After Alysia's rather monotonous and short sentence, silence fell over the room again.
And I... just took a deep breath.
Everyone turned toward me as I did so.
"You all... talked about your lives in general, what you find uncomfortable and overwhelming. Memories you found funny or absurd, things you thought would be amusing. Things that happened when we couldn't see each other. But I... I want to go back a little further."
I don't know why, they all straightened up slightly as if a heavy air had fallen.
I hadn't even started yet...
"Honestly... my initial purpose in forming this group was not simply to be 'friends'. And I think you all guessed that already at some point. I knew you were all important people. Adrian was ranked first, being the most powerful person. Lucia, Julian, and Celine were also powerful and came from important families. I got close to all of you with the idea that 'I should make these people close to me'. Alysia was... a bit of a bonus, no offense."
