The hallway outside the principal's office was uncomfortably quiet. Just the occasional flicker of the fluorescent lights above, the faraway click of shoes against tile, and the soft rustle of fabric being stitched.
Mei sat cross-legged on one of the metal benches, her school bag acting as a makeshift sewing kit laid open beside her. In her hands, Victor's torn uniform jacket draped like a flag—thread looping between her fingers in practiced silence.
She didn't say a word. Not even when the needle pricked her thumb.
Victor sat beside her, elbows on knees, watching the motionless floor like it might fight him next. He hadn't spoken since Eden had taken the lead and walked into the principal's office, promising to "handle the negotiations personally." The sounds of her voice occasionally slipped through the thick doors.
Kiana, however, had no such ability to remain silent.
"Heh. And you were the one telling us not to solve things with violence." She leaned toward Victor with a sly grin, elbows on her knees, chin propped on her palms. "You remember that? 'Don't punch anyone, Kiana.'" She mimicked in a deeper voice. "Well, congrats! Now you're officially cooler than me."
"Sit down and stop kicking the man while he's already down," Yuzuki sighed from the other side, offering Victor a small bottle of water and a half-hearted look of sympathy. "Or, well. Suspended."
"I'm not suspended yet," Victor muttered, voice dry.
"Keyword being 'yet.'"
"Yup. Definitely getting suspended," Kiana said with a snort.
Victor groaned softly.
Elysia, draped across the windowsill like a lounging cat only Victor could see, gave a dreamy sigh as she curled a lock of hair around her finger. "That was sooo manly, though… standing up and snapping like that for Mei?" She looked at him with glittering eyes. "If I wasn't already your wife, I'd ask to trade places with her right now."
"Stop saying weird things," Victor muttered under his breath, shifting slightly but never meeting anyone's gaze.
Mei didn't respond to any of them. She just continued her work, eyes focused on the torn fabric as if it were the only thing anchoring her to reality.
Thread in. Pull tight. Knot. Cut.
The silence that followed was heavier. Victor opened his mouth to say something—to apologize, maybe—but Mei spoke first.
"Don't do that again." Her voice was soft. Low. Flat. The needle paused, just briefly, before pushing through another stitch. "Ever."
Victor blinked, caught off guard. "Mei, I—"
"Not because I'm mad," she continued, still not looking at him. "Not even because it was reckless."
Her voice faltered—barely—and that was more honest than anything else.
"It's just… I don't want to be the reason you get into trouble."
Victor stared at her, but she didn't raise her eyes. She focused on the final knot, tying it neatly and brushing the threads smooth
.
"...You already fixed it," he said quietly, glancing down at the now-perfect seam.
The door clicked open.
Eden stepped out, graceful as always, a clipboard in one hand and her usual mischievous smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
"Well," she said, voice chipper. "They've decided not to expel anyone."
"Not yet," Yuzuki added again, whispering.
"I've negotiated with the principal," Eden began, her voice smooth as silk laced with thorns. "Since the two hospitalized parties are stable—well, one's being transferred to the ICU but, details—" she waved her hand like it was a pesky fly, "they've agreed to a two-week suspension."
"...That's it?" Victor asked, blinking.
Eden smiled knowingly, tucking the clipboard behind her like it was an afterthought. "I'm just that good."
"Hey, lucky you!" Kiana grinned, elbowing Victor's side with that familiar smirk, though it didn't quite reach her eyes.
Mei, seated on the bench's edge, finally stood. She smoothed her skirt down and bowed slightly, eyes lowered—never once looking at any of them.
"Thank you… for what you did," she said quietly. "But please… stop."
The hallway felt colder then. Still. Even Elysia—curled up on the nearby windowsill—stopped humming.
"I can handle myself," Mei whispered. She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, as if the motion alone could keep her mask from slipping. "You don't need to keep bothering yourselves with me."
"But—"
"Please don't make it harder than it already is." Her voice cracked just barely near the end, but she turned before anyone could call her out on it. Her footsteps echoed softly down the corridor, sharp heels tapping out a rhythm that didn't match her heartbeat.
Victor didn't follow. He didn't even blink. He just watched her leave, a tension in his jaw, his fists curled loosely by his sides.
"...What did she mean by that?" Kiana asked under her breath, her brows pinched with something close to hurt.
"Guilt," Yuzuki replied, arms crossed. "She's blaming herself for Victor getting punished."
"Why would she? Vicky did that 'cause he wanted to, right?"
"He did." Yuzuki's gaze flicked to Victor. "But he still thought of her first. That's what she's running from. She thinks she's the reason he got hurt."
Victor finally stood. Quiet. Steady. But something in him cracked just a little deeper as he turned to Eden, who reached for his hand and squeezed it gently.
"Don't do anything reckless," she whispered, voice like a soft snowfall against his storm.
"I won't." His voice was low. Measured.
"But if we wait too long, she'll drown in all that silence. I'm not trying to be her savior, Eden. I just—" he paused, thumb brushing her knuckles. "I just want her to breathe."
Eden looked at him a moment longer, then—smiling softly—pulled a slim folder from behind her. "You always say the things that make my job harder."
She handed it to him. "I've been looking into her father. What I've found… might be the thread we've been missing."
"Really?"
Eden nodded. "I'm not sure yet. But I plan to be. His office still has files locked down that not even my access can breach remotely."
Victor's eyes narrowed in thought.
"Then I'll go."
He turned slightly—just slightly—to glance down the hallway where Mei had disappeared. His lips parted, ready to say her name—
But Kiana grabbed his arm, smirking like she'd just caught a secret.
"Hold up. You're gonna askher to help sneak into her own house?" She leaned in close. "That's boring. Why don't we get in ourselves and bring her what we find?"
Victor blinked. "You want to break in and gift-wrap it?"
"Exactly!" Kiana beamed. "Think of it like… a surprise apology slash spying dinner date thing."
Victor hesitated.
Then, slowly, he nodded.
Yuzuki just stared at them, lips parted in disbelief. "You two are actually serious."
"We are," Victor said calmly, "She won't be able to stop us if we already have it after all."
"... And here I thought I was the crazy one." Yuzuki mumbled as he watched the two white heads walk off into the distance, Eden slowly trailing behind them. Left with no other choice, he reached out into his pockets and pulled out his phone, his fingers hovering over the call button