"Wait, rival?" Red said in disbelief.

Suddenly, the sky grew overcast, and the light on the ground dimmed down. Ace opened his eyes to see Red's shocked expression. I'm really back here, right! Ace grinned. He felt so overjoyed that he was back that he almost kissed the dirt beneath him, but took all his self control not to do anything stupid out of the overwhelming relief crashing down on him.

"Uh huh, sorry for not telling you this from the start, but I swear that I don't care about being your rival," Ace started awkwardly, "I-I was just happy being friends with all four of you. My role didn't matter, and why do I care about the power of points if I'm filthy rich?" He laughed, but noticed the irony that he was only able to travel back in time through points in the first place.

"I never doubted you for a second," Red said immediately, "I can't see you as competition at all, and I mean that you're honest and reliable."

Red is such a precious cinnamon roll. Did I actually use that term? The fangirls are influencing me a little too much, Ace thought, feeling a bit miffed.

"Right. Right! So the confession day is coming soon, and we need to craft a battle plan!" Ace announced, feeling a great weight lifted from his shoulders. Then he leaned towards Red and whispered into his ear, "June is hiding in the bushes behind us, so let's leave this place." Red was startled but nodded.

As they were about to leave, Ace couldn't help himself but gesture Red to be quiet, then sneaked behind that particular bush. He then yelled out as loud as he could manage, scaring the cr8p out of the hiding girl who tumbled backwards. On cue, Ace took a picture with his phone and grinned like a child on Christmas.

"Ace you son of a-" June rose up from the bushes like Satan rising from the depths of hell, with a deathly aura and everything. Somehow, the beatdown he got from June began replaying in his mind, and then he latched his hand tightly around Red's wrist.

"SHE'S GOING TO KILL US"

The next day, there was a popular rumor that spread that two boys were seen dashing out of the forest with a murderous female gorilla like woman  like their lives were depended on it.

---

On the confession day, Ace reached the school grounds near the sakura tree at exactly 4.18am. With the help of professional landscapers and botanists, he ordered them to put the final touches to the bushes, installing a beautiful white gazebo under the tree, removed all the pests, decorated the entire area with silk streamers and lanterns emitting soft orange and pink light and even arranged for cloud seeding a few hours before to make sure that it wouldn't rain. He wore a custom designed pink costume with artificial flowers and painted his body light pink, before climbing up to blend into the tree.

While he waited alone, Ace turned on to look at the Spring Love fan site, which was brimming with posts and speculation.

Ace had opened a recent poll about which ship would be the best.

Red X Kiwi ( 11% votes)

Red X Melissa (62% votes)

Red X June (23% votes)

Red X All three (4% votes)

The most popular ship was the one with Melissa, which Ace was hardly surprised. He decided to view other polls online. The most popular poll was the one made by Real_Melissa. It can't be the actual Melissa, right? Melissa would have gone with a fake name... maybe.

Best Ship of all characters with Ace:

Ace X Melissa (42% votes)

Ace X Kiwi (10% votes)

Ace X June (48% votes)

...This poll doesn't even have the main character! Ace charged into the comments section of the poll. His new account name is Red_HaremGod

---

Candy_My_Life: Boo! Ace and Kiwi obviously make a good pair, why don't people understand that T^T I swear Kiwi is really really likely to have a crush on him, just a strong hunch. 10% of the votes is too low.

SS_BL: Disappointed there isn't the option of Ace X Red D:

Red_HaremGod: The disappointing thing should be obvious... this show is about Red forming relationships, not Ace! There should be more options.

LoliLove: You're back with a new account already? Red's bootlicking biatch

Red_HaremGod: Is there a problem with being a fan?

---

Ace decided to view fanfiction online, after checking to see that there were no one below him. The time was 6.34am, and the school was still ghostly quiet. He clicked on the most recent fanfiction without looking at the title, with much anticipation.

---

Sweet as Sugar by Candy_Is_Life

The evening breeze blew past the flowers on the sakura tree, making its branches leap and dance. The cool air brushed over the neatly tied up light brown hair of a young maiden, who looked up towards the charming prince under the swirling blossoms.

I am that young maiden. My name is Kiwi, a 16 year old girl who had fallen in love deeply with someone. Love was impossible to describe in usual terms, if I could explain it in terms of tastes,  it was a sweet feeling as delightful as sugared candy and honeyed apple, yet bitter as dark chocolate cake straight out of the oven. It was a mixture of both trepidation and worry and uncertainty, as well as giving you a high, a warm feeling that, yes, this is what it's meant to be.

Right now, that girl with hair fluttering in the wind under the romantic sakura flowers was at the wrong place and the wrong time. She was being asked out by the wrong prince.

This girl was forced into a puppet to act out from a script in a tragic play. Her parents owed a great deal of money to the mafia, and the only thing this girl could act out was an enduring smile as she helped out with the bakery after school. As she dealt with unruly gangsters and customers, she acted out a polite smile. In front of friends and teachers, she was their rock and source for bad puns and lame jokes to cheer them up, so she gave out her sweet smiles. As her grandmother was lying incredibly thin with a ghost like face on the casket sized bed, she had to push out her reassuring smile. She's always the air-headed, immature girl people could laugh with to forget their troubles.

When that guy pried the subject after finding out from a newspaper article that our bakery was trashed, I brushed it off as always, a simple rehearsed scene that kept replaying in front of my classmates and neighbors. "The gangsters got caught, didn't you read the article?" "It's not that bad, it was a rare occurrence." "You can see, I'm the same as ever!" They would drop the topic within a few minutes.

But he told me that my smile was empty. I almost felt angry because I took a strange pride in being able to look the most attractive and convincing while smiling.

Her prince not only managed to revive the bakery beyond her wildest dreams, he managed to pay for her grandma's needed surgery. Within a week, her grandmother was healing well and soon she was discharged from the hospital. When she walked to the back to the school to thank him, she could not get her words of gratitude out of her mouth, they were lodged in her throat. She couldn't pull together the corners of her lips systematically like she used to. She wailed and bawled in front of him, probably looking disgusting with her crimson red face, her shriveled eyes and nose and her running snot getting all over her sleeve. Instead of asking, "What's wrong?" or "Are you okay, why aren't you smiling? Isn't this a good thing?" He told me that it was great that I was crying and that it was fine to let it out.

That now feels like a long time ago, but some feelings still linger in my heart. The prince under the cherry blossom tree looked gallant as always, and taking his hand would give me otherworldly riches, but I'll hesitate. Even if my true prince confesses to me behind the school instead of a romantic evening scene under the sakura tree... even if he happens to fall for someone else and I'll have to carry that pain, I'll carry this love, as bitter as chocolate, and as sweet as sugar. (Ace X Kiwi)

---

I never knew that the episodes revealed so much about our personal lives, Ace thought, feeling very surprised that even fans knew about what happened with him and Kiwi. That's really invasive to his privacy, but it's part of the chore of having a role huh? He thought that the story over dramatizes the actual situation, but it does seem like Ace X Kiwi would be a pretty cute relationship... Wait a minute! Phew, he almost got brainwashed by a shipper. He needs to be more careful online. Ace flipped down to the comments.

---

AmelieHearts: This is too sweet, its giving me diabetes! Have a like! Why can't I like this ten more times?!

DarkFire: Why do you think Kiwi would turn down Red? She could just get the points from Red and then reject him after the game. She will have all the time to chase Ace later.

Snow_Flower: I didn't know that this was actually how you felt all this time

Sugar_Is_Life: Ah! O_O You look at fan fiction as well? Oh no I'm so sorry! This story is just me trying to come up with creative ideas to write fiction, that's it!

Snow_Flower: Ah, so are the other 17 Ace X Kiwi fluff,  post-time skip marriage life fics all part of your effort to improve your writing skills?

Sugar_Is_Life: YOU READ THOSE?! This is too shameful T^T i wanna crawl into a hole and dieeee. Will be going to delete those fics, brb

Snow_Flower: I was just about to say that it is okay. This isn't going to affect our friendship, I'm just commenting to say, "Good luck and may the best woman win."

---

Somehow, Ace felt that he was missing a lot of context behind half of those comments, and when he scrolled through most of the fan fiction, he found out that his character was the most popular. Usually the rival characters are popular in all kinds of shows, he rationalized. It was weird reading a story about himself with a totally different personality, like some stories had him fall deeply in love with Melissa from the start, being a playboy and dating multiple girls (like hell that was true), or taking his stalking activities to a whole new level and become perverted. There is a disturbing trend of people seeing him as a tsundere, and making him blush a lot and behave like a love-struck schoolgirl. Just when he was about to leave a few scathing comments, he could hear footsteps.

"Ace, I know you're hiding here somewhere."

A familiar deadpan voice rang out from below him. Ace tilted his head down to see Red waiting below the tree, looking around behind the bushes.

"Seriously, what did you do to this place last night? This looks like it's prepared for a wedding photo shoot, not a love confession. Are you hiding under the ground? I won't be surprised if you made a secret passage right underneath my feet just so you can overhear us."

Damn, that was plan G, Red knew him too well. Ace felt proud of him. Their friendship had come a long way.

"No. This development isn't anything to be proud of. Now come out, I need to tell you something important. It's about the girls," Red called out.

Just then, Ace could see Kiwi sneaking up from behind Red. Ace held his breath.

“Gwaaaaah!" Red yelled as Kiwi hugged him from behind.

"G-O-T-C-H-A!" She squealed, letting go of him, "You look like you're finding something. Today, Ace isn't at his usual spot at the tennis courts. Or anywhere in school."

"I can bet all my monthly allowance that he's either here, or observing this place with hidden cameras," Red said, swiping his hands all over the floor of the gazebo, as if he were looking for a secret entrance.

"I'll help you find him. Ace, you won't be able to get away from me!" Kiwi shouted happily, skipping around searching like a kid playing hide and seek.

...

"Why are you searching behind the banners?" Red asked.

"You have to search every nook and cranny!" She said, bringing her face right up to the cloth and scrutinizing it.

"I know his hiding places are way out there, but I don't think he can defy the laws of physics."

"The power of money lets him use technologies far ahead in time, not known to the public! Including a shrinking ray! I think a palm sized Ace would be cute!"

And useful, Ace thought, I could sneak to the girls' changing rooms or steal the answer sheets to the next exams with this!

"Not so cute since he'll most likely use it to peep at girls showering or skip school. I don't think a shrinking ray would be good, I don't think shrinking atoms is possible," Red said, peering behind a pebble.

Yeah, I would do those two things as well. And why do try to find me behind that tiny rock? I don't have a shrinking ray... yet.

"Argh! You ruined my inner fantasy, Red! At least let me dream a little!" Kiwi looked flustered as she puffed her face out.

After a few minutes, Ace got annoyed. This was definitely not the confession scene he was waiting for. Now, Kiwi started yelling 'threats' in the air.

"If you don't come out, I'll end your precious source of sweets! I know how much you like chocolate pudding even though you always deny it. As the daughter of the best sweets shop in the city, I'll abuse my privilege to stop you from making any more purchases!"

I was the one who made it the 'best sweets shop in the city'! Talk about biting the hand who fed you. I could ship in a supply of pudding from other cities and even outside the country from the most famous bakeries, that threat doesn't even faze me.

"It's not working? Right I should do the opposite, feed you with so much pudding that you'll grow overweight and unable to train in tennis championships anymore," her eyes shone as if she had already won.

Bold to assume that I would ever break my diet and that tennis practice does not shave the extra calories off.

Kiwi slumped over in defeat. Ace patted her back, and said jokingly "it's fine, he's just a rich prick who can get whatever he wants. You won't be able to threaten him with anything."

"Shut up, Red," Kiwi muttered under her breath.

They stood up from their squatting position when they saw a slim young woman approach.

"Have you seen Ace anywhere? I had been looking for him," Melissa said with lines of worry on her face. Despite this, she was graceful and radiant as always. Ace could see that she was even wearing eye shadow and blush that complimented her features, making her look like a delicate princess.

"Wow you put on makeup? Your doe eyes look really nice, you're going all out today!" Kiwi said admiringly.

"Well, yeah," her eyes darted away as a rosy blush crept up from her cheeks to her ears, "it's a special day today."

"We're trying to look for Ace, and drag him out here so we can talk to him properly," Red explained, while checking behind a blade of grass.

Just how desperate are you guys? Ace screamed internally, I don't have a shrinking ray!

"I got it!" Kiwi said as if she was suddenly enlightened, "we need... a microscope!"

Stop adding on to that joke! It's not funny! I bet they are trying to make me frustrated at this point, to reveal my position.

"Ah, a microscope to find a man with an amoeba sized brain, how fitting," Melissa said in casually affirming voice as she nodded.

Why are you badmouthing me too, Melissa? They are doing this on purpose, right? What are they doing finding me in this small area for 26 minutes straight?

"He will probably not leave until he sees a confession scene," Red said, looking deep in thought. Red swerved around.

"Alright, I'll confess and get this over with," he said seriously as he stepped forward. Both of the girls widened their eyes.

From the back of his pockets underneath his fake sakura leaves ensemble, Ace pulled out a box of popcorn specially prepared for this purpose.

---

"From the moment I saw your beautiful, shining eyes, I was enraptured by their beauty. Your smile, ever so unwavering and bright, it lit up my future and I envisioned you having your arms around me protectively, holding us close for the rest of our lives."

"...Ah! What a surprise! Sorry... I've yet to calm myself. This is just so sudden," Melissa said.

"I just wanted to get my feelings across. Even though I think you might not accept me because I am a common person, you'll always be my inspiration and first love."

---

"Did it work?" Red asked, raising his head up as he stopped talking to a screenshot of the most popular celebrity in the country on his phone.

"I don't think just any confession cuts it," Melissa said, incredulous, "and why are you confessing to a picture of Damion Matisse of all people?"

As much as Ace wanted to laugh and cry seeing Red confessing to a picture on his phone of all things, that name made him pause. Damion. Damion. So that's Red's type? What can he say? Opposites attract? Red surprisingly liked men who are dangerous, it was pretty shocking.

"It's just an image I randomly googled. I thought choosing someone famous would make Ace at least react. But he's good," Red said, rubbing his chin subconsciously.

"Ah, Damion, I love his new album!" Kiwi butted into the conversation, "and his acting is breathtaking, he's a prodigy, like an angel walking on earth."

"I remember years back when I heard from my friends that Ace actually knows him, I don't know the details, of course," Melissa said, recalling the past.

"Really? Holy cr8p that's amazing! He's so lucky!" Kiwi gushed.

Damion's charisma even influences the girls in this game, how annoying. Ace shuddered. How long are they going to make this fake confession? Ace thought as he shoved a handful of popcorn into his mouth to keep himself from speaking.

"What about I try!" Kiwi chirped.

---

"Your voice, your movement and your every wink stops my breath, sends me to heaven, or what heaven must have felt like. You must have gotten many love confessions in the past, but I swear my feelings are genuine, please marry me - we can't make children but who cares!"

---

Kiwi screamed hoarsely at an image of an up and coming girl idol with shimmery maroon hair on her phone. Melissa burst out laughing at the last second, while Red started cringing.

"Once he appears, he's so going to be pissed," Red said.

"It's his fault for being rude and hiding away from us on purpose," Melissa said dismissively.

After a while of chatting while resting under the gazebo (they gave up trying to look for him), they could see June jogging up to them.

"You're all here," June said in surprise, "I won't bother you if you're going to confess, Red."

"He already did," Melissa said bluntly.

"Ah, really? Who's the lucky girl?"

"A guy."

"... I had a feeling," June said seriously, "he's usually following Ace everywhere even if Ace clearly ignored him. He must really be in love if he would waste his chance to confess to the love rival-"

"He confessed to an image of Damion Matisse" Melissa interrupted.

"Huh? That's even more confusing!" June protested. Red narrowed his eyes at her and crossed his arms.

"I was just joking. You know what, forget about it," he said in a fierce voice uncharacteristic to him, taking on a sharp edge which Ace picked up, "Ace is hiding somewhere here and we're figuring out ways to bring him out. But there's no helping it."

Red stood up and walked out of the gazebo, standing right at the bottom of the tree.

He looked down to his feet, then to the girls, and then took a deep breath, "We have to do this. The confession. I know you guys are trying to delay this like I was until now." Melissa started to look emotionless at the sky. Kiwi was twiddling her thumbs and shuffling. June laughed nervously as she strode forward towards the tree like a robot.

All three girls waited under the sakura tree in front of Red. There was an awkward silence that made the atmosphere freeze up.

Kiwi looked about to say something to break the silence, and gave side glances to Melissa. Melissa opened her mouth, but then coughed. June was absolutely quiet and stiff for once. They all look pleadingly at Red to say something, making him feel that his hair on the back of his neck stand because of his nervousness.

"I'll reject all of you in advance," Red said, startling all the girls who jumped, "mmhmm, that's the end of the confession." Red stretched out his arms and hummed to himself.

"WHAT ON EARTH WAS THAT?!" Ace shouted in shock, as a rain of popcorn showered down from the sakura tree. Ace lost his balance on the branch, and then tumbled down right in the middle of the small group.

A wave of pain struck his body as he made a sickening crunch on the ground. I think a branch stabbed me, he thought as he tried to get up, but he couldn't because of his costume. This resulted in him flailing around helplessly with his arms and feet in the air.

Their reactions were varied, but none of them were very positive.

"That sounded like it'll hurt, do you need me to get you to the nurse's office?" Red said, trying to pick him up but he was almost slapped by Ace.

"This is a new low. Why are you trying to break your own record for being the biggest imbecile on the planet? Don't you have a better hobby, like tennis?" Melissa asked accusingly.

"Pink does NOT look good on you. This kind of fashion sense makes my eyes bleed!" Kiwi protested with tears in her eyes from what complex emotions she was having at that moment.

"Yeah, stick to tennis, captain. You painted your skin? Should I admire the fact that you managed to blend into the sakura tree we're staring at all this time or be disappointed that you'd go to that extent?" June said, unimpressed.

"OK OK I get it, can someone help me up?" Ace asked, feeling angry but ashamed. Red pulled him up and he stood up proudly.

"I'm sorry I didn't get to romance anyone like you hoped-" Red started speaking at once.

"Nevermind that, it's probably just not your time," Ace said emphatically, "there's got to be someone out there for you, you don't owe me your life. If you need a wingman again, I'd rush right there."

Red looked up with a completely new expression. To Ace, it was like seeing someone familiar yet different at the same time, but what he was sure was that it was an expression of respect and complete trust.

Wait... Does that mean Red didn't really trust me fully all this time? Huh. Ace thought but he was so happy that he didn't question it. Honestly, Ace wasn't exactly the trustworthy guy either, being inexperienced in 'real' friendships. Whoops.

"I-I have something to tell you, Ace! Don't leave!" Melissa yelled out suddenly, breaking Ace out of his trance. Red stepped back while Melissa walked right up to him. She seemed very uncomfortable, bringing her hands to the back while biting her lip.

Red nodded. June was clasping her hands together, mouthing, "Go on, do it!", while Kiwi was smiling comfortingly.

She took in a breath, and the sun rose orange, dipping the sky in hues of amber in the sea of dark orange, contrasting against the soft pink petals that rain down gently around them. That light cast over her face and that gave her the final burst of courage to make the next three words flow out from her lips.

"I love you!"

All at once, Ace's mind slipped into a blank state.

The girl's long hair flowed behind her when the wind picked up. With her small hands kneading each other tightly, her face was a deep shade of crimson, reaching past her slender neck that the makeup could not obscure. She spoke in a soft, almost imperceptible voice,

"When you helped me out of that arranged marriage back then, I must admit that all I thought of you was that you were an idiot and hopelessly reckless. When I was a young girl, I was always their precious doll. Your skin is as perfect as a porcelain doll's, and as small and delicate. My parents controlled most of my life, my job would be to help run the company, there is a place reserved for me, this person you should marry, and these clubs throughout school you should join that are more 'respectable'. You do remember when we first talked in the park? My mother had told me to talk to you. I did, but I never did like you since you were cold back then as well. That moment you kicked down the door to yell at my parents, I felt a thrill run through my bones, like this was it, the stray thread in the network of cloth sewn together perfectly, and for once, my life was about go off the rails of what it should've been."

"I was completely anxious at first. What would happen now that the wedding was called off? I expected my parents to ground me in my room for life, our company to collapse from not having enough funds in the future, or my fiance's relatives to come and shout at me, but none of those things happened. They sat down and had a hard conversation with me. My mother was... kicked out of her house at the age of 16 after a series of bad decisions in her youth. There on the streets, she met my dad, who was equally homeless and trying to make a living buying and selling various items. They both made irredeemable mistakes while being so young, so they clung onto their regret to become perfect people who they can be proud of becoming." The topic was clearly making her feel restless.

Of course, Ace had already heard a few rumors of her family through the grapevine, allegedly her mother was a drug addict and her father... had accidentally ran over his baby brother with a car. If that were true, Melissa wouldn't share that, especially since millions of people can view the episodes.

"After getting his big break, they became rich, and they decided to live the perfect rich person's life. Their insecurities and regrets continued to last even after having me, and my mother was so paranoid that she scripted up every moment of my life. But now that I know the full truth, life is getting better. I think I'm slowly reclaiming myself. And, I started to fall for you because of the very traits that I so detested in the first place. Life is sometimes ironic that way, don't you think? I'm hopelessly addicted to your free spirit, and I want to set out on my life with you together."

Against the rising sun, Melissa was more radiant, with her flushed face and beautiful, deep purple eyes which now held such warmth and conviction. Ace's eyes searched and scanned, all over her facial features, her movements in her arms and legs, and her heavy breaths. Ace's breath hitched, and bile stuck in his throat.

His head started to spin as it was bombarded with messy thoughts that coursed through his mind.

NEWVIDEOGAMETHATWASJUSTRELEASEDYESTERDAYLOVEISNOTNECESSARYINAMARRIAGEDEARTHOSEPEASANTSJUSTWANTYOURMONEYTHEYWILLDOANYTHINGWHATACHEATERYOUREARRESTEDFORTHEPOSSESSIONOFIDIDNTDOITFORYOUIDIDITBECAUSEIGOTPAIDDONTBELIKEYOURSKIRTCHASINGFATHERHEREHAVETHEHEWASLYINGSKANKYEAHTHATFEELSGOODGOONSHELLNEVERFIGUREITOUTYOULLALWAYSBEMYFOLLOWERWONTYOU

SHHHHHHHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUTTTTTTTTTTT UUUUUUUUUUPP

"Do you need to sit down?" Melissa asked worriedly, catching Ace's arm to steady him. The others looked very worried.

"N-no, I'm just... probably dehydrated," Ace came up with an excuse.

"Ah, I brought my water bottle right here!" Melissa said as she pulled it out of her sling bag.

"This reminds me of the time at the beach, doesn't it?" Melissa said wistfully while smiling serenely. Ace stared at the bottle, remembering.

"I owe you once again," he said in a weak voice after taking a small sip to not disappoint her.

"Are you feeling better now? You don't have to force yourself," she said kindly, stroking his back rhythmically.

"I need to give you an answer anyway," he took a deep breath, bracing himself.

---

After school, Ace got out of the car, and walked right through the gates of the mansion without acknowledging the butler. Climbing up the stairs, and then reaching his bedroom, he slammed the door behind him with a loud thud.

The long airy curtains were drawn right shut, letting no light into the room. He collapsed onto the bed on his side, ruffling up the previously impeccable, wrinkle free mattress to be creased and scrunched up like the zigzag patterns in sea sponges. He stuffed his head under a pillow and screamed his lungs out, letting the sound drown out his entire consciousness and thoughts.

Confessed to. How?

One of the girls he trusted. Why?

There must be a nasty trick somewhere.

He went through what he had said.

"I am not ready for any relationship."

"It's complicated."

"I'm not as much of a 'free spirit' as you think."

 

He could see how his words had ripped into Melissa. How she started to dig her nails into her hands, her face turned color and her tears-

Even if he did turn back time, the guilt he felt weighing into him like an anchor still seemed to exist. The rest of the day was incredibly awkward. No one talked to him, the girls, or even Red, which was surprising. As he stared at the top of the ceiling with an empty expression, a sound rang out suddenly.

Huh?! Oh great. F*CK you game.

Ace slammed his head against the pillow. How can I get it to fricking stop?! There's no need for another game! Stop downloading! He tried to overload his mind with frenzied thoughts, but the bar on the screen continued to fill up steadily.

There was no choice.