Six months had passed since I arrived in Oxenfurt. I've felt like a weaker being ever since my duel with Geralt. My powers don't come to me as naturally as they did anymore, and my sword is starting to feel heavy in my hand. Could those magic-restraining chains have had a lasting impact on me? I had no idea why I was losing all the power I had before. Every day I seemed to be getting close to who I originally was back in my world.
I've been spending my life here disguised as a university student attending Oxenfurt Academy at Geralt's request that I do so. My eyes make me stick out a bit for sure, but so far, I've been able to lay low. I have no clue where Geralt is now, but he said that he left to go and research more about the Agents. However, Ciri and Asaho have stayed behind to live with me.
I would be lying if I said that my current life wasn't a nice change of pace from all the action I had been experiencing. It reminded me of my peaceful life back in my world, minus the video games. I can spend my time being a student and living with the two people I love the most. If this is what losing some of my power cost, I'm pretty sure it was worth it.
Like most mornings now, I woke up with Ciri and Asaho at my side. Waking up to them both never ceased to put a smile on my face. I sat up and got off the bed while they continued to rest. I probably should have woken them up, but I didn't want to disturb them when they seemed so peaceful.
In a way, I was happy to be a student once again. After all this adventure, I noticed that I have missed the simple pleasures in life. I could sit down and eat breakfast in peace, without having to worry about the struggle of fighting Undershroud agents. I could just go to school again and live a life without violence.
I could hear Asaho and Ciri getting up and getting ready to leave the bedroom. The door opened and they still had their sleepwear on. "Good morning you two! You're both looking lovely today!", I greeted.
"Why didn't you wake us up, dear? It's kind of mean to let us rot away in bed! We could be late for school!", Ciri scolded.
"Sorry Ciri, I just saw your peaceful faces, and I felt bad if I woke you two up. You both look so pretty when you're resting", I responded.
I could see both Ciri's and Asaho's face flush bright red in reaction to what I said. Ciri let out a sigh and proceeded to get her breakfast in silence. She was so silent that I was starting to get concerned if something was wrong with her.
"Ciri, are you feeling ok? I'm sorry about this morning, but it seems like there's something you are not telling me", I asked.
"I am feeling fine, dear. Let's finish eating breakfast and get to today's classes, ok?", Ciri responded.
We all ate the rest of our breakfast quickly and finished getting ready to go to some lectures. We all walked to the university together, and while Asaho was enthusiastically talking about mundane things such as the weather to me, Ciri was completely silent. I didn't want to make the situation more awkward, but I knew something was not right with her.
"Ciri, can we talk?", I asked.
"Later, Notarin. We don't have time right now. Meet me after today's first lecture and we'll have a chat, ok?", Ciri requested.
I nodded in response and then Ciri went off to go to her lecture. Asaho and I shared the day's first lecture together, so we walked together the rest of the way.
"Notarin-kun, Ciri-chan seemed very troubled today. Are you sure everything is going to be ok? I don't want unhappiness to strike us now that we've found peace", Asaho said in concern.
"I don't know, my love, but I'm sure she's just in a bad mood today. That's all. I don't think anything bad is going to happen. Let's just go to our lecture and just trust things will be fine, ok?", I responded.
Asaho nodded and we finished making our way to the lecture theatre. Today we would be learning about herbs and how to use them in alchemy. This was exciting since I definitely loved herbs. I couldn't wait to discover new and exciting ways to smoke a bowl. The professor unfortunately didn't include marijuana in his teaching of herbs, so I would have to get creative with what I learned from class and experiment.
The lecture ended and I didn't end up learning much new, disappointingly. I had no time to complain about that though, since I had to meet up with Ciri right away. Hopefully we could have a nice chat and just forget about this morning.
I made my way to one of the University's courtyards; a common meeting place for us all. I could see Ciri in the distance sitting on a bench with an anxious look on her face. I made a mad dash towards her so I didn't keep her waiting any longer.
"You're a minute late, dear. What took you this long?", Ciri asked.
"Sorry, the lecture went a bit overtime. To make it even worse, it was pretty boring, haha!", I responded with a nervous laugh.
"Look Notarin, I've got to be blunt with you. I'm thinking of leaving for now", Ciri said.
I could feel blood rush through my body in shock. I thought everything was going so well until now. I couldn't jump to conclusions, but the anxiety started to build within me. She might have a perfectly acceptable reason for wanting to do this.
"Do you not love me anymore, Ciri? Please don't tell me that you don't love me anymore", I pleaded as I fought back the tears forming in my eyes.
"Notarin, I do still love you, but things are really complicated now. We haven't heard back from Geralt in a while, and I'm honestly starting to get tired of living in hiding. I'm getting worried about him, and I just want to know if he's ok. Also, to be honest, the stress of living with your other lover is starting to get to me. I can't take the pressure for much longer. I just need a bit of a break, ok? We'll see each other again after I find Geralt", Ciri explained.
I was saddened by her words, yet I had no argument to provide. I didn't want her to leave after all this happy time we spent together, but knowing I would see her again meant I could probably go on with life as usual.
"Ok, Ciri. I'm not happy about this, but I understand. I'll let you go. However, I just want to ask you a question. Do you really think the Agents of the Undershroud are worth fighting against anymore? Before we got captured that one time, you asked me whether the fight was worth it or not. I've been thinking more about it, and I'm starting to feel content with the life I have now. We haven't seen them in a long while, so it might be worth forgetting about them", I said.
"What the fuck? Do you not understand how much of a threat to the world they are, Notarin? I know I said that one time, but that was mostly out of fear! They have unimaginable powers that far exceed what is commonly known, and they use it for pure evil! They kill innocents, rape, slaughter villages, corrupt fine people such as Triss, all so they can strengthen their damn 'Undershroud'! If we don't stop them, who will? Get yourself together, Notarin! You better be ready to take them on by the time I see you again!", Ciri shouted.
She got up and stomped away in what seemed to be an angry fit. I held my face in my hands as tears began to flow down my cheeks. I never cried like this in the longest time. However, I would soon forget about the reason why I was crying.
"What was her name again?", I asked myself.
I was struggling to remember the name of my lover I had just quarreled with. I could remember Asaho just fine but trying to remember the other lover was becoming difficult. I felt a deep sadness throughout me, as if my glory days were finally coming to an end. However, throughout the day, my emotions would stabilize and my memories of the woman I quarreled with earlier began to fade more and more. I knew I was supposed to love her, but why did I love her?
Everything started to feel normal again by the end of today's lectures. I met up with Asaho in the courtyard to walk home together, but then she said something that immediately confused me.
"Hey Notarin-kun! Where's Ciri? Isn't she coming home with us?", Asaho asked.
Was Ciri the name of the woman I had quarreled with earlier? It must have been. I know something was going wonky with my memory, but I had to think of a casual way to respond to her.
"C-cc-ciri? She said she went off to go in search of someone. She seemed concerned", I responded.
I couldn't even remember the name of the man that the woman was in search of. I could definitely remember his face, but his name escaped me for whatever reason. What was happening to me? This was getting really weird.
"Did she go in search of… what's his name? Weird, I'm forgetting his name even though it should be obvious to me", Asaho said.
It was clear that whatever was affecting me was affecting Asaho as well. We were both struggling to retain our memories of these people. After this confusion, we decided it was best to head back home and have some dinner. There was already a bright orange sunset, so we needed to hurry before the streets were covered in darkness.
We got home and ate a nice dinner with pleasant conversation. It was almost like nothing had happened earlier. I knew I had forgotten something, but it was starting to bother me less.
"Hey, doesn't this just feel like it was back in our world? Now that I mention that, do you even remember how you got here? I'm starting to forget how I got here, but at least I still know that I should be here", I said to Asaho.
"I guess you're right. Even if we are no longer going to school together in Japan, it doesn't feel like much has changed. Besides being in a different world, the only thing that's seemed to change is for the better", Asaho responded.
"What do you mean by that?", I asked.
"I get to spend my life with you here. We get to sleep in the same bed, eat the same meals, and I couldn't be more happy about it! Life can be practically perfect with you around, Notarin-kun!", Asaho explained.
I could feel my face start to turn bright red at her statement. She was right. I didn't care where we were; if I could spend my days with her, my life would never feel like a waste. Still, I couldn't shake the feeling that my life was completely different just yesterday, although it felt like it had just been her and me here the whole time.
"Notarin-kun, I'm feeling very good right now. I want to feel you in my bum hole tonight, ok?", Asaho requested.
"I mean, the only other hole is your mouth, so the options are limited, haha", I replied.
Asaho looked frustrated by what I just said. Almost as if she were a bit angry or something. I realized what I said, and in that moment, I understood that she probably was offended. However, what confused me is that I said she only had two holes. Where did that come from? Of course, she has a third hole, she's a girl after all! Was it some weird memory I had?
"Notarin-kun, you're mean! I have three holes, you dummy! And you know that all too well!", Asaho shouted.
"Sorry, Asaho-chan, I don't know why I said what I said. I think it's some weird memory I had or something. Of course you have three beautiful holes! They're the most beautiful holes in the world!", I responded.
After we finished eating, we went directly to the bedroom. I did exactly as she requested earlier, and we both had a great night together. After I finished my business inside her bum hole, we both turned to look each other in the eyes.
"I love you, Notarin-kun!"
"I love you too, Asaho-chan".
