I tossed a glance over my shoulder and raised my eyebrows in surprise to see Shiro. He approached me and stood beside the bench I was sat on. Still being as cold as he always is with me.

“Shiro, whatever you came here for just save it. I’m not in the mood.” I said slouching against the bench.

“I’ve just come to confront the chosen one.” Shiro responded without a care for what I had wished for. Not even sparing a glance in my direction.

“The chosen one? The fuck are you even on about?” I questioned as I was becoming very exhausted by his attitude with me.

“I know that you discovered that the system gives out quests to us all individually. In a fashion that seemed random until it coincidentally wasn’t.”

“Shiro just get to the point please.” I said interrupting his speech.

“I don’t understand why everything always seems to revolve around you.” He growled as he swiftly turned towards me and held me by the collar of my shirt. “It pisses me off to no end for everything and everyone to choose you. I thought it would all be different in a new world that it thought would recognize me and give me power I deserved. Instead it has the gall to tell me to find you, the ‘chosen one’, and confront you.”

“You selfish-, do you seriously think I wouldn’t take it all back if I could?” I shouted back as I stood my ground.

This was a whole new territory for me. I had never seen Shiro so angry let alone emotional enough to lose control. He was cold and calculating, that was all I saw him to be. But in his eyes I could see someone who was begging the world to notice him. For someone, anyone, to choose him for anything. 

“No! You don’t get to say any of that. You have no right to take any of this away from us who have worked so hard to be apart of this world. While all you’ve done is push it away. All to a point where even I can tell why you’re miserable in a place that you wished for. You don’t see any of this as real. Just some stupid chaotic extension of the system that we’ve been given access to. Well it’s all real Rin! All of it! Every man, women, creature is all real and alive and if they die-”

Reflect Shin.

I punched him in the stomach with everything I had dropping him to his knees. All in a flash of anger, I lost control. I looked at my hand then down at Shiro who was fighting to keep the contents of his stomach where they belonged. Shiro gripping his stomach looked up at me as drool rolled down his chin.

“There it is. Those are the eyes I remember seeing back when we first landed. Pure ecstasy from being able to conquer everything in front of him. This is your world Rin. You are the king that was chosen to rule here and you choose to be a coward. As if you can’t hear a throne whispering to you. This Rin. This right here is the only version of you any of us can count on. That right there is the only man I can believe in leading us.”

I hardly recognized him. It was as if he had become a fanatic to something I couldn’t understand. There were so many raw emotions colliding with each other in those eyes that it confused me and scared me.

I got on one knee. Putting my face uncomfortably close to his before I spoke.

“Fuck. You.” I practically spat out those words to him before I got back up.

I didn’t even look back at him once as I turned to rush back to my room. To the point where if I had walked any faster than I was I would practically be running back to my room.

“Welcome back Rin, the dinner-” Kimi started as I opened the door.

However Kimi didn’t have a chance to finish her sentence because I had caught her off guard. Wrapping my arms around her in a hug that held her close and tight. I rested my head atop of her’s as I cradled the back of her head. I came this far yet I still didn’t know what to say in this moment.

“R-r-Rin, w-what’s going on?” Kimi asked, flustered by the moment.

“I’m sorry. Please forgive me.” I quietly begged.

She gently pulled away from me just enough to where she could look me in the eyes. Placing a soft hand against my cheek as she tilted her head with a warm smile.

“Forgive you for what?”

“I haven’t been fair to you. Even after all these months that we’ve spent together. The endless hours that you’ve spent to help prepare me for future battles. Every conversation and every moment of vulnerability. I still haven’t been able to accept the Kimi that cares for me every day as real. All while I’ve been torturing you emotionally-” I ranted off trying to find the right words before Kimi interrupted me.

“No Rin, you don’t have anything to apologize for. It wasn’t apart of my duty to you to fall-”

I interrupted her, firmly holding her face between my hands. Keeping it just inches from my own face as tears ebbed at her eyes.

“Let me. Please Kimi. Please let me have the chance to open my heart to you.” I pleaded as my eyes swelled. Though I wasn’t yet ready to face those emotions head on so they stayed there. Just below the surface.

“Rin, you don’t have to do this for me. It’s too selfish of me.” She glanced away from me as a tear rolled down her face.

“What’s wrong with that?” I asked pulling her attention back to me. “You can be as selfish with me as you’d like. So please, allow me to be selfish this once. Give me the chance to fall in love with the girl I’ve only had the pleasure of seeing.”

“You’re not being fair.” Kimi said with a smile as she rested herself against my chest.

“Well you never asked me to.” I chuckled softly.

Kimi patted my chest for a moment before pulling away completely. Fixing her uniform as she recomposed herself.

“Then I won’t be fair either.” She said with a warm smile. “I forbid you from falling for me Rin Hori.”

Before I could get another word out she was back to work. Pulling out the necessary attire from the wardrobe as I stood there speechless. However, what kept my lips sealed was her smile. The maid didn’t replace Kimi, instead it was as if they had become one. The duty and the woman made it so I had no place to argue with her.

“I see.” I whispered softly to myself.