~ Ayano's Pov, the next day... ~
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"Whoa... Isn't he, kind of cute~"
"Totally~"
"He's definitely more on the handsome side to me~"
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I blinked a few times...
The voices cut through my thoughts like rock hitting glass... For a second there, I thought I was hearing things... But then came the giggles—real ones, echoing too close to ignore. My eyes shifted to the group of girls passing by, some smiling, a few whispering, and one even waved at me.
I glanced over my shoulder.
No one was even behind me...
'…Huh?'
That's, weird. I tugged my hoodie down a bit, trying to disappear into it. Didn't work though. Another group passed, same thing. Giggles. Glances. Like I was some kind of… heart-throb, or something?
'Seriously, what the hell is going on today?'
I hadn't done anything differently. So why are they even looking at me like this?
"Hey… A-Ayano-san, right?"
I turned to the side. A girl, who I didn't know stood there, playing with her hair, likely shy... I peeped her, seeing people who were probably her friends hanging back, watching like this was some kind of drama scene...
"Um… do... do you maybe wanna grab lunch later?"
I stared at her, caught way off guard by the sudden request.
"…Ah, s-sorry," I said, trying my best to be gentle. "I'm not really looking for that kind of thing right now."
When I finished, she didn't seem too upset—She actually smiled as she nodded and walked off.
I swore I saw her friends squealing behind her like she just scored a win anyway...
I sighed. 'Was this what life's gonna be like now?'
After everything I saw yesterday… everything I did... This kind of attention felt, wrong. Like I didn't deserve it...
Not with the memory of those women still fresh in my head... Not with that guilt sitting in my chest like a damn stone.
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I walked into the classroom...
I glanced upwards... 'Again?' It didn't take long for most eyes to flock to me... I ignored them, at this point, I'm wondering why I was getting so many stares today... Heck, why some random girl even tried to ask me out too.
'Hmm?' I saw Sekai looking at me, like she was wondering who I even was, so I called out, "H-hey, Sekai-san."
I saw her tense up, "A-Ayano-san, is that you!?"
Her eyes lingered on me for a moment, scanning me as if trying to piece together what hadn't changed. I couldn't blame her. I wasn't exactly the same person I had been just a day ago. Maybe the stress was starting to show on my face...
"Y-Yeah, it's me," I mumbled, scratching the back of my neck. I didn't know how to exactly act. How was I supposed to respond when everyone was suddenly looking at me like... like I was someone else?
Sekai blinked, seemingly processing my words. "You look... different." Her tone was careful, like she was testing the waters.
I didn't say anything at first, just nodded awkwardly. I couldn't really bring myself to say much either. Not with the gnawing feeling of guilt still hanging around me...
Sekai tilted her head at me, a curious look on her face. "Are... you okay?"
I paused. Her question was simple, but it felt so, loaded. Am I okay? In what sense? Physically, maybe, no... I definitely was. But mentally? Emotionally? I wasn't sure.
"Yeah." I finally replied, forcing a small smile. "Just... a lot on my mind so far."
She seemed to buy it, but I could see the concern in her eyes... "Well, if you need someone to talk to, you know where to find me."
I nodded again, grateful for the concern, though I didn't know if I could even explain what was going on in my head, let alone share the weight of everything I had seen yesterday, I could...
I turned to head to my seat, feeling every eye still on me, but somehow, it didn't feel quite as heavy as before... Maybe it was because I had Sekai's words to lean on at the moment, or maybe it was because I knew I was starting to come to terms with the fact that the person I used to be... probably wasn't going to come back.
'Alright, no need to get depressed.' I looked around the class, not seeing either Renji or Katsura yet. It was still pretty early, and school started at eight, sharp...
That's when, I turned to stare out the window to pass some time, I saw a reflection staring back at me, one that I wasn't really familiar with either... And that's when I realized. The first time this had happened, the changes of the system occurred after some time, or when I would complete a quest, just like the first time.
'Hahaha...' I think. I'm now seeing why I'm getting stared at.
I hadn't really paid attention to my looks, I wasn't that kind of person to constantly check up on myself to begin with, not now or ever.
In fact, I don't even remember the last time I looked in the mirror properly, whether in this life, or the last. One thing I do remember, was looking at myself on the very fist day to see who I was, but after that, nothing...
I was just too consumed on completing the quests to pay attention to myself.
Now...? I could it... I could see all the changes I've gone through for the past 2 months, and days I've been in this world... I could no longer call myself, an unattractive, mediocre, or normal looking person... It feels, weird to say that in my own head, since I've essentially grown accustomed to being, average.
I, liked that... I didn't need something like good-looks to help me out in my old life, or this one.
Regardless, now that I did take a good look... I could see my eyes reflecting back at me, they weren't as deep as I'd remembered them, but they were definitely clearer or lighter in shade, my acne had all cleared up too, and my face was pretty well proportioned. I had sharp eyes, nose and decently filled lips.
Honestly, If I was a five out of ten before all these quests, I was likely a solid seven now if I'm being conservative about it... plus I was actually pretty lean when I actually think about that too, and decently tall as well, with pretty decent muscle insertions. Nearing a 180 centimeters in height was ok in my book.
What was funny, is that, I didn't feel like I gained any new features or get anything out of the ordinary either. This, still feels like it was all me, before. But, all that training must have made me lose the weight in the right places, and gain muscle and definition in others...
I turned back around, catching Sekai looking at me. Our eyes met again, and for a split second—just, one—before she quickly looked away entirely, pretending she hadn't been in the first place...
I did catch her though. But, that look of surprise in her expression, maybe it was even a bit of embarrassment...? Irrespective of all that, I'm sure she wasn't expecting me to notice...
Just to make things a little less awkward, I didn't say anything about it. I Just let out a quiet sigh through my nose and sat down. I think it's gonna take me a while before I get used to what I am now.
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~ Sekai's Pov ~
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'I'm sure of it, he saw me staring at him...'
I made sure to quickly turned my head to the front of the class, acting like I'd been reading the whiteboard the whole time—even though there was literally nothing written on it yet. I don't know why...
Thump~
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Ahh... 'My, heart...' I could feel my arms wrapping my chest...
Ba-Thump~
'Why... Why is it...' What was this?
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'My-My heart was doing this stupid thing where it wouldn't calm down, and my face felt hotter than I was willing to admit too.
'Ugh, what was wrong with me!?'
That was Ayano-kun, right?
Even if his voice was slightly deeper, he still had that same quiet way of speaking to me, even the same awkward little neck scratch he always did when he didn't know what to really say to someone. But everything else…? That felt like it wasn't the Ayano I knew entirely either...
He just looked, so… different. How could someone change so much in a day?
Not just, better—though yeah, okay, let's be real, way better—but more confident too, yet sad... More present. Like the air around him had gotten heavier, in a good way... I realized that other people were even noticing him now.
Like, actually noticing. But, I felt that a part of me didn't like that too much...
'Am... Am I being weird for thinking like this?' I calmed myself down, I need to think!
I'd always kind of thought Ayano was cute in his own weird, and soft-spoken way… but, now? Now it felt like everyone else was finally starting to see it too. Like the quiet person who sat near the window, suddenly decided to blossom overnight.
'What happened to you, Ayano?'
And why do I suddenly feel like I don't know you as well as I thought I did? I glanced over one more time, being more careful... He was looking out the window again, lost in his own little world...
'I wonder... What is he was thinking about…?' And...
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Why a small part of me hoped that it wasme.
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END