Edited by: Kuro and Lille

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Calvin was writing another story he had thought of the other day and hadn’t lost inspiration since then. It was too easy for him to write at this point.

This world was basically almost done. Everything was easily falling into place as all he had to do was write to his heart’s content. Nothing could be easier than that. It was shocking to him that there was a world so easy, but it was an F-ranked world. Of course it would be easy.

"Calvin, is it alright if I talk to you for a moment?" Lucy saw that Calvin was done typing so she finally had the courage to speak up.

Calvin nodded. "Yeah, of course. What's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong, I just... want to ask you something."

"Hmm? What is it?"

"Is it alright if I go back to school to become a doctor? I am not quitting my job as an editor just yet! It will take some time for me to become a doctor and the income as an editor will surely help. I just want to continue my studies..."

"Lucy, you know you have my full support." There were a lot of things he loved and one of them was supporting and hyping up the people closest to him. He didn’t care if Lucy was a woman, if she had the determination and persistence, he would even help her reach the stars and beyond.

He knew that Lucy had been studying along with doing her job. She was studying for the upcoming exam that would determine if she could go into Medical School. She was studying so hard, but her efforts of trying to hide that didn't work at all.

Even though Lucy knew that Calvin would support her, she still felt so happy and relieved to hear him say that to her. "Thank you..."

"May I ask why now?"

He knew how hard Lucy was working to become more confident with herself. It was completely different from the first time he met her. Hanging out with Valerie really pushed her far. Showing her that she was more capable than she could ever imagine; that she was worth more than just enough, and that she could be strong and powerful in her own way.

Watching her grow as a person from being stuck in her shell to growing wings. She had wings now, but all she needed to do was fly.

"I thought about my relationship with Valerie and I realized that I didn't want to be behind her. I want to stand by her side as an equal. With just as much confidence and grace that she has. I am going through therapy to help with my anxiety and I have you, Ian, and Valerie. I want to be stronger and braver. I want to see the world not from behind her back, but alongside her so that we both could see the world in its splendor."

It was a beautiful reason. To change for someone you love for the better. Most people think that it's fine to be how you are, but when it obstructs you from following your dreams; when it hinders you from loving yourself and others; when you find yourself hurting yourself more than helping yourself, then it is okay to change. Change could be scary if you let it be scary. But change could also be very beautiful, like a caterpillar to a butterfly. They are the same person, but they changed for the better.

"Lucy, can I read something for you that I prepared for this moment? I want you to look at it when you are feeling down and helpless, when things seem to not work out the way you want them to, or if you just need something to lift your spirits."

He was a writer. He wrote everything down so writing a letter wasn't odd. But he also wanted to read it, so that she could remember his voice as she read it in times of hardship.

Lucy felt touched. For a famous author to actually write and read something to her and even write it just for her, she could feel the tears threatening to fall. She nodded and watched Calvin take a piece of paper from a notebook on his desk.

Not only did Lucy look up to Valerie but she looked up to Calvin as well. The man in front of her had boundless motivation and confidence that attracted the attention of others. He was calm, collected, spiteful, and sometimes shameless, but he knew what he wanted. He could be vulnerable but also strong, he could cry but also smile and laugh. He knew his limits but also knew how to challenge himself.

She really looked up to Calvin and hoped that she would be able to be someone as strong as he was. But she also wanted to be strong enough to be able to let Calvin come to her in times of need.

Calvin ignored her staring and held out the letter. He then read his little poem to her:

"Dear Lucy,

"There will come a time when you find yourself down in the dumps.
Like you are staring at the top of the hole, but unable to climb out.

"But just remember, with every journey there are hardships.
None that you can't overcome.
You may get over them alone, or with the help of others.

"Don't be afraid to cry.
Don't be afraid to tell people about your struggles.
It's okay to be vulnerable.

"If the hole is too deep to climb out of,
you have people who will throw down a rope or a ladder.
When it seems too much to handle,
you have someone who will reach out their hand for you to grab.
When all else fails,
there will be someone even willing to go down the hole to help you out.

"In whatever way they may help you,
know you are not alone.
I will always be cheering you on.

" - Calvin"

It wasn’t the best poem, but it conveyed what he wanted Lucy to know. He hoped that she would keep it close and hold on to it in times of need. Especially, when she felt as though studying was too hard. He knew that she yearned for support as she had never gotten it from her family. In his mind, he had already adopted her. He was only five years older though.

Hearing him read the letter, Lucy was already sobbing. At the age of 27, she was shocked that she finally found the people she wanted to be with for the rest of her life.

Calvin gave her some tissues and waited for her to cry. He felt kind of guilty. From the System's information about the world, he knew what Lucy had gone through.

Lucy grew up in a middle-class family. She had her parents and a little sister, but her sister always outshined her. She was always second best compared to her little sister, Marie. Whatever Lucy couldn't do, Marie could do. Whatever Lucy was good at, Marie was better. If Lucy got good grades, the only thing she'd get was "you could've done better." If she got bad grades, she would get "she's not as smart as her little sister." This made it so that Lucy was the forgotten child. She lost all self-confidence, believing she was worth nothing.

But she was the Female Protagonist of the world, so when she met James, he helped her become more confident in herself, eventually leading her to become a famous doctor.

She was destined to be a doctor no matter what.

He felt a sense of warmth watching her grow. Like a parent bird watching their younglings ready to fly in the sky. He couldn't wait for her to spread her wings and fly. One day she would leave the nest, but until then, he didn't mind being the one helping her get ready to fly.

*****

Meanwhile, Ian and Valerie were coming out to their parents. They decided to come out together so their parents were sitting together in the living room of Ian's home.

Ian's parents looked a lot like Ian. They both had the same dark brown hair and eye color. They were also both good-looking and tall. It was no surprise where Ian got his looks from. Ian's father owned a huge company while his mother was a lawyer.

Valerie's parents were the same. Both had blonde hair and were tall. Her mother had green eyes while her father had blue eyes. They weren't born in this country so they had a slight accent, but they were extremely wealthy. Her mother was a housewife while her father was a famous surgeon with wealthy parents as well. All in all, their origins screamed rich and high class.

"Ian, Valerie, what's going on?" Ian's mother, Mrs. Perez, asked, worried something bad happened.

"Everyone, there's something we need to tell you." Ian started off first. He looked so serious, unusual from the usual happy expression he had in front of his family. It was the face he gave when he was in public or doing business.

This made the parents worried.

Valerie's mother, Mrs. Dubois, cut in before anyone else could speak up. "Is Valerie pregnant?!"

"No, Mom, no." Valerie had to stop herself from vomiting at the thought of her giving birth. Especially to Ian's kids. It's not that she hated children or Ian, she just knew it was painful and she hated being in pain. Also, it was with Ian. That just made her want to projectile vomit.

Ian's dad, Mr. Perez, grumbled. "What could be so important that you called for a family meeting?"

Ian and Valerie looked at each other and nodded.

"I am gay." "I am lesbian." They said in sync.

Ian followed up. "We both have someone we love."

"That's right, and that's why we want to break the engagement."  Valerie nodded.

There were no hints of joking or sarcasm. The two were serious, which was rare when they were in front of their parents.

Mr. Dubois looked at their serious faces and sighed. "I damn figured as much."

Mrs. Dubois tugged on his sleeve. "Honey, what do you mean?" She was heartbroken. She didn't expect her only daughter and child to be lesbian. Her dreams of having grandchildren were crushed!

He sighed. "One time, I was babysitting Valerie and Ian when they were 5, and the two were arguing. Figuring that it was just some common bickering between the two, I thought, 'I should probably break this up before they start using fists again.' So, before I could even stop them, I heard Valerie say, 'You can't be a prince because I want to marry a princess!' Then Ian yelled back, 'Who said I wanted to be your Prince! I am going to find a cute and adorable husband and I will be his Prince!' I was so stunned I just stood there in silence as they fought. I even forgot to break their fighting apart so that I could process what had happened."

Everyone looked at Mr. Dubois giving a sigh. It must've been quite the scene for him to hear 5-year-olds arguing like that.

Mrs. Perez sighed. "I remember a scene quite similar to that..."

Everyone looked at her to continue the story.

"When Ian and Valerie were 8 years old, I remember Valerie and Ian were drawing together. Before I could even stop by Ian's room to ask him what they drew, I heard Ian say, 'Your wife looks ugly.' Then Valerie punched him in the face saying, 'Well your husband is uglier than an ogre'. They punched each other back and forth yelling that their partners were much cuter than the other."

Ian and Valerie went down memory lane and couldn't help but laugh.

"Ah, I remember that." Ian chuckled.

Valerie nodded. "Good times, good times."

Mr. Perez held his head in his right hand. He just didn't know where to begin with these two stories.

Mrs. Dubois could only sigh in defeat. She gave up. She didn't want grandchildren anymore if they were going to come from these two.

"Maybe it's for the best that the two didn't get married and have children..." Mr. Dubois grumbled as he felt a headache coming.

Mrs. Perez nodded. "You are right... If we had to deal with more children like them, I think I would fall into my grave earlier than expected..."

Seeing that their parents were totally okay with them being gay/lesbian, Ian and Valerie cheered. They were actually quite nervous, so when they saw their parents with a 'can't be helped' expression, they knew they succeeded.

Ian ran out of the room to call Calvin leaving his parents stunned.

Valerie called Lucy at her seat, not even giving any thought to who was around her. She excitedly called Lucy about the good news, completely ignoring her parents who wanted to say something.

"You ungrateful children. You better have your partners here for dinner this weekend or I will beat you!" Mr. Perez gritted his teeth seeing their disrespectful manners. He was a tsundere at heart, so he couldn't stand seeing them giddy with happiness without him. He wanted to join in on the fun and tease/spoil his new son-in-law.

His wife just looked at him and sighed. "This is my husband and child..." She mumbled as she got up to get something to drink. She hoped it was high in alcohol content...

Mrs. Dubois couldn't even cry as she contemplated her life.

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Lille: Lucy! Su su na! Jia you! Ganbare! Fighting!!! (Also, the Dubois and the Perez parents being so done with their children is so XDDDD)