"What the hell… is happening to me?"
No really. What the actual hell. I'd lived this day already.
Time reset like someone hit Ctrl + Z on my romantic misery.
Rin confessed again. Same lines. Same awkward pause. Same goddamn background music that seemed to play in my head whenever she cried.
But this time…
There was something off.
Her voice was soft, sure. But her eyes?
Her eyes didn't sparkle like last time. No inner sparkles. No "shoujo manga filter." Just this vague flatness—like she was going through the motions.
And then I saw it.
[Affection: 64%]
"Wait, wait, wait," I muttered. "Yesterday—no, the first version of today—it was 82%."
And that was with divine intervention.
82% was the highest Rin had ever felt for me.
Even the gods couldn't push her into the 90s.
I guess love has a nerf system now.
But now? After reliving the same day?
64%.
I racked my brain.
What did I do?
Was it the café?
I didn't even do anything weird. I drank my cocoa like a civilized high schooler.
Actually—I did nothing. Like literally. I sat there quietly. Tried to avoid eye contact. Played the "cool aloof guy" trope.
…Was that the problem?
Maybe doing nothing… was something?
I slumped against the railing, sighing like I was auditioning for a tragic love story.
"Ugh… maybe I'm the villain here. Not even the fun sexy villain—just the one who gets defeated in episode 3 by the power of friendship."
I remember what I was thinking back then.
This isn't real love, right? It's just some divine push. Some god's idea of a joke. So I thought if I pushed her away… maybe I could make sure her feelings fade away..
"So what's the point of all this?"
Should I increase her favourability? Win her heart for real?
Is that what the god wanted?
But why?
For what?
It'll all disappear in a month.
Her feelings, her memories, everything we built—gone.
Crushed beneath the weight of a ticking divine clock.
Do I really have to work that hard for something I'm guaranteed to lose?
It sounded… cruel.
It felt like planting a flower that only blooms once, for a single night, before withering in my hands.
No matter how carefully I watered it.
"This is becoming more and more a curse."
I said the words out loud.
The moment they left my mouth, something in the air changed. The breeze turned a little colder.
Yeah.
I wasn't blessed.
I was cursed.
A romantic curse, gift-wrapped with sparkles and fake hope.
"That bastard god…" I growled under my breath. "What did he do to me?"
He didn't give me a miracle.
He gave me a sugar-coated test.
A cruel little performance where someone falls for me… only to fall out again when the month ends.
Or sooner.
Like now.
64%.
I felt something sharp in my chest. Not pain. Not panic.
Resentment.
And if I really did have one month…
Then I'd find the truth behind this ridiculous blessing.
Not because I wanted to win.
But because I wanted to know if I ever could.
And when the month ends—if she forgets—
Then at least I'll know how much of her smile was real.
Even if I have to lose it at the end.
Let's see this through.
I splashed cold water on my face in the restroom sink.
It hit me like a slap. I needed it.
The sharp chill crept down my cheeks, stung my skin, and reminded me I was still here—in this reality, this cursed romcom set-up that some god thought would be a fun way to mess with my life.
I leaned over the sink, gripping the porcelain edge like it might anchor me.
My reflection looked back—wet hair clinging to my forehead, eyes rimmed red from tension and god-knows-what kind of divine pressure, and… something new.
Determination.
"I'll see this through to the end."
If this was some twisted game, then fine.
I'd play it.
But not to win.
Not for love.
I'd play to uncover the truth.
Because if Rin's feelings really could deepen, even under false beginnings—then what happens after the blessing ends might just reveal something real.
And if they don't?
If they vanish with a god's finger snap?
Then at least I'll know.
And I can walk away with something more honest than all the smiles in the world.