Ms. Pillarion sat back, her eyes searching Chizuru's. A silent communication passed between them, nods and subtle shifts of expression that felt like a secret code. Beside them, Epione fidgeted, playing with her fingers and scratching her nape. 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."
As the two stepped out into the hall, the morning air felt lighter.
"Chizuru, thanks for saving me earlier," Epione said, her voice small but sincere. "If it weren't for you, I'd look like a burnt tortilla wrapper by now."
Chizuru chuckled and ruffled Epione's hair. "That's what friends are for. Real friends don't just stand by; they're 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.'"
Epione frowned slightly, her heart fluttering with a mix of gratitude and confusion. "But... I rejected your friend request earlier. Why would you still care?"
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' she had checked had been transformed into: 'NO PROBLEM, I OPENLY ACCEPT YOUR FRIEND REQUEST! :)'
"We're officially Tomodachi now," Chizuru exclaimed, hooking her thumb with Epione's. "That's Japanese for friend. And friends don't let each other get hurt alone. Now let's get ICE CREAMMMMMUU!"
"H-HUH? But we still have our last period!" and there the poor Epione was dragged along by a tall girl to eat some ice cream.
After parting ways at the school gate, Epione transitioned into her other world. She wasn't just a student; she was a survivor. She spent her evening weaving through the city on her motorbike, delivering pizzas with a practiced efficiency.
One delivery took her to the De'Cozzzy Apartments, Room 201. A tall, blonde girl, Yumi, answered the door, ordering twenty large Hawaiian pizzas.
"You working students have it hard," Yumi said, handing Epione a $300 payment for a $250 bill. "Keep the change. You deserve it."
Inside that room, unseen by Epione, Chizuru was sitting with her friends, biting into a slice of that very pizza.
"So… how's life being an exchange student here?"
"I'm not just an exchange student," Chizuru told her friends, her eyes sharp.
"My dad sent me here to find the dirty secrets of Hallowhand University. I can feel it. Something is deeply wrong with that place. Let alone the bullying that I have been witnessing, I just need solid and concrete evidence. And once I get a good grip of it" she took a hold of her second slice of pizza
"That's when I'll pull the trigger"
Her friends quietly nodded in silence as they chewed the pizza laying comfortably in their mouths.
By the time Epione returned home, it was nearly midnight. She found her uncle passed out on the couch, surrounded by empty beer bottles. With the practiced silence of someone used to navigating a minefield, she cleaned the room, tucked his glasses into his collar, and left a bucket nearby in case he woke up sick. She slumped into her bed, exhausted, falling into a dreamless sleep before the sun could even think of rising.
The next morning, the two girls met at the school gate as planned. After receiving their official transfer cards, they walked toward their new classroom in Section Dream-2.
"So," Epione asked as they walked, "were those bruises in the office actually real?" She had noticed that whatever Chizuru did, she didn't seem to wince at any pain at all.
Chizuru smirked. "My magic? Just some makeup skills using authentic waterproof foundation and a lot of acting talent did the trick. Why? Does that make you hate me? Because I lied?"
Epione hesitated. "I don't know. It feels wrong, but... you did it to save me."
"It's a white lie," Chizuru said softly. "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. It was empty, save for a few bags scattered on desks. They took seats at the back, the morning sun casting long shadows across the floor.
"How come you let them do it, Epione?" Chizuru asked suddenly. "You're a green flag in a forest of red flags. You're like a flower waiting to blossom, but you see yourself as a 'peasant.'"
"Because that's what I am," Epione whispered. "I'm weak."
"No," Chizuru replied, leaning in. "You're just kind. But being kind shouldn't be a weakness. If you ever feel like the clouds are too heavy, you can pour that rain on my shoulder. I'll be the sister you never had."
Chizuru took Epione's phone and saved her number under: 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," she joked, making Epione laugh.
But the laughter was short-lived. The classroom door creaked open, and a group of students walked in. The air in the room instantly turned cold.
"Well, well," a distorted, mocking voice echoed from the doorway. "If it isn't my favorite nerdy slave."
Epione's stomach did a sickening somersault. She knew that voice. She knew that shadow.
"Where's our assignment, trash chick?"