Natellah: New reviewer! I know it's confusing, but that's what makes the story interesting! Alice's deal is still a mess, Masquerade is your typical bad guy, Julie had a lot of wild thoughts, and AliceXShun is one of the best couples ever.

MagicxMusicxMelody: I saved the last fancy word for you, but it's not in this chapter! We'll dig deep into Alice's friend sometime soom.

Marshall arts: Masquerade didn't mess with Alice's mind, but that doesn't mean he didn't mess with other stuff. Alice probably acts different because she knows Shun from before.

Cup of Violet Tea: You're welcome! Separation isn't a nice thing, but it gives the two each some time to do their own things. Just wait and see.

Cherry-Tree: Time flies! That's the theme of the story! I think the last charm is pretty obvious, one that really stands out.

InnocentDiamond: Happy birthday eonni! Yes, it's a spy chain. Speaking of bracelet...I'll let you find out. There is something wrong on Alice's side.

ahmedzafar malik: You're welcome!

GoldenPiggy: Alice's friend and Masquerade are both doing a lo of weird thing. This is Regular Alice talking to Shun.

SSR: Just a little over a month since my last update for this story. Before I say anything else, please pray for South Korea's Sewol ferry. People are still missing.

Everyone: (moment of silence)

SSR: That's better. Graduation in two months! Sounds scary, doesn't it?

Everyone: (backs off)

SSR: Oh wow, people. Still need to decide what high school to go to next year. Sadly, I don't own anything.

Chapter Nineteen

Exact Same Fortune

...

...

"Shun, what were you thinking? You could've died out there."

Shun stood up slowly and stared at Alice, who looked back at him with a worried face. "You...know...my...name?"

"What are you talking about?" Alice gasped, giving him an uncomfortable look. "You helped me at the food fair and Runo's diner, remember?"

Would that mean Masquerade didn't erase my existence from that certain time period? Then how are Dan and Runo going to introduce us to each other like it was a year ago then? Since Alice actually remembered him for once, Shun had no choice but to go with the flow. "Oh yeah. You gave me some samples of honey, right?

"Of course! How's your knee?"

Shun rolled up his pant leg and clicked his tongue at the sight of the patch of purple. "I don't suppose you have an ice pack?"

"I don't have one on my right now, but maybe they have some at the shrine. Why don't we go there now?"

He turned to glance at the familiar shrine and clenched his teeth. First Masquerade doesn't tamper with Alice's mind. Now he's indirectly making me go to the shrine. "I don't think that's a good idea. I mean, wouldn't that take away your time? What are you doing here?"

"On my way to the shrine, actually, so it's not taking away my time. And what are you doing here? I don't know if you're the clumsy type who always trips on the road, but that was the first time I saw someone older than little kids falling on the crosswalk."

"You can say that again." The traffic from earlier finally cleared, but there was no sign of Julie wherever Shun looked. "I was supposed to be walking with my friend, but I guess we got lost in the traffic, and she abandoned me."

"That's terrible. Kind of reminds me of Dan. Come on. I help you over."

What still lingered in Shun's mind since last time was what Alice told him before he left. I lost something and am desperate to get it back. Of course I want Alice back, but how does the Alice of the past know that? Now that they were on their way to the shrine, Shun couldn't help but have butterflies in his stomach about the place where the he and Alice picked good and bad fortunes in present day.

"Shun, are you alright? You look pale." Alice suddenly put her hand on Shun's forehead. "We can always take a break."

"I'm fine. Keep going."

...

...

"No, I lost him!"

Julie wandered aimlessly on the streets in search of Shun. At some point, she got tired and sat on a bench to rest. "Stupid traffic lights. Why do they have to do this to me at an important time like this?!"

Then she suddenly patted each of her pockets and vented. "Great! I misplaced the bracelet. Hopefully it's with Shun." A rustling noise amplified behind and startled Julie. "Such bad luck. Who's there?"

"It's Marucho. I'm stuck in this tree."

Julie's jaw dropped in failure to understand how Marucho ended up stuck up there. "You must be crazy. Grab my hand, and I'll pull you down."

Marucho extended his hand and soon fell into Julie's arms. "Thank you. I'm sure that when I first got here, I was near a park, but I tripped while crossing the street. The next thing I knew, I'm stuck up here."

"If it makes you feel any better, Shun fell while we were crossing the street, and now I lost him. How ironic. And I lost the bracelet, too. Now, what are you here for?"

"You do realize that we're getting near when Alice and Shun technically first met? You have to act fast, even if you 'lost' Shun."

"I did not lose Shun! It was the traffic lights' fault!"

"Either way, if we're in a hurry, then so must be Masquerade. I have this theory of what his motive might be, but at the same time, I'm also thinking about what Alice's friend's motive might be."

"Oh, that girl. She's still a complete mystery."

"Never have we seen her face, either. Masquerade is a Guardian of Space who's against us. That make's Alice's friend on our side. Not necessarily a Guardian of Time, but her brilliant use of clock hands to injure Masquerade fascinates me."

"That, plus when she saved Shun and me from Masquerade in downtown Wardington. That's something that an expert Guardian of Space can probably do. Even Masquerade couldn't retaliate."

"Did you just say what I thought you just said?"

Julie stopped walked and stared at Marucho blankly. "What? About those expert skills? If you think about it, it makes sense." It took her a while to realize what Marucho was referring to. "Oh—I didn't mean it literally! It's just that-"

"It makes so much sense now, but how does this friend relate to-" Like last time, an hour hand flew into the Guardians' direction and landed on a tree, but unlike last time, the tree didn't disappear. "This doesn't feel right. Masquerade wouldn't throw things at us and not show up."

"Or make the tree not disappear." Julie simply pulled the clock hand off for Marucho to see. "There's a note etched on it."

"Read it."

She squinted at the fine text and read aloud, "It says, 'Their fate is in their hands.' Whose fate is in whose hands?"

"Certainly not us or Masquerade. Otherwise, it would say 'your' or 'his'. That only leaves-"

"Shun and Alice! I think I know where he is! We saw the shrine from the street we crossed. I'm not that superstitious, but knowing that they both picked a fortune at the shrine in present day, I'm scared that what they pick now will affect them, at least for Shun."

"Let me see that clock hand." Marucho grabbed the clock hand and observed it from all angles. "This isn't as jagged and ugly as Masquerade's. It's a rich indigo color with smooth curves and lace-like detail. Reminds me of..."

"...Alice's friend." they said in unison.

...

...

The nurse in the medical office of the shrine plaza gave Shun an ice pack and mild painkiller tablets. After ten minutes, she came black to reclaim the ice pack and gave him more painkillers. "I legally can't give you aspirin, but as long as you don't touch the bruise, it'll be fine. You sure you're all better?"

"I'm sure. Thank you for your assistance."

"No problem. Oh, I forgot to give you these." From her skirt pocket, the nurse took out two slips of paper. "Use this, and you can go pick a fortune for free."

Alice and Shun waved the nurse goodbye and walked to the fortune-picking station. "The last time I came here, the shrine had an all-expenses-free day, so I came here with my friend and picked omikuji." Shun explained.

"All expenses free?" asked Alice curiously. "I never come by often enough to find out when they have that. Neither do I know that they have omikuji. I remember picking sticks once, and that's it."

Suddenly, Shun grabbed Alice's hand and stuffed a coupon in it. "Here. This one's yours. Now we can each pick a fortune."

"Cool. Thanks!" Alice ran to the line first and waited. "What did your last fortune say?"

"Uh..." Shun swallowed uneasily as he tried to remember. "It was a 'future blessing' in 'expected persons'."

"Are you waiting for someone?"

"Sort of, kind of. I'm waiting for someone close to me who recently left to come back." He stared into her chocolate-brown eyes and shook his head. "It's been so long that I'm about to lose hope."

Alice put her hand on Shun's shoulder in comfort. "If it said 'future blessing', then you can only wait. Losing hope will only make you miss out on what's to come. Oh look, it's our turn." Alice gave the woman her coupon and picked a stick. After that it was Shun's turn. "What did you get?"

He flipped the stick up and read the writing. "I have a 'great blessing' in 'wishes and desires'. You?" Alice flipped hers up and read it in shock. "What's wrong?"

"I have a 'great blessing' in 'wishes and desires', too..."

Shun: You just decided to give me a bruised knee? Totally ruined my image!

Alice: At least I saved you from...further catastrophes.

Dan: (cough) Fated to be (cough) together. (cough)

Everyone else: Awwwwww...

SSR: Indentical fortunes do not mean anything! Be superstitious all you want, but I'm in charge. That could actually mean bad luck.

Marucho: She does have a point...

Julie: ...so review in the mean time!