Chapter 4

On the first day of school, I moved out of the dorm, just like Iris told me to.

After my parents heard about what I went through in my previous life, they didn't really buy it, but they still found me a place to stay off-campus.

At the same time, Iris reminded me, "Since Shirley failed to stop the disaster last time, the backlash she's facing will be even worse.

"She's probably going to get desperate and might pull something reckless—maybe even gamble your life to save her own.

"You're the most fortunate one around right now, which makes you her prime target. Watch your back!"

I nodded earnestly, making sure Iris saw how seriously I was taking her warning.

During my free time, I made sure never to show up anywhere near Shirley.

In class, I'd time my entrance perfectly and keep a huge distance from her.

I even considered blocking every way she could contact me, but Iris said that would only tip Shirley off.

At the start of the semester, I was worried Shirley would track me down online and ask why I'd moved out.

But now, more than a week had passed, and there was still no word from her.

I couldn't help but wonder if I was just overthinking it.

I thought, 'Maybe it really was just an accident, and maybe Shirley just couldn't be bothered to care.'

Suddenly, a wave of loneliness crashed over me.

Back then, the four of us in the dorm did everything together.

But now that I was keeping Shirley at arm's length, I couldn't help but distance myself from Andrea and Robin as well.

'Did Shirley already give up on me and start targeting Andrea or Robin instead?' I wondered anxiously.

Just as I was lost in thought, my phone lit up with a new message.

My heart dropped, and all my internal alarms started blaring.

'This has got to be Shirley. She just couldn't hold back any longer!' I thought.

But when I opened it, it wasn't Shirley at all. It was Robin.

Robin: [Ursula, I heard from our advisor that you were sick and staying off-campus to rest.

[Didn't want to bother you all week.

[Just saw you in class again. Are you feeling any better now?]

I finally let out a sigh of relief.

I wrote: [Yeah, I'm feeling a lot better now. I won't be living in the dorm anymore.]

Robin: [Hey, there's a party this weekend, and it's gonna be full of hot guys from the sports teams. Are you interested in coming?

I asked: [Since when are you into parties?]

To me, Robin was always that girl who lived for studying and anime. She only ever fangirled over her anime crushes.

Men in real life almost never caught her eye.

Back when school started last semester, parties were everywhere, but Robin never showed up to any of them.

Instead of answering, she just dragged me into a group chat.

Robin, Andrea, and I were in the group chat.

Andrea: [I'm the one who wants to go to the party, so I roped Robin into coming with me for backup.

[You should totally come! It's been way too long since the whole gang got together!]

I asked: [Wait, how come it's just us three? Where's Shirley?]

Andrea didn't hold back.

She wrote: [Honestly, don't you think she's too high-maintenance?

[Hanging out with her is just so draining. We always have to cater to her every little whim. How about just the three of us go out this time?]

As long as Shirley wasn't tagging along, things always felt way more chill.

I'd been stuck in my little apartment for ages. I was seriously craving some actual fun.

There was no way I would let her stop me from hanging out with the rest of my friends.

So I said yes to Andrea's invite.

The party was set at a mall just off campus, and there was a karaoke bar inside.

Andrea had rounded up seven people in total—three girls and four guys.

The karaoke was up on the fifth floor.

When we walked past the mall's second floor, I caught sight of a lottery shop.

Iris swore my luck was off the charts, so I wondered if I could win the lottery.

If I actually landed the jackpot and won hundreds of millions or even billions, I'd be set for life.

Not hesitating for a second, I bought several lottery tickets.

While I was busy scratching off the silver coating, a girl sidled up beside me, pretending to focus on her own tickets but constantly throwing subtle glances my way.

I hunched over my ticket, angled my body, making sure she couldn't peek at my numbers.

But after scratching off five tickets in a row, every single one came up empty.

My 50 dollars went down the drain.

Feeling totally deflated, I was about to walk away.