When Spring Ends

1

One day, I woke up.

Well, I call it an awakening, but really it was more like a realization - or a recollection. Or both. Probably both.

So, let me rephrase: one day I understood that this world was a game. Annoyingly enough, it was one of those dating sim games.

A pink petal suddenly smacked my nose as the breeze picked up, forcing me to instinctively scrunch up my face. There were people all around, but the scene of bright petals gently falling from the blooming trees was apparently still touching enough to elicit little gasps of appreciation. The gasps took on a disapproving tone as a melodic "sorry!" rang out, a flash of long red hair whipping past my cheek as a girl squeezed through the crowd. She scurried away just as quickly as she came, and few derisive mutters and giggles later, the atmosphere was right back to normal. Students steadily made their way through the grand academy gates and down the spacious avenue, laughter and conversation intermingling in the sunny morning as everyone headed for the impressive building in the distance.

"Hey, did you hear? Apparently Augustus Ervinhart is enrolled! He'll finally be here as a first-year!" A girl nearby excitedly spoke to her friend.

"Augustus Ervinhart?" Her friend whisper-yelled before she continued somewhat wistfully, "I hope he prefers older girls!"

"We can find out, we can find out! I'd be okay with Yohan too, though. He's joining with Augustus, of course!"

"Yohan? Yohan Irwan?!"

I zoned out of their subsequent fangirling, a small cringe overtaking my features. 

Yohan Irwan. 

I didn't know him that well, but naturally that didn't stop me from having a mild aversion to the guy. How could I not? He was the reason I woke up to the truth behind this world. If he was normal, I bet I could have lived on perfectly ignorant. No, really - if he dressed like a regular, average 19-year-old human being, I probably would have lived my life unenlightened.

I sighed, slowly releasing my grievances and half-heartedly readjusting my tie. Five years had passed since then - since my awakening - so I was more or less adjusted by now. I've accepted where I was, and who I was. I've accepted my place in this dating sim game world. I really did. It wasn't so bad.

A burst of happy shouts caught my attention. I wasn't the only one; the people in my surrounding area craned their necks along with me, everyone looking off past the treeline to the grass fields. A group of guys were kicking a soccer ball around, their figures flickering through the trees as they ran to and fro. There were only about twenty minutes left until the first class began, but they didn't seem worried about time at all, blissfully enjoying their morning game.

I only had just turned back to the front when a new wave of murmurs rose up, my curiosity forcing me to glance off behind me and to my left. The road was definitely wide enough to hold many more stragglers, but people were respectfully parting to the sides and towards the treeline.

What, did Moses reincarnate?

My question was answered by two heads covered in blonde and black hair. 

Moses did reincarnate. He reincarnated in the form of the two hotshots of the academy, and his ability evolved to part seas of people this time too.

If I kept looking, I was sure that a brand new cringe would make its way onto my face, so it was better to look away.

I'd rather look at the soccer bros instead.

My body obediently followed my thoughts, my eyes sweeping to the side to observe the sporty students. Turns out, my timing was immaculate.

One guy kicked the ball to his buddy, and his buddy, as if suddenly possessed by the soul of an electrocuted fish, wildly threw out his twitching leg, punting the soccer ball past his friend, into the treeline, and straight ahead - straight towards me.