/POP Sana/
Sana was deep in thought. His face looked serious.
[She is not the Alice I know…]
His expression darkened with sadness.
[Will I stop loving her?]
He shook his head.
[No… even if she changes, she is still the Alice I know. I want to stop loving her… but I can't.]
He forced a small smile.
[Maybe it's because of me. That's why she changed so much. Or maybe I'm just being delusional. But I don't care.]
He lay on the bed, his face showing pain after enduring everything while Alice was around him. He didn't want Alice to see his weak side.
Suddenly, the door opened slowly.
Someone came to visit him.
When he saw that person, his face turned dark.
A pink-haired girl stood there. Very beautiful—his stepsister.
Her face looked happy when she saw him, mixed with hope, determination, and a little fear.
She wore a normal high school uniform, like any normal Japanese student.
But her face was extremely beautiful and cute. Her small body made any man want to protect her at any cost.
Her eyes were blue, like a clear ocean, as if they could reflect your true self.
Her hair was short and very neat. It looked well cared for.
She smelled nice, using a special fragrance.
[I didn't notice… is it because my mind is only focused on Alice? Why do I love that girl so much?]
[If I make Alice more beautiful, more attractive, maybe my heart will be destroyed by a normal girl like this. Even though no man seems to care about her…]
His face blushed slightly at the thought of Alice's beauty. But he quickly hid it.
[If I could go on a date with Alice at a cosplay event, that would be great. In my past life, I only went to such an event once. It felt boring and lonely in a place full of people…]
[I like long hair… like Alice. But appearance doesn't matter to me. I don't want love to be based on appearance. It feels like an illusion of lust. Some novels describe female leads as so beautiful it feels unreal… maybe that's why people give up on reality. Even I once dreamed of having a beautiful wife like a female lead. That was a stupid dream. Reality is always harsher than imagination.]
[How old is she? I don't even know which school she goes to. She didn't even wait for me. If she had feelings for me, she wouldn't have abandoned me…]
His head suddenly hurt as old memories came back—his first love in his previous world.
She even used to bring food for him. His heart suddenly ached.
[But the only thing I care about is Alice… no matter how beautiful she is, she can't compare to Alice.]
He looked at her with a sad and wary expression.
"Why are you here?"
Lata's face turned slightly red.
"I just want to see you."
Sana looked confused.
"After what I did to you?"
Her face became determined.
"I want to know why you are like this… who are you really? Are you really the Sana I know?"
Sana looked into her eyes with a sad expression.
"I don't remember anything… including memories with you. The only thing I know is the day you woke me up and told me to hurry to school."
[Why does this girl feel so familiar? Like someone from my old world… the way she talks, everything feels like Quana…]
Lata looked confused.
"Are you lying to me?"
Her eyes filled with tears as she lightly hit him in frustration and emotion.
Sana didn't know what to do. He didn't want to hurt her. Even without memories, she was still his sister in this world.
He let her do what she wanted. He didn't feel pain from her weak, emotional hits.
Lata cried as she leaned against his chest, her hand resting on his shoulder.
While crying, she whispered:
"I lost you again… Sana."
[I have a bad feeling about this…]
Her face looked depressed, as if she had lost all hope in life.
Suddenly, Sana felt a sharp pain in his heart.
"What do you mean… lost me again?" he asked seriously.
[Is she…?]