Late Night – Riverside
Maria looked every bit the confident alpha she was—leather jacket slung over her shoulders, cigarette between her fingers, and moonlight gleaming off her car's hood.
She pulled over beside the quiet riverside and answered a call.
"Yeah," she said, voice smooth. "I'll be there in 45 minutes."
From the other end, her girlfriend Julie spoke with a teasing sigh.
"Okay… but are you smoking again? You said you'd quit."
Maria smirked. "Aww, worried about my lungs? You shouldn't be. I can literally reverse my damaged cells if I want. Time's always on my side."
Julie groaned. "Whatever. Just don't take forever."
The line cut off.
Maria took one long drag. Exhaled.
Then—fwoom—a golden shimmer erupted from her body, casting ripples across the air.
Time froze.
The wind stopped blowing. The water stopped moving. The world held its breath.
Maria crushed her cigarette under her heel and stared up at the still, silent sky.
"…How can I save this timeline, Mom?" she whispered. Her voice was raw—soft. Not the confident tone she showed everyone else.
She reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a small, ornate pocket watch, its surface glowing with faint golden lines. She stared at it, jaw tight.
"I'll be the best version of Maria," she muttered. "In this… stupid script of fate."
With that, she snapped the watch closed.
Time resumed.
The world moved again.
Maria slid back into her car, revved the engine, and disappeared down the road, her tail lights fading into the dark.
---
Next Day – Campus Café
Rin was halfway through annihilating a messy burger—grease on her fingers, sauce on her cheek. She chewed obnoxiously loud. Across from her, Foxey sipped coffee, eyes twitching with secondhand embarrassment.
"Can you stop eating like a f***ing commoner?" Foxey grumbled.
"Mmph—wha's wrong with how I eat?" Rin mumbled through her food.
Foxey sighed. "Ugh. Whatever. Just get to the point. Why'd you call me here?"
Rin swallowed, licked her fingers, and leaned in with a mischievous grin.
"I was thinking… maybe you could help me."
Before she could finish, Foxey slammed her mug down.
"No. Didn't I already tell you? I'm not helping you collect other alphas."
"C'mon~ it doesn't have to be real help," Rin said. "Just a little intel. Like who's single, hot, dominant, slightly crazy—basically my type."
Foxey groaned. "F**k off, Rin. I'm not giving you anything. I don't want other alphas near you. And I'm sure as hell not helping you claim anyone else."
Rin pouted, then smirked. "But~ wouldn't it be fun to beat them up together?"
Foxey paused.
"…Beating up other alphas does sound kinda fun," she muttered.
Rin's eyes sparkled.
Foxey crossed her arms. "Fine. I'll fight alongside you—but only to make sure those dumbasses don't touch you. Not because I support your little delusional harem dream."
Rin's chair squeaked as she jumped up with excitement.
"YESSS! TEAM HAREM—!!"
Half the café turned to stare.
Rin froze. Slowly sat back down. Cleared her throat.
"…I mean, thank you. That's very mature of you."
Foxey pinched the bridge of her nose.
To be continue...