Cycle 2-1: A Second Chance (Patreon)

Sunlight peeked through from behind Kaitlyn’s closed eyelids. She muttered darkly and rolled over, pulling a blanket over her head. It’s too early. After finals hell, I need the sleep.

Eventually though, the sunlight won out. Reluctantly, she cracked one eye open. Above her was the familiar wooden underside of a top bunk. She sighed and rummaged around under the covers to find her phone. Failing to find it, she sat up and glanced over toward her desk.

The phone was indeed on her desk, sitting next to the notebooks, pencils, pens, and various textbooks occupying neatly organized spaces. Huh. Weird. Did I sleepwalk and clean up or something?

Throwing off the covers, Kaitlyn twisted to place her feet on the floor and froze. The desk near the door was empty, clear of any decorations. The posters of boy bands and cute animals were nowhere to be seen, nor were her roommate’s chair or lavender rug or fan. It was as though Heather hadn’t even moved in.

Where did Heather’s stuff go? I know she didn’t take it with her - unless she came back last night? But… why? Kaitlyn felt her adrenaline spike. Did someone break in?! Did I manage to sleep through that somehow?

She took a few calming breaths. No, it makes no sense for someone to break in and just steal Heather’s stuff. Especially not the posters. Still… She stood and carefully made her way towards the door, checking it. It was still locked.

Ok, so probably not a break-in. Unless it was some sort of polite weirdo who locks up after himself. Kaitlyn frowned. Maybe I should text her?

Retrieving her phone, she unlocked the device and blinked. The date was set wrong. Not only that, but she didn’t have any saved numbers. Not that it meant much - the only ones she had collected were Heather’s and Philip’s.

Glancing around the room again, Kaitlyn began to notice other small differences. Philip’s study materials were gone, for one. The laundry she had meant to wash over the weekend was already cleaned and hung up. Even the notebooks sitting on her desk were blank, lacking the sparse notes she had collected for each class.

Ok, this has gotta be some sort of prank. I didn’t think Heather was the type to do this, but who else would have done it?

She sighed in frustration. It was no big deal really. In fact, she could respect the effort that had gone into everything - the deception, the stealth, the attention to detail. Heather had probably had to pull a lot of strings to make this happen. Still, she thought she had known the girl better than that.

Kaitlyn flopped into her desk chair and looked out the window idly. Outside stood a set of huge, traditional-style red brick buildings with dense green trees neatly arrayed along their bases. Wait, green? It’s winter, everything’s lost its leaves already.

Her suspicion turned to genuine confusion. Grabbing her phone, Kaitlyn began searching online. The date online matched the one her phone had been set to. Even more strangely, the webnovel she read had lost dozens of chapters from where it was supposed to be.

Ok… not even Heather could have pulled this off. What in the world? Did I actually… Go back in time?

A knock at the door interrupted that train of thought. Frowning, Kaitlyn stood to investigate.

On the other side of the door stood a tall, blonde girl with bright blue eyes and a cheery smile plastered on her face. Heather. Wearing the exact same outfit she had on the first time they met. Flanked by the same pair of lavender suitcases. “Hi! Are you Kaitlyn?”

Kaitlyn simply stared at her, mind whirling furiously. No way. This can’t be a prank, it’s way too involved. There’s no chance. Did I really go back in time? Am I in a time loop? I mean, it’s not out of the question, there was already some sort of magic here to get me isekai’d in the first place, but this is insane -

“Ummmm, hello? You ok?” Heather’s smile faltered slightly, penciled eyebrows pinching together in concern.

Oh. Right. I should say something. “Uh, yeah. Hi. Sorry if this is weird, but, have we met before?”

The blonde’s eyebrows raised slightly. “Oh! Nope, but maybe I remind you of someone? Sorry, I should introduce myself. I’m Heather, nice to meetcha! We’re roomies! At least, I’m roomies with Kaitlyn - did I get the wrong room or something?”

Kaitlyn saw no spark of recognition in the other girl’s eyes, nor any evidence of deceit. It truly seemed like Heather had never met her before. “N-no, you’re in the right place. Sorry, I just… Weird morning. Weird dream. Come on in.”

Kaitlyn stepped aside, letting Heather into the room. She had to squeeze back even further to make room for the taller girl’s suitcases, and glancing into the hallway revealed the expected assortment of furniture and decorations waiting to be brought in.

Heather whirled back towards the hallway to bring her other belongings inside. “Do you mind if I leave the door open? I have a lot more stuff, my parents are helping me bring some of it up right now, so I’m just gonna be going back and forth a whole lot, y’know?”

“Y-yeah, of course -”

“Great! Ohmigosh, I’m just so excited! Being out on my own for the first time’s a big thing, y’know? Oh, what major are you? I’m in Political Science, I just love learning about how the world works, y’know? Oh, have you checked out the dining hall yet -”

Heather’s familiar words faded to the background as Kaitlyn settled into her own thoughts. She recalled a strangely vivid dream of an “Ending Complete” screen. Was that real? This is exactly like the first time. I… I really think I went back to the past. That means… I have another chance?

A smile slowly spread across her face. Well, I’m DEFINITELY not wasting it this time. Especially not on those bullshit classes. And I know just how to start.

***

Kaitlyn excused herself while Heather unpacked, but didn’t head immediately towards Cappy’s. Instead, she found a quiet bench to sit at and think.

Ok. So far, things look just the same as they did last time. I’ve got the same classes and resources too, from what I can tell. Heather acted the same too, so maybe the male leads will do the same? She leaned back and looked toward the sky. Then there’s that dream, the ending screen. What was that about?

It had listed a number of cycles completed and given her an achievement - The First of Many. That implied that she really was in a time loop and not just repeating the past once. On top of that, she had unlocked a “new ending”. What’s an ending? How many are there? And how do I find that info out?

She closed her eyes and focused. Status. Nothing happened. She opened her eyes, and still nothing. System. Character sheet. Info. Pause. Help? No helpful blue boxes appeared. Even after speaking all the status-related words she could think of aloud, there was no visible change.

Right, well, guess I don’t have a full system or anything like that. So I might be on my own on that front. Kaitlyn hummed, thinking about what to do next. The first real test will be lunch, which is pretty soon. That’s when the brown-haired guy should stop by. If I can get food after him and sit at his table… Maybe I can trigger an encounter there. Then I’ll have a better starting point for everything else too.

The thought of being so forward and initiating a conversation still sent a spike of fear lancing through her chest. However, the thought of wasting a second chance made her feel even worse. She wasn’t completely sure if time traveling was a one-off occurrence or whether it would keep happening. Still, it was better to assume this was her only chance right now.

The wind gently rustled through the leaves above. The trees shaded her bench comfortably while also keeping the sun’s glare at bay. Kaitlyn took a brief moment to admire the tall oaks, as well as the rose bushes that dotted the area like some kind of well-kept weed.

If this is some kind of weird dream, at least it’s a pretty one.

Kaitlyn watched the entrance for any familiar faces, a plan formulating in her mind.

***

As she entered Cappy’s, the now familiar scents of cleaners and warm food reached out to meet her. The place was packed now that it was lunchtime. The kitchens were running at full tilt, pumping out tray after tray of pasta bakes and pizza. The music was nearly drowned out by the clatter of dishes and the chatter of excited students.

Kaitlyn kept to the edge of the milling crowds. She slipped over to the station that usually served sandwiches and picked up a basic pastrami sandwich with onions, lettuce, and no tomatoes. After checking out, her head swiveled around the hall. The brown-haired guy had come in here just before her, and not a single empty table was visible. It was a perfect situation. There he is.

As expected, the boy in the mint hoodie sat alone at a far table. He stared intently down at the phone he had placed next to his food tray, idly eating a cheesy noodle dish that Kaitlyn recognized. He brushed an errant lock of chestnut hair out of his face before returning to whatever he was reading.

She inhaled deep, calming breaths and ran through the plan one more time. This will work. It will. And even if it doesn’t, at least I tried, right? Right. It’s not like I got anywhere with him last time anyway. So. Here we go.

Heart racing, Kaitlyn stepped towards the table.

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