Despite knowing about the upcoming separation, Rin pretended he knew nothing about it. Whether it was to satisfy his own conscience, or to stay in the comfort of the present, he himself did not know.
But for now, he continued to live his daily carefree life and support Shelly until the day she didn't show up to class.
There could have been many reasons for her absence, but Rin knew in his heart that it was time for that fateful separation.
He checked his phone to see if Shelly had left him a message, and much to his disappointment, she had not.
But that was also something he had expected.
After all, when the MC had asked Shelly to go to her childhood friend to ask for help, she had been hesitant at first and told him that she was not sure about it.
In her words—
"I left him so abruptly without any message. How can I face him now? It would be rather shameless of me, right?"
Of course, the MC had seen right through her with his 'wonderful abilities' to make people obey him, and told her—
"Ah, but you only left without any message because you did not want to worry your friend, right? If he's as good a friend as you are telling me, then I am sure he will understand your concerns."
That made Shelly give in. It had not reduced her worry, but she had agreed to 'visit her childhood friend' after that speech.
Shelly was unusually punctual about messaging Rin, so her lack of a message meant she had already left.
Of course, the classroom teacher confirmed his suspicion a few minutes later.
For the first time since Rin had woken up in this world, he felt truly alone. He had people around him, but no one was talking to him.
It made him understand things about himself that he had not realized until now, like how he had no friends other than Shelly.
"Should I try it…making friends?"
People around him heard him, but no one in the class approached Rin. That felt a little disappointing. But his (or Shelly's) lack of interest in others had driven others away.
Luckily, the term was about to end, and with this, his life would change in a new direction.
A few days later, the final exams came, and then the term changed. Rin also changed schools to start fresh.
The apocalypse was only a few years away, but Rin still needed to prepare more for it.
Shelly's absence in his life had also reminded Rin that he was putting too many eggs in the same basket.
As powerful as Shelly was, she alone wouldn't be enough to ensure Rin's survival and his well-being. And there were people even she struggled against in the main story.
So having more people by his side wouldn't be a bad idea, and he had the right person in mind.
Having a healer was a must in the apocalypse, and where was the best healer? In the MC's harem, of course.
Amelia Swan was the MC's party healer, another harem member, as well as the voice of reason around him. That made her the ideal partner for Rin to have by his side.
However, the problem was that she was the MC's exclusive healer, and going after two heroines was too dangerous.
'MC regresses right before the apocalypse and actively goes looking around for Amelia. So going after her would be too risky. However…'
Reina Swan, Amelia's older sister, was the candidate Rin had in mind. Currently, she was one year older than Rin and in the same school as Amelia. She was also an early victim of the apocalypse who died saving everyone else.
Rin still remembered the novel describing her potential quite vividly.
'A remarkable doctor in the making. Her potential was even higher than her sister, Amelia. However, she perished before she could awaken fully.'
Currently, this genius was Rin's target, and he made sure to check her profile to make sure her backstory had not changed.
Once he was sure she was in the same school as in the original story, he got enrolled.
Now, he only needed a chance to get close to Reina.
__________
The chance to get close to Reina came quicker than Rin expected.
He had recently taken to walking to school instead of taking the car (much to his PR team's annoyance), and he noticed her immediately.
Amid the sea of black hair, her blonde hair stood out clearly. And not only that, she was much taller than other girls and had a slightly muscular and athletic figure.
She looked like someone who would survive the apocalypse just fine.
'What a pity that she ended up dying. Hopefully, I will be able to prevent her death this time.'
Rin followed the group from a distance, making sure he was not seen as a creep. Thankfully, he was not the only kid walking toward the toward the school.
However, maybe it was his imagination, but he felt like he was being stalked right now.
'Darn it—! Are those media guys stalking me right now? Should I turn around and confront them…?'
Rin looked back once, but when he did not see even a shadow of anyone, he turned his eyes forward, only to meet a pair of amber eyes.
Reina was currently looking back at him, but she turned around quickly enough.
At least this put Rin on her radar, and it would make approaching her in the future a little easier.
The school gate came into view not long after, and Rin entered the public space. The the presence behind him went away for a second, and he took advantage of that freedom to get to his class.
That gaze did not come back for the remainder of the day. But Rin still felt like he had to stay alert and plan his future actions accordingly.
__________
Reina Swan walked toward her class, but her mind was elsewhere. Somehow, she couldn't stop thinking about what she saw earlier.
Her thoughts kept looping back to the startled kid she saw on the roadside, walking toward the school. He was dressed like a first-year student and looked scared.
'Was someone following him? Was he going to get kidnapped or something? Should I alert the authorities?'
It made her feel concerned. Not for that kid, of course. But for her younger sister, who was in the same class as that kid.
Her sister, Amelia, was a sickly and fragile child who could not go out often. But she still wanted to attend school and make the best of her time.
Reina wanted the best for her as well. So that was why she didn't want anything dangerous near her.
'It seems like I have to keep an eye on that kid in the future. And if he's a danger to Amelia, I will have to take care of that threat.'
It was hard for people to imagine someone as sweet as Reina having such scary thoughts. But for her sister, Reina could do anything, even end a life.
"Reina, what are you thinking about? We have reached the school. Snap out of it for now and make sure you pay attention. Otherwise, the teachers will scold you again."
Reina forced a smile on her face as she looked at her classmate sitting beside her.
"Ah, I apologize. I was thinking about something else. So, what were we talking about?"
She asked, and her classmate pouted even harder.
"Stop thinking about your sister for a moment and focus. We have a lot to get done today."
Irritation flickered across Reina's face as soon as she heard those words, and she decided that her 'friend' needed to be taught a lesson soon.
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