2ECONDS TO STΔRLIVHT: Forever My Diamond/Story

Chapter 0

The story of 2ECONDS TO STΔRLIVHT: Forever My Diamond begins with Grace dreaming about her favourite JRPG, Legends of Rikeheart; she is a knight valiantly defending her brave princess Sera and their travelling partner Rikey, a character from the game. Rikey walks ahead, leaving Grace and Sera behind; the two of them wonder what will happen "when it's over". Sera asks for Grace's reassurance they'll still be together, to which Grace affirms they will be - forever and ever, a callback to something said between them in the waking world.

Chapter 1

An alarm clock wakes Grace from her dream, and she reminisces about Legends of Rikeheart, and her memories playing it with Sera. Her train of thought is terminated when she remembers it's a school day - graduation day, to boot - and she begins her day, checking in with Kelp, listening to the radio and eating breakfast (quickly) before heading out for school.

Remembering she forgot to prepare lunch the night before, she decides to head to the convenience store to pick up a bento box for lunch. Grace loses herself in an aside, excited for another day with her friends Sera and Akira, reminiscing once more about Legends of Rikeheart before she bumps into a passerby, falling to the ground in front of FriendMart. She can respond one of two ways:

I'm! Not okay! Okay! I'm okay!

The passerby asks Grace if she's sure, to which Grace says she's absolutely sure, telling him not to worry about it. The passerby extends their hand to help Grace up, though she flinches away, hopping to her feet by herself.

Oh...... I'll be fine...

Grace notes she isn't a fan of talking to strangers, though takes the passerby's extended hand to help her up as so not to be rude. The passerby is glad Grace isn't injured.

The passerby remarks that they were heading in to grab a soda, and asks Grace if she was heading in too. Grace notices they're trying to start a conversation and panics, and there are two ways she can handle it.

Try to exit the conversation

Stumbling over her words, Grace quickly exits the conversation and says an abrupt goodbye, dashing into the store. Seeing the passerby in the store, she hides behind the magazine display and worries about the awkwardness of possibly being seen, assuming the "Pls Don't Kill Me Tornado" Position learnt from playing Hide & Seek with Sera - that is, to go down on her knees, faceplant the ground, and cover her head with her hands.

She hears the passerby and the cashier making small talk and catching up at the counter. She learns their name is Rikey - like the video game character Rikey. As the passerby leaves, Grace finds the bento box she wants; one with chicken, cucumber salad and sweet fruits. It comes to 590 cents, and Grace buys it, walking out of the store with her head in her hands, embarrassed over what had just happened. She chides herself for it, and can either forgive herself, or punish herself further:

This is just ONE time, Grace. You're not always like this!

Grace leans into her coping strategy, considering the situation as her "gaining XP", and perks back up.

How could you have completely screwed this one up, Grace?

Grace decides against deep breaths, and beats herself up for what just happened. An awkward silence ensues as passersby give her odd looks, embarrassing Grace further as she wishes she'd never met the initial passerby.

She apologises to Sera in her head for being "a weak mess", and continuing the thought, notes that she's been thinking about her a lot lately - realising that she might like like Sera, though isn't sure how to confess.

Grace laments that she hasn't done it yet, and worries if Sera will say yes, self-deprecating once more. Dejected that she can't be the knight she wishes to be, Grace wonders if Sera would want someone stronger instead, and continues worrying over scenarios if she'd say yes, especially whether her family would accept her for being gay; she asks Kelp for answers, who responds with the same blank grin as ever.

She knows she's been meaning to tell Sera for a while, and knows she can't keep it bottled up forever, and resolves to do it before the end of the school year in little over a week. Kelp's grin reassures her, and Grace steels herself.

She snaps back to reality, and realises it's 8:50AM - and so resumes her mad dash to school.

Allow the conversation to proceed

Grace nervously responds that she's just grabbing lunch. The passerby motions to allow her into the shop, and they wonder towards the drink aisle - to Grace's relief, all without saying a word. Grace herself has a choice of bento box:

The egg-shaped bento box

The bento box contains teriyaki chicken, several rolls, seaweed and broccoli.

The funny-shaped bento box

The bento box contains sliced beef, two different salads, rice and shrimp.

Grace also buys dessert to round off the meal and heads to the counter, coming across the passerby once more, who introduces themselves as Rikey. Grace immediately recognises the name from Legends of Rikeheart, and Rikey sees this glimmer of recognition on Grace's face, responding that while they're not the Rikey from Legends of Rikeheart, it was the first name that came to mind when they changed their mind.

Grace asks if they played Legends of Rikeheart too, and Rikey says yes, noting that it was a seminal experience for them; a strange comfort. Grace talks about playing the game with someone she cares about, and Rikey assumes Grace is talking about her "partner". She becomes flustered and Rikey relents, apologising for assuming. Grace says that while she and that special someone have been together, she wouldn't really say they're partners.

Rikey apologises for butting in, and Grace reassures them. They ask if Grace has expressed her feelings, and she admits she hasn't; Rikey asks if she will anytime soon, and Grace has a choice:

I don't know if I can, to be honest...

Grace muses over her relationship with Sera; she thinks about how when they were kids, it seemed really natural that they'd just always be together; she considers that maybe it's not realistic, and considers Sera out of her league, marking it a "long shot" to confess - like "shooting a dart into the atmosphere and hoping it leaves the galaxy", considering all kinds of reasons Sera may not want to, such as her strict, career-focused mother.

She thinks about their promise to be together forever, and wonders if it's as friends or something more. Seeing Grace lost in thought, Rikey realises it may be a rough subject, and backs off, their words pulling Grace back to reality. She tells Rikey that she may not be ready to talk about her to anyone - "her" being a keyword Rikey notices, grabbing a lollipop and pointing it to Grace. They tell Grace that there's no way of knowing without giving it a try.

I'd like to think... sometime soon...

Rikey tells Grace to strike when the steel's sharp. Grace recognises this line, and Rikey continues it - "And when you've got your eyes on the target" - Grace finishes it: "GO FOR THE CHAIN ATTACK!!!"

Grace laughs and tells Rikey they're just like their namesake; Rikey disagrees, but talks about how the game taught them that there's anything to fear about giving your heart a try. Grace finds comfort in those words, wondering if "romantic thoughts like that" aren't all bad. Rikey's purchase comes to 110 cents, which is paid, and Grace's comes to 590 cents. Caught off guard, Grace fumbles for her wallet, though the cashier and Rikey remind her there's no rush, with Rikey remarking that class likely starts in around 10 minutes.

Alarmed at the concept of being late, Grace quickly says her goodbyes and makes her purchase before dashing towards the school. Taking a moment, she acknowledges that she put her coins down in a rush, and remembering she left home with 1,400¢ and now has 910¢, she can remember the bento as being...

It was 490¢, right?

Grace is relieved at having "paid in full":

BuT wHaT iF i DiDnT

Grace begins to panic over having "committed a crime", despairing over the idea of having to atone for her sins in jail; she apologises to Sera in her head.

hmmmm yeah we gucci

Grace affirms her relief to Kelp, hugging him. She is excited to tell Sera that an encounter with a stranger went okay for once. An RPG-style message pops up on screen: ("You got a new friend: RIKEY!)

She considers Rikey's words, and considers giving it a try, deciding to do it tomorrow - more than enough time to do it before the school year ends. Grace looks to the bright sky above, considering it a sign.

Wait, it was supposed to be 590¢

Grace begins to panic over having "committed a crime", despairing over the idea of having to atone for her sins in jail; she apologises to Sera in her head.

She snaps back to reality, and realises she has less than 5 minutes to class - and so resumes her mad dash.

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6