Time Warden's Popular Phase

Prologue

"Uuurgh..."

Kronii groaned as she blinked her eyes. She slowly woke herself up, her dark blue hair unkempt with some bed hair sticking out. The sun shone brightly through her window, telling her that the day had already started without her.

"I feel so tired..."

Her body felt lethargic, and her head was pounding even though she'd slept all the way until noon. The gathering she joined yesterday must've taken a toll on her.

However, she didn't regret it. It was a rare occasion where all members of HoloEN gathered together in one spot, from Holo Myth all the way to the new members of Holo Advent. Catching up with everyone and talking to them in person was much more fun than chatting through a call online.

"It's actually insane how cute Fuwawa, Mococo, and Biboo were in person... Were they made in a lab to be as cute as possible?"

Kronii muttered some nonsense as she tidied herself up. She quickly took a shower, washed her face, changed her clothes, and brushed her hair. Her appearance began to fit the image of perfection that she placed on herself. She looked in the mirror to make sure nothing was amiss.

"Looking good as always, Kronii."

She smugly praised herself without a hint of shame before leaving her room. As she entered the dining room, she was greeted by a girl with a brown ponytail, her close friend from the same generation of HoloEN.

"Hi, Kronii!"

"Hey, Mumei."

Kronii returned Mumei's greetings. Mumei had always been like a bundle of energy that recharged Kronii's own energy. She even seemed glowing right now, her smile brightened the room and pushed away Kronii's drowsiness. Kronii couldn't help but feel thankful for meeting her as soon as she started her day.

"Wait, how did you get here again? I thought you would go back home after the gathering," Kronii pondered as she racked her jumbled memory.

"You don't remember? You were a bit out of it last night from trying to keep up drinking with Calli, so I went back with you to make sure you're alright." Mumei explained.

"Oh, right..."

Kronii groaned as she recalled that memory. She chatted with Calli while drinking and tried to keep up with her pace out of stubbornness. Unfortunately, she eventually hit her limit and ended up emptying her guts in front of her. Calli's shocked face from seeing Kronii spilling her insides flashed in her mind.

"Ughhhh.... Kill me..." Kronii covered her face in shame when she recalled how smug she acted yesterday, saying that she could definitely keep drinking.

Mumei attempted to console her in response, "It's okay though, she apologized for not stopping you. She said you have a really good poker face when drinking!"

"That doesn't make it any better..."

Kronii could only grumble in response. She attempted to steer away from that memory by bringing up a different topic. "Then you took me back home?"

Mumei nodded proudly, "Yeah! I gave you lots of water and put you to bed! How are you feeling right now?"

"Well, my head is just pounding instead of feeling like it's splitting open, so it's not bad. Thanks," Kronii commented. "So you ended up staying here? How did you get some spare clothes?"

"Oh, uh- I just happened to find some of my clothes that I accidentally left here when I stayed here last time!" Mumei explained while turning her eyes away.

"Wow, that's pretty lucky. I didn't even notice you had some clothes left behind here." Kronii commented without putting much thought into it.

"Y-Yeah. Anyway, do you want to eat something? You must be starving."

Kronii thought for a while before answering, "Hmm... I think I'll have to skip it for now, I already promised to meet Irys today."

Kronii recalled that she talked with Irys during the gathering about her next song cover. Since Irys has been focused on music and covers since her debut, Kronii figured that she could help her with some tips. Irys ended up inviting Kronii to her place to give her some pointers, and she agreed to it. However, she woke up later than expected due to a mishap during the gathering.

'I'll have to go right now if I want to make it there in time.'

Kronii felt bad about leaving Mumei behind, but she had no other choice.

'I was planning on surprising Mumei with my next cover, after all.'

She had picked Mumei's favorite song for her next cover, and she wanted to see her surprised reaction. Kronii couldn't help but smile from thinking about it.

"O-Oh... Do you have to go today? Can I tag along with you as well?" asked Mumei, her disappointment visible on her face.

"I really can't bring you along. Sorry, Mumei..." Kronii answered apologetically, she wanted to keep it a secret from her until its release. "We'll hang out for the rest of the day after this, okay?"

Mumei appeared downcast before responding, "...You'll be back soon, right?"

"Real soon, I promise!"

Mumei's expression finally brightened after hearing Kronii's answer. "Okay, I'll see you soon then."

Kronii smiled in relief from seeing Mumei's mood improving. She gave her a quick hug before preparing to go outside.

"Feel free to cook something from the fridge if you want to. And don't open the door to any strangers!"

"I'm not a kid, you know! Just get back soon!"

Kronii giggled at Mumei's response as she walked outside, "Okay, okay, hahaha. See you soon!"

"Yeah, bye!" Mumei replied with a smile on her face.

Kronii waved at Mumei before closing the door behind her.

Click!

After Kronii left, Mumei's smile quickly faded away. She sat on the couch with an empty expression while staring into the air.

"Why do you look so happy about meeting with another girl in front of me?"

Mumei lamented quietly. The light in her eyes began to fade as she continued on.

"D-Did she hate hanging out with me? Maybe I should've begged her harder to not go... But I don't want her to hate me..."

Her face momentarily brightened as she remembered something, "Ah, she did say she'd be back soon. That means I'll just have to wait for a bit. That's right... I'll just have to wait..."

She began staring at the clock on the wall with an empty expression as she waited.

Tick.

And waited.

Tock.

And waited.

Tick.

And waited.

Tock.