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“We need to talk.”
Celestia squared her shoulders as she rose from her seat. Her heels clicked on the tiled floor, pivoting to face the interloper. Her smile was etched on her face, her porcelain mask refusing to shatter when she met Kirigiri's narrowed gaze.
They were alone in the cafeteria. Celestia had been sitting at a table collecting her thoughts when Kirigiri stopped her. To call her out in an open place where the mastermind could clearly see them on the surveillance cameras pushed the notion that Kirigiri didn't care who witnessed them. Otherwise, desperation crawled down her back.
“Pray tell, Kirigiri-san, what could this be about?” she wondered, curling a lock of hair around her finger. She sighed and glanced at the entrance, Asahina's laughter echoing from a hallway beyond her sight. “Be quick, okay? I have other business today.”
“And what business is that?” Kirigiri asked, stomping towards her. She crossed her arms over her chest and pressed her leg into the long dining table next to them, straightening her posture.
She tilted her head. “Classified. I don't feel inclined to tell you any information which may end in my demise.”
Celestia chuckled behind closed lips as Kirigiri's eyes widened. Her lie sounded casual like she had commented on the weather. She watched Kirigiri's forehead wrinkle, her concern almost touching as Celestia clipped her hair behind her ear.
“Anyway, what sort of business do you have with me?” she asked, Kirigiri coming closer. She estimated the distance between them to be a yard. It gave Celestia ample time to dart off in case Kirigiri made the irrational decision to attack her, a fear which remained innate within her whenever she was isolated with a classmate.
Lowering her voice, Kirigiri asked, “Where is it?”
She hummed and clasped her hands by her waist. “'It?' Where is what? What could possibly be 'it?'”
“Don't play dumb. We both know what I mean.”
“I'm afraid I don't. It's rude to assume, Kirigiri-san. You might offend someone with such bold assumptions.”
Kirigiri's jaw twitched, and Celestia tightened her smile. Of course she caught the inference. The location of Alter Ego had caused a rift among the students. Ishimaru and Yamada would have exchanged blows if Kirigiri hadn't intervened, and Celestia had sensed their brewing tension while time ticked by without a resolution to the location of their dear laptop.
There was a traitor in their midst, and her name was Celestia Ludenberg. She relished in it, their suspicion her amusement. She anticipated the glances and uncertainty sent her way, too. Considering she was a known liar, and with a talent like hers, she was more likely than not Kirigiri's prime suspect.
But she left no evidence behind. She ensured that anyone could have seized the opportunity to steal Alter Ego. If they ignored the concept of the mastermind uncovering Alter Ego, which she cleverly played upon when they discussed the laptop's vanishing act in length last night, then Celestia was as free as bird from Kirigiri's baseless query.
Still, Kirigiri proved troublesome. Celestia didn't feel cornered, but she suspected that was Kirigiri's goal. By making the distrust known and directly confronting her, Kirigiri must have thought she could have made her talk. Celestia refused to let her win, and glimpsing the annoyance growing on Kirigiri's face as she played with her words felt like Celestia's victory had already been secured.
“Do you want to draw an answer out of me, Kirigiri-san? You'll have to be much, much clearer,” Celestia sneered, casting a glance at the camera focused on them. She smiled at it, but Kirigiri leaned closer to block her from the camera.
“We both know why I'm being cryptic. If the mastermind catches wind of it, then we'll lose our only chance to learn about the outside world,” Kirigiri hissed, her aggravation palpable.
Celestia noticed her hands balling into tight fists. She wondered if her knuckles were burning white underneath her skintight leather gloves, her frustration eliciting a snicker from Celestia. There wasn't any way for Kirigiri to beat around the bush or demand an answer when the mastermind was listening for any slip-ups from Celestia's dear opponent.
“You're only going to make this harder on yourself when the truth comes out,” Kirigiri whispered, resting her hand on Celestia's shoulder. She leaned in closer and pulled Celestia towards her, her cool breath hitting the shorter girl's nose. “Trust me when I say that.”
She smelled blueberries and vanilla wafting from Kirigiri's neck and coat, scents which latched on to Celestia. Her mask returned as Kirigiri sidestepped her and tightened her grip on her shoulder, her thumb reaching up and pressing against her fluttering pulse. Celestia forced the lump in her throat to remain still, feeling Kirigiri's eyes look her up and down as if she was a piece of art.
“Well, anything you want to say?” Kirigiri whispered, a hint of a smile playing on her pale pink lips.
Her hands covered the pockets of her dress. Leering at Kirigiri out of the corner of her eye, she hissed, “Not a damn thing, so get out of my face.” She cleared her throat and twisted away, appearing like a ballerina to the mastermind snickering at her. “Well, since there is nothing more to be said, I'm glad the air is cleared between us. This has been an enlightening discussion.”
“If you say it is,” Kirigiri said, brushing her hair over her shoulder.
Her nonplussed response made her mouth twist into a snarl. She grinded down on her molars, her head spinning with vindication and excitement. She listened to Kirigiri's footsteps fade, her clicking heels sounding like a victorious fanfare in the other girl's favor. Sucking down a breath, Celestia cupped her hand over her chest and ignored the itch in her scalp and sweat accumulating on her brow.
She sniffed the air around her, and it smelled so painfully like Kirigiri that she wanted to gag. She could have sworn the aroma took shape and cupped her neck. Rubbing underneath her chin, Celestia swallowed down the lump in her throat and decided her French vanilla parfait topped with ripe blueberries was off the menu for dinner.
“Oh, one more thing.”
Celestia jerked her head over her shoulder and scowled at the smirking girl with the long lavender locks.
“If you want to come clean, then you know where to find me.”
As Kirigiri left, Celestia told herself that the subtle shaking of the camera wasn't the mastermind laughing at her.