One of the things I definitely wasn't expecting when I became friends with Olivia was her complete willingness to abuse her ability to see the Getter Rays coming off me. Whenever she had the chance to, the girl unerringly tracked me down and suggested that we eat lunch or study together. After the first few times, I asked how she kept finding me and she just shrugged before answering.

"I just followed the green light."

Scary!

Olivia was becoming scary!

We were studying at the library when I made another realization about Olivia. She was smart, intimidatingly so. She was able to read ahead enough on magic studies that she was effectively six months ahead of the actual topics being discussed. I wasn't even able to keep up with her pace and just made up vague explanations and suppositions whenever she had a question.

For some reason, she was happy with all my answers no matter how dumb they sounded even to me. Each smile and word of thanks made me feel like climbing into a hole and never coming out.

I had forgotten how terrifying the protagonist's growth rate was once she decided on a specialization.

One thing I did want to talk to her about was the girl who had been stealing away her love interests one by one. They were idiots and were useless without Olivia in the game, but they were going to be instrumental in her rise to becoming a Saint.

"I don't know much about Marie. She was being bullied even worse than I was for a while but that has settled down recently." Olivia said when I asked what she knew about the other girl. When I asked if she had any interactions with Marie directly, Olivia stared at me with an expression I couldn't recognize. "Are girls like Marie more to your liking?"

I blinked and leaned forward. "I would rather jump off a floating island and have the island fall on top of me."

Olivia giggled at my heartfelt answer and shook her head. She then thought about my previous question.

"I haven't talked to her a lot, but she doesn't seem to like me." She sighed as she looked like recalling a memory. "Whenever we would encounter each other, she would tell me to leave. When I finally gathered the courage to ask why she was so mean, she just said that she hated girls like me."

Well, that confirmed that Marie was comfortably against Olivia. So much for having them talk it out and come to an agreement when it came to the love interests. Looks like Olivia would need to stake her own claims on at least one of them.

We were walking through the library to leave when we heard giggling and whispers coming from between the shelves. I silently cursed whoever was having fun in the library and decided to maybe give them a bit of a spook.

"Where are you going?" Olivia asked as I made the detour. She blinked when she started hearing the same thing I did. "What is that?"

"A pair of students trying to have an intimate moment." It takes a few seconds for Olivia to understand what I was talking about. When she did, her face went completely red and she started pulling on my arm.

"We shouldn't snoop around other people's private affairs." Sorry Olivia. While that is probably true under most circumstances, I need to keep track of which girls are already getting taken for the sake of finding myself a nice girl to marry.

"Then they shouldn't be doing it in public areas." I pointed out. Olivia ended up being sort of dragged along as I moved between the shelves until we found the perpetrators.

"That's–" I raised a finger to my lips to signal Olivia to stay quiet. I felt my enthusiasm burn and crackle to ash as we watched Marie being held against a bookshelf and making out with Brad Fou Field. Of course it would be the playboy. I moved to leave but Olivia seemed paradoxically entranced, I had to tug at her arm a couple of times until she followed.

"Was that supposed to be kissing?" She whispered to herself, face red and fingers touching her lips. "Why their tongues though?"

I tuned out the rest of her muttering as we left the library for my own sanity. The only thing on my mind was how Marie already triggered multiple events with at least two of the love interests.

I spent a few days unsuccessfully trying to find situations where Olivia could raise some flags with the other love interests. The girl seemed confused by some of my actions, with trying to have her observe Chris' training or Greg's workouts. Unfortunately, they were usually either too busy or were already surrounded by other people. It didn't help that Olivia's schedule didn't line up with mine or the love interests well under most circumstances. Jilk was next to impossible as he was attached to the prince's hip. No chance of getting him alone with Olivia either.

The few days when I tried to get my mind off the dilemma with Olivia, I was reminded of my own problems when it came to girls.

"Milly and Jessica already accepted proposals." Daniel sullenly reported when him, me, and Raymond were hanging out in my room. I winced at the news as those two were top class first year girls who were both rich and actually had good personalities. It was worse since Raymond had told us about his plan to invite Milly to a Tea Party.

"There is no hope. All the remaining first year girls are horrible!" Daniel bemoaned before looking at me. "What about you, Leon? Did you already give up? You've been spending all your time with the Scholarship girl."

I rubbed the bridge of my nose. "I've been trying. But all my Tea Party invitations get turned down."

My two friends looked at each other and Raymond put his hand on my shoulder. "It's because you've been completely focused on the Scholarship–"

"Her name is Olivia." I interrupted, getting mad at how people kept referring to her with a label instead of her name. The two of them looked startled at my outburst but they quickly looked at me with worry.

"That's what we're talking about. Girls avoid you because of how close you are to…Olivia." Daniel explained slowly. "Maybe you should put some distance between the two of you?"

The idea was logical, but it just left a bitter taste in my mouth. I should have been fine with their suggestion since I've been trying to set Olivia up with one of the love interests.

"-then Prince Julius just went off on Angelica and yelled at her to stop bullying Marie." Raymond's words snapped me out of my thoughts. He noticed my alarmed expression. "Do you know anything about this, Leon?"

"No…just surprised that the prince would do something like that." I lied through my teeth. They seemed to buy it as they started talking about something else. I was still thinking about what happened to the prince. I knew that event pretty well, mainly because it was supposed to happen in the late game on his route.

Both my friends left after a bit longer and I was left with my thoughts. Events out of sequence. A girl in the place of the protagonist. The protagonist was not being close to any of the love interests.

You are distressed.

I sighed at Control's voice. They hadn't approved of my plan to guide Olivia to tripping flags with the love interests, but didn't say anything when I tried it anyway. "Everything is a mess. Marie is stealing Olivia's love interests and things aren't happening the ways that they should."

As I previously suggested, Marie Fou Lafan may very well be a reincarnated individual like yourself. She is likely trying to take Olivia's place, with everything that comes with it.

"Even if that's the case, she should know that Olivia is required to end up with at least one of those guys to stop what will eventually happen." I whined as I flopped onto my bed. "If I could just have Olivia get Chris' or Greg's attention then we may still be able to salvage the plot."

Leon, we may need to accept that the original sequence of events based on your knowledge is obsolete. Too many variables have been introduced. Too many events have deviated.

"No, we have to stick to the script. Once the situation with Olivia gets resolved then I can go back to trying to find a bride." I insisted with gritted teeth. It was something I'd realized that I didn't want to let go.

Why are you so insistent that things not change even though they already have? I doubt Olivia would appreciate being foisted to one of these so-called love interests.

"Because if I don't fix the plot…"

Staring at the Title Screen

Trial and Error

Failures

Traps

Inescapable Bad Ends

Different Endings

Different Routes

Looking for Secrets

Using Microtransactions

Sleepless Nights

Repetition

Neverending Repetition

Over

and

Over

and

Over

Until it was Over

"...then why the hell am I even here?" What did I die for?

Control didn't answer for a while so I just closed my eyes and wallowed in silence.

Then perhaps, like Marie. You are here to change the script.

I opened my eyes, looked up at the ceiling, and wondered what the hell Control was talking about.

This is not your dating sim. People don't act on a script or through triggers of events. They interact, bond, and change organically. They make choices and live with the consequences of them. They have free will.

I knew that. Deep down, from the moment I started bonding with Olivia, I knew. "Then that means the things I know are worthless."

Not all of it, but I would not suggest forcing yourself or others to adhere to it. A more agile way of thinking will be required moving forward.

"You're pretty good at this whole talking things through thing." I couldn't help but smile when I said it.

Personal Emotional Development and Self-Actualization are hallmarks of becoming a Getter pilot. I see no reason why you would be any different.

I took a deep breath and sat up. "Where does that leave us?"

We know precious little about the actualities of the overarching situation. Finding out more on the facts in the situations of Marie and Angelica would be a good start.

"It's not like I can spy on either of them without immediately looking suspicious." It made sense but I wasn't some sort of fantasy ninja who could remain undetected.

Leon?

"Yeah?"

I am invisible.

I blinked before I collapsed into a fit of laughter. "Have I told you how much I love you, Control?"

Not recently, but thank you.

…

Angelica Rapha Redgrave was a descendant of royalty. As befitting her station, she stayed in the most luxurious room available for girls. She stood by the window of her room, her followers just finished telling her that Prince Julius had bought Marie Fou Lafan a demi-human slave. The symbolism of such a gift would be obvious to anyone.

She dismissed her followers and walked to a nearby table. She took a deep breath and proceeded to throw a small vase against the floor.

"Why?! Why her?! Why is he so absorbed in satisfying her whims?!" She yelled as she threw more objects across the room.

Angelica was the daughter of a Duke. In terms of rank and prestige, she was the ideal partner. It was why she was going to marry Prince Julius. She was raised to be the next Queen.

Not long ago, the prince and the other heirs of the high lords interrogated the girls who were bullying Marie. Angelica herself had not ordered anyone to harass the girl, such actions were beneath her. They weren't even her followers. Unfortunately, they didn't care about their actual affiliation. What mattered ultimately was that the bullies indicated her as the mastermind.

She had tried to explain it to Julius, but he nor his friends would give her the chance and just condemned her all the same. Even now, Marie's power base due to her association with them grew by the day. Angelica didn't care about the girl's personal clout. What rankled her more was how quickly and deeply Julius and the others believed the lies.

She ended up as nothing more than a scapegoat.

"Why? I was raised to be with the prince. If I can't be with him…" Angelica whispered while curling into a ball.

"...then why am I even here?" What did she dedicate her childhood for?

No one answered her. The only sounds that could be heard were Angelica's own sobs.

…

Olivia was just an ordinary girl who just happened to be able to use Healing Magic. She was discovered in her village by a traveling sage and a whirlwind sequence of events ended up with her enrolled at the Academy as a Special Scholarship Student. She was then expected to study alongside the nobility.

To say that she was out of place was an understatement. Ridicule and bullying followed. She didn't understand why everyone was either ignoring her or being angry at her. She had hoped that participating in a Tea Party would change that.

It did, but not at the Tea Party she intended to attend nor was it in the way she expected.

A young man who earned everything with his own two hands. Who had the respect and admiration of the highest ranking female student of their year. Who was so far out of Olivia's league that she shouldn't even associate with him. To her utter disbelief, that wasn't the case either.

He invited her to have tea with him

He had her sister help her with the dilemma she was going through.

He helped her buy a gift to have her at least tolerated by the other girls.

He guided her through her first foray into an actual dungeon.

He helped her study and accompanied her whenever she asked.

He even tried to introduce her to new people, unsuccessful as the attempts were.

"I don't know why I'm here…" She whispered to herself as she closed her book.

You deserve to be here.

"...but I'm here for a reason." And as long as he was at her side, she would find that answer.