Ichinose POV
I held my head as I lay on the bed, the incessant voice that I'd been forced to put up with for the past week now continuing to speak.
~Honestly, I don't know what that girl was thinking challenging Morax, why, I've watched her fail to use a campfire, it's beyond me why she'd attempt such a thing~
A sharp pain speared me as I slammed my head off the wall, the voice yelping slightly.
~Hey! I'm in here you know~
Words slipped from my mouth as I sat there.
"You're not real... Not real... Just get out of my head..."
I felt a sigh from within me.
~Oh? And how do you explain me knowing things even you don't, hm?~
For the first time I clenched my fist and spoke directly to the voice.
Hehe... I'd finally lost it...
"W-what are you...?"
~Rude, I'm a person y'know~
The voice chuckled in my mind.
"A-are you a... Um... Demon...?"
My question was quickly mocked by an echoing laughter however.
~You're such an adorable little thing aren't you, don't worry, I'm nothing so scary~
Then what... Had my guilt really messed me up this badly...
~Can you look in the mirror for me? You've had a strange aversion to doing so recently and I want to see what I'm working with~
I shook my head nervously.
"I'm scared... I don't want to see something different... I want to see me..."
My body trembled as I spoke, I knew I was being dumb but-
~Honami? Won't you be good and look in the mirror?~
I whimpered in fear as I felt the voice encompass my very body, as if it came from within my soul, before slowly stepping towards the mirror and removing the towel I'd pinned above it.
And in front of me stood...
Me?
For something so obvious I found it extremely shocking...
I blinked to find myself standing normally, if not slightly nervous with small bags under my eyes where exhaustion had begun to catch up.
~My my~ aren't I lucky to have been paired with someone so pretty, if only you were less... Stubborn~
The last few words felt harsh and I quickly snapped back.
"You try dealing with the voice of insanity in your mind!"
I felt a slight chuckle before it spoke again.
~Not that, I meant that befriend everyone thing you've got going~
My heart sank slightly.
"W-whats wrong with that! Venti and Kushida are the same!"
I felt an overwhelming sensation as I experienced my own soul be held gently.
~Oh dear... If you think they have good intentions then I pity you..." It muttered sympathetically~
"And how would you know!" I shouted indignantly, struggling not to embrace the warm sensation.
~I've known Venti for a long time... And I saw how that Kushida girl looked at times... It's a miracle no-one figured it out before me~
I sat back, barely questioning the statement, I knew I should but...
"Why should I believe you're real...?" I asked suddenly, the words leaving my throat as I slumped in defeat.
~Get up for a moment dear~
I did as I was asked, simply letting my tears fall as I felt my world collapse around me.
~Go to Ei's room, if you know where it is of course~
I began to walk, not even bothering to respond to the words, it's not like this would mean anything, I'll just say hi to her, that's all.
Eventually I reached the dorm and knocked nervously, the door soon sliding open to reveal the tall girl.
"Hm? Ichinose right?" She muttered, her hair slightly messy and a pair of headphones around her neck, the black jacket that hung loosely over her shoulders contrasting nicely with a tight purple shirt.
~Follow what I say, okay dear?~
I simply waited awkwardly for a moment before I heard the voice again.
~Tell her that you got the wrong door and giggle naturally, after you turn away say 'goodbye Raiden', trust me on this~
Raiden? Why would I...
"Oh sorry" I giggled nervously and rubbed the back of my head. "Wrong door, see you later Raiden!"
I turned away as I spoke and began to walk before a hand slammed next to my head, the girl putting me in a position I was kinda hoping she didn't know the meaning of.
She was so pretty up close like this... her face barely a few-
E-eh! Shut up Honami, this is not the time!?
"What did you say?" Ei muttered cautiously, her breath running over my face as I stood, pinned by her against the corridor.
~Say you heard Venti mutter it about her, okay dear?~
"S-sorry..." I whimpered "I heard Venti say it and just... I-"
Her expression softened as she stepped away, seemingly a little annoyed at Venti but I got the impression that the feeling wasn't particularly uncommon.
"I really do apologise, I misunderstood the situation, have a good day." Her voice had completely changed as she happily but awkwardly bid me goodbye.
~Told you I knew her~
As she walked away I felt shock set in and began to speak softly.
"H-how...?"
~Not saying, that's a secret between me and her~
I felt a soft giggle from within my head.
~This competition thing however, sounds like fun~
"H-hey" I began to mutter "just because I trust that you're real doesn't mean I trust you... Not with the fate of my class..."
~Oh? And you really think you can win? You saw Ei and Zhongli, not to mention you're far too... Weak~ It chuckled softly at me.
"Class B are united together, that's already a step in front of A and C. Not to mention even the school thought we were better than the lower two classes!" I argued with determination.
~And if the other classes used less... Savoury methods? What then? This isn't just your future on the line after all~
I grit my teeth as I felt myself lose the argument.
"Let them, we don't need to act like that to win!"
~Hmm... Let's see if that's true~
The words echoed in my mind as I desperately tried to keep hold of my morals...
"I'll prove you wrong... I know I will.."
My half hearted statement was greeted by an amused giggle as I walked back to my dorm, another sleepless night looming before me.
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Hey! I hope you liked this, it was mostly because I felt like class B would get absolutely crushed if it took Ichinose too long to develop so this seemed like a fun idea.
I feel like the voices identity is fairly obvious but I'm curious as to who people guess, I will say it's not a god, as I want any archons to be a tangible impact on the characters and world.
Maybe there's others, maybe there aren't, that's for you to figure out, so keep an eye out for people acting strangely strangely~ ;)
Don't worry though, I won't over do it :)
Hopefully this chapter was good, and yes I know it was shorter. Either way I'll see you in the next chapter!
Bye~