"I've been teaching here for five years," Theron said quietly, "and I've never seen anything quite like you."
"I'm sorry?"
"Don't be coy." His eyes narrowed. "There's something different about you. Something... incomplete. Like you're not entirely here."
Takeshi's heart hammered. "I don't know what you mean."
"DANGER LEVEL INCREASING," CUPID warned. "PROFESSOR BLACKWOOD KNOWLEDGE STAT: 87%. HE SUSPECTS ANOMALY."
Theron leaned closer, his voice dropping to barely a whisper. "Tell me, Miss Rosewood—do you ever feel like you're playing a role? Like you're reading from a script you've already seen?"
The question hit too close to home. Takeshi stepped back. "I should go. The ceremony—"
"Will reveal more than you're ready for," Theron finished. "Be careful tonight. The Heart's Choosing has never been wrong, but that doesn't mean its choices are always kind."
He walked away.
"CUPID, what was that about?"
"ANALYSIS: PROFESSOR BLACKWOOD POSSESSES ABNORMAL AWARENESS OF GAME MECHANICS. THEORY: HE MAY BE ANOTHER GLITCHED ENTITY. RECOMMEND CAUTION."
The hours until the ceremony crawled by. Takeshi attended classes in a daze—etiquette (which he failed spectacularly), basic magic theory (where he discovered Seraphina's body could channel magic even if he had no idea how), and dance (where he nearly caused three separate accidents).
"SKILL ASSESSMENT COMPLETE," CUPID announced after dance class. "PROTAGONIST ABILITIES: SIGNIFICANTLY BELOW EXPECTED BASELINE. RECOMMEND IMMEDIATE TRAINING."
"Thanks for the confidence boost," Takeshi muttered.
Evening came, and students gathered in the Moonlit Courtyard for the ceremony. Lanterns floated overhead, and at the courtyard's center stood an enormous crystal heart that pulsed with soft light.
"Students!" Headmistress Cordelia called out. "When I call your name, approach the Heart and place your hand upon it. It will then choose your partner!"
The ceremony began. Takeshi watched as pairs were formed—some expected, some surprising. Each time the Heart glowed, two names appeared in magical script above it.
"MONITORING ROMANCE TARGETS," CUPID provided. "DUKE ALARIC: PAIRED WITH LADY CHARLOTTE (MINOR CHARACTER). CROWN PRINCE LYSANDER: CURRENTLY UNPAIRED. PROFESSOR BLACKWOOD: OBSERVING FROM BALCONY."
More names were called. Melody was paired with a shy boy who looked terrified. Vivienne was paired with a serious-looking girl, which seemed to displease her.
"Seraphina Rosewood!"
Takeshi's stomach dropped. He walked to the crystal heart, aware of hundreds of eyes watching. The crystal was warm under his palm, pulsing like a living thing.
Then it went haywire.
The crystal flared blindingly bright, colors cycling through the spectrum. The magical script above it flickered, showing name after name in rapid succession—Alaric, Lysander, Theron, others Takeshi didn't recognize. The courtyard filled with gasps and murmurs.
"CRITICAL ERROR," CUPID announced, its voice distorted. "HEART'S CHOOSING SYSTEM INCOMPATIBLE WITH PROTAGONIST ANOMALY. MULTIPLE ROUTE FLAGS TRIGGERING SIMULTANEOUSLY. DANGER: SYSTEM OVERLOAD."
The crystal cracked.
Silence fell across the courtyard. The Heart's surface now bore a spiderweb of fractures, and no name appeared above it.
Headmistress Cordelia hurried forward, her expression troubled. "This has never... in three hundred years, the Heart has never failed to choose."
"EMERGENCY QUEST UNLOCKED," CUPID chimed, still glitching. "SURVIVE THE CONSEQUENCES OF BREAKING A SACRED MAGICAL ARTIFACT. ESTIMATED DIFFICULTY: EXTREME."
Takeshi pulled his hand away from the crystal, but it was too late. Everyone was staring. Whispers spread through the crowd like wildfire.
"She broke the Heart."
"What kind of person has no match?"
"Is she cursed?"
From the balcony, Professor Blackwood watched with an unreadable expression. Duke Alaric had pushed through the crowd, concern evident on his face. Crown Prince Lysander stood frozen, his violet eyes wide with what looked like recognition.
And Vivienne... Vivienne was staring at the broken crystal with something that looked almost like fear.
"MULTIPLE ROMANCE ROUTES: DESTABILIZED," CUPID announced. "STORY PROGRESSION: SEVERELY ALTERED. NEW OBJECTIVE: REPAIR THE HEART'S CHOOSING OR FIND AN ALTERNATIVE PATH BEFORE SYSTEM COLLAPSE."
"Timer until system collapse?" Takeshi whispered.
"CALCULATING... 30 DAYS. CORRECTION: 29 DAYS. ERROR: TIME IS ACCELERATING. ACTUAL TIME REMAINING: UNKNOWN."
As guards ushered the students away and professors gathered around the broken crystal, Takeshi caught Professor Blackwood's eye. The teacher mouthed two words: "We need to talk."
Takeshi had designed this game to be romantic, exciting, full of choices and consequences. He'd never imagined those consequences would involve breaking reality itself.
"CHAPTER TWO COMPLETE," CUPID announced as Takeshi was led away to face questioning. "SAVE POINT UNAVAILABLE. GAME DIFFICULTY: INCREASED TO NIGHTMARE MODE."
"Perfect," Takeshi muttered. "Just perfect."
The Headmistress's office smelled of old parchment and something medicinal. Takeshi sat in an uncomfortable chair while Cordelia paced, her usual cheerfulness replaced by deep concern. Three professors stood against the wall: Professor Blackwood, Professor Celestine Moonwhisper (the elegant elf who taught advanced magic), and Professor Marcus Ironheart (the gruff combat instructor).
"Miss Rosewood," Cordelia began, her voice gentle but firm, "the Heart's Choosing is ancient magic, tied to the very foundation of this Academy. In three hundred years, it has never failed. Can you explain what happened?"
"I..." Takeshi searched for words that wouldn't sound insane. "I don't know. I just touched it and—"
"SUGGESTED RESPONSE: PARTIAL TRUTH," CUPID advised. "RECOMMEND: EXPRESS CONFUSION, AVOID MENTIONING SYSTEM GLITCHES."
"—and it started glowing strangely. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to break anything."
Professor Moonwhisper stepped forward, her silver eyes studying Seraphina with unnerving intensity. "There's something unusual about your magical signature, child. It's fractured, as if you're two people occupying one space."
Takeshi's blood ran cold.
"DANGER: DETECTION IMMINENT," CUPID warned. "PROFESSOR MOONWHISPER INSIGHT STAT: 94%. SHE CAN PERCEIVE SYSTEM ANOMALIES."
"That's ridiculous, Celestine," Professor Ironheart grunted. "The girl's just a late bloomer with strong magic. Probably overloaded the crystal with raw power."
"Perhaps," Moonwhisper said, but she didn't look convinced.
Professor Blackwood, who had been silent, finally spoke. "Headmistress, may I suggest an alternative explanation? The Heart responds to compatibility and destiny. What if Miss Rosewood's destiny is simply... undefined? Not yet written?"
All eyes turned to him.
"Elaborate, Theron," Cordelia said.
"The Heart pairs students based on predetermined paths—existing connections, karmic ties, futures already set in motion. But if someone existed outside those predetermined paths, someone whose future was entirely open, the Heart might not know how to categorize them." He looked directly at Takeshi. "It wouldn't be the Heart failing. It would be the Heart acknowledging that Miss Rosewood's story hasn't been written yet."
"PROFESSOR BLACKWOOD AWARENESS LEVEL: CRITICAL," CUPID announced. "HE KNOWS.
"That's... actually a fascinating theory," Moonwhisper mused. "It would explain the fracturing. The Heart tried to show every possible path simultaneously."
Cordelia sighed. "Regardless of the cause, we have a problem. The Heart will take weeks to repair, if it can be repaired at all. Miss Rosewood, until we understand what happened, I'm placing you under special observation."
"House arrest?" Takeshi asked.
"Academic probation," Cordelia corrected. "You'll attend classes, but with certain restrictions. No unsupervised use of the library's restricted sections, no participation in partner-required activities until we assign you a chaperone, and mandatory weekly meetings with Professor Blackwood to monitor your magical development."
"ROMANCE FLAG: TRIGGERED," CUPID chimed. "FORCED PROXIMITY WITH PROFESSOR BLACKWOOD: ACTIVATED. FORBIDDEN ROMANCE ROUTE: PROGRESSING."
"Wait, why Professor Blackwood specifically?" Takeshi asked.
"Because," Theron said with a slight smile that didn't reach his eyes, "I specialize in magical anomalies. If anyone can figure out what makes you special, Miss Rosewood, it's me."
The meeting concluded with warnings about staying out of trouble. As Takeshi left the office, Professor Blackwood caught up with him in the hallway.
"The Forbidden Library," he said quietly. "Midnight. Don't be followed."
"Is that wise? I'm supposed to be on probation."
"You want answers about what's happening to you?" Theron's amber eyes gleamed. "The Forbidden Library is where they keep books about things that shouldn't exist. Things like people who don't belong in this world."
He walked away before Takeshi could respond.
"CUPID, is he trustworthy?"
"ANALYZING... PROFESSOR BLACKWOOD TRUST RATING: 47%. DANGER RATING: 73%. ROMANCE POTENTIAL: 91%. RECOMMEND: PROCEED WITH CAUTION BUT DO NOT IGNORE."
The rest of the day passed in a fog. Takeshi attended etiquette class, where he learned he was supposed to curtsy (which he did wrong), magic theory, where the textbook literally tried to explain concepts he'd made up for flavor text, and combat training, where Professor Ironheart paired him with—
"Duke Alaric will be your training partner," Ironheart announced. "Since you don't have a Heart's Choosing pair."
"ROMANCE TARGET: ENGAGED," CUPID announced. "DUKE ALARIC AFFECTION LEVEL: 15%.
Alaric approached with a practice sword, his expression unreadable. "Are you alright? After yesterday, I worried—"
"I'm fine," Takeshi said, accepting his own practice weapon. The sword felt wrong in Seraphina's smaller hands.
"You don't look fine. You look like you've never held a sword before."
"COMBAT SKILL ASSESSMENT: LEVEL 0. PROTAGONIST DEFAULT COMBAT ABILITY: LEVEL 45. DISCREPANCY DETECTED."
"I'm just... out of practice," Takeshi lied.
The sparring session was a disaster. Takeshi knew sword techniques intellectually—he'd researched them for the combat scenes—but Seraphina's body had muscle memory he didn't know how to access. Within minutes, Alaric had disarmed him three times.
"Miss Rosewood," Alaric said, frustration evident, "you're fighting like you've never trained a day in your life. What happened?"
A crowd had gathered to watch the Duke spar with the girl who broke the Heart. Takeshi felt their stares.
"I need some air," Takeshi said, dropping the practice sword and walking off the training field.
He heard Alaric call after him, but kept walking until he reached one of the Academy's many gardens. Hidden among the roses, he finally let himself breathe.
"This is impossible," he muttered. "I can't do this. I don't know how to be a noble lady, I can't fight, I can't dance, I can barely walk in these shoes—"
"Talking to yourself?" a familiar voice asked. Vivienne stepped out from behind a hedge, her expression less hostile than before. "That's not a good look."
"Are you following me?"
"No. I come here to avoid people." She sat on a nearby bench, studying him. "You're really terrible at all of this, aren't you?"
"Thanks for the observation."
"I'm serious. The way you hold yourself, the way you speak, even the way you look at things—it's like you don't belong here. Like you're..." she paused, searching for words, "like you're pretending to be someone you're not."
"AFFECTION LEVEL: LADY VIVIENNE +10%," CUPID announced.
Takeshi made a decision. "What if I told you that you're right? That I don't belong here?"
Vivienne's eyes widened slightly. "What do you mean?"
"I mean..." he struggled to find words that wouldn't sound insane, "have you ever felt like you're living someone else's life? Like you woke up one day and everything was wrong, but you had to pretend everything was normal?"
Something flickered across Vivienne's face—recognition, perhaps? "Sometimes," she admitted quietly. "Sometimes I feel like I'm following a script. Like my whole life is predetermined, and I'm just going through the motions."
"You're still coming to our tutoring session tomorrow, right?" Vivienne asked, changing the subject.
"If you'll still have me after today's disaster."
"The sword fighting? Please. Half the noble ladies here can't fight. That's not what makes you strange." She stood to leave, then paused. "Seraphina? Whatever secret you're hiding—and you are hiding something—be careful who you trust."
"Even you?"
She smiled, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Especially me. I'm supposed to be your rival, after all."
After she left, Takeshi spent the afternoon in his assigned dormitory room, a space that was far too frilly and pink for his taste. CUPID provided a constant stream of updates: character locations, affection levels, potential events triggering in various parts of the Academy.
As midnight approached, he snuck out, using his developer knowledge of the Academy's layout to avoid patrol routes he'd programmed. The Forbidden Library was in the oldest part of the campus, past locked doors that opened with passwords he shouldn't know but did.
The library was vast, filled with books bound in materials that definitely weren't leather. Floating candles provided dim illumination. Professor Blackwood waited near a table covered in ancient texts.
"You came," he said.
"You knew I would."
"Did I?" Theron gestured to the books. "These are texts about anomalies, paradoxes, and impossible things. Including," he opened one massive tome, "records of people who claim to have come from another world."
Takeshi's heart raced. "Why are you showing me this?"
"Because, Miss Rosewood—or should I say, Mr. Yamada?—I know what you are."