HALCYON [Minamoto Teru]

43

"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND! YOU MAY KNOW THE HAG THAN ANYONE .. BUT I KNOW THE CLOCK KEEPERS THE BEST!" The maroon haired vice president shouted out as he was in a poor attempt to restrain the exorcist whose blade had been kicked away, arriving to the foot of a young girl who they were able to recognize—along with her friend. It seemed that even in this present they were best friends.

Teru saw the silver haired girl and clicked his tongue in annoyance, ceasing his resistance momentarily.

It almost felt like an automatic switch, the moment he saw a normal person, he still had the urge to revert back to his idealized self with a small aggravated smile. "Hello .. Yashiro."

There was something about the pale expression of the girl's face, in addition to the way she had been shaking—it was clear to them that she still retained her memories of the former present. However, the girl behind her .. Teru walked past Akane and stood in front of the pair, towering over them. "Aoi-san .. It seems Akane forgot about something."

He crouched down slightly to the girl's height as Yashiro moved to the side, curious.

Akane jolted in weariness.

Teru caught on and cruelly continued with his innocent beam. "Can you remind me again what our relationship is?"

If his suspicions were correct then ..

"Teru-kun .. are you sure you're not the one who forgot about our relationship? I told my mom you were coming over for dinner last night and you completely stood us up!"

The two first years froze dead in their tracks, breath hitched and all.

"A-Ao-chan .. D-Did you just call this guy .. Teru-kun ..?" Akane shakily pointed. His eyes could hardly focused as the world around him began to spin. Yashiro was forced to steady her classmate, much to her dismay as she was still upset at him, attempting to understand the reasoning and logic behind his actions.

The flower-like girl tilted her head to the side and nodded. "Of course, that's what I've been calling him since we were children .. after all, we're engaged." A small bashful smile made its way to her face as she reached up to cup Teru's cheek, but the male took a step back, avoiding it, just in time to witness his vice president stumble to the ground, clutching his chest.

As he turned around, his expression faded. The smile, the light on his eyes, his relaxed posture .. all of it flipped a switch. "You see now, Akane? Even in this timeline, not everything is as it should be. Something as menial as this .. it's not right. In fact, it's far from it." The President crouched down, picking up his blade.

He no longer cared about what kind of farce was needed to be put on .. nor did he care about the way others in this timeline perceived him — even if his mother was alive. If his mother had her memories from the original present .. she would have gladly approved of his actions if it meant that Nora was able to exist and that Teru would be happy.