I couldn't stop thinking about her last night.
It's not a perverted thing.
Curiosity about her triggered my insomnia again.
Does she really have a split personality? Or was she just testing me somehow?
If that's the case… why would she? I don't see the point. She doesn't seem like the type to randomly test someone's intelligence.
Maybe I should just ask her directly.
No.
I won't.
"Hey, I know about your other self"… what if she doesn't know?
Unlikely, considering her reaction yesterday.
If she woke up somewhere different from where she remembers being, she'd obviously think: "Where am I?" "Were you the creep who knocked me out and moved me here?" or something like that.
Mmm…
Maybe she has issues with memory lapses.
Or she thinks it's part of her "transformation."
Maybe, for her, it's like falling asleep and waking up somewhere else.
Some kind of narcolepsy. A very rare one.
I think I'll just observe for now.
"Aito," the professor interrupted me. "Read the page until I say stop."
I stood up, grabbed the book, and started reading.
"Nihilism is the belief th—"
Back to my internal monologue.
I can't help it. I've never met someone with a split personality. For some reason, it got under my skin.
I wonder how she'll change.
From what I saw, yesterday's shift was triggered by a hit to the head. Would it work with other body parts? Is it pain-related?
How many are there?
Just those two? Are there more?
"All right, Aito."
…
I stopped reading and sat down.
"Now… Lina, read the next paragraph."
What is this, elementary school? Are we all taking turns now?
"Y-yes!" she said, jumping up.
Fine.
I'll keep dissociating.
Inhale. Exhale.
What if it's something medical?
Not psychological.
I need to consider everything.
Maybe…
She has a tumor affecting her frontal lobe. That would explain the sudden personality shifts.
Or meds that mess with her perception. Antipsychotics, anxiolytics… something that splits her.
Complicated.
She could be having fugue episodes, like the ones described in psychiatry—forgetting who she is and acting like someone else.
Mmm…
Could it be complex partial epilepsy? They say it can alter consciousness without convulsions.
Lots of possibilities.
What if she has a rare genetic condition, like trauma-induced alternate identity syndrome?
…
Guess watching Dr. House pays off.
But I don't know.
Maybe something more fantastical.
What if she's trained to act like two people? As part of a cult, or an experiment.
Too fantastical… but not entirely.
What if she's stuck in a time loop and each "personality" is a version of her from a different moment?
Haha, I went too far.
This is getting to me.
I still think asking her would be best.
It's just a question.
I won't die if she answers badly.
Or if she doesn't answer at all.
I'm overthinking it.
I placed my hands on the desk and stood up.
"Aito?" the professor asked, confused.
I turned toward Vali, who was in the same row, just at the far right end.
I walked.
"If you're going to the bathroom, you don't need to make a scene."
I kept walking toward her.
I'm in front of her.
I look at her.
She looks at me.
Everyone looks at me.
Everyone looks at me.
…
Shit. I forgot I was in class.
How stupid.
I won't look anywhere else.
I hear murmurs.
She's still staring.
"I'll wait for you outside," I said, staring straight at her.
She looked at me, slightly blushing, with a mix of discomfort and surprise.
"Wh—"
Before she could finish, I turned and walked back to my seat, eyes forward.
Sat down. Frozen.
Stared ahead.
That was embarrassing.
Could've been worse