Epiones' POV
Ms. Pillarion sat back in her heavy leather chair, her eyes searching Chizuru's with an intensity that made the air in the office feel electric. A silent communication passed between them, a series of knowing nods and subtle shifts of expression that felt like a secret code being transmitted in real time. I sat beside them, fidgeting with my hem and scratching the nape of my neck. The silence was so heavy it felt as uncomfortable as saying "break a leg" to a person in a wheelchair.
Finally, Ms. Pillarion broke the tension. "I suppose you are certain, Miss Katsura. I shall not deny a request from a student of your... prowess. Tomorrow, return here for your permission cards to finalize the transfer to Section Dream 2. Enjoy the rest of your day. And Epione? Take a shower before you head to class, you can use the ones on the clinic, I'll tell you to the staff beforehand via call"
"Y-yes ma'am"
Once the door clicked shut and we were alone in the hallway, the "shaking" in Chizuru's shoulders stopped instantly, which caught me a little off guard, was she not hurt just before? She stood tall, the tears on her face drying as if they had never been there.
"Dream-2," I whispered, my heart sinking. "Chizuru, why did you ask for that? That's where Marcus and the others are. It's... it's worse than here."
Chizuru looked at me, her eyes no longer "innocent" or "crying," but filled with a cold, calculating fire. "I know," she said simply. "That is why we are going. You cannot burn down a house if you are standing across the street, Epione. You have to be inside."
Her words are serious, it seems like whatever I may say against her decision will be useless...so I decided to let it off
"By the way Chizuru, thanks for saving me earlier," I said, my voice small but sincere. Although also keeping my distance because I literally smell like a sewer I looked down at my scuffed shoes, avoiding the direct radiance of her gaze. "If it weren't for you, I would look like a beaten up tortilla wrapper by now."
Chizuru chuckled, noticing my distance, she came closer then ruffled my hair with a playful familiarity. "That is what friends are for. Real friends don't just stand by; they are at the front, protecting you. My father always says: 'Better to lose a tooth and gain a scar, than lose a friend you left behind in a war.'"
I frowned slightly, my heart fluttering with a mix of gratitude and deep confusion. "Friend...b-but I rejected your friend request earlier. Why would you still care so much?"
Chizuru grinned, fishing a folded piece of yellow pad paper from her pocket. She peeled back a small strip of yellow tape I hadn't noticed before. The "NO" I had checked had been transformed with a few strokes of a pen into: NO PROBLEM, I OPENLY ACCEPT YOUR FRIEND REQUEST! :)
"We are officially Tomodachi now," Chizuru exclaimed, hooking her thumb with mine in a firm, solid lock. "That is Japanese for friend. And friends don't let each other get hurt alone. Now you go get a shower first then after that, let us get ICE CREAMMMMMUU!"
"H-HUH? But we still have our last period!"
I had no choice. I was dragged along by the tall, unstoppable girl, my protests drowned out by her infectious energy as we headed toward the school gates.
Eyes Above
The sun began to dip, casting long, bruised shadows over the school gates as the two girls parted ways. For Epione, the end of the school day was simply the beginning of her second life. She was no longer just a student; she was a survivor navigating the concrete veins of the city. As the evening chill set in, she spent her hours weaving through heavy traffic on a weathered motorbike, delivering pizzas with the practiced efficiency of someone who could not afford to be slow.
One delivery took her to the De Cozzzy Apartments, Room 201. A tall, blonde girl named Yumi answered the door, accepting the stack of twenty large Hawaiian pizzas she had ordered for a gathering inside.
"You working students have it hard," Yumi said, her voice genuine and kind. She pressed a 300 dollar payment into Epione's hand for a 250 dollar bill. "Keep the change. You deserve it."
"Thank you, Ma'am," Epione replied, her exhaustion momentarily masked by the unexpected warmth of the tip.
She turned and headed back to the elevator, unaware of the world she had just brushed against. Inside that very apartment, Chizuru was sitting comfortably on a plush sofa. She was surrounded by her own circle of friends, casually biting into a slice of the pizza Epione had just delivered. Her expression was sharp and focused as she discussed her mission to dismantle the Hallowhand hierarchy from the inside.
"I know something is going inside that campus, and as responsible as
can...I will dismantle everything they had built"
Her friends listen attentively while munching in serious motion
.....
By the time the first slice was finished, Epione was already back on her bike, racing toward the next address on her list.
It was nearly midnightn and Epione finally returned home. The air in their small house was stagnant, smelling of stale beer and old upholstery. She found her uncle passed out on the couch, surrounded by empty bottles that clattered softly against one another as she moved through the room. With the practiced silence of someone used to navigating a minefield, she set to work. She cleaned the living area, tucked his glasses into his collar to keep them from being crushed, and left a bucket nearby in case he woke up sick.
Finally, she slumped into her own bed. Her muscles ached with a deep, throbbing fatigue, and she fell into a dreamless sleep before the sun could even think of rising.
...
The next morning, the two girls met at the school gate exactly as planned. After receiving their official transfer cards from a weary looking clerk who barely looked up from his desk, they began the long walk toward their new classroom in Section Dream 2.
"So," Epione asked as they climbed the stairs, her voice echoing in the stairwell, "were those bruises in the office actually real? Also the video..."
She had been thinking about the day after the incident. During the entire confrontation with the counselor, Chizuru hadn't winced once.
Chizuru smirked, a playful glint dancing in her eyes. And both of them knew the Chizuru was the one who did the damage to Ssatih's group
Chizuru just smiled coyly "My magic? Just some makeup skills using authentic waterproof foundation and a lot of acting talent did the trick. And since I am caught, yes, I've also edited the video right before we even get caught in the office so both of us can come on a loose, Why? Does that make you hate me? Because I lied?"
Epione hesitated, her footsteps slowing. "I don't know. It feels wrong, but... you did it to save me."
"It is a white lie," Chizuru said softly, her voice taking on a serious, protective edge. "Sometimes you have to manipulate the truth to stop a monster. People warned me about your names such as monster, but I chose to listen to my own eyes instead of their whispers."
They reached the classroom on the third floor. The room was mostly empty, save for a few stray bags scattered across the desks. They took seats at the very back, where the morning sun cast long, rhythmic shadows across the floorboards.
"How come you let them do it, Epione?" Chizuru asked suddenly, turning her chair to face her. "You are a green flag in a forest of red flags. You are like a flower waiting to blossom, but you see yourself as a peasant? Such an odd self reflection"
"Because that is what I am," Epione whispered, her voice cracking as she looked down at her hands. "I am weak." It's not me who answered...it was the voices haunting me, those who painted my reality
"No," Chizuru replied, leaning in until their shoulders touched. "You are just kind. But being kind should not be a weakness, it's just an easy target for the abusers. But hey, If you ever feel like the clouds are too heavy, you can pour that rain on my shoulder. I will be the sister you never had."
Chizuru reached over, took Epione's phone, and saved her number under the name: Chizuru chan. "Call me anytime. I transferred sections so I can keep an eye on you. Besides, the people in our old section smelled like formaldehyde that not even mortuary cosmetics could even cover for their personality, rotten to the core" she joked, finally earning a small laugh out of Epione.
But the laughter was short lived. The classroom door creaked open, and a group of students walked in. The temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees in an instant.
"Well, well," a distorted, mocking voice echoed from the doorway. "If it isn't my favorite slave."
Epione's stomach did a sickening somersault. She knew that voice. She knew that shadow. It was Marcus, and he looked twice as tall as usual standing in the narrow doorway.
"Where is our assignment, Dirt clinger chick?"