"Hey, why do you like chess so much anyway?" The voice had asked, their head lying on the desk atop their arms. That was probably going to leave a mark later.
Wait, wasn't he in Magna? What was he doing back here? But for some reason—
"Why do I like chess so much?" Aion echoed back vaguely, against his own will.
Ah… Aion thought. I must be dreaming again.
"Yeah!" The source of the voice looked quite interested in the answer.
"What brought this on?"
"Is it so weird to ask?"
Aion tilted his head a bit, pondering the question before answering, "Sure, it is. I mean, I don't go asking why you like… actually, what do you even like?"
The origin of the voice stared deadpanned at Aion and said, "Seriously?"
"What?"
"We've known each other since elementary school, and you still don't know anything I like?"
"It's not like we were ever close all that time. Even now I can't say we're all that close, you know what I mean?"
The person pouted and said, "You know, I heard from **** that you're really distant and stuff, but like this much? Isn't it a little sad?"
"I'm… distant…?" Aion said, frowning. "Also, what the hell did that bastard say about me!?"
Aion was agitated at ****'s unnecessary comments. That frustration translated over to the game of chess he was playing on his school-issued laptop, and he missed a battery involving the queen and the bishop after a retreating move. And thus, he was mated.
Aion hung his head back and groaned.
"Huh? You lost!?"
"Why are you acting like that's so surprising?"
"I mean, wow, are there really people out there that can beat you?"
"Of course, it's not like I'm some grandmaster. Who do you take me for? Also, haven't you asked that before?"
"Haha, maybe I have." They smiled an innocent but happy smile.
Aion couldn't help but smile in response.
The person's eyes widened and said, "Wow, you actually smiled!"
Aion immediately frowned and asked, "Is it that crazy? I mean, I smile; it's not like I was raised in a facility and lost touch with my emotions or something, or even born with some defect that makes me separate from everyone because I can't express emotions properly."
"...What are you going on about…?"
Aion sighed and said, "I don't even know why I made those references…"
"References?"
"That's aside from the point. Is **** telling you I don't smile or something?"
They averted their eyes and said, "...No…"
"Piece of shit," Aion said.
"Eh… I think that's a little mean…"
"He's spreading misinformation about me! It's slander, I say."
"Anyway, you're, like, really good at chess, you know?"
"Are you trying to change the topic?"
"...No…"
"Whatever, and no, I'm not 'really good' at chess," Aion said, mocking their voice.
"..."
"What?"
"You know, I have to wonder how you ended up so rude."
"Rude, huh? I'm just stating the truth."
"If you're just 'stating the truth,' how was mocking my voice even remotely necessary?" They, much like Aion, had done a poor imitation of his voice.
"...I guess that's fair…"
"Wait, you're folding like that?"
"I mean, I was just messing with you. It's not like that was some grand part of being a grand proponent of truth."
"But still, you say you aren't really good, but you're better than anyone I know."
"Well, I'm at the very least better than everyone in this school," Aion said rather boldly.
Of course, it wasn't arrogance speaking. In the chess club for the school he was in, he was undoubtedly their best player. He reigned undefeated against everyone, retaining a complete 100% win rate even against the advisors of the club.
"Don't you ever get bored of it?"
"At times," Aion admitted, starting up another match.
"Wait, you're going to play another? What about us talking!?"
"That didn't stop you from talking earlier."
"Oh yeah…"
"Not that I mind. These are Blitz games anyway. Not like I can play long-term games very often here at school."
"Hm… maybe I should get into chess and beat you."
"Pft!" Aion tried to stifle his laugh, but he failed, and soon he was laughing much more loudly.
A few other students stared for a moment, but not for that long considering they too were making a decent amount of noise. Perhaps a flicker of wonder had washed over them, perhaps not. Aion wasn't particularly certain one way or the other.
"Hey! Why are you laughing like that?"
"Look, if you ever manage to beat me, I'll fulfill anything you wish for."
The voice went quiet for a few seconds before asking, "...Anything…?"
"Yeah, as long as it isn't a crime or making me spend money, I'd probably do it. It has to at least be reasonable, you know?"
"Reasonable…" They echoed back, as if contemplating the word's meaning.
"And look, if—and huge emphasis on if here—if you beat me, you can make the request and see if I deem it reasonable."
"Okay, I'll do that then, just watch me!"
"Yeah yeah, whatever," Aion waved it off like it was nothing.
On the screen he'd set up a Greek Gift successfully, and then after several seconds the screen showed his opponent had resigned.
* * *
Aion awoke with a start, his body a bit warm despite the cold surroundings.
He'd dreamt of them again, just how he had done so after his fight with Luna in the second loop.
His face was twisted into displeasure, his fists tightening a bit under the covers.
Soon, he got up and decided to get ready for the morning.
Today was the day Luna had disappeared twice over the past two loops only to show right before Festival's Eve. If he wanted to get closer to Luna, he couldn't let something like that happen.
And even more than that—
"—Good morning!" Luna cut Aion out of his daze when he made it downstairs.
She was already sitting at the table, awaiting breakfast prepared by Aira.
"...Morning…" Aion said half-heartedly, taking a seat and slumping somewhat.
"Is something wrong?" Luna asked.
"I just slept poorly," Aion lied.
"Ah, yeah, I guess being in a new place would do that."
"Mhm…" Aion glanced over at Aira, who was now bringing his breakfast over. It was the same thing from the first loop and second loop.
"What would you like to drink, sir?" Aira asked.
Aion stared at her for a couple seconds before saying, "Water will be fine."
Aira bowed and left Luna and Aion sitting at the table in silence.
"We should do something today," Aion suggested.
"Ah…" Luna let out a disappointed sound, and she averted her gaze. "I actually have something I need to do."
"You do? Maybe I could help you with that," Aion offered.
Luna looked at Aion in silence before shaking her head and saying, "It's not really something you can help with."
"Are you sure? I mean, I probably have skills that aren't very common in this town."
"..." Luna lowered her head, not saying anything.
Aira soon returned and placed Aion's glass of water next to his plate, gave a pleasantry, and backed off to observe.
"How about tomorrow?" Aion asked.
Luna still didn't say anything and only ate in silence.
Aira glanced back and forth between Luna and Aion before saying, "Pardon my intrusion, but if I may be so bold to ask, Luna, what exactly are you going to be doing?"
"Huh?" Luna looked up in surprise. "That's pretty unlike you, Aira."
"I apologize for being rude," Aira said, bowing.
Now that Aion thinks about it, Aira was probably disgusted to do something like that.
"No, no, not at all!" Luna waved her hands, profusely denying the allegation. "It's just surprising, but I think it's good to voice your own questions."
"I see…"
"But…" Luna began, hesitating. Her eyes seemed to flicker through several thoughts and feelings. "It's… a private matter…"
Aira nodded and said, "Understood."
Luna hung her head. From the small bit of her expression that Aion caught, she looked guilty.
Aion tightened his fists a bit; he really wasn't in the mood to be drowning in isolation. But it wasn't like he could just convince Luna to let him get involved in a personal matter.
And so, the two ate in silence. At some point, Aira had excused herself, saying that she could handle the dishes later. Despite that, Aion and Luna both silently agreed to wash them together.
There were no words, no gestures, nothing. It was just a simple process that both did without needing anything.
Probably an outsider would think the two were close, very close. But Aion couldn't help but feel like the chasm between Luna and him when it came to understanding each other was larger than the chasm between Alphonse and him.
And that only made him sick.
And finally, the last dish was dried and returned to its proper place with a clink.
"...I should get going…" Luna said quietly, not meeting Aion's gaze.
"Yeah…"
Despite her saying that, she didn't move. Instead, her hands trembled lightly.
"Luna?"
"Ah! It's nothing, it's really nothing!" Luna took a few unsteady steps back.
"...You know, it's pretty easy to tell you're lying, you know?"
Luna, whose right hand was clutching her left, tightened her grip around it.
"So, can't you just say? Can't you just let me help, or could you tell me?"
Luna shook her slowly, her head dropping. Luna was mumbling something, but Aion couldn't hear what it was.
Aion found himself unsure of what to say. Thus, all he could do was fall silent.
That silence stretched for several seconds into a minute and then once more into a couple of minutes, with Luna awkwardly fidgeting occasionally and Aion unable to find any words.
But after that period, Luna bit her lip lightly and said, "Aion… I… have to go shopping for my parents…"
"Huh?" Aion looked at her a little surprised, confused even.
He wasn't exactly sure why this was such a big deal. And it certainly didn't answer her disappearance during the previous two loops.
"I—no, can you come with me?" Luna asked, shaking a little.
"Yeah, that's fine. I don't see a problem with that," Aion replied.
Luna let out a small sigh of relief, but even then, she still didn't look all that ready for this shopping trip.
"..." Luna was about to say something but stopped. Instead, she simply said, "Let's go then."
So Aion and Luna left for the errands.
* * *
Aion and Luna entered the store.
It was rather large, much larger than most of the buildings in Magna. The first impression Aion had was the fact that it reminded him greatly of the grocery stores back home. The main difference was fewer people and fewer checkout areas, and it was just smaller overall.
A few people had glanced over at the two of them but quickly averted their eyes.
"Wow~" Aion let out, impressed. "I didn't expect anything this advanced in this town."
"Did you think we live in the dark ages or something?" Luna asked, giving Aion a side eye.
"No… not that. Also, you know what the dark ages are?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah, of course. It was the time before Lunalis!"
"Oh…" Aion said, shifting his gaze toward the several aisles.
"What's with that reaction?"
"Well, the dark ages refer to something else in the place I'm from."
Actually, more like the entire rest of the world. But the point still stood.
"Is that so? What is it then?"
"It was a time of anti-intellectualism."
"Okay…?" Luna said, clearly not following completely.
"So what exactly are we picking up?" Aion asked, changing the topic.
"Just some standard stuff."
Aion didn't reply. He wasn't sure what "some standard stuff" meant in a place like Magna. Furthermore, standard stuff varied from household to household, so it was pointless to wonder what the standard here was.
Still, Aion couldn't help but be a little surprised by how much they did have. They didn't have any brand name products, but they had plenty of variation in stock. Whether it was fruits, vegetables, meat, seafood, or dairy products, it seemed to have all the conventional items and even some more selective options.
Alexander had mentioned that some sort of government had been helping them, but it was still odd that they had this much. Furthermore, how did the economy even work in a place like this? He really wasn't even aware of how the job market worked in this place, so that also posed an issue with trying to figure it out. He wondered if they had a system of currency and how that even translated to prices.
Around the store, below each item, there was a small tag with prices going into the decimals, very similar to systems like the European Euro, the United Kingdom's Pound, and the United States' Dollar. Perhaps Alexander had made it similar to one of those. Assuming it had even been Alexander in the first place. But why even do that anyway? If they were receiving support from some foreign government, was a job market and currency even necessary? Especially since Aion assumed there wasn't anything Magna could provide said country.
Now that he thought about it, what did this benefactor even get out of all this? He didn't even consider it previously since it wasn't all that important. But now, facing something that feels like it'd been pulled straight out of his own hometown, or rather the rest of the world, he couldn't help but think about it.
But the more he thought about the logistics of this entire world, the less it made sense.
Perhaps that was just the reality of being a dream (or a nightmare); there were bound to be holes in the logic in various places.
"—Aion!" Luna snapped Aion out of his thoughts, and he looked over, a little disoriented.
"Huh?"
"I've been trying to get your attention for a while now. What's wrong?"
"Oh, nothing…" Aion said vaguely. "What did you need?"
"I just wanted to talk a bit. It's the first time I've shopped with someone, after all."
"Ah, yeah, I can get that."
"So, I've been wondering, on the outside, do you have places like this? You didn't seem to ask a lot of questions, so I was wondering."
"Ah, yeah, we do," Aion began. "We call them grocery stores. If anything, it's honestly unnerving how similar it looks to the ones back home."
"Unnerving?"
"I'm not really sure I can explain that one."
"So you're just throwing out words for the sake of throwing out words?"
"No."
"Then explain."
"No."
Luna pouted a bit and said, "You're being unfair."
"Unfair?"
"Yes! You're not telling me anything!"
"Sure…" Aion said, averting his gaze and looking at the various items in the current aisle. It was a place with packaged food resembling various snack foods from his home.
Picking up one of the packages, he looked for a nutrition label but didn't find one.
"What are you looking for?"
"It looks like they don't have nutrition labels here."
"What are those?"
"They just mark all the ingredients and various other bits of information."
Luna raised an eyebrow, a little interested, but she didn't pursue the topic. Instead, she grabbed the item and put it back.
"I was looking at that…"
"That stuff isn't any good anyway."
"It isn't?"
"Yeah, this packaged food is only for emergencies anyway. It's made to last longer or something like that; I don't know all the details."
"Hm~" Aion hummed, and the two moved along.
Entering the dairy section, someone looked over and widened their eyes.
"Well, I'll be…" The man walked over.
He looked a year or two younger than Alexander, so probably around his mid-twenties. He had disheveled darker brown hair and brown eyes. He wore a navy apron over a white uniform, the same the rest of the employees wore.
"Ah, Mr. Klaste," Luna said, giving a polite bow.
"Haha, no need to call me that. My father is the real Mr. Klaste. Just call me Sedric."
"You keep trying to get me to do that…"
"Of course, I'm not a fan of all those stiff formalities. But I have got to know, who are you?" Sedric asked, turning his attention to Aion.
"Huh? Me?" Aion looked a little surprised.
"Yeah, you. I've never seen anyone with poor little Luna in all my time managing here. I mean, I've never really seen her with anyone even before then, but I digress."
Aion looked a little sad hearing that, and he said, "I'm Aion Belial."
"Oh!" Sedric let out a noise like he'd reached some sort of epiphany. He even went as far as clapping his hands together. Then, he continued saying, "So you're the one from outside of Magna. I should've guessed that since I didn't recognize you."
"Yeah…"
"So you're getting along with Luna, huh? That's good, that's good. She could definitely use a friend. I've been saying for a while now that Luna here shouldn't be spending time with those noblemen, but she just won't listen to me. Such a shame~"
"They're my… friends…" Luna said, glancing away. "We're a little busy, so we should get going."
"Oh come on! Don't do me like that, I really want to talk with this little man here!" Sedric smacked Aion on the shoulder a couple times.
Aion looked a little uncomfortable.
Luna sighed and said, "Fine, I'll finish my shopping alone."
Luna emphasized that last word and quickly turned away.
Aion looked betrayed, but soon Sedric continued talking, "So, you're getting along with Luna, huh?"
"...I am…"
"That's nice. But do you know the, uh, situation she's in…?"
"I do, somewhat."
Sedric nodded and said, "I understand. I guess I shouldn't worry too much then. But Aion, you come from outside of town; that means you probably met with Alexander, right?"
"Alexander?" Aion repeated, a little surprised to hear his name here. "Yeah, I did. He's set it so I can return after the Solstice."
"After the Solstice?" Sedric asked, his voice a little distant. "That'll be interesting to have an outsider here for it."
"I'm sure."
"I will give you a warning, though. Since you're an outsider and all, I'd be careful with what you say around here."
"..."
"You see, I'm sure this place is very different from where you're from. So the customs are different here."
"I understand."
"Really? That's great! You know, I think the two of us could get along quite well."
"What makes you say that?"
"Hahaha!" Sedric laughed quite happily. "Not a fan of the idea, huh?"
"Does it look that way?"
"Of course, at least try to hide your disgust."
"Oh…"
"But I really don't mind. I imagine it's tough to get along with people you just met. But remember, you have a friend in me!" Sedric winked and gave a thumbs up.
What a strange man, Aion thought.
"Anyway, you should probably go find Luna. I'm pretty sure she's mad at me for stealing you away from her. So go back and have a dramatic reunion!"
Aion raised his brows and moved along, giving a brief farewell.
Aion was a little thrown off with a personality like that, but he quickly found Luna.
"Huh? You're already back?" Luna asked, surprised.
"Yeah. All he did was talk about a bunch of nonsense."
"Sounds like him. He's quite the annoying man. I don't know how he'll ever find love."
"That's a little harsh, isn't it?"
"It's not. He's trash."
Aion laughed a little.
"Him and the whole Klaste family are just annoying," Luna continued. "Before he was working as the manager, his father was a real piece of work. Still… Mr. Klaste is in a whole other league than his father. It's like all the traits were cloned and made to be even more unbearable."
"So this business runs in the family?"
"Hm? I guess so."
Aion nodded. It seemed a lot of positions ran in the families around this place. Instead of meritocracy, they were stuck with a nepotist system.
Soon, Luna had finished her shopping and checked out using bills that looked much like paper money back home, along with coins too. She picked up a few bags, and Aion offered to carry a couple, but she refused.
Then, exiting the grocery store, Luna took a deep breath and said, "We're going to be stopping by my place."
"Your place?"
"Yeah, where else would we go? It's not like I don't have a home."
It made sense, but the idea of a home for her seemed odd somehow.
"So, do you live with your parents?" Aion asked.
"Yeah, just my mother and father."
"Are you close with them?"
Luna glanced over at Aion, staring quietly for a few long seconds before saying, "Yeah, we all know each other very well."
"Is that so?" Aion said, glancing away.
Taking in the sight of the town, he heard several conversations, none of them intelligible because of them blending together. He heard the tapping of hammers, the crunching of snow, and sometimes the whirs of heaters that were near people setting things up.
Aion supposed that setting up without them in the cold would be terrible, so he couldn't say he was that surprised.
Most of the things being set up right now seemed like various stalls like one would see at a standard festival or amusement park. As for what would occupy said stalls, Aion didn't know because no one had quite started on that yet. Regardless, people all smiled, laughed, and conversed happily.
It was almost strange seeing such a connected community.
Back home, his community rarely interacted outside of standard social media gossip, school events, or some other community events. And even in regard to community events, it was rather sparse from what he was aware of.
More than likely that was the standard nowadays. There are already enough issues in the world to begin with, and interacting with people that one didn't particularly care for wasn't something many wished to do. So they mostly stick with pleasantries. Ultimately leaving them only leaving the house to head to work or school, or maybe some other important task like shopping. Even then, shopping seems to be starting to phase out too with all the availability of online shopping. More than likely there was going to be a day where heading to a local grocery store would be made obsolete a couple decades in the future.
Perhaps he was wrong about that presumption. It's not like he was an expert in the topic. But despite that, it was still depressing in a way. Even if Aion himself was not above opting to shop online for a lot of things, he still did enjoy going out to browse bookstores.
"Aion?" Luna called out to him, and he turned his attention to her.
"What is it?"
"We're at my place," Luna said, staring directly at a house near the outskirts of town.
In contrast to the liveliness of the rest of Magna, this place felt desolate. There weren't any people about, and there were no signs of the Festival being prepared for.
The actual Amaryllis household was also small and rather sad-looking. It reminded him greatly of his own lodging in the town. The outside had heaps of snow haphazardly shoveled aside to walk to the entrance, and the sides of the house had lost some of its color from age.
"We should part ways," Luna said.
"Don't you have other errands?" Aion asked.
"Huh? Oh… no, I guess I misspoke earlier."
Aion wasn't convinced, but there wasn't any point in prying any further.
"Well, see you tomorrow, Luna," Aion said goodbye with a smile.
"Yeah…" Luna said, walking down the small path to her door.
Soon, she entered and disappeared from sight.
Aion sighed and decided to head back to his lodging; it was still very early, but he figured he could just read.
So he walked back, following the same path he'd gone to get here. Treading over already trodden snow, treading over ground already traveled.
And a feeling washed over Aion, a small, almost inexplicable sensation resting in his heart. It was a familiar feeling, but he didn't acknowledge it. He could not acknowledge it.
For accepting that feeling meant accepting that his resolve was meaningless.