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"W-Who are you?" stutters Claes, pointing a shaking finger at her doppelganger. "I-I demand you identify yourself at once!"
Katarina blinks. "Eh?" Then she launches into a scream. "Ah! Another me!"
The two stumble back from each other, unintentionally mirroring the other's motions. They stay like that, staring at each other for a while.
"A-Are you an evil clone?" stutters Katarina. She gasps. "Or wait, are you the villainess Katarina!?"
"Villainess Katarina? What on Earth are you talking about?"
"The bad Katarina! The one that's the rival to the heroine!"
Claes stares at her. "I have no idea what you're saying."
Katarina deflates. "Well, you don't seem evil, so I guess I can trust you."
There's a long pause before Claes speaks. "You sure came around quickly."
Katarina smiles. "Because this is actually really great! Now I have someone else I can talk about avoiding doom flags with!'
"Doom flags?"
Katarina nods. "Yeah! Like, you know, getting exiled, or killed by Keith, or Gerald-"
"H-How do you know about that!?" Claes shouts, "and wait, Keith kills me!?"
Katarina just shakes her head. "It's okay! I know your secret!"
Claes' eyes widen. "You do?"
Katarina nods confidently. "Yup! I'm from Japan too!"
Claes' forehead wrinkles in confusion. "Pardon?"
Katarina blinks. "Do you not remember being a high-school girl in Japan?"
Claes glares at her. "Quit babbling nonsense!"
Katarina flies backwards, tripping and falling onto the ground. "Kyah! You are the villainess Katarina!"
"Stop calling me a villainess!"
"But you are! You're the one that bullies and hurts sweet Maria!" She pauses, and an angry look overtakes her face. "How dare you hurt my friend!"
"I don't bully Maria!" Claes shouts, before a sullen look crosses her features. "At least, not anymore..."
Katarina stares at her. "Eh? But there's no route like that."
Claes frowns. "You're still babbling on about things that don't make any sense."
Katarina shakes her head. "You're the one not making any sense! If you're the villainess Katarina-"
"Stop calling me that!"
"-then how do you know about the Gerald bad end?"
"Because I died!" she snaps. "He killed me!"
Katarina goes pale. "Oh." She's quiet for a while. "Even if you are bad... I'm sorry to hear that."
"Stop calling me bad!" Claes hisses. "That harlot stole my fiancee away from me. My future! She ruined my life! I had every right to be angry at her!"
"Eh? Didn't you just say that you don't bully Maria anymore?"
Claes scoffs. "I don't bully Maria. The harlot, on the other hand..."
Katarina blinks. "I'm very confused."
Claes sighs and nurses her forehead. "That makes two of us. Perhaps we should start from the beginning?"
"Okay, so wait, this 'game' of yours followed Maria's life at the academy?"
Katarina nods.
"And you're saying that I'm the antagonist character in it?"
"We're the antagonist character, but yes."
Claes laughs bitterly. "So much makes sense now. No wonder I can't compete with her. I'm literally designed to lose."
Katarina frowns. Even if she is the villainess...
Claes gasps as Katarina slings an arm around her shoulder. "Don't touch me!" she exclaims, trying to worm her way out of the embrace.
"I know how you feel."
Claes stops struggling and sighs. "I suppose you do." Her expression softens. "So how did you avoid these 'doom flags?'"
Claes stares, mouth agape.
Katarina fidgets nervously. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"I'm not this idiotic, am I?"
Katarina frowns. "Rude!"
Claes shakes her head. "So let me see if I understand this correctly. Gerald refuses to drop his engagement and constantly dotes on you?"
Katarina nods. "Honestly, I wish he'd be honest with me and find someone he loves already."
Claes just nurses her forehead and continues. "Keith isn't a bastard, is also constantly doting on you, and constantly tries to keep you away from Gerald?"
Katarina's voice drops to a whisper. "I'd think he was jealous of all the attention Gerald gives me, but I know he doesn't swing that way."
"Mary keeps coming up with plans to run away with you, helps you farm," she says, putting particular emphasis on her distaste for that fact, "and doesn't pay any attention to Alan."
"Yes?" Katarina says, arching a brow. "I'm not sure where you're going with this."
Claes lets loose another cry of despair before continuing, voice weary, "Sophia keeps giving you novels about 'friendship' between woman and gushing about Nicol, Alan keeps... climbing trees with you, and Maria..."
Claes pauses, her face turning an iridescent red as she buries it in her hands. "Oh gods," she mumbles. "I'm just as bad."
"Eh?"
Claes cries out to the ceiling as she lifts her head. "Why do the answers to my problems have to be contained within this... moron!"