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“Rae!!” I exclaimed, bursting through the doors of the student kitchens, “what on Earth are you doing here in the middle of the night?!”
“Uhh, it’s a secret?” Rae floundered in response.
“I demand you tell me what you are doing!” Upon one of the stoves sat a bubbling purplish-brown mixture in a pot, surrounded by phials, and empty containers, “what is in that pot!?”
“It’s a surprise. Something to help with our investigations. Miss Claire!” she exclaimed as I approached the pot, “ please be careful with that!”
“What do you expect to happeaahhhh-!!” I suddenly fell, slipping on water that was laying on the floor, knocking the stove and causing the pot to fall and smash, releasing a noxious lavender cloud which seemed to hang in the air.
“Miss Claire!!” Rae shouted, as the fog filled the room.
“Rae! What on Earth was that!?”
“Truth potion,” she responded before covering her mouth.
“Wh-why were you cooking truth potion in the kitchens!?!?”
“I wanted to use it to help in our investigations of the nobles!” she held her head in her hands, “I knew it was a terrible plan”
Before I even realised it, I was responding, “no it wasn’t, it was a great plan! You’re really smart for thinking of that Rae,” did I just compliment her… oh no, why did I have to inhale the stupid potion… “I meant that. No, I meant that I did mean that! No!”
Rae grinned at me mischievously, “is the truth potion affecting you, Miss Claire?”
I felt my face begin to burn, “B-be quiet! If you say anything more, I will go over there and ki- kiss you!!”
Rae tilted her head slightly, looking surprised, before that stupid beautiful smile came over her face. “Is that something you’d like to do?”
“Yes! Desperately!!” I felt like I was going to scream, and my face was burning.
“Then why haven’t you?” She looked at me curiously.
“Because it would be improper! Arrrghh!! You’re so annoying and wonderful!!” I felt like I couldn’t stop myself anymore, “why is this happening!?!?”
“Because you inhaled a bunch of truth potion by being right next to it when it fell,” Rae smiled at me as she said this, “and now you can’t lie about your feelings, can you?”
“No, I can’t!” I shouted, flustered and frustrated.
Her grin became even more mischievous, “so how do you feel about me?”
“I want you Rae! In every way! I want you sexually!!” Oh. I just said that. “Aarrrrrghh!!!” I screamed, “I can’t believe I just said that!!”
Rae just stared at me, her mouth hanging open slightly. “You really feel that way…?”
“Yes!! Of course I do, you idiot!” I guess it’s all out there now. “Actually. The potion means that you can’t lie either, right?”
“Y-yeah,” Rae suddenly looked nervous, “w-wait, Miss Cla-”
“What have you been hiding?” I cut her off, “how do you know so much?”
“I’m not from this world, and I know what’s going to happen because the events of this world played out in my favourite video game,” Rae stared at me anxiously as she spoke, unable to stop herself saying it.
“Wh-what? What is a video game?”
“It’s a game played on a machine called a computer. It’s sort of like a board or card game but it doesn’t physically exist, it’s on a screen, which is a sort of display, showing what happens in the computer”
Was she telling me what I thought she was…? “I don’t understand half of what you’re saying, but do you mean to tell me that this world existed only as a game?”
“Yes,” she sighed quietly, “all of this existed in a video game called Revolution, and I died while playing it, then was suddenly reborn here”
“I see… And that’s how you already knew everything about me?”
“Yes. You were my favourite character in the game and I was obsessed with you, and that’s why I knew everything about you”
I felt my face heat up again. “A-alright... But that doesn’t explain why you’ve been so secretive about things”
“There’s a Revolution coming,” she stated simply, though the expression on her face was pained, “Mount Sassal is going to erupt in a few months, and that will cause an uprising of the commoners, against the nobility, and they will win. I am doing everything I can to make sure that you survive. Master Dole has been acting behind the scenes to help foment the Revolution, and I have been saving up money and food so that you can provide aid to the people, and be seen as a hero on the side of the commoners, in order that you can survive the Revolution”
“I… You’ve been doing all that just to try and save me…?”
“Everything I’ve done has been for you, Miss Claire.” She said firmly.
“Oh Rae…” I ran over to her, pulling her into a tight hug. “You are amazing. I love you.”
“I love you too, Miss Claire,” she hugged me back, and without even noticing, I found my lips drawn to hers as we began to kiss…
After what felt like an eternity, the door burst open, and a familiar voice called out. “We heard a commotion and- MISS CLAIRE!! WHY ARE YOU KISSING THAT COMMONER!!!”
Pepi and Loretta were standing in the doorway, looking on at us, aghast. “Because I’m madly in love with her,” I responded without thinking.
“Wha-?” Pepi looked between us, “what happened here…?”
“Rae tried to make truth potion and it got everywhere”
“I’m confused,” Pepi stared at Rae, “how could a truth potion lead to this?”
“Miss Claire was unable to deny that she was in love with me any more,” Rae grinned, still looking slightly out of it from the kiss.
“You were in love with her?” Loretta pointed at Rae, “for how long?”
“I’m not sure. At least since Manaria’s visit”
“You’ve been in love with me for that long!?” Rae looked at me, wide-eyed.
“Yes! And you somehow hadn’t noticed!”
“So you’re saying you both drank the truth potion?” Pepi asked, confused.
“No, it’s in the air,” I clarified, pointing to the broken pot, “I knocked it over and it got everywhere”
“So you’re saying that I am inhaling it right now?”
“Mhm!” Rae replied cheerfully, “it’ll be fine, as long as nobody asks any awkward questions, like who you have a crush on, Pepi?”
“Loretta,” Pepi responded without thought, before squeaking and covering her mouth, “you stupid commoner!!”
Loretta turned to look at Pepi. “Wait, is that true?”
“Of course it is, you blockhead! How could I not like you!” She covered her mouth with her hands again, as her face turned almost the same colour as her hair, and she looked like she was about to pass out.
Loretta looked at Pepi in shock, “I had no idea…”
“You’re almost as oblivious as Rae,” I put my hand to my forehead and sighed.
“Hey!”
“Sorry, Rae”
“Can we just leave the kitchen…?”
“That’s a good idea,” I turned to Rae, “why didn’t we think of that?”
“I think we were too distracted by everything going on, Miss Claire,” she grabbed my hand and the two of us followed Pepi and out the door.
Pepi was curled up, head between her knees in the corridor outside. “Can we just forget everything that happened in there…?”
“You could just take advantage of the honesty?” I suggested, “I know Rae and I will”
“Ughhh,” Pepi made an exasperated noise and fell onto her side.