This wasn't just a nightmare for Katarina as much as she wished it to be. This wasn't a nightmare for her at all. This was real. All of this was real.

Maybe, maybe if she just embraced her own bad end, her friends wouldn't be dead. Maybe if she just sat in the bench where Maria once was, she wouldn't be at this end.

Maybe, just maybe… She wouldn't be dying.

Someone… Someone had to survive. The heroine, Maria, her breath was shallow. Was she still alive?

"Maria…" Katarina could only muster out, "Maria, please… I'm…" Tears started to form in her eyes, "I'm sorry!"

"...Katarina… Thank you for being...my friend… I hope to see you...again in...the next life."

"Maria! Maria! No!" Katarina cried out as she felt her body failing her. Her hand was starting to feel slack. This wasn't just a Bad End, this was the worst end. Katarina's body fell on the floor, lifeless, unable to find the truth of this world. Katarina Claes was dead.

And yet, it wasn't the end of the soul within Katarina. The soul that was killed when she was 17-years old by a truck didn't want to leave to the sea of souls. No, she refused to leave. So, the soul found a newborn baby, similar to her first body. In fact, almost everything about her was the same. Except for one factor. This world was also where the souls of her friends would be. This, by itself, would be a simple factor.

But this world was a world graced with a ton of threats. Threats to humanity and yet these same threats were humanity's own creation.

And so, the soul of Katarina Claes would no longer be as a villainess, but rather, she would be a trickster of fate.

Mashiko Uchida was a deep sleeper. After all, her evenings were spent playing Fortune Lover until she felt like she was in the need of sleep. So naturally, like her usual routine, her mother pulled the covers off of her.

"Mashiko! You're going to be late again!"

"Huh?" Mashiko looked at her mother groggily, "Wait, what?"

"Don't 'what' me! It's time for you to get to school! This is the start of your final year of high school! At least try to make a good impression!" her mother shouted.

That wasn't good. That really wasn't good. Mashiko sped out of her house to get on the train, cucumber in her mouth. She couldn't be late to school again! If she could just make it to school in time, she could figure out how to beat Nichol's route!

"Saaaaafe!" Mashiko exclaimed as she entered the train station. She stood up and patted her uniform down. Tokyo attracted a plethora of strange people, it was the center of action in Japan after all. However, Tokyo was experiencing its fair share of weirdness the past two years.

"Whoa, so another mental shutdown happened?"

"Yeah!"

Mashiko overheard the two girls discussing the shutdown and she took it somewhat seriously. After all, these mental shutdowns were affecting big businesses and politicians, but thankfully nobody in her neck of the woods (that being video games, her friends, her grandma and her family). Besides, Mashiko was just a high school student in her final year, what could she do to stop these mental shutdowns?

She watched as people left the train, people went back on the train… It wasn't much of a surprise after all, this is Tokyo, Japan. Her eyes did spot a young man with glasses in a Shujin Academy uniform though. Was he late for school? Her question was answered when he didn't leave Aoyama-Itchome, the spot where Shujin Academy was located. Maybe he was transferring over.

That made more sense. She took a step out of the train and readied herself.

"Ready… GO!" Mashiko ran past the businessmen and various other people on her way to school. Everything was a blur. She made it! She-

"Well, well, well," she turned around to see the face of her arch-nemesis. He looked like a horse, acted like he was the king of the school.

"Kamoshida-sensei…" She muttered out as she looked at the man who constantly was in her way. She didn't have any personal problems with him, but he always sneered at her whenever she was late, which to be fair, was quite often.

"You're late again. Uchida-san, shouldn't you be making a better example for your kohais?"

Mashiko let out a soft chuckle, "Um… Sorry!"

"Talk about your repeat offenders," Kamoshida snorted out, shaking his head, "Don't push this school's reputation down the toilet."

"Again, sorry Kamoshida-sensei!" Mashiko ran back inside.

"Well then, look who's late again." Lunch time had begun and Mashiko was spending time with her best friend, Atsuko Sasaki, said with a smirk, "Spent all night playing Fortune Lover?"

"Hehe, yeah…" Mashiko looked at their muttering classmates and immediately frowned, "...Am I...really that bad of a senpai?"

"We are in our final year of classes… It's pretty crazy how you've been able to just barely coast by the school," Atsuko looked at Mashiko with a serious look on her face, "And let me guess, you were caught by Kamoshida-sensei?"

Mashiko put her head against the desk, "Don't remind me… I remember in our second-year that he said I was so athletic, I could join the volleyball team, but I just couldn't! I had too much anime and manga to look through. Besides, I heard that one of the lower classmen got into a tussle with him!"

"Everyone does worship him," Atsuko said.

There was a small gap between their conversation, but the two of them could immediately hear what was going on.

"Uchida-san is always late… I heard that Kamoshida-sensei had to lambast her again… Seriously, how lazy is she?"

"I mean, at least she's not like Sasaki-san... Sasaki-san just looks so weird… Like a grandma..."

Atsuko touched her white hair with a saddened look on her face, but Mashiko smiled at her. She put a hand on Atsuko's hair.

"Remember what I said before? Your hair is beautiful and perfect… It's kinda like in that story we read awhile ago," Mashiko told her.

"..." Atsuko gave Mashiko a soft smile.

The two of them had been friends since middle school and all Mashiko could do was stare at Atsuko's white hair. It was unique in Japan after all. Mashiko remembered the words that she said to Atsuko.

"Your hair is beautiful," Mashiko muttered out nostalgically, "Oh yeah, Fortune Lover! I need help!"

"You girls play Fortune Lover?" The two of them looked over to a demure blond girl. Both of them had heard of her, heck, she was in their class. This was none other than Maria Hikari and the school had immediately pegged her as a slut like her mother, a Japanese woman who apparently slept with a foreigner. Mashiko thought she was pretty cute though and, if she could be honest with herself, thought that those who pegged Maria as easy were just asking for trouble.

Atsuko nodded her head, "Yeah. You play it too? I just beat the game and-"

Maria shook her head, "No… My mom and I don't have enough money for it or a PlayStation 4…" She let out a sigh as she sat next to them.

"But I watched playthroughs online! Kinda spoiled myself on it, but I love the hidden-"

Mashiko covered her ears, "No spoilers! Please!"

The two other girls laughed at Mashiko's misfortune, something that she thought was unfair. Mashiko slammed the desk, looking at the two girls.

"How about the two of you help me then by coming over to my house tomorrow?"

Maria smiled at Mashiko, "Certainly Uchida-san!"

"Eh, why not? It'll be funny to watch you stumble all over the place," Atsuko said with a grin.

"...A-chan, you're so cruel…"

School had ended now. Mashiko had a spring in her step, Maria and Atsuko were going to come over to her house to play Fortune Lover. This was a definite win in her book.

"I get to go-"

"Uchida-san," Mashiko froze in the middle of her steps as she looked to the side. Crossing her arms, Makoto Nijima, the Student Council President, was near her. This wasn't good at all. Nijima was strict, focused and super scary. People said she was more akin to a robot and Mashiko believed her.

"Nijima-san! Uh, sorry for being late again!"

"This is your fourth time being late to school this year, Uchida-san. You better act correctly next time," she shook her head, "I...don't want you to get in more trouble with the faculty, alright?"

"Um… Yeah!" Mashiko nodded as she began walking off. Wow, that was a close call! Maybe after Monday, she should start trying to sleep a tad bit early! Hey, maybe on Sunday, she would be able to finish the game!

Her path took her to the train and a part of her was curious though as she boarded it. Why didn't the boy from earlier go off at the same stop? From his uniform, the boy was a second year at Shujin and was obviously a transfer student. But, a transfer student in the second year of high school didn't make a lick of sense.

Ah well, wasn't like he'd be super important.

A young man with blond hair, a young woman with brown hair and a young man with grey hair sat down at a cafe booth, the three of them having ordered the usual.

"Kind of a surprise," the old man with glasses said, looking at them, "Kids don't tend to come over to my cafe."

"Our apologies, um…" the blond haired man was at loss for words. This man didn't seem to have a name tag and he doubted his name was LeBlanc. Unless it was, but that was rather rude.

"I'm Sojiro Sakura, but call me 'Boss,'" Sojiro offered as he returned to the counter, smoking a cigarette.

The blond nodded as he returned to his friend and brother, "...I'm...happy to see at least one person from our old life, Mary."

"I'm happy to see you two as well, Gerod, Alan," Mary smiled at the two of them. She looked back down though, "Did you...happen to-"

Alan shook his head, "Unfortunately, no. Nichol, Sophia, Maria, Keith and...Katarina are still unable to be found in this world."

Alan scowled at that point. It was easy to find his brother, Gerod. After all, the two of them were brothers in this world as well. Things were about to start the same as well. Alan would be skipped over in favor of Gerod and he would be forced to find some way, any way to win. But that wasn't the case thankfully.

It was a chance moment. They were at Shibuya when an ad for Fortune Lover played overhead. Their cognition changed at that point, Alan, Gerod and Mary were all in one location and stared at each other in shock. So naturally, the three of them were grateful to see each other again, but the gratefulness turned to worry as they realized that they were the only ones who knew each other in that crowd of people.

"So, we were once from a world like a video game and now we're in this world...with well…" Gerod scowled. The mental shutdown cases were a major worry, whoever was behind it could cause more problems. In fact, if one man ended up having a mental shutdown or just lost all control of their body. Did that mean dark magic was in place here?

"We're assuming this world is like our own world," Alan told his twin brother, "Though, without magic and more...advanced?" He looked over to the television. Thankfully, they still had the memories of their selves in this world as well. So, a television wasn't much of a shock to the three of them. He looked back at his conversation partners.

"And yet, the mental shutdown cases have been happening," Gerod retorted back, "It could be...whoever Katarina is in this world ended up as a victim."

"We need leads," Mary said, "I know that Katarina complimented my gardening skills when we were younger, but in a city like this…" The corner cafe, LeBlanc, was a quiet location in the bustling city that was Tokyo, but to find Katarina was one-in-a-million.

"Especially since we can't just go looking for any girl who is climbing trees," Gerod groaned, "Well, we just need to find her...and then…" He looked at his conversation partners, giving them a glare. A glare that was returned back.

None of them would lose. Not this time.

It was Sunday! It was Sunday! For once, Mashiko woke up rather early. Sure beating Fortune Lover would take a lot of work, but Mashiko was ready to go for it. Her eyes lit up, she readied herself. Today was the day, if she couldn't beat it, then Atsuko and Maria would help her out.

It had been a few hours when Atsuko and Maria came into the house. Mashiko's hands were on the controller, her hands ready and primed for action. Already, she was back at the part of Nichol's route. She'd avoid the bad ending and Katarina would be safe from getting killed by Gerod!

Wait, where did that thought come from? She was Nichol's route. For all intents and purposes, Maria's love rival was Sophia, his sister. That was a bit weird though, the simple idea of sister and brother dating each other. Katarina had gotten her well-deserved fate when she beat Gerod and Keith's routes. Though, for some reason, she always felt bad for Katarina. She didn't deserve to die, especially when her character was so plain. Maybe if Katarina did something that was kind to the main heroine, but nope. Katarina was the villainess, one with no real character.

"Maybe if she took up gardening, she'd be more relatable!" Mashiko exclaimed to her friend.

"But isn't that Mary's thing?" Atsuko asked.

"I'll be honest, I pity Katarina…" Maria admitted, "She has no real powers over magic and her whole story arc is based around bullying Maria… It's a shame."

"Yeah! Come on game developers! Give Katarina more to do in the sequel!" Mashiko exclaimed, "Otherwise, what's the point of bringing her in except for us to expect some type of villain!"

Atsuko frowned, "Sophia though… Her love for her brother is weird, but I can...understand why she feels a certain way…" She stared at her white hair when her phone rang, "Huh? One second Mashiko!" Atsuko stepped out of the doorway, leaving Mashiko and Maria alone.

"Hm… How about after this, we try to go on the secret route?" Maria asked Mashiko, "Happy end or bad end!"

"What's on the secret route though? Who's the love interest there?" Mashiko asked, "...Wait, is there a yuri option?"

Maria laughed at Mashiko's insulation, "No, no. Just keep an eye on the Student Council President… Speaking of Student Council Presidents, Makato-san was really grilling you the other day."

"Hehe, yeah… Wait, you call Nijima-san, Makato?" Mashiko looked over to Maria, "Why are you…"

"Oh! I'm actually on the Student Council as well! Well, I'm not as important as the president though. Even then, I still hear the rumors about me…" Maria sighed, her hand on her chest, "...I know that my mom slept with a foreigner and I'm from wedlock, but… My mom loves me, she cares for me, she treats me well every day…"

Mashiko smiled, "I don't think those rumors are true anyways. Besides, if I wanted to listen to rumors, I would be totally frustrated with everyone talking about how lazy I've been!"

Maria laughed a bit, "Probably because you've been playing those games constantly, huh?" She smiled as Mashiko, a hint of a blush appearing on Maria's face. A blush that Mashiko didn't really take stock in.

"Okay, we are-"

Atsuko came back in, her face suddenly grim, "Mashiko, can you ask your mom if Maria and I could stay a bit longer? She...probably knows about it, but… My brother told me that there was a subway accident."

Mashiko's eyes widened, "Seriously? I thought we had all those things and stuff like that just in case of emergencies! Like if the subway derailed."

Atsuko nodded, "Me too, but it looks like…" Atsuko sat on the chair and sighed, "I'm sorry, this is...pretty weird news to suddenly happen. So because of that, I think my parents are going to pick me up then." She pointed at the television

"Well, if anything, it'll be fine! Maybe we'll have extra time to play through Fortune Lover!" Mashiko happily looked at Atsuko and Maria.

Atsuko and Maria gave Mashiko a soft smile. Mashiko often had a one-track mind and naturally, this would cause a few more problems down the road. However, in this one moment, it was okay. Mashiko had a positive attitude about this situation. Even as the day got late, even as they completed Nichol's route, even as Maria and Atsuko guided Mashiko the way to the secret route? Things were probably going to be okay.

Things were not okay for Mashiko.

Things were definitely not okay for her. For once in her life, Mashiko woke up early enough to get to school at a good time. This was the time where Kamoshida wouldn't rag on her for not showing up to school early. But of course, it had to rain.

Of course, she had to find a way to figure out how to get to school dry when she saw that boy from Saturday.

And of course, she had to figure out how to settle a situation between the troublemaker of the second-years Ryuji Sakamoto and the new transfer student.

"It's whatever Uchida-senpai. I just thought that he was going to rat me out to Kamoshida," the blond-dyed boy said to Mashiko, "You though, you probably wouldn't rat me out. You hate Kamoshida as much as I do."

"I don't hate Kamoshida-sensei! He just always rags on me!" Mashiko exclaimed.

"Exactly! He does whatever the hell he wants! Who does he think he is - the king of a castle? Don't you agree with me senpai? You?" Ryuji looked over to the transfer student and Mashiko.

"Um, well… I just want to go to school," Mashiko admitted.

"The king of a castle?" the transfer student asked Ryuji.

Ryuji groaned, "Unchida-senpai knows what I mean, but…" He looked at the transfer student, "You don't know Kamoshida? Are you for real?"

Mashiko's eyes widened, "Oh! You're the boy from earlier! You're the transfer student to Shujin, right?"

The transfer student nodded with a smile, "...Guilty as charged. I'm supposed to be a second-year." He looked over to Ryuji and Mashiko.

"Uchida-senpai and I kinda have a problem with him," Ryuji told the transfer student, "Though, in Uchida-senpai's case, it's actually well-warranted...considering she's always late."

"You… You… You dye your hair!" Mashiko retorted. That definitely sounded better in her head. That wasn't even an insult! Everyone knew that Ryuji dyed his hair ever since the incident. She looked at everyone else, "Sorry…"

"Nah, it's fine… Still…" Ryuji looked at the sky, "Well, the rain ain't too bad. We better hurry up, or we'll be late. Don't think Uchida-senpai wants to get into more trouble."

"Yeah! I don't!" Mashiko admitted before feeling a strange headache. She caught her head. Maybe for the sake of her own sanity, she should go home. Play some more video games. Being a NEET was seeming to be a nicer and nicer option.

"Well, since you're the third-year, you should lead us," the transfer student looked at Mashiko with a small smile on his face.

"Um… Sure! Um…" Mashiko looked at the transfer student, "What's your name again?"

"I'm Ren Amamiya," Ren told her.

"Ren Amamiya… Ren…" Mashiko said his name repeatedly, trying to figure it out. It was a nice name to be perfectly frank. Plus, Ren and her would probably have a decent enough rapport.

"Hey! Hurry up or we're gonna be late!" Ryuji shouted from ahead of them.

As the three of them crossed the corner, neither of them realized what was happening until they had finally reached the school. Well, it was supposed to be a school at the very least. For all intents and purposes, this wasn't a school.

"...Uchida-senpai, this isn't Shujin Academy," Ryuji said.

Mashiko blinked before pointing at the sign that said Shujin Academy, "But… But…" She pointed back at the castle.

"...How is this...happening?"