My morning was busy.
After a quick breakfast at Miyabi's—short enough that I barely had time to chat—I ran over to the milk shop and bowed my head to the owner. Without holding back, I apologized for the sudden resignation and for putting the old man in a tight spot.
Thankfully, he just smiled and patted my shoulder, not blaming me one bit. I still felt bad about it, but it was a necessary step.
Wasting time on things that no longer served me wasn't an option.
Of course, it didn't end there. A PR agency, a convenience store, and a warehouse—I had part-time jobs at all three, and had to make the rounds apologizing to each of them.
Apart from the PR agency's boss, nobody got angry. They'd only taken me on out of desperation in the first place, my solid work ethic aside.
By the time I was done, it was already past ten.
I'd already missed my morning lecture, but skipping one class wasn't going to ruin anything. Still, I didn't dare miss my second one at 10:30 a.m.
There was someone there I needed to meet.
Someone I wanted to pull into the team.
"Feels nostalgic..."
Stepping through the college gates, I looked out toward the familiar yet unfamiliar buildings in the distance and smiled. This was one of the first places to get completely destroyed after the game descended and the apocalypse began.
"But this time, I will..."
My steps slowed as I walked down the path. My gaze stayed on the buildings ahead, but my expression soured, brows knitting together.
"...Where was my department again?"
Not forgetfulness—just the cruel passage of time doing what it does.
To me, this was something that happened thirty years ago. I remembered studying Software Engineering, but since I'd only been a freshman when the game descended, nothing had really stuck yet. I hadn't even learned my way around campus before everything fell apart.
So being completely lost was only natural.
Scratching my head, I walked over to the map posted along the path and checked. I spotted the engineering building quickly enough, and after a few glances back and forth between the map and my surroundings, I figured out the route.
Confident enough, I started walking.
The whole place felt brand new to me. It was the exact feeling of being a first-year student who couldn't tell left from right. But instead of frustration, I just felt... happy. I couldn't quite explain it, but the smile on my face grew wider the closer I got.
[Master, I've finished downloading all the data needed to assist you.]
Ram appeared on my shoulder right at that moment.
[Your Computer Theory I class in Room CSE-74, scheduled at 9:00, has already concluded. Your next class, Basic Programming I, is in Room CSE-12-CL at 10:30. I've marked the route in your view.]
True to her word, a blue line materialized in my field of vision, stretching toward the engineering building.
"Ram, you..." I murmured, then shook my head. "No, never mind."
I couldn't really scold her for breaking my immersion and nostalgia, could I?
Either way, with her help, I could skip hunting down the department map entirely—so I technically saved some time.
A few minutes later, I arrived at the end of the marked path, the door labeled CSE-12-CL right in front of me.
Peeking through the door window, I could see the previous class was still wrapping up—five minutes left, at most. With nothing better to do, I found a nearby bench and sat down to wait.
"Hey, you alone?"
A voice pulled my attention. I turned on reflex.
A tall woman was leaning forward, smiling at me. The sun was directly behind her head, so I couldn't make out her face clearly—but I could tell she was quite a beauty.
Rather than getting swept up, I raised a brow.
'Was there someone like this in my department...?'
It had been thirty years, but a face like hers would've stuck in anyone's memory. Miyabi was a face I could never forget no matter how hard I tried—that's just how striking she was. And this one... wasn't losing out.
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear in a casual gesture, still smiling.
"Can I sit with you?"
'Cross-enrolled, maybe.' I thought, nodding. "Sure."
Since she was waiting here specifically, she was probably also enrolled in Basic Programming I—a freshman, same as me.
As she sat down, I finally got a proper look at her.
Brown hair cut into a bob, ends curling gently inward. Dark, obsidian pupils framed by lashes long enough to notice from where I sat. Pointed nose, a sharp chin, and... generous proportions. Definitely not losing out to Miyabi in that department.
Realizing I'd been staring for a beat too long, I averted my gaze. I figured I'd mind my own business and reached for my phone to kill time—
"I'm Mitsuba Eri, Software Engineering freshman." She extended a hand without missing a beat. "Can I get your name?"
—but she beat me to it.
I looked at her hand, then her face, and narrowed my eyes. I couldn't quite read her intentions. Still, leaving her hand hanging would be rude, so I took it.
"Kamishiro. Takanashi Kamishiro, also a Software Engineering freshman." I said, just loud enough to be heard.
"Kamishiro, huh. Same department then." Her smile grew a shade sweeter. "You're cute. Do you have a girlfriend?"
My lips twitched at that.
For the record, I know I'm not cute. Average at best, if I was being generous. And the fact that I'd never once had a girlfriend in my entire life was pretty solid evidence of that.
On top of that, a freshman walking up to me and asking about my relationship status within five minutes of meeting was definitely up to something. Personal bias or not, that was just what my gut said.
"No." I shook my head, telling the truth. "I'm not interested in that kind of thing right now."
Eri's smile deflated, turning a little wry as she leaned back against the bench with a slight slouch.
"Oh, really? What a shame..." She sighed. "Then at least let's exchange Pine accounts? We're in the same department—staying in contact isn't a bad idea, right~?"
"Huh? Well..."
Just contact info was fine, I supposed.
I pulled out my phone, opened the app, and held up my QR code. Eri scanned it without hesitation and added me right away. A moment later, a test message came through.
"If you ever change your mind about relationships, give me a call~!💕"
"..."
The person herself just stared at me, smiling joyfully.
Before I could figure out how to respond to that, the classroom door swung open. Students poured out wearing the haggard expressions of people who'd just been put through the wringer.
"Damn, I couldn't finish the coding exam...!"
"If, else, while... Ugh, I definitely messed that up...!"
"Teacher Karashi really doesn't hold back. I'm failing for sure..."
The murmurs I caught in passing were enough to piece together what had just happened—and what was about to happen to us.
'A coding exam...?'
Honestly, my grades didn't concern me. The school wasn't going to survive the apocalypse either way. But an exam meant no talking. And that meant—
'I won't be able to talk to Kiki until after class...!'
Kiki. Same department, and my biggest source of in-game intel during my previous timeline.
She was one of the early players, so she had to have already logged in last night. There was no way she'd drag her feet—she was too much of a hardcore gamer for that.
"Come on, the room's open!"
Lost in thought, I felt Eri grab my hand and tug me forward into the classroom. Inside, rows of old-school desktop computers filled the space, a handful of seats already taken.
And among those seats, I spotted a familiar face.
A girl with drab black hair that puffed outward in every direction, as if she'd rolled out of bed and decided the comb was optional. Thick glasses taking up roughly a third of her face. Dressed in a jersey and joggers—the outfit of someone perpetually on the verge of being cold.
'Kiki!'
She looked different from what I remembered, but there was no mistaking her.
I moved immediately, sliding into the seat right beside her.
"Then I'll sit here~!"
Eri, for some reason, took the seat on my other side.
What exactly did this girl want from me...?
"Hmph." A grumpy voice cut in from my left. "Flirting on the first day, in class. Must be nice... so carefree and all..."
"Hah?"
The words were so laced with sarcasm I had to question my ears. This was... really Kiki?
"Flirting? We just met outside five minutes ago." I said, correcting the record. "What about you—couldn't even find time to fix your hair before coming in?"
It was meant as a light jab.
But what came back was a sharp glare from beneath the explosion of frizzy hair.
"...Are we close? Don't talk to me like you know me."
"..."
Ah.
Right.
I forgot.
At this point in time, Kiki and I were complete strangers. We only hit it off about three months after the game descended to reality.
What I'd meant as a playful nudge had landed more like a javelin throw—straight through the wall. If this were a romance game, I could already picture her affection meter cratering into the bottom.
It didn't take me long to realize the damage done.
'Damn it... I really messed up.'