Inverse System

"R-Rein?! What spot is yours?!" Chloe blushed as Rein turned around, noticing her standing at the door.

"Oh, hey Chloe. Are the girls back yet? I'm going in for a bath, you can deal with this guy here," Rein walked in, leaving Chloe bewildered at the door.

"W-wait! Don't be too loud, they're asleep!" She called after him as he kept walking.

She slouched over in discouragement as he walked away, then recomposed herself to face Sho, standing in the lobby.

"I'm sorry about that Sir Sho," She bowed. "Haha, what was that challenge thing about? Would it be possible to call it off? Maybe it was just a heat of the moment thing and you didn't mean it…" Chloe nervously laughed as Sho walked towards the elevator.

"I'm sorry for inconveniencing you, princess, but I won't be calling the challenge off. Be careful around that man. He has an unspeakable aura about him that is incredibly unnerving. I swear, I will protect you from him," he promised as he entered the elevator, Chloe continuing her bewildered stance at the threshold.

She let out a sigh of fatigue and closed the door, walking back into the living room and flopping down on the couch. Because of the situation, she wasn't able to talk to Rein as he arrived, and thinking back on it, she remembered that he was covered with dirt and blood from head to toe.

She approached the bathroom door and entered the toilet area, calling out to him behind the half gate leading to the bath.

"Hey, Rein?" Her words seem to have snapped him out of deep thought, as she heard the startled water splashing as he answered.

"Yeah? You need something Chloe?" He answered, regaining his cool almost instantly.

"Are you okay? You seemed kind of down earlier… What happened on your mission?" She sat down, her back leaning against the door as she talked.

"I'm down? Hahaha, what makes you think that? I'm the same as ever!" Rein laughed to hide his stress as he relaxed in the tub.

"Don't lie. It was obvious as soon as I saw you. Please, just tell me what happened. If I can lighten your worries even a little, then that would be enough for me," Chloe consoled.

"..." Rein stayed quiet.

"Rein?"

"Enough for you, huh? And what if talking about it worsens my worries? Are you sure you're not just consoling me out of selfish ego?" Rein scornfully said, slightly regretting his words as they came out of his mouth.

"Huh?! No, you're wrong! I just wanted to look out for you! I promise I won't judge you! Somehow… I just want to help you somehow…" Chloe defended herself.

"Well stop. Sorry, but I don't need your pity, princess. Just because your royalty, doesn't mean you're above everyone. How about thinking about my feelings for once," Rein continued spewing resentful comments, not being able to stop himself because of the turmoil in his heart.

"How…" She sniffled, tears could be heard dropping on the ground. "How am I supposed to think about your feelings… If you don't tell me anything..?" She stood up and ran out the door, Rein not reacting to her actions.

He stayed in the hot springs, wallowing in his despair as he regretted his words, a look of agony encroaching on his tired face as he covered it with his hand, drowning himself in regret.

A few minutes passed. Rein was finally finished with his bath. He stood up and wore his pajamas, a grey pair of pajama pants, and a light blue shirt. He wore a towel on his neck as he exited the bathroom, drying his hair as he walked to his bedroom. On his way there, he noticed the entrance to the dorm room was slightly open.

Confused, he went to close it, thinking that he could have left it open after his fight with Sho. However, he noticed something missing. There were only 2 pairs of shoes in front of the door, and his shoes were being cleaned in the washing machine. Only Emria and Saphrilla's shoes were there.

Distressed, he ran back into the room and checked Chloe's bedroom. She wasn't there. He ran to the training room, the balcony, the kitchen, and even checked Emria and Saphrilla's room. Nothing.

Chloe had left the room because of what he said to her. He rushed out of the room in his bare feet, leaving the door behind him wide open as he ran down the stairs, the elevator being too slow.

"Hey, Versys! Is there any way to locate someone using the System?!" Rein thought to Versys, who was asleep.

"*Yawn*... Why? Did someone disappear?" He sleepily asked.

"It's Chloe. I said some shit I shouldn't have and she ran away. There's no telling what could happen if the princess of Orthlys was seen alone. I need to find her," he thought as he ran outside the dormitory building and stood on the path in front of it, the dimly lit lights flickering at the top of the cavern, indicating that it was nighttime.

"And what will you do when you find her? You think she'll just accept your apology?" Versys asked.

"..." Rein stopped in his tracks, remembering the things he said to her.

He felt the regret continuing to pile in his heart, almost to the breaking point.

"Well? What'll you do? I doubt she'd just accept your apology after what you said. How will you deal with the situa—"

"I DON'T KNOW!" Rein panted as he screamed out loud, no longer just speaking in his mind.

"I don't know… What's the point in anything anymore? I'm so confused… I just want to go back to my room and sleep, forgetting about everything that happened today… Hey, Versys… What should I do..?" He grabbed his head with both his hands, distressed as the turmoil overflowed in his body.

"... She's a secondary contractor, right? As long as she's within 1 km of you, you should be able to track her down if you press on the contractor's tab…" Versys brushed off Rein's distress, trying to rid himself of the question that was posed to him.

Rein grabbed his chest and grit his teeth in pain. He checked his stats, his health, his skills. Nothing could tell him what to do next. The only other time he'd felt this helpless was 6 years ago after his village was attacked. The ordeal with King, the words that Luther imparted on him, his meeting with Julianne, and now this. He felt like everything he was fighting for in the past 6 years was a lie. He felt like his hatred was a lie.

He opened the 'contractors' tab with a sullied expression, then pressed on Chloe's face, who he'd unconsciously connected to during the tournament after he sent Versys into her mind. As he opened her page, he saw a small, circular, compass-looking icon in the top corner of the menu. He tapped it, and sure enough, it began pointing in the direction of the girl.

It lead him behind the dormitory, into the cluster of houses that held the principal's home. As he approached between the houses, he could hear the faint noises of a weeping girl. Turning the corner, he saw Chloe sat down with her hands on her face, crying softly. Suddenly, Rein stepped back and hid behind a corner, seeing another man approaching.

"Princess?" The man rushed over and went on his knees. "What's wrong?! What happened?!"

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