“Kiddo, we’re getting home so you can change into your uniform and I’ll give you a ride to school. You don’t mind, right? After all, you’ve accomplished your goal~”

“…huh…?”

Zoemi’s father smirked devilishly, adjusting the rearview mirror so that he could have a good look at his son’s face.

The black-haired boy himself furrowed his brows ad blinked a few times taken aback.

“Nh hh hh…! Jackpot?”

The man honey-blond-haired man hummed but then…

“I have to go to school…?”

“…”

Zoemi asked and his father’s expression instantly darkened as if all of the amusement left his body with that one question.

“Of course you do! Seriously! You think that you can take being sick to catch a glimpse of the girl you like and loaf around playing your games all day?!”

The man scoffed, visibly disappointed at his son’s lack of spine.

|…the girl I like? Does he mean that girl who’s most likely Burusshi? What kind of nonse…|𝞸𝗏𝒍xt.𝑐𝚘𝐌

Zoemi raised his brows before shaking his head in disbelief at the misunderstanding that his father clearly had about the whole situation but then something in his brain fell into place and clicked.

|Wait! That’s it! I can use this misunderstanding to meet with that girl to confirm whether or not it’s the new timeline! She kind of seems to want to feel me out whether I remember anything – but since she didn’t call out to me it means that he wants to keep a low profile. Why…?|

The boy leaned into the backseat and put his fist to his mouth while thinking feverishly.

|If I assume this is a new timeline something must have ended the previous one all of a sudden. The last time it was Cherro… what if it was the same this time around – but since Bellcephora didn’t show up to warn me, it might be the case that this filthy **er managed to take over her. If so, he might have shaped the timeline just how he wanted it. Is… is he in control now…?|

Zoemi felt a cold sweat running down his back. He looked out of the window and the scenery filled with tall buildings and cars didn’t look as peaceful as when they were going to the clinic.

Now, everything seemed threatening. If something like Cherro had shaped the world, it would not be surprising at all if he made it so only he could use any kind of superpower such as magic.

He might have to watch everything, everyone… attentively observing any kind of odd behavior to eradicate it before it would become a threat to him…!

|…it makes sense for Burushu to act in such a roundabout way…! She must have waited for this chance! She recognized me so she mentioned Surou’s name and took out her phone case to gouge my reaction when she noticed my reaction she called out the game’s name because she wanted to confirm her guess! Hahaha! That’s the spirit! Even in this **ed-up timeline she didn’t give up!|

Zoemi felt his body taken over by the coldness of fear get warmed up by the resolve of his friend…

…without realizing that he was kind of overthinking the whole situation…

…a lot…

Nonetheless, an evil smile bloomed on the boy’s face as the car window faintly reflected him.

|…Cherro… if you think that my hatred for you died with that toy bear, then I have one hell of a surprise for you…!|

Zoemi thought glaring at the scenery they were passing as if Cherro was hiding behind every single thing.

“Oh, and now you are going to get grumpy with your old man, huh?”

“…huh? What? Of course not, dad!”

Seeing his son’s expression the honey-blond-haired man sulked loudly which made the boy jolt up and shake his head.

If Cherro was in control and wanted to have an eye on him, wouldn’t it make the most sense to place spies as close as possible?

Even if the honey-blond-haired man didn’t intend to, he might be connected with that piece of filth through a spell of some kind.

This meant that Zoemi can’t act suspicious or who knows what would happen!

“So you will go to school without whimpering?”

“Y-yeah…!”

The honey-blond-haired man asked, squinting his eyes in suspicion, and his son twitched nervously and hurriedly nodded his head as if he was caught red-handed on doing something bad.

|If anything, no I want to go search for Miriette – since it looks like I’m surrounded by people I know, it might be possible that she’s nearby too…!|

Zoemi thought making sure to keep up the awkward teenager act. He knew he could not make any mistakes now – finding Miriette was actually a crucial element of that…

…not knowing where she is in a world controlled by a piece of filth like Cherro was putting way more stress on the black-haired boy than anything else combined and multiplied by ten…

Therefore contrary to his father’s suspicion, at this moment there was nothing that Zoemi wanted more than to go to school to search for Miriette.

….

“Alright, message me later whether you taking a bus or walking back, okay kiddo?”

Sometime later Zoemi was in front of the school he could not recognize and his father was calling after him from his car.

“Sure thing, dad~!”

The black-haired boy responded cheerfully before turning towards the school and stepping through the gate.

“…”

Already inside the building, Zoemi stood there looking at the rows of lockers containing the indoor or outdoor shoes of all the students.

“…”

The black-haired boy looked down at his outdoor shoes and then back at the lockers, gulping down his saliva.

“…**…”

He groaned.

If the lockers were numbered then he was already shoving himself to be suspicious because he definitely didn’t remember anything from his current timeline.

Nonetheless, standing at the entrance was also something suspicious so the boy dragged his feet towards the lockers…

“…!”

Only to realize that each and every one of them was signed with a slip of paper with the full name of the student it belonged to.

“Oh, thank Guide, I am just an overthinking idiot~!”

Zoemi breathed out and started searching for the locker with his name.

“Tanaka, Suzuki, Sato, Kuro, Takahashi… ** I don’t see Banemor… hold up…”

Zoemi muttered to himself in annoyance before he flinched and close his eyes deeply ashamed…

…after which he went back to the locker for Kuro Aku and opened it while staying silent about his mistake…

But then another trouble arose.

The black-haired boy had no idea where his class was or what class they were having at the moment.

In the worst-case scenario, he would have to just randomly open a door while the class was in progress and play accordingly to the teacher’s reaction – if he was lucky even if it wasn’t his class, the teacher would ask him why isn’t he in his own class and mention it.

*ping*

“…!”

Then his phone, which Zoemi had honestly completely forgotten about let out a notification sound reminding the boy of its presence.

Once Zoemi took it out, it turned out that someone had sent him a message – and it wasn’t either of his parents!

~Sato: Dude, where the hell are you? Iron lady is getting pissed off. Your father contacted her that you will be at school! Get over here ASAP!~

A ray of hope registered in the app as Sato had thrown Zoemi a lifeline!

~What class?~

Zoemi typed the question as fast as he could but it felt odd, his fingers seemed to know the motion but the sensation of using the device that didn’t rely on mana felt unfamiliar and not that good honestly…

~Dude, are you for real…? Math! Move your ass here, chop chop!~

The answer that came immediately was less than satisfactory though…

~What class?~

Zoemi started getting annoyed but for time’s sake he just repeated his question.

~…~

~Dude…~

~2c. On the second floor, up the staircase turn left, fourth door.~

~Did you have to go to the hospital because you hit your head and lost your memory? Dude, now I’m worried about you…~

Four consecutive responses appeared on the phone screen within seconds – one of them contained the information that the black-haired boy desperately needed!

“Mister Sato, whoever you are, you have my thanks!”

Zoemi breathed out in relief putting the phone back in his pocket and rushing up the first flight of stairs that he saw.

“Please excuse me, teacher, I’m late…!”

The directions were accurate and a few seconds later Zoemi opened the door and bowed toward the woman behind a desk.

“…it’s fine, Kuro, your father informed me about your circumstances. Go to your seat.”

The woman took a deep breath but didn’t scold the boy at all and instead just waved her hand toward the class.

“Thank you, teach… Huh…?!”

Zoemi breathed out in relief straightening his back and freezing on the spot.

…he recognized EVERYONE…!

The teacher – it was definitely Rokiana Grea Perserios.

As for the students, they were all the young nobles he attended the Aspaekony Academy the first time around – unfortunately with the exception of the girl he wanted to see the most – with the only difference being the hair and eye color of the youngsters.

In this timeline it was dominated by black and dark brown.

Burushi wasn’t there – obviously as this time around she seemed to be a bit older – but more importantly, there was no one even resembling Miriette…

…even though black-haired versions of the first prince Horeo and that ungrateful ** Grazio were very much present.

|I wonder which one of them is Sato…?|

Zoemi wondered walking towards the only empty desk and glancing at the faces of his male classmates – especially the black-haired Horeo – but none of them had the reaction that he expected of the rather lighthearted and friendly individual that messaged him earlier.