u2019t deserve this. \u201cYes, you can move her around with the stick.\u201d\n\nClaire gives it a few more tests and looks quite proud as Joker moves around bit by bit, but soon she realizes she is stuck on the first platform.\n\n\u201cWhen you are close to the edge do you see the bit there on screen that says X to jump.\u201d\n\nShe moves the model back to the spot, \u201cOooh,\u201d she looks back down on the controller and finds the button once more and glees as she jumps over the edge. \u201cOh that is so neat.\u201d\n\n\u201cOkay just keep going.\u201d\n\nIt takes her a bit, she is pretty cautious but she starts to get more comfortable holding and using the controller by the time she reaches the first fight. She still has to venture a few looks to make sure her hands are in the right spots but I would be lying if I am not enjoying this a lot.\n\n\u201cOh goodness what happened to that man? Is he a monster?\u201d\n\n\u201cIt will explain a bit better later, but yeah, that was not a person but a monster, or a shadow as the game calls them.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s not a thing in this world right?\u201d\n\n\u201cNonono, this is purely fictional, don\u2019t worry about monsters here\u2026 wait did you have monsters?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, but we could eliminate them with magic, here I would imagine they would be even more dangerous, so what now?\u201d\n\nI guide her through the first combat encounter, \u201cYou take turns going back and forth in this game so you can take your time, other games can require you to act fast but don\u2019t worry about that in this one. You have different abilities or moves you can do, so try that first one.\u201d She follows my suggestion, and after a few turns traded back and forth the first enemy is beaten and she has such a smug look on her face.\n\n\u201c Trival for a Francois.\u201d\n\nI dont have the heart to tell her that it is a tutorial fight, \u201cGood job Claire-san, lets keep going.\u201d\n\nWe keep at it, and it doesn\u2019t take long for the short intro slash tutorial to conclude and then Joker gets captured, Claire gasps as Joker is swarmed by policemen. \u201cDid I do something wrong? I thought I won?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo that's how it\u2019s supposed to go, don\u2019t worry.\u201d\n\nShe keeps watching determined, the rest of the intro plays and she glares at the men beating up Joker in the cell, oh god she is getting into it. Soon the difficulty prompt shows up, she seems stuck making a choice.\n\n\u201cI recommend easy?\u201d\n\n\u201cEasy?\u201d She does not like the sound of it.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s fine, trust me you are going to have", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "17_3", "body": " so many new things to think about, you don\u2019t need to make the game harder for yourself.\n\nShe pouts a bit as she stares at the prompt.\n\nShe selects normal. Okay\u2026 It's okay, I'm here.\n\n\u201cI can choose a name?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh yah, so there is a default name, Ren, but a lot of games like this lets you choose your own name.\u201d\n\n\u201cCan I name myself Claire?\u201d\n\n\u201cOf course.\u201d Oh this is so precious.\n\nShe slowly types out her full name, oh I love watching her figure it out in real time, there is so much focus on her face and she often overshoots on the onscreen keyboard.\n\nOnce done, the rest of the scene plays out. She is getting more in the swing of it now, paying attention to everything that is getting said. As it goes along I answer a few more questions, explaining subways and trains, letting her know the game is set in Japan, just not this exact city. The little bits about high school that come up.\n\nI was worried this could be a dud but the hours start to slip by and she gets very absorbed in the game. Soon, she has finished the first day of the game.\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s probably a good spot to call it I think.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut I didn\u2019t stop Kamoshida\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd trust me, even if we went for several more hours you wouldn\u2019t either. It\u2019s a big game, we can do more next weekend.\u201d\n\nShe really leans into me and pouts, \u201cFine, you are probably right.\u201d\n\nI can\u2019t help but chuckle, I know she wont get there at her rate, even if she chose easy, we are going to be at this for a while but I just feel myself looking forward to it.\n\n\u201cSo did you like it.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes! This is so novel, you tried to describe them before, like many things, but actually seeing it is a world of difference. This is nothing like what I thought, and it is so interesting. I know I am missing a fair amount of context but I am really enjoying this so far, I hope we can continue.\u201d\n\n\u201cI would lo- like to continue too.\u201d She smirks from the side and hands me the controller.\n\n\u201cAlso I do appreciate your choice, picking something set in your world is a clever idea.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2026 it just made sense. And you would get to see things in a more natural way than if we just showed you\u2026 I don\u2019t know, more educational videos again. There are other shows we can watch at some point too, and there are a lot of things set in not the real world too and those are worth watching just because they are fun and good\u2026 Umm but yah. Persona made sense. And I like it, even though I can complain a lot.\u201d\n\n\u201cI look forward to having the context when that comes up then.\u201d\n\nI make sure her game is saved one last time, and shut down the laptop. I\u2019m able to push it off but not really able to get up though.\n\nClaire has wrapped herself around me.\n\nI can\u2019t complain but\u2026\n\nI have no idea what to do.\n\n\u2026do I do something?\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s around five thirty Claire-san.\u201d\n\n\u201cMhmm\u201d She doesn\u2019t make any effort to move.\n\n\u201cOkay.\u201d I guess I live here now.\n\nShe sighs and tightens her grasp gently. \u201cThank you Rei, this was a very lovely day.\u201d\n\n\u201c... Of course C-Claire-san, I\u2019m happy you enjoyed it. I liked it too.\u201d\n\nI can feel one of her hands slowly creeping up my back.\n\nWhat is happening?\n\nI look at her and there is an intensity in her eyes. I gulp, I can feel my heart hammer. I swear it feels like there is an energy arcing from her into me. I can\u2019t look away.\n\nI don't want to look away.\n\nI feel her other hand cup the side of my check, so tender but it firmly anchors the moment.\n\nShe licks her lips, wait did I just do the same.\n\nWhat\u2019s happening?\n\n\u201cRei\u2026?\u201d\n\nWHAT\u2019S HAPPENING?\n\n\u201cCan I kiss you?\u201d\n\n\u2026\n\n\u2026\n\n\u201cRei?\u201d she ask once more\n\n\u2026\n\nI nod.\n\nI can\u2019t speak, oh god I can\u2019t speak. Yes I want this. How is this happening? How did I get here?\n\nShe smiles, it's soft, it's fire, it's intense, it's gentle.\n\nIt\u2019s\u2026\n\nOh god I want this so much.\n\nShe pulls my face to hers, and her lips meet mine, a gentle kiss and I can\u2019t help but gasp. How is this happening? She comes in for a second one and it\u2019s more searing this time. I feel engulfed in her. She smells like vanilla and strawberries, she tastes divine. It\u2019s all around me. She is all around me.\n\nShe doesn't break contact but she shifts her position and places herself on my lap, her legs wrap around me and she bends over me deepening the kiss again. She is all around me, and it's impossible to think about anything else. How long has it been? I feel like I am trapped in this moment. I could be trapped in this moment. I would be happy to be in this moment for the rest of time.\n\nShe shifts again, runs her hand across my neck, I have to gasp again and a shiver runs through my entire body.\n\nShe teases out a soft laugh at my reaction. I am at her mercy in this moment, anything she would want I would give to her. It\u2019s terrifying but it's right.\n\nIt\u2019s so right .\n\nIt\u2019s like I found what I was missing in my life and I never want to lose it again. I feel a hunger that seemed lost, forgotten\u2026 I want more of this.\n\nI need more of this.\n\nHer lips sear mine again, I can feel her breath roll across my skin, everything feels so sensitive now. Every nerve alive with her energy.\n\nI am at her beck, her call.\n\nShe shifts her kisses, to the corner of my mouth, down my cheek, peppering down my neck to where she pauses just above the base.\n\nShe's making me wait, I can\u2019t help the whimper that escapes, please don\u2019t stop now, I n-\n\nHer tongue runs over the spot and my whole body shivers, I feel the saliva linger, the spot sizzles. She breathes over it and I moan. How? What? What am I doing? What is she doing? How is she doing this? Then she kisses the sensitive spot again, gently, then I feel the pressure build to a delicious level before a pop, and is released.\n\nShe pulls away, looking down on me. Like a cat that caught the bird. She knows. She knows I am hers. She knows. She smirks and that almost feels enough to completely undo me, she runs a hand across her face to pull some hair away from her face.\n\n\u201cRei\u2026 I love you. Always.\u201d\n\nThis is true.\n\nI know it because\u2026\n\nThe realization is as terrifying as it is true.\n\nI love her too.", "token_count": 1467}
{"file_id": "36_1", "body": "I can feel some stirrings beside me.\n\nI tepidly open my eyes, some light from outside is filtering in and it takes a moment for my eyes to adjust.\n\nI can feel a familiar weight to my side.\n\nRae\u2026\n\nHer arm is draped over me, and I pull her in tighter.\n\nOh how I missed these little moments of bliss.\n\nThe strain in my head, less so. It could be worse though. I know it could be much worse.\n\nBut Rae is soothing, very much so, and she stayed, bless her. Oh goodness she should have told me no, and I shouldn't feel so elated that she stayed. But I want this so much, just to wake up in my wife\u2019s arms.\n\nBut you\u2019re not wives\u2026 yet.\n\nYou just started dating.\n\nGod, this is so infuriating at times, how did Rae ever put up with this feeling for a year? I kissed her, I went on a date and I still want more. I need more. What was it like for her? How ever did she deal with this before we became betrothed? \n\nI could have even a bit more if I just wak -\n\nBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEP\n\n\u201cFUCK!\u201d Rae springs and dashes around for the source of the noise. Damned hells I hate alarms. She eventually finds it and shuts her phone up. \u201cSorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorry.\u201d\n\n\u201cRae, Rae it\u2019s fine.\u201d Thank goodness the ache in my head is barely there. \n\n\u201cSorry\u2026\u201d we are both sitting up now, calming down from the alarm. I watch the realization dawns on Rae\u2019s face as she figures out where she is, where she woke up.\n\nIt\u2019s delightful .\n\n\u201c Morning Rae .\u201d\n\nShe gulps, and her blush has been slowly seeping throughout her skin. \u201cMorning Claire-chan,\u201d She barely manages to say.\n\nI find her hand under the sheets and give it a gentle pull, weaving our fingers together. I can\u2019t help the giggle that escapes me, and soon Rae is giggling with me. I pull her into me laughing more and-\n\n\u201cGod, please,\u201d Catherine gags and we both still, \u201cI\u2019m here, I can hear and see you.\u201d\n\nI can\u2019t help but groan, I peer over to her side of the room, and there she is, sitting on the edge of her bed. Looking very unimpressed. I don\u2019t need you judging me this early in the morning Catherine.\n\nThere is a soft \u2018sorry\u2019 that squeaks out of Rae, and I sigh.\n\n\u201cSorry Catherine, I haven\u2019t had to worry about an audience since our girls grew up.\u201d\n\nShe rolls her eyes. \u201cYah, sure. Whatever, I wanted to go for a walk, I will be out of your hair in a bit anyways.\u201d\n\n\u201cAre you sure?\u201d\n\n \u201cLook, you two are bad enough when you're \u2018studying\u2019 I\u2019m not going to be around playing third wheel today. Besides, gotta break in the new leg.\u201d She tries to hide her grin and she peers down at the new leg laying at the side of bed.\n\n\u201cOkay\u2026 Thank you Catherine, sorry again.\u201d\n\nShe just waves me off as she starts to put her leg on, and then gives it a test step and gets up. She is sure-footed. \u201cI\u2019m gonna get changed, and just\u2026 I don't know, keep it on your side .\u201d\n\nRae makes a sound like she is deflating, I think I am well past being embarrassed by anything like this anymore though. \u201cDon\u2019t feel like you have to rush on our part.\u201d\n\nShe just hums and she collects some clothes and goes to the bathroom.\n\nAnd for a moment it\u2019s Rae and myself again.\n\nAlone.\n\n\u201cRaeeee.\u201d\n\nShe groans, and huddles into the sheets.\n\n\u201cRaeeee.\u201d I tease out again.\n\nNo response.\n\n\u201cWe can do whatever we want today\u2026\u201d\n\nI can just make out parts of her face as she buries herself, the skin is red. \n\nAdorable .\n\nMy hand finds the top of her head, and my finger circles the top, massaging the scalp. There is a confused sound at first followed by a content sigh. \n\nI missed mornings like this.\n\nSoon the bathroom opens, and Catherine looks ready. She seems unsure what to make of my casual affections, but shrugs, probably deciding it\u2019s fine. \u201cI\u2019m going to probably get a bite on my walk, so maybe an hour and a bit before I\u2019m back? Sound good?\u201d\n\n\u201cOf course, we shouldn\u2019t be a disturbance by the time you come back, Rae, would you like to continue the game today?\u201d\n\n\u201cGame?\u201d I can hear her mumble from the sheets.\n\n\u201cYes? The one from before\u2026. Persona?\u201d\n\n\u201cOoooh\u201d She finally shifts and sits up again, her cheeks still look slightly dusted but she does seem to have calmed down a bit. \u201cYah sure, I\u2019ll check in with Misha in a bit.\u201d\n\n\u201cTill then we have this place to ourselves. \u201d I laugh.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m still here, people.\u201d Catherine groans.\n\nRae's blush deepens again but I just laugh more.\n\nCatherine makes her way to the door, gives us one last look and shakes her head, smirking, \u201cI\u2019ll see you later tonight I guess, bye.\u201d\n\nAnd then the door clicks.\n\nWe are alone.\n\nI pivot on the bed, bringing myself face to face with Rae, she gulps.\n\n\u201c Good morning Rae. \u201d\n\n\u201cmorning claire\u2026\u201d\n\nI have to smile, she is so cute, her face is so red, her eyes dilated, her breathing very staggered.\n\n\u201cShould we have some fun ?\u201d\n\nHer eye go wide, the gears in her head slowly tick, tick, tick-\n\n\u201cYes?\u201d She sounds so shattered, adorable .\n\n\u201cYes?\u201d I have to tease her. \n\n\u201cYes.\u201d She nods this time, so I start by pushing her backwards into the bed. She lays flat on the mattress and I crawl forward, looking down as she writhes in anticipation.\n\n\u201cGood Girl.\u201d I whisper into her ear and she shivers. First I test her ear, a light nip and she moans instantly. She gasps and covers her mouth with a hand, surprised by her own reaction.\n\nI, however\u2026 am not.\n\nA second nip and then I move to her neck, peppering light kisses down the side to front causing her to writhe even more. I give a lick to the bottom of her chin and press my lips-\n\n\u201cPlease no more hickeys!\u201d\n\nI pull back, I must be pouting because she looks panicked, in a bad way. Fine, I can make this concession, \u201cIs it okay if it\u2019s somewhere private ?\u201d\n\n\u201cPrivate?\u201d There is hesitation in her voice, I can hear her holding back a cheeky response. Rae\u2026 please take the bait. It was perfectly set up for you.\n\nOh well, time to teach. \u201cIf not here\u2026 how about somewhere like over here\u2026\u201d I trace my finger from the spot I was first targeting, slowly moving down the neck, past the collarbone and resting close to the left shoulder, just above the chest.\n\nThere is a hungry look in her eyes, \u201cPrivate\u2026 okay\u2026\u201d\n\nPerfect .\n\nNow how to get to that point\u2026 \u201cRae would you rather I pull your shirt up\u2026 or down?\u201d\n\n\u201cDown? Ummm, won\u2019t that stretch\u2026 it out?\u201d As if the shirt is more important. \n\n\u201cWe all must make sacrifices.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh well if you\u2026 down\u2026 please\u2026\u201d, she looks apologetic.\n\nI give her a kiss on the corner of her lips. \u201cRae, I can wait, I want this, but I want you to be comfortable first. Okay?\u201d\n\nShe nods.\n\n\u201cDo you want me to?\u201d\n\nShe nods again. \n\n\u201cCan you say it?\u201d\n\nShe gulps, \u201cPleeease Claire\u2026.\u201d she whines.\n\nI pull the shirt\u2019s collar over her shoulder, definitely stretching it out but that hardly matters. The skin now exposed, a spot only for me\u2026\n\nDelightful. \n\nI do feel like being just a little cruel , \u201cPlease Claire\u2026 ?\u201c\n\nAn exacerbated sound escapes from her, \u201cplease Claire\u2026 mess me up.\u201d\n\nMusic to my ears.\n\nI lean in and breathe over her shoulder, she shivers in response.\n\n\u201cGood girl\u201d I tell her, causing her to whine, the anticipation is killing her.\n\nCan't be too cruel.\n\nShe gasps as I run my tongue over the spot, circling it twice and then letting out another breath over the spot. She tries to stifle a moan.\n\nOh, you think you won't ?\n\nI press my lips to the spot, now ready and suck on the skin, let the pressure rise and she writhes underneath me, trying oh so hard to not moan. I apply more pressure , pulling the skin just ever so\u2026 and then test a nip.\n\nShe finally moans , and I win .\n\nI let the pressure build a little more, carefully, and feather the trapped skin with my tongue.\n\nShe moans again, and with a pop I release the skin, pulling back I get a better look at Rae. She is breathing heavily and her eyes are wide. Our eyes meet and she looks as if in awe.\n\nNo interruptions this time, \u201cRae\u2026 did you like that?\u201d\n\nShe swallows, and finally blinks. \u201cYes,\u201d she manages shakily, and I can\u2019t help but smirk.\n\nI eye the spot again and it\u2019s bright, bruised, the barest ident of teeth.\n\nMarked.\n\nPerfect. \n\nEnough there\u2026 I return to her face\u2026 she is so beautiful. I lean in, and our lips meet again. Careful, gentle at first. I am pressed close to her, I can feel her heart pound next to mine. I want to be closer.\n\n", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "36_2", "body": "Control yourself.\n\nYes, yes. Don't rush her\u2026 that can come when\u2026 it will come.\n\nInstead I deepen our kiss. Hardly a poor concession and she writhes as the intensity shared between us grows. Eventually I have to pull back for air.\n\nA much needed breath. Even I am breathing heavily alongside her.\n\n\u201cWoah.\u201d She says softly.\n\n\u201cYeah.\u201d\n\nShe swallows again, I can see her thinking, and she hesitates\u2026\n\n\u201cWhat is it Rae?\u201d\n\nShe takes a deep breath, \u201cCan\u2026 can I try\u2026?\u201d\n\nOh\u2026\n\nExcellent. \n\n\u201cAnd what would you like to try?\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2026 I don\u2019t know\u2026 something\u2026 anything.\u201d\n\nI give her a soft kiss on her lips and let our foreheads lean into each other. \u201cOf course.\u201d\n\nI can see her smile. \u201cKay, kay\u2026\u201d She gives me a gentle kiss and then starts to shift, moving out from under me, I move to the side and turn to face her.\n\nShe sits herself up, on her knees and looks over me. Her eyes scan greedily, a hunger she hasn\u2019t really allowed herself to humor till now.\n\nI missed this. I pull my gown collar low, exposing far more skin than just my collar bone and I can see her eyes focus.\n\n\u201cClaire-ch\u2026 that\u2019s not fair\u2026\u201d The look in her eyes is intoxicating, air is less valuable to her then me.\n\n\u201c Oh ? What are you going to do about it?\u201d I tease.\n\nThat seems to give her enough motivation to make a move. She is still too cautious with her hands though, rooting them beside me on the bed, but not on me, but oh well. Little steps. She leans in and takes the initiative with a kiss, she tries to replicate what I have done to her, starting slowly and letting the tension between us build. Each move ripples between us, a union of push and pull.\n\nTimidly she tests her tongue, and of course I allow her, parting my lips. Hers finds mine and she carefully tests the motions, as our tongues weave with one another.\n\nWhen she pulls back; a breath needed, she is glowing, radiant and tinged with pride. I smile, she is doing oh so well, and so eager .\n\nShe gulps and scans my body again, I can see her eyes pause on my chest, my breasts. There is hesitation, will she? A hand rises\u2026 but it falls back and she looks unsure.\n\n\u201cRae,\u201d I say as softly as I can, \u201cIt\u2019s okay, don't push yourself. We have time.\u201d\n\n\u201cUmm, right, right\u2026.\u201d She still seems unsure, there must be too many things going through her mind. Too many choices.\n\nShe needs some guidance, \u201cHow about we start small, let just start with the shoulder and above.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut\u2026 but don\u2019t\u2026?\u201d Oh god she is adorable\u2026 and has much to learn.\n\n\u201cTrust me there is much we can do with just that.\u201d I lock eyes with hers, \u201cI will show you.\u201d\n\nHer breath catches in her throat, \u201cuhhhh, k, k, right. Shoulder\u2026\u201d\n\nI pull my gown farther and expose my left shoulder which causes her to freeze when she sees the exposed skin. Oh she is still so innocent.\n\n\u201cShoulder\u2026 uh\u2026 can I?\u201d\n\nI nod.\n\nShe swallows and warily places a finger on the skin, carefully running it along the surface. \n\n\u201cO\u2026kay\u2026\u201d\n\nShe then leans in and places little kisses across the shoulder, yes that\u2019s good, she slowly makes a trail to the base of the neck. The kisses grow more experimental as she goes, she varies the pressure, and the shape\u2026 and then she pauses after a few kisses move up the neck.\n\n\u201cCan\u2026.\u201d She is eyeing my neck like it is nectar, I know that look.\n\n\u201cYes.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut I didn\u2019t\u2026?\n\n\u201cTrust me, it will be good.\u201d I can see she worries, but I know that whatever she is thinking is tame compared to what we have done in the past.\n\nShe leans back, to the base of the neck again and then I feel her tongues touch and pull up along the neck\u2026 right to the jaw.\n\n\u201c Yeeessss! \u201d Finally!\n\nShe pulls back looking surprised at my reaction.\n\n\u201c Good girl ,\u201d I wink to her and she blushes fiercely.\n\n\u201cOh god\u2026 that wasn\u2019t weird?\u201d\n\n\u201cNonsense. I loved it, did you?\u201d\n\nShe nods timidly.\n\n\u201cExcellent.\u201d\n\nShe seems a bit lost at what to do next, but I think she deserves a reward. \u201cHow about it\u2019s my turn?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh\u2026\u201d she says, and eagerly nods. I rise and push her back down to the mattress. She shivers in anticipation as I loom over her again. \n\n\u201cNothing below the shoulder,\u201d I say to her again. She nods, \u201cLet me show you what we can do then.\u201d\n\nI lean in and mimic her previous action, I run my tongue up along her neck to the jaw and she gasps. I love the taste, so I do it again but slower and she whines.\n\n\u201cSee, it\u2019s lovely isn\u2019t it?\u201d\n\n\u201cFuck\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cLanguage Rae.\u201d I place a finger on her lips and smirks as she whines some more. It will be more fun if she thinks she has to hold that back.\n\nI take a third lick, but this time my path is further back along the neck and makes way for her ear, she swears again as I lick the lobe, very surprised by her reaction. \n\nI\u2019m not .\n\nI start to circle my tongue on the lob of her ear, playing with it till she writhes beneath me. After enough teasing I nip on the lobe and she moans and I carefully ply pressure-\n\nThe sound of the door unlocks and swings open.\n\nHells damnit! Catherine? This better be important. She knows we\u2026 \u201cCatherine, go away.\u201d\n\nRae feels like she has turned to stone, I really don\u2019t want to look away, but\u2026 as Rae would say the mood is killed.\n\n\u201cUm Claire\u2026\u201d It\u2019s Catherine, as expected.\n\n\u201cCatherine, can\u2019t I just have some time to properly ravage my girlfriend?\u201d I'm being quite curt but-\n\nThere is sharp frantic tapping on my shoulder from Rae, she is panicking now. I hear a laugh.\n\n\u2026That\u2019s not Catherine?\n\n\u201cManaria? Really now?.\u201d There is another new voice scolding the laugh, and she sighs. \u201cClaire?\u201d The voice wants answers.\n\nNo\u2026 it can't\u2026\n\nNot like this\u2026\n\n\u201cClaire please turn around\u2026\u201d Rae whispers.\n\n\n\nI feel my blood run cold.\n\nAfter what feels like eons, I manage to turn.\n\nCatherine is there\u2026 looking very apologetic, and Sister Manaria is there, with a much too pleased smirk on her face.\n\nAnd\u2026 the last person, looking at me very intently, standing tall, with long blonde hair, curled just like I used to.\n\n \n\n\u201cMother?\u201d my voice cracks miserably. \n\n\u201cGirlfriend?\u201d She heard\u2026\n\nShe heard\u2026\n\nIt wasn\u2019t supposed to be like, not in the middle of me acting like a lustful siren. I wasn\u2019t supposed to be seen in near undress, a gown falling off my body, Rae ravaged and bruised by my teasings. I was supposed to be ready. I\u2019m not ready! What am I going to say to her? What can I say to her? How do I explain this? What can I eve-\n\n\u201cClaire, are you okay?\u201d Rae pockets my hand pulling me out of the spiral.\n\n\u201cI said we-\u201d\n\n\u201cEveryone out.\u201d My mother, Melia Francois, says with authority.\n\nOh god, I am ruined.\n\nCatherine pushes Manaria out the door, not willing to argue with Mother. Rae just moves forward, acting as a barrier.\n\n\u201cOohashi?\u201d Mother asks.\n\n\u201cYes\u2026.?\u201d\n\n\u201cI want a moment to talk to my daughter alone.\u201d\n\nRae just tightens her position around me.\n\nMother sighs, \u201cI\u2019m not\u2026 upset, I just need to talk to her. I\u2019m sorry for\u2026 meeting like this. Please just let me talk to her.\u201d\n\nRae turns to me, \u201cAre you going to be okay?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo!\u201d Oh god, a sob breaks out, I\u2019m crying. How long have I been crying? \u201cI\u2026I\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cClaire, Claire, it\u2019s okay, I\u2019m here. It\u2019s okay.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut\u2026 But\u2026\u201d\n\nMother\u2019s voice, \u201cClaire\u2026\u201d She is above me, and I have to look up. It\u2019s almost nostalgic\u2026 \u201cClaire\u2026 I\u2019m sorry, please can we just talk. I\u2019m not mad.\u201d\n\nBut I said\u2026\n\nShe leans over and engulfs me in a hug, \u201cIt\u2019s okay my dear, you can cry\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cHow\u2026?\u201d\n\n\u201cShhhh.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2026I\u2026\u201d I\u2019m a sobbing mess. It doesn't want to stop. What have I done, this is wrong, I should have sought her out already. \n\nWhen I finally calm down, Rae is holding my hand, and Mother is holding me a tight hug.\n\n\u201cAre you okay Claire?\u201d Rae asks softly.\n\nI just nod weakly.\n\n\u201cOohashi, can I have a moment now?\u201d Mother asks her softly.\n\nRae looks to me, asking.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s\u2026 It will be fine Rae\u2026\u201d\n\nMother has pulled back, and Rae takes the chance to lean and give me a hug herself. \u201cI\u2019ll be just out there, kay?\u201d\n\nI nod, and she reluctantly pulls away. There is a short look she shares with mother, but otherwise she quickly makes her way out too.\n\n \n\nAnd it\u2019s just me\u2026\n\nAnd Mother. \u201cClaire.\u201d\n\nI can\u2019t believe she is here\u2026 she looks so much like I remember her, but so different. Her clothes are all wrong, she is wearing a", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "36_3", "body": " suit\u2026\n\n\u201cSo\u2026 that is your girlfriend?\u201d She speaks in a different language now, but I can understand it.\n\n\u201cYes\u2026\u201d I answer back. \n\nShe smiles, \u201cShe is lovely.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cCan\u2026 you tell me about her?\u201d She asks softly, her hand strokes the back of my hand, I can\u2019t cry again.\n\n\u201cHer name is Rae\u2026 Oohashi. I met her\u2026 I just met her a couple weeks ago. We just started dating.\u201d\n\nDo I\u2026?\n\n\u201cOh?\u201d She remarks.\n\nI have to swallow the lump in my throat, \u201cI love her.\u201d\n\nMother has such a conflux on her face, is it confusion? Disbelief, relief?\n\n\u201cI love her.\u201d\n\n\u201cClaire, what happened?\u201d She knows\u2026\n\n\u201cMother?\u201d\n\n\u201c...mother?\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2026 I mean\u2026I, I-\u201d She knows I\u2019m wrong.\n\n\u201cClaire, please look at me.\u201d She says with an authority I haven\u2019t heard in a long time. Her eyes are scrutinizing me, it takes all I have to not wither under it.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d Oh god my voice is trembling again. \u201cI don\u2019t know- I-I\u201d\n\n\u201cClaire, take a breath, it\u2019s okay.\u201d\n\nI try to do as she says.\n\n\u201cGood. Claire, you changed.\u201d It\u2019s not a question.\n\nShe knows. I\u2019m not her Claire. I\u2019m not her daughter.\n\n\u201cCan you tell me why?\u201d\n\nCan I?\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t know\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cClaire, you have shown more breadth of emotion in the last ten minutes to me than you have shown me in the last decade and half. Whatever it is, it\u2019s not bad.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut\u2026 I\u2019m not\u2026 I\u2019m not\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cNot what?\u201d\n\n\u201cYour Claire\u2026\u201d\n\nThere is a long silence.\n\nShe doesn\u2019t say anything, I don\u2019t know what she is thinking, she just waits for me to continue.\n\n\u201cThe\u2026 The last time\u2026 the last thing\u2026 I\u2019m a different Claire.\u201d\n\n\u201cDifferent?\u201d\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t know how t-to explain it. I woke up different.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd Mother?\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2026 umm?\u201d\n\n\u201cYou never called me mother before.\u201d\n\n\u201cBecause that\u2019s what I called you, this me, not that Claire.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat Claire? What do you mean?\u201d\n\n\u201cThe last time I saw, was the last time I saw. You died\u2026 I said I hated you because I was six and mad at you and then you died and-and\u2013d-d I-I-I, I\u2019m sorry.\u201d I grab her and hold her tight. \u201cI never meant it, I hated myself for it, and your here now and I\u2019m not your Claire and It\u2019s not what happened here and-\n\n\u201cSssshh, Claire\u2026\u201d She rocks me as she holds me back, \u201cClaire, it\u2019s alright, breathe\u2026 breathe...\u201d\n\nI do my best to follow her instructions. I feel like an intruder.\n\nEventually the rocking slows, \u201cClaire, let me try\u2026 We talked just over a month and half ago.\u201d\n\nI shake my head. \u201cNot for me.\u201d\n\n\u201cNot for you\u2026 you were six?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes.\u201d\n\n\u201cClaire, do you remember any of your therapy sessions?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, you don\u2019t understand-\u201d\n\n\u201cSometimes when pain is great we repress that pain.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat are you saying?\u201d\n\n\u201cClaire you might have suppressed yourself, I don\u2019t know-\n\n\u201cI haven\u2019t!\u201d\n\n\u201cClaire-\u201d\n\n\u201cI haven\u2019t! I can\u2019t explain it\u2026 Mother I can\u2019t lie to you, please believe me. I remember an old life in a different world. Things went very differently there.\u201d\n\nIs that pain, concern on her face?\n\n\u201cThat's how I know Rae, I\u2026 we lived a life together. I grew old.\u201d\n\n\u201cClaire-\u201d\n\n\u201cThe me here never talked to her before, but I woke up here and I knew her. I knew everything about her, because she was in the reverse position before. She told me everything about her life here.\u201d\n\n\u201cShe believes you?\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd so does Catherine.\u201d\n\nShe\u2026 she doesn\u2019t believe me\u2026\n\n\u201cI know that Clement Arachrd is responsible for the accident. It happened in my past life as well\u2026 father was the one who survived.\u201d\n\n\u201cDole\u2026\u201d That catches her off guard but I can't tell if it's helping or not. \u201cDid Catherine tell you about that?\u201d There is the authoritative tone again.\n\n\u201cNo.\u201d\n\nIt\u2019s hard to be composed under her watch.\n\n\u201cFather was kind, clever but shortsighted. He had a terrible habit of putting duty before everything and was ready to march off to his death for that duty, but Rae saved us both. And\u2026 and he\u2026 we lived out our life peacefully afterwards. He was a good father and we both missed you so much. He spoiled me so much a child and\u2026 when Rae and I had children he spoiled them just as much. He loved them and I had to argue with him so often to not spoil them so\u2026 He always missed you. He said you were his sun and moon\u2026\u201d\n\nMother glances at the window. Does she\u2026\n\nEventually she shuts her eyes and sighs.\n\n\u201cMother\u2026 I\u2019m sorry I stole her life-\u201d\n\n\u201cYou\u2019re still you Claire, you didn\u2019t steal anything.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou don\u2019t believe me?\u201d\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t think you are lying.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut you think I\u2019m\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t know Claire.\u201d She sighs again and gives another hug. \u201cClaire, I will love you no matter what. Please know that.\u201d\n\nI try to say yes but have to choke down a cry.\n\nWhen she pulls away, she wipes away a few tears herself.\n\nI understood my Father so well, but there is so much about Mother\u2026\n\n\u201cI want to know you too, Mother.\u201d\n\nShe smiles, \u201cI\u2019d like that too Claire, I\u2019d like to know you too.\u201d\n\nOh god, I am a mess, my vision is so blurred and my eyes must be so red.\n\n\u201cWe\u2019ll figure this out Claire.\u201d\n\nI know one thing at least.\n\nBeing with Mother feels safe.\n\n \n\n \n\nOh god.\n\nOh god.\n\nOhgodohgodohgod-\n\n\u201cPlease calm down Rei-san\u201d Catherine chides me, like she isn\u2019t just as nervous.\n\n\u201cSoooo\u2026 Caught red-handed?\u201d\n\nGreat\u2026 I have no idea who this other person is.\n\n\u201cManaria, please\u2026 can we not?\u201d Catherine is not ready to put up with her it seems.\n\n\u201cOh but this is rather funny isn\u2019t it, so who are you that Claire-\u201d\n\n\u201cManaria. Please leave her alone.\u201d Catherine stares her down.\n\nShe pouts, before smirking. She is taller, the name is somewhat familiar, I am pretty sure Claire and Catherine must have mentioned her at some point? She has platinum hair cut in a short bob. I suppose she is handsome.\n\nI don\u2019t know if I like the attitude\u2026 but I am also in the middle of freaking out.\n\n\u201cFine, Fine\u2026 Either way, I am Manaria Sousse. I am sorry our meeting was under such\u2026 tense circumstances.\u201d She smiles and offers her hand.\n\n\u201cOohashi, Rei Oohashi. Likewise.\u201d I try to return the shake politely. I feel very exposed in Claire's sleepwear right now\u2026 God, I wish I had a chance to change before coming out.\n\nThat feeling only gets worse as the minutes drag. Manaria decides to keep to herself thankful and pulls out her phone. Hey eyes do occasionally filter up.\n\nCatherine and I are just stressing out here..\n\n\u201cThey sure are talking\u2026\u201d I whisper to Catherine.\n\n\u201cYah\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cDo you think\u2026?\u201d\n\n\u201c....\u201d\n\n\u201cYou don\u2019t think she will\u2026?\u201d\n\nCatherine swallows, she doesn\u2019t look like she has much faith that Claire can keep it a secret. Oh god what if her mom thinks she is crazy or something? Is she going to get sent somewhere?\n\nThe waiting is the worst, oh fuck\u2026 should I just go in? What would I even do? What can I even do?\n\nFuck I feel useless.\n\nYou're going to fail Claire because you should be in there and not out here .\n\nFuck it, I\u2019m just going to go-\n\nThe door finally opens slowly, and I can see Claire and her mom there. Claire has changed out of her sleepwear, into day clothes and her eyes are red and puffing. She looks at me and smiles weakly.\n\nOkay\u2026 that\u2019s\u2026 not the worst I think.\n\n\u201cOohashi? Catherine. How about I have a word with you two now?\u201d There isn't much room for compromise in her voice.\n\nCatherine looks pale, god neither of us are good right now. At least she nods.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s okay.\u201d Claire\u2019s voice is hoarse.\n\n\u201cYou okay?\u201d I have to ask.\n\nShe nods, and moves out into the hallway.\n\n\u201cCome on girls.\u201d Claire\u2019s mom says and motions us inside.\n\nSo we follow as she guides us to the sofas and takes a seat on the opposing piece. I feel like I am on trial right.\n\nOkay, two likely scenarios:\n\nShe is going to grill me, one reason or another. Either for being caught in bed with her daughter.\n\nOr Claire spilled the beans and told her about that\u2026\n\nFuck I don\u2019t know how to deal with either!\n\nFuck what if it\u2019s both.\n\n\u201cPlease girls, just relax. I just need to ask you some questions.\u201d\n\nI share a look with Catherine. What are we going to do?\n\n\u201cUmmm, so Mademoiselle Francois-\n\n\u201cPlease Catherine, Relax. Melia is fine.\u201d\n\n\u201cRight\u2026 um, Melia, what did you want to ask us?\u201d\n\n\u201cWell Claire told me something, and she said the two of you believe her.\u201d She lets the statement hang in the air. That\u2019s vague but very telling if Claire did say something. Is she fishing for more information, or did Claire tell her everything?\n\n\u201cWell, do you believe her?\u201d She asks us.\n\nWe both pause\u2026 fuck it.\n\n\u201cYes.\u201d I say it first.\n\n\u201cYes?\u201d Claire\u2019s mom feels like an inve", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "36_4", "body": "stigator. \n\n\u201cYes.\u201d I repeat. She is studying me very carefully. God this is excruciating.\n\n\u201cAnd what would that be?\u201d\n\nCatherine responds first, \u201cWhat did she tell you?\u201d\n\n\u201cSomething that is very hard to believe.\u201d Well Claire didn\u2019t get her poker face from her mother.\n\n\u201cUmmm what's hard to believe?\u201d  I try to back up Catherine. \n\nShe sighs, \u201cGirls, do you think I wouldn't notice my daughter acting like a completely different person?\u201d\n\nNeither of us have a response to that.\n\n\u201cOohashi?\u201d\n\n\u201cYe-ah?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhen did you meet my daughter for the first time?\u201d \n\nA lifetime ago\u2026\n\n\u201cJust\u2026 over two weeks now.\u201d\n\n\u201cSo why do you believe my daughter when she says is a different person?\u201d\n\n\u201cI, umm? What are-\u201d\n\n\u201cLook I can tell you two aren\u2019t going to be forthright if I hide all the cards. Claire told me she has different memories, of another life and she insists they are real. She said the two of you believe her and I need to know why that is the case.\u201d\n\nShe leans in, layering on extra pressure, \u201cSo Oohashi, what did she say to you to make you believe her?\u201d\n\nClaire really did tell her?\n\nLike an echo in my mind I hear Claire again, It\u2019s okay .\n\nI take a breath, I have to have some faith in her.\n\n\u201cI do believe her.\u201d\n\nClaire\u2019s Mother\u2019s brow rises, I am to continue. Oh god. I can do this.\n\nClaire needs me.\n\n\u201cOkay, Kay, Kay\u2026 so we were in class just one day\u2026 and she came up to me and just started talking to me\u2026 like she knew me, cause she did. It was wild. Not everything was right, because I guess she was used to the other version of me but when she realized what was going on\u2026 that she wasn\u2019t where she thought she was, she started putting it together and trying to explain it to me. I thought she was fu- umm, playing a cruel joke at first but then she started dropping names that she had no way of knowing because I never saw her before we shared a class\u2026 she knew things about me from middle school. Things I didn\u2019t really tell anyone except my closest friends\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cWould that happen to include being\u2026 gay?\u201d Her tone is very neutral.\n\nOh god\u2026 I can\u2019t tell if this is a landmine. Fuck. Catherine? Please give me a look\u2026 anything!\n\nFuck it. For Claire.\n\n\u201cYes.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat else did she know?\u201d She doesn\u2019t linger, I can\u2019t tell what that means, but I can\u2019t really afford to get stuck on it either. She needs something more concrete. \n\nOkay, Misaki, time to help us again.\n\nSorry.\n\nI pull out my phone and find an old photo of him\u2026 and I show it to Claire\u2019s mom.\n\n\u201cThis is Misaki. He was a friend from middle school.\u201d\n\n\u201cHe?\u201d I understand the tone. He doesn\u2019t exactly look like a he.\n\n\u201cYes, He . Misaki was\u2026 is trans\u2026\u201d fuck\u2026\n\n\u201cHe was born wrong\u2026 and he couldn't be who he w-wanted to be\u2026 it\u2019s been almost th-three years\u2026\u201d\n\nFuck I hate explaining this.\n\n\u201cAnd umm, she knew. She called him h-him\u2026 no one really knew except a few of us. It didn\u2019t even really make much news, it was just a small shitty article that no one saw. It misgendered him. His parents kept calling him a girl, even on his grave\u2026\u201d\n\nI stare at my knees, my hands are gripping my  legs and I see a few tears fall down. Fuck I hate this so-\n\nShe is kneeling beside me and hugs me, gently.\n\nFuck\u2026 I\u2026\n\n\u201cIt's okay, Let it out.\u201d\n\nSo I do.\n\nIt\u2019s so unfair. I feel like shit, I don\u2019t know what to make of this feeling. Am I terrible for bringing up Misaki to convince Claire\u2019s mom? Would Misaki hate me for it? Be fine with it?\n\nI\u2019ll never know.\n\nThat\u2019s the worst fucking part.\n\nI\u2019m not sure how long it takes for me to compose myself once again but when I do Claire\u2019s mom aligns me back and gives my arms a gentle squeeze, looking right into my eyes. She looks so kind. She looks so much like Claire. Oh god she looks too much like Claire. Fuck I\u2019m so useless-\n\n\u201cSo\u2026?\u201d Catherine draws our attention. She can tell, fuck, she doesn\u2019t look impressed. It\u2019s not my fucking fault Catherine that she looks so much like her daughter.\n\n\u201cYes?\u201d At least Claire\u2019s mom isn\u2019t noticing my gay panic, or if she is, she isn't saying anything. Fuck, just give me a bone already. Can I just not jump from one extreme to the next?\n\n\u201cWell, convinced?\u201d\n\n\u201cYou told her about your father.\u201d Claire\u2019s mom just says in response.\n\n\u201cWe talked about it, she knew.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd you never told her about it before?\u201d\n\n\u201cHave you\u2026 when? She never talked to me before!\u201d Catherine loses her composure for a second. \u201cSorry, look, we never talked\u2026 before this. At least not since\u2026 we were kids. And even then\u2026\u201d\n\nClaire\u2019s mom sighs and shakes her head. \u201cYou believe her?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes.\u201d Catherine says without any hesitation. \n\n\u201cAnd you don\u2019t think it could be something else. That she is dissociating? She could be repressing? Amnesia?\u201d\n\n\u201cThat was years ago, why now?\u201d Catherine counters.\n\n\u201cAnd there is no way she could have known\u2026 it\u2019s not just that\u2026 she knows so many things about me\u2026 she even knew the type of fan fiction I was writing\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat?\u201d Catherine says, taken off guard. I can\u2019t tell if it sounds judgey or confused.\n\n\u201cMaybe, but I haven\u2019t ruled out that you two are lying on her behalf.\u201d\n\n\u201cIf you think I made up-\u201d\n\n\u201cOohashi\u201d The mom voice interrupts me again, \u201cI don\u2019t believe you made that up, but please let me ask my questions first. Catherine, one last time. You never told her about Clement Archard before?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo.\u201d Catherine says assuredly.\n\n\u201cHow did she convince you to finally replace your leg after I spent years trying to do the same.\n\n\u201cOh\u2026 well she didn\u2019t give me a choice.\u201d\n\n\u2026\n\n\u201cFine, I also felt guilty\u2026 she\u2026 it's complicated. When it first happened\u2026\u201d Catherine groans and puts her face into her hands. After taking a breath she composes herself and tries again. \u201cThe day it happened she came with Rei-san. She\u2026 a few days before she needed a sixth girl for a mixer, and I didn\u2019t want to go but I did... For her. And it was miserable, she disappeared so quickly once we showed up and left me there alone, it was too loud and rowdy and at one point I got pushed and fell down, it messed up my leg and I had to limp back on my own. She ignored me for the next few days until that day and she came in all bright, cheery, happy to see me and she tried to tell me but I got so mad at her and I nearly walked out because I thought she was just trying to get out of apologizing or I don\u2019t know, it didn\u2019t make any sense and I was really mad\u2026 but then Rei told me and I listened to her\u2026 and we talked. I snapped at her and then she\u2026 s-she\u2019s happy now Melia\u2026\u201d Catherine's voice just dies and the room gets quiet. Catherine\u2019s eyes start to water.\n\nFor the first time Claire\u2019s mother also looks fragile.\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t want to r-ruin it\u2026\u201d Catherines voice wavers.\n\nClaire\u2019s mom leans down to Catherine and engulfs her in a hug. \u201cI\u2019m sorry Catherine. I thought this would be good for you two, that it would help\u2026 I\u2019m so proud of you.\u201d\n\nI can\u2019t see Catherine, but I can hear soft crying. I feel like an outsider. Catherine\u2019s arm squeezes tightly around Claire\u2019s mom.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m happy you were here for her. And I\u2019m happy she convinced you to take the new leg, you deserve it.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s too nice\u2026\u201d\n\nClaire\u2019s mom just hushes her gently, rocking them both.\n\nSoon they unwind, and Claire\u2019s mom returns to her original seat. She finally looks more unguarded. Tired, confused.\n\n\u201cI was not ready for this.\u201d She says after shaking her head. \u201cI wonder what Dole would make of this\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cSo\u2026\u201d Catherine tries once more.\n\nClaire\u2019s mom shakes her head again. \u201cI don\u2019t know\u2026 it sounds ridiculous\u2026 too convenient. Finding you Oohashi\u2026 a past life?\u201d\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t know, maybe it's some weird alternate reality thing? Another dimension?\u201d Oh god they are both staring at me. Catherine definitely thinks i\u2019m an Idiot, I\u2019m not sure about Claire\u2019s mom\u2026\n\n\u201cRei was it?\u201d\n\nOh god\u2026 \u201cYeS?\u201d\n\n\u201cI wish we might have met under\u2026 under less strenuous circumstances. I believe Claire when she says she loves you, but she is also in a\u2026 precarious situation. I need to know you wont take advantage of her-\u201d\n\nThere is a loud snort, and Catherine\u2019s hand swipes up to cover her face. It scrunches, and she isn\u2019t able to keep a straight face.\n\nWow .\n\n\u201cIs something funny about this Catherine?\u201d There is the mom voice again.\n\nShe snorts a little and tries to calm down. \u201cI really don\u2019t think you have to worry about that. She\u2019s so whipped.\u201d\n\n\u201cHey!\u201d CATHERINE.\n\nCatherine laughs, not even bothering to try to cover it anymore. \u201cSorry, sorry but Claire has been dragging her everywhere for the last two weeks. Rei is at Claire\u2019s mercy.\u201d\n\nClaire\u2019s mom does not", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "36_5", "body": " look amused, and Catherine makes a legitimate effort to rein it in. \u201cI see.\u201d\n\n\u201cUmm for what it\u2019s worth I understand your concern. I really want to help her\u2026 and this has been really fast but I umm\u2026\u201d, I can\u2019t say I love her, that\u2019s insane. I mean I am willing to accept that I am insane. I do love Claire, I\u2019m an idiot and crazy, but I'm not stupid. \u201cI really care for her. I know how hard this is going to be for her and I have been doing everything I can to help bring her up to speed and learn everything that differ-\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat?\u201d\n\n\u201cHuh\u2026?\u201d\n\n\u201cBring her up to speed\u2026\u201d There is a pregnant pause, and Claire\u2019s mom\u2019s eyes go wide, \u201cDon\u2019t tell me\u2026\u201d\n\nFuck\n\nFUCK\n\nI fucked up, oh god she didn\u2019t think about that.\n\n\u201cYes Claire is missing a lot of knowledge\u2026\u201d Catherine voices, it feels like she is realizing the landmine I just stepped on too.\n\n\u201cBut we have been teaching her everything\u2026\u201d Oh god this is going to be the thing that ruins it isn\u2019t it?\n\nClaire\u2019s mom blinks. \u201cBut she was speaking perfect french with me?\u201d\n\n\u201cUhh, yah I\u2019m not sure what\u2019s up with that. I think she knows more languages now?\u201d Catherine says, wait really?\n\n\u201cHuh?\u201d I\u2026 I knew she was french\u2026 but I never really thought about the ramifications beyond that. But like how was that going to come up\u2026 it\u2019s not like I was speaking anything but Japanese\u2026\n\n\u201cIs there anything else she remembers?\u201d\n\nNothing from this life as far as I could tell.\n\nCatherine doesn\u2019t say anything else.\n\n\u201cMerde\u2026\u201d That\u2026 she doesn't sound thrilled\u2026\n\n\u201cShe\u2019s been picking it up really fast-\u201d\n\nShe puts a hand up silencing me, \u201cThis conversation needs Claire now\u2026 give me a moment. This is only getting more and more complicated and Manaria does not need to be here for it.\u201d She gets up and moves to the door.\n\nFuck. I fucked up.\n\n\u201cHey\u2026 she would have realized it sooner than later.\u201d Catherine says.\n\nGod I don't want to lose Claire.\n\n ", "token_count": 457}
{"file_id": "43_1", "body": "Wow.\n\n\u201cThere\u2019s so many people here.\u201d The building housing the event looks large, and even now before the event is set too open many people are gathered and milling about. I think I can even spot some costumes already. Is that person green ?\n\n\u201cUhh, yah these can get pretty big, I think the last one I was at was bigger?\u201d\n\n\u201cReally?\u201d\n\n\u201cYah, but this is def on the big side. This should be good for Shiko. You ready to work?\u201d Rae is doing a pat down of herself, her usual check to make sure she has everything.\n\n\u201cI think so, it just in- Wait what is that?\u201d I can\u2019t help but jump at what looks like a monster, or wait is that knight with bug eyes?\n\n\u201cHrmm? Oh that\u2019s Kamen Rider, it\u2019s an old Sentai, well not really a Sentai I think but same thing.\u201d\n\n\u201cSentai?\u201d\n\n\u201cIt's a show about heroes in suits, they fight monsters. It\u2019s kinda\u2026 err cheesy?\u201d She strikes an absurd pose, hmm, I\u2019m quite sure I have seen her do that before.\n\n\u201cWait this is what costumes are like, oh goodness that person has wings?\u201d There are even more costumes on display over there past the crowd.\n\nRae snorts, \u201cYah, people go hard on the costumes.\u201d\n\n\u201cHow do people afford such extravagant costumes? These must cost a small fortune.\u201d\n\nRae just chuckles a little more, \u201cSome might be a bit expensive, but most people just make them themselves, it\u2019s probably not anywhere as expensive as you imagine Claire. People are just good and resourceful at it. They make them from pretty normal things, and do a good job of making it look as good as it is. Like that armor is not going to like actually stop anything if that\u2019s what you were thinking.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, that is really quite impressive. Oh there are more over there, amazing. Then these are all characters from something right? A show, manga or game?\u201d\n\n\u201cYah, I mean sometimes people do original costumes, but most of the time it\u2019s not though. People like popular characters, you know? Like it\u2019s fun when people know who you are. We might even see some people do the Persona characters today.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh! Really?\u201d That's exciting. \n\nHer eyes glimmer, \u201cYah, I\u2019ll point it out, there are a lot of party members you haven\u2019t seen yet, there is still Yusuke, Makoto, Futaba and Haru to find. And I guess Sumire too, sorta.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, that many\u2026 I didn\u2019t realize. Wait, were those the people at the beginning of the game. From the casino?\u201d\n\n\u201cYah, don\u2019t worry we will see them soon, once you get through the first palace. I think you\u2019ll get there next time we play.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe should play again tomorrow for a bit then, I\u2019m not sure when. I am to have lunch with Manaria tomorrow.\u201d Cutting into my Rae time.\n\n\u201cOh, yah, sure. I should be good whenever. Hey look.\u201d Rae gestures to a group of people and-\n\n\u201cIS THAT FALIN AND MARCILLE?\u201d Oh goodness, they look so spot on, I can\u2019t believe it. They have taken the art and turned into a reality. They look so cute.\n\nI can see Rae grin, even behind the mask, \u201cWant to ask if we can take their picture?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh we can do that?\u201d\n\n\u201cIf we have permission, yes.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, oh goodness they look so good.\u201d I let Rae lead me to them, and there is the rest of the group as well in the crowd. Laios, Chilchuck and Senshi. They are talking to a girl\u2026 she has cat ears? And a tail? That can't be real?\n\n\u201cHey, would you mind if we take a picture, my friend just started reading.\u201d\n\n\u201cHi, Of course, go for it, just let us pose.\u201d The Laios says, oh this is so wonderful.\n\nThe group organizes and gets into a pose, that includes the cat girl\u2026 is she a character I haven\u2019t seen yet?\n\nRae starts taking a few pictures with her phone, oh right, I can do that too. I love this phone. I start taking a few pictures as well of the whole group but it's obvious I am favoring Falin and Marcille rather quickly.\n\nAfter taking quite a few, the Falin speaks up to me. She tilts her head and her eyes are nearly closed, oh she is really good at her mannerism, \u201cAre you a shipper?\u201d\n\n\u201cI beg your pardon?\u201d Where have I heard that before?\n\n\u201cShipping is liking two characters together, relationship, ship. And yah, she likes Farcille.\u201d Rae says.\n\n\u201cOh! That\u2019s why you came up with Relaire?\u201d\n\nRae blushes behind her mask, \u201cAaaa, yah? Hahaha.\u201d I can\u2019t help but grin, it\u2019s delightful tracing back all her eccentricities to this life. \n\nThe Falin smiles, \u201cGreat, here.\u201d She leans in and places a kiss on Marcille's cheek, ohhh. \u201cYou can take a picture.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh right, sorry this is new to me.\u201d I take a few more photos, oh they look so cute. \u201cThank you so much.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo problem, enjoy the event you two.\u201d The Marcille giggles and they wish us off, and soon they are posing for other people to take pictures.\n\n\u201cWe should start making our way to Shiko\u2019s booth before it gets really busy.\u201d Rae starts directing us to the building entrance.\n\n\u201cWhat? It\u2019s going to get busier?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh yah, it\u2019s still early, here put this around your neck, it\u2019s our pass. We will probably see more Dungeon Meshi cosplay too. I wonder if anyone is going to do Dragon Falin. That would be a hard one but sooooo cool.\u201d Rae tiptoes to look over the crowd a bit better in front of the entrance. \n\n\u201cMore people might be cosplaying her too?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh yah, it\u2019s pretty popular. Don't sweat it, you\u2019re new to this but you can pick what it\u2019s like pretty fast after today I think..\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2026 okay, Let me know if I do anything rude or untoward. Who was the last girl in that group? Was she a cat person?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh yah, that was Izutsumi. You will see her quite soon, I think you have seen her in fact. It just wasn\u2019t obvious.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh\u2026 is it also popular to\u2026 ship characters? Did I say that right?\u201d\n\nRae nods very eagerly. \u201cYah, that was right, and yes it\u2019s popular, I think Farcille is the most popular ship of the series. God bless Kui-sensei for it.\u201d\n\nWhat?\n\n\u201cSorry, Ryoko Kui, she\u2019s the mangaka, that\u2019s author and artist. I just love her stuff. It\u2019s so queer coded and ND.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh.., I see, It has been really good, it\u2019s just getting harder to pace myself.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh you are so lucky to be able to read it all at once, maybe? I was reading it one chapter at a time when it was releasing. It was agonizing when Falin disappeared again, and then again when she showed up. Chapters only came out once a month, which is normal but gOd the wait\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, that\u2019s interesting, we didn\u2019t have anything like that. A book would be released as a whole if it was made.\u201d\n\nRae leads me through the crowd to enter the building. \u201cHmm, makes sense, some stuff releases like that still. Okay, just follow my lead, they need to check us in.\u201d Rae finds a shorter line on the side, and some staff check us over and guide us to the venue hall. It\u2019s full of stands, tables, and improvised walls for hanging stuff on. It looks like many are still in the process of setting up. Thankfully Rae seems to know the way, so I just let myself take in the sights. Some stands have art on hanging, some look to have various goods, various knick knacks that I couldn\u2019t even begin to place. I notice a fair few are setting up with books.\n\nRae stops in front of a stand, it has a bunch of boxes littered about. It looks like some are in the midst of being unpacked, a large collection of thin paper books being set up for display.\n\n\u201cShiko?\u201d Rae calls.\n\n\u201cHmm?\u201d A head pops up from behind a wall, \u201cOh hell yes, you two made it. Thank. God. These all need to be unpacked and set up. The boxes on the front can go on the table, but the boxes on the floor should stay on the floor but need to be set up so they can be accessed easily. Can\u2019t show those off unless people ask for them specifically. That\u2019s the eighteen plus stuff.\u201d\n\nThis must be Shiko. She has messy long black hair, pulled in a loose tail, wearing sleek stylish spectacles. And a very toothy grin. She looks plainly dressed; except for a tee-shirt with yuri written on it in English, ready for work.\n\n\u201cHello, it\u2019s nice to meet you. I\u2019m Claire Francois.\u201d I offer her my hand.\n\nShe looks at me, pauses as she takes in my appearance, then grins again and shakes my hand.\n\n\u201cHoly shit Rae, she is hot.\u201d\n\n\u201cSHIKO!\u201d Rae beams red.\n\nOh that is brazen. I think I like her. I can\u2019t help but laugh. \u201cIt\u2019s nice to finally meet you Shiko-san. I\u2019ve heard a lot about you.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou have?\u201d Shiko eyes Rae.\n\n\u201cUhhhh, sorta?\u201d Rae offers, \u201cLook, we talk about stuff okay. But we can talk more once we", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "43_2", "body": " get this set up, you have only half an hour till the floor opens up.\u201d\n\n\u201cFuck, your right. Okay, Rae, you start unpacking, Claire I\u2019ll give you the rundown okay?\u201d\n\n\u201cOf course.\u201d\n\nShiko blazes through a description of the types of manga, or doujin she is selling. It\u2019s an uneven split between original work and mostly fan work. There is a lot that\u2019s mostly appropriate for casual viewing, and some that\u2019s not. Those are risqu\u00e9 and stay under the table unless asked for.\n\nAnd I was not anticipating some of the more extreme ones. We were always\u2026 experimental in the bedroom, but honestly I could have never expected what was featured in some of Shiko\u2019s more extreme works. She says they aren\u2019t her favorites, but they are popular and always sell out. Really? Can\u2019t say I understand that appeal, but I can\u2019t really judge. It wouldn\u2019t be fair, especially since people thought Rae and I were baseless deviants merely because both of us were women. \n\nNot that any of those rubes needed to know what we did in our own bedroom.\n\nOtherwise, Shiko\u2019s works are quite varied, some are more wholesome and cute. Some seem to be quite dramatic at a glance. And most of the more explicit ones are more what I was expecting. Some of these even cater to some of Rae\u2019s and my own tastes. The only collective thread is that they are all sapphic, they are all yuri.\n\nHonestly I\u2019m intrigued. Shiko is obviously proud of her work, and she should be.\n\n\u201cOkay, and no haggling prices, they go for what they are marked as, as we get close to the end of the day I might cut prices if we have a lot of stock left but I don\u2019t think we will have that problem, any questions?\u201d\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t think so, it\u2019s fine that I\u2019m not familiar with the works right?\u201d\n\n\u201cIt should be fine, We won\u2019t leave you alone, so you can always point customers at me, or Rae if I\u2019m not around. We will take a few breaks, get some food and snacks etcetera, but one of us should be around at least so we won't leave you alone.\u201d\n\n\u201cOkay, right then I think I should be good, do you really think you will sell most of this? There must be a couple thousand books?\u201d\n\n\u201cYah, I keep printing more, and I keep selling out. I\u2019m a bit of a known quantity on the doujin scene and people always come by now. Especially when I have new stuff, and I do today. And people tend to pick up a bunch of books when they come by, they're not big right? A book can be ten, twenty, maybe fifty pages on the off chance. If you want any, feel free to take a copy now. Chances are good the hot stuff won't be left over.\u201d\n\n\u201cAre you sure? I can at least pay for it.\u201d\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t you dare, you two saved me, and I\u2019ve seen you eyeing them.\u201d She wiggles her brow, It\u2019s not like I was trying to hide it, unlike some other people.\n\nBound certainly has caught my eye. It's aptly named and looks deviously fun.\u201cOh well thank you then, I am glad to help. Honestly this sounds like it will be fun.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s going to be exhausting, but it\u2019s usually enjoyable. I love getting to see people and fans in person, and I bet there is going to be sick cosplay on the floor. And you two can take a longer break together around lunch and walk the floor too if you want. I bet Rae wants to do that.\u201d\n\n\u201cI wouldn\u2019t mind\u2026\u201d Rae says sheepishly.\n\n\u201cThen we should, oh this will be exciting.\u201d\n\n\u201c Attention, the floor will be opening in five minutes. Thank you.\u201d A loud voice booms over what must be a speaker machine somewhere.\n\nAn energy washes over the whole floor as everyone makes their last minute efforts to read themselves. \n\n\u201cShit, get ready.\u201d Shiko flashes a toothy grin.\n\n \n", "token_count": 847}
{"file_id": "42", "body": " \n\n\u201cClaire\u2026 you look a bit tired?\u201d\n\nRae has finally decided to comment on it after we made it to the train station. I can\u2019t believe I was reading so late, I normally have better self control than this. Rae has dressed in her preferred hoodie, the one with the Persona logo. It looks well worn, the edges have slight fraying. I suspect it's her favorite with how often she has worn it now, I believe I should be able to mend it if needed. The only thing unusual about her appearance is a small mask covering the lower part of her face. She said she wanted to avoid being recognized. \n\n\u201cI couldn\u2019t stop reading\u2026 they just rescued Falin and then\u2026\u201d Mayhaps if we didn't have to leave so early I could have a few more minutes of sleep. At least this train station is mostly vacant. \n\n\u201cOh. Yah. And how far did you make it after that?\u201d\n\n\u201cI needed to know what happened to her\u2026 and then it was two in the morning\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cOh\u2026 yeah? Where did you call it quits?\u201d I swear Rae is vibrating.\n\n\u201cThey found Falin again\u2026\u201d\n\nThere is a sharp intake from Rae, oh she is excited. \u201cSo you saw-\u201d\n\n\u201cYes I saw Falin\u2026 Dragon?\u201d\n\nRae immediately explodes. \u201cOh god she looks so fucking cool and hot, it\u2019s such a cool design and when she looks at you, oh god it\u2019s like wow. I\u2019m really gay. And the way Marcille looks at her, she\u2019s so in love with her. You don't just risk your life and delve deep into a dungeon and perform dark magic for anyone. I don\u2019t think she realizes it yet but I think Falin knows, at least instinctual. Maybe? God they are so gay and then when she pulls her shirt apart\u2026 uhh\u2026 sorry I\u2019m rambling aren\u2019t.. I?\u201d She shies after the outburst, oh goodness she is adorable. \n\n\u201cNo, no no, I think you're right. I didn\u2019t notice it at first but then Manaria made a comment about it, and then it\u2019s really obvious like you said. And they really do feel meant for one another. I think I would have noticed after they shared a bath I think, I really wish she didn\u2019t ruin that for me.\u201d\n\n\u201cManaria?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, my cousin from\u2026 well not Sousse, I don\u2019t actually know where she is from. She was with my Mother. She called me last night.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh her. \u201d Ah yes, barely a meeting and her disdain is there.\n\n\u201cDid she say something to you? She didn\u2019t try to\u2026 seduce you, did she?\u201d\n\nRae snorts, \u201cExcuse me? Seduce me?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes!, I don\u2019t know, did she say something weird to you?\u201d\n\n\u201cWait\u2026 what? You're being serious, did something happen\u2026 before?\u201d\n\n\u201cUmmm\u2026 No?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat, no seriously what happened?\u201d Rae is not letting it go.\n\n\u201cIt was complicated, we were still trying to figure out our relationship and she made it more complicated. She ultimately helped us I think, but I\u2019m feeling less forgiving about it now.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt sounds like there is an \u2018and\u2019 in there?\u201d Curses, she is perceptive.\n\n\u201cShe was always interested in you back then, for a while. And you never really liked her. But it\u2019s not going to be like that now. We're talking and being honest about our feelings this time.\u201d I'm not letting us go through that again.\n\n\u201cShe was into ME? What? How?\u201d Why does she sound so surprised?\n\n\u201cRae, in case you have forgotten I am also into you. Many people are into you if you haven\u2019t noticed.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat? No, no one is into me, I\u2019m\u2026 not\u2026 cute or sexy-\u201d\n\n\u201cYes you are, You are very handsome , cute and very sexy .\u201d\n\nHer blush is evident, even with the mask on. \u201cYou're just saying that\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cBecause I think so, and so do other people. You even told me Shiko had a crush on you.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2026 I did? We were kids still, that doesn\u2019t count!\u201d\n\n\u201cYou were a teenager, and of course it counts. And if Manaria ever says anything, remember you are mine , understand?\u201d\n\nShe gulps, and I can see her shiver. I pull her closer to me, and whisper close to her ear. I love the effect I have on her.\n\n\u201cDo you like that, Rae? When I call you mine , and only mine ?\u201d\n\nShe whines, \u201cClaire\u2026 we are in public\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cNo one is around, and no one heard you before in case you forgot when you went on about Falin.\u201d I whisper again, and nod to the area around us. There is only one other person here, and they look to have\u2026 headphones was it? \u201cNo one could hear us, even if I wasn\u2019t whispering.\u201d\n\nShe gulps and I place a hand on her waist, a bit of control to turn her more to me.\n\n\u201cRae, do you like it when I call you mine ?\u201d\n\nShe squirms in my hold, \u201cYes! Of course I do. Of course you know that. Of course you know what a freak I am.\u201d\n\nThat\u2026 is she upset? I\u2019m doing it again. \u201cRae, I didn\u2019t mean to make you uncomfortable. Do you not want me to-\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, I do like it\u2026 I just\u2026 I don\u2019t know, I\u2019m just nervous, I\u2019m not used to this and\u2026 it catches me off guard, I\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cRae it\u2019s okay, you can always tell me no.\u201d\n\nShe still looks unsure, \u201cI don\u2019t want to tell you no\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cBut you should, it\u2019s okay. Really.\u201d\n\nI can see a rebuttal try to form, but she shuts it down.\n\nI let her go finally, she is free again, \u201cIs it okay if I say things like that, call you mine?\u201d\n\n\u201cI think so\u2026?\u201d\n\n\u201cHow about if I do it only in private.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2026 okay?\u201d She nods her head slowly. \u201cPrivate is good\u2026 I think.\u201d\n\n\u201cOkay, I will have it my way in private then.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s what she said.\u201d She looks shocked that she just said that, but I can\u2019t help but grin and laugh. And soon she is joining in. \u201cI can\u2019t believe I said that.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, I can.\u201d It\u2019s good to see her relax a little.\n\nThere is a chime that plays overheard, an announcement for the incoming train.\n\n\u201cLooks like our train is here Claire, ready to ride your first train.\u201d\n\n\u201cWith you , always.\u201d\n\nRae blushes and groans again. But I can see her smile under the mask. \n\n ", "token_count": 1398}
{"file_id": "10_1", "body": "\u201cSo what\u2019s the deal with that Oohashi-san?\u201d Loretta asks. She can\u2019t help but be annoyed, it seems. She certainly has made her dislike of Rae known over the last couple days. And it\u2019s not like Rae has made much of an effort to help alleviate that dislike, either. Some things never change.\n\nThe girls had dragged me to a nicer restaurant for lunch, despite my protests that it wasn\u2019t necessary. I told them the cafeteria was fine but they seemed offended by the idea. Well, at least Pepi did\u2014Loretta probably wouldn\u2019t have said anything. At least it means that I get to see a bit more of the city.\n\n\u201cOohashi-san is my tutor, and a stellar one at that.\u201d I try to keep my tone neutral, factual.\n\n\u201cSince when do you need a tutor, Francois-chan?\u201d Pepi inquires archly.\n\n\u201cMy grades have not been in a good state lately. It would be shameful for a Francois to allow that to continue.\u201d A truth is easier to sell than a lie.\n\nPepi just hums, clearly not content with the answer.\n\n\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you just ask me for help?\u201d Loretta says, quite exacerbated. But asking Loretta would be\u2026. well .\n\nPepi laughs, and Loretta pouts at her. \u201cLoretta-chan, she wants to improve her grades.\u201d There is a sly grin on her face. \u201c Still , why is this the first we are hearing about it? And we didn\u2019t see you at the party last night, either.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, I was studying last night.\u201d\n\nPepi blinks three times. She can be so melodramatic. \u201c Seriously ?\u201d Come on now, even at my worst I valued my education. \u201cWhat is going on with you? It even sounds like you\u2019re talking differently!\u201d\n\nI knew this wasn\u2019t going to be easy. I might be able to fool Loretta, but not Pepi. I sigh. \u201cWould you believe me if I said I changed?\u201d\n\nPepi does not look convinced.\n\nThis is getting frustrating. \u201cMaybe I just fell in love.\u201d \n\nThe girls fall silent. I\u2026should not have said that, as true as it might feel to me.  But maybe I can make it work for this version of me, a princess awoken from slumber by true love. I might be able to weave a convincing enough tale. I hope. \n\n\u201cBut Claire-chan, weren\u2019t you already\u2026interested in Bauer-san?\u201d Loretta voices her confusion, face scrunching as she puzzles it out.\n\nThane again\u2026I have to be careful to not roll my eyes. \u201cNo, not really. Bauer-san is a lovely gentleman, but now that I have truly fallen for someone else what I felt for him simply does not compare.\u201d\n\n\u201cWho?\u201dboth girls ask in unison. Loretta looks upset, while Pepi just looks suspicious.\n\n\u201cIf I tell you girls, I need you to know that I can\u2019t stress the confidentiality of it enough. I trust you, but I need you to understand that.\u201d Loretta just eagerly nods, and Pepi is apprehensive. \u201cPlease, Pepi-chan. I might need your help.\u201d\n\nShe relaxes a bit and sighs. \u201cFine, Claire-chan, we won\u2019t tell anyone.\u201d\n\n\u201cThank you. I have already told her about my feelings, but it\u2019s been rather sudden for\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cHER!\u201d Loretta chokes and looks completely shattered and upset. I can\u2019t help but think of when I would tell the twins they weren\u2019t getting a dessert.\n\n\u201cNo\u2026\u201d Pepi says quietly the realization dawning on her face. How am I already losing control of this?\n\n\u201cYes, and I am trying to not\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cOh. My. God. Are you trolling that otaku?\u201d\u2014Trolling?\u2014\u201cIt all makes sense now. Why didn\u2019t I see it before? Of course , Claire-chan. We will help you with whatever you need. What are you going to do to her?\u201d Oh no, not this again.\n\n\u201cHER!\u201d Loretta chokes out again, now realizing who Pepi means. \u201cWhy her?\u201d She sounds like she is about to cry. I don\u2019t understand why she is so upset.\n\n\u201cGood question, why her and not someone else\u2026\u201d Pepi mumbles while looking between the two of us, completely unamused.  What is she talking about? There must be something I am missing. She shakes her head, \u201cNo, Loretta-chan, she is going to dunk on that Otaku.\u201d More slang, but given the tone I don\u2019t think I need an explanation.\n\n\u201cOh!\u201d Loretta perks up instantly. \u201cWhat are we going to do to her?\u201d\n\nThere is a dangerous energy building between the girls. \u201cGirls\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cI bet she\u2019s going to reject her in front of the entire class!\u201d\n\n\u201cThat'll teach her for staring like a creep all the time!!\u201d\n\n\u201cI bet it\u2019ill make her cry! She might even stop coming to classes, which would totally serve that les\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cSTOP!\u201d\n\nBoth of them freeze.\n\n\u201cI am being sincere. I am not bullying her!\u201d\n\nLoretta and Pepi slowly turn to face me.\n\nSilence hangs over the table. It seems the very idea that I might be interested in Rae has rendered them speechless. Was this Claire truly so callous? Would I have gone down such a path If I never found Rae?\n\n\u201cI love her.\u201d\n\nLoretta is the first to act. She looks like she is about to cry, or worse. Heavens, why is she so upset over this? \u201cI don\u2019t understand\u2026\u201d She mutters.\n\n\u201cWho are you?\u201d Pepi asks, finally recovering. Her tone carries worry and suspicion.\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t know, I changed. I woke up.\u201d I sound more confrontational than I mean to.\n\nLoretta looks confused. Pepi\u2019s suspicion does not ebb away.\n\nI sigh.\n\n\u201cLook, you two knew I wasn\u2019t happy, right? Be honest. I was insecure, miserable and burdened with expectations. I was wrong about who I thought I wanted to be, and I understand that better now. After meeting Rae everything just makes sense. I don\u2019t want to spend the rest of my life living up to the flawed idea I had when I was a kid of who I was supposed to be. I want to be better and I know I can be when I\u2019m with her.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut\u2026just last week you were\u2026\u201d Pepi is at a loss for words.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m not that person anymore. I had a breakthrough.\u201d It\u2019s not a lie, but that breakthrough did happen a lifetime ago.\n\n\u201cPeople don\u2019t just change so suddenly\u2026this is insane.\u201d I can\u2019t blame Pepi for her hesitation. Any way I spin this, I am going to seem dramatically different.\n\n\u201cYeah, last week all you were talking about was Bauer-san, and you tried so hard to be alone with him at that mixer.\u201d Even Loretta is resistant to the idea.\n\n\u201cWould it make it easier if I said something fanciful, like I woke up with memories of a past life? I figured my shit out.\u201d I hate the casual swearing, even if it hardly seems taboo here, but I have to do something to help sell my point. I am skirting dangerously close to the truth, but hopefully the outlandish notion makes this truth easier to swallow.\n\nPepi laughs. Thank God, at least that is a good start. \u201cFine, you don\u2019t have to make up some anime crap.\u201d Anime? That sounds familiar for some reason. Oh, Rae mentioned it, of course. Pepi finally relaxes a little bit. She\u2019s not completely back to normal but it's a start.\n\nI reach across the table and grab both of their hands. \u201cI know it\u2019s a lot to take in, but I don\u2019t want to pretend that I am someone I am not, now that I understand who I really am. You're still my friends, and I don\u2019t want that to change.\u201d\n\nLoretta blushes and smiles warmly, and Pepi smiles too. \u201c Fine , but I\u2019m still going to be judgey about your taste in\u2026well, women. Never thought you would be\u2026\u201d Pepi trails off, uncomfortable saying the word.\n\nShe wants to say gay, I can hear it. But I\u2019m not, and if it wasn\u2019t for Rae being worried I would be happy to announce my identity to everyone. \u201cQueer. I\u2019m bi.\u201d\n\n\u201cI would have never guessed. I've never met someone\u2026queer before.\u201d Loretta says quietly.\n\nPepi\u2019s attention snaps to Loretta with a painful grimace. She is clearly unimpressed with what Loretta just said. And it is a rather silly thing to say considering what I know about the two of them. \u201cBut aren\u2019t the two of you\u2026?\u201d\n\n\u201c... Huh?\u201d Loretta responds, tilting her head quizzically. Oh my goodness, she has no idea.\n\nOh no! Have I just\u2014\n\nThwack! I feel a swift strike to my shin and it\u2019s all I can do not to yelp in pain. Pepi shoots me a murderous stare. Loretta still looks lost, searching between the of us for an answer but coming up empty.\n\nI rub my shin under the table. \u201cSorry, I must have kicked the table leg, please don\u2019t worry about it, Loretta-chan.\u201d I turn back to Pepi. I hope she can forgive me, it never even occurred to me that they wouldn\u2019t be together. Oh, she is upset with me. \n\nAt least Loretta has moved on. \u201cAre you okay, Claire-chan?\u201d\n\n\u201cYeah, Claire-chan. Are you okay ? How about the two of us go to the restroom and make sure you didn\u2019t bruise", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "10_2", "body": " yourself too badly.\u201d Pepi rises from her seat and all but drags me away from the table.\n\nOnce we pass out of view she turns to me with a scowl. \u201cWhat the hell!\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m sorry, I thought you two were already\u2026or\u2026.I don\u2019t know.\u201d They were already dating by this age in the world I came from. This isn\u2019t my fault !\n\n\u201cUs? US!? What are you talking about? Seriously? You think something is happening between us? She doesn\u2019t even look at me! Have you seen how she acts around you, how she acted just five minutes ago?\u201d Pepi is nearly pulling out her hair. For the life of me I can\u2019t figure out what point she is trying to make.\n\nWhat does this have to do with Loretta? Pepi told me she fell for her first. She was the one who made the first move. \u201cLoretta-chan? What are you talking about, you\u2019re the one with a cr\u2014?\u201d\n\nI am silenced as she forces her hands over my mouth. \u201cHow did you figure that out and not figure out that Loretta has had a massive crush on you for like the past five years!\u201d Pepi explodes, her eyes wide.\n\nI can feel the heat flush down my body. \u201cLoretta has a what!?\u201d I exclaim through her hands.\n\nPepi groans and uncovers my mouth. \u201cOh my gooooood.\u201d She buries her face in her hands. \u201cYes. I don\u2019t think she even realizes it but she acts like a puppy around you. You could tell her to kill a man and she would, no questions asked.\u201d\n\nWhy am I only hearing about this now?! Has she\u2026.Oh God! Pepi, why did you never tell me?\n\n\u201cWhat?!\u201d\n\n\u201cOh good, you really haven\u2019t been replaced by an alien. It\u2019s still you.\u201d The tension finally breaks as Pepi starts to laugh. I can\u2019t help but bristle since she is laughing at me . How was I supposed to figure out that Loretta had, has, a crush on me ?!\n\nI do my best to glare at her, and she does try to stifle her laugh. But before long I\u2019m laughing alongside her. \u201cOh goodness, I really can be dense, can\u2019t I?\u201d\n\nPepi, more calm now, finally relents.\u201cSometimes you can be, and other times\u2026\u201d She shakes her head.\n\nFine, I can accept that. \u201cYou should tell her.\u201d\n\nPepi frowns, clearly not fond of that suggestion. She turns away. \u201cI don\u2019t know how you figured that one out, Claire-chan.\u201d\n\nTo be fair, I didn\u2019t. I just walked in on you two getting very familiar with each other\u2019s lips. It wasn\u2019t even news by that point either! I was just the last to know ! \u201cI don\u2019t either. Maybe it is post-revelation clarity?\u201d\n\nShe lets out a wry laugh.  \u201cOh? Well whatever caused your big breakthrough, I doubt it will help with my situation. I can\u2019t see that musclehead figuring it out anytime soon.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, obviously . That\u2019s why you have to tell her.\u201d\n\nPepi does not look convinced.\n\n\u201cI think you two would be good for each other.\u201d\n\nShe rolls her eyes. \u201cJust \u2018cause the gay made you stupid and happy doesn\u2019t mean\u2026gah! Look, she doesn\u2019t even think of me that way!\u201d\n\n\u201cShe doesn\u2019t think at all, Pepi! If you want something to happen, you will have to make the first move.\u201d\n\nShe groans. \u201cLook, I don\u2019t need your advice okay? Just be weird with your otaku girl toy or whatever and don\u2019t breathe a word of this to her.\u201d\n\n\u201cFine. I will acquiesce for now, as long as you don\u2019t try anything funny with Rae,\u201d I warn her.\n\n\u201cFine, it\u2019s a deal.\u201d\n\nWell. I had planned this to go better , but all things considered I think I handled that well. Mostly.\n\n \n", "token_count": 835}
{"file_id": "80_1", "body": "Rei and I retired early after the lovely dinner that Ai-san rescued from my eggshell fiasco. Ai-san was very eager to tell everyone how\u2014in her words\u2014amazing I am, though thankfully she didn\u2019t mention my family background. Goodness, she is so kind, but I really think she went overboard with her praise. Rei was no help, either, as she took the opportunity to brag about me as well. My cheeks were pink by the time they were done. It does make me feel warm inside to hear Rei speak so proudly about me, though. I know she means it.\n\nSoon we will be leaving, and I will miss it here. Even if it\u2019s only been a short time. Rei\u2019s family is so warm and welcoming. We will need to visit again, many times. I hope they will be my future family too, after all.\n\nI won't miss how tight this bed is for the both of us, though. It\u2019s not a problem when we\u2019re actually sleeping, since we always seem to sleep curled tightly together, but when we are both reading it\u2019s rather cramped. As well as when we are engaged in more\u2026active pursuits in bed. Not only did we barely have enough room to move, but Rei couldn\u2019t seem to keep her voice down. I suppose that is partly my fault.\n\nBut speaking of reading, I am pleased to have finally finished Frankenstein. It has given me a lot to ponder. Not only because of its fascinating themes, but also because it was written by a woman long before women were commonly thought capable of doing such things. It\u2019s no wonder that Mother included it in the essential material to learn about this world. I can already see its influences in other works, and perhaps the author\u2019s influence on my mother. What an inspiration it is.\n\nI set the book down on the bedside table and stand up, stretching. Nature calls.\n\n\u201cI\u2019ll be back shortly, Rei. I just need to use the restroom.\u201d I lean over to give her a kiss on the cheek. It\u2019s easy to do given the cramped size of the bed\n\nShe grins. \u201cI\u2019ll be waiting.\u201d\n\n\u201cGood.\u201d Cramped or not, I have plans for Rei and this bed when I return. I just need to silence her first.\n\nThe trip is short, and while I\u2019m up I decide to get some water too.\n\nAs I make the trip downstairs I can hear a groan from the living room that sounds like Rei\u2019s brother Masao.\n\nHe\u2019s sitting on the sofa in the living room in front of the television. It looks like he is playing a game, as he\u2019s gripping a controller tightly in his hand. He sighs. He is intently focused on whatever he is playing and doesn't seem to notice me.\n\nIt seems everyone else has retired for the evening. I fetch a glass of water from the kitchen, and when I return I can see Masao is still tense and glaring at the screen. Is he playing a knight? It looks like he\u2019s in the middle of a battle.\n\nThe character at the center of the screen, which I assume Masao is controlling, rolls and dodges what looks like a massive magical arc from a sword swung by an impressive lady knight. Oh, I can\u2019t help but be reminded of the skillful swordplay of the Sword God herself, Dorothea Nur. My daughter\u2019s former teacher.\n\nMasao seems to be struggling. His opponent feints, and Masao takes the bait. He is eviscerated for his mistake, and his character falls to the ground.\n\nYou Died flashes on the screen in large red letters as the scene fades to black. Masao groans again and slumps back in his seat on the sofa.\n\nThe screen shifts to show Masao\u2019s character by a bonfire. He grumbles and his character starts running. He weaves past what I assume are enemies\u2014they swipe at him as he passes by but they all miss. After his short sprint he charges towards a door obscured by fog. He passes through and\u2014oh, this is the arena where the battle I just watched took place.\n\nHis opponent walks towards him and her title appears on the screen: Rellana, Twin Moon Knight. A worthy title for such a formidable foe. I start to identify other elements on the screen, such as health bars for him and his opponent. I believe Rei called it the \u201cUI\u201d when we were playing Persona. The music swells. Masao charges into the fight, immediately getting hit and then panicking and rolling desperately away before drinking something to restore his health.\n\nI watch the back and forth quietly as it turns into a battle of attrition. He tries to take swipes at the opponent and dart away quickly. Each hit only takes away a small amount of her health. She\u2019s very strong. I think Rei calls these types of enemies bosses? But for each hit he makes, he seems to take at least a few himself. Rellana\u2019s health is barely half gone, and he has drunk the last of whatever he was using to heal himself.\n\nHe seems tense. I hope he can make it. You can do it.\n\nRellana makes the same feint from before, though, and he falls for it again. He is taken by the second wide arc, which fills the screen with its power. He groans even louder this time, and the same message from before returns.\n\nYou Died.\n\nHe drops the controller to his side and runs his hands vigorously through his hair in frustration. I can't help but be reminded of when Rei gets frustrated and does the same thing.\n\nThe scene plays out again.\n\nAnd again.\n\nAnd again.\n\nMasao is making slightly more progress with each attempt. Rellana's health gets a bit lower with each try, but he keeps making the same mistakes each time.\n\nAgain.\n\n\u201cShe makes a follow-up swing after her first one. You always fail to account for it.\u201d\n\n\u201cShit!\u201d Masao exclaims, jumping and twisting around to face me. \u201cJeez, what the hell?\u201d\n\n\u201cYou seem to be too eager to time your attacks properly, and your opponent is capitalizing on it.\u201d\n\n\u201cHow long have you been there watching me?\u201d\n\n\u201cI lost track of how many attempts it was, but I found it fascinating.\u201d\n\n\u201cAhh, jeez. Well, thanks for your advice.\u201d He slumps back on the sofa and soon starts yet another trek towards the arena.\n\n\u201cApologies, I don\u2019t mean to sound dismissive, but in any sword fight diligence and attentiveness when it comes to your opponent\u2019s tactics is the difference between life and death.\u201d\n\n\u201cOkay?\u201d I suppose this is just a game. Still.\n\nHe doesn\u2019t say much, just returns to the fight. Probably his worst attempt yet.\n\n\u201cUghh, didn\u2019t think I would be doing this for an audience,\u201d He huffs in a surly voice.\n\n\u201cMind if I sit down?\u201d\n\n\u201cSure.\u201d He\u2019s pouting a bit. The sibling resemblance is uncanny.\n\n\u201cWhat is the name of this game?\u201d\n\n\u201cElden Ring. It\u2019s very hard.\u201d I have to stifle a laugh to avoid hurting his pride further.\n\n\u201cIt looks challenging. Your opponent seems very skilled. Though her style is rather showy. Even when using magic, it\u2019s not the most practical way to fight.\u201d\n\n\u201cUmm? It\u2019s a game. It\u2019s not real.\u201d\n\n\u201cTrue, I was just observing. I\u2019ve played a few games with Rei, but none like this one.\u201d\n\n\u201cSo are you, like, an expert with swords or something?\u201d He sounds curious. I imagine he\u2019s probably never wielded a real sword. Aleah started studying the art of sword play when she was just six years old. Such a thing would never happen in this world, it seems.\n\n\u201cOh, no, not really. I\u2019ve just\u2026\u201d Well, I often watched Aleah practice. \u201cI often watched experts when I was younger. I suppose it was something of a hobby.\u201d\n\n\u201cWow, rich hobbies are cool.\u201d\n\nA good enough excuse. \u201cSo what is this game like? Is it just sword duels?\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s a lot of boss fights. It\u2019s not all swords. There\u2019s like a buncha of weapons. I just happen to have chosen the sword. And so has this bitch.\u201d Masao makes another attempt at the fight.\n\n\u201cLanguage.\u201d\n\nYou Died. He deserved that.\n\n\u201cGod, fuck me.\u201d He curses under his breath.\n\n\u201cLanguage.\u201d\n\n\u201cNarc.\u201d He snickers.\n\nSounds like he is calling me uptight. I suppose my \u2018mom voice\u2019 doesn\u2019t work on him like it does on Rei.\n\n\u201cBut fine, whatever. Anyways, you can also go around exploring the world in this game, sometimes on a horse.\u201d Masao takes a moment to explain before he starts running towards the arena once more.\n\n\u201cOoh, horse riding is fun.\u201d\n\n\u201cWait, you mean like riding actual horses?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat else would I mean?\u201d\n\nHe tilts his head towards the television. Ah, right.\n\n\u201cYes, real horses. Another rich hobby, I guess you would call it.\u201d\n\nHe shrugs his shoulders. \u201cWhatever. So yeah, the point of the game is to explore, fight, and get better. Fight harder things. Get even better. Beat the game.\u201d\n\nI can appreciate a challenge. \u201cIt sounds entertaining.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd frustrating. Sometimes. What games has Rei played with you?\u201d\n\n\u201cShe introduced me to Persona 5.\u201d\n\nHe nods his head.\n\n\u201cBut before that I hadn\u2019t ever played any.\u201d\n\n\u201cCrazy. What world did you live in that you never played a video game before?\u201d\n\nI can\u2019t help but laugh at that. \u201cA very different one. But I am here now. And playing games with Rei is quite fun.\u201d Or just toying with Rei, no games required.\n\n\u201cSo you actually like her? Sis?\u201d\n\n\u201cOf course.\u201d\n\n\u201cShe\u2019s kind of a disaster.\u201d It\u2019s a blunt comment, but it\u2019s teasing. Kind of like how", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "80_2", "body": " Catherine teases me. And how Aleah would tease May.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s cute.\u201d\n\n\u201cI guess she must have some crazy lesbian rizz.\u201d\n\nI can\u2019t help but smile, recognizing a word Rei taught me recently. She certainly does have a good amount of \u2018rizz\u2019. \u201cShe does. I\u2019ve had to fend off quite a few rivals.\u201d\n\n\u201cSeriously? You\u2019ve gotta be joking.\u201d\n\n\u201cI assure you that I\u2019m not. It\u2019s been infuriating.\u201d Manaria, Lilly, Rod\u2026and Lana. \u201cShe\u2019s very charming.\u201d\n\n\u201cOkay, I guess I'll have to take your word for it. Damn, sis, way to go.\u201d He sounds unconvinced.\n\n\u201cWhy do you sound so surprised? Do you not like your sister?\u201d\n\n\u201cUm, well like, sure\u2026but she\u2019s my sister. She can be annoying. And cringe.\u201d Another word Rei recently taught me. I think I understand what he means. There have certainly been times when Catherine and I clashed, and she loves to bring up the sofa incident. We will really never live that one down.\n\n\u201cWhat was Rei like when you were growing up together?\u201d\n\n\u201cUhhh\u2026I don\u2019t know. Like, we were kids and did kid stuff. Then in middle school she went from trying real hard to be normal to\u2026well, after she started reading those yuri manga she got kinda weird. She used to stay up super late talking to her friend Katano-san\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cShiko?\u201d\n\n\u201cYeah, her. I think she gave Rei the yuri in the first place. Then she started getting into writing super cringe fanfiction and then\u2026well, I didn\u2019t really know what was happening at the time, but I guess you kinda know the story already. Some classmates bullied her and well\u2026\u201d His voice gets quiet. He\u2019s stopped playing the game for the moment. I can tell it hurt him to see her like that.\n\n\u201cYes, she told me about that. We talked about it a lot. It wasn\u2019t easy for her.\u201d\n\n\u201cYeah\u2026we were all worried. She didn\u2019t talk to anyone. She stopped going to school and stayed in her room for months. She eventually snapped out of it, sorta. And the past few times I\u2019ve seen her, she\u2019s finally acting more like she did before it happened.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt takes time to heal.\u201d\n\n\u201cI guess. She didn't stop being an otaku after that, but it wasn\u2019t the same. She used to rant about everything to me, but after the stuff in middle school she kept to herself.\u201d\n\n\u201cDo you miss her?\u201d\n\n\u201cNot really.\u201d We both know he doesn\u2019t mean it. I should tell Rei about this conversation later. We still have a few days left in our visit. She could spend some time with him before we leave. \u201cAnyway, seems like she\u2019s doing pretty good now, I guess. I mean, she has a rich girlfriend who rides horses and is an expert on swords.\u201d\n\n\u201cShe is doing better now, it\u2019s true. Much better. And I\u2019ll make sure she always is.\u201d\n\nHe nods, trying to play it off as casual, but I can tell he is happy to hear it. \u201cCool.\u201d\n\n ", "token_count": 649}
{"file_id": "59_1", "body": " \u201cWhat was that?\u201d Catherine asks me.\n\n\u201cI\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat\u2019s going on?\u201d\n\nI need to call her\u2026\n\n\u2026 she\u2019s not answering\u2026\n\n\u201cClaire?\u201d Catherine places a hand on my arm.\n\n\u201cHuh?\u201d\n\nShe gestures with her head. She wants me to say something.\n\n\u201cShe\u2019s not answering\u2026.\u201d\n\n\u201cShe was really upset. Uh\u2026 why did you ask her to make the cr\u00e8me br\u00fbl\u00e9e? She obviously didn\u2019t know how to make it\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cBut she\u2019s so good at cooking\u2026\u201d Why did she not\u2026\n\nShe looks at me with disbelief. \u201cShe\u2019s not though. Obviously.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut she\u2019s made it so many times\u2026\u201d Hundreds\u2026\n\n\u201cThe\u2026 old Rae?\u201d\n\nI can only nod.\n\n\u201cBut not this Rae?\u201d\n\nI\u2019ve made a mistake.\n\nI should have realized\u2026\n\n\u201cI was trying to help\u2026 I have to fix this.\u201d\n\nShe still isn\u2019t responding to my call. She\u2019s not answering?\n\nBecause I hurt her.\n\n\u201cWhat's going on?\u201d Catherine\u2019s trying to anchor me.  Focus Claire. \n\n\u201cI\u2026 I\u2019m not sure\u2026\u201d\n\nIt feels like we are sixteen again, dancing around each other awkwardly. Hiding. Not talking. Scarred. \n\nBut we\u2019re not\u2026 I\u2019m\u2026\n\nShe\u2019s not. She's young. You\u2019re her first now.\n\n\u201cLook Claire. She\u2019s not the same.\u201d Catherine's voice draws me out of my thoughts.\n\n\u201cBut she is! It\u2019s her! I know it\u2019s her! \u201d\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s\u2026 not what\u2026 She\u2019s different now. She hasn\u2019t done all the things you remember\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201c... and Rae thinks she has to?\u201d\n\nRae\u2026 no, never\u2026\n\nThere is a look of understanding on Catherine\u2019s face. \u201cHas she been comparing herself to the old Rae?You have to talk to her, Claire.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m trying!\u201d She wont pick up!\n\n\u201cShe\u2019s not going to pick up. We should go chase her down or so-\u201d\n\nBang-bang\n\nWe both snap to the door. Another loud knock shakes through the door.\n\nIs that\u2026?\n\nI\u2019m already running to the door. Please be\u2026\n\nThe door swings open.\u201cWhat the fuck did you do?\u201d\n\nManaria. She\u2019s fuming as she pushes into our room.\n\nWhat?\n\nAs she moves in she presses a finger to my chest.\n\n\u201cYour toy ran away bawling her eyes out. What did you do to her?\u201d There\u2019s fire in her tone as she says it again.\n\nRae\u2026 \u201cIt\u2019s my fault.\u201d\n\nShe narrows her eyes. \u201cYou hurt her.\u201d\n\n\u201cHey, back off!\u201d Catherine shouts at Manaria. She\u2019s quick to come in between us but her small stature is very apparent next to Manaria\u2019s tall frame.\n\n\u201cNo! What did you do? You think I couldn't tell how nervous she was? How anxious she was? How wrapped around your finger she is? Did you\u2026 I swear if you tried to-\u201d\n\n\u201cI WOULD NEVER!\u201d\n\nSilence flows into the room, like water into a gaping hole.\n\n\u201cI would never\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cBut you did do something .\u201d \n\nIt's my fault\u2026\n\n\u201cNo\u2026 I\u2026.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat is going on?\u201d She asks again.\n\n\u201cI didn\u2019t mean to hurt her. It\u2019s a misunderstanding-\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, What\u2019s going on Claire? With you . You really think I wouldn\u2019t notice? All the little things. Sure, maybe you wouldn\u2019t know what Lord of the Rings is, but you were getting things wrong about yourself . You don\u2019t know how long you\u2019ve been here? You\u2019ve been here for four years Claire. I remember the day you left for Japan. Francois doesn't make watches. You don\u2019t know what sushi is? You don\u2019t even talk the same. And everyone is acting like it\u2019s fucking normal? Even your mom? Am I on the fucking Truman show? What the fuck is happening with you?\u201d\n\nI swallow\u2026\n\n\u201cI\u2019m not the same Claire you knew.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo shit.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo\u2026 I don\u2019t have her memories.\u201d\n\nManaria pushes past Catherine. It causes her to stumble. She grabs the collar of my shirt. \u201cWhat load of shit are you talking about?\u201d\n\nOhhhh , I can\u2019t help but glare at her. I should be going after Rae, not dealing with this . \u201cExactly as I told you, now let me go. I need to find Rae.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, you\u2019re not going anywhere near her until I get some answers. I\u2019m sick of your mom pretending like this is normal. Your butler has no idea what\u2019s going with you either. I\u2019m not an idiot Claire. Answers .\u201d\n\n\u201cI told you! I don\u2019t have my memories! My memories come from a different life. I don\u2019t care if you don\u2019t believe me. You\u2019re in my way!\u201d\n\n\u201cBullshit!\u201d\n\n\u201cWe were all there before Manaria\u2014that\u2019s why I know about Eve. That\u2019s why I know you cared about her and you blame yourself for what happened. Because you told me about it.\u201d\n\nThat gets her to drop my collar. \u201cYou don\u2019t know anything .\u201d\n\n\u201cThis life is different, but it\u2019s like a mirror.\u201d\n\nThere's a deep exhale from Manaria. \u201cThis is stupid. Catherine, tell her she\u2019s lost her mind.\u201d\n\nCatherine just glares and stands next to me, she\u2019s\u2026 \u201cNo. Fuck off Manaria, you stupid bitch.\u201d\n\nCATHERINE?!\n\nThat also catches Manaria completely off guard. \u201cWhat did you call me?\u201d\n\n\u201cYou heard me. I don\u2019t know what happened with you like Claire does but you have some nerve coming in here accusing Claire of what? What you did?\u201d Catherine is vicious. \n\n\u201cYou weren\u2019t fucking there, Catherine.\u201d Manaria seethes.\n\n\u201cAnd you weren\u2019t fucking here!\u201d She shouts back at her.\n\n\u201cI know what I saw when I caught Rae running out of the building! And now both of you are trying to feed me some stupid story about Claire\u2019s memories?\u201d Her voice trembles in anger.\n\n\u201c Manaria . I am responsible for that. I\u2019m not lying. I wasn\u2019t\u2026 here for the last twenty years. But I lived a lifetime before and I remember that . I was with Rae. We were all there. I was a noble, you were a princess\u2026 and then a Queen.\u201d\n\nShe grits her teeth, \u201cOh? And why would I even begin to think that might be true. Maybe you might think so, but to me it sounds like you lost your mind.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou apologized to her! To Eve!\u201d \n\nThat silences her. Manaria has to swallow before she speaks again, with less bite this time. \u201cOh, and we magically made up and everything went back to normal?\u201d\n\nShe is trying to hide it, but I hear it in her voice. She wants it to be true.\n\n\u201cNo. But it's what you need to do.\u201d\n\nShe laughs, bereft of humor. \u201cOh I need to?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes! Don\u2019t act like you are happy. It made you miserable, and you are still miserable because of it. You care about her. You need to make it right.\u201d\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t need to hear any of this!\u201d She shouts, but it lacks bite. \u201cIf you know everything then why did your toy run out of here crying?\u201d\n\n\u201cShe\u2019s not my toy!\u201d\n\n\u201cCould have fooled me! You act like she belongs to you. You want me to drop some bombs too? You're gonna to lose her like I lost Eve.\u201d She glares at me. She means for that to hurt.\n\nIt does .\n\n\u201cGod you\u2019re so full of shit Manaria. Get the fuck over yourself already. You gave up .\u201d Catherine manages to barrel back in, taking up more space than her smaller frame would seem to allow. \u201cYou know what the difference is ? Claire wants to fix this and you're in the way because you think what exactly? Claire wants to make Rae happy!\u201d\n\n\u201cCatherine\u2026\u201d I put a hand on her shoulder and let out a heavy breath. \u201cLook Manaria, I don\u2019t care if you believe what I told you about Eve, or if you think I\u2019m crazy or not. I did hurt Rae, and I need to understand what happened. I need to understand what I have been doing to her\u2026 and I need to fix it. She thinks\u2026 at least I think so\u2026 that this is her fault. I need to talk to her. Please Manaria, let me go.\u201d\n\nShe glares at me, but I can see the fire dying. She sighs and runs a hand up over her face.\n\n\u201cI love her Manaria. She saved me before and I would fight the world to save her.\u201d\n\nHer hand slides halfway down her face. \u201cWhat is going on?\u201d\n\n\u201cThis keeps happening. Last time it was Rae. This time it\u2019s me. I found her again, and I\u2026 I can\u2019t let her do this alone.\u201d \n\n\u201cYou really think that?\u201d She's skeptical. \n\n\u201cYes.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis is crazy\u2026 Your mom knows?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes\u2026 a few people know, but only a few.\u201d\n\n\u201cChrist\u2026 So that\u2019s it? She believes it.\u201d She looks at Catherine. \u201cYou believe it too?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes.\u201d Catherine always has my back .\n\nManaria looks like she wants to say something but struggles with how to say it. Eventually she just groans and runs her hands over her face again. \u201c Fuck I feel like I\u2019m going crazy\u2026 What happened with Rae? You didn\u2019t\u2026\u201d\n\nNo!\n\n\u201cI think she\u2019s been trying to do too much. I think\u2026 I worry she thinks she has to measure herself against the Rae from before. I asked her to do something she used to know how to do\u2026 and she couldn\u2019t.\u201d That's all I gathered\u2026\n\n\u201cAnd you didn\u2019t\u2026 know?\u201d\n\n\u201cI knew something was eating away at her, but I thought it was either due to our severe studying, or the fact that a traumatic anniversary is around the corner. She used to cook to relax\u2026 I was trying to help\u2026\u201d\n\nManaria closes her eyes. \u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d\n\nCatherine gl", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "59_2", "body": "ares at her. \u201c Ohh ?\u201d\n\nManaria sighs. \u201cYes. Look I assumed\u2026 Rae reminded me of Eve, especially just now. I should have stopped. She tried to ask me to stop but she\u2026 let me do it anyway\u2026 And then father opened the office door while doing an interview\u2026she couldn\u2019t say no\u2026 I should have known better\u2026\u201d She takes a breath and looks at me. \u201cI didn\u2019t know what was going on with you\u2026 and it still sounds crazy but\u2026 I thought you did\u2026 what I did\u2026\u201d \n\n\u201cManaria, you can apologize to her still.\u201d\n\n\u201cI can\u2019t\u2026 not right now anyways. Look, it's not your problem. And you need to find your girl.\u201d\n\nI reach out and pull her into a hug. She makes a surprised sound. \u201cManaria, I will help you.\u201d\n\nIt takes her a moment to respond, \u201cOne day\u2026 maybe.\u201d\n\n\u201cApologizing is simpler than you think it is.\u201d\n\n\u201cLook, this is great and all, but let's find Rae?\u201d Catherine sounds like her patience for Manaria has expired. \u201cCan you text her roommate? See if or when she\u2019s back? Then maybe we can try checking out spots around here. Maybe she\u2019s still close by.\u201d\n\nI let go of Manaria. \u201cYou're right, I\u2019ll text Misha right now.\u201d\n\nI\u2019m going to find her.\n\n \n\n ", "token_count": 289}
{"file_id": "57", "body": "It jiggles. The recipe didn\u2019t say anything about jiggling after refrigeration.\n\nJust breathe.\n\n\u201cOkay, time for the final touches.\u201d Claire beams as she announces that and hands me a small device.\n\nShe even got a special lighter for it, okay, that\u2019s kinda cool. But she definitely planned this. \n\nHrmm .\n\nClick. \n\nA little jet of fire spouts from the end.\n\nCool . Wow that's a powerful little flame. Okay so just like the videos, ease the flame over the top of the first custard and oh that\u2019s neat. This is actually kinda fun, okay I think that one is done, on to the next.\n\n\u201cWe should be ready in just a bit Claire\u201d I start the second one, focusing on it and careful easing the flame, soon the third, forth, fifth and just the sixth one now-\n\n\u201cRei!\u201d Claire shouts. I turn to her and I can see the panic in her eyes. Oh no, did I mess up, did I do that wrong? What did I- \u201cYour arm! The Sleeve!\u201d She\u2019s shouting?\n\n\u201cHuh?\u201d I look to my right hand, the lighter is there. I look to the left, and there is a flame licking up the sleeve of my hoodie.\n\nI blink.\n\n\u201cShite!\u201d What? Did Claire swear? What is going on ?\n\nFuck! Oh I need to put this out. \u201cWhat do I do?\u201d There is an overwhelming urge to swing my arm around, but that might spread the flames? That would be bad. Shit what do I do? Stop drop and roll?\n\nClaire then does a snap and points at my flames, there is an intense look of concentration on her face and she just stands there afterwards.\n\nDid she just try to Roy Mustang away the fire?\n\n\u201cI can\u2019t do magic!\u201d She shouts.\n\n\u201cNo shit!\u201d I need to do something .\n\nThen there is a pair of hands on my shoulders, \u201cChrist you two are something.\u201d And Catherine guides me to the sink, flicks the water on and pulls my arm under the flow and soaks the flame. She then drops a pot cover of the cr\u00e8me br\u00fbl\u00e9e that still had a little ember on it. Oh. \n\nI\u2019m stupid .\n\nMy sleeve soaks through, I can probably pull it back. I inspect the sleeve, and fuck\u2026 it\u2019s definitely ruined, the flame tore through a fair bit\u2026\n\n\u201cAre you okay, did you get burned?\u201d Claire comes beside me and I feel a hand placed on my shoulder but I just jump back and break the connection. She hesitates from closing in again and maintains the new spacing.\n\nShe\u2019s just trying to help you, you idiot. \u201cYah, sure. I\u2026.\u201d I pull my hoodie off, It\u2019s my Persona one too\u2026 \n\nFuck .\n\n\u201cRei?\u201d\n\nWorry about that later. I check my arm, and it doesn\u2019t look like it got burned, but now that it's not under the running water, I do feel it. I sigh, \u201cDo we have an ice pack?\u201d\n\n\u201cAhead of you Oohashi\u201d I hear the fridge door close and Catherine hands me an ice pack wrapped in a cloth. I press it to my arm, and can feel it soothe quickly.\n\nThat was stupid.\n\nIt\u2019s quiet for what feels like way too long, but that\u2019s probably just me stuck in my head. Again.\n\nClaire fidgets with her hands. \u201cI\u2019m sorry Rei, I panicked and fire magic was my specialty\u2026 I just did\u2026\u201d This isn\u2019t your fault Claire.\n\n\u201cNo, that's fine, It was my fault. I should have paid attention. It\u2019s fire, I was careless , not paying attention . I should have put two and two together and checked that the flame went out before going to the next one\u2026\u201d I\u2019m\u2026\n\n\u201cMistakes happen, we all make them Rei.\u201d I know she is trying to sound comforting, but I bet Rae Taylor never did anything stupid like this. She probably came out of the womb knowing how to make cr\u00e8me br\u00fbl\u00e9e, how to make tea just right, how to make mayonnaise from scratch.\n\nTop student.\n\nPerfect mother and wife.\n\nBest magic user.\n\nA Hero of the revolution.\n\nI tried\u2026\n\nI feel a hand on my shoulder. Great, I'm stewing here and just worrying her.\n\n\u201cRei, how about you sit down, here let me lay out your hoodie to dry.\u201d She guides me to a sofa and then takes my hoodie away.\n\nI wish I could do what she thinks I can do.\n\nI hear some more shuffling. It sounds like some dishes have been laid on the coffee table. I can\u2019t make myself look up right now.\n\n\u201cRei, it\u2019s best enjoyed soon, would you like to try it?\u201d I glance up quickly, and Claire is over me, she looks worried. She must be disappointed .\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s fine Claire, I \u2026\u201d\n\nClaire casts her eyes down, and takes her seat on the sofa close by, but not as close as she tends to.\n\nShe taps a spoon to the top of the first one, there is a crunch, \u201cYou did an excellent job with the crust.\u201d\n\nI'm afraid to look at her directly again.\n\nShe scoops a bit and brings it to her mouth and I can\u2019t help but watch. She makes an ahh at first, but I then see the hesitation, the disappointment . She\u2019s quiet for a moment. It\u2019s not the way she remembers it. She knows .\n\nI knew it.\n\n\u201cWell I hope you enjoy the cr\u00e8me br\u00fbl\u00e9e Claire, it\u2019s late and I should be going.\u201d I get up. I shouldn\u2019t even be here .\n\n\u201cRei? What\u2019s wrong?\u201d Claire is quick to chase after me, \u201cAt least wait for your hoodie to dry. Talk to me please.\u201d\n\nAnd say what, I\u2019m not what you want? I hate that I can\u2019t be your Rae. \n\n\u201cI\u2019m F-fine, it\u2019s fine, everything is fine.T-the hoodie is ruined. You can\u2026 just throw it out. I\u2019m sorry about the fire. G-Good night.\u201d I open the door, quickly close it behind myself and start walking down the hall.\n\nI hear a \u201cRei\u201d but she doesn\u2019t follow.\n\nAll I had to do was make some fucking cr\u00e8me br\u00fbl\u00e9e. ", "token_count": 1313}
{"file_id": "28", "body": "Claire mumbles, \u201cI told Lene to take us someplace more lowkey,\u201d she sighs, \u201cOh well, I suppose this must be lowkey to my old standards.\u201d\n\nI feel so out of place, everything here looks way too high class. But Claire doesn\u2019t let us stand about for too long. She is quickly attended to by staff and she starts quickly listing off what she is looking for but I can barely keep up with the types of clothes she is describing. She wasn\u2019t kidding when she said she had ideas, and the attendant dutifully listens, and then turns to me and asks my size before leaving us to fetch the clothes I guess.\n\n\u201cThis feels too much Claire-chan\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t worry, I made sure the staff won't bring anything ostentatious.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut won't everything be expensive?\u201d\n\nClaire shrugs, \u201cIt might be but I wont pick more than a few articles for you, and I will try to pick the more moderately priced clothes. Don\u2019t worry the staff understood what I am looking for, that includes the cost.\u201d\n\nBefore I can really say much more, the staff returns and we are taken to a changing room. Claire briefly flips through the clothes, before she nods content with the selection and hands them to me while pushing me into the personal chamber.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m not sure what these will look like until you try them on, I\u2019ll wait out here.\u201d\n\nAnd then it\u2019s just me behind the curtain.\n\nThe stack of clothes doesn\u2019t look too big\u2026\n\nIt\u2019s a couple pants and shirts\u2026 are these men\u2019s clothes?\n\n\u201cIs this right?\u201d I ask over the curtain.\n\n\u201cYes, if you don\u2019t like it we can try something else, but I figured this was a safe start.\u201d\n\nSafe?\n\n\u201cAren\u2019t these\u2026 I don\u2019t know\u2026 they look like men's clothes?\u201d\n\n\u201cThey are masculine, but they should fit you just fine. Trust me.\u201d\n\nI gulp, am I overthinking this? It\u2019s not like I wanted to wear a skirt or anything. It\u2019s quick enough to try on the first set, and they fit pretty well I think. The pants are simple, I think? Black and a bit sleek, they definitely feel nicer than any pair I have, and more form fitting then I thought they would be. The shirt is a teal button up, it doesn\u2019t look formal, but I guess it also feels stylish? It has a collar. \n\nI have no idea if this looks good, but it doesn\u2019t feel bad.\n\nI think?\n\nI guess Claire will be the judge of that, I make sure the shirt is tucked in and step out. She perks up and smiles instantly. A quick silent appraisal and then she hums in thought, \u201cOne moment.\u201d She steps around the corner and pretty quickly returns holding another shirt\u2026 or a coat? \u201cWear this over it.\u201d\n\nI\u2026 have no idea what this is called, is this just a coat? It\u2019s a little thicker but pretty light still, and the color matches the pants. I pull my arms through it, it\u2019s a little loose in the shoulders I think but otherwise I think it\u2019s the right size? I catch myself in the mirror. It almost looks like a suit jacket I guess, but nowhere as formal. It feels casual but very stylish.\n\nAnd\u2026 okay\u2026 maybe it does look good? I let myself see other angles, and I can\u2019t really complain. Huh, maybe Misha was right the other day.\n\n\u201cSo what do you think?\u201d\n\nHuh, this is kinda gay\u2026 isn\u2019t it? Kinda tomboy vibes? I wasn\u2019t expecting that.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s not too much?\u201d\n\n\u201cI think it suits you very well , Hmmm, yes that jacket brings it together I think. The pants could be tightened up a bit in the back,\u201d I catch her eying my butt, wait really? \u201cI think they should be able to provide a better shape, is the jacket loose?\u201d\n\nShe runs her hands over the spot to feel, \u201cI think so? This looks good?\u201d\n\n\u201cOf course, but only if you like it.\u201d She is still giving the appearance a discerning eye.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s not too\u2026?\u201d\n\n\u201cToo what? Masculine?\u201d\n\n\u201cOhh, I meant\u2026 gay?\u201d\n\nShe quirks her brow, \u201cI haven\u2019t a clue what passes for that here, but I know it suits you. You were never one for a dress. Would you want to try a dress?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo! Umm, not really?\u201d\n\n\u201cYou did wear a suit to our wedding.\u201d\n\nI\u2026\n\nWedding\u2026?\n\nClaire chuckles, fuck I must be blushing again, this isn\u2019t fair.\n\nI\u2026\n\n\u201cDo you like it when I wear a suit?\u201d\n\nShe smirks, \u201c Very .\u201d\n\nI gulp, and step towards her, barely an inch away from her, \u201cThen maybe I should wear a suit.\u201d\n\nShe blushes slightly and grins. Then she pulls me in for a quick kiss and then pushes me back towards the private chamber, \u201cPatience Reiiii. \u201d\n\nWhat the fuck did I just do?\n\nHow did I just do that? Where the fuck did that come from?\n\nFuck all my nerves are coming in now, my legs feel like jelly.\n\nOh fuck.\n\nThat kinda ruled.\n\n ", "token_count": 1075}
{"file_id": "22_1", "body": "\u201cSixty-eight percent?\u201d This is terrible, this can\u2019t be right.\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s really not that bad, all things considered Claire-chan.\u201d\n\nI know Rae is trying to make me feel better but I also know this is not a good score.\n\n\u201cWhat did you get?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat?\u201d\n\nI reach over to her test and she panics, making a dash to intercept me, \u201cWhat did you get?\u201d\n\n\u201cNoooo\u201d she swipes her test away from my reach, I just lean over her and try to pull it from her grasp, \u201cClaire-chan, this isn\u2019t fair!\u201d she whines.\n\nI lean into her ear, \u201cBe a good girl for me.\u201d She freezes and I manage to swipe her test finally.\n\n\u201cClaire-chan! That\u2019s not fair.\u201d\n\nI turn the pages over, \u201cNinety-four percent?\u201d Heavens, I really did poorly.\n\n\u201cClaire-san you shouldn\u2019t compare our results, it\u2019s not fair.\u201d\n\n\u201cMost things aren\u2019t fair till we make them, I need to improve.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou will,\u201d She swipes the test back, not as though I give her any fight anymore, \u201cLook it\u2019s the first test so it wasn\u2019t that hard but I didn\u2019t have to cram ten plus years into my head in less than two weeks. And all the studying I have been helping you with has been helping me too.\u201d\n\n\u201cI should have done better.\u201d I shouldn't be pouting.\n\nShe groans, \u201cLook there will be more tests, we can get you there but you are doing good, you passed which is a miracle that you got to that point.\u201d\n\n\u201cI suppose\u2026\u201d I\u2019m sure if I stare at the test hard enough I can will it to burst into flames, damned be the fact that my magic is gone.\n\n\u201cHi Claire-chan.\u201d I perk up as I hear Pepi, Loretta is in tow behind her, \u201cHow did the test go.\u201d She narrows her eyes at Rae. She isn\u2019t going to let up, is she.\n\n\u201cIt should be better, sixty-eight percent.\u201d I know it is what it is but I can\u2019t stop my frustrations. I used to be a teacher!\n\nPepi hums. Loretta decides to comment, \u201cWasn\u2019t your tutor supposed to help your grades?\u201d Oh no\u2026 is she jealous? Loretta No!\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s not her fault, I\u2019m to blame. It\u2019s just been a struggle for me.\u201d\n\nPepi hums again, \u201cSounds like you need a better tutor huh, or are you just not trying very hard Oohashi-san?\u201d\n\nRae bristles at the implication, \u201cI am doing what I can!\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s not her fault.\u201d I try to warn them.\n\nPepi however seems not willing to let it end quite there, \u201cReally, is she even taking it seriously? You keep saying you are studying, studying, studying. You can\u2019t make events anymore? We never even see you anymore.\u201d\n\n\u201cPepi-chan!\u201d She stops at my reprimand, as if catching herself finally. She looks apologetic but doesn't say anything. \u201cThere has been so much to cover and it\u2019s like I have had to relearn everything all over again. She has been helping a lot. I\u2019m not happy with my results,\u201d I sigh, \u201cBut it is better than I would have gotten before alone, much better.\u201d\n\nRae\u2019s right, she usually is.\n\nIt doesn\u2019t make me grit my teeth any less.\n\n\u201cIf you say so\u2026\u201d Loretta pouts, and side eyes Rae.\n\n\u201cCan you at least make one party this week? Look, you can even bring your\u2026 tutor with you. Rod Bauer-san has the sports bar rented out for Saturday. Everyone who matters will be there.\u201d\n\nI do feel guilty. I have been largely absent from the social life the old me used to have, I keep seeing messages from other classmates\u2026 I need to study though, that much is obvious but can I afford to ignore everyone else? If nothing else I am alienating Pepi and Loretta, that doesn\u2019t sit right with me.\n\n\u201cRae-chan, what do you think? Could you at least come with me?\u201d I try to whisper to her.\n\nThe gears are winding in her head as she considers, her lips draw into a straight line, \u201cUgh, maybe? You want me to come?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes please, I am going to be so lost as it is.\u201d\n\nShe does not look enthused at the prospect, chewing at her lip.\n\nI pout.\n\nShe instantly folds. \n\nClaire\u2026\n\nBut I need her!\n\n\u201cOkay, Yes I\u2019ll come, but I\u2019m not drinking, okay.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s fine, I don\u2019t want to drink too much either.\u201d It\u2019s too easy to drink too much. I pull back from our whisper and Pepi does not look impressed but at least she waited. \u201cOkay, yes, I will do what I can to be there, umm which bar is it?\u201d\n\nPepi\u2019s face scrunches, \u201cReally, it\u2019s the sports bar, Bar forty four, the one we usually go to.\u201d\n\n\u201cRight, of course.\u201d I can\u2019t let her know that I have no idea where that is.\n\n\u201cYou okay Claire-chan?\u201d\n\n\u201cOf course, just tired, it\u2019s been a lot of studying.\u201d\n\n\u201cHmm, well okay, we will see you then, make sure she dresses better, she can\u2019t be\u2026 that.\u201d I do not appreciate her tone\u2026\n\nRae looks like she is about to say something, but just pouts. That was rude Pepi\u2026 but I won\u2019t start a fight over it. \u201cI will make sure we both look great, and I\u2019m sorry for worrying the two of you.\u201d\n\nThe apology surprises both of them, \u201cUh, sure thing Claire-chan, Okay, well we have to get going.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe do?\u201d Loretta questions.\n\n\u201cYes.\u201d Pepi starts to drag Loretta away, who just acquiesces to it.\n\nOnce they are out of earshot Rae groans and slumps on her desk. \u201cI have to dress up?\u201d\n\n\u201cDon't worry, I will find something for you.\u201d\n\nRae groans.\n\n\u201cI know what works for you, I might even be able to have Lene take us somewhere if she can book an appointment for Catherine this weekend.\u201d\n\n\u201cWait, what.. you don\u2019t need to buy me clothes?\u201d\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t need to, but I will.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut-\u201d\n\n\u201cTrust me Rae chan, I won\u2019t go overboard and consider it a thank you for all the tutoring. I know what looks good on you and what you like.\u201d\n\nShe still looks apprehensive.\n\n\u201cIf you don\u2019t like it, we won't get it, but let\u2019s try at least\u2026. Please?\u201d\n\nHer resistance  crumbles, \u201cFine.\u201d She sighs and then pouts, \u201cBut not too much, K?\u201d\n\n\u201cOf course, would you happen to know the bar Pepi-chan mentioned?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, but I can look it up later, Misha might know, Misha might even be there if Yu-san is going\u2026 umm how long do we need to be there?\u201d\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t know\u2026 but I suspect long enough to socialize. I worry there will be too many people I don\u2019t recognize\u2026\u201d Some faces I do recognize from before, but for everyone I do, I see two I don't. The student body is massive.\n\n\u201cHmm yah that could be a problem but I don\u2019t know, if it\u2019s a party at a bar it might be loud and you might be able to half-ass conversations? I actually don\u2019t know what it\u2019s going to be like there, ughhhhhhh.\u201d I do sympathize with her.\n\n\u201cHrmmm, I suppose we will have to see.\u201d I can\u2019t really say I am looking forward to just diving into the unknown like this. \u201cThank you for coming with me Rae, if you want, we can spend the following day doing something more relaxing, I would like to continue that game from before.\u201d\n\nShe smirks, \u201cSure, we will probably need to do some more studying before and over the weekend at some point, but I would like that too\u2026 So umm\u2026 what do you think of it so far?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh I don\u2019t even know where to begin\u2026 it\u2019s just such a marvel of\u2026 engineering? Science? Having our little person move around is\u2026 well to borrow the colloquialism; cool. And it has such catchy music, and the story is very interesting. We have to stop Kamoshido, what a vile person. I know it\u2019s just fiction but I really want to put a stop to him.\u201d\n\nShe laughs softly, \u201cYah he really sucks, he is a great way to set the stage for the game\u2026 I don\u2019t know if I would say it holds up in the same way throughout the rest of the game but yah. And I don\u2019t know if you also thought it too, but when I played it with the fem mod, the first time, and the part comes where they leak that your a delinquent to the whole school, in my head I was like oh, they also leak that the MC is trans too, and that's why everyone is always misgendering you and it makes it all comes around in my head in a strong way\u2026 but yeah I don\u2019t know if you also\u2026\u201d She is getting self conscious as she catches herself rambling. \n\nI did not consider that, but I can see it now. It\u2019s an odd concept, taking the narrative and having something changed with the \u2018mod\u2019 that she mentioned. It\u2019s such a different way of engaging with the narrative then I am used to but there is something about it that feels intuitive, and her interpretation\u2026 \u201cThat does make sense\u2026 we have to beat that man up.\u201d\n\nRae laughs, \u201cDon\u2019t worry we can get there.\u201d\n\n\u201cMisaki would be proud of you.\u201d\n\n\u201cWh", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "22_2", "body": "at?\u201d \n\nMaybe I didn\u2019t have to bring that up, but\u2026\n\n\u201cI\u2026 you did a lot of good, you helped a lot of people in our old life, Like Misaki. I know it\u2019s still fresh but I just wanted to let you know that and\u2026 I don\u2019t know what will arise now but I will be here to help with anything, okay?\u201d\n\nShe looks a bit fragile, maybe I shouldn't have mentioned it, but she does smile after she collects her thoughts, \u201cThanks Claire-chan. I don\u2019t want to say anymore goodbyes\u2026 buuuut we really should get going, we are going to be late to the next class if we don\u2019t leave soon and I really don\u2019t need your lackeys having more reasons to plot my murder.\u201d\n\n\u201cPepi and Loretta, but yes, you are right.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe tall one really doesn\u2019t like me.\u201d\n\n\u201cHer name is Loretta, I\u2026 I think that might be because she has had a\u2026 crush on me.\u201d\n\n\u201cUh yah.\u201d\n\n\u201cI can\u2019t believe I never noticed- wait you knew?\u201d Did everyone but me know?\n\n\u201cI mean have you seen how she looks at you? Of course I recognized it!\u201d\n\n\u201cOh god\u2026 hrmm, what do you mean you recognized it?\n\n\u201cAhhhhh, well you know\u2026. Game knows game\u2026.?\u201d She tries to jest.\n\n\u201cNo, I want to hear you say it.\u201d\n\nShe groans.\n\n\u201c Raeeeeeee .\u201d\n\n\u201cUgh! Yes, of course I also have a massive crush on you.\u201d I love when her voice trails off into a whisper.\n\n\u201cExcellent, we should get going as you said then.\u201d I run a hand down her arm and I can see a shiver cascade from the point of contact, I then rise and make way towards our next destination. I can\u2019t help but smirk as she pouts.\n\n\u201cUgh what? Wait, oh come on. CLAIRE-SAN! That's not fair\u2026\u201d", "token_count": 406}
{"file_id": "79_1", "body": "\u201cClaire-chan, you\u2019re using too much force when you crack the eggs.\u201d Ai-san has taken a moment to look away from her pot as I try to crack several eggs into a measuring cup.\n\nSurely cracking an egg can\u2019t be that hard\u2026\n\n\u201cLook, there are egg shells in the cup.\u201d She plucks out several pieces with a pair of chopsticks.\n\nOh.\n\n\u201cSorry\u2026Gwah! This is infuriating!\u201d I can\u2019t even break things correctly.\n\nThere is a gentle hand on my shoulder. \u201cClaire-chan, you said you are learning to cook. Have you ever done this before?\u201d\n\n\u201cNot until recently. I\u2019ve never had to do it before. I\u2019ve always had\u2026someone that did it for me.\u201d It was always Rei before. But I want to do it this time!\n\nAi-san hums as she mixes some vegetables. \u201cI also had to learn later in life. I never had a chance before I was out on my own. It is a lot to learn, and a lot to keep track of.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s just\u2026why is this so difficult? I thought I was getting better. I learned how to make a decent dessert, but now that I\u2019m trying to help with dinner I keep ruining it.\u201d\n\n\u201cAs long as you don\u2019t mistake the sugar for salt again, we should be fine. We can pick out the egg shells. Mistakes are how we learn, Claire-chan.\u201d We used to say the same thing to our own daughters back in Bauer.\n\n\u201cAt least with baking the instructions are clear. But how am I to know how much is \u2018to taste\u2019?\u201d\n\n\u201cExperience, dear. It\u2019s easy to add too much seasoning. You just need to practice. When in doubt, always start by adding less than you think you need. You can add more later, but the reverse is not true.\u201d\n\nI refuse to be bested by simple cooking!\n\n\u201cYou have an excellent palette, and you know what tastes good. That\u2019s maybe the most important thing when it comes to cooking. You can always cook smaller portions to avoid wasting food until you feel confident in the dish.\u201d\n\n\u201cI suppose.\u201d It is a terrible feeling to waste a pot of food, it\u2019s true.\n\n\u201cOh, you have just the cutest pout!\u201d Ahhh\u2014did she just pinch my cheeks? \u201cI can see why Rei likes you.\u201d\n\nI rub my cheeks; that was very sudden. I am once again reminded of Rae\u2019s mother in Euclid. She had some sudden habits of her own.\n\n\u201cYou can\u2019t do this with every dish, but you can sometimes cheat and test the food as it\u2019s cooking. Here.\u201d Ai-san holds a piece of carrot between a pair of chopsticks. \u201cThis early in the cooking process, you can easily see that it\u2019s still too hard.\u201d\n\nI reach out to take the carrot with my fingers and Ai-san pulls it away.\n\n\u201cJust eat it from the chopsticks, Claire-chan, so it won\u2019t burn your fingers.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, but\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cThese chopsticks won't go back into the food, don\u2019t worry.\u201d\n\nI lean over and taste the food. She\u2019s right, it\u2019s still quite hot, but I think I would have been fine taking it with my fingers. The carrot is still quite hard.\n\n\u201cObviously everyone has a different preference for how well done they like their vegetables. The longer we leave it cooking, the softer it gets. And if we leave it for too long, it will turn into mush. Or burn. I like to make sure it\u2019s a bit crunchy. In a few minutes I\u2019ll take it off the heat and let it cool down.\u201d\n\n\u201cI see.\u201d When I asked Ai-san to show me several recipes, I hadn\u2019t expected her to put so much effort into teaching me. We\u2019ve done this several nights in a row, and even with all my mistakes she has been incredibly patient throughout the whole process.\n\n\u201cMost vegetables are safe to check while cooking, but obviously you can\u2019t do the same thing with meat. Always be careful with raw meat\u2014\u2014you don\u2019t want to get sick from bacteria. You can always check how long you need to cook meat, and I like to use a thermometer to ensure that it hits the right temperature.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe heat kills the bacteria, right?\u201d I hope that\u2019s not a stupid question.\n\n\u201cCorrect. As long as meat meets the minimum time and temperature you should be good. Some meats you can cook for longer, which affects the texture. Sometimes people slow cook meat over a long period on a lower heat so it can get very tender.\u201d\n\n\u201cLike in a curry.\u201d\n\n\u201cIn some curries, yes. But sometimes you can cook meat for even longer than in a curry. I like to cook mine for around fifty minutes.\u201d She removes the pan from the heat. \u201cLet's make sure all of the shells are out of the eggs. Biting into an egg shell is very unpleasant.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t worry dear, it happens. I still make a mess of eggs too.\u201d She uses a fresh pair of chopsticks to snatch up the stray fragments. \u201cSo, Rei mentioned you\u2019re from France? Your Japanese is very good.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, I\u2019m from France, and thank you. I\u2019ve been in Japan for a while already. I moved here six years ago with Mother and Catherine.\u201d Or is it seven now?\n\n\u201cOh? What does your mother do?\u201d Ai-san looks like she is satisfied with the eggs now that the shells are gone.\n\n\u201cDid Rei not mention it?\u201d\n\nAi-san sighs. \u201cShe said a little about it, but getting my daughter to share information is like pulling teeth.\u201d\n\nI can\u2019t help but laugh. Rei is rather obstinate and reticent. Frustratingly so at times. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t have minded her telling you. Mother owns and runs a large company. Perhaps you have heard of Francois?\u201d\n\nAi-san has her attention on another pot, stirring to keep the contents from burning. \u201cFrancois?\u201d She continues to stir, then freezes. The spoon slips from her hand into the pot. \u201cThat Francois!?\u201d She abruptly turns to look at me, wide-eyed with surprise.\n\n\u201cYour spoon!\u201d\n\n\u201cShit.\u201d She grabs a pair of chopsticks to fish out the spoon. \u201cFrancois?!\u201d\n\n\u201cYes. I take it that you are familiar with the company?\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd you\u2019re dating my daughter?\u201d\n\nI can\u2019t help but sigh. \u201cPlease Ai-san, it\u2019s not that big of a deal.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut you\u2019re\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cJust another person. It is true that we are wealthy, but you don\u2019t need to treat me any differently.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut\u2026I made you cook with me.\u201d She\u2019s not quite listening to me.\n\n\u201cPlease, I asked you to let me help. To teach me.\u201d\n\n\u201cAre you sure?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes. Positive.\u201d\n\nShe still looks a bit unsure. To think, I used to expect people to act like this around me. \u201cI\u2019m sorry, I didn\u2019t mean to\u2026it was just a surprise. How did you two even meet?\u201d Oh no, now she is nervous.\n\n\u201cPlease, Ai-san, it\u2019s fine. Really. Rei and I shared classes. I saw her and knew she was the one instantly.\u201d This time around, at least.\n\n\u201cAww, what a precious story. Oh goodness, we gave you a futon to sleep on.\u201d She can\u2019t help but place a hand to her forehead. \u201cAnd no wonder you didn\u2019t know how to cook. You probably have all sorts of fancy chefs cooking for you.\u201d\n\n\u201cAi-san, it\u2019s okay, really. I don\u2019t want you to give me special treatment. Please don\u2019t treat me like I\u2019m royalty.\u201d\n\nAi-san takes a breath, then resumes stirring the pot again. \u201cOkay, I\u2019ll try. This was the last thing I had imagined. Your family is\u2026wealthy, I assume?\u201d She still sounds shell-shocked.\n\n\u201cYes, my family is very privileged, but please don\u2019t feel like you have to treat me differently than you did before you knew. As far as I am concerned, the only thing that matters is that I love Rei.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou really do love her, don\u2019t you?\u201d\n\n\u201cI truly do. It surprised me when I first realized it, but there is no one else in the world for me.\u201d Then, now, or the next time.\n\nAi-san is still stirring the pot. The tension finally leaves her shoulders, and she smiles softly. \u201cEven though you two just started dating?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes.\u201d\n\n\u201cHave you told her?\u201d\n\n\u201cMany times.\u201d\n\nAi-san sighs softly. \u201cAnd what if it doesn\u2019t work out? Rei comes from a very different world than you do.\u201d More than she realizes.\n\nI feel my chest tighten. \u201cI don\u2019t think either of us wants to give this up.\u201d\n\nAi-san sets the spoon to the side and lowers the heat on the pot. She puts a hand on my shoulder and squeezes it gently, smiling. \u201cI think you might be right. You\u2019ve made Rei very happy. I don\u2019t mean to sound like I\u2019m questioning your relationship, but\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cI know how it seems. I know we\u2019re both still very young and that we have very different backgrounds. But I know what I feel is real, and I have no problem saying it to anyone. This feeling is for her alone, and I know it will last.\u201d We did it once together before, and we will do it together again. \u201cI want so much for her.\u201d\n\nAi-san smiles softly. \u201cRei is certainly lucky to have found you, then. Is your mother okay with the relationship? With you dating another woman?\u201d\n\n\u201cMother loves Rei, and it was never an issue for her as far as I know. Haha, she found out in a very embarrassing manner. Goodness.\u201d\n\n\u201cEmbarrassing?\u201d There is an edge to her voice. \u201cHow so?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, I, we were\u2026I mean we were umm\u2026kissing, we were kissing and she walked in unexpectedly.\u201d\n\nAi-s", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "79_2", "body": "an\u2019s eyes go wide in shock. \u201cBefore marriage?\u201d She sounds so scandalized. Oh no, is she more conservative than I thought?\n\n\u201cWhat? I mean\u2014\u201d\n\nShe grins and pokes my nose. \u201cI\u2019m only teasing, Claire-chan. You wanted me to treat you like any other person, right? You\u2019re both adults, and I\u2019m glad that you\u2019re happy together.\u201d\n\nShe was teasing me? I think I\u2019m going to like this woman.\n\nShe pinches my cheeks once again. \u201cYou are so adorable, Claire-chan. Well, I think the food just needs to cool off a bit and then we can serve it. Gosh, I can\u2019t believe Rei is dating an heiress!\u201d\n\n ", "token_count": 148}
{"file_id": "74", "body": "The wait is pure agony. I never thought I would feel this nervous watching someone else write a test. There are times when I can see Claire react to something on the test with a momentary expression of surprise or frustration. All I can do is watch quietly. And refill her tea. I don\u2019t want to risk ruining it in any way by doing something that would make Melia doubt Claire\u2019s ability and dedication or think that we were cheating. Melia is taking this time to focus on what I can only guess is some work on her laptop. She frequently looks up to check on Claire, and after a minute of watching her daughter work she returns to whatever is on her screen.\n\nAfter what feels like eons, Melia finally alerts us that half the allotted time has passed. Claire opts to take a break and visit the restroom. I hastily put on some more water for tea.\n\n\u201cYou\u2019re nervous too, aren\u2019t you?.\u201d Melia asks, surprising me.\n\n\u201cUhh, yeah. It feels like a lot is riding on this test.\u201d\n\nMelia nods, though it\u2019s clear she doesn\u2019t share our feelings of anxiety. When it\u2019s clear she\u2019s not going to say anything in reply, I continue.\n\n\u201cBut I think\u2014no, I know she can do it.\u201d\n\nMelia nods again. \u201cHow has it been? Living here with her and Catherine?\u201d\n\nI wasn\u2019t expecting that question. \u201cAmazing.\u201d The word jumps out of my mouth without a second thought, but Melia doesn\u2019t seem phased by it. \u201cI mean, I love living with her. With both of them. Here. Umm, thank you. For, you know. This place and everything.\u201d Rei, stop being such a disaster already.\n\n\u201cYou and Misha are more than welcome. And despite my insistence, you still don\u2019t use the allowance I offered.\u201d Her tone is level.\n\n\u201cI bought a Playstation!\u201d\n\nMelia looks unmoved. \u201cIt\u2019s been four months since you moved in together.\u201d\n\n\u201cOkay, but Claire keeps buying me stuff, too. I don\u2019t want to take advantage of your generosity.\u201d\n\nShe clicks her tongue, sounding exactly like Claire. \u201cRei, it\u2019s not taking advantage when I explicitly offered it. And even if Claire is spending her allowance on you, it doesn\u2019t add up to even a fraction of the bills I\u2019ve gotten in the past from her. Not even close.\u201d\n\nJeez, how much did she used to spend? And on what?\n\n\u201cFortunately, this problem will be resolved soon enough,\u201d Melia says softly.\n\nHuh?\n\nWe\u2019re interrupted by Claire returning from the restroom. I spring up and head to the fridge, where I fish out an apple and hand it to her.\n\n\u201cThank you, Rei,\u201d Claire says with a soft smile. My heart\u2026\n\n\u201cYou\u2019ve got this, Claire,\u201d I whisper.\n\nShe takes a bite of the apple and a bit of juice dribbles out the corner of her mouth. She locks eyes with me, gives me a wink and sensually licks the juice away.\n\nGod, I\u2019m the luckiest lesbian ever. Even if she is doing this in front of her mom.\n\n\u201cMother, how much time is left in my break?\u201d It\u2019s amazing how seamlessly she can switch between flirt mode and exam mode. She\u2019s too powerful.\n\n\u201cI\u2019ll start the timer again in eight minutes. How do you feel?\u201d\n\n\u201cStressed. But I\u2019ll manage.\u201d Claire sits back down on the barstool to finish her apple. I take the chance to get behind her and give her a quick shoulder massage. It\u2019s definitely the right call, judging from her sighs of relief as I knead my fingers into her tense muscles. I love being able to do this for her.\n\nAll too soon, Melia gives us the two minute warning. Claire throws away the apple core and sits back down at her test. Once Melia tells her to begin, she buries herself once more in the papers.\n\nIt looks like the break helped\u2014she\u2019s powering through her test a bit faster than before. Silence sets back in, broken only by Melia\u2019s typing and the scratch of Claire\u2019s pencil on the papers. I try to find something to do on my phone, but it feels like I would be just as productive staring at a blank wall. Going elsewhere doesn\u2019t feel like an option, as I\u2019m too anxious not to be here to support Claire.\n\nGod, how long has it been?\n\nI check my phone. Really, only fifteen minutes?\n\nI hate my phone.\n\nMore time passes. Every minute feels like an eternity.\n\nI can\u2019t be a distraction. Come on, Rei.\n\nCreeeeak.\n\nWe all turn our heads to identify the source of the sound. Catherine emerges from her room with a sheepish expression. It looks like she just woke up. \u201cSorry.\u201d\n\nClaire gives her a thumbs up and immediately returns to her test.\n\nCatherine slinks her way to the sofa as she tries to straighten out her pajamas. Strange, she\u2019s usually up earlier than this.\n\n\u201cSorry. Didn\u2019t mean to sleep in quite this much.\u201d\n\nMelia doesn\u2019t say anything, but she does put a hand on Catherine\u2019s shoulder. She squeezes softly and Catherine sighs.\n\nAfter Melia returns to her laptop, Catherine looks at me. It\u2019s clear she wants to ask how it\u2019s going but knows better than to break the silence. At least I have some solidarity in anxiousness.\n\nGod, this is agony.", "token_count": 1119}
{"file_id": "35", "body": "\u201cMisha! Francois-san is going to kill me.\u201d\n\nMisha takes a long deep breath and folds her laptop, laying it to the side on her bed. \u201cWhat did you do this time?\u201d\n\n\u201cShe keeps flirting with me! It\u2019s too much!\u201d I don\u2019t know how I made it through the day with all of  the looks, the glances, the very not accidental touches!\n\nMisha looks dumbstruck. Huh, I don\u2019t think I\u2019ve ever seen that before. \u201c...What?\u201d\n\n\u201cWe agreed to take it slow but then she keeps flirting with me and it\u2019s so good and I am GOING to DIE and I need it to stop but I don\u2019t want it to stop when she looks at me with those eyes. Oh God, those eyes, I never understood what it meant when people say it looks like someone\u2019s undressing you with their eyes but then she looks at me and now I understand and I feel like I am going to turn into jelly and melt and turn into dust and scatter into the winds, stardust, I will be stardust and never put back together again!\u201d I need to breathe, dear God. Breathe, Rei!\n\n\u201cOh boy.\u201d\n\n\u201cMiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiisha!\u201d I dramatically collapse on the floor next to her bed.\n\n\u201cI can\u2019t help you. I can\u2019t even tell if you want help.\u201d Why won't she help me?\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s too much! I \u2018m going to OD on Francois-san!\u201d\n\nMisha sighs. \u201cWhat a problem. Look you have to tell her to cool it if that\u2019s what you want, but I can\u2019t tell if you\u2019re complaining or bragging. Grats on your hot girlfriend, I guess.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe aren\u2019t girlfriends yet, and if we were that would mean\u2026 everyone would know if we started dating\u2026\u201d I don\u2019t care if everyone thinks I\u2019m an otaku, but\u2026 \n\n\u201cYou don\u2019t need to go public, but maybe just try it out? I don\u2019t know, if what you said is true, it's also probably an adjustment for her to not be in a relationship with you. Maybe let her have an outlet? Like a date or something.\u201d I swear, it looks like Misha is looking for an escape hatch.\n\n\u201cYou think I should bring her on a date ? But, but, but\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cShe said she was married to you in your past life. I\u2019m sure she\u2019ll be happy with whatever, even if you just watch a movie or something. Yeah, just do that. She\u2019s probably never seen a movie, right?\u201d Misha is eyeing the door.\n\n\u201cMaybeee.\u201d What movie would I even show her? Maybe we should try a game instead? She did say would like to see a game earlier. \u201cSorry, I know I sound insane. I feel like I\u2019m going insane. I\u2019ve been staring at this girl for weeks like an idiot wishing I could do anything to talk to her, and then she just walks up to me and calls me her wife! And now something is happening between us and what if I don\u2019t measure up to her old Rei? What happens when she realizes I\u2019m not who she wants?\u201d\n\n\u201cUmmm\u2026 okay maybe I\u2019ve been a little dismissive. This is\u2026 well, I don\u2019t think something like this has happened, like, ever. It's like a dumb anime\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cThose can be fun.\u201d You don\u2019t have to be a snob about them, Misha.\n\n\u201cWhatever you say\u2026\u201d\n\nI huff. She can be so judgy. Still. \u201cLook, thanks for listening. I\u2019m sorry to dump this all on you, I just feel like I don\u2019t know what I\u2019m doing and she just acts like it\u2019s all normal and she has so much faith in me and I don\u2019t understand why. It\u2019s like, she doesn\u2019t  know me, how could she, but then she says something that makes me feel like she knows me better than anyone else ever has. And it\u2019s only been one day!\u201d\n\n\u201cOkay, let's take a step back. Do you want something to happen between you and her? Do you still like her, now that you\u2019re actually talking to her?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes! I mean yes I do. She\u2019s actually really kind and considerate. I thought that she would\u2026 I don\u2019t know, try to downplay things in front of her old friends but then she stuck up for me and made sure they knew she wasn\u2019t okay with them looking down on me, and I wasn\u2019t really expecting that. It was really cool. And they definitely know something is up now, but she was okay with dealing with that.\u201d\n\n\u201cHmm, yeah that really doesn\u2019t sound like her from what I\u2019ve heard. It\u2019s probably better if she just rips the proverbial band-aid off sooner rather than later. Like, from the rumors I\u2019ve heard, she was kind of a bitch, really keen on climbing the social ladder or whatever. And it doesn\u2019t sound like she acts that way at all now.\u201d Misha shrugs her shoulders.\n\n\u201cI didn\u2019t think you bothered keeping tabs on that kind of stuff.\u201d\n\n\u201cI have my reasons.\u201d Her expression is carefully neutral, but it\u2019s clear she\u2019s hiding something. \u201cI\u2019m sure even people outside of her close circle will notice, but honestly even if it becomes the hot gos for a bit, next week everyone will move on to  something else. Just don\u2019t tell people that it\u2019s because she woke up with new memories. Hell, even telling people that she\u2019s dating you would be a better smokescreen than the truth.\u201d\n\n\u201cNot you too,\u201d I groan.\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t know why you\u2019re complaining when you could just be dating her instead.\u201d\n\nShe opens her laptop and turns away, making it clear that Misha-erapy hour is over. I couldn\u2019t just be dating her, right? Could it really be that simple?\n\nFuck we need an AC.", "token_count": 1220}
{"file_id": "41_1", "body": "Chapter Text\n\nThere are many good things about being young again. I could wax on about many of the reasons, but surely most of those would be related to Rae, in one way or another. She is young again too. One good thing not directly related to Rae though is I have boundless energy again.\n\nI can do anything .\n\nAnd that is perfect because this week has been militant, for us both. I can\u2019t tell which of us is pushing themselves more either. \n\nIt Is quite the challenge before us. But I won\u2019t fail, a Francois never fails.\n\nAfter Mother\u2019s mandate, Rae has doubled her efforts. She has a more structured plan now, Modernize Claire Version two point zero . I adore her antics. We have allowed for the weekends to be more flexible, and to use for extra studying as needed. But I have made sure she understands that we need time to breathe, we can\u2019t burnout. She was reluctant, but we agreed in the end. Weekdays however\u2026 are an entirely different matter.\n\nWe have given ourselves a small time for break after classes, but we reconvene at my place and dive back into the subject matter. The first half of our evenings is directly on the courses. Thankfully, it is making more sense as I dive further in. The nature of \u2018modern\u2019 economics was  bizarre compared to Bauer at first, exceedingly more complex, larger. But I can see the foundations that lie in the logic of what I am familiar with, and many things are more alike than my first fears would have had me believe.\n\nThe more difficult aspect is the latter half of our evenings. The Modernize part of the plan. Rae and Catherine have agreed that the best place to start is with history, and with that, from the start. Catherine has been walking me through western classical history, and Rae has taken eastern. What was not clear at first was the sheer amount of history. Bauer\u2019s records must have been missing huge swaths, and the world felt much, much smaller. Earth has several continents, and most seem larger than Bauer\u2019s.\n\nAnd to account for over five thousand years.\n\nNotwithstanding prehistoric history? \n\nA staggering task to say the least.\n\nBut an excellent subject and suitable challenge. Rae has found a great many videos. Even some in a different language, English is finally the name I learn for it. Apparently it is a very prominent language of this world, both Rae and Catherine can speak it and they were relieved that I also know it fluently. It just had a different name in my previous life. It seems every one of the languages I knew then has some version here. That was odd, but it really befuddled Rae when I explained it.\n\nSo videos, texts, and Wikipedia , oh marvelous wikipedia. A globally shared encyclopedia that is accessible to anyone? Again I balk at how irreverent Rae and Catherine treat it. I can simply just type a subject and it will summon me a page about it?\n\nHow incredible.\n\nThe Giant Otter\u2019s scientific name is Pteronura Brasiliensis , and it is native to South America and can reach up to a body length of 1.8 meters and they are one of the most social of all otter species.\n\nThat might have been a less productive reading on wikipedia, but it was on my own time. I had to look!\n\nRegardless, what a brilliant resource to have. It has made the whole process much more manageable and been an excellent supplement to the whole process. \n\nThe very end of the evenings after all of that has been sequestered to learning to use the internet safely myself. Again they have stressed the importance of such. There has been much insistence that I limit myself to very few internet places. Primarily youtube and Wikipedia, and channels should be vetted by either Rae or Catherine. It\u2019s a bit patronizing, I'm not a child , but I hardly have the time to complain.\n\nIt has been much. But I do feel good about the amount we have accomplished in such a short time, and it has been good to spend so much time with Rae.\n\nIt\u2019s a shame that she leaves every night though.\n\nBut could I honestly keep my hands off of her if she did stay the night? If we shared a bed once more?\n\nWould I even want to try?\n\nIt\u2019s probably for the best, I keep pushing Rae\u2019s boundaries and she is poor at telling me no. Which isn\u2019t surprising, it is Rae afterall. I need to find better ways, small more manageable ways to build her up, make her more comfortable. \n\nRae\u2026 my wife, my soul mate and partner\u2026 she is amazing, and I want to help her to realize that.\n\nBut we will have plenty of time for that in the coming days. And tomorrow we will be meeting Shiko to help her. I can\u2019t lie, I am very excited to meet her for the first time. Rae is a bit worried I will have a poor impression of the event and everything associated with it, but seeing people in costumes, selling their own created artwork and literature just sounds joyful. She worries too much.\n\nTomorrow will be delightful.\n\nHello Rei, I hope you have made it home safely now, thank you again for the day. It\u2019s always a pleasure.\n\nYo, yup, safe in my dorm. \n\nYou still sure you want to go tomorrow.?\n\nOf course, it would be poor of me to not show up after promising that I would. And I want to meet Shiko.\n\nShe can be a lot\n\njust\n\nlike\u2026.\n\nIt will be fine Rei. I am no stranger to interesting people and we are hardly normal ourselves. I am sure she will be fine company, she is your friend after all.\n\nok\n\njust don\u2019t tell her anything about ur memories.\n\nOf course, It won\u2019t be an issue, and it\u2019s not as if I will have to convince her I am not acting like myself either. She doesn\u2019t know me.\n\ncool\n\ntoday was great, and thx for helping us with the event. tomrrw is going to be busy\n\nOf course, I\u2019m expecting it. I hope you have a pleasant sleep Rei, good night and see you in the morning.\n\nyou to, night Claire <3\n\nHow cute.\n\nThe spelling of Rei still looks weird; it's how she spells it now, but it doesn\u2019t quite fit right in my head. It was her name originally before she awoke in Bauer, Rae is just what she went by then. \n\nRae\n\nRei\n\nIt will come with time, I expect.\n\nIt feels a little too early to sleep yet, perhaps I could read another chapter of Dungeon Meshi. It\u2019s starting to get very interesting, I hope they finally make it to the dragon soon. It\u2019s getting harder to pace myself.\n\nAs I consider that thought, my phone rings in my hands, the caller is unknown\u2026 is this one of those scams as Catherine cautioned me of?\n\nI tap the accept, I can just \u2018hang up\u2019 if it\u2019s suspicious right? I still don\u2019t quite understand that phrase.\n\n\u201cHello?\u201d\n\n\u201cClaire?\u201d\n\n\u201cManaria?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, Hi Claire!\u201d\n\n\u201cManaria, it\u2019s late! What are you doing calling at such an hour? How did you get this number?\u201d\n\nShe laughs, \u201cThis is late? Please. Besides, my time is still a bit out of it from the jetlag. And I got your number from Lene.\u201d\n\nJetlag ? \u201cI see, how can I help you?\u201d\n\nShe snorts on the other end, \u201cCome on, we\u2019re cousins, don't\u2019 be so formal. I\u2019m bored and wanted to talk. I have been cooped up for a whole week, and you promised me a day on the town.\u201d\n\n\u201cI suppose\u2026 but it might have to wait at least a day. I have an event I need to help Rae and her friend with tomorrow. Maybe the day after?\u201d\n\n\u201cEvent? What\u2019s that supposed to be?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh\u2026\u201d I hope I don\u2019t butcher this, \u201cIt\u2019s an anime and manga event, and Rae's friend is selling her work at it. It\u2019s here in Tokyo. There are supposed to be people in costume and disguise as well from what Rae said.\u201d\n\n\u201c...Cosplay?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, right, that's what she called it.\u201d\n\n\u201cHuh\u2026 really, an anime con?\u201d\n\n\u201cCon?\u201d\n\n\u201cConvention?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat?\u201d\n\n\u201cNevermind, I think that's what they call it in the west\u2026 really you're going to one of those?\u201d\n\nYou don\u2019t need to sound so judgmental Manaria, \u201cYes, Rae likes it, and we are helping her friend out.\u201d\n\n\u201cHave you even watched any anime?\u201d\n\n\u201cNot\u2026 yet, but I\u2019m reading a manga Rae suggested, and we are playing a game that she said is like anime.\u201d\n\n\u201cHeh, cute , what a nerd.\u201d\n\n\u201cRae says here the phrase is Otaku.\u201d And she\u2019s mine, Manarira.\n\n\u201cSo that\u2019s tomorrow huh\u2026 You said you\u2019ve been reading something your girlfriend suggested?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh yes, it\u2019s called Dungeon Meshi, it is about a group of adventurers trying to save one of their companions from a dragon in a dungeon. It's very interesting and lovely. I was going to read a bit more before you called me in fact.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh\u2026 wait, is it the one with the bath scene? That\u2019s been everywhere online, it's an anime right? There were two girls in a bath, one was an elf, it felt really gay?\u201d\n\nThat\u2019s surprising, I didn\u2019t know it had an anime, or that Manaria would have heard about it.  \u201cI\u2026 I don\u2019t know. I haven\u2019t made it that far if it\u2026 are you talking about Marcille and Falin? Wait, stop, don't ruin any surprises\u2026 Manaria! Oh goodness, Marcille is in love with her isn\u2019t she?\u201d I can\u2019t stop the groan, of course she is\u2026 and of course I didn\u2019t see it unt", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "41_2", "body": "il someone said something. \u201cYou know what an elf is?\u201d\n\n\u201cYah? Everyone\u2019s seen Lord of the Rings Claire.\u201d\n\n\u201cAhh\u2026 of course, everyone\u2019s seen that, right, silly me.\u201d I have to ask Rae later what Lord of the Rings is.\n\nManaria laughs a little, \u201cOf course\u2026hrmm, well I\u2019m dying to know, what happened?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d\n\n\u201cWell for starters you're talking.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2026\u2019ve talked.\u201d\n\n\u201c Sure .\u201d\n\n\u201cI well\u2026?\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd now you have a girlfriend .\u201d\n\nWife , but yes. \u201cYes.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou\u2019ve changed Claire.\u201d\n\n\u201cFor the better I hope.\u201d\n\nManaria laughs again, more sincerely this time, \u201cI think so, hard to say otherwise.\u201d\n\n\u201cHmm\u2026 What did you think of me before, if you don\u2019t mind\u201d Perhaps this question is a bit too dangerous, \u201cI only mean to ask because you have more distance correct? I just was curious what that perspective was like, if that makes sense?\u201d\n\nThere is a brief pause, the silence feels tense. Mayhap I said too much? \u201cHrmm, I don\u2019t know what I would say, you were either really withdrawn, or on the rare occasion, Snippy. \u201d\n\nSnippy? \u201cThat bad?\u201d\n\n\u201cI guess\u2026 honestly I\u2019m surprised we are having a conversation now.\u201d Manaria\u2019s voice sounds very neutral, intentionally so.\n\n\u201cBut you phoned me?\u201d\n\n\u201cWell\u2026 I was bored\u2026 and I wasn\u2019t sure you would want to talk. Even after we bombed your little explicit hot moment Claire.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2026 wasn\u2019t that\u2026\u201d She\u2019s overstating it\u2026\n\n\u201cYou were chewing on her. I saw the bite mark.\u201d I don't have to see her to know the grin she is making.\n\n\u201cI\u2026 Fine, yes. I doubt you can fault me though.\u201d\n\n\u201cShe is cute .\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd mine .\u201d\n\n\u201cYesh, sheesh, I heard the first time Claire. You act like I want to steal her away.\u201d\n\nOh don\u2019t you start me with Manaria\u2026 \u201cAs long as you understand. But yes, I know I\u2019ve changed, I feel better now that I am with her.\u201d\n\n\u201cSo how did that happen?\u201d\n\n\u201cRae?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes.\u201d\n\n\u201cI saw her and knew\u2026 I\u2019m not sure how else to elaborate, I went up and talked to her and we started dating soon after.\u201d\n\n\u201cReally? That\u2019s a bit boring isn\u2019t it?\u201d She sounds a bit let down, it\u2019s not like I could tell her the real story.\n\n\u201cNonsense, it was love at first sight.\u201d\n\n\u201cSuuuuure\u2026\u201d She sounds even more disinterested with this direction.\n\n\u201cCome now, you must have felt that way about someone before, right?\u201d I know you have. She doesn\u2019t answer though. Fine , \u201cWhat happened before you came here, a scandal was mentioned\u2026?\u201d\n\nShe sighs, \u201cJust google it, Sousse family drama.\u201d She sounds incredibly bitter and sullen. I never thought to do that, but\u2026\n\n\u201cI\u2019m asking you Manaria, I\u2019d rather hear what you have say about it than some strangers. Are you okay?\u201d\n\n\u201cI was caught having sex with my maid, Okay. There were pictures, Claire. I\u2019m problematic, Everyone thinks I assaulted her and now I\u2019m disowned and now everyone knows I\u2019m lesbian. It\u2019s fan-fucking-tastic. Thanks for asking.\u201d The veil fully drops and I can finally hear her anger.\n\n\u201cEve?\u201d\n\nThat startles Manaria, \u201cWha-How do you know that?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh\u2026 I just must have heard the name before?\u201d\n\nManaria doesn\u2019t respond.\n\n\u201cI\u2026 I\u2019m sorry, you didn\u2019t deserve that.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m sure you would know. Look, can we not right now? It happened. I\u2019m here. I shouldn\u2019t have and people are right, I abused her and my position. End of story.\u201d \n\nIt\u2019s not your fault Manaria. \u201cI only mean to help Mana-\u201d\n\n\u201cEnd. Of. Story. Claire.\u201d She doesn't offer much space to broker otherwise.\n\n\u201cFine, I\u2019m sorry if I was being too forward.\u201d\n\nShe groans again, \u201cLook you didn't do anything\u2026 maybe later, but not tonight please.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, good, later. I am glad to see you for what it\u2019s worth, Manaria.\u201d\n\n\u201cEven if I walked in on you almost having sex.\u201d The teasing edge is back in her voice, at least it\u2019s better than the self loathing form before.\n\n\u201cIt wasn\u2019t going to\u2026 look we aren\u2019t there\u2026\u201d yet , \u201cAnd yes. Even if you walked in on us in that state It\u2019s good to see you again.\u201d\n\n\u201cThanks, you do seem a lot better now.\u201d There is a bit of sincerity in her voice.\n\n\u201cThank you, I have to thank Rae for that, I think.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou really do like her?\u201d What is she testing for?\n\n\u201cOf course I do, and I will do everything I can to make sure it stays that way.\u201d\n\nThere is a brief silence, hopefully Manarai takes that hint. The less other women chasing after Rae the better. \u201cSooo\u2026 what did your mom have to talk to you about?\u201d\n\nOh hells, \u201cThere was a matter regarding my school work\u2026\u201d How do I even explain this?\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t tell me your grades are tanking because you are too lost in eating up your girl.\u201d\n\nOh, that\u2019s convenient I suppose, \u201cI\u2026 maybe? It\u2019s complicated. Mother wanted to talk about Catherine too, and then she wanted to make sure she didn\u2019t scare off Rae\u2026 It was a good talk, I needed it. It was just a lot, for everyone.\u201d\n\n\u201cHmm, I see. Well I suppose you made out better than me on that front.\u201d She chuckles, wait did she\u2026\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s not a competition.\u201d I would be winning by any metric but that feels hollow with how terrible of a hand Manaria was just dealt.\n\n\u201cSo humble.\u201d It\u2019s hard to not hear the grin again. \u201dEither way, congrats, I hope it goes better for you.\u201d And there is the self loathing.\n\nThere has to be something I can do. \u201cWe can have lunch or dinner on Sunday, how does that sound?\u201d\n\n\u201cSure I will keep my very busy schedule open for you, honestly anything is better than staring at the walls. Just let me know and Lene can drop me off.\u201d\n\n\u201cOf course, I\u2019ll arrange something after tomorrow\u2019s event\u2026 I think I am due to retire for tonight if you don\u2019t mind, it was lovely talking to you.\u201d\n\n\u201cHa, don\u2019t let me hold you up, I\u2019ll cya later Claire, Night.\u201d\n\n\u201cGood night Manaria.\u201d\n\nAnd with that the phone dismisses the call, well that was interesting. There is much I\u2019ll have to get to the bottom of that later I suppose. I hope I can at least offer her more proper advice later. She is being far too harsh on herself, I know she is. Poor Eve, I hope she is managing better than the last time\u2026 Hmm, I can only hope Salas isn\u2019t to blame again. I haven\u2019t had to think of the vile man for a long time\u2026 He really was connected to many terrible plots. And Lilly\u2026 goodness I haven\u2019t seen her yet either. I hope she is doing well\u2026 It\u2019s been a while since I have seen her. I hope we don\u2019t have a repeat of her absolutely infuriating crush with Rae again. That went on for far too long the last time, and I don\u2019t need to live through that again. Mayhaps Yu is acquainted with her too again, but I should be careful with such questions. I don\u2019t want to raise her suspicions.\n\nI\u2019ll need to make sure that\u2019s not a problem here too. In due time Salas, in due time.\n\nFor now, I was going to read more Dungeon Meshi. This is exciting, they are finally going to fight the dragon. \n\n ", "token_count": 1638}
{"file_id": "53", "body": " \n\n\u201cSorry if I came off\u2026 a little concerned.\u201d\n\nWe are sitting at a fast food place and Claire\u2019s been a little quiet since we left to pick up dinner. \n\n\u201cOh\u2026 well I\u2019m kinda dumb like that.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou\u2019re not dumb, I know you just like to focus on one thing.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh.\u201d Well that's putting it nicely\u2026\n\nShe lets out a small breath. \u201cI did really enjoy playing today, I can\u2019t believe we got so caught up and lost track of time like we did.\u201d At least it sounds like she's not trying to let it hang over us.\n\n\u201cWell you were getting close to finishing the palace. And you seemed like you were having fun.\u201d \n\n\u201cI was, I beat Madarame!\u201d She smiles, okay I feel better now. \u201cNext time no more than six hours. We need to at least take a break, goodness I felt so ravenous. But it was satisfying finishing it all today. I see why you like these games so much, I\u2019m sorry you didn\u2019t have them in our life before.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh\u2026 I guess? I\u2019m sure\u2026 I? Had other things to do?\u201d No video games would suck\u2026\n\n\u201cOh we found ways to fill the time.\u201d She's grinning.\n\nShe means me\u2026\n\nI\u2019m going to die at this rate. Death by Claire is not the worst way to go out.\n\n\u201cBut I beat him. Goodness it was too close for a moment, I panicked when Ann fell after Yusuke. If I hadn\u2019t remembered I had those medicines I might have lost \u2026. What would have even happened if that were to occur?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, you reload an old save and try again, well actually the game lets you start at the start of the fight again too.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, I was worried for a moment\u2026 that it might have been worse? That the game ended?\u201d\n\n\u201cIt sort of is a game over? Some people play it that way. The game has a bunch of ways it could end early besides losing a fight too. Like if we never beat Kamoshida in time that would have ended the game.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh\u2026 that makes sense.\u201d Aaaaaa, her thinking face is so cute.\n\n\u201cYah, I think it tells us that the MC, uhhh Joker and Ryuoji get expelled. It\u2019s not a good ending.\u201d\n\n\u201cI see.\u201d She takes another bite of her food, she seems stuck on a new thought. \u201cRei, quite soon is Misaki's anniversary.\u201d\n\nShit. God I have not really wanted to think about it.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s been a few weeks since we were with Shiko and she mentioned it\u2026 and I just wanted to know what you wanted to do?\u201d Her voice is so soft\u2026\n\n\u201cOh\u2026 I think I was going to go home and\u2026 and y\u2019know?\u201d\n\nShe leans over and lays her hand next to mine. \u201cIs it alright if I come?\u201d\n\nI reach my pinky out over one of her fingers. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to come.\u201d\n\n\u201cI never miss it, Rei.\u201d I believe her.\n\n\u201cAre you sure\u2026? It\u2019s not going to be\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cOf course I am, but that\u2019s only if you are okay with it. I know when Shiko mentioned it I said I would come but I wanted to make sure. And you haven\u2019t said anything since then.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh\u2026 yeah sorry.\u201d\n\n\u201cI understand. It's fine silly, I do want to come.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh\u2026 yeah. Okay. Yeah, I was going to jump on a train back home to Chiba, meet up with Shiko and Kosaki then go visit Misaki.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat sounds lovely.\u201d Her hand moves over mine and she holds it over the table. \u201cHow are you feeling?\u201d\n\n\u201cFine?\u201d I apologized and she's happy, did I forget something?\n\n\u201cAbout Misaki.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh\u2026 I, it\u2019s okay.\u201d\n\n\u201cRei, it\u2019s okay if you don\u2019t feel okay about it.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2026 I don\u2019t get it\u2026 like Misaki\u2026 ou... outed me in middle school. Because he was jealous? And then we went to different high schools, and I don\u2019t think I could have been in the same high school but I\u2026 I don\u2019t know. Kosaki had him apologize for it and they told us about him being trans and all that and I guess it makes sense. Like his parents were always shitty to him about it. But I thought it was going okay. Kosaki was with him. I just wanted distance from that. And then he di-\u201d The word dies in my throat, I thought I was holding it together but then it all feels like it comes down at once. My eyes are watering and I\u2019m afraid if I try to speak again my voice will crack.\n\nClaire looks worried, she massages my hand slowly. \u201cIt\u2019s okay Rei, focus on your hand okay?\u201d Her thumb runs up and down the back of it. Her fingers slowly work the palm. Her hand is so soft and gentle.\n\n\u201cDo you want to keep talking about it?\u201d She asks.\n\nBreathe\n\nI try to focus on her hand. \u201cHe died.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019ll be here. I\u2019ll always be here, okay?\u201d\n\nHer hand is so nice.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m sorry\u2026 I\u2019m not great at\u2026 talking about this stuff. I\u2019m sure the other me was\u2026\u201d\n\nHer hand stills, \u201cRei.\u201d It feels like I'm commanded, I\u2019m compelled to look at her. \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d\n\nI\u2019m worse.\n\nI can\u2019t say that, she would hate that.\n\n\u201cI know it's difficult  to talk about yourself.\u201d She resumes running her thumb over my hand. \u201cI\u2019m sorry. It must be harder given everything, I know too much and you don\u2019t. It must be hard to trust me.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo\u2026 I don\u2019t know. It\u2019s weird\u2026 and like I don\u2019t know\u2026 I do trust you\u2026 I know you don\u2019t want to hurt me.\u201d I just don't want to let you down.\n\nShe smiles.\n\n\u201cCan\u2026 can I try to figure it out? Think about it.\u201d\n\n\u201cOf course, always Rei. I\u2019ll always be here for you when you're ready.\u201d\n\nI can do this. For her.\n\n ", "token_count": 1265}
{"file_id": "50_1", "body": "\u201cDungeon Meshi is such a fascinating read. It starts off with a somewhat silly tone and premise but it just keeps spinning into something much more complex and it\u2019s so poignant with it's themes. About abuse, living, surviving . People and their relationship to the world. The characters are all so wonderfully deep and fleshed out. Every character, even the minor ones feel relevant and contribute to the whole of the story. And it manages to be so charming the whole time, it\u2019s never dull, or too dark to not make you laugh and it\u2019s so beautifully illustrated.\u201d \n\nIt\u2019s so nice to enjoy a break with the girls, having snacks and drinks. My regaling of Dungeon Meshi is having mixed results though.\n\nLoretta blinks slowly, she has been listening, but I\u2019m not sure she is really listening . \u201cThat sounds neat Claire-chan.\u201d\n\nPepi groans and pools on the table, \u201cThe Otaku ruined her\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s not that bad\u2026\u201d Loretta says.\n\n\u201cWhatever do you mean?\u201d\n\n\u201cI can\u2019t believe you are talking about an anime . Anime !\u201d\n\n\u201cManga, I haven\u2019t watched the anime version. Rae said we could once I finish.\u201d\n\n\u201cGod that's worse.\u201d Pepi practically exhales the statement.\n\n\u201cI\u2026 it\u2019s an excellent read.\u201d I don\u2019t appreciate her tone.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s otaku stuff!\u201d\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t see the problem.\u201d\n\n\u201cYah, it\u2019s not really that bad. I\u2019ve watched a few Shonen stuff.\u201d See! Loretta doesn\u2019t think it\u2019s so bad!\n\n\u201cAre you kidding me?\u201d Oh, Pepi looks thoroughly repulsed, \u201cThat\u2019s like for stupid teenage boys!\u201d\n\nLoretta blushes, \u201cWhat? It\u2019s not that bad, it\u2019s\u2026 like fun and stuff.\u201d\n\nPepi just makes another face at her, I think she might be reconsidering her attraction at this moment.\n\n\u201cCome now Pepi, fine art is not restricted to a specific medium. And traditional writings are not except from rubbish quality.\u201d\n\n\u201cSure, but anime is like\u2026 you know?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo?\u201d\n\n\u201cAre you for real? You would have never even thought about it before.\u201d She\u2019s not really answering the question.\n\n\u201cOkay, and I would have been wrong. And I would have never read Dungeon Meshi before, which would have been tragic.\"\n\n\u201cIt can't be that good .\u201d What is so hard to believe about this.\n\n\u201cI disagree, it is.\u201d I\u2019ve been talking a lot about it haven't I? I feel parched and could use another sip of my tea. \u201cI can\u2019t speak of the quality of manga, or anime in general. I still have a few volumes left of Dungeon Meshi before I would consider something else after all, but Rae has been quick to say that the medium is full of examples of great and equally atrocious works. If anything, that is the case of all mediums in my experience.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019ve seen bits online, the anime does look funny.\u201d Loretta says.\n\n\u201cCan you stop?\u201d Pepi groans at Loretta\u2019s further perceived exacerbations.\n\n\u201cJeez.\u201d Loretta pouts and looks away.\n\nPepi, treat your wife better than that!\n\n\u201cLook, I\u2019m sure if you gave it a try you might like it too? Why not watch it with Loretta?\u201d\n\nPepi\u2019s eyes quickly narrow at me, I can see she sees my suggestion for what it is. And what are you going to do about it, Pepi?\n\n\u201cLook I\u2019m not watching that fantasy otaku crap, and there is no way Loretta-chan wants to either.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2026 Oh?\u201d Loretta sounds dejected at the rejection. See!?I\n\n\u201cWhat?\u201d\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t know\u2026 I would have if you wanted to if\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cWait? Did you want to watch it?\u201d\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t know\u2026 maybe?\u201d Loretta averts her gaze down and to the side, a little self-conscious. \u201cClaire-chan says it\u2019s good, and it might be fun to watch it together.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy don\u2019t we just watch something else?\u201d It sounds like Pepi is almost pleading with Loretta, this is fascinating to watch.\n\n\u201cGod, if you suggest another drama\u2026 come on! Haven\u2019t you caught me falling asleep to those at least twice now.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2026 those were just slower-\u201d\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t want to watch another drama . I\u2019m not saying I want to watch anime , but I don\u2019t know\u2026 this might be fun. I used to watch some with my brother when we were kids and like\u2026 Come on Claire said it\u2019s good. It\u2019s not like she would say that about anything.\u201d\n\n\u201cShe didn\u2019t ever talk about anything before!\u201d\n\n\u201cYah, well this is better!\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s better that she's talking about anime?\u201d\n\n\u201cGod Pepi, look no one fucking cares here anymore. Like even Claire lightened up! I like this better. Like sure high school sucked; I was never girly enough, Why are you so muscular, you're too tall, are you even wearing makeup? Fuck, I\u2019m sick of that of that shit, and now people here don\u2019t have the same stick up their ass.\u201d\n\n\u201c I like how muscular you are.\u201d Pepi just barely mumbles.\n\n\u201cHuh?\u201d\n\n\u201cNothing, it\u2019s not like you had a monopoly on bull shit. You know how often I got treated as poor? Because Poppa never expanded his business? He could have, but he didn\u2019t want to, he was happy running one location, and it was very successful but that\u2019s not what everyone thought.\u201d\n\n\u201cI know, it sucked.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes!\u201d Pepi seems like she is fighting, but it\u2019s met with no resistance. Loretta is agreeing.\n\n\u201cAnd like\u2026 it\u2019s over.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes Pepi-chan, it\u2019s different now. I wish I did more\u2026 but it\u2019s better now isn't it? I feel better.\u201d\n\n\u201cI think it\u2019s better.\u201d Loretta adds.\n\n\u201cBut\u2026 I don\u2019t know\u2026 I\u2026 everything wasn\u2019t supposed to change this much\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cNot all change is bad.\u201d I sympathize, a lot must have changed. Not even considering my drastic shift.\n\n\u201cYah! I want to watch the anime. Come on Pepi\u2026.\u201d Loretta focuses on Pepi.\n\nPepi swallows, oh there is such a need to reject on her face, but she really doesn\u2019t want to say no to Loretta either.\n\n\u201cJust think, you could watch it together, Pepi-chan.\u201d Just accept it, Pepi.\n\n\u201cUgh, fine , we can watch one episode tonight, but if it sucks I\u2019m not watching another.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s not fair, you made me watch so many stupid dramas, I can\u2019t even remember their names.\u201d\n\n\u201cOne\u201d Pepie repeats.\n\n\u201cI don't think you even liked half of them! The guys are always so dull.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt wasn\u2019t about liking the guys. We had to know what people were talking about Loretta!\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019d rather know what Claire is talking about.\u201d Loretta huffs in annoyance. \n\n\u201cAawww, Loretta.\u201d That\u2019s so sweet of her. That, however, causes her to blush fiercely. Oh, right . She fidgets with arm as it washes over her. \n\n\u201c Are you fucking serious .\u201d Pepi mumbles under her breath, apologies Pepi. She exhales, \u201cWe start with one.\u201d\n\nLoretta cools down a bit and eyes Pepi, \u201cFine, but if you like it we will watch more.\u201d\n\n\u201c If \u201d\n\nLoretta pumps her fist in victory, \u201cWe watch it tonight then.\u201d\n\nPepi groans, \u201cOnly if you buy me good snacks. I want ice cream. H\u00e4agen-Dazs \u201d\n\nLoretta shrugs, \u201cSure. It\u2019s a date.\u201d\n\n\u201cRight\u2026\u201d There is the barest blush on Pepi, you should just ask her already.\n\n\u201cYou okay there Pepi.\u201d See , you haven\u2019t even been subtle about it recently, even Loretta is noticing it.\n\n\u201cClaire-chan, so what\u2019s going on with you and that otaku anyways\u2026 she said you went on a date. You aren\u2019t really\u2026\u201d Pepi is attempting to steer the conversation away from herself.\n\n\u201cYeah\u2026\u201d And of course it works on Loretta.\n\nOh well , \u201cDating you mean?\u201d \n\n\u201cYah?\u201d\n\n\u201cBetween just us, yes, it's really happening. Nothing has changed. She doesn\u2019t want to be out about it yet.\u201d\n\n\u201cHmm, okay.\u201d Pepi is rolling the idea around in her head. She\u2019s not particularly fond of it.\n\n\u201cSo, you\u2019re actually dating her?\u201d Loretta asks, she sounds a little dejected, but whatever edge there was directed at Rae before seems to have dulled significantly. \u201cIt\u2019s weird.\u201d\n\n\u201cYah.\u201d Pepi echoes, eager to be aligned with Loretta again.\n\n\u201cShe\u2019s\u2026 polite I guess.\u201d Loretta seems to struggle to say a nice thing about her.\n\n\u201cShe\u2019s cute.\u201d Oh, that sounded too much like a correction. \u201cShe is polite too, more than she needs to be honestly. It\u2019s fun when she lets herself be silly.\u201d\n\n\u201cEven if you wanted to date a girl, like couldn\u2019t you have\u2026 picked someone with more\u2026\u201d Pepi won't let it go.\n\n\u201cI didn\u2019t want to date a girl, I wanted to date Rae . I honestly can\u2019t even imagine dating anyone else.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell you seem happy now at least.\u201d Loretta concedes, and takes a big gulp from her drink.\n\n\u201cYes, thank you Loretta\u201d\n\n\u201c Kiss ass. \u201d Pepi mumbles, this time Loretta does catch it and glares at her. So Pepi just sticks her tongue out.\n\nI need to do something. \u201cHave you two thought of dating?\u201d\n\nThat causes Pepi to start a coughing fit.\n\n", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "50_2", "body": "Loretta pays it little mind though. \u201cHrmm, I don\u2019t know Claire-chan. Guys seem\u2026 whatever around here. And it\u2019s not like any guys were asking me out before.\u201d She shrugs. Hrmm, it really does not seem as if Loretta has even considered it.\n\nPepi has though. I can\u2019t help but grin as I turn back to her. Oh she is frustrated with me. This is for your own good. \u201cAnd what of you Pepi-chan? No prospects for yourself?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo.\u201d Pepi says through gritted teeth.\n\n\u201cReally?\u201d Loretta says.\n\n\u201cI know , and she\u2019s so pretty isn\u2019t she?\u201d\n\n\u201cClaire\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cYah I thought people would have been lining up to at least ask you since we got here. I don\u2019t know\u2026 you're not like me\u2026\u201d Loretta is being too dismissive of herself.\n\n\u201cNonsense Loretta, you are very handsome. I\u2019m sure Pepi would agree-\u201d\n\nTHUNK\n\nOh heavens, that stings. I probably earned that. Only slightly . I\u2019m quite sure even Loretta heard that kick. Pepi shows no shame.\n\n\u201cUhhh, did you\u2026? Are you okay Claire-chan?\u201d\n\nI have to inhale through my teeth for a moment. \u201cOh must have slipped, it rather smarts but I will persevere.\u201d Loretta still looks concerned even with my assuages, and Pepi is just short of pouting. Oh my shin feels raw from that strike. \u201c You do think Pepi-chan is pretty, don't you Loretta-chan?\u201d I already bring my legs in tighter to fend off a second blow.\n\nLoretta turns back to Pepi and decides to take in her appearance. Showing a focus she usually only uses for physical activities. Pepi freezes, like an animal exposed to lantern light.\n\n\u201cYah. She is pretty, even by pretty standards. Not as-\u201d\n\n\u201cYou are so correct.\u201d That was a close call, I had to stop her from sticking her foot in her mouth. Your wife does not need to hear that I'm pretty. \u201cI think anyone would be lucky if they were to date someone like her. Isn\u2019t that right?\u201d\n\n\u201cYah, honestly I don\u2019t get why you haven\u2019t. Didn\u2019t some guy ask you out last week?\u201d\n\nPepi finally recovers, and rolls her eyes. \u201cUgh, I was not going to date him .\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2026 don\u2019t know. All guys seem kinda\u2026 meh to me. I thought maybe he was-\u201d\n\n\u201cHe wasn't. And I don\u2019t know if I want to be dating any guys right now.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell maybe no guys per say, but how-\u201d\n\nI\u2019m ready for it this time, I pull my legs away, just feeling the air rush past and I dodge Pepi\u2019s kick this time. \n\n\u201cHuh? What\u2019s going on.\u201d\n\n\u201cNOTHING!\u201d Pepi, you are only looking more suspicious. \n\n\u201cWhatever do you mean?\u201d\n\nLoretta slows blinks. Twice. Thrice. \u201cOkay?\u201d\n\n\u201cI think you should consider what type of person you would like to date Loretta. That might make it easier to find them. Try envisioning them.\u201d\n\nPepi is glaring at me.\n\n\u201cHrmm, I don\u2019t know\u2026 I can\u2019t really think of a guy I think would look good\u2026\u201d\n\nSee Pepi?\n\n\u201cWhat about personality? What sort of character would you like?\u201d\n\nLoretta ponders. She really has not considered it has she. \u201cI don\u2019t know? Someone\u2026 huh... maybe\u2026 someone that is kind, even if they can seem a bit prickly. I want them to be loyal. I don't know, I would have to know them well I think\u201d\n\nI take another glance at Pepi and she has turned her sight downwards, a little difficult to read.\n\n\u201cThose sound like good qualities. Think on it some more, I\u2019m sure someone will become obvious as you think about it.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2026 guess. How about you, Pepi-chan? What are you looking for?\u201d Loretta spends little energy thinking deeply on the matter before directing the question back to Pepi.\n\nPepi fidgets, \u201cI\u2026 maybe someone muscular.\u201d She looks up back to Loretta. Is she testing the waters?\n\nGood.\n\nLoretta nods. \u201cMakes sense.\u201d Loretta .\n\n\u201cI wouldn't mind if they were a bit dense, as long as they try to make up for it.\u201d\n\n\u201cGod, I know what you mean. Things just seem to fly over my head, but I try to make sure I'm on the same page with everyone.\u201d\n\nAnd there, I can see the little hope Pepi had, leave her body as she sighs heavily, and once again she pools on the table.\n\n\u201c I\u2019m doomed .\u201d She mumbles with her face pressed to the table.\n\nLittle steps, we will get there .\n\n\u201cOooh, having some girl talk are we?\u201d A soft, but slightly baritone voice sounds off to the side.\n\nOh, it\u2019s Yu. I\u2019m really not used to this voice.\n\n\u201cYu-san, how nice to see you. What brings you over?\u201d I\u2019ve had so few opportunities to see her since the party.\n\nHer brow raises high and she dons a smile like a mask. \u201cOh you know, just around. Saw you three and thought I might say hello. Thank you very much Claire-chan.\u201d Something tells me she doesn't really trust me, and I can\u2019t fault her from what I gathered.\n\n\u201cHow have your classes been? You are welcome to join our girl talk.\u201d I wave to one of the seats at the table, \u201cFeel free to have some snacks we brought, we have potato chips. They're delightful.\u201d So crisp.\n\nYu glances at the spread, she considers it. She's always been cautious and that hasn\u2019t changed. \u201cWell if you don\u2019t mind me intruding on you girls, I think I would enjoy that.\u201d She smiles and pulls a seat for herself.\n\nLoretta and Pepi both look a bit unsure.\n\n\u201cSo what were you gossiping about?\u201d Yu takes a chip and grins, she always enjoyed gossip.\n\n\u201cUnfortunately not quite gossip. I was telling the girls how good Dungeon Meshi is.\u201d\n\n\u201cClaire-chan!\u201d Pepi is just shy of shouting.\n\n\u201cYu-san is fine. Really, and well right before you arrived we might have talked a bit about romance.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh.\u201d Yu savors a second chip. \u201cRomance is an interesting topic for you now isn\u2019t it? So what exactly is going on between you and Rae-chan? Hmm?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh I\u2019m sure you figured it out. You are quite clever.\u201d\n\n\u201cThank you, but honestly I\u2019m still trying to figure out a fair bit of it. Like the why ?\u201d\n\n\u201cRae, is your friend right? You\u2019ve known each since highschool?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes. Maybe not as close as Misha is, but yes.\u201d She could have elaborated more.\n\n\u201cWell I like her, I mean it genuinely.\u201d\n\nYu leans back, inscrutable as she tends to be. \u201cHrmmm, so what was that with Thane then?\u201d\n\nI need to give a truthful answer, or she will just suspect something is amiss. \u201cI think I was making a poor choice, and I didn\u2019t really think through my feelings or Thane-san feelings very well if I am being honest. I\u2019m glad I realized it and stopped before I did something that would have hurt him.\u201d\n\nYu nods along, a contemplative mask wielded. \u201cAnd Rae is different?\u201d\n\n\u201cVery, I love her.\u201d\n\nI can see Pepi gag from the corner of my eye. Have some dignity.\n\nYu at least finds it funny and chuckles. \u201cWell, color me surprised.\u201d She grins and pops another chip into her mouth.\n\n\u201cWhat of yourself Yu-san? Are there any prospects? I couldn't help but notice you were with Misha-chan when we saw each other last.\u201d \n\nThat causes her to squirm, a rare treat. \u201cAnd what about her?\u201d\n\n\u201cYou tell me.\u201d It\u2019s my turn to grin.\n\nShe doesn\u2019t like that, she knows I know about Misha. \u201c Fucking Rae \u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cHaha, hardly. I can just be observant too Yu-chan.\u201d\n\nShe quirks her brow, I guess she must be skeptical. \u201cNothing\u2019s going on.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut\u2026?\u201d\n\n\u201cNothing.\u201d That was curt.\n\n\u201cWhy not?\u201d\n\n\u201cBecause there is nothing going.\u201d Oh that is a stained smile. Misha was also very hesitant to really say one way or another on this topic too. Even after I explained what I knew.\n\n\u201cFine, could I offer an opinion?\u201d\n\n\u201cYou could certainly try.\u201d She smirks.\n\n\u201cI think it\u2019s a good match.\u201d\n\nShe sighs, but doesn\u2019t really offer much of a rebuttal to the point. Instead she diverts. \u201cI have a question for you if you don\u2019t mind. All of you.\u201d\n\n\u201cHuh?\u201d Loretta snaps away from her phone, when had she pulled that out? Pepi looks a bit wary.\n\n\u201cOf course, what is it?\u201d\n\n\u201cForgive me for being blunt but I\u2019m curious how you all became acquainted. Pepi-chan and Loretta-chan, you don\u2019t exactly punch in the same weight class as someone like Claire-chan here. Pepi, your family runs and owns a successful grocery super store. And Loretta-chan, your\u2019s runs an old and well established martial arts school. Not unimpressive so to say, but hardly in the realm of an heiress of Francois .\u201d\n\nThat remark strikes hard on their morale.\n\n\u201cYu-san, that\u2019s hardly appropriate.\u201d\n\nBoth of them still look shamed. I\u2026 we were all nobles before, and true I was elevated above them but the way Yu implied it. It was as is\u2026", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "50_3", "body": " I don\u2019t really know anything about their current lives, do I?\n\n\u201cApologies, I was just curious what brought you together. I don\u2019t consider it a bad thing, just you never really struck me before as the sort.\u201d She doesn't seem intent on abandoning the topic.\n\nI\u2026 how did I become friends with them here? I know how it happened in Bauer\u2026 but I didn\u2019t meet either of them till just a few years ago from what I have gathered. What can I say?\n\n\u201cI\u2026 met them in highschool\u2026?\u201d Curses why did I sound like I was asking.\n\nPepi looks confused, of course she would be. I\u2019m supposed to know this. She wants to ask, but instead she turns back to Yu. \u201cYes, we met in highschool. We were in the same class. Claire didn\u2019t really like most of the other kids but she could stand us at least.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh how altruistic of her.\u201d\n\n\u201cHey!\u201d Loretta snaps at Yu\u2019s comment. \u201cShe looked out for us. You weren\u2019t at that shit school.\u201d\n\nYu raises her hands, trying to look appeasing. \u201cAll right, all right. Forgive me.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s fine, really. I understand, I haven\u2019t always been the best person to be around. Trust me I know that.\u201d Please girls, there is no need to snap at Yu.\n\n\u201cHey, it wasn't that bad.\u201d Oh Loretta, weren\u2019t you saying how much more enjoyable I am to be around now. You're not at fault for that Claire . I\u2019ll just make it better.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s fine Loretta.\u201d She still looks hesitant, she\u2019s being very protective. \u201cNone of us are perfect, and I certainly wasn\u2019t. \n\n\u201cSo you\u2019re all friends then?\u201d Yu serves one more question.\n\nThat should be obvious.\n\n\u201cWell-\u201d\n\n\u201cShe\u2019s-\u201d\n\n\u201cYes.\u201d I say, stopping from Pepi and Loretta, I know they were going to say something dismissive. We serve Lady Claire. We are beneath her. It was the same tone. \u201cYou are my friends, and I don\u2019t want that to change.\u201d\n\nLoretta looks overwhelmed with emotion.\n\nPepi looks more discerning, she\u2019s puzzling something. That\u2019s more worrying.\n\n\u201cYou\u2019re quite the merry bunch.\u201d Another cool remark from Yu.\n\n\u201cAnd I enjoy talking to you as well, Yu-san.\u201d I mean it.\n\nThere is a smile, genuine. I think she believes me, but unsurprisingly she finds sincerity hard to return. \u201cTouch\u00e9.\u201d She smirks and eats another chip.\n\n\u201cWhat have you been up to, Yu-san?\u201d\n\nShe glances to the side, and looks a little bored with the question. \u201cWell classes are dreadfully boring, aside from that I suppose I\u2019m just keeping tabs on everything. Never hurts to know what\u2019s going around.\u201d\n\n\u201cEver the girl for gossip.\u201d\n\nYu looks at me oddly\u2026 shite , I just said- \u201c Well if only \u2026 anyways I think I\u2019ve taken up enough of your time, and your chips.\u201d Curses, she sounds a bit terse and she pushes herself up. Her mask is back in full and she hides behind a false smile. \u201cIt was a pleasure, Claire-san and friends . Thank you and till next time.\u201d\n\nLorette and Pepi say a goodbye, one couched out of politeness.\n\n\u201cIt was a pleasure Yu-san, if you don\u2019t mind we should meet up again when we have time. We could do something with Misha-chan and Rae-chan.\u201d\n\nShe considers, \u201cThat sounds like it would be delightful.\u201d She nods and then takes her leave.\n\n\u201cWhat\u2019s up with him?\u201d Loretta says once Yu disappears from view.\n\n\u201cGuys always get so touchy whenever you make any feminine suggestion.\u201d Pepi remarks.\n\n\u201cI\u2026\u201d That was a stupid slip up. \u201cI didn\u2019t mean to upset him .\u201d\n\n\u201cEhh, he\u2019d probably be cuter as a girl.\u201d Loretta remarks and takes a sip from her drink. It sounds empty and she pouts. \u201cDamn\u2026 you know what. I need a walk anyways. You want a drink? I\u2019m going to go get another.\u201d\n\n\u201cNah.\u201d\n\n\u201cThank you, but I\u2019m fine.\u201d\n\nLoretta pops up quickly and makes her way to the nearby convenience store. Pepi is eying me.\n\n\u201cYu-chan?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh\u2026 did I?\u201d Did I? Curses, why can't I sound nonchalant ?\n\n\u201cYou know you\u2019re just making me more suspicious right?\u201d\n\nI groan, \u201cFine, yes. It was a slip of the tongue.\u201d\n\n\u201cTwice.\u201d\n\nI don\u2019t appreciate where this is going.\n\n\u201cAnd when he asked about us\u2026 Claire-chan\u2026 how did we meet?\u201d Her eyes are trying to bore into me.\n\nOh hells . \u201cIn highschool.\u201d School yourself Claire. Simple statements. No pauses or hesitations.\n\nPepi narrows her eyes. \u201cYou know that's not what I am asking.\u201d\n\n\u201cDoes it matter the specifics?\u201d\n\nShe flinches at the edge in my voice. I immediately feel bad, but she recovers quickly. She swallows. \u201cYou don\u2019t know.\u201d\n\nShe said it. She's figured it out.\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t.\u201d\n\nHer eyes go wide. That wasn't supposed to be correct. \u201cWhat? How?\u201d\n\n\u201cIt's rather hard to believe or explain.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat the fuck are you talking about? You can\u2019t be serious? You forgot? Are you just a different person? Is this that Otaku\u2019s fault?\u201d\n\n\u201cHer name is Rae.\u201d\n\nThat causes her to shrink a bit again, is that fear? That's wrong.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m sorry, and it\u2019s not her fault.\u201d\n\nPepi lips flap silently, for a moment, \u201cYou need to tell me something Claire-chan.\u201d\n\n\u201cCan I trust you won't tell anyone?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat do you mean?... Is something bad going to\u2026 you\u2019re worrying me now.\u201d There is a faint amount of panic building up in her.\n\n\u201cNothing bad is going to happen, but this is\u2026 I can\u2019t let many people know. I want to tell you, I trust you but I need you to know what I say is in all seriousness and must stay between us.\u201d\n\nShe looks hesitant, worried, maybe even scared.\n\n\u201cI promise, it\u2019s just peculiar, not bad.\u201d\n\nShe sighs. \u201cFine, I need to know what the fuck is going on with you.\u201d\n\n\u201cLanguage.\u201d I have to shake my head, \u201cFine, I don\u2019t have memories from this life anymore. I have memories from a different life.\u201d\n\nShe's silent for what seems to be nearly half a minute. \u201cThat\u2019s not funny.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s not.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou can\u2019t be serious, what the fuck does that mean?\u201d\n\n\u201c Language , please. It\u2019s what I said. I lived a life in a different world. We were all there, you, Loretta, even Yu\u2026san. And of course Rae.\u201d\n\n\u201cA different world?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes.\u201d\n\n\u201cClaire you have to tell fu-\u201d\n\n\u201cI am not fucking with you.\u201d I let out a deep breath. Goodness. \u201cYou are the fifth person I have told. Rae knows. Catherine knows. Misha knows. Mother knows. And now you know.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat am I supposed to do about this? Can we fix this?\u201d She's grasping for something.\n\n\u201cDo? Nothing. What is there to fix? From all accounts that I have pierced together I seemed barely awake, I wasn\u2019t there.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou\u2026 it wasn\u2019t\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cPepi, please tell me the truth.\u201d\n\n\u201cLook it wasn\u2019t always\u2026 sometimes you would be\u2026\u201d Her eyes dart back and forth, as if she is trying to replay all her memories. \u201cYou\u2026 were very hard to read. I thought you were distant at first but I guess you were just\u2026 depressed \u2026 You didn\u2019t really talk to people much. You would do what was needed in classes, and sometimes you would put people in their place. But you helped us?\u201d\n\n\u201cI think that\u2019s because you are my friends.\u201d\n\nShe looks quite unsure about everything, her eyes glisten faintly.\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t know what was going on. I think I was not there, or just barely. But it came back, all of it, when I saw Rae that day, and I don\u2019t remember anything from this life.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat\u2019s so special about her?\u201d\n\n\u201cShe\u2019s my wife.\u201d\n\nPepi chokes, \u201cWhat?\u201d\n\n\u201cI said I love her, didn't I? We married. We had two daughters.\u201d\n\nPepi is stunned.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m sorry, this is a lot to take in.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2026\u201d She's at a complete loss.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m sorry for not telling you\u2026 I was still trying to figure out everything.\u201d\n\nShe takes a long breath and stares at the table. \u201cThis is just what it is now?\u201d\n\n\u201cI know I\u2019m not the Claire you knew, and I know you two cared for her. But I do care for you two immensely.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2026 I don\u2019t know what to make of this\u2026 So you're\u2026 like okay with this? This is fine?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, truthfully. It\u2019s been a lot to learn, but I have enjoyed every moment of it. And I\u2019m so glad that I still have you in my life.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat was it like\u2026 we were\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cFriends of course. We first met much younger. Early in school. The two of you were learning music and I stopped some crass classmates from belittling Loretta for her inexperience. We were always close, and when we all matured, our friendship really flourished. I\u2019m glad to have been there for you two. It's not often I get to be the maid of honor for two people at one wedding.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat?\u201d She stutters. Oh, I hadn\u2019t meant to reveal that yet. \u201cNo. Nononono, you can\u2019t be serious!\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2026 yes. I suppose it\u2019s pointless to deny it", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "50_4", "body": " at this point.\u201d\n\n\u201cLoretta? What! That's how you knew?\u201d She\u2019s doing all she can to not shout.\n\nI can\u2019t help but sigh, \u201cYes, honestly it took me far too long to realize what was going on between you two. I only caught on when I caught you two in the act.\u201d\n\n\u201cwE weRe HavINg sEx!\u201d She\u2019s beaming very brightly and barely coherent.\n\n\u201cHeavens no\u2026 I only meant you were in the midst of kissing very passionately\u2026 I have never caught you two in that act.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut we\u2019re both girls\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201c And? I married a woman.\u201d It's hardly that complicated. \n\n\u201cLook that\u2019s\u2026 that can\u2019t happen?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy not? You want it to happen.\u201d I know I'm right.\n\nShe swallows.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s not a bad thing, in fact it is a very good thing.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut Loretta is\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cLoretta has no clue, because she is Loretta . You tell her and it will click in.\u201d\n\n\u201cI have to tELl her?\u201d\n\n\u201cOf course, that or wait till you both boil over and one of you snaps.\u201d\n\n\u201cIs\u2026 did that happen? Wait did I\u2026 what did I do?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo more spoiling. I\u2019m not tampering with this anymore than I already have.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh bullshit! Like I couldn\u2019t see you trying to play matchmaker.\u201d\n\n\u201cMatchmaker?\u201d\n\nWe both turn, and Loretta is there with a new drink in hand. A sports drink I think?\n\nPepi is staring at Loretta, and she is slowly turning oh very flush. This is a bit fun, I wish I had got to enjoy this awkward romance before too. A second chance is fine too.\n\n\u201cOh, just something about\u2026 Yu-san. It\u2019s not important.\u201d Loretta shrugs. Excellent, she doesn\u2019t suspect a thing. Hardly a major achievement, but still, a victory is a victory.\n\n\u201cYou okay Pepi?\u201d\n\n\u201cCompletely.\u201d Pepi says through her teeth.\n\nLoretta takes her seat again, and Pepi does everything to not look at Loretta. \n\n\u201cPepi\u2026 I know it\u2019s a lot, but don\u2019t worry too much okay? We can talk more about it later.\u201d\n\nHer blush starts to die down, she looks more collected now. Accepting. \u201cOkay, fine.\u201d She at least gives me a smile, and I return it.\n\n\u201cHuh? Wait, are you trying to get together with Yu-san?\u201d\n\nPepi\u2019s face twist into a grimace from that comment and she turns to Loretta, \u201cGod you're so fucking thick.\u201d\n\nPoor Loretta looks confused. Still, it\u2019s not as if Loretta was too scared to make the first move.\n\n ", "token_count": 576}
{"file_id": "70", "body": " Woah , that was amazing. I feel like I\u2019m still trying to catch my breath. And so is Claire. I can feel how happy she is . Wow, that was amazing. I can\u2019t believe it. She\u2019s lying next to me on the sofa. Naked. We just had sex. \n\nAmazing sex.\n\nThe door creaks, and there is a gasp.\n\n\u201cOn the sofa? MY SOFA! What did I say? I asked for ONE THING! Really? Fuuuuuuck! That\u2019s it! We are getting a place with our own PRIVATE rooms. Oh my god, please put on some clothes. Why the SOFA? I SIT THERE!\u201d Catherine is just shy of shrieking. Oh god I want to die . She has trouble looking at us, I mean I'm also having trouble looking at her. Claire looks nonplussed. How? \u201cSeriously, this is not happening again! MY SOFA. MINE! No sex! We are looking for an apartment the minute you put on clothes. God!\u201d Catherine backs out of the room and slams the door shut.\n\nClaire chuckles.\n\nFuck.\n\nNow that I\u2019ve cooled off a bit it\u2019s easy to notice what a mess we\u2019ve made. Our bras and panties are flung wherever and the rest of our clothes are pooled on the floor.\n\nGod, this was embarrassing.\n\n\u201cThe first time is mortifying,\u201d Claire remarks. \u201cI suppose it was a poor choice to use the sofa. It\u2026just\u2026 happened . I\u2019ll apologize.\u201d\n\nI can\u2019t help but groan. Claire laughs and then nestles me into her boobs. Boobs\u2026 Woah, hey\u2026 wow that\u2019s\u2026 what was I worried about?\n\n\u201cYou okay there, Rei?\u201d\n\n\u201c Mhmhmhm .\u201d\n\nThey're so soft\u2026\n\n\u201cA large apartment doesn't sound so bad.\u201d\n\n\u201c Mhmhm .\u201d\n\n\u201cIt would give us more privacy, and separate bedrooms. \u201d She grins and raises an eyebrow. We could have a room for sex? Oh. My. God. \u201cWe wouldn\u2019t always be in Catherine\u2019s way. Maybe a better kitchen, too\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201c Mhhm .\u201d\n\n\u201cWould you want to join me, Rei?\u201d\n\n\u201c Mmm - wait what?\u201d Huh?\n\nI pull myself away from the warm, safe breasts. Claire looks a little shy.\n\nShe\u2019s being serious.\n\n\u201cYou want me to move in with you?\u201d\n\nShe nods. \u201cI understand if it\u2019s a lot to consider\u2026\u201d\n\nIt is a lot,right? That would be moving kinda fast, which is a little scary.\n\nBut I want to.\n\nI really want to.\n\nIt feels right.\n\n\u201cLet\u2019s do it!\u201d\n\nClaire looks surprised. I\u2019m surprised at myself .\n\n\u201cAre you sure?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes! God, I know it sounds insane, and maybe I\u2019m still floating on cloud nine.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou can wait. Think about it.\u201d She\u2019s always so patient with me.\n\nBut\u2026 \n\n\u201cNo\u2026 I want this.\u201d I do. Fuck, I really do.\n\nShe smiles.\n\n\u201cI really do. I know it might be hard and things might not always go great. I might mess up.\u201d\n\n\u201cI might mess up too, Rei,\u201d Claire says softly.\n\n\u201cBut we\u2019ll be there for each other, right? I want to do this. Make it work. Now and the next time.\u201d\n\nShe looks like she might cry\u2014no she actually is crying. A tear rolls down her face. She places a hand on my cheek and pulls me in for a soft kiss. \n\n\u201cTogether,\u201d she says once she pulls back.\n\nI\u2019m grinning. \u201cAlways.\u201d\n\nBANG! BANG!\n\n\u201cYOU DEVIANTS BETTER HAVE YOUR BARE ASSES OFF OF MY SOFA!!\u201d\n\nClaire sighs. \u201cI really need to apologize to her.\u201d\n\n\n\n", "token_count": 777}
{"file_id": "2_1", "body": "I blink.\n\nI\u2019m not sure where I am. This certainly doesn\u2019t look like where I was before. Where was I exactly, before ? With Rae, right? The girls were there too.\n\nI remember being so very tired.\n\nBut I\u2019m not tired anymore. If anything I feel amazing, revitalized.\n\nIs this a classroom? It\u2019s not like the academy, but the atmosphere feels similar. The desks are wrong\u2014everything looks way shinier and slick. There are many young people, books in hand, some writing notes, even a board with notes scribbled on it. The attire is odd and foreign. Am I in another country? They all seem to be caught up in their own business. Some are sitting with books open, some are in coverstations. Some hold strange flat objects in their hands with glowing surfaces. Magic? It\u2019s hard to tell. Regardless, no one seems to be paying me any heed.\n\nExcept for one person.\n\nI notice her looking at me from across the classroom and feel a shock of instant recognition. It\u2019s Rae. We make eye contact and I can\u2019t help but smile at seeing her cute, familiar face. Strangely, she blushes bright red and immediately turns away. That is\u2026 odd to say the least. Rae is normally not one to shy away, especially from me. It\u2019s almost innocent. She is also dressed differently in this new setting, though unsurprisingly she is wearing something more masculine\u2014pants and a big sweater. It\u2019s handsome and a little cute, and it really suits her.\n\nShe surely knows what is going on, right? She is still so caught up in avoiding eye contact that she hardly notices me walking right up to her.\n\n\u201cRae\u2026\u201d I can\u2019t keep the playful tease out of my tone. Even after all these years together, her name is still a joy to say.\n\nShe jumps in her seat and fumbles. \u201cI wasn't staring!\u201d She is still bright red and panicking. Why?\n\n\u201cWhat\u2019s wrong? I don\u2019t mind if you stare. What\u2019s going on?\u201d\n\nRae blanks and just stares at me. I can see the gears spinning in her head, \u201cWhat?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat? You act as though it is a crime to stare at your wife.\u201d I can\u2019t help but give a good chuckle, the way she likes it. It\u2019s silly, but I always feel proud of how it elicits such a reaction from her.\n\nAnd this time it elicits quite the reaction indeed. I did not think Rae could turn more red. Her lips flap wordless before she finally croaks, \u201cWife?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes. Wife . Rae, are you okay? What is going on, why are you acting like this?\u201d I keep my voice level, though I can feel my heart thud in my chest. She looks worried. Something is off. What is going on?\n\nShe takes a survey of the surrounding area as if to ensure a secret won't be spilled. \u201cWhat are you talking about? We\u2019ve never talked before today.\u201d Her voice is hushed and very frazzled.\n\n\u201cYou\u2019re Rae Taylor.\u201d What is going on?\n\nShe looks a bit uncomfortable and her brow furrows. \u201cMy name is Oohashi, Oohashi Rei. Who is Rei Taylor?\u201d\n\nOohashi. That\u2019s\u2026\n\n\u201cRae, where are we?\u201d I glance at our surroundings again. I should be able to at least recognize some elements, right? Even if this isn\u2019t Bauer. Why is nothing familiar? \n\n\u201c...Tokyo University?\u201d Rae answers, confused. Tokyo? \u201cIt\u2019s not Rei, it\u2019s Ooh-\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd where is that?\u201d I feel like I already know what she is going to say.\n\n\u201cWhere is what? We\u2019re in Tokyo, right? In Japan? Are you okay, Francois-san?\u201d She looks concerned.\n\nFrancois-san ? \u201cOh no, we are not doing this again, Rae. It took forever to beat \u2018Claire-sama\u2019 out of you. We are not regressing to Francois-san. It\u2019s Claire, just Claire.\u201d I snap.\n\nShe looks confused but blushes and feebly nods her head without arguing.\n\nJapan? \u201cRae, this is where you grew up. This is where you\u2019re from.\u201d Did I\u2026?\n\n\u201cUmmmm, what are you talking about?\u201d Does she really not remember anything?\n\nIs it just me who remembers? This is Rae\u2019s old life, Rei Oohashi. From before she met me in Bauer. \u201cYou don\u2019t know me\u2026?\u201d I\u2019m starting to understand. It\u2019s just me. I am the stranger here. Our history is gone. The realization constricts my heart like a vice.\n\nRae bounces through a rapid array of emotions, concern and confusion painting her face. \u201cWell ummm, we\u2019re classmates, I guess? You\u2019re \u2026 Francios Claire. I don\u2019t know what\u2019s going on, but if this is a joke or something\u2026.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo! It\u2019s not a joke. I would never do that to you.\u201d I swallow. This is what Rae went through, right? She was a lost soul, reincarnated into Bauer from a previous life. I must have done the same thing and now I am in her old life. \n\nI didn\u2019t notice how young she looks until now; how the years have been erased. My memory of the past feels fuzzy,  but by the end I don\u2019t  think we were young anymore. Our girls looked older than she does here. \n\nWhat did she call that thing that happened to her? \u201cOkay, Rae this is going to sound odd, but you told me before that you ikasaid? Is that the word? Ikusaid?\u201d\n\nRae blinks, slowly. \u201cIsekai?\u201d The disbelief in her tone is very audible.\n\n\u201cYes! That! You said you isekaid into my world before, and I think I have just done the same thing into this world.\u201d This has to help her understand. Please believe me, Rae.\n\nRae blinks again, and then grimaces. \u201cLook, I don\u2019t know what joke you\u2019re trying to pull on me but\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cIt is not a joke, Rae!\u201d I reach for her hand and hold it.\n\nHer blush lights up her entire face again. She almost looks like she wants to pull back her hand, but can\u2019t follow through. \u201cThis isn\u2019t funny, Francois-san.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m being serious. I can prove it!\u201d Wait, can I? This is a big gamble. What if everything is different? The version of my world that she remembered wasn\u2019t exactly the same as mine, and chances are it would be the same here. I know so much about her, but if it\u2019s not the same\u2026\n\nRae eyes the area around us. Are we drawing too much attention? She eyes my hand on hers and looks very uncomfortable.\n\nI have to take a risk. \u201cWhen you were in middle school, you had a friend you had a crush on, Kosaki, but she had a crush on Misaki, and he had a crush on Shiko, and she had a crush on you.\u201d\n\nRae is stunned. Her eyes go wide with shock. I\u2019m right! I can see it in her eyes. She opens her mouth twice before finally saying, \u201cWe can\u2019t talk about this here.\u201d Her eyes narrow. She pulls her hand out of my grasp and stands up, grabbing a bag that she slings on her shoulder. \u201cFollow me.\u201d\n\nShe leads me out of the room and starts traveling down long halls, weaving through many rooms. This is a university, she said, like the academy. There are so many students here. Everything is so different from Bauer. Is this my life now? What am I doing here? I don\u2019t know anything about this world outside of what Rae told me.\n\n\u201cWe\u2019re almost there. The library should have some private rooms.\u201d Rae interrupts my thoughts, leading us into a large open chamber full of shelves lined with thousands of books. There are so many that I can\u2019t help but stare. We quickly pass several desks with glowing boxes on top, and then she opens a closed room. She says a quick hello and peeks inside. There isn\u2019t a response. \u201cGood, this one is empty.\u201d She gestures me inside and then closes the door behind us.\n\nThe room is small and has a table with several chairs. There is an odd portrait on the wall, a shiny black picture. Is that supposed to be art ? I should sit down. As I do, I feel the weight of a bag I have been carrying this whole time on my shoulder. It\u2019s somewhat similar to the one Rae is carrying. There is so much to take in; it\u2019s overwhelming.\n\nRae also looks overwhelmed as well, albeit in a different way. She hasn\u2019t deigned to sit down yet. Instead she has been pacing the small room for a bit. It\u2019s best to let her sort her thoughts when she gets like this.\n\n\u201cHow did you know about that?\u201d she finally asks, stopping in place and turning to face me. She looks so fragile. I know why she looks hurt because of what she told me in our past lives. Part of me is relieved that she\u2019s finally taking me seriously, but I know how much the memory has always hurt for her.\n\n\u201cYou told me about it, in our past life. It has alway been very important to you. It was one of the first things you told me about your old life here, about the four of you. And the second thing you told me was about Misaki.\u201d Please believe me, Rae.\n\nShe swallows hard. \u201cYou said\u2026you said he. No one\u2026 only a few of us knew.\u201d Rae struggles to say it. It was painful for her to tell me the first time, and I can tell it still feels so raw for her.\n\nI get up and she eyes me warily. I can see the tears start to well in", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "2_2", "body": " her eyes.\n\n\u201cWhy do you know that?\u201d Her voice is so small.\n\nI move closer to her, putting her within arms reach. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t your fault, Rae.\u201d She pales and the tears start to flow. I can\u2019t help but draw her into a hug. She is stiff at first, but then she chokes a sob and loosens. I hold her tightly and circle my hands across her back gently. After a short while I can easily tell when it\u2019s time to loosen and let her go.\n\nI take a step back and she looks at me, in a daze. \u201cHow?\u201d\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t know. I think some of my memories from later in life are less clear, but they are there. I might\u2026 have passed on\u2026\u201d I can only guess, but it\u2019s what happened with Rae, so it cannot be that much of a stretch to think it could have been the same with me in my past life. I can have a second life with Rae, though. Just like we both wanted. \u201cYou did so much for me in that past life. I love you, Rae.\u201d I can feel my eyes water. I want to use this chance to help her this time. It\u2019s my turn .\n\nRae blushes again and turns away. This younger Rae is so adorable. \u201cPlease, if you are fucking with me, you have to tell me.\u201d\n\n\u201cRae, you are my wife and the love of my life. You came into my world and upended it in spectacular fashion. You saved me time and time again. You told me of your past life here, about how your friend Shiko helped you realize you were a lesbian, how your friends reconciled after your awkward crushes, and how Misaki couldn\u2019t bear to live his life as the wrong gender. Your\u2026\u201d I pause, not sure if I should voice the conclusion. Rae said her life was miserable once she ventured into adulthood, empty. But it doesn\u2019t have to be like that anymore! And telling her about the way it ended doesn\u2019t feel right. \u201cI want to be here for you in this life, Rae!\u201d\n\n\u201cYou want to be with me?\u201d Rae is unable to look at me. An embarrassed Rae was a rare treat before but now\u2026 well it would hardly be unfair of me to enjoy it after all the teasing she put me through. Rae draws out a stressed, noteless hum. \u201cWhat are you saying, Francois-san?\u201d\n\n\u201cI do, romantically and physically. In body and mind.\u201d I can\u2019t help but enjoy being the one so sure this time. Rae makes her way to a chair and collapses, as though her legs have  turned to jelly. This is fun , but pushing too hard might be a bit cruel. She doesn\u2019t know me here, as much as it makes my heart ache to understand that. \u201cBut only if that\u2019s what you want. I\u2026 I know this is a lot to take in and you don\u2019t seem to really know me here. It took me a while to come around in our last life. I don\u2019t want you to feel like you have to do this.\u201d\n\n\u201cWho said I didn\u2019t want to do this! I mean\u2026\u201d She looks up at me as she says it, then her mouth hangs open. She blushes, again. \u201cI mean\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cRae.\u201d She swallows as I say her name again. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to rush to a decision. It\u2019s a lot to take in\u2014\u201d I\u2019m interrupted by something shaking in my bag, playing a muffled tune. \u201cWhat is that?\u201d\n\n\u201cHuh?\u201d She sounds dazed.\n\nI open the bag and look inside.\u201cWhat is doing that?\u201d The sound is more audible now, and I can quickly find the offending object. I pull out a small flat thin slate that has a glowing picture, similar to the ones I saw some students holding in the classroom. Words are written on it. Incoming call\u2026 Catherine ? There even looks to be a small portrait of Catherine, albeit younger than the last time I saw her. What is this, Rae?\n\n\u201cOh my God\u2026 you really don\u2019t know anything from here\u2026\u201d The amazement in her voice is slightly worrying.\n\n\u201cWhat is this Rae? What am I supposed to do with it?\u201d The object continues to vibrate and play its tune.\n\n\u201cOh fuck, swipe the green circle with your finger\u2014someone\u2019s trying to talk to you right now.\u201d Her language startles me. She jumps up and closes the distance. \u201cDo you recognize the name of the caller? Wait do you even know\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, she is a friend. I don\u2019t think that has changed.\u201d I follow Rae\u2019s instructions and the circle moves under my finger and then disappears. The tune stops and a new image forms and Catherine\u2019s name is now clearly displayed with several symbols below it. \u201cIs this magic? Rae, you said there wasn\u2019t magic here.\u201d\n\n\u201c...Hello?\u201d I nearly drop the object as Catherine\u2019s voice emerges from it. Wind magic, maybe? Rae gestures to bring the device up to my ear.\n\n\u201cHello?\u201d Am I doing this correctly? Rae gives me a thumbs up.\n\n\u201cOh good, I caught you Claire\u2026 Umm look, I know this is probably a huge pain but we\u2019re out of ibuprofen and I would really appreciate it if you could get some on your way back. I know you probably don\u2019t want to, but I kinda don\u2019t want to die here.\u201d\n\nDie ? \u201cOf course I can get that for you. Ah, where would I be able to obtain such a thing?\u201d\n\nI can hear Cathering let out an exasperated sigh. \u201cLook, Claire, you don\u2019t have to be sarcastic about it.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat? No! I\u2019m sorry, I didn\u2019t mean it that way.\u201d I move the object away from my face, \u201cRae, how do I get\u2026that thing she asked for?\u201d\n\nCatherine\u2019s voice still comes through even though I moved the object away from my ear.  \u201cClaire, hello? I can still hear you.\u201d\n\n\u201cErrrr, um, Francois-san, let me talk to her.\u201d She is still calling me Francois-san ?\n\nI pass the object to Rae and she starts to speak to it. \u201cHi, I\u2019m so sorry, this is Oohashi. I\u2019m with Francois-san and she is feeling a bit off right now. We can pick up the ibuprofen for you. Uhh, is the brand important? Oh, and can you let me know how to get to you?\u201d Thankfully Rae seems to understand what is needed, and is quite polite too.\n\nThere is a bit of silence, then Catherine\u2019s voice starts up again, \u201cThe brand isn\u2019t important. Is Claire-chan okay? Why can\u2019t she get here on her own? She isn\u2019t using you as a lackey, is she?\u201d\n\nI couldn\u2019t help but overhear that troubling implication. Oh dear . But more importantly, Rae realized that I don\u2019t know how to get home. If we are in school I suppose I might live in a dorm. Is Catherine my roommate again? \u201cCatherine, it\u2019s okay. Can you please let Rae know how to find  you? It\u2019s as she said. I am frightfully dizzy and she is helping me get back. We will get that ibu\u2014ibuprofen for you.\u201d I hope I said it correctly.\n\n\u201cRae? Seriously? Okay fine, whatever . We are in Dormitory Sendagi, room six-seven-two. Please don\u2019t take too long. Bye.\u201d The sound cuts out and the object then dims and goes black. Rae hands it back to me.\n\n\u201cWhat is this? You specifically told me magic didn\u2019t exist here.\u201d I can\u2019t help but turn the object over in my hand. The front side is glass, and the back side is some sort of metal?\n\nRea lets out a long breath. \u201cOoooooh boy, oh wow, you don\u2019t know technology. You don\u2019t know technology. Fuuuuck.\u201d\n\n\u201cRae! Language.\u201d I can\u2019t help but chide her.\n\nShe just quirks an eyebrow but doesn\u2019t argue with me. \u201cOkay so, this isn\u2019t magic, it\u2019s technology. It\u2019s a phone. It\u2019s a device that does a lot of things, but its primary function is to do what it just did. Phone other people.\u201d\n\n\u201cA phone phones?\u201d That doesn\u2019t explain anything.\n\n\u201cUh yeah. Oh God, there are going to be so many words and terms that you don\u2019t know. Umm, how much technology did you have before?\u201d Rae\u2019s anxiety is starting to be worrying.\n\n\u201cNothing remotely like this. Let\u2019s see, the printing press was a recent invention but judging from your library something tells me that is trivial now\u2026\u201d I think I might be starting to see the problem. but it can\u2019t be that bad\u2026 right ?\n\n\u201cFuck, okay, okay, you just need a crash course about\u2026 everything. We can do that. No problem.\u201d She pauses and takes a breath. Her eyes widen as the thought sinks in fully. \u201cUm, Francois-san we might need to tell your friend. She\u2019s your roommate, right? I don\u2019t think we can do this on our own.\u201d Rae is trying to be calm but I can hear how anxious this is making her.\n\nIt\u2019s probably not wise to tell too many people, but I can\u2019t keep it from everyone, right? Outside of Rae, there have to be at least a few others. \u201cI think Catherine\u2026chan would help, if she\u2019s the same as she was before. So\u2026 are you saying you believe me?\u201d\n\nRae pauses and a light blush dusts her cheeks. She casts her eyes to the side. \u201cI don\u2019t have a better explanation, and for some reason I don\u2019t think you\u2019re trying to lie or mess with me. Maybe you have a weird amnesia, but even then I can\u2019t explain how you would know all those things", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "2_3", "body": " about me.\u201d\n\n\u201cThank you, Rae.\u201d I can\u2019t help but smile. Relief floods through me. I wanted to be the one to help her, but even now she is helping me. I should be doing a better job of this.\n\n\u201cSure, sure, any time. Um, about all that other stuff. The, ummm, wife stuff.\u201d She is struggling and blushing bright red, but I just nod and let her go at her own pace. She gulps. \u201cYou are like, reeeeeally attractive and I would be\u2014\u201d her voice drops until it\u2019s close to a whisper , \u201c\u2014 lying if I said you weren\u2019t my type.. But I\u2026 if we\u2019re actually going to\u2026can we take it slow? A lot is happening right now, and I\u2019m not exactly out of the closet, publicly, I mean. I don\u2019t think I\u2019m ready for that.\u201d\n\n\u201cCloset? Oh, closet, yes you used that metaphor before. No I understand, at times in Bauer things could also be cruel for\u2026 well, \u2018non-heteronormative\u2019 people as you put it. I want to be with you again, but I don\u2019t want to rush you either. Just don\u2019t leave me waiting too long, okay?\u201d It\u2019s a concession I am willing to make, but it doesn\u2019t make it easier on my heart. She is right there. It would be so easy to just reach out\u2026 but alas.\n\nRae chuckles nervously. \u201cOkay, well, let's start by finding your friend. Can I look through your bag? You should have a wallet in there. I hate to say it, but I\u2019m kinda broke and I can\u2019t cover your friend\u2019s medicine.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, it\u2019s medicine? What is it for?  It\u2019s not serious is it?\u201d I feel a surge of concern. Catherine did mention that she didn\u2019t want to die.\n\n\u201cWhat? Oh, no, probably not, at least I don\u2019t think so. Ibuprofen is a type of painkiller, one of many. It\u2019s used to help manage minor aches and pains. I use it when period cramps get bad.\u201d\n\n\u201cWait, you have something to help with those?\u201d Is medicine so freely available here?\n\n\u201cOh,\u201d Rae smirks. \u201cYeah I guess we do. Welcome to the twenty-first century.\u201d Her grin sends an arrow straight to my heart.\n\n\u201cOh, don\u2019t get too cheeky now Rae\u2014we always had you and your healing magic before.\u201d I shoot back.\n\n\u201cWait, I had magic?\u201d The idea seems to be a very tantalizing one for her.\n\n\u201cWe both did. We were quite amazing at it, if I do say so myself.\u201d I fix my gaze on her and give her my best classic villainess chortle. At least in our old life, it was her favorite.\n\nJudging from her silly smile and blush, it\u2019s still her favorite in this life too.", "token_count": 605}
{"file_id": "81_1", "body": "I stir as the light streaming through the curtains warms my face. There is a delightful weight spread across me in the cramped bed. As I slowly pry my eyes open, the first thing I can make out is Rei nestled into me, curled up at my side with one arm and leg thrown over my body. She is adorable. It\u2019s hard to shift my weight, but I manage to turn around just enough to make out the clock on the bedside table.\n\nJust past seven in the morning.\n\nEarly-ish.\n\n\u201cRei,\u201d I say softly.\n\n\u201cNot yet\u2026\u201d She mumbles. She must have been up late reading.\n\n\u201cI need to get up, Rei.\u201d\n\nShe just mumbles something else unintelligible and tightens around me. This will be challenging.\n\nI do need to get up. It\u2019s becoming rather urgent. It\u2019s hard to dislodge Rei without stirring her too much, but I manage. It\u2019s not the first time I\u2019ve had to do this, nor will it be the last. I\u2019ll let her sleep a bit longer. Right now I need the bathroom, and then maybe some breakfast. Or at least some tea.\n\nWhen I finally make it downstairs, it\u2019s quiet. The only other person who is up and awake is Rei\u2019s father, sitting at the kitchen table reading the newspaper.\n\n\u201cGood morning, Oohashi-san.\u201d\n\nHe looks up from his paper, and nods. \u201cGood morning, Claire-san. Did you sleep well?\u201d\n\n\u201cI did, thank you. Is that fresh tea?\u201d My eyes are drawn to the steaming teapot on the counter.\n\n\u201cYes, help yourself.\u201d He gestures to the teapot before returning to his newspaper. His demeanor reminds me of Father, in a way.\n\nMy timing is excellent\u2014the tea is still piping hot, and I pour myself a cup. It\u2019s green and has a pleasant grassy smell. A perfect way to start my morning.\n\n\u201cThank you again for welcoming me into your home, Oohashi-san.\u201d It really has been a delightful visit.\n\nHe turns a page of his paper. \u201cOf course. You\u2019re Rei\u2019s partner, so we could hardly do otherwise. Even if the relationship was quite sudden.\u201d\n\n\u201cI appreciate it. I know it was unexpected when Rei first introduced me.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt was. I didn\u2019t expect the situation to turn out this way.\u201d\n\nThat\u2019s a strange thing to say. \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d\n\n\u201cThis whole thing has been a learning process. One day I get a call from the school telling me Rei is being bullied and called a lesbian. At first I thought it was just kids being cruel and there was no truth to it. There was no way my kid could be like that.\u201d The way he says it in such a neutral tone irks me. It seems some backwards attitudes do persist between worlds.\n\n\u201cBut she is your child,\u201d I can\u2019t help but reply. Gaah, I didn\u2019t mean to use such a combative tone. I hope\u2014\n\n\u201cShe is, and I love her. That will never change.\u201d Oh. Perhaps I\u2019ve misjudged him. I listen patiently as he continues. \u201cBeing like that, being queer, I know it\u2019s difficult. The way Rei reacted made me realize it was true, and the worst part was that there wasn't anything I could do to help her. Not on my own. Ai found a support group for gay people and their families. I was hesitant to go at first\u2014I wasn\u2019t sure if this was the right thing for us. For Rei. But I decided to go to a meeting just to observe, after talking with the group\u2019s facilitator. There were a lot of different kinds of people there, young, old, in all stages of life. It wasn\u2019t what I expected. Honestly, most of the people there were, well, normal. It was hearing the kids talk about their experiences that convinced me. Several of them were also being bullied, but the group was helping them. They just wanted to be themselves and live their lives like everyone else.\u201d\n\nI have never heard him say so much all at once. The few times we have conversed, he has been a man of few words. He puts his paper down and sighs. I can tell how hard this has been for him, and how much he has wanted to talk with someone about it. I want to be careful, since Rei\u2019s family is still forming an impression of me. For all of the differences between Bauer and here, so many of the struggles remain the same.\n\n\u201cNone of this is ever easy,\u201d I offer gently. \u201cI\u2019ve had to fight for many of my friends because they were different. And coming to terms with my own identity wasn\u2019t easy either. Everyone has their own journey.\u201d\n\nHe nods. I\u2019m glad he\u2019s taking the conversation seriously. \u201cIs it better where you\u2019re from, at least? In France?\u201d\n\nHmmmmm. If only I could talk about where I\u2019m really from. \u201cI\u2019m not certain, if I\u2019m being honest. I was still fairly young when I moved to Japan, and\u2026I didn\u2019t realize it about myself until I met Rei.\u201d\n\nHe nods again. \u201cThere are so many things we don\u2019t notice until they affect our own lives. Ai was so much better at adapting than I was. I said some things to Rei at the time that I wish I could take back, but I made sure we kept going to the support group. It felt like I lost my daughter after it happened\u2014she was so bright and passionate before the bullying started, and then it was like she shut down. That was the worst part. But we moved forward together, and she made new friends in high school. Ai and I made sure she went somewhere where she could get a fresh start. Where the kids couldn\u2019t have known. Things were getting better, and then her old friend\u2026passed away. I was glad we were still going to that support group, but that was hard.\u201d\n\n\u201cThere are some things that you never recover from, not completely.\u201d We have all endured so much loss.\n\nHe takes a breath. \u201cWhen it happened\u2026that\u2019s when it hit me. I could also lose Rei. I knew I had to do everything in my power to keep that from happening. That kid had no family support. I was so angry at the kid\u2019s parents for letting it happen, what they put them through. Any last doubts I had about supporting Rei vanished after that. Her happiness and safety are what matters.\u201d\n\nTears prick the corners of my eyes as I hear how earnestly Rei\u2019s father speaks about this. He loves his daughter so much. I suddenly miss my own father fiercely. The ache of his absence is mixed with an ache of gratitude for Rei\u2019s supportive family. Our life in this world has so much potential with family like this in it. We are very lucky.\n\nI also can\u2019t help but think of Yu. She also would have tried to silently bear the pain of her condition for her entire life had Rae not done something. But for how long could she have managed?\n\n\u201cI know Rei appreciates your love and support a great deal, as do I. What Misaki\u2019s family did was unspeakably cruel. I can\u2019t imagine doing that to my own child.\u201d\n\nHe sighs heavily. \u201cDo your parents know\u2026about you? And Rei?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, they have always been supportive.\u201d Yet another thing to be grateful for, here and in our past life.\n\n\u201cGood.\u201d I can tell he means it.\n\n\u201cI am truly lucky. I was terrified that Mother would not approve. She found out\u2026in an inopportune way.\u201d Truly mortifying.\n\n\u201cAnd your father?\u201d\n\n\u201cHe passed away when I was very young\u2026I know he would have loved Rei, though.\u201d I have many criticisms of Father, but he was always supportive. I miss him.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m sorry for your loss.\u201d He takes a sip of his tea. \u201cWell, all of that said, I have my daughter back again. I can see how happy and hopeful she is, for the first time in a long time. And I think I have you to thank for that.\u201d There\u2019s a small, wistful smile on his face.\n\n\u201cShe\u2019s helped me, too. We\u2019re very happy together.\u201d\n\nHe nods. \u201cGood, good. I hope I\u2019ve helped Ai, after all the ways she\u2019s helped me. As long as you treat Rei right, you will always be welcome here.\u201d\n\n\u201cThank you, Oohashi-san.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou don\u2019t need to be so formal, Claire-san, Takashi-san will do.\u201d It makes me happy to hear him say that. I really feel like we\u2019ve connected during this conversation.\n\n\u201cThank you so much, Takashi-san. Rei is lucky to have such a wonderful family.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe\u2019re better off together because we\u2019re a family. I couldn\u2019t have done it without Ai.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou better not be telling her embarrassing stuff, Dad.\u201d I turn and see Rei has shambled down the stairs. She rubs her eyes, and brushes tangled, messy hair out of her face. She\u2019s so cute.\n\n\u201cGood morning Rei. You could have slept in a bit more if you wanted,\u201d I tell her.\n\n\u201cI woke up and you weren\u2019t there\u2026\u201d She mumbles as she shuffles over and pours herself some tea. Oh, bless her.\n\n\u201cIf you want to hear some embarrassing stories, there was the time Rei cried over a television show. I don\u2019t remember exactly what it was\u2014magic girls or something? The show ended and you were upset that the villainess was gone.\u201d\n\nRei snaps out of her stupor and narrows her eyes at her father. \u201cI don\u2019t remember this. You\u2019re making it up.\u201d\n\nRei\u2019s dad smiles. \u201cYou were six.\u201d\n\n\u201cSounds fake,\u201d Rei counters.\n\n\u201cShe was upset for days.\u201d Takashi looks at me with a grin. I wish I could have seen it.\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t listen to him.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt does sound like you, Rei.\u201d I can\u2019t help but grin too.\n\n\u201cI rememb", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "81_2", "body": "er the ridiculous laugh that villaness had.\u201d Takashi-san chuckles. \u201cWhat a cackle.\u201d\n\n\u201cRei has a type.\u201d I can\u2019t help but chuckle too, and Rei groans.\n\nAfter we stop, Rei sighs and takes a long drink of her tea.\n\n\u201cHow are you doing, kiddo?\u201d Takashi-san asks.\n\n\u201cTired. Still waking up.\u201d Rei says after she sets her cup down, missing the deeper meaning of the question. But her father looks pleased regardless. \u201cShe was really cool, Claire.\u201d Rei whispers.\n\n\u201cWas her cackle as good as mine, though?\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2026of course not.\u201d Rei\u2019s face scrunches and turns beet red. \u201cNo more questions.\u201d\n\n\u201cSo, any plans for your last day before you two head back?\u201d\n\n\u201cNot really. We have a bit of packing to do. Like I mentioned, our new place has a lot more room than the dorm so I wanted to take some stuff back. But other than that I thought we\u2019d just spend a bit more time here at home. It\u2019s been nice being back for a few days.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s been great having you back, kiddo.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m not a kid anymore, Dad.\u201d Aww, her pout is adorable.\n\nTakashi-san just hums, content, and opens up his paper again.\n\nRei turns to me. \u201cWas there anything in particular you wanted to do today? You said Lene will be here around one, right?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, she said she might even arrive earlier if traffic isn\u2019t bad. I think I am happy just helping you pack up, whenever you are ready to start doing that.\u201d\n\n\u201cOkay, sure. Let's have some breakfast first.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, would you mind if I tried making crepes?\u201d I really want to do something nice for our last day here.\n\nRei stiffens slightly. Rei!\n\n\u201cI found a recipe in one of your Mother\u2019s cookbooks. It seems easy enough.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh.\u201d She relaxes a bit. \u201cUh, sure. Let me help you.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt's a rather simple recipe, and your mother's cooking advice has been very helpful. I\u2019m sure I can do it.\u201d\n\nShe leans into me. \u201cLooking forward to it, Claire.\u201d", "token_count": 459}
{"file_id": "76_1", "body": "Claire looks like a wreck.\n\nAll of her nervous energy has returned now that we\u2019re back in front of the apartment. She reaches for the door handle, pauses, and withdraws her hand. Then she runs that same hand through her hair in frustration.\n\nGod, it\u2019s adorable. Okay, get it together, Rei. Claire\u2019s having a hard time right now and needs your support.\n\nI peek at Catherine, and she grimaces.\n\nSeems like this one\u2019s on me.\n\n\u201cI can open the door if you want,\u201d I offer.\n\n\u201cNo. No. I can do this. I just\u2026\u201d\n\nShe reaches for the door handle again and sighs. After a moment more she finally inserts the key and pushes the door open.\n\nMelia is leaning against the counter, a mug of tea in her hands. She really does look so much like Claire. She looks up as we walk in.\n\n\u201cYou\u2019re back.\u201d Her tone is level. I was hoping she would sound excited or something. Fuck, even sounding upset or disappointed would feel better than completely neutral. We have no idea what to expect. It\u2019s maddening.\n\nClaire nods. \u201cYes, I assume you had time to finish grading?\u201d She enters the apartment and both Catherine and I follow her in. I close the door behind us.\n\n\u201cI have.\u201d Melia takes a sip from her tea. I make a silent vow never to play poker with this woman.\n\nClaire looks tense, but she marches forward and takes a seat at the counter, ready to receive her judgment. \u201cI am ready.\u201d\n\nMelia nods. \u201cIt\u2019s clear that you still have a lot left to learn.\u201d\n\nIt chips away at Claire\u2019s confidence, but she recovers quickly. \u201cI know. I don\u2019t intend to stop.\u201d\n\nMelia nods again. She sets her mug down and pulls up a stool so she can sit across to Claire. \u201cGood. Because no one ever stops learning. And Rei is right\u2014no one has perfect knowledge. That's only human. How do you feel you did?\u201d\n\nClaire inhales. \u201cI know there was a lot that\u2026I could not fully answer. History, culture, some bits of technology.\u201d\n\nMelia just nods.\n\n\u201cBut I know I did well despite that. There was no reasonable way to learn everything, but I didn\u2019t feel lost writing this test. Even the parts where I knew I lacked knowledge, I felt like I could build on what I did know to at least answer partially. I know how far I\u2019ve come already. I can do this.\u201d\n\nMelia finally smiles, which is such a fucking relief. This time Claire\u2019s the one who stays neutral.\n\n\u201cYes, and I didn't expect you to have read everything.\u201d Melia replies. \u201cIt might have seemed like I cast a long net, but I wanted to see how far you\u2019ve come. It was interesting to read your attempt to guess the meaning of Frankenstein from context, I\u2019ll say.\u201d She smirks.\n\n\u201cSo. What is your verdict, Mother?\u201d Claire cuts right to the chase.\n\n\u201cWell, I will say that while Frankenstien is a term that gets used to describe something that\u2019s cobbled together, there is quite a bit more to the novel than that. It\u2019s arguably the seminal work of science fiction, after all.\u201d\n\nCatherine and I exchange guilty glances. How did we both miss that one? I feel embarrassed as an otaku.\n\nClaire just clicks her tongue, which makes her mother laugh. The two of them are pretty cute together.\n\nMelia reaches across the counter and takes one of Claire\u2019s hands. \u201cI\u2019m proud of you.\u201d\n\nClaire looks up at her mother hopefully. She swallows slowly before daring to speak. \u201cDoes that mean\u2026?\u201d\n\n\u201cClaire, what do you want for yourself right now?\u201d Melia responds with another question.\n\nClaire answers without hesitation. \u201cI want to keep learning. I want to stay here, at the university. With Rei. With Catherine. I want to build a life with the people I care about.\u201d With each statement I can feel the passion well up in Claire.\n\nMelia glances at me and Catherine. We\u2019ve been quiet this whole time. \u201cGirls, thank you for everything you have done.\u201d\n\n\u201cI wasn\u2019t going to let Claire do this on her own.\u201d Catherine says quietly.\n\n\u201cI would have done anything to help Claire.\u201d God, that feels nerve wracking to say to Melia.\n\nMelia smiles and turns back to Claire. \u201cClaire, it seems this test was a teaching tool for you in more than one sense. You\u2019ve learned a tremendous amount about the modern world, and you\u2019ve also learned who you can depend on in life. I\u2019m happy with how you did, on both counts. I wrote my own notes on the exam which you can review later. Make note of where your gaps are, but also take some time to appreciate how well you did. Your French, Japanese and English are all excellent. You had no issues with arithmetic. And your abilities to think critically\u2014well, they exceed anything I would have expected from someone just coming out of high school. I suppose that\u2019s a benefit of having a second run at life, hmm?\u201d Melia chuckles.\n\n\u201cReally?\u201d Claire\u2019s voice sounds fragile.\n\nMelia nods. \u201cReally. I was very impressed by your thesis on the Tempest. I wouldn\u2019t have predicted you would pick that particular Shakespearean work to write about, but it was brilliant.\u201d\n\nClaire smiles wistfully. \u201cI really enjoyed all of the Shakespeare I read, but that was the one I liked the most. \u2018Be not afeard. The isle is full of noises, sounds, and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not.\u2019\u201d Claire\u2019s ability to switch flawlessly to English is amazing.\n\nMelia looks thoughtful for a moment, then smiles back. \u201cI begin to think I might have underestimated you. Though to be honest, even if you had performed worse, I would have wanted to give you options. I wanted you to take this seriously, and you did. I\u2019ve been so very proud of you since I\u2019ve been back, Claire. I wanted you to succeed, and you\u2019ve done just that.\u201d She really does sound so proud of her daughter.\n\nIn the momentary silence, a thought pops into my head. \u201cWait, did Catherine read The Tempest with you? Oh man, in that case we should watch G-Witch!\u201d\n\n\u201cThe space lesbians, why am I not surprised? Nerd.\u201d Catherine smirks at me. Guilty as charged. But I\u2019ll bet Claire would love Miorine.\n\n\u201cSo I passed?\u201d Claire asks.\n\nMelia just nods once more and smiles. She looks proud.\n\n\u201cI passed!\u201d Claire pushes herself off the stool and runs right at me. I\u2019m barely able to react quick enough to catch her as she jumps into my arms, nearly causing us both to tumble. \u201cI passed! I passed!\u201d She\u2019s giggling like a schoolgirl and even with the effort of holding her up, it\u2019s like a weight has been lifted from me, from us.\n\n\u201cYou passed!\u201d\n\n\u201cI passed!\u201d\n\nWe spin around the living room a few more times, and the only thing I can really focus on is her. And not falling. But that\u2019s kinda secondary. She\u2019s laughing, she\u2019s smiling, she\u2019s so beautiful.\n\n\u201cThank you, Rei.\u201d The spinning stops, and Claire gets that look in her eyes. She tilts me back and leans over me, inches away from my face. Oh wow, Claire is dipping me like those scenes in romance manga. \u201cThank you for everything, Rei.\u201d\n\nShe kisses me.\n\nAnd\u2026\n\nWow. It takes my breath away.\n\nBy the time I regain my senses, I\u2019m upright and standing on my own and Claire has grabbed Catherine in a big hug.\n\n\u201cYou\u2019d better not kiss me too,\u201d she grumbles.\n\nClaire just laughs.\n\nWe\u2019re all laughing.\n\nShe passed.\n\nMelia clears her throat pointedly. I can\u2019t help but feel a little bit nervous. Oh no, she\u2019s making eye contact with me. Okay, now I\u2019m very nervous. \u201cNow that today\u2019s exam is concluded, there\u2019s something else I\u2019ve been meaning to take care of. Rei. This is for you.\u201d Melia pulls a piece of paper out of her bag and beckons me forward.\n\nOh no.\n\nClaire gives me a push. \u201cDon't worry, Rei.\u201d\n\nHahaha, like that\u2019s going to help.\n\nDespite my overwhelming dread, I manage to make my way to Melia, who\u2019s standing by the counter.\n\n\u201cRei, I\u2019ll have you know that you forced my hand. I had intended to do this sometime after Claire\u2019s test, but our earlier conversation made it clear to me that it had to be today.\u201d She hands the paper to me.\n\nOh God, what does she mean \u2018our earlier conversation? I can\u2019t even remember what we discussed. Is this some kind of silencing order? What did I say wrong? Am I going on a hit list?\n\nIt looks like some sort of form. Wait a minute\u2026 \u201cIs this\u2026?\u201d\n\n\u201cConsider it to be a scholarship.\u201d\n\n\u201cA scholarship?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes.\u201d\n\n\u201c...Wait, seriously? That\u2019s way too many zeros. I can\u2019t possibly accept\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cYou can and you will.\u201d Oh God, she\u2019s using her mom voice. I see where Claire gets it now. \u201cIt may seem substantial to you, but compared to everything you have done for Claire and Catherine, it\u2019s trivial.\u201d\n\nI gulp. \u201cBut this is far too much. And you are already barely charging me anything for this place.\u201d\n\n\u201cI didn\u2019t want to charge you or Misha at all. As you already know.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cRei, if I had been forced to withdraw Claire from university, hire personal tutors and pay extra for their discretion, it would have easily cost much much more than your tuition or rent. Consider it my way of balancing the scales between us. I", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "76_2", "body": " respect your hesitation, I really do, but I want to return the favor you\u2019ve done for our family. In an ideal world, higher education wouldn't cost money, nor would it burden students with debt. This might seem like a lot to you, but it\u2019s the least I can do. And it\u2019s just a small part of repaying the Francois corporation\u2019s debt to society.\u201d\n\nClaire places a soothing hand on my back and I immediately feel myself relax.. \u201cPlease, Rei, you\u2019ve truly done so much for me. We just want to help you in turn.\u201d\n\n\u2026we are equals, we share and help each other.\n\nWe swore.\n\nI promised I would let her help me.\n\n\u201cOkay. I still feel a bit strange about it, but okay. I can tell how important it is to both of you. Thank you.\u201d\n\nClaire wraps her arms around me from behind. I love her so much.\n\nMelia looks pleased. \u201cExcellent. Thank you Rei, for this and for everything. I\u2019m glad Claire found you.\u201d\n\nMe too.\n\n \n\n \n\n\u201cOh, there\u2019s cake?\u201d\n\nClaire is sitting in front of me on the sofa. I\u2019m giving her a shoulder massage while she reads something on her phone. We both turn to see Misha come through the front door.\n\nMisha closes the door behind her and eyes the cake suspiciously. It\u2019s missing several slices. We kinda celebrated without her. But to be fair, she was out the whole day.\n\n\u201cDo you want some? It\u2019s delicious\u2014we picked it up from a bakery nearby.\u201d Claire leans back into my massage and sighs happily.\n\n\u201cSo it\u2019s not homemade, then.\u201d There is a fair amount of caution in Misha\u2019s voice. I can\u2019t say I blame her. Our experiments with baking have been\u2026interesting.\n\nClaire pouts and crosses her arms. \u201cI\u2019ve improved quite a bit, I\u2019ll have you know.\u201d She really has, through sheer force of will. I love her for it.\n\n\u201cAnd I will happily accept a slice of this store bought cake,\u201d Misha says with a wry grin. \u201cSo I take it today went well?\u201d\n\nClaire gets up\u2014boooo\u2014and walks over to the counter. I can see Misha fishing around the cupboard for a plate. \u201cYes, it was arduous, and I\u2019m nowhere close to being done with learning everything about this world I need to know. But Mother said I did well and from this point forward I should focus more on my university studies, so I can relax a little.\u201d\n\n\u201cCongrats! You all really could use a break. You\u2019ve been going pretty hard with the crash course. It\u2019s nice that we\u2019re on a semester break right now.\u201d\n\nI push myself up so I can see them over the back of the sofa. \u201cDo you have any plans for the break, Misha?\u201d I ask.\n\nMisha takes a bite of the cake and smiles in approval. Geez, it\u2019s not like we were trying to poison you or anything. \u201cMmm, well, not really. I had been planning to pick up some part time work before we made the plan to move in together, but I\u2019ve managed to save a lot on both food and rent so now I\u2019m not sure what I\u2019ll do with the time off. Do you two have plans?\u201d\n\nIt looks like Claire has helped herself to another slice of cake. She really does have quite a sweet tooth. \u201cWe were discussing a potential plan earlier,\u201d she says in between bites.\n\n\u201cI kinda suggested we could go back to my house for a bit,\u201d I mumble. I totally don't feel anxious about it or anything. Okay, maybe a little.\n\nClaire beams, and all the anxiety suddenly feels worth it. But I still have butterflies in my stomach.\n\nMisha nods as she enjoys another bite of cake. \u201cThat sounds like a lovely way to celebrate Claire\u2019s success. Congrats again, Claire. I have to admit that this whole thing still feels a little crazy, but I\u2019m glad you made it through.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt has been challenging, but I am trying my best. How have things been with you and Yu?\u201d Claire asks.\n\nMisha sighs. There is totally something going on there, and I can tell Claire is trying to encourage it. Even if I have no idea what it is.\n\n\u201cClaire, can you like, cool it? Please.\u201d Misha shoots me a death glare. Hey, I didn't say anything. \u201cYou\u2019re not helping.\u201d She points her fork at me. What did I do? I still have no idea what you\u2019re talking about!\n\n\u201cDo you have any idea how frustrating it is to know something like this and not be able to do anything?\u201d Claire counters.\n\nMisha side eyes Claire. \u201cYeah, I do. Thanks for that.\u201d\n\nClaire just huffs out a breath, then has another bite of cake. \u201cI\u2019m just trying to help,\u201d she mumbles.\n\n\u201cClaire. I know you are, but this isn\u2019t something we can speed up. I can\u2019t make them have this conversation if they don\u2019t want to.\u201d\n\nThem? Are they not talking about Yu? \u201cWho are you talking about?\u201d\n\nBoth of their heads snap to me.\n\n\u201cNone of your business,\u201d Misha snaps.\n\n\u201cSorry Rei, I really can\u2019t say anything.\u201d Claire is apologetic.\n\nSheesh.\n\nMisha groans. \u201cLook, I\u2019ll let you know, both of you, if anything changes. Okay?\u201d\n\n\u201cCome on, just give me a little hint. I won\u2019t ruin anything.\u201d Pleeeeeeease, I hate not knowing.\n\n\u201cNO,\u201d they both say in unison. This is so unfair.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m sorry, Misha. I just want to help if I can.\u201d Claire says.\n\n\u201cLet\u2019s just change the subject.\u201d Misha takes a deep breath and sets her plate down.\n\nClaire nods, and Misha relaxes.\n\n\u201cSo, you mentioned that you\u2019ll have more free time now?\u201d Misha asks Claire.\n\nClaire nods again. \u201cA bit more. I think there will always be something for me to brush up on, but the pressure to cram everything I can is gone. I\u2019m not going to have to read a several new textbooks every week anymore.\u201d She laughs.\n\n\u201cCool. So do you think you might have some time\u2026to try out something new? Something fun?\u201d Wait a minute, why does Misha sound embarrassed? Misha doesn\u2019t get embarrassed.\n\n\u201cWhat did you have in mind?\u201d Claire is clearly intrigued.\n\nMisha clears her throat awkwardly. \u201cSo, you\u2019ve been playing a bunch of video games with Rei, right? Would you, I dunno, maybe want to try a different type of game?\u201d She\u2019s clearly trying to work up to something.\n\n\u201cOh, of course, that sounds lovely.\u201d\n\nWait, what is Misha getting at?\n\n\u201cOkay, great! So um, Rei\u2019s probably never mentioned tabletop roleplaying games before, has she?\u201d\n\n\u201cSeriously?\u201d I shout it way louder than I intend to. What exactly is she trying to pull here? And with my girlfriend, too?\n\nMisha hushes me. Wow, and I thought you were my friend.\n\n\u201cI assume that\u2019s different from the roleplaying video games Rei and I have played, yes? What exactly do you mean by tabletop?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, it\u2019s completely different. Tabletop means that it\u2019s played on a table with physical objects. There\u2019s no computer, or console. Just\u2026players, pencil and paper, and some dice. And books.\u201d\n\nClaire tilts her head quizzically. Okay, that\u2019s pretty cute.\n\nMisha continues. \u201cI want to run a game. It\u2019s called Dungeons and Dragons. It\u2019s a lot like Dungeon Meshi or Frieren.\u201d\n\nClaire perks up at the Dungeon Meshi mention. Hey, wait a sec. \u201cCome on Misha, that\u2019s playing dirty.\u201d Wow, she must really be desperate to play if she\u2019s asking my girlfriend to be in her game.\n\nMisha glares at me. \u201cNo it\u2019s not, what are you talking about? Dungeon Meshi is almost straight up DnD. Let me finish and then let Claire decide for herself.\u201d\n\n\u201cLet her finish, dear.\u201d\n\nHmmmmmmm. I\u2019m skeptical, but I\u2019m powerless to resist Claire when she asks like that.\n\n\u201cAnyways, the name of the game I want to run is Dungeon and Dragons, D-and-D for short. It\u2019s played by having players tell a story together collaboratively. I act as the director of that story, the narrator, and you would play as a character you create yourself. Like Dungeon Meshi, there are races such as human, elf, dwarf, halfling and so on. As the director, or the Dungeon Master as it\u2019s called in the game, I set up the general plot of the story and present the team with challenges. We roll dice to determine success or failure of different actions and events.\u201d\n\nMisha sounds like she has been practicing this speech in front of a mirror. It\u2019s kind of cute.\n\n\u201cThat does sound interesting. You said it would be played with a group of people?\u201d Claire asks.\n\n\u201cYes. We would need at least four players, not including myself. Everyone would make their own character but me, and you would all get to roleplay them however you want.\u201d\n\n\u201cWho were you thinking of asking to join?\u201d Claire asks. Her interest has clearly been piqued.\n\n\u201cWell, I would ask Yu, of course. I\u2019m pretty sure they\u2019ll say yes. And I was thinking maybe Thane?\u201d\n\nWait a minute\u2026\n\n\u201cSo with Rei and I that would already be enough\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cMe?!\u201d How did I get dragged into this?\n\n\u201cYes.\u201d Misha sighs.\n\n\u201cRei, please, doesn\u2019t it sound fun?\u201d Why is Claire so into this?\n\nIf I\u2019m honest, it sounds boring. And while I don\u2019t mind playing with Misha\u2014and of", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "76_3", "body": " course I\u2019d be happy to play with Claire\u2014if Yu and Thane say no I don\u2019t want to end up in a freaking DnD group with a bunch of randos. Still, Claire is giving me puppy dog eyes. \u201cAre you sure, Claire?\u201d\n\n\u201cCome on, Rei. If Claire wants to try, why not?\u201d Misha says. Wait a minute, is she grinning? \u201cJust imagine, Claire. You and Rei could flirt in character and hook up for the first time all over again.\u201d\n\nClaire\u2019s eyes light up. Oh no.\n\nMisha IS playing dirty, and she knows it. \u201cAre you just using Claire to make me play your dumb game?!\u201d\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t know what you\u2019re talking about.\u201d Oh, she\u2019s not even trying to hide her smirk!\n\n\u201cPlease, Rei.\u201d Claire takes my hand and\u2026oh God, I can\u2019t say no to that face. Fuck, I am such a simp.\n\n\u201cFine. But I don\u2019t think we\u2019ll have time to do it soon. We\u2019re going to Chiba in a couple of days, and when we get back the semester will be starting up again.\u201d I can\u2019t say no, but maybe I can delay.\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s fine. I\u2019m not ready yet either, and I need to make sure Thane will play. We can use the spare room, since it already has a perfect table.\u201d Oh, don\u2019t look so smug about your victory, Misha.\n\n\u201cIs there anything I need to do to prepare?\u201d Claire asks. She\u2019s really getting into this already.\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t worry about it. I\u2019ll walk everyone through it together when we first get started. I\u2019ll explain the rules, how characters are made, and so on. It\u2019s easy to pick up and we\u2019ll make sure to start off pretty small.\u201d\n\n\u201cSo could I play a valiant knight? I could come to Rei\u2019s rescue.\u201d Claire smirks at me. I can practically see the dangerous and wonderful idea playing out in her head.\n\nFuckkkkkkkkk\u2026I can only guess at the specifics she\u2019s dreaming up, but God, it sounds fun. I guess I really am about to become a DnD person.\n\n\u201cPerhaps! There are lots of options for classes, and ideally we want everyone\u2019s characters to compliment each other. There are twelve classes in DnD\u2014Barbarian, Fighter, Monk, Paladin, Rogue, Bard, Ranger, Wizard, Cleric, Warlock and Sorcerer. If we use Dungeon Meshi as an example, Falin is a cleric, Marcille is a Wizard, Liaos and Senshi are Fighters, and Chilchuck and Izutsumi are Rogues.\u201d\n\n\u201cPaladins? That is a type of knight, correct? There was once an order of them in Bauer in the past. What is the difference between those and a fighter?\u201d\n\n\u201cIn DnD, Paladins are like holy knights. They have holy powers and are devoted to a cause, swearing a sacred oath.\u201d\n\n\u201cOoooh, that sounds very interesting. Rei, what would you want to be?\u201d Claire turns to me with an adorably eager look in her eyes.\n\n\u201cUmmm, I\u2019m not sure yet\u2026?\u201d\n\nClaire pouts. Oops.\n\n\u201cI mean, maybe a caster or something? A Sorcerer might be fun?\u201d\n\nClaire nods excitedly. Okay it\u2019s hard to be against this idea when she\u2019s being so cute about it. \u201cI could be your devoted shield. Oh, and you were so talented with magic before. This is going to be so much fun. I really can make whatever kind of character I want? That\u2019s very different from Persona.\u201d\n\n\u201cIn a sense, yeah. There are some preset character categories but they\u2019re flexible and have a lot of options. Ideally your character would have a backstory that fits with the setting, so I might tweak things a bit or offer suggestions that go with the narrative. And everyone will start at level one so you would only have basic equipment.\u201d\n\nClaire nods enthusiastically. \u201cI think I get the gist of it. We never did anything like this back in Bauer. Well Rei and I did a different kind of roleplay, but\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cPlease don\u2019t finish that sentence. Just. Please.\u201d Misha grimaces in pain. Fire, on my face.\n\n\u201cRei, you never mentioned anything like this to me before,\u201d Claire says, turning back to me.\n\nCalm down Rei. I have to cough as I try to recover from Claire\u2019s last comment. \u201cWell, to be honest I\u2019ve never really had any interest in tabletop games. Misha has been trying to trick me into playing one for years now.\u201d Why would I play a TTRPG with randos when I could play one on my own? Not to mention how hard it is to coordinate a group. Misha has been trying for ages to make this happen.\n\n\u201cTrick? Come on, Rei, how do you trick someone into playing DnD?\u201d\n\n\u201cYou trick their girlfriend into playing it?\u201d\n\nMisha clicks her tongue. \u201cI didn\u2019t trick Claire, and you're just a simp. It\u2019s not my fault you can\u2019t say no to your girlfriend.\u201d\n\nThat makes Claire snort. Awesome, but unfair.\n\nCool, guess I\u2019m a DnD simp now. It\u2019s hard to actually be upset though, as it does sound like it could be fun with Claire. And it\u2019s not like I was against doing it with Misha, just the randos it would attract. \u201cFine, yes. I would do anything for my beloved Claire.\u201d I can\u2019t help but say it sarcastically but I\u2019m not fooling anyone. Sigh.\n\nClaire leans over to give me a kiss. Anything.\n\n\u201cThis just in, the sky is blue and water is wet,\u201d Misha says in her typical deadpan. \u201cOkay but seriously, this is actually really cool. Thank you both for giving it a shot.\u201d Misha smiles, and we\u2019re treated to the rare sight of seeing her look genuinely pleased. \u201cI\u2019ve never run a game before and I\u2019ve always wanted to. I\u2019ll let you know when I wrangle the other players and everything\u2019s ready.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt will be nice to spend time with Thane and Yu,\u201d Claire beams.\n\n\u201cAnd you will make sure to behave yourself around them,\u201d Misha says firmly.\n\nClaire huffs. \u201cI won\u2019t say anything to Yu.\u201d\n\nMisha looks skeptical, but she holds her tongue.\n\nI knew there was something going on with Yu. God, I wish they would just tell me. It\u2019s not like it\u2019s a big deal if Misha and Yu get together. Anyone with eyes can tell that it\u2019s going to happen. Even if they\u2019re both dragging their feet to a ridiculous degree. Why is all of this such a big deal that they feel the need to hide it?\n\nWell, whatever. I\u2019m rooting for them no matter what the big secret is. They both deserve to be happy. They\u2019ll make it work, if they just try.", "token_count": 1448}
{"file_id": "16", "body": " \n\n\u201cThe pandas are so very cute, I have never seen a bear like them before.\u201d\n\nI hum in agreement and nod as Francois-san talks about the animals. We are finishing our meals in the zoo\u2019s cafeteria, and thankfully the prices are pretty reasonable. We both picked out a curry dish.\n\n\u201cWhat are you doing on your phone?\u201d She doesn\u2019t look thrilled when I look up.\n\n\u201cOhh, sorry I was seeing if I could find anything about Revolution since we were sitting down. You were enjoying the meal and I was thinking maybe I could find something since we were sitting down.\u201d I didn\u2019t even realize I have been on it that long, she has mostly finished her meal, but mine still has a bit left over. I feel guilty, it was supposed to be quick.\n\nShe softens, \u201cOh\u2026 I guess that makes sense, did you find anything? You were looking on the internet?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, but no. I\u2019m not really finding anything that sounds like a game you are describing. It is Bauer right, like Yu-san, that Bauer?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, that\u2019s\u2026 because they were the royalty.\u201d\n\n\u201cAh.\u201d  \n\nWait, Yu was royalty.\n\nShe giggles at me, the realization must have been visible on my face.\n\n\u201cYes, Rod, Thane and Yu were the\u2026 princes and their father was the King. He unfortunately passed on when the volcano erupted and Thane later inherited the throne. Rod led the military, and Yu\u2026 umm.\u201d\n\n\u201cIs it bad, did something bad happen to Yu-san?\u201d I\u2019m not that close to Yu, but Misha does care about him despite anything she might say to the contrary.\n\n\u201cOh no! Nothing like that, it's just, I don't know how to put it, it\u2019s not my place to say.\u201d\n\nWhy wouldn't she want to say\u2026 is there some sort of development\u2026\n\n\u201cWait, do they get together?\u201d\n\nShe turns away. \u201cI have no idea what you are referring to.\u201d\n\nWow she is bad at lying.\n\n\u201cOh my god, they do! I knew there was something going between those two. Misha gets so mushy around him all the time, and he is always trying to act all coy around her but I see how they are when they think no one is looking.\u201d I knew it! Oh god I am going to tease Misha even more the next it comes up.\n\nFrancois-san just pouts. \u201cIt\u2019s not my business to meddle, and I don\u2019t know how much things are different here.\u201d\n\nI suppose that's fair\u2026 but \u201cYou weren't shy when it came to me though.\u201d\n\nShe humphs, god I love her pouting, \u201cThat\u2019s different , and you have no leg to stand on after all the meddling you did with me, \u201d there is a fire in her eyes, she definitely meant it to sound that way. \u201cAt least I am being honest to begin with.\u201d \n\nWe could meddle now.\n\nI want to play along but the counter dies in my throat, god, I can\u2019t keep up with her. I can\u2019t win this game, I feel myself coming undone as she just stares me down with that smug look in her eyes. \n\nGod damn she looks so hot.\n\n\u201cUmmmm, so yah\u2026 I don\u2019t think your game exists.\u201d I have to cough to clear the thickness in my throat, \u201cRevolution.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt does seem things are different from your last life. Some things are the same, but you never meet Misha, or the Bauers before. I\u2019m not sure why that is but it is no small fortune for myself that it is that way.\u201d\n\nThat is true. At least in most Isekais you usually get OP or some cheat. Francois kinda got the short end of the stick.\n\n\u201cAnd goodness you were so fortunate when you did this too, not only did you seem to know everything, but you ended up being one of the best spellcasters in the country, if not the world.\u201d\n\n\u201cYah it's been rough for you, magic huh? This is going to sound weird but you know a lot about me, well sorta, but I don\u2019t know too much about you.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, yes I suppose that is that case.\u201d She simmers down, is more solemn as she says that. \u201cWhat would you like to know?\u201d\n\n\u201cWell\u2026 I don\u2019t know? Let's start small. I like to read; manga, novels, whatever, and I like to play games. What about yourself?\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, outside of\u2026\u201d a slight red tints her cheeks and she hazards a rare shy glance at me before recovering. ME ? She was going to say me wasn\u2019t she? \u201cWell I also enjoy reading, but I also enjoy sewing. I never really manage to get cooking down which is a shame. I suppose I also enjoy a game, we used to play chess or other games of the like to pass the time but you always proved to be a challenging opponent and often the victor.\u201d\n\nOh\n\n \u201cCool, I hope you like the game I am going to show you then, it\u2019s nothing like chess\u201d Stop fidgeting your hands Rei, \u201cIt's a bit like a novel, or a play. The plot is important in it, and it\u2019s set here, in Japan so it's like good exposure to our weird little country\u2026 but it is long and you don\u2019t have to feel like we keep playing it if you don\u2019t really enjoy it or anything. It\u2019s not a big deal or any-\n\n\u201cRei,\u201d She stops my rambling, her voice is firm, but soft, \u201cI\u2019m sure I will enjoy it, I\u2019ve always wanted to see this part of you.\u201d\n\nI can\u2019t help but gulp, but as she looks at me, I can\u2019t help but believe her. I really want her to like it.\n\nHow did I get so lucky?\n\n ", "token_count": 1204}
{"file_id": "40_1", "body": "Claire\u2019s been pretty into Dungeon Meshi\u2026 I thought she would have been asking more questions\u2026 but a couple chapters in and she is just getting comfortable. She has definitely been slyly sinking more and more into me\u2026\n\nThis is great. And it\u2019s nice\u2026 cozy, I\u2019m reading along with her over her shoulder on her phone, maybe it\u2019s a bit harder for me to read but I hardly need to at this point. Oh, that\u2019s the chapter done, a light chuckle from her for the silly last page.\n\n\u201cSo\u2026?\u201d\n\n\u201cI like it, so far at least.\u201d\n\n\u201cReally?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes.\u201d\n\nDon\u2019t nerd out.\n\n\u201cWhatdoyouthink?\u201d\n\nShe laughs and stretches, then leans more into me\u2026 oh. \u201cIt\u2019s interesting, I never would have really humored the idea of eating monsters in Bauer before.\u201d\n\n\u201cMonsters\u2026 what were those like? You kinda mentioned that before I think. You had magic too? What was\u2026 was it like this? I was expecting you to ask more questions while reading, but is it just familiar?\u201d\n\n\u201cHmm? Oh no, this is nothing like Bauer\u2026 we had monsters to be sure, but a \u2018dungeon\u2019 was it? That\u2019s what they are going through right? That\u2019s not like anything we had, and the monster are similar, you had a slime familiar-\u201d\n\n\u201cI what?\u201d\n\n\u201cA slime, like from the first chapter, but she looked very different, and was very clever.\u201d\n\n\u201cI had a pet slime?\u201d Really? That sounds so cool.\n\n\u201cYes, the girls more or less inherited her afterwards, she was adorable, here, might you have some pen and paper?\u201d\n\nI reach over the bed to my desk and pull my school bag out, dragging back what Claire needs. She quickly sketches up a slime, it almost looks like one from Dragon Warrior, but still it's its own thing. It looks cute. \u201cDaww, that would be so cool, she looks cute.\u201d\n\n\u201cRelaire was very cute,\u201d She smiles and looks at the sketch, \u201cShe was such a good companion and did so much for us.\u201d\n\nAhh, I feel bad that I will never- Wait \u201cRelaire?\u201d\n\nClaire slides back into me and leans up to give me a kiss on the chin, \u201cYes, Relaire.\u201d She smirks.\n\n\u201cI didn\u2019t.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou did.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cRei\u2026\n\n\u201cNo\u2026.\u201d\n\n\u201cPlus\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cI didn\u2019t\u201d\n\n\u201cClaire.\u201d\n\nI can\u2019t help but groan, are you serious? Of fucking course I did that.\n\n\u201cIt was cute, even if I couldn\u2019t admit it at the time.\u201d\n\n\u2026 \u201cSo umm, monster?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes\u2026 there were goblins, orcs, demons, we even fought a chimera together while we were students\u2026 Undead\u2026 \u201d\n\n\u201cUndead?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes.\u201d Claire\u2019s voice is strained.\n\n\u201cIs something wrong with the undead? Wait, do we mean the same thing, like a walking dead body right?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, just that. Nothing unusual.\u201d\n\n\u201cOkay\u2026? I\u2026 nevermind, but what about ghosts? Spirits?\u201d\n\n\u201cThereisn\u2019tsuchathingasghostsReiwhywouldyousuggestsuchathing?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat? Are there ghosts here?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh thank goodness.\u201d\n\nWait\u2026. \u201cClaire are you a-\u201d\n\n\u201cI dare you to finish that sentence Rei \u201d\n\nOh\u2026.\n\nI lean into her ear and whisper, \u201c Ghosts ?\u201d\n\nShe shudders and turns, thumping her hands on my chest, \u201cThat isn\u2019t funny Rei!\u201d\n\nI can\u2019t help but laugh as she lays a weak barrage on me, \u201cGhosts?\u201d\n\n\u201cRei! It\u2019s not funny!\u201d\n\n\u201cOkay Okay.\u201d It\u2019s kinda funny.\n\n\u201cHmmph!\u201d She turns away and just pouts fucking adorably.\n\nI\u2019m the luckiest lesbian in the world.\n\nI shouldn\u2019t tease her too much about it though\u2026 I can wait till spirits show up in Meshi\u2026\n\n\u201cSo how different was the rest? Like you said there was magic\u2026 you, uh we had magic?\u201d\n\nHer pouting simmers down, \u201cWell, yes\u2026 do you mean from Dungeon Meshi? I think it seems different. It hasn't really gone into magic theory has it?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh\u2026 yah I suppose. It does later I guess. Sorry I just got it all in my head. How did your magic work, you said theory?\u201d\n\n\u201cWell magic would be aligned with one of the four elements, Earth, Fire, Wind or Water. I was a master of fire magic, you were a rare dualcaster, and could use Earth and Water.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh\u2026 okay, yah the four elements are a common trope for magic, especially in games, there is the whole elemental weakness things too. Fire versus Water, Air versus Earth, sometimes there is Dark and Light too.\u201d\n\nClaire looks confused, \u201cWhat do you mean? That's not how it works, Fire trumps Earth, then Earth trumps Wind, which then in trumps Water and then Fire.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat? That can\u2019t be right? Fire should be good against Water too? How does that even make sense? Even Pokemon let's ice be weak to fire.\u201d\n\n\u201cPoke-what? What are you talking about Rei, of course that\u2019s how it works. What you are suggesting doesn't make sense either, how would elements be both effective and susceptible against each other?\u201d\n\n\u201cBecause they are opposite!\u201d\n\n\u201cOh? And how is that supposed to help Wind beat Earth?\u201d\n\n\u201cHow is Air more effective than Fire versus Water huh? Water just evaporates with enough heat, if something is made up of water heat can be very dangerous. And Air is light and hard to hit, Earth is slow, they attack each other's weaknesses.\u201d\n\n\u201cI lived it Rei, I\u2019m telling you that\u2019s not how it worked.\u201d She looks a bit upset with me.\n\n\u201cSorry\u2026 Sorry Claire. I\u2026 it's just a video game thing and I can\u2026\u201d But like how is fire good versus a rock?\n\n\u201cGet a little too into it?\u201d She quirks her brow.\n\nShe does know me, \u201c...yeah.\u201d\n\nShe chuckles, \u201cDon\u2019t worry, I-\u201d\n\nMy phone starts buzzing on the bed, and we both stop to look at it. It\u2019s a call. \u201cSorry, do you mind if I check, we can keep going after.\u201d\n\nShe nods, so I grab it. Oh\u2026 it\u2019s Shiko.\n\n\u201cHi?\u201d\n\n\u201cThank god,\u201d She sounds exhausted, \u201cI need help, my assistant bailed and I need hands to help sell at the event next saturday.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat?\u201d\n\n\u201cAmi\u2026 that bitch flake just flaked out, Rei it\u2019s a big event, I need to sell my doujins but I can\u2019t man my both by myself. Come on, you have helped out before.\u201d\n\n\u201cWho is it?\u201d Claire asks, it must be easy to hear Shiko.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s Shiko.\u201d\n\n\u201cAre you with someone?\u201d Shiko asks.\n\n\u201cShiko?\u201d Claire sounds excited, uh I-\n\n\u201cHey who is that-\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s Claire\u2026 uh my\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cHoly shit.\u201d\n\nI barely register as Claire leans next to my ear with the phone, and answers for me, \u201cHer Girlfriend, Hello Shiko.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh fuck yes, my baby gay has grown up.\u201d\n\nClaire laughs, \u201cWe can help Rei.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat, I\u2026 are you sure, you don\u2019t even know what you are offering.\u201d\n\n\u201cYour friend needs help doesn\u2019t she?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes I need help, listen to your girlfriend Rei.\u201d Shiko\u2019s voice comes from the phone again.\n\nOh no, they are ganging up on me. \u201cI\u2026 can you tell me more\u2026 where is it?\u201d\n\n\u201cClose to you, this one is in Tokyo, it\u2019s easy for you to get there.\u201d\n\n\u201cUghhh, is it going to be the whole day?\u201d\n\n\u201cUnless I sell out first, come on, I\u2019ll pay you both, and I\u2019ll treat you to dinner afterward. Please Reiiiiiiiiiii!\u201d\n\n\u201cWe should help her, she needs it, and I want to be of help if I can.\u201d\n\n\u201cFine-\u201d\n\n\u201cYes!\u201d\n\n\u201cBut Claire\u2019s never been to one of these before so I need you to\u2026 not throw her in the deep end okay?\u201d\n\n\u201cPftt! Who do you think I am?... Okay, FINE , but honestly we will probably be too busy anyways.\u201d\n\n\u201cWait\u2026\u201d Oh god damn it, it\u2019s not just normal doujin either is it? \u201cWhat kind of doujin are we talking about?\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019ll be selling safe ones, but I have a big stock of ecchi and hentai that needs to be sold too, come on you aren\u2019t scared of your GF seeing some boobs?\u201d\n\nOh god, of course she is going to be selling those too.\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t mind.\u201d Right Claire is here still. \u201cIt\u2019s not a big deal for me, if anything I am a bit interested to see whatever Shiko makes.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut\u2026.\u201d aaaAaaaAaaaaaAaaaaaAaaaa\n\n\u201cSound like it settled, Thanks Claire-san, make sure she doesn\u2019t flake like fucking Ami.\u201d\n\n\u201cHey! I already agreed.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe will be there, it was nice talking to you Shiko.\u201d\n\n\u201cDamn, your girl is hot and nice, Thanks Claire-san, I\u2019ll talk to you later Rei, I got to make sure these are printed cause fucking Ami isn\u2019t here\u2026. Bye.\u201d\n\nThe phone\u2019s line dies.\n\nClaire looks satisfied\u2026 but\u2026 there are\u2026 god am I being weird, I feel weird. Shiko\u2019s stuff can be really\u2026. Extreme\u2026 and umm\u2026 Claire seeing that\u2026 She\u2019s going to think I\u2019m weird or gross.\n\n\u201cRei, are you going to be okay? We are just helping her?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes\u2026 sorry I just\u2026 in my head.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat are we selling exactly, doujin? Ecchi? Is this like a manga?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes\u2026 doujin are like fan made manga\u2026 sometimes it\u2019s orig", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "40_2", "body": "inal stuff, sometimes it\u2019s like fan made stuff of big things, of like, um, Dungeon Meshi.\u201d\n\n\u201cEcchi?\u201d\n\nFuck\u2026. \u201cThaaaat\u2019s\u2026. lewd stuff, um ecchi is really suggestive stuff and hentai\u2026 is um, well just sex?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, okay.\u201d wait, she hardly seems bothered. \u201cI thought it might have been something like that, Shiko makes it herself? Is it good?\u201d\n\nVery\n\n\u201cWhat? Really? I\u2026 yes Shiko is\u2026 good, I\u2026 she does a lot of\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cYuri?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy do you know what?\u201d She laughs and just tips her head towards me, \u201cOf course it's because of me, god how shameless was I?\u201d\n\nShe laughs some more, \u201cEnough to keep things interesting, it\u2019s a good thing, It will be fun.\u201d\n\nWow, it really does not seem like a big deal for her, but of course\u2026 sex isn\u2019t a big deal for her. She umm\u2026 has done a lot\u2026 with\u2026. Look, I haven't done any of this. I don\u2019t need to justify why I\u2019m nervous to myself about this!\n\nAnd she says it\u2019s fine, but she hasn\u2019t seen it\u2026\n\nOr what I have liked.\n\n\u201cRei, we don\u2019t need to make a big deal about it\u2026 really. I\u2019m sorry If I am making light of something you are uncomfortable with. I thought you liked this sort of thing?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes!\u201d Very , \u201cNo! But like\u2026 it\u2019s different when I\u2019m\u2026 reading it\u2026 and my\u2026 girlfriend is\u2026 the one\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat\u2019s wrong Rei, you can talk to me about it, I\u2019ve talked to you about everything.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut I haven\u2019t!\u201d\n\nShit.\n\nClaire looks a bit surprised, almost ashamed, no... God damn it Rei just keep a handle on yourself.\n\n\u201cRei I\u2019m s-\u201d\n\n\u201cNo it\u2019s fine, it\u2019s just me. It\u2019s not you, you're great. You're also so kind, gentle, and accommodating. You know all these things about me\u2026 and I\u2026 I don\u2019t know?...\u201d It\u2019s hard to look at her directly.\n\n\u201cRei, I\u2019m here for you, I\u2019m not perfect. I\u2019m pushing you too much aren\u2019t I\u201d\n\n\u201cYou\u2019re not, I shouldn\u2019t be so-\u201d\n\n\u201cRei, there is nothing you need to do or be. Just talk to me.\u201d\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t know\u2026 I\u2026\u201d I can't look at her\u2026\n\nWhat if I\u2019m not who you think I am?\n\nI feel a weight on my back. It's her, she is leaning on me and wraps her arm around me, it\u2019s nice. I\u2019m being dramatic.\n\nYou need to tell her something.\n\n\u201cI\u2019ve not really talked to many people about this\u2026 stuff\u2026 just Shiko really and Misha a bit, and Misha probably thinks I talk about it too much, but like no one else really. I\u2019m anonymous online about it. I\u2019m not a loud and proud lesbian like\u2026\u201d her   \u201cit\u2019s\u2026 scary.\u201d\n\n\u201cIs it scary that I know all these things about you?\u201d Her voice is very level.\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t know\u2026 a little? Maybe? I\u2026 I trust you but I don\u2019t get it\u2026 it\u2019s\u2026. It\u2019s like\u2026\u201d\n\nI trusted Kosaki too\u2026\n\nHer hug tightens, god I must sound pathetic. \u201cThank you for telling me Rei, I know it\u2019s not easy.\u201d\n\nNot easy for me, you mean.\n\n\u201cRei, I\u2019m here for you, now, tomorrow, and the next time. It\u2019s been a long day, a long weekend and you were there for me the whole time. But I am here for you too. It doesn\u2019t matter what you need, I will help you too, okay?\u201d\n\nIt\u2019s really easy to believe her when she says it like that.\n\n\u201cYah\u2026 sorry for being so\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cThere is nothing to apologize for.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut you have all these things to deal with, you shouldn\u2019t have to be worrying about my hang ups, I should be the one helping you.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe help each other Rei, you need help too and I will die before I ignore your needs. Promise me you will let me help you, that you will ask for help. You don\u2019t need to shoulder it all yourself.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2026 really? Are\u2026?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes Rei\u2026\u201d She loosens her grip on me, and moves to bring us face to face. Her face is serious, firm, \u201cRei, swear to me, We are equals, we share each other\u2019s burdens. You will let me help you as you have helped me. You won\u2019t be alone.\u201d\n\n\u201c... seriously?\u201d\n\nShe just holds her stare. She means it.\n\n\u201cOkay\u2026 I won\u2019t?\u201d\n\n\u201cRei, say it.\u201d\n\n\u201cAh\u2026. okay fine. I swear\u2026 that we are equals, we share and help each other.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd you won\u2019t be alone.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd I won\u2019t be alone.\u201d I have to gulp as I finish saying that\u2026 wow saying it out loud\u2026 feels\u2026 a lot. Something very intimate. Our private oath.\n\nShe smiles, and that makes it feel right. She leans in and gives me a chaste kiss, it\u2019s short but something about it makes it feel so much more.\n\nWith this, a contract is formed.\n\nGod, I'm such an otaku.\n\nOkay, I won\u2019t fuck this up.\n\n\n", "token_count": 1110}
{"file_id": "9", "body": "\u201cI think we need a break.\u201d Rae takes a stretch and pushes away from the desk, doing a little spin in her chair. I noticed it had wheels but I didn\u2019t realize it was so mobile. Rae finishes her spin and stops, facing me. She must have noticed me observing the motion of the chair because she grins. \u201cDo you want to spin me?\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019d rather take you for a spin.\u201d She tries to hide her reaction but the best she can do is a cute pout and a deep blush. \n\nClaire , leave her alone. Spin her in the chair like she asked.\n\n\u201cSorry, yes, do I just \u2026?\n\n\u201cYup, just give me a push and then keep pushing, like a merry go round,\u201d She says, refusing to acknowledge my first comment. No Fun.\n\n\u201cA merry what?\u201d\n\nRae looks almost offended. \u201cSeriously? You were missing out as a kid.\u201d\n\nI still have no idea what she is talking about. \u201cMaybe, but I was still very spoiled growing up.\u201d I stand up and give the chair a push as directed and it spins her in place. She pulls her legs up to her chest and curls into a ball in the chair.\n\n\u201cFaster!\u201d\n\nI give her a few more pushes, finding a good rhythm and letting her pick up speed as she starts to laugh. I giggle along with her.\n\n\u201cOkay, okay, okay, that\u2019s enough! Oh, woah.\u201d I help Rae slow down and when she finally comes to a stop she wobbles in her seat, trying very hard to not fall out. \u201cOh, this sucks.\u201d She laughs again. \u201cGive me a minute to, woah\u2026\u201d\n\nShe eventually regains her equilibrium and settles down, a goofy smile on her face. It reminds me of when she would play with the girls when they were still young, running around and chasing each other.\n\n\u201cIs it alright if I make some tea?\u201d Rae asks once she can get up from the chair without  losing her balance.\n\n\u201cOf course. Catherine? Do we have tea?\u201d I inquire at the sofa.\n\n\u201cIt's all in the middle cabinet, bottom shelf. Cups are in the right cabinet.\u201d Catherine\u2019s voice comes from over the sofa.\n\nRae gets up and goes to the kitchenette, pulling out the needed elements. \u201cWould you two like some, and if so what kind?\u201d\n\nThe sofa declines, but I think I would rather like to have some of Rae\u2019s tea. \u201cYes, please. Thank you, Rae.\u201d\n\n\u201cUmm\u2026 how would you like it, Francois-san?\u201d She asks.\n\n\u201cJust the usual\u2026 Oh , apologies. Any flavor you like is fine, just a dash of sugar if that\u2019s available.\u201d Of course she doesn\u2019t know how you want it, Claire.\n\nShe nods and sets to work making the tea. I can spy something akin to a kettle, and she frowns as she plucks a few small pouches from a tin. She mutters \u201cwhatever\u201d under her breath. She drops the pouches in a pair of cups and fills the kettle with water from the sink. I notice there is a thick cord attached to the back of the kettle, and she pushes one end of the cord into a hole in the wall. Oh, this is like powering a phone, isn\u2019t it? \u201cIs that also electric?\u201d\n\n\u201cHrmm?\u201d Rae looks up after she finishes setting up the kettle. \u201cOh, yeah. It uses electricity to heat up the water. Pretty much everything is powered that way. Don\u2019t stick your finger in the socket, or anything else, like a fork. Don\u2019t stick anything in that's not a plug. That could kill you.\u201d\n\n\u201cNoted.\u201d Electricity is akin to lightning? It's astonishing that they have it available in the walls. I will have to ask about it later. Soon I can hear water boil in the kettle and steam rise up. Rae pours the water into the two cups, mixes in the sugar and brings me a steaming cup of amber tea once it is done steeping.\n\n\u201cHere, let it cool off for a bit.\u201d She lowers herself into her chair, blowing on her cup before setting it and mine down on the desk. \u201cSo, you\u2019re not doing too bad for your first day, at least with what we have gone over so far.\u201d\n\nFrom someone else it might have sounded patronizing, but I know Rae. \u201cI think this would be easier if I hadn\u2019t been out of the academy for so long. We used to be teachers, but we have been retired for a while now.\u201d\n\n\u201cReally? You\u2019re still doing well; it\u2019s not easy stuff.\u201d She blows again on her cup of tea and ventures a taste, quickly recoiling from the heat. She sticks her tongue out when I giggle at her.\n\nAfter a minute I give my tea a test. it\u2019s still quite warm, but I don\u2019t mind. My proclivity for heat and heat resistance persists in this life, it seems. The tea has an odd taste here, however though I can\u2019t quite put my finger on how or why. Is it poor quality or is this just typical here?\n\n\u201cDo you not like it?\u201d Rae asks, her face scrunched in worry.\n\n\u201cOh, it\u2019s just different. It\u2019s not like the tea we used to have back home.\u201d I hope to assuage her worries. it\u2019s just tea, after all, and it\u2019s still quite serviceable.\n\n\u201cSorry, that's all you had and the stuff in a pouch is never as good as the loose leaves but you didn\u2019t have any and I\u2019m not saying I\u2019m a master at steeping tea or anything but\u2014\u201d She is much too worried over such a small thing. The tea is just a change I will have to get used to, like so many of the other changes I\u2019ve recently experienced.\n\nI cup her face gently, interrupting her rambling. \u201cRae, it\u2019s fine, please don\u2019t worry about it.\u201d I only realize what I have done as she stills and turns completely scarlet. \u201cOh.\u201d I pull my hands back. \u201cI apologize for that, I \u2026\u201d \n\nClaire, there is teasing and then there is being intrusive.\n\nRae just nods and pivots her chair away from me, her blush still evident from the tips of her ears and back of her neck.\n\nThat was too much, Claire! Just control yourself. You aren\u2019t a slave to your baser instincts!\n\nI hazard another glance at Rae. God, she is so cute like this. It\u2019s truly unfair.\n\nClaire, control yourself!\n\nI think I finally understand what it was like for her when we first met. Rae tests another sip of her tea and seems content with the heat this time. She is still unable to look in my direction.\n\nI will just have to resign myself to letting her recover from her embarrassment. We finish our tea in silence, and she gets up and takes the cups to the kitchenette. When she returns she is more collected, but only slightly. She fidgets with her hands.\n\nShould I say something? It looks like she is working through a thought in her head.\n\n\u201cFrancois-San?\u201d I am ready to be told I am being overly forward.\n\n\u201cYes, Rae?\u201d\n\nShe gulps. \u201cI think it might be good to spend some time doing something more\u2026 recreational later, to help you relax and acclimatize? We don\u2019t have classes on the weekend.\u201d The last part is forced out as a squeak.\n\nIs she\u2026? \u201cRae Taylor, are you asking me on a date? \u201d \n\nI don\u2019t mean to sound so\u2014wait, her face just shifted. I said something wrong again and upset her. What did\u2014\n\n\u201cOohashi.\u201d\n\n\u201cPardon?\u201d\n\n\u201cOohashi, Oohashi Rei . Please call me Oohashi, not \u2026\u201d\n\nOh.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m sorry, I didn\u2019t mean to\u2014\u201d\n\nShe smiles weakly to try and mask her disappointment. \u201cI understand Francois-san\u2026 and I know it can be hard to adjust but please call me Oohashi for now, especially when we are in public.\u201d\n\nI hear an echo in my head. \u2018 But in private is okay, right, Claire-sama?\u2019\n\nStop that.\n\n\u201cI will try. I am sorry if I have made you uncomfortable Oohashi\u2026san\u201d.\n\nRae\u2019s smile becomes more genuine. At least I haven't completely ruined this moment. \n\n\u201c Sooooo? \u201d She reddens once more.\n\n\u201cHrmm?\u201d\n\n\u201cWould you like to take a break with me over the weekend?\u201d Her voice trails to a barely a whisper as she utters the last word.\n\nWithout meaning to, I lean in and whisper. \u201cCould you speak up?\u201d CLAIRE! \u201cYes!\u201d I say quickly, ignoring my last comment that slipped out so she doesn\u2019t have to respond to my overbearing teasing any further. I pull her into a hug and giggle like I am a teenager again. oh, I missed this.\n\nWait! Claire, give her space, what are you\u2014 Rae starts to giggle and returns the hug. Oh thank goodness! We are both smiling and laughing now. This is perfect. I love her so much.\n\n\u201cPlease get a room,\u201d the sofa says in exasperation, and we both just laugh some more.\n\n ", "token_count": 1926}
{"file_id": "72_1", "body": "Yu ends up sticking around despite our tense conversation, but their brothers leave shortly after my parents do. Rod and Thane at least manage to help Dad put together quite a bit of stuff before they leave. My old desk is all set up, as well as my old shelves and a dresser. I guess unpacking will be easier now, though I wish my parents didn\u2019t bring so much stuff with them. I really don\u2019t need all of this.\n\n\u201cIs something wrong?\u201d Yu ask as they lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling. It feels so nostalgic\u2014we used to talk about everything when we were younger, just like this. Even after all this time they are still good at knowing just what\u2019s on my mind without my having to say a word. I just wish they would acknowledge that it goes both ways.\n\nI crouch down next to a box. It feels heavy and I\u2019m willing to bet it\u2019s full of books. \u201cYeah, I told Mom she didn\u2019t have to bring so much.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, your mom actually wants you to be happy. Unlike some of us.\u201d There is a bitter edge to their voice. When it\u2019s just the two of us, it\u2019s one of the few times they let their guard down. Mostly.\n\n\u201cYu.\u201d\n\nThey sigh. \u201cI know. I know. It\u2019s not fair for me to say that about mine.\u201d\n\n\u201cChrist, Yu, you don\u2019t have to defend her. I know how much she sucks. Sure, it\u2019s not fair to compare our mothers like that, but I know yours doesn\u2019t exactly have your best interests in mind. Please don\u2019t pretend like it\u2019s okay.\u201d\n\nI can practically hear Yu chewing on their lip. \u201cShe does care, in her own way.\u201d\n\nJesus Christ. She cares about using you! I can\u2019t get into this right now. I need to change the topic or else this is going to blow up.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m glad you came by.\u201d\n\nYu stays quiet on the bed. At least they aren\u2019t arguing the point further. Against my better judgment, I decide to bring up another delicate issue.\n\n\u201cI was also wary of Claire at first. Don\u2019t forget that. But I trust her now.\u201d\n\n\u201cI can\u2019t believe you moved in with her. You didn\u2019t even tell me about it before you decided.\u201d Yu sounds offended. It\u2019s not like I had anything else lined up. Like, did you think I could move in with you or something?\n\n\u201cDid you know I had to convince her to let me pay rent?\u201d\n\nYu pushes themself up to look at me. \u201cYou\u2019re shitting me.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo. It\u2019s true.\u201d\n\nYu waits for me to reveal the joke, but there isn\u2019t one.\n\n\u201cShe just asked you to move in for free?\u201d\n\n\u201cYep. Rei was moving in with her and that would have left me alone in the dorm. I would have either had to pay for it myself or get another roommate. Claire said that would be stupid and that I should just move in with them. The money is not a big deal to them. I\u2019m sure her family has nearly as much as yours. Or more.\u201d\n\n\u201cMoney sucks,\u201d Yu mumbles as they settle back down onto the bed. They don't elaborate further.\n\nGuess we\u2019re done with that conversation.\n\nTime to open this first box. Inside is manga. I can see several volumes of Frieren and Dungeon Meshi stacked inside. I can\u2019t help but pull one out just to flip through the pages. My collection is nowhere near as big as Rei\u2019s, but I really love the few I do have. And if we hadn\u2019t had that in common, would I have ever connected with Rei in the first place? That\u2019s a sad thought to ponder, even if Rei can be a giant pain at times.\n\nTime to put these in their new home, at least for now. It would be easy enough to arrange them on the shelf in the same order I had them in at home. Should I do something different, though? Maybe? Probably, it\u2019s a good chance to organize everything better than before, I guess. Though I should probably unpack it all before reorganizing, right?\n\nThe next box is full of novels.\n\n\u201cI forget how much of a nerd you are sometimes.\u201d Yu\u2019s voice is surprisingly close, making me jump. When did they start hovering over me like that?\n\n\u201cExcuse you?\u201d\n\nThey laugh. \u201cCome on, you have so many fantasy series, and like, is this Lord of the Rings in English?\u201d\n\n\u201cYou can speak English, can\u2019t you? You can read it yourself.\u201d\n\nThey pluck the Fellowship from the stack and grin. Yu\u2026 They flip it open. \u201cWell, my German is much better, but I\u2019m sure I can manage. \u2018In the house of Elrond, and it is ten o\u2019clock in the morning. Said a voice. It is the morning of October the twenty-fourth, if you want to know.\u2019\u201d Yu manages to produce a pretty decent English accent. I\u2019m pretty sure they are trying to imitate Sir Ian McKellen, but the deeper cadence just sounds wrong coming out of their mouth.\n\n\u201cGive that back.\u201d I managed to snatch the book out of Yu\u2019s hand and put it back in its place.\n\n\u201cCan\u2019t believe you went the extra mile and got an English version of the trilogy.\u201d\n\nThey\u2019re really going to keep teasing me about it, aren\u2019t they? \u201cI like the series, but I also needed to practice my English. It made sense.\u201d\n\n\u201cSure. Just like it made sense to start listening to English DnD podcasts. Definitely not because you\u2019re a huge nerd.\u201d I can see Yu smirking out of the corner of my eye. God, Yu can be such a shit.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m not ashamed to say I like fantasy, Yu.\u201d It doesn\u2019t take long to divide the novels into stacks by genre. The fantasy stack is bigger, but the sci-fi stack is a pretty decent size too. I do like fantasy way more, though. Time to crack the next box. This one is much heavier.\n\n\u201cI\u2019ll bet your mom also sent your DnD books.\u201d\n\nSure enough, when I open the box the Dungeon Master\u2019s guide stares up at me. Mocking me. Of course that\u2019s the one I open when Yu makes that comment.\n\nYu laughs.\n\nDespite their teasing, I can\u2019t help but feel fond of these books and glad that Mom packed them. I\u2019ve never had a chance to really use them. I mean, I\u2019ve read through the rules, mostly, and I\u2019ve read some of them several times at this point. I just never really had enough people to actually run a game. Convincing Rei to play would be like pulling teeth. I know Yu would if I asked, but two people is hardly a group.\n\nMaybe\u2026\n\n\u201cYou still want to run a game, don\u2019t you?\u201d Of course Yu can tell.\n\n\u201cI\u2026yeah. I don\u2019t know who I would get to play, though. Except you, I hope.\u201d\n\nYu shrugs. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t say no to giving it a try. I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s my thing, but I also don\u2019t know that it\u2019s not my thing. But yeah, not sure who else we could ask. Rei\u2019s never been interested. And it\u2019s not like her new girlfriend would want to either.\u201d\n\nClaire?\n\nHonestly, that\u2019s not the worst idea. And maybe she could convince Rei to give it a try. Rei would do anything for her, after all. I can always ask, and the fact that we live together would solve so many of the scheduling and location logistics.\n\nYu quickly notices the thoughtful look on my face. \u201cNo. You can't be serious.\u201d\n\n\u201cI didn\u2019t say anything.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut you\u2019re considering it now. You're going to ask Claire to play with us.\u201d Of course Yu is throwing a fit.\n\n\u201cYes. What? You think she won\u2019t? Or are you worried she will?\u201d\n\nYu makes a sour face.\n\n\u201cWhat did she say to you?\u201d\n\nYu groans. \u201cShe didn\u2019t say anything. It doesn\u2019t matter.\u201d\n\n\u201cGod, Yu, do you really think I believe that? She obviously said something, or let something slip, and you\u2019ve been hyperfixated on it since then. You had no issue with Claire until recently. First it was funny that Claire was chasing after Rei, but then out of nowhere she\u2019s suddenly a problem? Come on, Yu, it\u2019s just me. Tell me what\u2019s bothering you.\u201d Please, Yu\u2026\n\n\u201cShe didn\u2019t say anything. It wouldn't make sense.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat wouldn\u2019t make sense? Try me. Please.\u201d\n\nYu groans again. \u201cGod, I can't even explain it. It was just the way she said something. An implication she made.\u201d\n\n\u201cImplication?\u201d At least this is finally confirmation that Claire did let something slip. \u201cShe\u2019s uncannily perceptive.\u201d Even without all her cheaty forbidden knowledge about us.\n\n\u201cShe doesn\u2019t know me.\u201d And yet it seems she does, Yu.\n\n\u201cSounds like someone doesn\u2019t like being seen.\u201d Yu\u2019s glaring at me. Shit, I didn\u2019t mean to say that out loud. \u201cYu, I wish you could tell me about whatever this is\u2026\u201d\n\nYu just huffs and jumps back on the bed to lie down again. Guess that conversation is over. They\u2019re shutting down a lot of conversations today. Yu\u2026I wish you\u2019d let me in, even just a little.\n\nRegardless, I can tell it\u2019s pointless to press the issue further. I should focus on unpacking these endless boxes. Mom really did send everything, didn\u2019t she?\n\nI should ask Claire to play DnD.\n\nIt\u2019s actually a good idea, isn\u2019t it? Yu is assuming she won\u2019t want to because it\u2019s nerdy or otaku-y, but Claire really likes Dungeon Meshi. And I think she\u2019s made it through a big chunk of Persona with Rei at this point too. She\u2019s legitimately enjoyed all of it, and I", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "72_2", "body": " can\u2019t imagine her turning her nose up at the suggestion of a DnD game. If anything, I imagine it might be interesting for her. She\u2019s probably never even heard of it before. And I know for sure if I hook her first, Rei will follow. Rei has always been a gremlin who prefers to lurk in a dark room by herself, but I bet I won\u2019t even have to try if Claire asks her. What would appeal to Claire the most? The roleplaying, right? I\u2019m sure she would enjoy the plot and mystery elements too. Would combat be too much for her? If we start at level one then hopefully the rules won\u2019t overwhelm her. And of course Rei will be there to help her too. If Rei is good at one thing, it\u2019s min-maxing and optimizing.\n\nDamn, it actually does seem like a good idea.\n\nAnd I really want to run a game.\n\nStill, we would need more than just three players. Catherine does not seem like promising prospect. We\u2019ve gotten to the point where we can, like, make jokes, but I think something like DnD would be pushing it. She\u2019s always the first one to bounce, and I can\u2019t imagine she would want to get cozy with a bunch of new strangers.\n\nMaybe Yu could ask Thane? I\u2019ll see after I ask Claire, I suppose. I think Thane might enjoy it, as long as he doesn\u2019t mind being around all of us. He should let himself relax and have some fun too. Yu\u2019s not the only one who\u2019s stressed out.\n\nI\u2019ll think about it. I should probably let things settle down a bit before proposing this, since we just moved in. I\u2019m sure things are going to be a bit chaotic here for a while. It sounds like Claire is still cramming her studies of, well, being a human who grew up in this world. And Rei mentioned she might be interested in changing courses.\n\nSo yeah. Maybe after things settle down. I\u2019m not even sure what kind of game I would want to run, either. Should I start with a prewritten module? Or should I write up my own thing? God, where would I even start with that? I\u2019ve never run a game so maybe that\u2019s not the best idea. Anyway, there\u2019s no reason to rush into it.\n\nI just know I want to run a game.\n\nAnd who knows, maybe it will get Yu to lighten up around Claire.\n\nOr maybe it will just turn into a mess.\n\nOkay, I\u2019m not letting that happen. I can manage at least that much, right?", "token_count": 532}
{"file_id": "6", "body": "We arrive so early that no one else is even here yet. I try to quickly cover a lot of the course basics and the material we\u2019ll be covering. Francois-san is impressed with the calculator, and I\u2019m reminded of how convenient a lot of modern conveniences are. We can\u2019t really dwell on any one thing too long because we have way too much to cover. I feel overwhelmed by the scope and I have no idea how it must feel for her\u2014\n\n\u201cWho is this ?\u201d A high-pitched voice interrupts my explanations.\n\nI look up and a taller girl glares at me. Oh, it's that brunette that hangs on Francois-san all the time, and the pink-haired girl is here too. Huh, I swore the pink girl was the one with the freckles.\n\n\u201cLoretta-chan!\u201d Francois-san jumps from her chair and gives Lackey One a hug. It catches both of them by surprise and Lackey One blushes. Francois-san grins and enjoys the hug before moving on to to Lackey Two. \u201cPepi-chan, it\u2019s great to see you two.\u201d\n\nBoth of them are silent. Lackey One\u2019s blush seems to be a feature now. Ha. Lackey Two finally breaks the silence. \u201cWhere did you go yesterday? We tried messaging you but you didn\u2019t answer. And what is she doing here?\u201d She does not sound pleased.\n\n\u201cOh, sorry, I wasn\u2019t feeling terribly well, and I was meeting up with my Rei, I mean, my new tutor. I was just busy.\u201d Francois-san tries her best to make the explanation sound plausible, but selling a lie isn\u2019t really a strength of hers as it turns out. One more point in favor of the argument that she isn\u2019t lying about all of this, I suppose. Not that I doubt it at this point. But she called me\u2014\n\n\u201cR-e-i?\u201d Lackey One croaks out.\n\nFrancois-san gets flustered, only now realizing her mistake. The mistake she keeps making . \u201cOh, yes, Rei-san, Rei Taylor, I mean, Rei Oohashi.\u201d Oh no, she\u2019s really fumbling now. I have to help her.\n\n\u201cYes, I\u2019m Oohashi Rei . Francois-san needed a tutor and we met yesterday. We had a lot to cover and Francois-san wasn\u2019t feeling well. She got light headed and had to lay down for a bit. She\u2019s feeling better now, but we had to rush this morning to finish covering the materials, and you know how it is when the coffee hasn\u2019t kicked in yet.\u201d\n\nLackey One, still blushing, just stares at me. Oh get over yourself. Lackey Two is quiet, analyzing Francois-san intently. She can sense that something is off. She glances at me for a moment, reminding me of a cat, and then turns back to Francois-san. \u201cFine, but she better not get any ideas about hanging around too long\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cExcuse me?\u201d Francois-san\u2019s voice chills and Lackey Two stops mid-sentence. It sends a pleasant shiver down my spine. \u201cThat is my tutor you are talking to, Pepi-chan. She wouldn\u2019t be my tutor if she wasn\u2019t extremely capable and I expect the two of you to treat her with respect.\u201d Okay, I need to unzip my hoodie I wasn\u2019t expecting that and it\u2019s suddenly very warm in this classroom.\n\n\u201cClaire-chan?\u201d Lackey One looks aghast.\n\nLackey Two eyes Francois-san, then turns and glares at me. \u201cFine, come on Loretta-chan, lets get seats. Let\u2019s talk later, Francois-san, okay?\u201d\n\n\u201cOf course, see you soon.\u201d The ice is gone from Francois-san\u2019s voice. Her normal cheeriness has returned, and it doesn\u2019t even feel forced.\n\nLackey Two just nods and drags Lackey One a few seats over. One glares at me the whole time, and wow I do not care.\n\n\u201cSorry, that was rude of them.\u201d Francois-san says after they sit down, and she places a hand on my knee, giving it a soft squeeze.\n\nI let out a nervous chuckle. I swear I can function, \u201cOh, I don\u2019t really care about what they think or say. If anything, it would make them suspicious if I did. I\u2019m just supposed to be your tutor.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, it\u2019s not like I didn\u2019t already make a disaster of introducing you.\u201d She sighs. \u201cBut it\u2019s just not possible for me to  act like the Claire they know. I have some ideas of how I might have acted before, but I\u2019ll have to get people used to the new me eventually. Those two were always my close friends before. Even if no one else caught on, they would notice. It might be easier to just explain it to them.\u201d\n\n\u201cReally? Are you sure? The more people we rope into this, the harder it will be to control. If the wrong person hears about it they could use this against you. You could even get sent to an asylum or something, I don\u2019t know.\u201d That would be the worst outcome, and if it spins out of control I won\u2019t be able to help her anymore.\n\n\u201cI understand, but they will need some sort of reason for my change in behavior. And I do trust them, but you are right. I just want to consider the options.\u201d She looks defeated for a moment, then meets my eyes. There\u2019s a playful fire in her gaze. She smirks. Oh no. \u201cI could just tell them I fell madly in love with you.\u201d\n\nSeventeen, nineteen, twenty-one, fuck\u2026 \u201cFrancois-san, please, we\u2019re in class .\u201d At least she\u2019s keeping her voice low.\n\n ", "token_count": 1188}
{"file_id": "34", "body": "We arrive so early that no one else is even here yet. I try to quickly cover a lot of the course basics and the material we\u2019ll be covering. Francois-san is impressed with the calculator, and I\u2019m reminded of how convenient a lot of modern conveniences are. We can\u2019t really dwell on any one thing too long because we have way too much to cover. I feel overwhelmed by the scope and I have no idea how it must feel for her\u2014\n\n\u201cWho is this ?\u201d A high-pitched voice interrupts my explanations.\n\nI look up and a taller girl glares at me. Oh, it's that brunette that hangs on Francois-san all the time, and the pink-haired girl is here too. Huh, I swore the pink girl was the one with the freckles.\n\n\u201cLoretta-chan!\u201d Francois-san jumps from her chair and gives Lackey One a hug. It catches both of them by surprise and Lackey One blushes. Francois-san grins and enjoys the hug before moving on to to Lackey Two. \u201cPepi-chan, it\u2019s great to see you two.\u201d\n\nBoth of them are silent. Lackey One\u2019s blush seems to be a feature now. Ha. Lackey Two finally breaks the silence. \u201cWhere did you go yesterday? We tried messaging you but you didn\u2019t answer. And what is she doing here?\u201d She does not sound pleased.\n\n\u201cOh, sorry, I wasn\u2019t feeling terribly well, and I was meeting up with my Rei, I mean, my new tutor. I was just busy.\u201d Francois-san tries her best to make the explanation sound plausible, but selling a lie isn\u2019t really a strength of hers as it turns out. One more point in favor of the argument that she isn\u2019t lying about all of this, I suppose. Not that I doubt it at this point. But she called me\u2014\n\n\u201cR-e-i?\u201d Lackey One croaks out.\n\nFrancois-san gets flustered, only now realizing her mistake. The mistake she keeps making . \u201cOh, yes, Rei-san, Rei Taylor, I mean, Rei Oohashi.\u201d Oh no, she\u2019s really fumbling now. I have to help her.\n\n\u201cYes, I\u2019m Oohashi Rei . Francois-san needed a tutor and we met yesterday. We had a lot to cover and Francois-san wasn\u2019t feeling well. She got light headed and had to lay down for a bit. She\u2019s feeling better now, but we had to rush this morning to finish covering the materials, and you know how it is when the coffee hasn\u2019t kicked in yet.\u201d\n\nLackey One, still blushing, just stares at me. Oh get over yourself. Lackey Two is quiet, analyzing Francois-san intently. She can sense that something is off. She glances at me for a moment, reminding me of a cat, and then turns back to Francois-san. \u201cFine, but she better not get any ideas about hanging around too long\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cExcuse me?\u201d Francois-san\u2019s voice chills and Lackey Two stops mid-sentence. It sends a pleasant shiver down my spine. \u201cThat is my tutor you are talking to, Pepi-chan. She wouldn\u2019t be my tutor if she wasn\u2019t extremely capable and I expect the two of you to treat her with respect.\u201d Okay, I need to unzip my hoodie I wasn\u2019t expecting that and it\u2019s suddenly very warm in this classroom.\n\n\u201cClaire-chan?\u201d Lackey One looks aghast.\n\nLackey Two eyes Francois-san, then turns and glares at me. \u201cFine, come on Loretta-chan, lets get seats. Let\u2019s talk later, Francois-san, okay?\u201d\n\n\u201cOf course, see you soon.\u201d The ice is gone from Francois-san\u2019s voice. Her normal cheeriness has returned, and it doesn\u2019t even feel forced.\n\nLackey Two just nods and drags Lackey One a few seats over. One glares at me the whole time, and wow I do not care.\n\n\u201cSorry, that was rude of them.\u201d Francois-san says after they sit down, and she places a hand on my knee, giving it a soft squeeze.\n\nI let out a nervous chuckle. I swear I can function, \u201cOh, I don\u2019t really care about what they think or say. If anything, it would make them suspicious if I did. I\u2019m just supposed to be your tutor.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, it\u2019s not like I didn\u2019t already make a disaster of introducing you.\u201d She sighs. \u201cBut it\u2019s just not possible for me to  act like the Claire they know. I have some ideas of how I might have acted before, but I\u2019ll have to get people used to the new me eventually. Those two were always my close friends before. Even if no one else caught on, they would notice. It might be easier to just explain it to them.\u201d\n\n\u201cReally? Are you sure? The more people we rope into this, the harder it will be to control. If the wrong person hears about it they could use this against you. You could even get sent to an asylum or something, I don\u2019t know.\u201d That would be the worst outcome, and if it spins out of control I won\u2019t be able to help her anymore.\n\n\u201cI understand, but they will need some sort of reason for my change in behavior. And I do trust them, but you are right. I just want to consider the options.\u201d She looks defeated for a moment, then meets my eyes. There\u2019s a playful fire in her gaze. She smirks. Oh no. \u201cI could just tell them I fell madly in love with you.\u201d\n\nSeventeen, nineteen, twenty-one, fuck\u2026 \u201cFrancois-san, please, we\u2019re in class .\u201d At least she\u2019s keeping her voice low.", "token_count": 1187}
{"file_id": "13", "body": "Fuck all my clothes are just geeky.\n\n\u201cMisha? Does this look okay?\u201d\n\nI turn to Misha, she\u2019s got a better idea of fashion then me. This shirt looks okay right? She's working on something on her laptop though.\n\n\u201cYes.\u201d\n\nShe\u2019s not even looking!\n\n\u201cMiiiiishaaaa, come on, I need your expertise. I don\u2019t want to look dumb when I\u2019m out with Francois-san\u201d\n\nShe sighs, \u201cLook Rei, you are so out of your field with her. You literally can\u2019t match her.\u201d\n\nUgh, what a sucker punch. This is a mistake\u2026\n\nShe sighs again, \u201cRei, if she likes you, just dress how you want to. If she is telling the truth I doubt she cares, does she even know what\u2019s fashionable anymore?\u201d\n\n\u201cHey, she still looks gorgeous!\u201d\n\nMisha does not look moved.\n\n\u201c...I guess she is dressing kinda differently, sorta? But she still looks amazing.\u201d\n\nMisha turns back to her work. \u201cCome on Misha, don\u2019t you have something you can lend me?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo.\u201d She is intent to return to her work, \u201cStop stressing out, has she even ever said anything about it?\u201d\n\n\u201cUmmmm\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cCome on Rei, you said she was married to you before right? Even if she flirts with you half as much as you-\n\n\u201cShe IS!\u201d\n\n\u201cAre you trying to convince me or yourself?\u201d\n\n\u201cShe is Misha, she is always getting close, there are so many touches, and glances, the other day she cupped my face and\u2026.\u201d Oh god, I could have melted there, all she had to do was lean in. She should have. What I am thinking, that\u2019s too much! I don't want her to kiss me? But I DO! I want her to step all over me! I want her to sear me! Make me hers! Ruin ME! Say my name\u2026\n\nRei\u2026\n\n\u201cEarth to Rei\u201d\n\n\u201cHuh?\u201d\n\n\u201cGod you're hopeless,\u201d When did Misha get up? She pulls my gray hoodie from my closet. \u201cHere wear this one, it\u2019s much better that your old ratty zipper hoodie\u201d\n\n\u201cI love my P5 hoodie!\u201d\n\n\u201cYah and it\u2019s also beat to shit, here, also go in these shorts.\u201d She shows the articles to me. I haven't thought about this gray hoodie in a while. The sleeves past the elbows are green and a star in a black circle sits on the elbows. It's one I don't wear too often, it\u2019s\u2026 I don\u2019t know, it feels too loud for me. The shorts are black running shorts, and well \u2026 a little short.\n\n\u201cThese show off a lot of legs\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s been a warm May Rei, and I\u2019m sure your wife will love the show.\u201d She forces the clothes into my hands and reaches into the closet again. \u201cOne more suggestion...\u201d She pulls out a green rimmed cap and drops it on my head. \u201cHrmm, yah I think that works. You owe me.\u201d She says nonchalantly and returns back to her work.\n\n\u201cUmmmm\u2026\u201d Is this really good? \u201cIsn\u2019t this kinda boyish?\u201d\n\nThere is a pained sound that escapes from Misha, \u201cIt\u2019s all your getting Rei. Trust me, it works.\u201d\n\nIt\u2019s not like I have a better look figured out.\n\n\u201cYou\u2019re going to be out after ten right?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, I will get this paper done if it kills me.\u201d\n\n\u201cOkay, I\u2019m probably going to bring Francois-san over after.\u201d\n\n\u201cHere? It\u2019s small, didn\u2019t you say her dorm room is big?\u201d\n\n\u201cYah but I\u2019ve been there everyday since this started, her roommate hasn\u2019t said anything but\u2026 I think it\u2019s been a lot? Francois-san thinks we should give her some space too.\u201d\n\n\u201cFine, I mean it\u2019s your problem to deal with, I\u2019ll be back in the evening, I\u2019ll probably shoot you a text when I\u2019m incoming.\u201d\n\n\u201cThanks Misha\u201d\n\n\u201cSure, good luck with your date.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s not a date!\u201d\n\nIt\u2019s kinda a date. ", "token_count": 857}
{"file_id": "49", "body": "\u201cGod, what is with her?\u201d\n\nRae is still frustrated with Manaria, even after we have walked a bit back towards our dorms.\n\n\u201cYou didn\u2019t have to come, I do appreciate it but I could have managed.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut she was\u2026 Claire, she's suspicious.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat? No, she is just trying to rile you up.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat? Okay, maybe yes, but she was asking you questions. Like, I really don't think that was\u2026 the main goal? Claire, she was asking you about your mom\u2019s company. She noticed when you didn\u2019t have an answer. What would have happened if I wasn\u2019t there?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh\u2026 I don\u2019t think it... I could have managed. And honestly I do think she was trying to rile you.\u201d\n\nRae pouts, \u201cMaybe\u2026 what a pest.\u201d \n\n\u201cShe\u2019s\u2026 she\u2019s made poor choices. The Manaria I knew hated herself for it, and she seems no different this time.\u201d\n\n\u201c Poor choice ? She said she sexually assaulted a girl.\u201d\n\n\u201cBecause she is trying to get a rise out of you Rae, and she hates what she did. She got involved with her maid and it was messy, there was no communication. She thought Eve acquiesced to her authority, her station. And Eve thought she made a mistake and ran. I don\u2019t condone what happened, Manaria hurt Eve. And I don\u2019t know what happened here either. What really happened. Manaria seems convinced to sell herself as some sort of monster, but even with my ignorance I can see what a farce her story is. But of course she is playing this stupid game again. Wallowing in her loathing and content to play the role.\u201d\n\n\u201cIf you say so\u2026 I just\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cYou don\u2019t have to like her.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2026 sorry, she really does seem like\u2026 I know she\u2019s family.\u201d Rae is being too apologetic. \n\n\u201cYes, and goodness gracious is she infuriating. If she would just be honest\u2026 Gah. I can\u2019t force it.\u201d infuriating! \n\n\u201cI mean it\u2019s not your responsibility to fix her stupid problem.\u201d\n\nI sigh, \u201cI know, but I do want to help. And I doubt there are few people who understand her in the way I do.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell. Her problem. She should sort her shit out first and then maybe you help her.\u201d Rae pouts.\n\n\u201cYou never did like her.\u201d\n\n\u201cI can see why.\u201d Her disdain is quite cute.\n\nI let out a breath and sigh\u2026 \u201cYou're right, I suspect. This won't be something we can remedy soon. I hope it didn\u2019t sour the day too much.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh\u2026 I mean it\u2019s done now\u2026 did you want\u2026?\u201d\n\n\u201cCould we? It\u2019s been a long weekend, but I would not say no to getting cozy and playing more Persona.\u201d\n\nRae grins, and red dusts her cheeks. \u201cYeah, totally. I would\u2026 be happy too\u2026. If you want to\u2026\u201d\n\nI close the small gap between us, and slip my hand into hers. It stiffens at first from the surprise, but quickly relaxes and we lock our fingers into each other.\n\n\u201cPerfect.\u201d", "token_count": 649}
{"file_id": "75_1", "body": "Melia is silently reading over Claire\u2019s test. She hasn\u2019t even picked up a pencil to mark it up yet. It can\u2019t have been more than five minutes since Melia called time but I want this to be over already.\n\nGod, how is this worse than when Claire was still taking the test? After several more minutes of torture, Melia finally puts us all out of our misery.\n\n\u201cGirls, it\u2019s not going to go any faster if you\u2019re all watching me.\u201d Melia says, looking up from the test and neatly moving it to the side.\n\n\u201cSorry, Mother. I don\u2019t think we can help it.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s going to take me a while to go through all of this. Perhaps you three could go for a walk? Get a coffee? Some fresh air might do you some good.\u201d She looks pointedly towards the front door. I can\u2019t help feeling like she\u2019s trying to politely tell us to get out.\n\nI\u2019m not sure I need more caffeine in my system, but burning off some of this energy might be nice.\n\n\u201cA walk is probably not the worst idea,\u201d Catherine agrees.\n\nClaire sighs. \u201cIt\u2019s probably not. Do you know how long this will take you, Mother?\u201d\n\n\u201cAt least forty more minutes. Maybe up to an hour. I\u2019m not rushing this\u2014I want to be thorough and fair.\u201d She sounds so calm and matter of fact about it, in contrast to all of our jittery nerves.\n\nClaire is gripping one of her shirt sleeves and twisting it, a cute nervous gesture. \u201cSorry, Mother. We don\u2019t mean to pressure you.\u201d\n\n\u201cClaire, it's quite alright,\u201d Melia chuckles. \u201cFresh air will help. And you three can let out some of that energy.\u201d I hope so.\n\n\u201cShe\u2019s right, Claire.\u201d I rub her arm reassuringly, and Claire sighs again, nodding. We spend the next few minutes getting ready for a quick walk around the neighborhood.\n\nOnce we\u2019re on our way down the block, Catherine is the first to break the uneasy silence. \u201cI didn\u2019t mean to sleep that long. I\u2019m sorry. I meant to be there.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s alright.\u201d Claire says reassuringly.\n\n\u201cI couldn\u2019t sleep,\u201d Catherine mumbles. \u201cToo nervous.\u201d I\u2019m not the only one worried about potentially losing Claire.\n\nClaire smiles and wraps an arm around Catherine. \u201cI had trouble sleeping too. It\u2019s hard for me to get a sense of how well I did. There was so much.\u201d\n\nCatherine hums. \u201cI don\u2019t know how much more preparation we could have done.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe did a lot.\u201d They both look at me as I say that. \u201cWe did. We did so much in such a short time. We should give ourselves credit for that.\u201d I sound more positive than I actually feel. My stomach is still full of butterflies. I can only imagine how Claire feels right now.\n\n\u201cI hope it was enough,\u201d she says. \u201cI worry I mixed up a lot of things. The Greeks with the Romans. Time periods. Names.\u201d\n\n\u201cWere you able to answer everything?\u201d Catherine asks.\n\nClaire gulps. Oh no. She looks slightly ashamed. \u201cI tried to.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat were the questions that tripped you up?\u201d God, I sound mortified.\n\n\u201cOne\u2014\u201d One? There was more than one? \u201c\u2014was about chemical notation. I couldn\u2019t remember everything on the periodic table. I think Iron is F-E for ferrum, correct? But there were several I wasn\u2019t sure of. I didn\u2019t recognize I-R.\u201d\n\n\u201cIridium?\u201d I ask unhelpfully, which causes Claire to sigh.\n\nShe takes a deep breath. \u201cThere was also something about Frankenstein\u2019s monster? I had no idea what that was about.\u201d\n\n\u201cFuck.\u201d Catherine swears under her breath. \u201cShit, I can\u2019t believe we didn\u2019t include that in our English literature overview.\u201d\n\nI\u2019m not sweating. \u201cOkay, but you were able to answer most of the other stuff. Right?\u201d\n\n\u201cOf course.\u201d Claire grins and then sighs. \u201cI just worry it wasn\u2019t enough. What if Mother thinks I\u2019m not fit to be here anymore?\u201d\n\n\u201cHey, that\u2019s a conversation that we\u2019ll just have to have with her if it comes down to that.\u201d Catherine says. \u201cI think you\u2019ve done an amazing job learning as much as you have in such a short time.\u201d\n\nClaire still looks nervous.\n\n\u201cCatherine\u2019s right. And also, you\u2019re an adult. I don\u2019t think your mom can really make you do anything you don\u2019t want to do.\u201d Right? She\u2019s just a mom. And a millionaire? Billionaire?\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s not the point, though. I need to prove I can do this.\u201d Claire looks so tense.\n\n\u201cClaire, you\u2019ve proven you can do a lot,\u201d Catherine says. \u201cAnd you\u2019re in much better shape now than you were at first. Melia is already happy with your progress. I can tell.\u201d\n\nClaire chews her lip.\n\nI grab her hand. \u201cLook, whatever happens, I\u2019m not letting go, okay? I\u2019ll be with you no matter what.\u201d\n\nClaire looks at me with a serious, searching expression. \u201cEven if it means leaving Japan? You just managed to switch courses. You would really give this all up?\u201d Her voice catches in her throat. My heart aches just to hear it.\n\n\u201cOf course. I would figure it out, Claire. We would figure it out.\u201d I would run away with her if I had to. There\u2019s no question.\n\nClaire\u2019s hand tightens around mine. I can see that she\u2019s a bit misty eyed. She nods. \u201cOf course, I feel the same way. We will make this work, whatever is best for the both of us.\u201d\n\n\u201cTogether,\u201d I say, and I mean it.\n\nCatherine claps her hands together. \u201cOoooookay, we need to change the subject ASAP, people! Less doom and gloom, please. So, Rei, you started a new course? It\u2019s official?\u201d\n\nShe\u2019s right. \u201cYeah.\u201d Claire lights up as though a switch flipped inside her when she hears the new topic. She\u2019s beaming now. It\u2019s infectious. Fuck, I\u2019m grining already. \u201cNext semester I\u2019ll be doing the creative writing track instead. I\u2019m basically starting over, but hey, better now than later. Or never.\u201d\n\nI could have stayed in the business track and Claire would have supported the decision. But she wasn\u2019t wrong when we talked about it before. I want to take this chance. I just hope I can manage the costs. I did lose a few scholarships but I think I can still make it work.\n\n\u201cYou will do a wonderful job,\u201d Claire says, still beaming. God, she looks so proud and amazing. Proud of me.\n\n\u201cYeah\u2026we\u2019ll see.\u201d\n\n\u201cCongrats then, Rei,\u201d Catherine says. It sounds like she means it. \u201cI\u2019m surprised you decided to stick to economics, Claire. I thought for sure you would be chasing after your wife.\u201d She gives us a cheeky grin.\n\nClaire sighs. \u201cI would love to, but creative writing isn\u2019t for me. I love reading, but I never had a way with writing like Rei. And I think I\u2019m starting to enjoy my economics classes now that I understand the fundamentals. Though to be honest, if I wasn\u2019t enjoying it I wouldn\u2019t even know what else to consider. At least economics feels practical. I can do something with it.\u201d\n\nCatherine gives her a quizzical look. \u201cReally? Like what?\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s a bit early to say, but I would love to help Mother with the family business. She wants to use the Francois corporation to do good in the world. She\u2019s been pushing for better working conditions, not just in our company but industry-wide. All of the workers in our European headquarters region are unionized. She\u2019s abandoned the practice of using exploitative labor in developing countries and is investing in fair wage efforts for the workers there. She\u2019s also working in those locations to build up local communities.\u201d\n\nHearing Claire talk so knowledgeably about her family\u2019s business makes my heart swell with pride. She really has come so far, and she already wants to fix the world.\n\n\u201cOh\u2026I think I knew about some of that. Vaguely. How do you know that?\u201d Catherine also seems impressed.\n\n\u201cMother told me after I asked.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, yeah, that makes sense.\u201d Catherine is surprised by the obvious answer.\n\n\u201cWait, can your mom really do all of that?\u201d The question just tumbles out of my mouth.\n\n\u201cWhy not?\u201d Claire replies.\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t know\u2026if no one else is doing it then won\u2019t it hurt the business? Like, aren't investors a thing?\u201d I don\u2019t know that much about their business but I know this much.\n\n\u201cMelia is the company\u2019s sole owner. It\u2019s never been publicly traded.\u201d Catherine answers matter-of-factly.\n\n\u201cYes, and Mother has said that going public is the slow death of any company. She\u2019s been quite frank about the fact that in the past\u2026well, Francois engaged in a lot of exploitative practices. And to be honest, I wasn\u2019t surprised. It\u2019s not that different from the way my family was in our past lives as nobles. We held our position of power and privilege because we exploited the lower class\u2014commoners. But I was glad to learn that Mother has worked hard in recent years to finally remove all the bad actors inside the company, though it wasn\u2019t easy. And the company is still making money, easily, even with all the additional costs that adopting ethical practices entailed, according to Mother.\u201d\n\nClaire takes a breath. \u201cShe said the whole system, the way everything is structured, is designed to fight her. Catherine\u2019s father\u2026well, he wants to keep the status quo. If anything he wants to make the status quo even worse in the", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "75_2", "body": " name of increasing profits. Disgusting example of a man.\u201d\n\n\u201cAsshole,\u201d Catherine all but spits.\n\nClaire nods. \u201cAnd he isn\u2019t alone. But Mother is setting an example. It\u2019s a slow process, but she\u2019s determined to see it through. I don\u2019t know if this kind of work is what I\u2019m meant for, but if I can be of some help with it then I won\u2019t turn away. It\u2019s my obligation as a Francois.\u201d\n\nGod, she\u2019s so amazing.\n\n\u201cBut that\u2019s not a decision I need to make now while I am still in the middle of my studies. Maybe something else is a better fit for me, or maybe there is another way I can contribute. I don\u2019t think I\u2019m that much of a leader; I just do what needs to be done.\u201d\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t think Melia wants to pressure you into doing it, either,\u201d Catherine adds. \u201cLike, everything\u2019s changed since you\u2026well, you know. But even before your big change I think she just wanted us to have normal\u2014okay, not \u2018normal\u2019 \u2018cause normal does not have a limo\u2014but like, the choice to lead a relatively normal life. She never pressured me into doing anything while we were growing up. Not even to say something about my dad.\u201d\n\n\u201cYour dad? Um, what do you mean?\u201d They both turn to look at me. Claire looks pained, and Catherine sighs.\n\n\u201cI guess you didn\u2019t tell her. Okay, well\u2026to start off with, my dad is a shit. He tried to get me killed when I was six.\u201d Catherine trembles a little, and Claire places a hand on her shoulder.\n\n\u201cWhat the fuck?\u201d\n\n\u201cYeah, he\u2019s been the CEO of Achard Enterprises for the last twenty-odd years. Up there with all the stellar billionaires we know and love. And like, the accident where\u2026where Claire\u2019s dad\u2026\u201d\n\nShe trails off and we both look at Claire. This story is obviously hard for her to hear, but she nods to continue.\n\n\u201cWell, I was in the car that hit them. My mom was there too, and she died. I lost my leg. And it wasn't an accident.\u201d She points down to her leg. \u201cShit\u2026 we were supposed to be talking about something less heavy.\u201d Catherine chuckles but it doesn\u2019t lighten the mood.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m so sorry. I shouldn\u2019t have\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, it\u2019s fine Rei. Really, it is.\u201d Catherine seems almost relieved to be telling me this. \u201cRei, I know I give you shit, but\u2026you're a friend. My friend. I\u2026God, I hate talking about myself like this. I\u2019m a recluse, I don\u2019t like people, mostly. You know that. But at this point you're like family, and there are some things family should know. That said, I\u2019m really glad that you two have your own room. Even family needs some space. Especially when you two are being gross.\u201d\n\nThat makes Claire laugh. Wow, I guess we really are that bad, huh? Yeahhhhh.\n\n\u201cAnyways, I\u2019m cool with you knowing,\u201d Catherine says brusquely. \u201cYou\u2019ve been there for us both, and I couldn\u2019t have helped Claire nearly as much on my own. God, I have no idea what that first night would have been like if you weren\u2019t there.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou were very mad at me,\u201d Claire says, sounding contrite. \u201cIt was completely justified, but I don\u2019t know if I could have sorted everything out and mended things myself without Rei there.\u201d Claire slips an arm around my waist and brings me in close.\n\n\u201cOh, I was furious.\u201d Catherine laughs. \u201cBut hey, Rei and I are like partners in this crazy situation, and it\u2019s only fair that she knows my whole deal given everything you\u2019ve shared with me.\u201d She shrugs, trying to play it off, but neither of us are fooled.\n\nI feel a lump in my throat. \u201cThanks, Catherine. You\u2019re a good friend, and a good sister to Claire. That means a lot.\u201d\n\nClaire beams.\n\nCatherine looks away, but I can see her ears turn pink. I\u2019m not going to make it even more awkward by mentioning it, though. And Claire doesn\u2019t seem inclined to, either. The silence is pretty comfortable, actually.\n\n\u201cHello, ladies.\u201d\n\nAt least it was pretty comfortable.\n\nWe all stop walking and turn around to see some random dude approaching us. You\u2019ve gotta be kidding me. He looks way too old to be hitting on us.\n\n\u201cCan I help you?\u201d Claire immediately shifts to an intimidating tone. God, that\u2019s hot.\n\nIt makes the guy pause for a second, but it\u2019s not enough to get him to stop or reconsider. Idiot. \u201cWell, maybe I can help you, beautiful. It\u2019s much too nice of a day to be out alone, don\u2019t you think?\u201d\n\nClaire does not look impressed. Catherine shuffles behind her, using Claire as a barrier.\n\n\u201cMight you learn to count then? There are three of us. We are hardly alone.\u201d Claire\u2019s mean voice is doing all sorts of stuff to me. It\u2019s unfairly distracting.\n\nThe guy laughs awkwardly. \u201cCome on, don\u2019t you need a guy? Doesn\u2019t look like any of you have boyfriends around.\u201d\n\nI can feel Claire bristle, and her grip on my hand tightens. She quickly glances at me, but I can\u2019t quite tell what she wants. This dude has said three sentences and I already hate him with the fiery passion of a thousand burning suns.\n\n\u201cWe are not interested.\u201d I shiver at Claire\u2019s icy tone. God, she is so good at this.\n\n\u201cSheesh, you could just say you already have a boyfriend.\u201d The guy clicks his tongue in annoyance.\n\n\u201cExcuse you? Leave us alone now before I do something you might regret.\u201d Divine. I\u2019m almost starting to feel a bit jealous of this guy. I never get to see enough of this side of Claire\u2026\n\nThe guy finally decides to back off. Coward. No taste at all. He can\u2019t even appreciate how lucky he is to get to see this side of Claire. I barely hear him mumble \u201cbitch\u201d as he walks away.\n\n\u201cIs he gone?\u201d Catherine mumbles from behind us.\n\n\u201cThe nerve of that man. I\u2019m practically hugging my wife and he doesn\u2019t even register it.\u201d I can almost feel the steam coming off Claire. Hot. Oh, she\u2019s looking at me. I need to say something.\n\n\u201cWell, I don\u2019t know. We kinda just pass as straight. You're conventionally hot. He probably didn\u2019t even register me with how frumpy I look.\u201d\n\n\u201cYour hoodie is adorable, Rei. It\u2019s not your fault if he had terrible taste.\u201d\n\n\u201cOkay, but nothing about us screams lesbian. And even if it did, guys would still hit on us.\u201d\n\nClaire pouts. \u201cOr Bi.\u201d Oh my God, I love her so much. \u201cNot that I want random men to hit on us, of course.\u201d\n\n\u201cOr Bi. But you know what I mean. I\u2019m not trying to look different, or queer. I don\u2019t really want to be seen like that.\u201d\n\nClaire is still pouting a bit, but I can tell she\u2019s trying to dial it back.\n\n\u201cDo you want to?\u201d I ask.\n\nShe sighs. \u201cI don\u2019t know. It feels wrong to hide it. It\u2019s not something we should have to hide. I\u2019m proud of us. I\u2019m proud to be with you.\u201d\n\nOh, wow.\n\n\u201cBut I don\u2019t want you to feel uncomfortable, either. That\u2019s the last thing I want.\u201d Claire squeezes my hand.\n\nI wish I could muster the courage to be out and proud. Claire deserves it. She deserves the best.\n\nClaire places a hand on my cheek. Her touch is so gentle. \u201cWe can take that step when you are ready, Rei.\u201d It\u2019s like she can hear my thoughts. \u201cYou\u2019ll know when the time is right.\u201d\n\nI really want to believe that. I trust her. I love her.\n\nMaybe one day I can scream it out to the entire world.\n\nHaha. As if. ", "token_count": 1697}
{"file_id": "82_1", "body": "\u201cIs that really all you want to take?\u201d\n\nRei has finished packing up, and it\u2019s only a few boxes. \u201cIt\u2019s a lot of books.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut what about everything else?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat about it?\u201d\n\n\u201cIs it not important?\u201d It seems like she is leaving so much behind.\n\n\u201cNot really\u2026I\u2019m not going to use most of this stuff. Like, I don\u2019t need to take the Playstation \u2018cause we have a better one already set up. I am taking the 3DS and Vita. But aside from that, I don't know. I don\u2019t need to bring all the models.\u201d\n\n\u201cAre you sure? I thought you liked them.\u201d\n\n\u201cSure\u2026but not so much that I need to see them every day. I\u2019m fine with knowing that they\u2019re here if I want them. I don't want to flood our space too much, and I\u2019m not sure how much I still want to display some of this stuff. Maybe I\u2019ll take it all with me if we settle down.\u201d\n\nRei continues to sort her books, completely oblivious to the implications of what she just said. A future together.\n\n\u201cCan we talk about that?\u201d I venture hesitantly.\n\nRei pauses and turns to look at me, confused. \u201cTalk about what?\u201d\n\n\u201cOur future.\u201d\n\nShe processes my words. \u201cUhhh, what? Where did that come from? Was it something I said?\u201d\n\n\u201cYou mentioned bringing all of your things \u2018if we settle down\u2019.\u201d\n\nShe blinks and panics. \u201cOh no, should I have not sai\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cCalm down, Rei,\u201d I say gently. \u201cIt\u2019s okay.\u201d\n\nShe stops and takes a breath. \u201cYes. Right. Okay. Umm, so what did you want to talk about?\u201d She\u2019s still so nervous. I need to put those fears to rest.\n\nI can\u2019t help but smile. \u201cRei, I want a future together.\u201d\n\nShe gulps and reddens. But she also smiles. \u201cI want that, too.\u201d\n\n\u201cI want a home, perhaps even a pet. I also want children.\u201d\n\nShe looks startled when I mention children. \u201cOhh. That\u2026hadn\u2019t ever occurred to me. Children.\u201d\n\n\u201cI know you would be a great mother, but that\u2019s a choice we would make together, of course. I just want you to know that\u2019s what I want.\u201d\n\nShe nods. \u201cOkay, yeah, wow. Kids. You\u2019ve mentioned that we had children in your past life, but yeah. I\u2019ve never thought about having kids before. I never really considered it an option.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe didn\u2019t have much choice in our past life.\u201d\n\n\u201cHuh? What do you mean? Wait, did you get pregnant? WAIT, DID I GET PREGNANT? How? Magic?\u201d Her panicked reaction is adorable, even if she\u2019s jumping to far too many conclusions.\n\n\u201cNo, Rei, calm down. After the rebellion there were many orphans. We adopted.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh. How old were we when that happened?\u201d\n\n\u201cWe had just turned seventeen.\u201d Saying it out loud after so long really drives how young we were. I barely had time to dwell on it back then. But we really didn\u2019t have much of a choice. Aleah and May chose us. How were we to say no?\n\n\u201cSEVENTEEN!\u201d Rei nearly jumps from her seat. \u201cJeez! That feels insane.\u201d\n\n\u201cThings were different. Yes, we were very young. But we couldn\u2019t turn our girls away. They needed us.\u201d\n\n\u201cSo we were just thrown into the fire, then?\u201d Rei asks.\n\n\u201cYes, it was a very difficult time in Bauer. Many people were faced with similar situations..\u201d\n\nRei looks thoughtful. \u201cBut we made it through? Things worked out okay?\u201d\n\nI feel a wide smile spread across my face. \u201cYes, nothing could stop us. We passed through many tribulations, grand and small. And we were triumphant every time. We had a wonderful family.\u201d Obviously.\n\n\u201cSo\u2026here we are again.\u201d Rei looks deep in thought now. \u201cAre we going to keep doing this? I know I want to be with you this time, but what about the next one? Does this keep going? Am I going to go back to that world again, the one you came from?\u201d\n\n\u201cI think so? I think we are in a repeating cycle. A loop, I think it was called. I\u2026it\u2019s going to keep happening, I think. I don\u2019t know what that means for the next one, though. But if you remember, and I don\u2019t, you have to try and find me again. Please.\u201d\n\nRei takes some time to process that, but it doesn\u2019t take her long to look up at me with determination. \u201cI want to. I know I\u2019ve only known you for a short time but\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cIt feels like you\u2019ve known me forever?\u201d This whole situation would sound insane if it weren\u2019t for this feeling of utter certainty.\n\n\u201cYeah\u2026every rational thought says it can\u2019t possibly work this way, that magic or whatever isn\u2019t real. But then I see you and\u2026I know I would do it again. Even if I didn\u2019t know, even if I knew nothing, I know all it would take is seeing you and I would feel this way again.\u201d She feels it too. I knew it.\n\n\u201cI could tell, I could tell it was you the moment I saw you, and I could tell you felt the same way I did. I could see it in the way you looked at me.\u201d We are meant to be.\n\nRei blushes bright red. \u201cHave you seen yourself? How else was I going to look at you?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo other way.\u201d\n\n\u201cExactly.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt might be a challenge to convince me next time, just to give you a fair warning.\u201d I know I was not easy to convince in our past life.\n\n\u201cYou mean you won't just walk up to me and tell me to date you?\u201d She teases me for that, but I wouldn\u2019t have done it any differently.\n\nAnd I can\u2019t help but laugh at the idea that the young me would have done that. \u201cNo, but you walked right up to me and told me you loved me. What a fright that gave me. Goodness, I could barely understand my own feelings when I was that young. I didn\u2019t even think I deserved to be loved.\u201d\n\n\u201cOf course you did. Of course you always will.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd you will have to convince her\u2014that other me\u2014of that.\u201d\n\nRei nods.\n\n\u201cIt will be a challenge,\u201d I warn, \u201cif I don\u2019t remember anything next time.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt will be worth it.\u201d She sounds so much like the old Rae when she says that.\n\n\u201cI\u2019ll try to help prepare you as best as I can. You were very well prepared before thanks to that game of yours, and it saved us many times in the past.\u201d\n\n\u201cGod, I wish I could find that game. Nothing comes up when I search for Revolution. Nothing that sounds like it, at least.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s fine, we won't need it this time. I have knowledge that I can pass on to you. We don\u2019t know how much might change, either. As far as I know, we have never shared a life directly in this loop before. I have to imagine many things might be different.\u201d\n\n\u201cSo this has happened differently before? Did something change to throw us together this time?\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2026\u201d Hasn\u2019t it? How? \u201cWe stopped the Nur Empire\u2026and then\u2026\u201d Some of my memories from that time are so fuzzy. Why?\n\n\u201cIs something wrong?\u201d My confusion must be showing on my face.\n\n\u201cWe stopped an army of demons. I remember that the Nur Empire was expanding aggressively but we stopped them, too. But I can\u2019t remember the specifics. The Nur were fighting the demons, but the demons were working for someone. Someone powerful.\u201d Why can\u2019t I remember who?\n\nRei looks thoughtful. \u201cDo you think we might have to fight that someone again?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo.\u201d No? Why do I know that? \u201cNo, I don\u2019t think so.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat sounds like it could be important.\u201d\n\n\u201cI know\u2026but I don\u2019t think I can explain it, either. Some of my memories are strangely clouded.\u201d\n\nAdministrator, are you prepared for loop one six seven nine\u2026\n\nWho told me that?\n\nRei looks worried, and I know exactly how she feels. It\u2019s the same feeling I had whenever Rae made cryptic references to her past knowledge. It\u2019s infuriating\u2014the words are lingering just out of reach at the back of my mind, forever eluding me. The truth of the world is beyond my reach right now. But what can I do other than wait until more comes back to me? I will have to be patient and see if the answers make themselves known to me in time.\n\n\u201cI know that whatever comes, we will always face it together, Rei. And I will do my best to prepare you.\u201d\n\n\u201cOkay\u2026um, wow, yeah. This is a lot to take in. We\u2019re really doing this?\u201d\n\n\u201cAs long as you want to.\u201d\n\n\u201cI do.\u201d She doesn\u2019t hesitate for a second. Yet another way I know for certain that she is my Rei.\n\n\u201cI do, too. But first we have a lifetime in this world, and I\u2019m sure it will have its own challenges. We are barely spring chickens, after all.\u201d\n\nRei chuckles. \u201cYeah, I\u2019m going to keep looking for that game regardless. Maybe it just hasn\u2019t come out yet.\u201d She shrugs as she takes inventory of her books again. \u201cI\u2019m sure I\u2019ll feel ready to tackle all of this as time goes by. Being a parent, huh?\u201d\n\nI slip behind her and gather her into a hug. She sighs and nestles into me. \u201cI loved it. I loved parenting with you and I can\u2019t imagine doing it with anyone else.\u201d\n\n\u201cSo how would that even work? You said we adopted in your past life. Are we fated to adopt the same kids again? Would we even kn", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "82_2", "body": "ow if they were the same ones?\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m not sure. They came to us from the church. It felt like fate at the time.\u201d Would I recognize May and Aleah in this world? I\u2019d like to think that I would.\n\n\u201cWould you want to adopt again\u2026or would you rather\u2026you know?\u201d The question takes me by surprise.\n\n\u201cRei, I have no interest in being intimate with anyone other than you, but\u2026if you really wanted to do that with someone else, I guess I might allow it.\u201d I would have to beat back my jealousy first, though.\n\nRei immediately shivers in revulsion. \u201cOh God, ewww! No. I didn\u2019t mean it like that. In this world there are other ways to get pregnant. There\u2019s technology for doing it.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh? Really?\u201d\n\n\u201cYeah, if you wanted to do it that way it\u2019s always an option. When we\u2019re ready. I don\u2019t know, maybe we should just adopt, but it\u2019s an option\u2026so, yeah. I definitely don\u2019t feel ready yet. Seventeen. Wow.\u201d\n\nIt\u2019s good to know we have options. \u201cYes, we still have plenty of time. We can think about that further when we\u2019re ready. But no matter what we decide, I want you to be the one to name them.\u201d\n\n\u201cMe? Why?\u201d\n\n\u201cI worry that I would want to give them the same names as our daughters before, and then\u2026what happens if they are different? Not the same people? Would I try to make them be the same, even if they\u2019re not? Even if they do end up being the same again, however that might work, it would make me feel better if you named them. Assuming they don\u2019t come to us with names already.\u201d There\u2019s still so much about how this all works that I don\u2019t understand.\n\n\u201cOkay, we can cross that bridge when we come to it. And don\u2019t worry, Claire. I know you\u2019ll be a great mom no matter what happens.\u201d\n\n\u201cThank you, Rei.\u201d I lay a gentle kiss on the back of her neck and she sighs blissfully.\n\nWhatever is in store for us, we will face it together.", "token_count": 451}
{"file_id": "7", "body": "\u201cMisha! Francois-san is going to kill me.\u201d\n\nMisha takes a long deep breath and folds her laptop, laying it to the side on her bed. \u201cWhat did you do this time?\u201d\n\n\u201cShe keeps flirting with me! It\u2019s too much!\u201d I don\u2019t know how I made it through the day with all of  the looks, the glances, the very not accidental touches!\n\nMisha looks dumbstruck. Huh, I don\u2019t think I\u2019ve ever seen that before. \u201c...What?\u201d\n\n\u201cWe agreed to take it slow but then she keeps flirting with me and it\u2019s so good and I am GOING to DIE and I need it to stop but I don\u2019t want it to stop when she looks at me with those eyes. Oh God, those eyes, I never understood what it meant when people say it looks like someone\u2019s undressing you with their eyes but then she looks at me and now I understand and I feel like I am going to turn into jelly and melt and turn into dust and scatter into the winds, stardust, I will be stardust and never put back together again!\u201d I need to breathe, dear God. Breathe, Rei!\n\n\u201cOh boy.\u201d\n\n\u201cMiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiisha!\u201d I dramatically collapse on the floor next to her bed.\n\n\u201cI can\u2019t help you. I can\u2019t even tell if you want help.\u201d Why won't she help me?\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s too much! I \u2018m going to OD on Francois-san!\u201d\n\nMisha sighs. \u201cWhat a problem. Look you have to tell her to cool it if that\u2019s what you want, but I can\u2019t tell if you\u2019re complaining or bragging. Grats on your hot girlfriend, I guess.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe aren\u2019t girlfriends yet, and if we were that would mean\u2026 everyone would know if we started dating\u2026\u201d I don\u2019t care if everyone thinks I\u2019m an otaku, but\u2026 \n\n\u201cYou don\u2019t need to go public, but maybe just try it out? I don\u2019t know, if what you said is true, it's also probably an adjustment for her to not be in a relationship with you. Maybe let her have an outlet? Like a date or something.\u201d I swear, it looks like Misha is looking for an escape hatch.\n\n\u201cYou think I should bring her on a date ? But, but, but\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cShe said she was married to you in your past life. I\u2019m sure she\u2019ll be happy with whatever, even if you just watch a movie or something. Yeah, just do that. She\u2019s probably never seen a movie, right?\u201d Misha is eyeing the door.\n\n\u201cMaybeee.\u201d What movie would I even show her? Maybe we should try a game instead? She did say would like to see a game earlier. \u201cSorry, I know I sound insane. I feel like I\u2019m going insane. I\u2019ve been staring at this girl for weeks like an idiot wishing I could do anything to talk to her, and then she just walks up to me and calls me her wife! And now something is happening between us and what if I don\u2019t measure up to her old Rei? What happens when she realizes I\u2019m not who she wants?\u201d\n\n\u201cUmmm\u2026 okay maybe I\u2019ve been a little dismissive. This is\u2026 well, I don\u2019t think something like this has happened, like, ever. It's like a dumb anime\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cThose can be fun.\u201d You don\u2019t have to be a snob about them, Misha.\n\n\u201cWhatever you say\u2026\u201d\n\nI huff. She can be so judgy. Still. \u201cLook, thanks for listening. I\u2019m sorry to dump this all on you, I just feel like I don\u2019t know what I\u2019m doing and she just acts like it\u2019s all normal and she has so much faith in me and I don\u2019t understand why. It\u2019s like, she doesn\u2019t  know me, how could she, but then she says something that makes me feel like she knows me better than anyone else ever has. And it\u2019s only been one day!\u201d\n\n\u201cOkay, let's take a step back. Do you want something to happen between you and her? Do you still like her, now that you\u2019re actually talking to her?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes! I mean yes I do. She\u2019s actually really kind and considerate. I thought that she would\u2026 I don\u2019t know, try to downplay things in front of her old friends but then she stuck up for me and made sure they knew she wasn\u2019t okay with them looking down on me, and I wasn\u2019t really expecting that. It was really cool. And they definitely know something is up now, but she was okay with dealing with that.\u201d\n\n\u201cHmm, yeah that really doesn\u2019t sound like her from what I\u2019ve heard. It\u2019s probably better if she just rips the proverbial band-aid off sooner rather than later. Like, from the rumors I\u2019ve heard, she was kind of a bitch, really keen on climbing the social ladder or whatever. And it doesn\u2019t sound like she acts that way at all now.\u201d Misha shrugs her shoulders.\n\n\u201cI didn\u2019t think you bothered keeping tabs on that kind of stuff.\u201d\n\n\u201cI have my reasons.\u201d Her expression is carefully neutral, but it\u2019s clear she\u2019s hiding something. \u201cI\u2019m sure even people outside of her close circle will notice, but honestly even if it becomes the hot gos for a bit, next week everyone will move on to  something else. Just don\u2019t tell people that it\u2019s because she woke up with new memories. Hell, even telling people that she\u2019s dating you would be a better smokescreen than the truth.\u201d\n\n\u201cNot you too,\u201d I groan.\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t know why you\u2019re complaining when you could just be dating her instead.\u201d\n\nShe opens her laptop and turns away, making it clear that Misha-erapy hour is over. I couldn\u2019t just be dating her, right? Could it really be that simple?\n\nFuck we need an AC.", "token_count": 1220}
{"file_id": "39_1", "body": " \n\nIt\u2019s been a hell of morning, it\u2019s nearly noon\u2026\n\n\u201cSo\u2026.?\u201d\n\nClaire just hums, questions me. It\u2019s just us again, her mom left, I assume to finally sleep, and Catherine is finally taking her walk.\n\n\u201cHow are you doing?\u201d I ask her in turn.\n\n\u201cHow am I doing? How are you doing? Mother didn\u2019t\u2026 say anything unkind did she?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat? No\u2026. No she was\u2026 taking it better than I thought she would, we swapped numbers and she gave me a credit card.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh?\u201d\n\n\u201cYah, I\u2026 I\u2019ll save it for later or something, but umm for getting caught\u2026 um\u2026 y\u2019know\u2026 she didn\u2019t want to kill me\u2026\u201d\n\nThat gets Claire to laugh, good.\n\n\u201cSo yeah\u2026 not too bad. She seems nice. But seriously. How are you doing Claire? That was a lot. You\u2026 said she was\u2026\u201d\n\nClaire\u2019s pupils wander to the corner of her eyes, lost in a thought. She looks happy and solemn at the same time. Finally she sighs, \u201cThat was a lot, it\u2019s not how I wanted it to happen, but I am glad you were there.\u201d She lets out another long breath, \u201cThat was terrifying, I thought I was going to lose everything but I had to tell her. I can scarcely believe I talked to her again\u2026 it\u2019s been so long for me, so long. I was a child, it was my sixth birthday and the last words I told her was that I hated her because she and Father had to miss it on account of business. I always wanted to tell her sorry\u2026 and I did.\u201d Her voice catches, and she is blinking quickly.\n\nThat\u2019s all I need, I hug her, I didn\u2019t even fully realize it till I was holding her. She just leans into it.\n\n\u201cThank you Rei, I\u2019m glad I did, finally. I told her. It\u2019s real this time\u2026 it\u2019s her, I\u2019ll see her again. I\u2026 I\u2019m\u2026 still trying to wrap my head around it\u2026 but it\u2019s good. It finally happened and it needed to happen.\u201d\n\n\u201cYour mom is nice. I\u2019m glad it went the way it did\u2026 that could have\u2026 gone worse in\u2026 so many ways.\u201d Between finding us in a bed, or sending her away to a psych clinic.\n\nWe got lucky.\n\n\u201cYou're not upset that I told her, are you, or about us?\u201d I can feel her arms tighten around me as her voice wavers a bit.\n\n\u201cOf course not! I was worried but I trust you. And umm\u2026 what would you even tell her\u2026 you were ....\u201d\n\nShe groans, \u201cDon't remind, heavens I thought nothing could phase me after all the times our girls would interrupt us. Having to explain that Mother only hits Mama when she wants it and\u2026 that's was your fault by the way , you said they were asleep and that you could be quiet.\u201d She glares at me but quickly breaks into a suggestive grin.\n\nGod I would let her do whatever to me\u2026\n\n\u201cI do feel better now.\u201d She finishes. \n\n\u201cGreat!... um so now what?\u201d\n\nClaire\u2019s eyes dart to her bed.\n\n\u201cClaire?\u201d I don\u2019t know if I can survive another\u2026 session.\n\nI don\u2019t care.\n\n\u201cOh\u2026 I still want to spend the day\u2026 if that\u2019s alright, with you. I completely understa-\u201d\n\n\u201cNo! No, I'm totally fine. To spend the day.\u201d\n\nClaire grins, \u201c Good , but\u2026 umm don\u2019t worry\u2026 I wont\u2026\u201d She smirks, \u201c Ravage you again, for today at least.\u201d I can\u2019t help but whine, she at least is blushing a little from the comment.\n\nBut god I wouldn\u2019t say no.\n\nShut. Up.\n\n\u201cUmm, I do hope you\u2026 enjoyed it at least\u2026 before our interruption.\u201d\n\n\u201cYES!\u201d God, why can\u2019t I sound normal, \u201cYes, that was\u2026 god that was great\u2026 I\u2026 was I okay? I\u2026 it felt like\u2026\u201d\n\nI feel a finger on my chin, and it tilts my face back up, I didn\u2019t even register how much I was looking down, but Claire is smiling, \u201cIt was wonderful Rei, truly, just relax, it's only the beginning , it\u2019s definitely not a race.\u201d\n\nOh God.\n\nOh God.\n\n\u201cI look forward to it again, like I said, even if we start small there is much we can do, afterall restriction breeds creativity .\u201d Oh fuck, that\u2019s a sinful delicous smile.\n\n\u201cAhhhh, ah, oh wow. Um good, great. Super. Yes\u2026 more. Later.\u201d\n\n\u201cExcellent.\u201d\n\n\u201cOkay, soooo, um what now\u2026 I\u2026 it\u2019s still the weekend\u2026 did you want to study more?\u2019\n\n\u201cSpirits no!\u201d\n\n\u201cHuh?\u201d Spirits?\n\n\u201cI know we still have a lot to cover\u2026 and Mother is expecting me to meet a level\u2026 but I am at my limit for the week. Trust me, we need to take a break or we won\u2019t last. I have seen too many students push themselves too much.\u201d\n\n\u201cOhh\u2026 uh, I meant\u2026 nevermind. Yes a break is good, but yah, we will have to start covering more stuff if your mom wants you to take a highschool exam later. Even if it\u2019s soft balled, it\u2019s still going to be a lot\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cSoft balled?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh\u2026 it\u2019s a base\u2026 ball\u2026 term\u2026\u201d\n\nI can already see she is completely lost.\n\n\u201cOkay, short version, baseball is a sport slash game, someone throws a ball, the other player wants to hit that ball with a bat, that\u2019s like a club, and send it flying. They are competing against one another so the person throwing the ball, the pitcher is trying to make it hard to hit. Soft balling is when the pitcher makes it easy, I guess if there is a big difference in skill to make it more sporting, or help teach.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, okay, that makes sense. I don\u2019t believe we had a sport like that. Hmm, there really are a lot of turn of phrases that I have no basis for. Mother even mentioned a moon landing. Was that also an expression? What is that for? Wait\u2026 let me guess.\u201d\n\nOh she is going to hate it when I tell her\u2026\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s not a turn of phrase Claire.\u201d\n\n\u201cHuh\u2026 what do you mean.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s literal, we landed on the moon. We have pictures.\u201d\n\nShe can\u2019t help but look out the window, even though it\u2019s midday at this point and the moon is for sure not in view. \u201cWhat?!\u201d\n\n\u201cYah\u2026 oh boy, yah. We have done a lot. Long short of it, we built a machine like a plane, it flew to the moon. We put a person up there, and they came back. It was very hard, it\u2019s not something we do often, or for a while. Space is not friendly or easy to travel.\u201d\n\n\u201c...Space?\u201d\n\nOh boy\u2026 we were going to get to this eventually.\n\n\u201cThe universe is massive, and has a lot of empty space, like a void. Our planet, Earth, the ground we stand on\u2026 it\u2019s a ball of rock that\u2019s floating in space. It\u2019s circles around the-\n\n\u201cI\u2019m aware the world orbits around the sun, as does the moon around our world\u2026 I just wasn\u2019t aware\u2026 it\u2019s\u2026 nothing exists outside\u2026 if you just go up?\u201d\n\n\u201cYah\u2026 right\u2026 god there is so much that you need to build up a model of the universe from what we figured out\u2026 so gravity? You understand the basics of gravity?\u201d\n\n\u201cI believe so, things fall, the rate is consistent, from what I understood things theoricall all fall at the same rate, but it\u2019s observed that some things can elude that which is probably due to\u2026 you said air pressure right?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, exactly, thank god. Yes you have gravity, it\u2019s basics understood. So yah a feather floats slowly because it has a lot of air resistance, because it has a lot of surface area and very little mass. Gravity is pretty important in the universe. Big objects have gravity, the bigger they are, the more gravity they have. And the Earth is big, so it has gravity, it keeps the air here too. We call that the atmosphere. But when you go high enough. There is no air. There is nothing, just empty space. Space.\u201d\n\nClaire nods slowly, good she doesn\u2019t look too confused.\n\n\u201cGravity is what keeps the moon orbiting around the Earth. It\u2019s floating in space far enough away that it doesn\u2019t crash, but it is also a big rock, just much smaller than earth. The Sun is very far away\u2026. But it is very, very big compared to the earth\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cBig enough that\u2026 Its gravity is what causes the world\u2026 Earth to orbit around it?\u201d\n\n\u201cExactly!\u201d\n\nClaire looks pretty pleased with herself, \u201cSo other planets also orbit for that reason as well?\u201d\n\n\u201cYup, stuff in space likes to attract to bigger bodies, otherwise it just spreads out slowly, less so if it\u2019s a solid but yah. Also space is really cold.\u201d\n\n\u201cFascinating\u2026 we will have to get into it more later. There were conjectures about the nature of the world but this has been enlightening. It\u2019s really impressive what you\u2026 we I suppose have done here. Oh\u2026 I suppose I do have one other question. Do you know what the sun is?\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019ll show you,\u201d a few quick types at my phone\u2026 and volia, \u201cHere.\u201d Claire takes a moment to look at the image I found of the sun, it's a decent one I think.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s on fire\u2026?\u201d She sounds a bit in awe\u2026 \u201cOf course, it\u2019s a candle\u2026 and since it\u2019s so big\u2026.\u201d\n\n", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "39_2", "body": "\u201cI think it\u2019s like a hundred times the size? At least three hundred, thousand times the mass.\u201d\n\n\u201cOhh\u2026 Ohh, how does it\u2026 you know what. Another day. This will go one forever if I keep asking questions and I can already see I have no intent to stop. My goodness.\u201d\n\n\u201cDid I never say anything about this before? You know, in the past life?\u201d\n\n\u201cNothing major, you always claimed you didn't want to spoil stuff. Well more than you or\u2026 hrmm. More than things had already been spoiled.\u201d I guess that makes sense, science has a way of complicating things doesn't it?\n\n\u201cWell it\u2019s cool either way, and like with stuff like this we can do things that's fun but also can help build context\u2026 we have so many movies about space\u2026 like fictional and not everything is going to be accurate but like these are also culture stuff, so like two birds with one stone.\u201d\n\n\u201cMuch like Persona?\u201d\n\n\u201cUhh, yah?\u201d\n\n\u201cVery clever, well\u2026 I suggest we do a bit more of that\u2026 and perhaps later \u2026\u201d\n\nYou have your way with my body.\n\nShe smirks, she knows exactly what she is doing to me right now, this isn\u2019t fair. \u201cHow about you let me have something to read, I still would like to read your-\u201d\n\n\u201cVeto!\u201d\n\nShe pouts, \u201cRei, surely it\u2019s not-\u201d\n\n\u201cVeto!\u201d I emphasize it by making an X with my arms.\n\nHer pouting continues, oh god please just hold out Rei, don't lose. This is the only time it matters.\n\n\u201c Fine ,\u201d She exhales, \u201cSomething though? I wouldn't mind having a book again, perhaps Pray Love?\u201d\n\n\u201cSorry, all my copies are at my parent\u2019s.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh Mel and Van?\u201d\n\nHuh? \u201cWho?\u201d\n\nThere is a look of confusion on her face, \u201cYour parents?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh\u2026\u201d She gets lost in thought.\n\n\u201cWas that my parents then? My parents are Ai and Takashi Oohashi. Here.\u201d\n\n\u201cTheir\u2026 completely different aren't they? Your father isn\u2019t really large and tall?\u201d\n\nDad? Tall? \u201cPlease, he\u2019s barely an inch taller than me.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh\u2026 I\u2026 yes, you were adopted there I suppose, your situation\u2026 It was unusual in the least.\u201d She remarks.\n\nI can't help but shrug, \u201cI couldn\u2019t tell you.\u201d\n\nShe is racking her mind, \u201cWell they were your only family, until me of course, and then the girls.\u201d\n\nDaughters\u2026 huh\u2026 \u201cOh well I have a bunch of family here, don\u2019t really talk to them much I suppose, but there is my brother. He can be a brat-\u201d\n\n\u201cYou have a brother!?\u201d\n\nOh was not expecting that, \u201cUh yah\u2026?\u201d\n\n\u201cSorry\u2026 Hells! I knew that. You\u2019ve told me all this. You just never talked too much about them, and I am just so used to Mel and Van\u2026 It\u2019s coming back to me a bit\u2026 your brother\u2026. Younger?\u201d\n\n\u201cYah, his-\u201d\n\n\u201cShush! I can remember this!\u201d\n\nShe is concentrating very hard, maybe I can tease her a bit\u2026 \u201cI can give you a hint-\u201d\n\n\u201cRei hush!... He is younger, his name is\u2026 Masao\u2026?\u201d The focus dissolves and she grins.\n\nHuh, yah, that\u2019s still weird. \u201cWow.\u201d\n\n\u201cI told you.\u201d She gives a good laugh\u2026 oh god I love her.\n\n\u201cYah, well he\u2019s a brat. Anyways I can pick up some books when I\u2019m making a visit.\u201d Oh god Claire is adorable, I can see she is really trying to hold back form asking, she wants to come. \u201cUmm, maybe you could meet-\u201d\n\n\u201cI would love to!\u201d\n\n\u201cCool. Umm, but yah no books. Yet. I can show you stuff to read on your phone. I read a lot of manga on my phone.\u201d\n\n\u201cManga is\u2026 the picture novels?\u201d\n\nI can\u2019t help but laugh, \u201cSure.\u201d\n\n\u201cRei\u2026\u201d She warns, \u201cIt\u2019s very dangerous to make fun of your wife.\u201d\n\nYah, she might punish us.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m not! It\u2019s cute\u2026 Yes, it\u2019s like a novel, but it uses a lot of pictures too, and most of the text is just dialogue. Let\u2019s do that, after some Persona.\u201d\n\n\u201cPerfect, sounds like a plan\u2026 I really need to unwind after this weekend.\u201d\n\n\u201cSame.\u201d\n\n ", "token_count": 942}
{"file_id": "20", "body": "\u201cSuch a gentleman, walking me home.\u201d\n\nRae blushes and clears her throat, \u201cWell\u2026 umm yah.\u201d\n\nShe insisted on walking me back to my dorm after our quick dinner, the evening air was nice. This day has been nice.\n\n\u201cRae-chan, I really enjoyed today.\u201d\n\nShe doesn\u2019t shy her face away, but she has trouble looking directly at me, \u201cThanks Claire-chan.\u201d\n\n\u201cRae\u2026 I should be thanking you.\u201d I can\u2019t help the teasing tone in my voice.\n\nShe finally musters the courage to look right at me, she seems so uncertain.\n\n\u201cReally, thank you.\u201d I will repeat it as many times as she needs to hear it. \u201cToday was really special and I\u2019m glad you were willing to give me, this, us, a chance.\u201d I reach to hold both her hands in my own, letting them hang between us.\n\nHer face reddens a bit, dusting her cheeks, \u201cI liked it too.\u201d\n\n\u201cAll of it ?\u201d\n\nHer blush deepens and she has to break eye contact again, but she nods. \u201cI\u2026 I liked it to C-Claire-chan, I\u2026 that was my first\u2026\u201d:\n\nI run my thumb over the back of her hands, \u201cFirst kiss?\u201d\n\n\u2018Firstdate!\u201d she shuts her eyes, as if that is a spell that would cease her blushing. I want to kiss her so badly.\n\nControl Claire, you already lost control once today.\n\n\u201cYou were my first before too, Rae.\u201d\n\nThat surprises her, she looks at me, curious but still flushed. \u201cUhh?\u201d\n\nI can\u2019t help but laugh and swing our arms gently, \u201cYes, you were also quite the gentleman on our first date then as well, it was the school fair. I think that was the day I believed you for the first time, that you really loved me. Ahh, but you didn\u2019t make it quite that easy, you were quite the mystery.\u201d\n\nShe hums in thought, \u201cSo today was alright?\u201d\n\n\u201cOf course.\u201d\n\n\u201cEven playing video games for over three hours?\u201d\n\n\u201cRae, if we don\u2019t finish that game I will hold it against you.\u201d\n\nShe smirks slightly, \u201cYou realize that game will take you at least a hundred hours to finish?\u201d\n\nReally? I won\u2019t back down though, as if I would be beaten by a game . \u201cThen we will just have to plan more dates won\u2019t we?\u201d\n\nShe gulps, \u201cSo that\u2019s\u2026 We are dating?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes\u2026 if that\u2019s what you want.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou want to date me?\u201d The doubt in her voice needs to be dispelled. \n\n\u201cRae, I love everything about you, I love being with you, I love how I feel around you, I love when you are being silly, being clever, being incredible, being adorable. I want to do this, again and again.\u201d\n\nShe blinks for a second, \u201cThat\u2019s a yes?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes!\u201d This dolt .\n\nHer lips twist into a silly grin, her face can\u2019t contain the joy as it finally sets in and she starts to laugh. I laugh too and just enjoy the moment, hands linked before the dorm building. \n\n\u201cI\u2019ve never done this before!\u201d The joy in her voice is infectious. \n\n\u201cThat\u2019s fine.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2026 is it fine if we\u2026 we don\u2019t \u2026 can we stay on the down low?\u201d She is smiling but I can see the worry in her eyes.\n\nI won\u2019t let this shatter, \u201cI would scream it from the mountaintops if that\u2019s what I needed to do, and I will stay quiet if that\u2019s what you need from me. I just need to be with you.\u201d\n\nShe blushes fiercely again, that may have been a strong proclamation but I don\u2019t regret it in the slightest. She nods, a bit overwhelmed for words.\n\nThat is fine, this soft connection between our hands is all I need right now. \n\nThis moment can just be .\n\nRae eventually fidgets however, and I let out a questioning hum.\n\n\u201cI want to do this again.\u201d She looks composed finally, I am a bit impressed but her blush has yet to subside, \u201cI\u2026 we will have to do more studying and all that over the week\u2026 but next weekend can we do this again? A date? After we do that thing for Achard-san?\u201d\n\n\u201cOf course\u2026 I\u2019ll see you at class tomorrow then?\u201d\n\nShe nods, and the link between our hands doesn\u2019t break quite yet, she is yet to pull away,\n\nThen she surprises me, she leans in quickly, and I feel a quick kiss placed on my cheek. Just as quick she draws back, she is the brightest I have ever seen her. She seems even surprised with herself and blinks a few times.\n\n\u201cGoodnightClaireIWillSeeYouTomorrow!\u201d She stammers quickly and disengages promptly, leaving me in front of the building by myself. I can\u2019t help but laugh at her awkwardness as she retreats away.\n\nI love her\u2026 ", "token_count": 1028}
{"file_id": "23", "body": " \n\nIt is so cruel that I do not share all my classes with Rae.\n\nOh how Ironic that when we first shared classes I dreaded seeing her everyday, plotting to have her leave\u2026\n\nNow\u2026\n\nOh woe is me\u2026\n\nHmmph.\n\nIt\u2019s several hours before my next classes and here I am trapped in between. I should perhaps review my materials again but I have been doing nothing but reading.\n\nI do need a break. I shouldn\u2019t push myself too hard.\n\nMaybe there is a message from Rae.\n\n\u2026\n\nThere isn't\u2026\n\nUgh\u2026 I could message her, but she is in a class right now. I don\u2019t want to be a distraction. Well only a distraction when it\u2019s just us. There is something very novel about these instant messages, at least even just reviewing them again is joyful.\n\nOh Rae, I miss how forward you used to be, but this shy version of you is so wonderful in its own ways. And you are still just as thoughtful. I love that you go out your way to find otter videos for me.\n\nThis last one she sent\u2026 two otter pups playing\u2026 Oh goodness how can they be so cute. \n\nAhhh\u2026.\n\n\u2026I miss having a pet. I doubt we will come upon Reliare again here. I wonder what happened after\u2026 I passed on. I barely remember that last dinner. \n\nRae\u2026 how many times have we done these\u2026 \n\nLoops?\n\nBzzzt!\n\nOh, a message, Rae?\n\n\u2026 Lene.\n\nOther people exist than Rae, Claire Francois. Lene must have booked an appointment.\n\nMademoiselle Claire, I am pleased to say that I was able to book an appointment for Mademoiselle Catherine this Saturday at 9 AM. I should be able to pick you at eight 8:20 AM, please make sure you are ready to leave shortly after I arrive.\n\nHello Lene, that is wonderful news. I greatly appreciate your expediency on the matter. Thank you very much.\n\nOh, no thanks are needed Mademoiselle Claire.\n\nBut I do appreciate the thought\n\nThis is wonderful, I have one additional request, Lene. I am expecting to bring a friend to a social gathering and she is in need of more suiting garments. Would you be able to take us to a tailor to purchase said garments? I was thinking she needs something stylish but a bit casual and perhaps with a more masculine style then feminine. She is not one for dresses.\n\nI could take her to one of your usual places of frequent Mademoiselle if you are looking for clothes? Would that work for you?\n\nUmmm\u2026. Damn it , I would know, wouldn\u2019t I?\n\nI am looking for something less extravagant in price if possible, I do not want her to feel uncomfortable with this gift.\n\nI understand, yes we have a couple places that we can visit then. Is this friend the same one that will be accompanying us?\n\nYes, her name is Rei Oohashi, I think Catherine would prefer it if we took her back to our home after her appointment. I doubt she would want to join us, and then I would like to make our shopping trip afterwards.\n\nUnderstood, I will be ready to do such. Please let me know if you need anything else Mademoiselle.\n\nThank you again Lene, I look forward to seeing you again Saturday.\n\nSuccess, I can\u2019t help but chuckle. I have much in the way of help, but I am picking up the ways of this other world. Ah I should inform Rae as well that the plans have been finalized for the weekend then. \n\nHello Rei, Lene has informed me that she has booked an appointment for Catheirne on Saturday, and then we can go afterwards on a short trip to look for clothes. I look forward to the weekend and thank you again for accompanying me.  \n\nIt will be another wonderful weekend together.", "token_count": 796}
{"file_id": "66", "body": "After kinda fucking up before\u2026 things have been going really well.\n\nThe fuckup wasn\u2019t really that bad either .\n\nI still can\u2019t believe I\u2019m dating Claire. The isekai stuff? Sure , more believable. \n\nShe\u2019s amazing. I don\u2019t think anyone in our classes realizes that she knew nothing just four months ago. And now she\u2019s acing her classes. \n\nWe\u2019ve even been able to dial back the constant studying. I mean, we still study a lot, but those first few months were brutal . We still have a lot of other things to cover but she\u2019s getting there, faster than I ever would have thought.\n\nAnd that\u2019s given us more time. We still spend a lot of that time together, but it\u2019s more fun stuff. And a lot of kissing. God, I love kissing Claire. \n\nShe\u2019s making her way through Persona at a good pace. We recruited Makoto, the Best Girl , and Claire loves her. It\u2019s a sign\u2014she really is the one. And she told me she just finished PrayLove. All of it. Six light novels.\n\nShe has opinions on it. I think she was a little harsh on the first one. Like, I know the writing was maybe a bit\u2026 lacking at first but it gets so good once it gets rolling. Even if Lady Shouko dies in the second book. Claire did agree it gets better in book two. And she agreed that the strongest element of the novels was the characterization. She likes the characters a lot, and I might have had to help explain some of the themes that were baked into the Christian parts but she picked it up really fast, just like with everything else she does. She was already kinda familiar with some aspects of the religious themes; it sounds like the religion from her old life had some similarities. She really liked it. \n\nShe\u2019s the one.\n\nSo now it\u2019s time to bring it up. Or soon.\n\nI might be nervous. I\u2019ll mention it later.\n\nI knock on the door to her dorm, and almost immediately Claire is there.\n\n\u201cRei!\u201d She grabs my hand and wow, she\u2019s really excited. \u201cI have an excellent surprise for you.\u201d\n\nI can hear Catherine sigh from the sofa. Is that relief ?\n\n\u201cTake a seat. This will just take a moment.\u201d\n\nShe pops open the fridge and quickly pulls out\u2026 are those the ramekins? She doesn't say a word and fishes out the mini torch she handed me before. Okay\u2026 I\u2019m a little nervous now .\n\nShe gives it a test flick and then\u2026 oh she\u2019s doing it this time? Really?\n\nShe\u2019s very focused as she goes from one ramekin to the next, and soon enough she finishes with an \u201cah hah!\u201d She turns around with a spoon and dish in her hand and a very proud look on her face. Adorable.\n\n\u201cI made you some.\u201d Her smile starts to look a little nervous. \u201cIt\u2026 wasn't easy, but I think I got it after a few tries.\u201d\n\n\u201cA few dozen you mean,\u201d comes the voice from the sofa.\n\n\u201cHush, you.\u201d Claire clicks her teeth in adorable annoyance.\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t think I can eat another pudding for a long time, thanks to you. And didn\u2019t you say you did fire magic before?\u201d\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t see how that\u2019s relevant.\u201d She's pouting.\n\n\u201cFor a firebender you sure set off the fire alarm too many times.\u201d\n\n\u201cHush! There were no problems this time. Enough comments from the gallery. Rei, would you like to try some?\u201d\n\nShe still looks nervous, but the banter did help.\n\n\u201cI would love to try some, Claire.\u201d\n\nGod, I love her smile. She moves forward and hands me the dish. The top is warm, but the bottom is still cool. \u201cPlease be honest about how it is. I fear Catherine\u2019s and my palates may have been\u2026 overexposed.\u201d\n\nThe spoon crunches through the crust and dips into the pudding below. When I\u2019ve scooped up a bit of both I give it a try. Ooooh, I can see why she kept bringing it up. It\u2019s smooth and the crust is kinda like rock candy. \u201cWow, Claire, that\u2019s really good.\u201d I dip my spoon back in for a second sample.\n\nShe jumps in place and cheers and I can\u2019t help but smile. \u201cOh thank goodness! I really had no talent for cooking before, but this time I thought maybe I could learn.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m not complaining.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou might when you are the tester.\u201d Catherine sounds a bit dead. Oh come on, was it really that bad?\n\nI don\u2019t respond to Catherine, mostly because I\u2019m taking a third bite. This is good. Even if the first few runs are rough, I\u2019d stick through it. This is totally worth it.\n\nClaire has also taken a dish for herself and is enjoying it. \u201cI wish I had learned to make these sooner. These really are such a delight. Deceptively simple in theory but in practice they are a test of skill and proficiency.\u201d\n\n\u201cCatherine, would you like one?\u201d Claire says after she finishes savoring her bite.\n\n\u201cNo\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cIt would be rude to not offer.\u201d Claire feels the need to explain.\n\n\u201cNo\u2026 besides Melia is going to be here soon to pick me up. So you two saps can be gross without me\u2026 just stay off the sofa if you do.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe\u2019re not animals, Catherine.\u201d\n\n\u201c Suuuuure .\u201d Catherine sounds super convinced . But like\u2026 I really like kissing Claire. It's not my fault.\n\n\u201cSo, what did you have in mind for today, Rei?\u201d\n\n\u201cI thought we could maybe chill\u2026 we could crack open Netflix and start the anime version of Dungeon Meshi if you want.\u201d\n\nI hear Catherine groan.\n\nDid I just say Netflix and chill ? I swear I didn\u2019t mean it like that.\n\nHer eyes light up. \u201cOh, that sounds delightful. Apparently Pepi and Loretta have been watching it together too. They\u2019re enjoying it, by their account, and I think they may have had a breakthrough .\u201d\n\n\u201cBreakthrough?\u201d\n\n\u201cThe sort where they kiss each other.\u201d\n\n\u201c Ohhhh, that\u2019s good for them, I guess.\u201d I'm happy if she's happy . \n\nClaire looks extremely pleased. \u201cIt is.\u201d\n\n\u201cOkay, I\u2019m off. I\u2019ll see you later.\u201d Catherine stands up and stretches. Once done she narrows her eyes at us. \u201cNo funny business on the sofa.\u201d She points two fingers to her eyes and then at us.\n\nOnce she\u2019s out the door Claire sticks her tongue out at her.\n\nThat cracks me up. God, I love her.\n\nClaire washes the dishes and I get the TV ready. Wow\u2014we haven\u2019t really used it for much considering how big it is. I wonder if I can hook up my laptop. Maybe we can play some Persona on it later?\n\nClaire pulls me backwards onto the sofa with her. I don\u2019t really resist as Netflix loads.\n\n\u201cSo this is like the\u2026 not three dee parts in Persona, the hand animated parts, you said?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, exactly, it\u2019s going to look like the manga, just in color. And moving. And voiced.\u201d\n\nShe hums, and I hit play. The intro starts to play. The narrator explains the golden kingdom and then the fight with the red dragon happens.\n\nShe wraps her arms around me and God , I love this. The little things. Just being with her. She doesn\u2019t interrupt anything, but I can feel that she\u2019s enjoying it. She gets so focused when she does, really only laughing at the funny bits. And when she gets excited over scenes she squeezes me. Soon enough, the first episode ends and Claire finally lets out everything she was holding in.\n\n\u201cThat was fantastic! Everything you have shown me can do so much more than any of the plays and productions from Bauer. And the animation is so beautiful and impressive. The way the dragon was moving was so colorful and fluid.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou liked it?\u201d I\u2019m grinning as I try to look up at her.\n\n\u201cI loved it! Could we watch the next one?\u201d\n\n\u201cSure, I think we can do a couple more.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat sounds wonderful.\u201d\n\nIt does. ", "token_count": 1691}
{"file_id": "73", "body": "\u201cCome on, Claire, just relax. Last minute cramming is not going to help\u201d. Like I\u2019m one to talk. I\u2019m not sure which one of us is more anxious. Oh God, what happens if she fails? Rei, just calm down, this is not helping.\n\n\u201cI know! Just\u2026\u201d Claire sighs and closes her book. \u201cI don\u2019t want to let Mother down.\u201d\n\nI slide next to her on the sofa. \u201cI know, and you won\u2019t, Claire. You\u2019ve been getting ready for this for months. And you were top of the class last term when you had to learn literally everything. You aced the finals. I\u2019m proud of you.\u201d I slip my hand into hers and she squeezes it gently.\n\n\u201cYou\u2019re right, Rei, you\u2019re right.\u201d She sets the book down on the sofa arm and fidgets anxiously with her free hand before setting it deliberately on her knee. \u201cThere is just so much to remember. What if there is a question about a movie I\u2019ve never heard of that is a cultural touchstone? What if I misremember some part of history?\u201d\n\nI\u2019m worried too, but she needs me to ground her. \u201cYour mom said it would be a high school level test. I don\u2019t think she\u2019s trying to set you up to fail. Most high schoolers these days haven\u2019t heard of most movies anyway. All they watch is YouTube and TikTok.\u201d\n\nClaire nervously chews on her lip. I guess that didn\u2019t help. Should we have watched more YouTube and TikTok to prepare? I doubt TikTok was on her mom\u2019s radar.\n\n\u201cClaire, have some tea and just relax. She\u2019s going to be here soon, and the best thing you can do is center yourself and stop stressing. That\u2019s what you always told me for our other tests.\u201d\n\nShe sighs. \u201cAnd that\u2019s what you told me back in our past life. Years of working as a teacher proved that right time and again. The stakes here just feel\u2026well, not dire exactly, but \u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cI know.\u201d We\u2019re still holding hands and I stand to pull her up from the sofa. She doesn\u2019t resist as I bring her to the kitchen. \u201cMake yourself some tea.\u201d\n\nShe nods. \u201cYou\u2019re right.\u201d She gives me a quick kiss on the cheek\u2014almost half a year and that\u2019s still like the best thing in the world\u2014and opens the cupboard to pull out a mug for her tea.\n\nI can see her start to relax as she focuses on the physical task in front of her. She really has taken to making tea in the past few months and by now she does a pretty good job of it. It\u2019s cute how much effort she put into it, along with anything related to cooking. There were a lot of interesting attempts at first. To be honest there still are, but she never gives up and I love that about her. I will always be there to help and encourage her.\n\nBefore long she\u2019s leaning against the counter and blowing on a steaming mug of tea cupped in both hands. I love how she looks relaxing in the kitchen of our cozy shared apartment. I love that I get to have this every day. I never thought I would love how domestic this all feels. But with Claire it all feels so right.\n\nClaire\u2019s shoulders relax as she takes a tentative sip of her hot tea. She looks up at me and smiles.\n\nI love you, Rei. At this point she doesn\u2019t even have to say it; I can just hear it in her smile.\n\nI love you too, Claire. She holds my gaze as she takes another sip, then jumps at a perfunctory knock on the door and the sound of a key turning in the lock.\n\nWe both look over to see Claire\u2019s mom, Melia, enter. She\u2019s dressed casually in jeans and a stylish sweater, so she must have taken the day off from work. Not always a guarantee for her weekends after all. Melia is carrying a large laptop bag.\n\n\u201cHello, girls.\u201d\n\n\u201cMother!\u201d Claire puts her mug down and runs to hug her mom. Melia is quick to catch her and return the hug. They both look so happy. After they break apart, Claire is fidgety and anxious again. \u201cI\u2019m\u2026nervous,\u201d she admits quietly.\n\nMelia puts a hand on Claire\u2019s cheek. \u201cI don\u2019t think you have anything to worry about. You\u2019re my daughter, after all.\u201d\n\nClaire swallows. I can see that\u2019s really stirred up a lot of emotions for her. But it invigorates her and she steels herself. There\u2019s a fiery look of determination in her eyes. \u201cYou\u2019re right, I\u2019m Claire Francois. I never fail.\u201d She shoots me a grin, and she lets out her absolutely perfect and divine cackle. I love her so much.\n\n\u201cPerfect.\u201d Melia opens her bag and pulls out a thick stack of papers and an old-school calculator. \u201cWhenever you\u2019re ready, this is the test I prepared. You will have three hours. You can\u2019t use your phone or any books or notes, but you can use this calculator. You can have a fifteen minute break at the halfway point if you want, and when you\u2019re finished with the exam I will review it personally.\u201d She radiates calm confidence as she sets the papers and calculator on the counter. \u201cWhere would be most comfortable for you to write this?\u201d\n\n\u201cI think it will be less distracting to do it here at the counter.\u201d Claire pulls a barstool up to the spacious kitchen counter with its cool stone countertop. \u201cAnd I will also have tea nearby whenever I need it. I assume tea is allowed?\u201d .\n\nMelia nods. \u201cIs there anything you want to do before we start?\u201d\n\nClaire thinks for a second but then shakes her head. \u201cNo, I am ready.\u201d\n\nThey both smile.\n\nYou can do this, Claire.", "token_count": 1217}
{"file_id": "56", "body": "It\u2019s only been two months in and we already have a big exam. This sucks. At least I get to study with Claire for it. She was also eager to study together too. We are breaking her rule of studying on the weekend, but it is a big exam. And she did agree that extra studying is needed. It\u2019s mostly been just that so far. We\u2019ve been mostly just reading and going over material for the last hour.\n\n\u201cRei?\u201d Claire breaks the silence of our reading, there is a want in her prompting. I can\u2019t help but swallow. She\u2019s going to tease me isn\u2019t she?\n\nGod pleasssssssse.\n\n\u201cYes?\u201d Ok that sounded a little squeamish, but I think I\u2019m getting better at holding it together.\n\n\u201cI think you\u2026 we are due for a break\u2026 and do you think\u2026\u201d oh no, oh yes, \u201c You could make cr\u00e8me br\u00fbl\u00e9e?\u201d\n\nHuh?\n\n\u201cAs a treat. The sugar will help.\u201d\n\nOk. That's not what I was expecting\u2026 at all. I thought she - no, stop. That's a dangerous road to go down.\n\nGo down on me.\n\nSHUT UP.\n\nOkay. Focus. Cr\u00e8me br\u00fbl\u00e9e? Can I make that?\n\nShe's looking at me expectantly, and I make the mistake of looking right at her beautiful glittering blue eyes. I need to say I can\u2019t before it\u2019s too late. \n\n\u201cSure!\u201d\n\nFuck.\n\nShe beams at me, her smile breaks wide and her hands tremble in joy. \u201cCatherine, her cr\u00e8me br\u00fbl\u00e9e is divine.\u201d There is a hum of acknowledgement from the sofa.\n\nOh\u2026 Divine ?\n\nHow hard can it be?\n\nDo we even have the ingredients? Maybe I can postpone it for later once I figure out what I need to do. \u201cWe will have to get ingredients and it\u2019s getting a bit la-\u201d\n\n\u201cOh don\u2019t worry, I may have already gotten everything we will need.\u201d Oh she looks so proud of herself. It would be cute if I\u2026 wasn't kinda\u2026 umm\u2026 worried. \u201cIs everything all right Rei?\u201d\n\n\u201cOf course.\u201d\n\nLiar.\n\nI gulp. Okay, it can\u2019t be that bad though, right? It\u2019s just pudding and you light the top on fire right? I\u2019m overthinking this, obviously, I do that all the time . I can find a recipe online, I bet I can even find a video. I\u2019m def overthinking this. I can do this. Claire is going to love it.\n\n\u201cGreat, okay, umm just let me get it ready, I\u2019ll need to find a recipe but let's give it a go.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh?\u201d Claire tilts her head, her brow furls in question. Don\u2019t make her worry! We got this!\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t worry I totally got this.\u201d I try really hard to sound confident, and Claire smiles again. We. Are. Good. To. Go.\n\nOk, Let's take stock of their fridge, it\u2019s easy enough to find a recipe, six ingredients, okay that doesn\u2019t sound too bad. I pull everything together, what\u2019s a water bath? Hmm, I don\u2019t see a baking pan around here, it's too late to pull back, there is no way I can tell her no. Everything else is here, Claire even brings out the little dishes to make it in, oh those are the ramekins. Ok this is making more sense. I have never had to whisk egg yolks before but it doesn\u2019t seem too complicated? Easy?\n\nOkay, now to let them bake. The recipe said they need like thirty minutes or so. Claire is sitting on the sofa with Catherine chatting. Sounds like she is trying to get her to try reading Dungeon Meshi again.\n\nGod I love her sooooooo much.\n\nMy phone buzzes, that\u2019s the timer. Have to check them now.\n\nI think I did that right? They kinda jiggle.\n\nIn the fridge they go I guess, this is going to take some time. It says they need at least four hours to cool before they are ready after baking. It's probably ideal that they get the suggested one to two days but I don't want to make Claire wait that long. It'll be fiiiiine.\n\n\u201cSo they are going to\u2026 take a bit.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh I\u2019m well aware. You would either let it sit for several hours, or if you planned ahead you had them ready for the next day.\u201d\n\nWell\u2026 I didn\u2019t get to plan ahead.\n\n\u201cOkay\u2026 yeah. Right. So\u2026 it\u2019s okay to finish them in four hours?\u201d\n\n\u201cOf course! Oh the anticipation, Thank you Rei.\u201d She shimmies from the excitement. God it\u2019s so fucking cute. This will be fine.\n\n\u201cCool, cool. Um, so do you want to get some more studying done in the meantime?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, that was a good change of pace. I always enjoy watching you cook.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh\u2026 ahaha, thanks?\u201d\n\nShe smiles. \u201cI can\u2019t wait, but you're right. We should get some studying in and it will help pass the time at least.\u201d She\u2019s very eager.\n\nAnd she is right, we have a lot more materials to cover. It\u2019s still surprising how much she has been able to accomplish in a short time. She is so incredible, and here I am stressing about making a cr\u00e8me br\u00fbl\u00e9e? Did she notice how little I knew while doing it? Rae must have known the recipe by heart, she didn\u2019t have to check her phone for it. She could probably make it in her sleep.\n\nShit, I have to set the timer. Okay that should be good now.\n\nFour hours.\n\nJust\u2026 have to wait.\n\n ", "token_count": 1177}
{"file_id": "77_1", "body": " \n\nI was not expecting Rei\u2019s home to be smaller than her family home back from Euclid. It\u2019s all so narrow. Granted, her family\u2019s old home also doubled as their shop, but still.\n\n\u201cIs something wrong, Claire?\u201d Of course Rei notices that I am lost in thought.\n\n\u201cI was just surprised by\u2026I thought houses would be bigger in this modern world. But this whole neighborhood is, well, compact. I know the city is compact because the population is so dense, but I thought things out here would be\u2026more spacious.\u201d\n\nRei laughs. \u201cWe are tight on space in Japan. It\u2019s really not that bad inside.\u201d She takes my hand and we both grab our bags from the car.\n\n\u201cMademoiselles, will that be all then? If so, I will be back in a few days to pick you up,\u201d Lene says after she ensures we have taken everything.\n\n\u201cYes, thank you so much Lene. We will give you a call when we sort out our departure date.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo problem, avec plaisir. I hope you two enjoy your break. Au revoir.\u201d She returns to the driver\u2019s seat and seems happy to wait until we\u2019ve made our way to Rei\u2019s front door.\n\nAnd so Rei pulls me towards her childhood home. She pauses at the door, not quite ready to knock and announce our arrival.\n\n\u201cAre you nervous, Rei?\u201d\n\nShe scratches the back of her neck. \u201cA little, but you already met them, and they liked you.\u201d She smiles. \u201cCome on, they\u2019re expecting us.\u201d\n\nRei has to let my hand go to knock on the door, but she is quick to slip her hand back in mine when she\u2019s done. Where it belongs.\n\nShe fidgets as she waits. At least I\u2019m not the only one who is a bit nervous. And at least it\u2019s not a surprise this time.\n\nThe door swings open and Rei\u2019s mother stands on the threshold. Her face lights up to see us and she pulls Rei into an enormous hug. \u201cRei! Claire-chan! You\u2019ve made it! Look at you two. Come in, come in!\u201d\n\nBefore I can follow her instructions, she lets go of Rei and pulls me into a hug too. Then she pulls us both in, and my mind flashes back to a similar hug at the end of my first visit to Euclid a lifetime ago. So much has changed, but some things have stayed the same. She lets us go and we all walk inside, closing the door behind us. \u201cYour dad is still working right now and Masao is in his room, I think. Are you two hungry? How was your drive?\u201d\n\n\u201cThe drive was lovely,\u201d I say. \u201cWe took a more scenic route along the coast. We also had a light meal along the way.\u201d\n\n\u201cYeah, so I think we\u2019re good on food until later, Mom, if that\u2019s okay,\u201d Rei adds.\n\n\u201cOf course, of course. It's too early for a proper dinner anyway. It\u2019s so good to see you both again!\u201d Rei\u2019s mom pulls us both into another hug. She\u2019s so kind.\n\nRei is already squirming to escape her hold. \u201cMom, come on, it wasn\u2019t that long.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s been several months since we\u2019ve seen you!. And we barely got to talk when you were here the last time, dear.\u201d\n\nRei groans, and her mother releases us both.\n\n\u201cHappily we are here for a while this time. I would love to talk more with you, Oohashi-san.\u201d There is so much I want to talk about.\n\nRei\u2019s mother grins. \u201cDear, please, you can call me Ai-san at the very least. Oooh, this is so exciting. Rei has never brought a partner home before.\u201d She\u2019s vibrating with so much energy and enthusiasm. I can definitely see where Rei gets it from. \u201cI can show you baby photos!\u201d\n\nRei looks stricken. \u201cWhat! No, come on, Mom, we don\u2019t need to do that.\u201d\n\n\u201cNonsense, Rei. I would like to see these baby photos!\u201d I grin at Rei\u2019s mother, and she grins back.\n\n\u201cClaire!\u201d Rei\u2019s pouting is adorable. This is going to be such a fun visit.\n\nI stick my tongue out at her.\n\n\u201cLook, can we just unpack and settle down first?\u201d Rei is forced to resort to stalling tactics.\n\n\u201cFine.\u201d Rei\u2019s mother, Ai-san, shoots me a conspiratorial grin and dramatically whispers, \u201cDon't worry, I\u2019ll make sure we get to them later.\u201d\n\n\u201cMOM!\u201d\n\n\u201cYou can\u2019t stop me, Rei. Mom privileges.\u201d Ai-san pinches Rei\u2019s cheeks, which causes her to pout even more.\n\nRei sighs and grabs my hand. \u201cCome on, if I\u2019m going to be embarrassed, I might as well do it myself. Let's go see my room.\u201d\n\n\u201cSay hi to your brother as well,\u201d Ai-san is quick to add as Rei pulls me forward.\n\n\u201cSure.\u201d Rei leads me down the hallway and up some stairs to the second floor. She heads to the second door on the right, pushes it open and leads me in.\n\n\u201cWell\u2026this is me.\u201d Rei says quietly, and she fidgets.\n\nThe room is small and crammed full of things. One of the walls is lined with overflowing bookshelves. I see several titles I recognize, such as Between Prayer and Love and a few light novels Rei introduced me to. Model figurines are placed here and there on the shelves as well. The other walls are covered in posters, including a very large poster of the Phantom Thieves from Persona 5 and a smaller Dungeon Meshi poster, as well as others I don\u2019t recognize.\n\n\u201cBack in Bauer you often mentioned the collections you left behind. You said the new collections you\u2019d managed to assemble in Bauer never equaled the ones from your past life.\u201d\n\n\u201cI am quite the otaku. It wasn\u2019t easy to collect all of this.\u201d She looks quite pleased with herself.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s cute.\u201d\n\nShe blushes. \u201cI wish I could have collected even more.Coming back here makes me realize it\u2019s still pretty small as far as collections go. There\u2019s a lot I wish I could add. I had a part time job in high school for a bit\u2014God, that sucked sooooo much\u2014but it didn\u2019t pay very much, and after buying my own Playstation and putting a bunch aside for uni there wasn\u2019t much left to add to my hoard.\u201d She shrugs her shoulders and sighs.\n\n\u201cWell now we will have plenty of time to add to the collection. And maybe I\u2019ll get to spoil you.\u201d\n\nShe grins. \u201cMaybe a little bit of spoiling is okay.\u201d She crouches down to reach a smaller shelf with a small screen set up on it. I can spot black device sitting on the shelf below it. \u201cI did manage to get a few good games, at least.\u201d She pulls out a small case with the Persona 5 title and art of the cast on it.\n\n\u201cIs that the game? I thought it was on your laptop?\u201d\n\n\u201cI have a digital version for PC, yeah, but this is a physical version for the Playstation.\u201d She pops the case open to reveal a disc inside the case, also adorned with art and the Persona 5 title. \u201cI guess this is your first time seeing a real live disc, right? Games used to come on these things before the internet became the main means of distribution. Oh, and before that there used to be other types of physical media, like cartridges. Give me a sec and I\u2019ll show you one.\u201d She bends further down, giving me a tempting view of her rear as she reaches for something on the bottom shelf.\n\nSome temptations weren\u2019t meant to be resisted.\n\nI only give her a small pinch, but it\u2019s enough to make Rei jump and smack her head lightly on the shelf. She turns and pouts at me. Adorable.\n\n\u201cIs everything okay, Rei?\u201d I use the voice that I know will make her shiver.\n\nShe sighs, then smiles. She enjoys it as much as I do. \u201cSo unfair. Anyway, look. This is my old 3DS, another type of gaming console.\u201d She shows me a small device, maybe a bit bulkier than a phone, and folds it open to reveal two screens. She turns it over and presses a piece, which causes a small plastic rectangle to pop out of a slot near the top. \u201cThis is a cartridge, which is what games were stored on for machines like this one. They\u2019re an old type of technology but Nintendo still uses them for its newer consoles, even though they also sell games digitally now.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat game machine is rather small, isn\u2019t it?\u201d\n\n\u201cWell yeah, it\u2019s meant to be played anywhere. Like on the bus, or in bed.\u201d Rei closes the device and sets it back on the shelf.\n\n\u201cBut you use the laptop in the bed all the time.\u201d\n\n\u201cSure, but that\u2019s kinda big and clunky.\u201d\n\n\u201cI suppose that\u20263DS is rather cute in comparison.\u201d\n\nShe grins. \u201cI also have a Playstation Vita that Shiko kinda gave me, which is like a old handheld Playstation. I considered bringing them both with me to school but decided to wait until after the first semester to see how things panned out. I was already planning to bring my laptop and didn\u2019t want to take too much, plus the old dorm room was pretty tight on space.\u201d She stretches and then flops onto the small twin bed in the room.\n\n\u201cThat is true. We barely fit on the bed in the dorm.\u201d\n\nShe blushes, as intended. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t meant for two people.\u201d\n\n\u201cGood thing our current bed is.\u201d Worth every penny. That said, restriction breeds creativity. My mind is already dreaming up things to do to Rei on the small bed here in her childhood room.\n\nShe laughs awkwardly. \u201c", "token_count": 2048}
{"file_id": "77_2", "body": "Anyway, now that we have more room, I might bring some more stuff back, if that's okay?\u201d\n\n\u201cOf course it is. You technically even have your own room to put your things in.\u201d I take the opportunity to make Rei blush once more. \u201cI would be happy for you to bring more, as long as you also don\u2019t mind me plucking a few of your books to read when I want to.\u201d\n\nShe looks over to the bookshelves. \u201cOh, umm. Sure? Sure!\u201d She gulps.\n\n\u201cI already enjoyed Pray Love, Rei. I\u2019m sure I\u2019ll enjoy some of the other books in your collection as well.\u201d\n\n\u201cOkay, but just to warn you, not all of them are as good as Pray Love. But yeah, I\u2019ll bring the good stuff back with us. I should even still have some of Shiko\u2019s older stuff she gave me back in the day. Well, the safe books, anyway.\u201d\n\n\u201cDoes that imply you have unsafe titles somewhere else?\u201d Shiko is very good at what she does, from the samples of her work that I saw at the con. I have to find the rest of Rei\u2019s collection.\n\nShe gulps again and blushes harder. \u201cAnyway.\u201d It\u2019s no fun when you change the subject, Rei. \u201cThere should be room for an extra futon on the floor here. You can have the bed, of course, since you\u2019re the guest.\u201d\n\nI click my tongue and give Rei one of my looks. \u201cRei.\u201d I say sternly, and the effect on her is immediate. \u201cYou can\u2019t expect me to sleep in a bed by myself when you are right there. Ridiculous.\u201d\n\nShe rubs the back of her head and grins. \u201cOkay, yeah, but I don\u2019t want to admit that to Mom or Dad, so I\u2019m still setting up the futon.\u201d\n\n\u201cFine. I suppose that is acceptable. Good girl.\u201d\n\nIf Rei could purr, she would be doing just that right now.\n\nI\u2019ll have to reward her later. The bed is small, but I can make this work.", "token_count": 435}
{"file_id": "19", "body": "\u201cWho is McDonald?\u201d\n\nRae shrugs, \u201cWho knows, probably someone made up? Doesn\u2019t matter, it's cheap.\u201d\n\n\u201cIs it? I\u2019m still getting used to the yen but the prices for most of the meals seem more or less the same as other places we have been to, the cafeteria at the university is cheaper I think.\u201d\n\nRae shrugs again and sighs, \u201cThe world we live in is cruel.\u201d She unwraps her burger and takes a bite.\n\nMisha just nods and takes a bite from her\u2026 it was called a wrap?\n\n\u201cThese fries are good, if a bit salty. The burger is\u2026 interesting?\u201d It\u2019s also too salty, a bit bland and greasy in an unappealing way.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s okay, you can say it\u2019s not good.\u201d Misha remarks in between bites.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s not for everyone,\u201d Rae takes another eager bite from her burger, \u201cThe food is kinda cheap but it\u2019s got its appeal.\u201d\n\nIt is edible, but most other food I have had here so far just seems better. I can\u2019t imagine making this a feature of my regular diet. At least it\u2019s easy to water down the drinks here, those are always much too sweet.\n\n\u201cCan I ask you two questions about\u2026 well you being here?\u201d\n\nRae looks to Misha for guidance on the topic, and she considers for a moment. \u201cI suppose, but be careful with what you ask and how .\u201d\n\nI can be tactful.\n\n\u201cI will, I\u2026 my story of you two, well\u2026 everything is different, how did you two meet here?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh well I met Misha in highschool, we were both in the same classes.\u201d Rae explains.\n\n\u201cThis little gremlin caught me reading Dungeon Meshi and couldn\u2019t contain herself-\u201d\n\n\u201cDungeon Meshi is sooooo good\u201d Rae blursts, oh I love her enthusiasm.\n\n\u201cRight\u2026\u201d Misha however does not feed into that enthusiasm, but she could , it's adorable.\n\n\u201cWhat\u2019s Dungeon Meshi?\u201d\n\nRae\u2019s eyes go wide, I have to temper my smirk, it\u2019s rather easy to get her to talk about stuff she likes. \u201cIt\u2019s a manga, those are like graphic novels, it\u2019s about a group of adventurers trying to rescue one of their party members in a dungeon and they try eating the monster inside to avoid paying for food and it\u2019s really fun and well written-\n\n\u201cWoah otaku, tell your girlfriend about it on your own time.\u201d\n\n\u201cI, she, we, i\u2019m?\u201d Rae is sputtering, I know Misha didn\u2019t do this for my benefit but I am enjoying it nonetheless.\n\n\u201cYou can\u2019t really be trying to say otherwise after the state I found you in?\u201d Misha hammers in.\n\nRae blushes fiercely, \u201cMISHA!\u201d\n\nI shouldn\u2019t chuckle.\n\n\u201cAnyways she wouldn\u2019t leave me alone after that, and well\u2026\u201d Misha seems hesitant to finish the next thought.\n\nRae sobers up instantly, \u201cIt\u2019s okay, you can say it, Misaki took his life in second year, we weren't in the same schools anymore but we were still keeping in touch\u2026\u201d\n\nI reach out and twine my hand in hers, I hope she understands how much I want to help her. She might, as a little as a small smile grows. \u201cMisha was there for me, it\u2026 was hard. She\u2019s my best friend.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s been hard to get rid of her since.\u201d\n\nThe light taunt helps Rae bounce back, \u201cYou like me.\u201d\n\n\u201cMaybe.\u201d Misha remains nonchalant, \u201cAfter that, we both applied and made it into here, being dorm mates just made sense.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s lovely, I\u2019m glad you two are friends again, I would have missed you Misha.\u201d\n\n Misha looks genuinely taken aback, \u201cI\u2026 Well, thank you? I appreciate that but I don\u2019t have the same\u2026 familiarity with you Francois-san.\u201d\n\n\u201cI understand, and you don't need to refer to me so formally, Claire is fine.\u201d\n\n\u201cI will keep that in mind then Claire-san, was there anything else you wanted to ask.\u201d\n\n\u201cCan I ask how you know Yu, or even what it\u2019s like for them and their brothers over here?\u201d\n\nMisha\u2019s eye narrows just a hint, and Rae gets a devious gleam in her eyes. \u201cOh Yu huh? I wonder why she would be asking you about Yu and why you would be the best person to- aaAAHH!\u201d Rae cries out as Misha pinches her arm and twists. Rae draws back once she releases, nursing the sore spot, \u201cCRUEL!\u201d she accuses and points at her.\n\nMisha does not rise to whatever energy Rae is trying to invoke and turns back to me. \u201cI knew Yu as when we were children, my father was a manager for the Bauer\u2019s company and a friend to the family I think. At least until he was laid off. I wasn\u2019t expecting to run into him again but he ended up transferring to our highschool in third year. He also is attending the same university.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat about h-their brothers, Rod and Thane?\u201d\n\n\u201cHalf brothers, I think they grew up with each other to at least some degree but from what I gathered their lives have been hectic and I think this is the first time all of them are attending the same school. Rod-san is in his third year, I think he is doing GPH, and Thane-san is in his second year, political sciences? I\u2019m not sure if he has settled on a direction yet.\u201d\n\n\u201cHow are their parents?\u201d\n\nMisha is quiet, I am probably probing to close for her comfort, \u201cTheir dad, L\u2019Ausseil Bauer-sama, runs a big trading company, he seems to be always busy and absent. Richie Bauer-sama, has a problem of being too present, at least in Yu\u2019s life. She is Bauer-sama's second wife and Yu\u2019s mother.\u201d She, despite trying to sound neutral, is not able to hide her disdain of Richie-sama.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat is Yu studying?\u201d\n\n\u201cYu is doing general studies right now, but his Mom wants him to also take GPH.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou said Rod was also taking that, what is it?\u201d\n\nRae smirks, \u201cRich kid classes.\u201d\n\nMisha sighs, \u201cIt is short for Global Public Health, I\u2019ll be honest, I don\u2019t know why they are taking it, but it does seem to be rather common for\u2026 children of privilege to take. It's a mix of health and biology sciences I guess, Yu doesn\u2019t want to really do it but\u2026 well, his mother has been dead set on him following and besting Rod.\u201d\n\n\u201cIs she trying to\u2026 have him succeed?\u201d\n\nMisha considers the question, and lets out a small annoyed huff, \u201cI suppose, she has always been overbearing .\u201d\n\n\u201cIs that how it works? I only mean they were princes in my old life, only one of them would succeed, but that\u2019s very much not the case here right?\u201d\n\n\u201cI guess not.\u201d Misha pauses in thought, \u201cI don\u2019t know, I guess it wouldn\u2019t surprise me if Bauer-sama intends for Rod-san to take over at some point, but that\u2019s speculation on my part. I guess Richie Buaer-sama would have been a queen right? Here she is on the board of directors for the university or something.\u201d\n\nThat must be similar to when I ran the academy I would guess. \u201cIn my last life, neither Rod nor Yu took the throne, Thane was the one to inherit\u2026 when the time came. Honestly he was always the better choice I would say. They all would have fine rulers I think, but I don\u2019t think Rod or Yu really wanted to.\u201d\n\nThat makes Misha quirk her brow, \u201cI\u2019ll have to take your word, my interaction with those two was limited. Yu did love to tease Thane-san when you started hounding him.\u201d\n\n\u201cHounding?\u201d I can\u2019t help the chuckle at the escape, it\u2019s been hard to piece together what I was like before here. \u201cWell Thane is safe now I suppose.\u201d I give Rae\u2019s hand a gentle squeeze and it seems she just realizes we are still holding hands and blushes again.\n\n\u201cChrist you are embarrassing,\u201d Misha teases.\n\nThat causes Rae to puff up, \u201cOh wow, I bet you were with Yu all day weren't you? Huh? You were really keen on getting out this morning, barely gave me the time of the day.\u201d\n\n\u201cSee if I ever help you with your outfit again, simp.\u201d\n\n\u201cAt least I can admit I\u2019m attracted to a person.\u201d\n\nThere is a very restrained smirk on Misha\u2019s face.\n\n\u201cOh?\u201d I say, \u201cWhat\u2019s this about being attracted to a person.\u201d I tease out, smirk on my lips.\n\nRae turns her face away, \u201cThis not fair. I\u2019m being ganged up on.\u201d She pouts while blushing.\n\nMisha rolls her eyes. \u201cSo Claire-san\u2026 how has it been? Getting used to\u2026 well all this?\u201d\n\n\u201cNot as\u2026. Intimidating as I thought it could be? There have been so many little wonders, phones are magic even if everyone says they aren\u2019t. And everything is so accessible, just being able to use my phone to access an encyclopedia or even a video of otters is\u2026 well that would have been inconceivable from where I was before.\u201d\n\nRae chuckles, \u201c Inconceivable \u201d She says in an exaggerated tone.\n\n\u201cHush\u201d Misha chides her, did I say something funny?\n\n\u201cAnyways, it\u2019s been a bit of a learning curve, but I think I\u2019m starting to get it?\u201d\n\nMisha nods, \u201cThat\u2019s good, hopefully the classes have been treating you well enough.\u201d\n\n\u201cI think so.\u201d", "token_count": 2017}
{"file_id": "67", "body": "Dungeon Meshi is a hit with Claire. Again. That\u2019s good.\n\nI should mention my fic.\n\nOr I could just lay here. And cuddle some more. That\u2019s been nice, and Claire\u2019s been happy to do that too. One arm is holding me in a light hug, and her other hand is locked with mine.\n\nI can do this forever.\n\nYou're stalling.\n\n\u201cRei? I\u2019m all up for cuddling, but is there something you want to say?\u201d She really can read me .\n\n\u201cSorry, I\u2019ve just been trying to\u2026 work up the nerve?\u201d\n\nShe shifts and turns her head so she can see me better. \u201c Ohhh? Trying to work up the nerve for something daring perchance?\u201d God, I feel like I\u2019m on fire just from the way she looks at me.\n\nDaring. No stop. Yes -No. Not that.\n\nI have to swallow. Claire cools off immediately as if she already knows that\u2019s not what I wanted to suggest. She just likes to tease me. And I\u2019m not complaining .\n\n\u201cNo\u2026 umm\u2026\u201d Wow, I have to take a breath. It\u2019s okay. Yeah, it\u2019s going to be okay. \u201cClaire. Do you want to read Praying for a Better Ending ?\u201d Oh wow does my throat feel like a desert.\n\nThere is an ember in her eyes, but she schools herself. She pushes herself up and sits across from me on the sofa with a pleased smile. \u201cAre you sure, Rei? I would love to if you\u2019re really ready.\u201d\n\nI nod. \u201cYeah\u2026 yeah. I\u2026 I just want to say this was like the first thing I wrote, so it's probably rough around the edges and God there are probably some really stupid grammar errors or typos and I might have some odd word choices. I was fifteen at the\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cRei, it's okay.\u201d She smiles.\n\nIt\u2019s okay.\n\n\u201cOkay, I do want you to be honest. I think I\u2019ve gotten at least a bit better since then. You don\u2019t need to sugar coat it.\u201d\n\n\u201cI think I was quite honest about Pray Love and I still loved it.\u201d\n\n\u201cYeah, okay. Just let me text you the link. It\u2019s online so you\u2019ll just have to read it on your phone. That\u2019s okay, right?\u201d\n\n\u201cOf course. Relax, Rei.\u201d I squeeze her hand and she smiles. \n\nI can do this. Relax.\n\nIt\u2019s easy enough to bring up my fic page on my phone. I copy the address and text it to Claire. She already has her phone in her hand and it vibrates.\n\n\u201cI\u2019ll just set a pot of tea for us first, and then when it\u2019s ready I\u2019ll read it. How long of a read is it?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, yeah, it\u2019s like a one-sitting read. An hour or two? You\u2019ll probably finish it in an hour. You're fast. It\u2019s just one chapter.\u201d\n\nClaire hums and goes to the kitchenette to put some water on to boil. \u201cWould you fancy another cr\u00e8me br\u00fbl\u00e9e? I have a few more in the ice box.\u201d I love that she still calls it that.\n\n\u201cUmmm, sure, yeah. Have you been practicing making tea, too?\u201d\n\nShe hums again. \u201cYes. Honestly, I was terrible at it all before, and you gave me little reason to try. I would have one bad attempt and everyone would ban me from the kitchen for a month. Aleah would always say I could burn water.\u201d She laughs to herself as she measures out some leaves for the tea. \u201cI think you always enjoyed being the one to spoil me like that. I always wanted to do something like that for you, too.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh\u2026 sorry then.\u201d\n\n\u201cApology accepted.\u201d She laughs again. \u201cWe all helped in our own ways. I learned to tailor, which turned out to be lucky for your hoodie. But I thought maybe I could try cooking this time. It\u2019s easy to give up when it doesn't work the first time, and it\u2019s hard to keep trying. Poor Catherine, she put up with so many failed attempts but I figured it out. Eventually . Your first attempt was leagues ahead of mine, for what that\u2019s worth. Not that I want to stop trying. I\u2019m just glad it paid off. I want to learn more.\u201d\n\nShe returns back to the sofa with a tray. There are a couple of tea cups beside the pot, and two ramekins of cr\u00e8me br\u00fbl\u00e9e with spoons and napkins next to them.\n\n\u201c Well\u2026 I don\u2019t mind being a bit spoiled.\u201d\n\n\u201cOr teased ?\u201d\n\nI love it .\n\nShe smirks. I know I\u2019m blushing. She sits down and pours the tea. I take one of the dishes and spoons and have another of her cr\u00e8me br\u00fbl\u00e9es. It\u2019s very creamy, and the crust is fun. It\u2019s crunchy and creamy, two types of sweet. I can see why she loves it. It doesn\u2019t take long for us to finish the treats and tea, and Claire relaxes back into the sofa with her phone.\n\nI get up and stretch.\n\n\u201cAre you not going to sit with me?\u201d It almost sounds like a whine.\n\nI gulp, \u201cI don\u2019t think I can\u2026 it\u2019s\u2026 I can\u2019t\u2026 I can\u2019t see where you are in it. I would go crazy.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh.\u201d She looks at her phone in her hand, \u201cI see. You will be missed, but I understand. Don\u2019t go too far off now.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m just going to sit over there.\u201d I gesture to the smaller side sofa.\n\nShe smiles and nods, reclining in her seat and getting comfy. Then she starts to read. She always has such a look of such intense concentration on her face when she reads. Sometimes her emotions play over her face. There were a few times I got to be with her while she was reading Dungeon Meshi, and getting to see her react to some of those moments was a delight. But a lot of the time she\u2019s focused. It\u2019s also cute the way her face narrows, intent and driven. I realize I\u2019ve just been watching her face for minutes now, in silence. She's wrapped up in the text on her phone, and I feel a little odd for staring as long as I have. I\u2019m going to psych myself out if all I do is watch her. I should try to do something too, something that won't be a distraction. I have some other fics I\u2019ve fallen behind on. I could also read something.\n\nGood plan. ", "token_count": 1364}
{"file_id": "65", "body": "How long have you two known each other?\u201d Kosaki is nursing a tea as we sit outside the cafe enjoying the pleasant weather.\n\nClaire takes a thoughtful sip of her latte. She's been really enjoying those, huh. I can say it this time. \u201cIt's been almost three months now. We share a bunch of classes.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou two are really sweet.\u201d Kosaki says. She really does sound happy for me.\n\n\u201cThey are, aren\u2019t they?\u201d Shiko remarks and grins.\n\n\u201cWho asked first?\u201d\n\n\u201cI did.\u201d Claire snatches that one up, and she flashes me a grin. Well she\u2019s not wrong. Next time though \u2026 \u201cI knew instantly when I saw her. I went right up to her and told her. She needed a little convincing, but she could hardly resist .\u201d\n\nI mean, is there any universe where I would have said no ? \u201cI at least asked you out on our first date!\u201d I definitely wasn't too nervous to actually call it a date. Nope.\n\nClaire just smiles fondly. God, that melts my heart. \n\n\u201cWhere did you two go?\u201d Kosaki asks.\n\nClaire answers again. \u201cThere is a park and zoo near the university. I hadn\u2019t been there yet and it was lovely. They had a wonderful enclosure for otters .\u201d She really liked the otters.\n\nShiko snickers.\n\nKosaki just ignores her. \u201cAwwww, that\u2019s so sweet, Rei.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou forgot to mention you finished the night playing video games.\u201d God shut up Shiko .\n\n\u201cThat was fun, but I wouldn't say that\u2019s how we finished.\u201d \n\nYeah, I got finished . God, why am I this way?\n\n\u201c Ohhhh ?\u201d Shiko please stop.\n\n\u201cLook, we don\u2019t need to talk about everything that happened.\u201d\n\n\u201cAwww, not going to tell us how you got lucky ?\u201d\n\n\u201cJesus, Shiko.\u201d\n\n\u201cDid you two already\u2026?\u201d Not you too Kosaki \u2026\n\n\u201cNot yet .\u201d Claire answers. She\u2019s still grinning at me.\n\nYet .\n\nWhen ?\n\nOh fuck\u2026\n\n\u201cRei?\u201d Did Kosaki just ask me something?\n\n\u201cHuh?\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m glad you found someone. I\u2019m sorry for\u2026 well, for how that turned out.\u201d You don't need to apologize again, Kosaki. \n\n\u201cOh, thanks, and it\u2019s not th-... okay yeah it sucked. But this is good.\u201d Claire lays her hand over mine on the table and I hold it back in turn. \u201cHow are you doing?\u201d\n\nShe sighs. \u201cWell, I haven\u2019t really been seeing anyone if that\u2019s what you're asking. College has been fine. I\u2019m enjoying the culinary track so far. I miss him, but it\u2019s getting easier, I think. How are your courses treating you? You were doing the business track, right?\u201d\n\n\u201cYeah\u2026 but I don\u2019t know. I might be rethinking it. Maybe I\u2019ll switch next semester.\u201d\n\nThere\u2019s a gentle squeeze from Claire. When I look at her, she\u2019s smiling.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m going to think about it\u2026 the course I chose, before I do anything. It felt like I was just going with the flow, but I think I want to take a chance. Do something cool.\u201d\n\nKosaki smiles and Shiko grins. I can already hear the \u2018 told you so \u2019 from her. At least she doesn\u2019t say it right now.\n\n\u201cSpeaking of chances\u2026 Claire, on a scale of one to ten, how bad news is your cousin? The one from the con. She\u2019s\u2026 maybe been in my DMs since then.\u201d\n\nWait what?\n\nClaire also looks confused, but it dawns on us both at the same time. \n\nShiko, this is a bad idea. \u201cShiko, you can\u2019t.\u201d\n\n\u201cIf you keep her away from Rei, all the better in my opinion.\u201d Claire says flatly. \u201cThat said\u2026 I'm not impressed that she isn't trying to patch things up with Eve.\u201d\n\n\u201cTold you that you had game, Oohashi.\u201d Shiko flashes me a shit-eating grin.\n\n\u201cOh shut up.\u201d It's not like I want anyone else other than Claire. \n\n\u201cWell either way, I'm not looking for anything serious. And I don't mind being her rebound. She's hot .\u201d \n\n\u201c Seriously, Shiko ? She's trouble.\u201d\n\n\u201cHey, I'm a big girl.\u201d Shiko just grins.\n\nWhatever. Not my problem.  ", "token_count": 920}
{"file_id": "30", "body": "\u201cClaire-chan? Do you have your keys?\u201d\n\nShe murmurs something unintelligible words softly and fishes through her bag, before bringing forth her keys proudly.\n\n\u201cThanks,\u201d With her still hanging on my arm, I unlock the door, \u201cThanks again Barlier-san for helping me bring her back.\u201d\n\nShe just hums in response.\n\nThe door is opened from within, Catherine standing there as she eyes us over, \u201cYou guys are back early?\u201d\n\n\u201cWho are you?\u201d\n\nClaire gasps, \u201cCatherine! This is Catherine.\u201d\n\nBarlier-san looks annoyed that Claire considered that an answer.\n\n\u201cShe\u2019s practically my sister. Did I never introduce you\u2026?\u201d\n\n\u201cUhhh, hi?\u201d Catherine stands there awkwardly, as she tries to not grimace too much. \u201cYou\u2019re Claire\u2019s friend?\u201d\n\n\u201cYou have a sister Claire-chan?\u201d\n\n\u201cAlmost, we aren\u2019t related by blood.\u201d At least Claire\u2019s words are less slurred now. \u201cSorry.\u201d\n\nBarlier-san sighs, \u201cIt\u2019s nice to finally meet you I guess?\u201d\n\n\u201cUghh, likewise? Is Claire okay?\u201d\n\n\u201cYah, idiot drank too much too fast, the walk sobered her up quickly.\u201d\n\n\u201cMeaning\u2026\u201d Claire's sobered up?\n\n\u201cShe can get off you, she was exaggerating most of the time.\u201d Barlier-san chastises Claire.\n\nClaire makes an act of looking offended, \u201cI never!\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat?\u201d She was faking?\n\nBarlier-san just sighs, \u201cWhatever you made it here, see you at school next week. I\u2019m going to go back.\u201d\n\n\u201cThanks Pepi! Make sure you find Loretta.\u201d\n\nShe blushes slightly, \u201cGood. Night.\u201d And she makes her exit quickly.\n\n\u201cAre you okay?\u201d Does she even need to hold me still?\n\nI mean she doesn\u2019t have to stop-\n\n\u201cSorta\u2026 goodness\u2026 I\u2026 that did hit me rather hard\u2026 but the walk did help. I just wanted to leave\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cYou two want to come in?\u201d\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t ne-\u201d\n\n\u201cPleassssse?\u201d Claire whispers into my ear. Oh god I am never going to get used to that.\n\n\u201cFiNe.\u201d\n\nThis is fine.\n\nShe pretty much drags me in.\n\n\u201cDo you want water Claire?\u201d Catherine asks,already moving towards the kitchenette. \n\n\u201cPlease\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cCome on Claire-chan, let\u2019s sit down.\u201d\n\nShe just murmurs in agreement and I guide her to the sofa to sit down. She practically melts into me again once we land.\n\n\u201cRod was rude\u2026\u201d She pouts.\n\nYah\u2026 that was\u2026\n\n\u201cSorry he said that stuff to you.\u201d I try to console her.\n\n\u201cHrmmm? Me? It\u2019s you he was rude too, he was much too forward!\u2026 you\u2019re mine .\u201d\n\nI miss the cool air from outside.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m sure he wasn\u2019t\u2026\u201d I mean I did not like how he was looking at me-\n\nClaire tightens around me again, very possessively as if Rod-san could show up again to challenge her claim at any moment.\n\nWhat makes me so special?\n\nWhat am I even doing? I spent the whole day just being\u2026 there, but did I really do anything?\n\nGod I didn\u2019t even do anything when we were at the bar\u2026 I should have paid more attention, maybe I could have been more useful-\n\n\u201cRei?\u201d\n\nThat\u2019s a dangerous tone.\n\nI\u2019m going to say yes.\n\n\u201cAh\u2026 yes Claire-chan?\u201d\n\n\u201cCan you stay the night?\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2026 I-\u201d\n\nShe reddens, as if she just realizes what she asked, \u201cOh god, I\u2019m sorry Rei, I didn\u2019t mean it like that\u2026 I just\u2026 it\u2019s lonely, and the drink is still affecting me please don\u2019t feel like you have to-\u201d\n\nOh no, she is spiraling. It\u2019s not a big deal? Right? I can do at least this for her. Just sleep here. \n\nWhatever she needs.\n\nI can at least try to be the perfect girl for her.\n\nI won\u2019t fuck this up.\n\n\u201cYes\u201d I cut her off.\n\nShe stops, there is a look as she tries to focus on me, read into my answer. \u201cAre you sure?\u201d She asks and puts her hand on my cheek.\n\nShe is so gentle.\n\n\u201cYes.\u201d I say again.\n\nShe smiles, \u201cThank you my love.\u201d She leans in, guides my face with the hand on my face and kisses me softly on the lips. It\u2019s not fierce, but it is heavy with emotion. And\u2026 wow\u2026\n\nAs she pulls away there is a lingering smell of strawberries and vanilla.\n\nShe looks sleepy. It\u2019s not that late, but it has been a long day. Catherine brings Claire a glass of water and she drinks it diligently. Once done she sighs and leans back into me.\n\n\u201cClaire-chan?\u201d\n\n\u201cI should have some clothes you can sleep in.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, okay\u2026\u201d\n\n\u2026\n\n\u201cClaire?\u201d\n\nShe nods, \u201cYes. Yes\u2026\u201d She rises reluctantly and moves slowly to her closet, plucking out a few articles and bringing them to me, a simple t-shirt and shorts.\n\n\u201cThere are extra toothbrushes in the cabinet in our washroom.\u201d Catherine chimes from the side of the room.\n\n\u201cUh sure.\u201d \n\nIt doesn\u2019t take too long to change and clean up when I come back\u2026\n\nOh she is wearing a gown\u2026\n\nHow does it hang so loosely, yet show off so much\u2026 and her legs \u2026\n\nI feel stuck in front of the door, Claire smiles and moves past me to enter the washroom next. But she also gives me a peck on the cheek on the way.\n\noh\n\nOh\n\nI feel like I have stepped into another life. It just feels so intimate but so casual?\n\nDomestic?\n\nLike I\u2019m her wife.\n\nOh god.\n\nI startle as the door opens behind me and Claire comes back, she pulls me along to the bed and we both sit down.\n\n\u2026\n\nI\u2019m going to also need blankets to sleep on the sofa..\n\n\u201cUmm, Claire-chan? Where are your extra blankets?\u201d\n\n\u201cHrmm?\u201d\n\n\u201cUmm\u2026 I need my own blanket?\n\nShe grabs a handful of the blanket on the bed and lifts it.\n\n\u2026\n\nShe\u2026\n\n\u201cClaire!\u201d\n\n\u201cWe don\u2019t have extra blankets\u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cBut\u2026 that would mean\u2026\u201d\n\nShe pulls on my arm gently, \u201cPlease?\u201d\n\nOh god.\n\nI have to swallow.\n\nShe\u2026\n\nShe wants to share a bed.\n\nShe is blushing slightly, she looks so longing, she must still be feeling the drink a bit but there is no way I can tell her no. I can\u2019t, I\u2019m just incapable.\n\nSo I just nod.\n\nShe smiles and gives me another kiss on the cheek. She pulls me further into the bed. We lay down, I feel so stiff but she just relaxes and leans into me. She weaves her arms around my body and pulls me in. \n\nI don\u2019t know what to do?\n\nAm I supposed to\u2026\n\n\u201cJust relax Rei.\u201d She says softly, I can feel her nestle her head into my shoulder. \u201cJust relax, we are just sleeping\u2026\u201d She tapers off\u2026 has she already fallen asleep?\n\n\u201cClaire?\u201d\n\n\u201cClaire?\u201d I try one more time, I don't want to wake her, but she just mumbles softly. She really just fell asleep.\n\nShe looks so serene, her face so vulnerable and peaceful. But I need\u2026\n\n\u201cCatherine-san?\u201d I try to hush shout over her. \u201cCatherine-san!?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat?\u201d\n\n\u201cCan you pass me my phone? It\u2019s on my clothes.\u201d\n\nThere is a sound of agreement and I can hear her move.\n\n\u201cWow\u2026 ughh, I don\u2019t want to hear anything okay\u2026?\n\nOh god, \u201cPlease just give me the phone?\u201d\n\n\u201cFine, here.\u201d I can at least move one arm pretty freely and I take it from her, I can feel a slight shift from Claire, but she doesn\u2019t say anything.\n\n\u201cThanks.\u201d\n\nI can hear her just returning to her side of the room.\n\nNow I just need\u2026\n\nThis is hard with one hand.\n\nHey Misha, I\u2019m spending the night at Claire-chan\u2019s\n\nThat was fast\n\nThat\u2019s not happening\n\nGet your head out of the gutter\n\nThere is no way I can tell her I am sharing a bed with Claire.\n\nOh God I am sharing a bed\u2026\n\nCalm down, don\u2019t be an idiot, you can\u2019t let yourself space out every time you realize it again.\n\nI\u2019m just\u2026\n\nSharing a bed with\u2026\n\nClaire\u2026\n\nClaire\u2026\n\nOh god I am so fucked.", "token_count": 1761}
{"file_id": "15", "body": "I was not expecting this enthusiasm from Francois-san, and it\u2019s rather infectious. The minute we paid for the tickets; thank god they are cheap, she pulls me to the first closest exhibit, and she immediately awes over the giraffes. I am quickly tasked with taking photos with her, though to be honest I think she has a better eye than me when it comes to it, but we both end up taking many photos. I might have taken a few of just her too but I also caught her taking some of me. It\u2019s only fair\u2026 and it\u2019s not fair how pretty she always looks.\n\nMy previous worries turn out to be for nothing, and every exhibit is fun for her. So many of the animals are completely new to her, and even the one she knows, she still gets enraptured and takes just as many photos. The time just disappears as I try to keep up with her, a part of me wishes I could freeze the moment but this also just feels perfect. Like there is nothing else I would want to do but chase after her, make her happy and watch her smile.\n\nShe catches sight of something and rushes forward, I almost lose track of her and chase right behind her. She stops right in front of a display and just gets quiet, stilling completely. Is everything all right?\n\nShe slowly turns to me, and I can see tears glisten in the corners of her eyes, oh no, did I miss something, did I forget something? I must have ruined something I wasn\u2019t paying attention to-\n\n\u201cThey have otters\u201d\n\nWhat?\n\nShe grabs my hand and points to the display case right in front of the exhibit, A clear plastic box, the bottom half with water, the top half with a shelf and an otter lounging on top of it, basking in the sun.\n\nHer grip on my hand tightens, just slightly but gently, \u201cOtters\u2026\u201d She looks so overwhelmed, and borderline about to cry but she smiles, \u201cThey have otters Rei.\u201d\n\nOh thank god, \u201cYes, you had me worried there Francois-san.\u201d\n\n\u201cSorry, sorry,\u201d she waves herself with the other hand and takes a breath, \u201cThey are just so cute.\u201d\n\nI think I understand how she feels, I could die just from ODing on the cuteness overload happening now that I\u2019m not panicking anymore. She moves closer to the display while being careful not to touch the case or disturb the otter and just takes the scene in with childlike wonder, I might really die.\n\n\u201cI think I can see some swimming in the pool.\u201d I point out the water to where there looks to be a pair floating and holding paws, once she sees it too she squees and quickly drags me over to a better viewpoint with her. She is nearly jumping up and down.\n\n\u201cOh goodness, oh goodness. Look, look, they are holding paws, oh goodness.\u201d\n\nShe pulls my hand in closer, up to her chest and holds it with both hands now, she is smiling and the tears glisten like crystals in the corners of her eyes.\n\nThis day feels like it's not doomed after all.", "token_count": 638}