Chapter 16 - Epilogue

As Millie sinks back into her own seat, she looks down at her field - with the three Aromages in position before her. She… She knew better than to think that it had a strategic advantage to summon more than just Jasmine for the life points, but… It just felt better to do that - for the flash, and… For the fun of it. 
 
Another baleful sound escapes Annie, but rising over that is the discussion of the other students - some of them applauding, others giving her words of encouragement. 
 
“I thought the president had it for sure - but you sure showed her!”
                “I was rooting for you from the start!”
                “My heart was pounding during that last turn…”
“I’ve gotta take you on - I feel like I could learn a lot!”
               Was this… Whatever curse had been laid upon her, or was this just how they felt? Millie felt her cheeks heating up again - and she bashfully waved the students off… Especially in light of the fact that she was still pretty much nude. “U-um…! Th-thank… Snrt! Thank you! B-but, um, I… I have to t-take care of… Things…” she admits, looking back to Annie. With mixed cheers and moans of disappointment, the rest of the club disperses - dividing amongst themselves to return to their activities or discuss what had just gone down…
 
               And leaving Millie and Annie alone in their corner of the room. Delicately, Millie begins to gather her cards - and by the time her deck is reassembled, Annie manages to sit forward again, glaring at Millie. Millie nervously averts her eyes - but feels pressed to speak first.
 
               “U-um, you… You p-played… W-we-well.” she begins, trying to find a way to broach the subject on her mind… “B-but, um… Your- uh… Whatever you did…”
 
               Annie picks up her coin from the table, turning it over in her hands. “I thought it’d bring you low, president…” she admits with audible venom. “But I suppose I’ll have to settle for this instead.” She smirks again, looking up and down at Millie. “Or, what - did you think it’ll fix itself if you beat me?”
 
               Millie tilts her head, her eyes widening. “It… Won’t? B-bu-but… But…!” 
 
               Annie begins to snicker, waiting for her to come to the realization herself.
 
               “B-but, doesh that mean nobody’s g-gonna ever she me ash being… Y’know, n-n-naked…?” she muses - to Annie’s immense disappointment. 
 
               Rolling her eyes, she spits “No, that goes away. But you - I mean, you… I don’t know how-” She stops herself. “That can’t be fixed.”
 
               That seemed to be a… Lighter blow to Millie than Annie expected. She pouted a little, and looked down at herself, whimpering. “So… N-no more… Queen bee?”
 
               “Nope.” Annie affirms, trying to twist the knife.
 
               “This is just… M-me, now?”
 
               “That’s how it works.”
 
               Looking behind herself, Millie casts a glance at the other students. “And… P-people are okay with that?”
 
               Annie perks up. Millie seemed to be taking this rather well, all things considered… Looking down to her coin, a snide smile spreads across her face. “Yeah… This is what they think of you. I guess you’ve got more fans now, but…” She motions toward the students. “They’re out a president, now.”
 
               Millie whips back toward Annie. “Oh! Yesh, I… I totally forgot about that! But… Eh… That meansh I’m shtill…” 
 
               Annie nods, starting to gather her cards up. “And all of them are the same. I wonder what they’d think of you now…” 
 
               Millie shudders, looking over to the paperwork - now outdated, seeing as Annie was no longer taking over leadership of the club. “Um… A-ah… H-hey, um…” she begins nervously - only for Annie to finish.
 
               “I… Think I know what you’re thinking, Millie… And, I said I give people what they want, didn’t I…?” she teases. Rolling her coin over in her fingers, she eventually settles it in her palm - and extends her hand, offering it for a shake. “I never said you’re an exception…”
 


 
               Millie sets her pen down, huffing as she finishes the last signature on the paperwork. Seeing as she’d been used to pawning it off on other people for so long, she had no idea how much writing was actually involved in something that formalized a simple change in position in an extracurricular club. It was weird to see her name and signature on the paper - having actually been penned by her hand.
 
               It was even weirder to slide it across the desk to the class president. “There you go! That should take care of it - I’m… I-I’m shorry if my handwriting ish a little shloppy…” she says bashfully, brushing a bit of unkempt hair out of her face. 
 
               “Ohoho, never you mind, dear  - believe you me, I’ve seen leagues worse.” the class president responds, placing a hand close to her chest. She looked like the very image of the class president Millicent had embodied - a neatly-pressed and immaculate school uniform, an imposing stature, a lithe figure and a… Classy look. The class president’s raven locks were gathered into delicately-primped drills, and a light dusting of makeup graced her sunny, lightly-tanned face. Were it not for their… Previous interactions, she never would’ve thought the girl standing before her would be Annie-
 
               Rather, Annalise Tempo. In reinventing herself to better assume the position Millie meekly vacated, she attempted to tap into an air of nobility, and thought her full name would lend to that image. The stenciled-on beauty mark might’ve been a bit much, though…
 
               “I’ll file this myself, dear; suffice it to say your position will be formalized promptly. Even before I assumed the… Temporary position, I found the previous president of the dueling club… Hmph- wanting. I’m sure you’ll do plenty better on your own merit.” Annalise assures. Be  it earnest or simple flattery - Millie knew to expect both from the new class president - the new club president felt elated at the praise.
 
               “Gosh… Th-thanksh!” she lisps out, bouncing a little in her seat. She found the relinquishing of her position as class president - among stepping back from some of her more… Vanity activities - to be downright therapeutic; finding an odd amount of relaxation in her new love of dueling and collecting. Some might say she was… Too relaxed, or at least bringing that more laid-back demeanor into facets of her life where it wasn’t quite serving her well - her looks being one of them.
 
               In contrast to the club president, her rather flabby body was covered by a plus-sized uniform in a rather disheveled state. Her skirt was wrinkled, her jacket unbuttoned, and her tie undone - even her shirt seemed creased in a way a mere day of being worn couldn’t cause… To say nothing of the impressions of sweat upon it - or the undeniably large impressions of her nipples against her shirt. Her hair wasn’t much better either - it only fell to her shoulders now, and her bangs had been trimmed back - somewhat unevenly - but it was just as dishevelled as ever. But, as far as she was concerned - when she was in the dueling club, she was home; so she felt no guilt in being a little untidy.
 
               Millie realized that there were… Quite a few things about the curse Annalise had laid upon her that she could fix on her own merit. She could stand to lose some weight, she could shower more, she could style her hair and gussy herself up like she used to… Or, she could at least do something with her newfound acne problem, which seemed to be even worse now than before. But, admittedly, she found little motivation to do so. There were some that prodded her about her weight, others about her state of dress, and… Many, especially in her prior friend group, that derided her overall style and presentation. They called her a loser and a geek - and she… Really couldn’t refute that, and certainly didn’t have the nerve to even try and confront them. But, commanding a high rung on the social ladder wasn’t a priority for her anymore. 
 
               Besides - when it came down to it, she could wipe the floor with any of them in a duel; and that was an infinitely more important quality than ‘popularity’. 
 
               “Now, I am woefully busy with these new responsibilities, so I haven’t much time to visit, but…” She looks behind herself, then leans closer to Millie. “You may have an increase in membership soon. Do you remember Melissa? Word’s starting to get around that she’s not quite as sweet as she wants people to believe… I think some folks might appreciate a little comeuppance… Kekeke…” She freezes, then clears her throat. “Ah- ohoho~” she corrects herself.
 
               Millie waves her off a little, shaking her head. “Ah- I… I don’t pay attention to shtuff like that anymore, but…” She looks down, rubbing her rather scuffed shoe against the ground. “I… I th-think she’d have a lot m-more fun with a bit lessh presshure on her…”
 
               Annalise gives Millie’s head a gentle pat - quickly wiping it off on her skirt. “Well, don’t worry your pretty little head about it. I’d say ‘have fun’, but… I know you’ll have no trouble doing that now, dear.”
 
               With that, the class president scoops up the paperwork and departs from the club room - leaving Millie alone to preside over her club. She reaches into her bag - a fanny pack, for convenience’s sake - and pulls out a deckbox as she strides over to an empty desk, plopping down with an audible groan as the chair grinds across the floor as a result of her weight. “Alright! Preshidential bushinessh is done - who wantsh to take me on?”
 
               Several hands raise within the club - and so began another day for Millie. When the day was through - she’d return home; and though her reputation as an heiress had changed, her existence as one would remain untouched. No longer keen on reaping its benefits without any involvement - she found herself less interested with their prestige and more with their work. Dueling simulators, virtual environments, fully manipulable realities…
 
               The ability to change one’s avatar in such a world - to simulate sensation, and even impact the user in reality… Millie couldn’t help feel a sense of familiarity. 
 
               And with that, a giddy sense of anticipation.