The Final Route

04 | a fairy's request

With a serious expression, the fairy met my impatient gaze, clearly acknowledging the shift in my demeanour. As the tension melted away, we both settled into a more composed state, ready for a real conversation.

I steeled myself for the upcoming revelations, unsure of what to expect.

"For starters, my name is Elpi," she began with a small smile, and it dawned on me that I didn't even know her name yet. "I'm a guardian angel. My job is to protect and ensure the lifelong happiness of someone who's received a divine blessing. I know this is all confusing, but the truth is — this world is very real. The game you played last night, 'Prism Hearts Academia', was actually created by me to find someone to help me with my task."

Her words rendered me speechless for a moment. The game was her creation? What about all the developers and illustrators? Had she used her magical powers to twist their arms into making an otome game just for her?

Wait, that doesn't matter right now.

"So... are you supposed to be my guardian angel or something?" I asked, trying to suppress my scepticism. The idea of a grand, celestial protector didn't quite mesh with Elpi's diminutive form. She seemed better suited to a life of fluttering in a garden of flowers.

Elpi shook her head with a tiny sigh. "No, not exactly. I'm a guardian assigned to a young man named... Louis Van Thorpe."

Wait, isn't that...?

I blinked, eyes alight with recognition. Louis was the elusive fifth and final love interest in the otome game I'd been obsessively playing just last night. He was known only to players who ventured down the secret route. I hadn't even seen an illustration of him, so my knowledge was limited to vague descriptions and students' gossip.

Louis was reputed to be unsettling and peculiar, rarely mingling with other students and shrouded in whispers about his disgraced ancestry. As Elpi revealed her connection to him, I could only stare at her, dumbfounded. "So, you're Louis's guardian..."

She nodded, moving almost like a bobblehead doll.

Lost in thought, I looked down before asking, "That's great and all, but how does this involve me?"

Elpi's eyes darkened with a gravity I hadn't seen before.

"I'll cut to the chase. You're here because there's something I need you to do," she stated, her small face set with unusual seriousness. "As a guardian angel, I know the future that is waiting ahead of Louis. His time at the academy, his meetings with the real Seira Kopas — it will all drag him into despair. He's favoured by the divine, but... there's a shadow closing in, ready to destroy him."

She took a deep breath, visibly preparing herself to deliver the hardest part.

"Fate has decreed that ten years from now, Louis will take his own life after losing his sanity and killing Seira Kopas... because she will have ruined his life."

I found myself holding my breath.

To be honest, I didn't know much about Louis or his relationships with the other characters. But Elpi's revelation left a bitter taste in my mouth. Given Seira's tendency to torment scholarship students and make their lives miserable, I could almost understand why someone might want to seek revenge. If Seira's treatment of others was any indication, it was no wonder that someone might snap.

She displayed such cruelty and lacked any trace of compassion. Honestly, if I had been in his position, I'd probably have loathed her too.

A future where he kills Seira sounds somewhat well deserved...