"So… cousin Rin is no more?" Mai's voice trembled slightly, just enough to make my stomach twist. Her eyes were locked on mine, wide and serious, and the other three stared too, their faces unreadable, quiet but heavy. For a moment, the whole courtyard seemed to hold its breath, like time itself had paused, waiting for an answer I didn't even have.
I scratched the back of my head, forcing a laugh that came out too soft, too uncertain. "I… I don't know. Maybe the author wrote her out… or just dropped her character halfway. All I know is—I was dragged in and woke up as Rin Kisaragi."
Hana tilted her head, the sunlight making her hair shine as it fell softly over her shoulder. She blinked slowly, curious, her eyes catching little highlights that made her look like she had stepped out of a painting. "So… what you're saying is… you're from another world? Like—another dimension that isn't actually Kaida?"
"Hmm, yes! You're getting it, cousin Hana," I said, my laugh slipping out unevenly, a nervous warmth curling in my chest. My fingers twisted in the folds of my skirt, and I wished I could hide behind a wall somewhere, anywhere but here.
Suki's sharp eyes narrowed slightly, calculating, as if she were peering right through me and my words. "So… you Isekai'd into our world?"
"Yes, cousin Suki. You're getting the hang of it too..." I tried to sound cheerful, a little too loudly, my stomach doing tiny flips as I spoke. "I… Isekai into this world."
Suki leaned back, her chin resting lightly on her hand. Her gaze didn't soften, didn't blink, and a chill ran down my spine, like I was under a spotlight I didn't want. "Then… which manga story did you belong to?"
Her question froze me completely. My smile faltered, my head tilting slightly, like my brain was reaching for a piece of a puzzle it didn't have. Manga? Was this… really what it was? My world… had it been someone else's imagination? Because… fantasy didn't exist in the real world, right?
"I don't know the title of any manga I belong to," I admitted slowly, my voice soft, careful, each word heavy as if it could break something fragile. "But I'm sure my world… was called planet Earth."
Mai's voice cut in softly, carrying a strange weight that made my chest tighten. "Our world is also called Earth."
I rubbed the back of my neck, a small shiver running down my spine. Unease crawled up my shoulders, heavy and sticky, and the warmth of the sun outside didn't seem to reach my chest.
"Okay then… so if you're in our world… does that mean our cousin Rin is in your world too? Maybe… you switched souls?"
Her words hung in the air, sharp and precise. I could feel my heartbeat accelerating, skipping, like it wanted to run away. Mai's brows drew together, her sharp gaze never leaving me. Wow… she's read way too many fantasy stories, I thought bitterly, a little laugh caught in my throat. But… maybe she's right.
"I… I don't know if that's what happened," I admitted quietly, the words settling heavily in my chest, pressing down as though gravity itself had doubled. I swallowed hard, my throat dry, wishing I could reach through the air and grab a little bit of certainty.
And then—like a cruel trick of imagination—it happened. I pictured it.
The real Rin Kisaragi… living as Claire Evans in my world. Quiet streets I knew turned upside down. My life… chaotic, twisted, flipped inside out. Dating every girl in sight. Laughing where I shouldn't even exist. The thought alone made my chest squeeze painfully, like someone was sitting on it.
"No… no, no, nooo!" I shook my head violently, fingers tangling in my hair. My cheeks burned like fire, and the tightness in my chest made it hard to breathe. "That can't be true… I don't think so."
But the image refused to fade. The more I pushed it away, the heavier my chest felt, the tighter my heart squeezed. It was like my mind was trapped in a whirlwind, spinning faster than I could ever hope to catch.
"Does Cousin Akari know that you're not actually our cousin?" Koko's voice broke through the storm in my head, cutting a line through the chaos.
I blinked, gulping, the heat in my face spreading to my neck and ears. "I… I don't actually know. On a few occasions, I think I told her… but… she didn't really think it through."
Mai exhaled slowly, a calm but firm sound, like a commander assessing the battlefield. Her hands rested on her hips, and she studied me like I was a puzzle she had to solve carefully. "Fine. We're going to try and accept that you're not actually Cousin Rin… but we'll keep an eye on you. And about your powers—you need to learn how to control them before you destroy all of Kaida."
"Hai, Cousin Mai!" I said quickly, saluting in a rush of nervous energy. My pulse jumped, a little fluttering in my chest, and my fingers shook ever so slightly—but I kept my head high, because I had to. I had to seem strong.
Then, as if a small but urgent voice in my chest reminded me, I remembered the main reason I had come to the Maiden Club without even waiting for Akari. I blinked at them, words falling out smaller now, edged with worry. "Okay… but first, I need to ask you guys something."
"What?" Mai's voice was calm, patient, but sharp, and my heart skipped a beat.
"I'm looking for my engagement ring," I said softly, twisting the hem of my skirt with my fingers. "I checked my room when I got home this morning… but I couldn't find it. Did any of you see it?"
Mai shook her head slowly. "No, I haven't seen it." Hana shook hers too, her lips pressed into a thin line, her fingers fidgeting slightly at her side.
Panic crept up my throat like tiny ants crawling, tickling and prickling. Oh no… how am I going to find it? Selene might show up at any moment, and if she did…
"I think I saw it," Koko said suddenly, her eyes sparkling like she held a secret treasure.
"Where, cousin Koko?" I asked, leaning forward, chest thumping painfully against my ribs, hands clutching my skirt as though it were a lifeline.
She grinned, the kind of grin that made my heart jump unpredictably, skipping beats in a way that made my stomach twist. "The other day… you came into the Maiden Club… when the new maidens, Minata and Ayata—I think that was their names—were here. You were wearing the ring."
My stomach lurched violently. My color drained, my fingers twitching slightly, heart hammering like it wanted to escape my chest and run far away. Oh… oh.
If I was wearing the ring that day—which also happens to be the golden ant terror… does that mean it's in the...?