Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Kanade had a secret she couldn’t tell a soul. You see, her unchanging life and everyday routine had been disturbed a few weeks ago. Her mind had more and more trouble focusing on composing as well as tending to her everyday needs. Normally, she would discard those a bit to prioritize work, after all, she had an important goal: making music that could save people.

But no matter how hard she tried, she just wouldn’t be able to compose anymore. Normally when she was in a slump, she would go out with her friends and try new things as a way to get inspiration but lately, she felt so weak. Her ghostly pale hands seemed as if they moved on their own like they didn’t belong to her, and her run-down body was slowly shutting down.

Maybe she was sick, all those late nights composing away without minding the sun, ignoring the day, and isolating her mind were finally taking their toll. This was her own little cage she built around those reddened hands she disgustingly owned. Those hands were the downfall of her father, perhaps she was walking the same path.

She wouldn’t eat anymore, her stomach made rumbles that she had never felt before. It hung heavily down her fragile body, like a stack of rocks breaking the tissues against her muscles and tearing through her blinded mind. Kanade tried to eat but it repulsed her, it made her want to throw up her guts and leave them to rot. What good was her body for anyway? Simply compose in the hopes of doing good, infusing her notes with life to ward off death.

Death never hung too far from Kanade. Her legs were wobbly, her vision blurry and her throat ached. Water was good but sadly it didn’t help that strange slimy swirl in her mind to go away, as it blinds her judgment and prevents her from moving. She vacantly looks around her own room with glassy eyes as a small light blinked from her monitor.

How long has she sat there? She didn’t remember since lately, time has been viciously slipping past her as she sat there powerless.

Looking at her monitor, there were tons of missed notifications from her friends, the ones she worked so hard to make music with N25. She was late like she had been for the past week, but today it seemed the hands of time were having even more fun, making her later than usual, laughing at her pitiful self.

With a heavy sigh, awakening her shaky vocal cords, she logs on.

« Hey. Sorry, I’m late... » Her voice sounded weak and low. She didn’t mean to but it slipped out anyway.

« K are you okay? What took you so long? » Ena instantly asks, worry painting her digital voice, spreading to Kanade’s ears.

It felt noisy… Louder than usual.

« Sorry I kind of spaced out... I might have fallen asleep. » Kanade tries to explain, her words slow.

« You don’t seem too good, is everything all right? » Mizuki asks, a bit more optimistic in their tone than Ena but worried as well.

Kanade moves back her chair, laying a bit more on it and staring at the ceiling « I’ve been pretty tired lately but I’ll be fine. »

« Did you eat? » Ena questions.

In truth, Kanade hadn’t eaten anything in three days, the days before she forced down some cup noodles but they seemed to taste more and more horrible. They made her stomach turn and twist so brutally that her mind went blank and she had to lie down for a few hours.

Recounting the events, a small pause fills the voice chat. Then she answers « Yeah, earlier some of… Mochizuki’s cooking. »

A pang of guilt fills her empty guts. The food Mochizuki gave her from the kindness of her heart… Kanade had tried to bite into it and quickly gulp it down but in doing so she choked and had to take a break afterward. Like her body rejected even feeling the food’s texture against its tongue. Kanade forgot about them in her fridge, so they started to mold. She painfully got rid of them so Mochizuki wouldn’t find them.

The lies became unbearable these days, but she had to push through. She was supposed to make music after all.

Gently she closes her eyes.

« Well that’s good but don’t push yourself too much alright? » Mizuki adds to fill in the silence. Ena hums a bit, probably unconvinced by Kanade’s answer.

« Are you still in a slump? » Mafuyu asks, her voice much more calmer and poised than the other two.

Just then, Kanade’s eyelids lift up and shadowy figures graze her iris.

« Huh? » Kanade recoils on her chair, ignoring the pain that shoots through her weakened limbs.

« I said, are you still in a slump? » Mafuyu repeats, thinking Kanade had talked to her.

Kanade analyzes her room.

« I, um... » She starts but her dry eyes darted all over the place.

Normally they would get used to the darkness, after all, this was the place she locked herself in for as long as she realized her own curse with music, so she should know the entire layout. But now it looked way more… Shady. Perhaps a bit bent. Were those colors on her walls always there? It felt like they were running all across them.

More importantly… Did something move through her boxes? Kanade squeezes her eyes shut in an attempt to gain back some control.

« Yeah, but I’ve had some ideas... pop up here and there. So it’s okay... » She absent-mindedly throws the words out of her throat, as her headphones slide from her ears to her shoulders.

Some voices could faintly be heard through static but Kanade didn’t mind them, since her eyes were producing shapes she had never seen before. She gulps down. Music started to play from somewhere, anywhere, tingling sounds echoing and buzzing, reverbing back to her. Were they coming from her headphones?

Something was wrong.

Kanade gasps loudly as she suddenly gets up, her knees clicking and cracking into place from the sudden move. Her headphones fall to the ground with a loud thump. Her senses were alarmed as her tendons tense up all at once. It was impossible to stop her body from overreacting.

« Agh- ! »

Pain shoots up from her ears, so she instantly covers them, but this poisonous sensation travels to her jaw and then to her teeth.

Her lungs had trouble following.

She urgently walks over to her bathroom, ignoring the voices coming from her headphones screaming her name, perforating her skull even from miles away. Her legs were viciously tensing her muscles up despite not being able to let Kanade stand up straight. Like some sort of exterior force was controlling her movements.

Perhaps it was her survival instincts.

The bathroom door loudly opens, kicking itself against the wall as Kanade clutches the sink for dear life. Looking through the mirror, through what felt like her lifeline to comprehending her identity and deciding if what she felt was real, only laid out bitter betrayal.

Even then, her face seemed bent and foggy.

She shakes around, trying to make herself feel more awake. Her eyelids uncomfortably try to shut down on their own yet that horrible soreness coming from her teeth wouldn’t stop. It thumps around her skull and echoes inside her brain, ricocheting against her fleshy walls.

« Ahh, ahh... » She heaves and splashes cold water on her face, which seems to let her see clearer for a bit.

Opening her mouth and standing over the sink, ready to fall apart at any moment, her structure heavier than ever, pushed this unknown hand of hers to the inside of her mouth.

Looking harder at whoever’s reflection was in the mirror, the pain finally moved to four particular spots. Her canines, Kanade guessed in a hurry. A metal taste covered her gums. Strangely it was a familiar sensation.

Like the one she had when she lost her teeth as a child.

Except the pain was now way more exacerbated as one fully grown canine had been pushed out completely. Then another had trouble getting out. Kanade instinctively tugs on it.

« Go away, go away-! » She conjures. A general mumble to no one in particular, maybe pain.

It falls and clings next to the first one in the bloody sink.

The two lower canines had a bit more trouble since gravity wasn’t as kind to them. Kanade had to rough them up a bit and tear them off. She did her best to pull them out upright, which works for one but her shaky hands mess the other up as it bends to the side, one of its roots scraping deeper into Kanade’s gum.

« AGH! » She cries out, taking a few steps back.

She sighs. Holds her breath, then pulls once more.

It comes out.

Now she had four canines in her sink and growing pain in her mouth. Blood painted her lips and escaped from them, staining her cheeks. Her hands were a bloody mess like she had just committed a serious crime against someone.

« Ahh… What’s happening to me… ? »

Then just as it arrived, the pain disappears. Her vision felt less cramped and stuffed with a heavy poisonous fog, her mind eased up on the slimy pool taking a vicious grip on her thoughts. But something didn’t feel quite right in her mouth. Through the blood and inflamed gums, she found four pointy things.

Wide-opened in front of her mirror, pulling her cheek shakily on the side, she found four canines that grew back. Bigger, longer, and sharper than before.

« A-aH ?! » She jumps on her spot, fumbles then slips.

Her shoulder hits hard against the cold tiles as a loud crack resonates through the bathroom.

« Ouch, ouch, ouch... »

Tears made their way to her eyes. Sitting back up and holding her pained shoulder she passes her tongue on her new teeth, dumbfounded. The composer tries to get up, but just this slight movement made it feel like someone was ripping her shoulder apart.

« Ugh-! Damn it. »

Kanade curses. This was her punishment, right? For having used music so irresponsibly back then... Despite the pain, her mind allows her a few minutes of clear thoughts. Her consciousness shines through and she frowns upon realizing her mistake.

She had left her friends worried.

Kanade tries to crawl back but it hurts the same, so she stands up as she grits her teeth, and endures it, but just then she notices her sink. When was Mochizuki coming back to clean? In two days? Three? Time had failed her once more.

It didn’t matter right now, she had to get to the voice chat.

Back in her room, everything felt a bit less dark. Some strange colors were tainting her vision but she figures it might be because of all the time she spent in the darkness that her brain had decided to create shapes or something as a way to feel less bored. Did that make sense? Maybe she was losing her mind.

She crouches to get her headphones, which hurts like hell, making her groan in pain. The exhausted composer sits back down and then puts her headphones on.

Oh, she forgot about the blood on her face and hands. Well, that’d have to wait as well since her friends were practically screaming through the headphones. Kanade lowers her volume. Way lower than when Mizuki or Ena would bicker… How weird.

« I’m back, sorry about that. » Kanade tries to reassure her friend, ignoring the metallic taste coating her tongue as she speaks. Water, she should get some water.

« Sorry about that? Really ?! We thought you died or something! » Ena yells, her voice shaken up.

« Ena, calm down, we don’t know what happened yet. Kanade, are you okay? We heard some, uh, concerning sounds. » Mizuki tries to calm the situation.

Kanade sighs « I got up to get some water but fell. »

« You took quite a while to come back… » Mafuyu comments.

« Sorry about that. »

Ena decides to question some more, to Kanade’s dismay. « That sounded like a nasty fall, then you came back and groaned, maybe you broke something? »

Oh, she definitely broke something. But she wasn’t about to tell them. Because then what? She’d have to tell them about how she just lost four teeth in the most painful way, that some new suspicious ones grew back, that she took a hard fall on her shoulder because her body was unresponsive to her demands and that she’s seeing weird colors and shapes in the dark?

They wouldn’t believe her, or worse, she’d get admitted to a hospital and probably won’t even be able to compose any more music. Then what would she become? A useless person incapable of saving anyone. So she has to push through.

Besides… Hospitals weren’t really her thing. Visiting was one thing, and one heavy task at that, but actually staying there? This would be too… much.

« I don’t think I got hurt too bad. » she finally answers back.

Then she finds her water bottle and drinks quite rapidly. Maybe a bit too fast as cold water comes into contact with her inflamed, hot gums, making her choke and spit out some water. Bloodied water actually. Fortunately, everything falls back on her jacket, none on her desk, monitor, or equipment. Unfortunately, though, it made her shoulder move, which made in turn Kanade whimper loudly.

She puts a hand on her mouth to cover the sound. Damn it.

« Are you okay ?? » Ena exclaims.

« Y-Yeah, I just choked on some water I’m fine. » Kanade tried to hide her own worry. It was easy to mask it as long as she had a goal in mind, which was composing music, but if people keep bringing it up she ends up thinking about it and how stressful everything has been...

Mafuyu sighs « Kanade you should check in with a doctor. Sometimes people fall and think they’re alright but two days later they might just pass out. Or even have something broken that can run into complications if not treated correctly. »

Kanade tries to play it off, chuckling slightly « I know it sounded like a bad fall but I’m okay. » But Mafuyu wouldn’t back down.

« Tell us where you fell. » The lyricist insists.

Kanade gets nervous, her voice wavers « Um, I don’t remember, my side I think? But it’s okay real- »

« No, Kanade this is serious. » Mafuyu voices louder. Seems like she could smell lies from a mile away.

Kanade panics « I need to compose, I’m already behind I’m sorry. » She pronounces those words as quickly as she leaves the call before her voice could break any further.

« ...Is this the end for me? » Kanade mumbles sadly to herself, as she looks up at the ceiling. Her stomach makes itself known once more, scurrying at her insides as if it was devouring itself.

« Ugh, what do you want ?! I tried to feed you I really did, please… Leave me alone. » Kanade sobs. Reality seemed to break a bit.

She tries to get up but her body was glued to the chair, becoming one with it. Maybe she was about to die. Maybe no one would notice. Maybe-

She falls asleep.

Ding.

Colors flash in front of her eyes. She shoots up awake. Mafuyu was writing to her.

« If you don’t want to go to a hospital, I could check up on you myself. »

Kanade sighs, wiping dried-up tears from her eyes.

« I can manage. » She replies.

Mafuyu then instantly responds. Wait, what time is it? Kanade checks the time, 4:46 AM. Why was Mafuyu awake at this time?

« You can’t save me if you’re hurt. » Kanade reads on her screen.

So this is what it’s about huh? Simply a matter of saving and being saved. Well, this was their curse after all but...

« Why aren’t you asleep? » Kanade asks, ignoring her previous thoughts.

« I don’t know. Why aren’t you taking your fall seriously? » Mafuyu writes back.

« Because it wasn’t a bad fall. My mic exaggerated it, really. » Kanade prays for Mafuyu to buy her lie, she shouldn’t have to see her like that. Kanade was supposed to save Mafuyu, not the other way around, and in doing so she would save herself as well.

Mafuyu writes, stops a bit as if hesitating, then continues « I’ll sleep better if I check up on you. Because right now I can’t think clearly. »

Kanade sighs, why wouldn’t she just drop it? And… Was she worrying about Kanade?

« ...Okay. You can come tomorrow. » Kanade falters, finding herself defeated.

« Okay. » Mafuyu simply writes back.

Kanade grumbles, getting up harshly. She had work to do. Clean up her bathroom in case Mafuyu would use it, clean up her face, change jackets… Going into the bathroom, Kanade doesn’t dare to look at the mirror for now. She gently turns on the faucet and washes off the blood in her sink. It had dried up a bit, but cold water was working just fine.

Then her fallen teeth… Should she just throw them away? She decides to wrap them in toilet paper and throw them in the trash. Doing all this with a destroyed shoulder isn’t the best, but strangely enough, Kanade felt like she had regained more strength, which shouldn’t be possible, she thought her body was running on adrenaline and would shut down soon enough. At least she gets to clean up before that, great, one activity she’s so good at doing.

Her bathroom looked okay, checking the tiles and everything, no trace of blood was left, which wasn’t the same for her sleeves and face. So she turns back on the faucet and then takes a good look at herself.

Through her mirror stained with water, her face looked terrible. Her skin was pale and sickly looking and she had eyebags darker than her shirt. As she stares longer, something seemed to have changed in her eyes. Something she couldn’t quite place about her own face... She wasn’t sure. Looking at herself too much made her uncomfortable, so she cleans her cheeks instead.

There was something else bothering her.

Her pointed teeth. What should she do about them? Surely Mafuyu wasn’t going around staring at people’s teeth. She didn’t care about people’s physical appearances in the first place. But canines this big were pretty noticeable, especially since she knows Kanade, she’s already seen her face, seen her smile…

Whatever, she had time to dwell on that later, her jacket was a mess. She turns to her wardrobe and finds that using a small amount of force to get a new jacket out of there was terribly painful to do, but she does it anyway. She has to. The worse part was yet to come after all. How was she able to take off the bloodied one she wore?

As carefully as possible, she first takes out her healthy arm outside of the sleeve, then uses it to help her damaged arm out of its own sleeve. But it was hard. The torturous touch of the jersey being pulled was terrible as if Kanade was tearing her own skin apart from her bone, that electrifying sensation burned deep, after all, then she had to push the jacket away from her shoulder. A small cry escapes her mouth, tears swell up her eyes. This was awful.

Finally, with one last pull, the jacket was completely off. Kanade finds herself breathless. Her arms were free, touching the cold, stagnant air of her room, as it had always been this cold. Kanade doesn’t dare look toward her shoulder, scared to see something gruesome.

She simply tucks her jacket away, throwing it in the trash, disposing of this gross evidence. It was irrecuperable after all, and she had lots of other identical ones. She then puts the new one on her, with as much pain as before since she had to do all that process the other way around. She zips it all the way up.

This has been incredibly exhausting. Changing her mind, she takes the soiled jacket up from the trash. Kanade pushes on, even more, she walks unsteadily to her kitchen to take some soap and water that she mixes in a sponge left untouched, she wants to maybe scrub the blood away so the smell doesn’t stick as much.

She tries but her shoulder creaks disgustingly as if some sort of liquid was sipping through her veins, squirming around there, and solidifying her tendons in place. The pain made it impossible to move anymore.

She curses to herself, throws back her jacket into the trash, abandons the sponge, and goes to bed.

She falls into an uncomfortable sleep, one that wouldn’t even allow her to dream.

Chapter Text

Colors flash in front of her eyes, this time bright and exploding. Kanade shoots up awake, alert. The sound of a doorbell greets her viciously, way louder and reverbed than she was used to. Was it broken? When something like that gets broken it doesn’t just get louder… right?

Wait, was that already time for Mafuyu to visit?

Kanade gets up, it was quite difficult but already less than yesterday, she instinctively gripped her shoulder but stopped once she was at the front door. She sighs. She’s not even speaking to Mafuyu yet, but it feels like her vocal cords would break at any moment, betraying her true feelings of pain and worry.

Finally, she turns the doorknob.

« Hi... » Kanade greets with a small smile. Mafuyu’s eyes grow wide. She really mustn’t look that good, huh?

« Hello. I brought some first aid. »

« Okay, come in. » Kanade opens the door wider, squinting at the burning sun, not daring to look at it, as it reveals her weak body. She steps back, hiding in the shadows of her house.

Mafuyu’s eyes furrow as her expression turns somber for a few seconds but she walks in anyway.

« It’s way darker in here than last time. Can you even see? »

Kanade was confused. For her, the layout of her house was pretty comprehensible. Maybe she didn’t see everything but she could feel it. Feel the ground, the walls, and everything placed in between, even in the darkness she navigates pretty well. It was weird.

« I know my own house so it’s no problem for me, hold on let me turn on the lights. » Kanade walks over to the light switch but her knees buckle. She grasps the wall, almost steadying herself on it but her clammy hands slip and she’s headed for the ground.

« ! »

But no impact came as something was wrapped around Kanade’s waist. It was Mafuyu’s arm, that gently brings her up. Both girls were facing each other. Mafuyu lets go.

« Sorry, I lost my footing... » Kanade apologies, looking at the ground. In truth, it made her pitiful shoulder burn and she was holding back tears. She prays Mafuyu wouldn’t catch on.

« ...Do you need help walking? » Mafuyu says, tilting her head. Kanade couldn’t see her expression, she simply heard her small movement and saw the tip of her hair bounce.

How could she even hear that?

« I’m not sure. » Kanade desperately needed help but she didn’t want to be a bother. She turns on her heels and then presses the light switch. Her house illuminates, pinching into the depth of her eye socket and just then she becomes blind. Her heart speeds up, her body clamps up and her breath gets caught up in her panicked throat. Mafuyu shouldn’t see this. She shouldn’t. But Kanade’s eyes wouldn’t work.

‘Please, please…’ she thinks to herself, blinking a few times until her vision slowly returns.

Mafuyu walks next to her right and slides a hand on her waist. But their shoulders touch making Kanade recoil painfully. She greets her teeth, no sound comes out but her horrified expression was enough for Mafuyu to tense up.

« Kanade you’re definitely hurt. Why did you lie? »

« I-I... » She looks up and finally exchanges eye contact with Mafuyu. She wore an expression she had never seen. Mafuyu looked… pained? Her eyebrows were lifted upwards, her eyes squinted a bit. No this wasn’t pain, this was worry. And it made Kanade deeply troubled.

Kanade lowers her eyes « I’m sorry. »

« Tell me where you’re hurt… please. » Mafuyu pleads gently.

« My right shoulder… I fell on it. »

The lyricist seems to think for a bit, before holding her hand out.

« Let’s get you to bed. » Her voice comes out soft despite her monotonous tone.

Kanade takes her hand, not before Mafuyu could frown at it for a bit, almost inspecting it for a second, making a mental note for herself, then they walk to the bedroom. Kanade had trouble stepping forward but Mafuyu was holding her the best she could.

Kanade sits on her bed, and Mafuyu stands in front of her and deploys her first aid kit.

« Did you hit anything else? Like your head maybe? Explain to me what happened. » She asks, as she begins inspecting Kanade. The composer was too afraid to look her straight in the eyes, what if she'd see her weird teeth? Her weird… excuse of a body she uses to barely live? But Mafuyu was determined to check up on her. She brings light to her eyes, looks at her face from lots of angles, moves to her ears, then lowers her gaze and continues examining.

« No. I um… I was in the bathroom… And some water must have been on the ground, I was pretty tired so I was dizzy and I slipped. I fell right on my shoulder. »

Mafuyu seemed to clench her jaw ever so slightly, but she remains level-headed.

« Did it make any sound you can remember? » She asks, now holding Kanade’s head in her hands. Their eyes lock with each other.

« I heard something crack. It was pretty loud... » Kanade says, careful not to open her mouth too much.

« ... » Mafuyu stays silent, she was practically cupping Kanade’s head, holding it as gently as possible. Mafuyu was always pretty calm in her movements, a certain sense of elegance radiating from her. Even if she was her stoic self, she’d always do things carefully, letting others interpret her robotic lifestyle as something orderly and perfect, always ready to give artificial care to others, hiding the fact that structure was the only thing holding her life. A structure made to please others and erase whatever remains of her. And now, she was holding Kanade with that same amount of care.

Even though they both knew Mafuyu had no need to show that perfect, reliable, and fake side of her to Kanade, the girl still held her friend’s head carefully in her palms. Perhaps this care wasn’t so artificial this time.

« What... are you doing? » Kanade asks, getting nervous. Her friend seemed to linger a bit, Kanade was afraid she’d notice something, anything that could be wrong with Kanade. Something that could cripple her future as a musician, leaving her to rot in a hospital room or even a mental asylum with all the strange things that had happened to her.

Or maybe they’d use her as a science project, an experiment subject, wondering how someone could just magically grow teeth and not eat anything for this long?

« Nothing… » Mafuyu stared at her some more, then lets her go. « Can you take off your jacket on your own? » She asks.

Kanade gulps « ...It’s hard. »

Mafuyu looks at Kanade’s zipper. « Can I ? »

« ...Sure. »

She gently zips down Kanade’s jacket, just as the composer thinks to herself about how much she’s screwed. She hadn’t washed her tank top which had been exposed to her disorderly self, hoping to hide it away. Why didn’t she think of this earlier? It was a dark color, maybe the blood she'd spilled on it would be hidden.

Mafuyu holds Kanade’s collar.

« Let’s first take off your left sleeve. »

They do as she says, Kanade whimpers from time to time but Mafuyu stays focused, doing her best to help Kanade. Then comes the second sleeve, and now Kanade’s tears were coming back. Her trapeze muscle, shoulder, and shoulder blade felt as if they were about to explode from how hot and inflamed they were. Why did she have to fall?

« Sorry, we’re almost done. » Mafuyu says, her eyes seemingly looking away for a split instant before focusing back.

Finally, Kanade’s jacket was off. The injured girl wipes her tears away, feeling humiliated. Mafuyu was taking care of her. Mafuyu, the one who had already so much going on, the one who didn’t understand her own heart, was now subjected to this. And Kanade just sat there, the composer who can’t compose and can’t do anything else in her life. She can’t cook, can’t clean, can’t keep herself alive. That same failed composer was relying on Mafuyu’s precious time, letting a silent feeling of guilt carve itself into her mind. One she knows too well already.

Mafuyu stares at her, extends her arm out, and caresses the top of Kanade’s head.

« It’s okay, I’ll help you. » Mafuyu says just as Kanade looks up. She stares into Mafuyu’s eyes, her tears wouldn’t stop pouring out. Kanade didn’t want Mafuyu’s help, but then again, would accepting it actually help the lyricist? Because that's how her savior self worked, always serving a purpose bigger than she should manage. She finds fulfillment by being tied to this lifestyle, a cage she made herself to keep her occupied. Kanade’s stare goes down a bit. It traces Mafuyu’s face, her lips, then her jaw, and finally her neck. Something swells within Kanade, her stomach burns, as silent, unsettling cries only she could hear echoed in her body, beckoning her to lunge at this opportunity.

Wait… what opportunity? Kanade’s heart speeds up. She shakes her head, forcing herself to look away, defying her instincts.

« T-Thanks... »

Mafuyu begins inspecting Kanade’s shoulder.

« It’s swelling. There’s also a huge bruise mark… Let’s try some things and tell me if it hurts, okay? » Her voice softens at that last part.

Kanade braces herself. « Okay... »

First, Kanade is supposed to try to lift up her arm. But it hurts like hell and makes her squeal awkwardly so she stops. Then she has to move her head in different directions, and they discover that when she moves it too much it tugs on her shoulder and stings from inside. Kanade then has to try moving just her forearm, and after that her hand and fingers. They pull on her shoulder from farther away but these zones are relatively fine.

After some more tests, Mafuyu crouches in front of Kanade.

« It’s probably broken. I’m not sure if you have something ripped as well. What’s sure is that you need serious medical help Kanade. » Mafuyu stares intensely at her, but Kanade can’t bring herself to stare back.

« Mafuyu I… I can’t compose. » she blurts out, then curses herself for saying it.

« ...What? »

« I can’t. My mind’s all weird. » Kanade begins to cry silently, again. Will the liar finally atone? Will she let Mafuyu know this secret? That life has abandoned her and left her to bleed, unable to even do what she was supposed to as she simply watches her own downfall.

Mafuyu frowns. « Kanade… If your body breaks apart, you won’t be able to do anything at all. You’ll find a way to compose. For now, you should get to a hospital. »

Kanade shakes her head, even if it hurts, she doesn’t want to. She isn’t supposed to. Letting her gaze vacantly look upon her house, she can't forget how it haunts her, always screaming she has to compose. Voices made from nothing, visions of people that are gone, Kanade shunned them all to overwork her zombified body for as long as it could hold itself together. She owed her father this much and she wasn't about to stop, her mission wasn't finished, and it never will be. Even if she has to come undone.

Mafuyu sighs « Listen, all I can do is give you some painkillers, and maybe buy some sort of makeshift cast but you won’t heal like that. »

« No, not painkillers... » Kanade whimpers, her voice desperate.

« Why not? I’ll get a glass of water. » Mafuyu disappears into Kanade’s kitchen.

Kanade’s eyes shoot wide open when she realizes where Mafuyu was, she tries to get up but her body fails her.

« AGH-! » Her stomach felt like it was digesting itself. Her arm seemed as if it was coming off, then numbness makes her whole being sore as she squirms in place.

Mafuyu rushes back in, a glass of water in her hands.

« Kanade-! »

She runs up to her, as Kanade holds her stomach, and falls to the side of her bed. Her long hair drapes her face and traps her eyes, unable to escape the confides of her stuffy body, but she still manages to break her fall by putting one hand to the ground. Her vision gets blurry and colors flash once more. Patterns begin to form and somehow, they settle on something in front of her. Or someone. Someone, she knows well but can’t quite place.

Was this… Mafuyu?

« Mafuyu..! » Kanade calls out, her eyes getting plagued by visions overloading her senses.

« I’m here, what’s happening? » She says as she holds Kanade steady, putting her back on her bed. Kanade extends one of her arms and brings Mafuyu close. Her fingers tighten against her back, like a blind and injured animal clinging to the smallest bit of warmth, her lifeline to sanity.

« I-I don’t know… I-I, I think I’m dying. »

Mafuyu holds her tight, careful not to touch Kande’s painful shoulder. She rubs her back gently, regardless of that numb empathy she has making her movements unsure. « No you’re not, you just need to go to a hospital. »

« They’ll lock me away Mafuyu. » Kanade sobs against Mafuyu’s shirt, soaking it.

« I won’t let them. » The lyricist replies.

After a few more sobs, Kanade calms down. They let go of each other but Mafuyu keeps her hands on Kanade. Her eyes seem preoccupied with something on Kanade’s chest, drilling holes into her suspiciously.

« Kanade did you… Hurt yourself? »

Kanade frowns and plays dumb « What do you mean? »

«Your jersey was in a pretty bad condition back there in the trash and… There’s blood on your shirt and in your nails… What on Earth happened? Did you bite your tongue when you fell o-or did you do something to yourself? I didn’t see any open wounds when checking on you but... » Mafuyu starts to fidget, her eyes squinting slightly, her mind racing.

Despite her monotonous voice, her thoughts seemed to have trouble forming themselves coherently.

Kanade decides to reassure Mafuyu with a disgusting lie « M-My tongue. My teeth clashed against it and I didn’t realize it at first but a lot of blood came out. Sorry. »

Mafuyu sighs heavily « Kanade you could’ve died from loss of blood. Your whole house smells like blood. »

« But I’m fine… That’s why I didn’t want to take the painkiller, water hurts my tongue. » She lied again.

Lies, lies only lies. Why couldn’t she ever be honest? She pushes Mafuyu to be honest but truly she wasn’t even able to act like it with her own self. Abandoning her body as it finally rebels against her. And now she lied to the girl that would order the same thing as Kanade at the family dinner, the girl that trusted in her judgment, the girl that was supposed to be saved by Kanade.

Mafuyu checks the time on her watch « Ah, I have to go back home… Kanade please take the painkillers and... » Mafuyu takes Kanade’s hands in her own, gently enveloping each finger under hers. Her expression wouldn't reflect much but she held Kanade's hands so strongly as if she'd drift away at any moment.

« Promise me you’ll get to a hospital. You’re awfully cold, you look sick and I don’t want to leave you here but I have to go. I’ll check up on you by messages. This is serious. »

Kanade felt a horrible pain in her chest, this time not caused by her fragile, broken body but instead by Mafuyu’s pleading eyes. She had never seen that look on her before, and despite how new it was she hoped to never see it again.

So she grabs the glass of water and gulps down the painkillers, ignoring her body’s protests, crushing it once more without a care in the world.

« Thanks for looking out for me Mafuyu. Tell me how do you feel? » Kanade cups Mafuyu’s cheek with her hand, rubbing her thumb gently across her skin. That question she’s asked her friend countless times now, she repeats it once more, blinded in the face of her own disastrous feelings.

Mafuyu looks taken aback for a second « I don’t know, I’m not sure but… I feel something heavy sinking in my chest. Like something warm was getting away, stolen, or… I don’t know, why do you ask me how I feel? You can barely walk yourself. »

« Because I worry about you too and I don’t want to be too burdensome. You’re important to me... » Kanade smiles weakly, then sighs heavily, preventing herself to cry some more.

Mafuyu reaches out to Kanade’s head and softly brings it closer. Kanade closes her eyes and places her head against Mafuyu’s shoulder, ignoring the pain in her stomach urging her to the bathroom as rogue painkillers swam inside, she could endure it for now. Mafuyu strokes her hair gently as the composer’s breath steadies. She’s been living through hell for weeks, but now she strangely felt at peace. Like she deserved to take that peace for just this instant.

Maybe it’s because this was initiated by Mafuyu.

Kanade embraces Mafuyu, enveloping her with one arm. But despite this unexpected show of affection, the composer feels something strange blooming inside, settling its prickly vines into her flesh. There was a certain smell in the air… Something was tugging from inside taking hold of Kanade's every surface of skin and poisoning her bones. She tried to keep it in check, stiffening her muscles, and doing her best to follow Mafuyu’s heartbeat.

Mafuyu’s breath, Mafuyu’s heart...

Her… Heartbeat? Was that what this was? Was that why Mafuyu looked so... colorful? Her whole being seemed to emanate a loud calling, bringing Kanade closer. Falling prey to a spell, she closes her mouth as it had unknowingly opened itself near Mafuyu’s neck. It begins to abruptly water uncontrollably. The composer keeps swallowing and trying to distract herself with something other than Mafuyu. She had to hide her teeth, and stop these strange urges inside she couldn’t quite place.

« My mother used to do this for me when I was sick. I’m not sure if it helps. » Mafuyu comments.

« I-It does... » Kanade mumbles back, her eyes squinted, trying to shake away this feeling in her guts.

They stay like this for a while until Mafuyu lets go and gets up.

« I’ll walk you back... » Kanade pushes herself up.

Mafuyu holds her by the waist. « Don’t force yourself. »

« But then who’s gonna lock the door? » Kanade asks as she pauses for a bit. A small gasp of ignition escapes her mouth. She had an idea.

« Oh, I might have a spare key somewhere… Hold on... » Mafuyu helps her over to one of the drawers at her desk. She opens it and there she finds lots of junk and stuff all over the place, Kanade shuffles through it a bit then hands Mafuyu a key.

« You can have this. »

« Okay. Are you sure? » Mafuyu stares at the small object in her hand. « It’s fine I trust you. » Kanade smiles the best she could. Her friend stayed silent.

Mafuyu sits Kanade on her bed as they exchange their goodbyes, and right when Kanade can hear the front door closing, she rushes and fumbles to the bathroom, to throw up the stagnant painkillers out of her dying corpse.

« Ahh... » She wipes a bit of drool from her mouth. She had vomited only water with some painkillers. Like her inside were truly empty, just some sort of skin pack, some useless storage zone. This wasn’t natural, this was…

« Sick... » Kanade whispers to herself as she goes back to bed. Maybe she’ll never wake up this time. She wasn’t sure, but she had no time to think about it as she instantly falls asleep.

Despite her doubts, she wakes up at some point.

The following week goes by in a blur, with Kanade practically sleeping all the time. At times she would find herself in front of her computer screen, hoping to compose, scraping at her keyboard, scratching the notes in her brain but nothing really came. Just some small snippets of music that had no sense. Her mind was so fuzzy, she couldn’t really use her music app, especially when the notes kept buzzing in her brain. Too loud...

She would forward older demos to N25’s chatroom but to no avail, they didn’t have much to work on.

Kanade agreed with Mafuyu to tell the others about her shoulder, so it was more comprehensible for her to skip some meetings with them to rest instead. The lyricist also visited her the next morning really quickly to give her a shoulder immobilizer. Which helped a bit.

As for Mochizuki, she was worried upon seeing Kanade’s weak body, but the composer had told her she hurt herself accidentally and she simply needed some rest. Mochizuki was asked to work as usual but not go into Kanade’s room. Kanade had disposed of all the bloody evidence beforehand so this wasn’t an issue.

Still, she was getting progressively more frustrated as each day went by. Trapped in a half-awake mindscape, isolated from the world, her routine didn’t change much except she was now entirely unproductive. She felt guilty as well, toward her friends who were waiting on her, toward her father she wasn’t able to visit as much, and toward her own self for failing at her own curse.

But another thing surprised her as well. Despite it all, N25 cared for her. Despite the wait, despite the missing songs, they kept on being supportive. And they would check daily on Kanade’s condition, especially Mafuyu. But Kanade still wouldn’t go to the hospital and her friends didn’t know anything about it. After Mafuyu had given her the shoulder immobilizer, Kanade said she was scheduled for a visit to the ER. And now she had to supposedly get some rest. She was pretty elusive, and Mafuyu didn’t ask too many questions so her cover wouldn’t be blown. The other two didn’t have all the details so they had no reason to doubt Kanade in the first place.

Kanade wasn't used to receiving all this care. Her parents had loved her unconditionally in the past, making her understand other people's care and reciprocate it, but after everything she went through, it was hard to accept it anymore. So she trusted her friends with her songs, but wouldn't disclose her own heart unless it served a bigger purpose. Not like she'd let it have much room to breathe anyway, the only thing she was thankful for was its ability to sympathize with others, making her in turn attentive and patient. But now, even this mess of a heart and its light were getting snuffed out by all the lies Kanade had to swallow on a daily, manufacturing a new heart to bear in this decaying body, one willing to reject its host.

By the end of the week, Kanade woke up and felt strange, almost refreshed. Her body had previously been burning up with cold sweat attacking her every few moments she was in bed. But now here she was sitting up without any pain.

Without any pain at all.

« Huh… ? »

Kanade touches her shoulder gently at first, then puts more pressure on it.

Nothing.

No pain.

For a second, Kanade panicked and thought she had lost all sense in her shoulder. But in that erratic moment, she moved her arm up and with equal shock noticed how normal it felt. Like it wasn’t completely torn apart a few days ago. Kanade takes off the shoulder immobilizer as she gets a bit more adventurous, doing larger and larger movements with it, almost like she was pitching a baseball.

Everything felt so eerily normal. So overwhelmingly normal that Kanade figured she was losing her mind. Were things finally looking up? Or was that the start of her downhill spiral into madness?

She laughs to herself, dejected, practically sweating. Who is she kidding, it was going downhill for a while she’s just acknowledging it now.

Throwing the bed covers away she gets up and there it was, that obnoxious, excruciating dizzy sensation. Of course, it wouldn’t be as perfect as before. She shakes her head, she can do this, she can go to her monitor and get some work done for once. Her shoulder just got miraculously better so the least she could do is try.

Her movements were slow, hard to follow what she set her mind to do but she pushed through and finally climbed on her chair. Though today was a bit different. Like something lurking from the depth of her stomach, after eating itself and turning on its own skin tissues, came back from within.

It was something resembling a feeling of the past. One that’s a mix between being starved and being parched. Her throat ached, no matter how much she gulped down saliva, her vocal cords felt like they stuck to each other and glue was covering the inside of her throat.

She knew damn well she couldn’t eat anything and knew how impossible it was for her to have not eaten for several weeks now. Even water was becoming a chore. Yet she didn’t feel like dying anymore, especially since her arm was better now. Some times in the past, she had been starved without noticing, too focused on her work and it felt terrible.

But this wasn’t the same sensation. It’s like her body this time was stuck in the twilight, like it was drained and weak, unresponsive at times and about to break, but strangely she didn’t mind as much. Her mind could sway and get foggy, and pain would shoot up from random areas but it wasn’t as miserable. Kanade felt more like floating through her days than crawling to her kitchen craving some cup noodles. Like her misery was putting a spell on her, enticing her to wake up. Like a parasite taking control, letting her sleep for a while. She still had that dreading sensation of death looming around, scared to get taken by it, but this time she would separate the make-beliefs she had and her true feelings.

Perhaps being this starved wasn't as deadly as before. Simply more thought-consuming.

Sure at times, it was hard, like when she knocked her shoulder apart or when she had to rip her teeth out, but today she felt greater than usual. Putting on her headphones and launching her music app, she was getting ready to compose.

As soon as she touched some notes, strange colors and shapes took hold of her vision, like a parasite blocking her view of the monitors, forcing her to see stars.

« !! » Kanade lunches backward. It wasn’t painful, but it resembled the feeling of nails on a chalkboard. Which was awful for her. How was she even supposed to compose?

She tries again. The same result applies. Again. Again.

Her teeth were grinding on one another at this point. Her jaw relaxes as she takes her headphones off. After a few exhales in and out, she decides to try again, subjecting her sensitive ears to these newfound sounds and visions once more.

One hour passes. Then two. Then three.

Kanade tries to tweak it a certain way, manually changing the sound, artificially producing others, and even trying to play with her headphones on her shoulders to put distance between her and these horrifying sounds. What was the issue? The headphones? She changed them, using earphones instead but the same result happened. She hated this, hated the visions, the colors, the shapes, but they wouldn’t stop haunting her, tormenting her as she tries to learn something she knows how to do for years now, rewriting her basic instinct.

Her pride and joy, her means to live, to wash away past mistakes, and create a new sense of good in her… Why was it getting all twisted now? Why?

She couldn’t accept this.

Another hour passes, and the time to get onto nightcord marches on faster than she had hoped, yet Kanade decided to do another approach. The more she listened to the sounds she produced on her music app, the more her brain felt like it was transforming itself into mushy pudding and melting her vision. But what if… She indulged in it instead of fighting it off?

Perhaps she would truly lose her mind today. But this was the only way to transform her reddened, guilty hands into ones capable of saving people. Her worth as a musician depends on it.

She had to try.

Focusing, she puts her headphones back on her head and decides to listen to the demo she was working on before all this mess started happening. Concentrating on the shapes and colors, what do they mean? When she saw them before, they generally took shape of what was around her, like the square boxes in her room, the round glass of water, the moving shape of water, and the slick surface of her wall.

When Mafuyu was here it was different. The shapes and colors changed independently. There were warmer colors coming from Mafuyu, as well as shapes that pulsated in a strange way. Kanade remembers hearing her heartbeat, practically feeling it, seeing it, which to be honest was a bit creepy.

Kanade’s focus gets a bit disturbed by that thought so she gets back on track. Or at least tries to. She had to understand why it was different for Mafuyu. It was like thinking of her very essence, someone she knows, her friend, treating her as some sort of object, of… subject to prey on.

The pulsating sound took round shapes as well as spikier ones at times. What did it represent? Mafuyu’s heartbeat, sure, but also, how did Kanade feel?

She felt at ease, perhaps a bit too much, like she could just...

Kanade gulps, and that same feeling of being strangely parched comes back.

But something brightens up in her mind.

« I think I get it... » she whispers.

Kanade adjusts her headphones and plays the demo back again. And again. Taking in any type of information she can get from these newfound senses. Slowly, she navigates her music app with this new mindset, revisiting older music she produced as well to get a better understanding of things, rediscovering her creations, and then before she knows it, she’s actually making progress.

Another two hours pass.

Kanade’s head shoots up with pain and her trance breaks.

« I think I should take a break... » She steps off her computer and stretches a bit. Her body felt as weak as before but she was more steady on her feet, which was good. It felt like her body had to reboot.

Kanade inspects her hands.

She… really was pale huh? Did she have that many details on her hands? They feel a bit more like hers now, even if she has trouble recognizing them, which didn’t make much sense to her.

Kanade rolls her eyes a bit. They stung slightly like they had been used a lot. That same feeling she gets when her eyeballs have been exposed to too much computer, or when she was too tired after some long work hours. But she wasn’t tired this time, she felt wide awake. Maybe a bit too much for someone who just spent hours focusing on composing.

Kanade goes to her sink to refresh herself, looking up to her mirror after splashing some water, her eyes seemed to glow a strange pale and faint reddish color.

« H-Huh ?! » She blinks a few times.

The glowing disappears, her ocean-blue eyes return.

« I’m losing it… Maybe I should go out of the house or something… I don’t know. » Kanade slumps down her wall, defeated.

She sighs, and colors sting at her eyes once more. The sound of a nightcord notification rings through her ears. She quickly gets back to her computer, the meeting was about to start. Logging on, she joins the voice chat.

« Hey everyone. »

« Kanade! It’s been a while, is your arm okay? » Mizuki greets energetically.

« Woah, K, it’s really you ?! » Ena could be heard jolting from her seat.

« Hello K. » Mafuyu greets as well.

Their voices twist into momentary colors and shapes until Kanade gets a hold of each of them.

« Haha, yeah it’s really me. And my arm’s doing better, I’m not having as much trouble as before with it. » Kanade smiles. It’s been a while indeed since she could feel a semblance of normalcy again, whatever that means for someone as shut in as her. This was her safe paradise, after all, one she was shackled to.

« That’s nice! Want to see what we’ve been working on? We tried to go based on your demo the best way we could but some stuff’s missing. » This was Mizuki’s voice. Kanade closes her eyes to get a good grasp of it. Of what it made her feel like, what it looked like, and what it shaped into.

« We also added some of our own ideas in case you could get some inspiration, so be sure to tell us what you think. » This was Enas’s voice. Kanade focused to feel how it moved, how it expressed itself, and how it interacted with the world.

The colors and shapes die down. Kanade feels in control again. Like she could be reborn finally, out of that mess.

« Did you manage to work on anything? » This was Mafuyu’s voice. And it was… Louder than the others, creaking against Kanade’s senses, thicker to apprehend despite its calm nature. The colors and shapes blind her vision once more, as they ricochet in her eardrums. If she wasn't focused, Kanade would've mistaken Mafuyu's voice for some staticky jumble.

« I, um I’ll take a look at what you did, I’m glad you could do your own thing without much to work on. Also yes I managed to work on my demo, I think I’m almost done with the full song actually. » Kanade says.

« Woah really? That’s impressive Kanade. » Mizuki’s smile could be felt through their mic.

« Especially considering how sick you’ve been these days, it seems like you feel better. » Ena says joyfully.

« That’s… nice. » Mafuyu adds. Kanade winces. She doesn’t understand why she can’t quite grasp Mafuyu. She had to balance out how her voice resonates within her ears as well as with the world in its own space, then her visions would make sense to put into perspective, but Mafuyu’s shapes and colors were… undescribable. Kanade couldn’t attach them to anything that’d stick.

Her heart aches and her stomach turns for the hundredth time.

« I’ll take a look at your work then get back to mine. » Kanade voices as she begins to do so.

She gets to make some arrangements here and there but nothing too substantial. It was harder to focus on her music’s soul with other people’s voices interjecting at times. But the worst of them all was Mafuyu. Not like Kanade hated Mafuyu’s voice, on the contrary, she found it soothing, peaceful, perhaps a bit too monotonous but when the slightest emotions do come out, it makes for something really special. And Kanade didn’t mind at all. She loved all her friends.

But she’s just… bothered. Why was her sound so hard to grasp? Maybe since it was through a mic and had to pass by many layers of digital processing it felt harder to decipher her voice.

Or perhaps it’s because Mafuyu was… Mafuyu.

Kanade was unconvinced, more importantly, she couldn’t get that out of her mind. So much so that her careful work process was getting blocked by her thoughts and feelings. Composing has to wait, again. But that’s just how she is, caring for people and sympathizing with them. She will get to the bottom of this.

Well, it was time anyway. Each of them said their goodbyes, Mafuyu stayed a bit behind, this was Kanade’s chance.

« Mafu- »

« Kanade, I’ve been meaning to ask something. » Mafuyu had beat her to it, her voice echoing duller than before.

« S...sure. »

« I’d like to visit you, so I can check up on you. » Her voice hammers through Kanade’s skull.

« O-Okay, I see no problem with that. When do you want to visit? »

Mafuyu pauses for a bit « Tomorrow. »

« Alright, see you tomorrow. » Kanade urges without meaning to.

« See you. »

The composer lays back on her chair. Today felt way more exhausting than she had thought. Focusing on all those abstract senses drained her energy. So Kanade goes to bed, not before thinking about Mafuyu’s voice one last time.

Outside of her house, something was about to disturb her sleep.

Chapter Text

Kanade shakes awake in bed as some strange sound resonates through her house, coming from outside. Lights blink in front of her eyes, she knows exactly where the sound was coming from and it took over her entire thoughts.

She gets up and awkwardly fumbles her way to the front door, her body weight hanging on the doorknob as she turns it. It was night so the light wouldn’t be a bother. Strangely she saw everything a bit better even. She was more alert and more… tense.

The mailbox, that’s where she had to go.

Standing in front of it, some black shape tints her vision for a few seconds before fleeing into the dark corners of her eyes.

« W-Who… ? » she murmurs, and only silence answers back.

Kanade was left alone in front of her mailbox.

She approaches it meticulously, examining it, trying to find anything suspicious about it. Finally, she opens it and she was right, someone had put something in there. It was some sort of box with a message attached to it. She brings it into her house, her legs still giving her trouble after all this time, then she sits on her bed and reads it.

« In this box, you can find the answers you’re looking for. »

A shiver was sent through her spine. Kanade stares at the tiny, varnished black box in her hands. With a shaky sigh, she opens it, ignoring the sinking, bad feeling she gets. She had no other trail to follow after all. Inside was a small plant with a whitish almost transparent stem, tiny ashy leaves adorned it, and burgundy buds stood on its top. Upon further inspection, Kanade finds another paper inside, she opens it carefully and begins to read.

« You may have felt some strange change within you happening these last few days. Perhaps your teeth have fallen and regrown. You probably can’t eat as well as you used to. Know that this is perfectly normal. » Kanade isn’t sure if she should feel relieved or scared. Those heavy words hanging on that piece of paper, knowing exactly what happened to her, words coming from who knows where. It made her skittish.

It felt like someone had gripped her insides after watching her intensely and attached them to her eyes with darkened hands she knew nothing about. Kanade hated the uneasy feeling that settles in her chest. She continues anyway.

« Normal food cannot sustain you anymore, only blood can. You can get any type of blood but human blood is the best. Don’t worry, you will not die without blood, you simply won’t feel like yourself. This plant can help. Eat one of its buds in a dire time. But remember that it's not a regular plant. With love, a family friend. »

Kanade feels like she could throw up. She puts a hand to her mouth. Why was this handwriting so familiar…?

Also, Kanade was supposed to drink blood now? She couldn’t believe it. But then how would this stranger know about all that happened to her? They couldn’t be making that up, right?

Her head spins too much, she puts the box aside for now.

If only her father wasn’t stuck in a hospital bed, if only Kanade hadn’t composed that cursed melody then… She wouldn’t be as lost as she is. She could ask him about all this, trust his warm guidance, and hug him when her heart becomes too weary. She'd have a guide in these tiring days. But that's not her reality, not anymore. Instead, she had to become someone who would guide others. Kanade could get by just fine up until now, that’s what she truly believed because she had a goal in mind, a mistake to rewrite, and a future to compose.

But now, what was she supposed to do? She felt so alone…

The composer takes the tiny plant, pinching its stem between her fingers. It looks like nothing she had ever seen before. It had this certain captivating aura, almost ethereal, strangely peaceful but also hiding some sort of melancholy under its transparent skin, into its invisible sap. The plant resonates within her, striking something so deeply rooted in Kanade, calming her nerves.

Kanade tenses up for a moment.

...Maybe it was some sort of hallucinogenic plant? Maybe someone was trying to mess with her? For now, she leaves it in the black box.

Getting up and checking the time, it was 6 AM. Mafuyu would probably visit her in the afternoon. So, she had time.

Kanade goes to her living room to search for something. Finally, she finds an old flower pot. She decides to clean it by running it underwater as it was pretty dusty. Then, something flashes in Kanade’s mind, picking her interest bit by bit as she remembers fondly ancient memories. About how her mother used to love flowers, especially white carnations. In what seemed like yesterday's decades, in a timeline blurred by the years whose warmth still echoed today in the depth of Kanade's brain, she sees their house and remembers its pleasant flowery smell. More importantly, each time her mother would wake up, she’d smile at the scenery greeting her because flowers had that kind of power. They encased beauty and grew right before your eyes.

They enticed your every sense, making you believe that perhaps the world wasn’t so bad.

But ever since her mother passed, the carnations slowly dried off and withered away. It was pretty hard to watch. Her father tried desperately to water them but it’s like they went away once the sunshine of the house had gone as well. Plants couldn’t live without light after all. And her mother's smile was the brightest of them all, a smile her father watered every day until he couldn't anymore.

Still, there was one place the flowers could last longer, one place that would commemorate her mother’s memory the best. On top of her grave, they stood, swaying gently with the wind. Her father would occasionally buy some white carnations as well to adorn their house, or sometimes other plants just to be reminded of what her mother appreciated in life.

But now that Kanade lived alone, no plants could live in that house. All the curtains were drawn, and the room barely had any oxygen circulating except for the AC in her room, as well as her air purifier. Sure, Mochizuki would open the windows and dust around the rooms to make the environment less stuffy, but that empty house had shut down long ago since her parents left. Now it adapted to Kanade’s lonely lifestyle.

No plants could live like Kanade. Despite it all, the composer overworked herself to inspire hope and warmth in her songs, so people could relate to them and find comfort. Just like her father did for Kanade's mother and herself. Continuing the ever-flowing cycle in the hopes of redemption. Or perhaps perpetuity because that's all she had left. And all she was supposed to do.

As Kanade washed the flower pot, lost in thoughts, she wondered if it was even worth the effort to try and make this strange plant live. The faucet turned on, Kanade stopped moving, letting her thoughts flow gently through good memories of the past and choices of the present. Should she buy dirt? What kind? And what do plants like these need? That plant didn’t even have any roots and the note left in the black box doesn’t help much...

She should probably soak the tip in water to let the roots grow… But what kind of water?

Either way, Kanade breaks away from her thoughts, the whirlpool formed at the bottom of her sink gets sucked away. She dries the flower pot, and leaves it available on the kitchen counter. Going back into her room, she tries to search for what kind of plant or flower it is. She finds what is called a "skeleton flower", whose petals turn transparent once it rains but it doesn’t look like the one she has. Then, she finds the "dusty miller" a plant that looks like a grayish bush but didn’t have any red buds or transparent stem, so it still isn’t what she’s looking for.

Kanade surfs the internet for a while but to no avail, nothing corresponds to that unknown plant. She considers taking a photo of it and asking online but… If it’s linked to her whole situation with her falling teeth, the blood she’s supposed to consume, and all that… She’d rather not expose herself online.

Curiosity gets the better of her.

Kanade types "Vampires" on her search bar. Her heart tightens. She finds many different stories, with different origin points. Vampires are dated all the way back to ancient Greece, but their popularity blew up in Europe, though other descriptions fitting with the vampire folklore have been seen all around the world. Generally, many myths were born due to people’s lack of science concerning illnesses, death, and such. For example, rabies would make people bite others. Or sometimes, people would bury someone presumed dead but that person would "resuscitate" because they weren’t actually dead and simply in a coma or passed out.

In some cultures, they would make sure the bodies were indeed dead by stabbing a wooden stake in their heart. In others, they’d dig up the corpses and find, as the body was decaying, a physical description more fitting for a vampire.

Kanade shivers, this didn’t help.

At some point in history during the 18th century, began "vampire hysteria" in some places of Europe. Due to tuberculosis, people thought the dead were coming back to life to kill their relatives. So groups of vampire hunters began to form and search for dead bodies to make sure they’d never get back to life.

Kanade sighed, she had already seen multiple times that vampires were associated with dying and coming back to life, but that didn’t explain anything more about her situation. Her life had been normal up until now. The Internet didn’t help, between the gruesome history of how vampires came to be and the romanticized versions of them that blew up within and after Gothic European literature, she was lost.

What made her turn this way?

She checked the time on her computer, despite her usual innate capacity of knowing the time, she couldn't trust herself these days. She finds out it is 10 AM.

« Crap! » Kanade gets up, she wanted to get some sleep before Mafuyu came, as well as compose for a bit, and most importantly she wanted to visit her father today since her arm wasn’t an issue anymore, but time had already passed by so fast. Not like she had any real schedule, still, it bothered her.

Besides, there was one more issue, the light outside. She could perhaps go in the evening? But that’s when Mafuyu comes. And at night, well, she can’t visit him then. Kanade sighs, light has always been an issue but now it’s an entirely different story, she doesn’t want to be blinded like last time.

Still… It’s been so long. She misses him, despite him not being able to feel the same, as he loves a version of her that has no personality yet. Kanade sees her father’s love, but it is one that isn’t even directed toward her, simply the idea of his daughter. His memories were shuffled and sent him back in time. It was painful, but Kanade would never give up on him.

Besides, he needed to get his clothes delivered, and she already feels so guilty for having forgotten that task these last few days. She'd just have to take the underground passages.

Grabbing his change of clothes, she walks over to the front door but freezes up. Kanade thinks about taking the plant with her for a few seconds but decides it’s not worth the waste. She still couldn’t identify it, so she shouldn’t just eat that whenever. Instead, she opts for a black cap and black sunglasses. She zips up her jacket, and just in case, she puts back on her shoulder immobilizer.

Taking a deep breath, she turns the doorknob, and a world she’s never seen before greets her.

For a few seconds, her eyes see darkness, but then they adjust to the world. It looked exactly like the one she knew before, but she understands it isn’t the same now, and never will be.

Every time sound grazes the ground she stands on and the space she breathes in, colors hammer at her mind, and shapes bend her vision. She had gotten a bit more used to the dizziness now, but this was overwhelming, more than she already felt about cities and people. Still, she takes one small step, then a bigger one, and here she was out in the street.

Her cap and sunglasses helped, but somehow her skin was a lot more sensitive, as Kanade was already feeling hot, with thousands of little needles hitting against her skin. It wasn’t even summer. She decides to walk quickly to avoid the sun and hide under shadows as much as she could until she'd get to the underground passages. At least for now the sun didn’t directly blind her, but she felt so weak and slow. It weighed her down.

But this wasn’t the worst.

The worst was actually being in the city. After these excruciating minutes of walking around under the sun came the endless crowds, the beeping and speeding cars, as well as the sounds of faraway constructions and other undescribable buzzings she knew and despised too well.

But it was even more awful to process. Each sound bounced on every surface it touched and Kanade could see it. Every breathing person with a pulse had vivid colors resembling those thermic vision scopes and Kanade was submerged by them. It wasn’t just her eyes that were blinded, but her mind was suffocating. She had worked so hard to control Mizuki and Ena’s voices, but to manage thousands of people and cars and tiny little specs of sound all around?

Every time a car would pass by her, it felt like it reaped at her sides, snatching her eardrums away in the process. When someone would walk next to her, Kanade was forced to swallow their heartbeats and breathing corpses. To make matters worse it was daytime, meaning Kanade had even more trouble assessing what those shapes and colors assaulting her meant. Everything was so loud and vivid and it made her stomach turn, as the sun boiled all texture of the world.

Her mouth waters.

« ...Huh? » Kanade couldn’t stop her mouth from watering and her body from pressing in on itself. Her stomach was like two walls constricting against themselves, crushing nothingness, grinding themselves.

Kanade needed to fill that maddening void.

« G-Gh! » More importantly, the sounds were getting to her and growing exponentially in intensity. Her world, whatever that was, was spinning in front of her and making her want to rip her hair apart from how loud and terrible it felt. Like a giant chalkboard with tons of cars drifting on it obnoxiously, making their engines roar violently, as people tapped away and squeaked their shoes onto the surface. Like nails planting themselves by groups of hundreds right against Kanade’s brain matter.

« Ah- Ah-! » Kanade heaved, her eyes started to burn like they were liquifying themselves.

« Excuse me, are you okay- » Someone calls out but Kanade’s reflexes get the best of her. She grabs their wrist, tightening her grip on them as she stares daggers at the person. Her eyes loomed with dubious intent.

And just then she sees her own reflection in the person’s terrified eyes. Two bright, red orbs shone, greeting her maliciously.

« Let me go! L-Let go! » The person yells as attention gets drawn to the two of them.

Kanade snaps back to reality. The one where all these other people lived. The one she couldn’t be a part of anymore.

« I-I'm so sorry, I don’t know what came over me I-I… ! » Kanade stares at her own, pale hands, letting go of the person's wrist, mortified at herself.

The person flees.

Meanwhile, someone else watches.

Kanade couldn’t stay here, if she went to the hospital what would happen?

...What would she do to her father?

She runs away, her knees always threatening to give out. Kanade felt her world spin some more, breaking at the seams, as reality previously evenly sewn together was unraveling in front of her. It felt like it was doomsday. Kanade already had trouble processing the loud and moving world, but now?

More than the cars, more than the construction sites, and all the noisiness they could produce, it was people’s hearts Kanade felt the most deeply disturbed by. They made her stomach into a starved creature, in turn transforming Kanade into something she wasn’t. Someone who only wanted one thing: to prey on people.

She wanted these people.

She wanted them, more than anything.

She needs them.

Stopping at an empty street corner, she grabs her wrist tightly, then she presses both her hands together, her foot tapping nervously away. She bites her lower lip, hard, then decides to move away. The way home was a lot more terrible than actually going out because now she knows she’s leaving all this excruciatingly captivating life behind, a life that made her nauseous, with human connections that she craved to throw away to use rather than actually respect.

This wasn’t her. And she was scared.

She also had that vicious feeling that someone was watching her.

And that person was speeding up just as she was, like a swift shadow.

Kanade's heart jumps up and down, begging her to stay out but at thr same time her consciousness was desperate for her to flee. Not only to escape people but because it was terrified.

Avoiding people’s stares in an endless run against what felt like her own shadow, she arrives at her front door. Instantly she barges in, panicked, and locks it behind her right away. Kanade throws the key somewhere in her house, as her body creaks and twists trying to get her back outside, like a dog craving the world, like an adrenaline junkie plagued by the extremes of the world, drooling simply with the idea of highs. When the key clings to the ground somewhere, Kanade’s body lunges forward, jumping at the floor.

« Agh- No! » She cries out, forcing her hands to stop scraping at the ground and crawling to her destination. The sound had been so clear to follow, Kanade wouldn’t trust herself anymore, because that inhumane part of her knew exactly where the key had fallen, it even jumpscared her vision. Her shoulder immobilizer was long gone, thrown somewhere across the whole place as it hindered her movements.

Kanade frowns, she had to do something, anything.

Opening her mouth, urgency makes her bites herself.

Her muffled voice whimpers under her skin, her teeth were indeed pretty sharp. She feels them squirm inside her, bathing in her skin, which disgusted her. After a few seconds her body calms down and she retracts her mouth away from her forearm. Blood coated her teeth, but this time not because they had torn through her gums. She had torn through her own arm. Her blood tasted different. It was metallic but maybe a bit sweeter too.

She wasn’t sure. The texture was gross anyway.

Once more, she found herself in her bathroom, searching for a bandage to put on her bleeding arm. She wasn’t too injured but her teeth had made two deep holes. Just like a vampire would. Kanade shivers. She cleans her mouth and stares at her haggard, worn-out reflection.

Only to find it blurry and ravaged. Colors mixed together, not vivid ones from the sounds she envisions but her actual colors. What she was supposed to be, was now soiled and stained all over. And her sad eyes could notice two round red stains, staring right back at her, diminishing in brightness.

She sighs, why does she even bother anymore? Everything is just so messed up… She wants to cry but she has work.

First, to calm her erratic body Kanade limps over to the bed, like a beaten up dog. That same overwhelming feeling of dread and loss of control slowly builds back up inside, and this time she isn’t sure if she can stop herself just by biting her arm. So, reluctantly, she takes the small, black box in her shaky palm and opens it.

Staring at the plant, she picks one of its reddened buds. She frowns, and her breath cuts short. « I-I can do this… It’s okay... »

Her mind resonates back to her in a fraction of seconds, questionning if maybe her fate relied on getting consummed by this life. Maybe she didn't deserve to break apart this plant just to get relief.

She gasps, almost crushing the small bud in her hand from tensing up.

Then she thinks about Mafuyu visiting in a few hours, and she shoves the bud in her mouth, biting into it. Some sort of frosty liquid escapes the round plant she just bit through. Gulping it down, that frosty taste gravitates all the way to her void-like stomach, seeping through the cracks of her veins, absorbing the strange reaction it was causing inside. It felt like she had just gotten an adrenaline shot, that bubbled away and liquified in each of her limbs.

And instantly, her nerves calm down, and a feeling of serenity washes over her. Like one of those calming infusions and teas Mochizuki would make. Generally, they would make her more inclined to sleep, tucking her softly into bed. But they didn’t have that same intense power of tranquility.

She exhales out some drops of anxiety that were stuck in her throat, cleaning her system a bit. For now, she wasn’t about to run out on the streets and jump on whoever she found out there. But she wasn’t done.

After getting a hold of herself, she limps over to her desk. All that happened today had wiped her energy, and her usual, nauseous dizziness, as well as the stomach pain and her cotton legs, were still present despite the calming plant she had just eaten. At least, she didn’t want to puke it right away. Arriving at her computer, she connects to nightcord and writes to Mafuyu.

« I have something urgent to do today, you can’t come over. »

Kanade realizes her hands are shaking. « Why… ? » she whispers to herself. Was it because of everything that happened and how out of control she had been? Or was it because she was scared to... hurt Mafuyu if she came?

Mafuyu writes back « Then tomorrow. »

Kanade facepalms herself. Of course, it wouldn’t be that easy. Nothing has been these days.

« I don’t need you to come at all, the doctors said I’m doing fine. I’m healing pretty quickly too. » Kanade swears all these lies are gonna kill her one day, simply from the sheer guilt she feels every time.

« I feel something I can’t assign, it’d be best to search for what that is. »

Kanade was confused « What are you talking about ? » she writes.

« It happens before bed. When I saw you the other day, the inside of my chest did the same thing. It felt stuffy. Now I can’t focus as well as before. » Mafuyu explains.

Kanade sighs. She wanted to help Mafuyu, and sure she was intrigued because that meant Mafuyu was probably worried or something but...

« It’s dangerous if you come, Mafuyu. Please don’t. » Kanade writes back. She couldn’t keep lying, so she tried to be honest even if that probably didn’t make any sense.

« Is something threatening your life? »

Kanade wasn’t sure how to answer. If she said yes, Mafuyu would probably call the police or something. And if she said no, then she’d probably come anyway.

« Don’t come. » Kanade says once more.

« Do you not want to see me? »

Why was Mafuyu acting so… dense, but so insistent at the same time?

Kanade pauses for a while, then finally writes back « Why do you want to come over so badly? »

« I’m not sure. This feeling I know nothing about won’t leave me alone. »

Kanade sighs. Maybe Mafuyu actually didn’t worry about Kanade but just about what her own feelings meant. Kanade felt powerless.

« Why don’t you talk about it with Mizuki or Ena? »

« Because it’s always been you who wanted to know how I feel. »

The composer couldn’t believe it, fidgeting a bit on her chair. Mafuyu usually went with the flow, not caring either way, saying things like « I don’t mind » or « I don’t care ». Why was she so persistent now of all times?

« Listen, you can’t see me right now. That’s all. We can reschedule for later. » Kanade tries one last time.

« I’m scared. »

...Huh? Did Mafuyu really write that? Kanade was beyond shocked.

Mafuyu writes some more « I keep thinking you’re hurt. I think you’re lying. I don’t want you to die. What am I supposed to do if you’re gone? »

Of course, Mafuyu would know when someone lies. She lies on a daily basis after all. But Kanade could give credit where it's due, Mafuyu was being honest. And that frank honesty stung deeply.

Kanade relents bitterly « Then you can visit but only quickly, okay? »

« Okay. »

The composer checks the time, it was 1 PM. She felt terrible. She couldn’t visit her father, she almost assaulted a stranger, and now Mafuyu was headed for her house. Her body was failing her in the worst way possible, and now it even selfishly requested sleep.

Kanade, full of shame and disgust, walks over to her bed, practically dropping like a rock on it, and closes her eyes. Her anxious mind kept her awake a bit longer, before falling into a desperate slumber.

She hopes she won’t regret her decision tomorrow.

That afternoon, Kanade stayed blissfully unaware of the eyes that had spotted her outside, forgetting all about earlier as she collapses into sleep.

Chapter Text

The sound of a doorbell rings throughout Kanade’s house, which meant Mafuyu was at her door, again. Already accustomed to the way sound presents itself to her, she grudgingly gets up. Bringing a hand to her forehead, she desperately hoped the nap she took would help her feel less jittery. The plant she had taken may have calmed her body’s urges, but not that feeling of impending doom hanging over her.

Her hands wouldn’t stop shaking.

The doorbell rings a second time. Kanade walks to the front door, like lamb to the slaughter, except she feared she wouldn’t be the one getting butchered. She stares at the doorknob anxiously then takes a big inhale. How many times has her sigh worn such heavy implications these days?

Kanade straightens up. She still had a goal in mind: understanding why Mafuyu’s sound was so different and more importantly how to make it less confusing.

After deliberating silently to herself and taking her courage into her hands, she turns the doorknob.

Mafuyu stood in front of her with vacant eyes that seem to shift a bit upon seeing Kanade.

« Hi. » Kanade greets but averts her own. Mafuyu didn’t say a word yet but her presence was already so… loud.

« Hello. »

They both stay silent for a while until Kanade realizes it wasn’t really mutual silence. Mafuyu was staring at her, specifically at her shoulder. It felt like she expected Kanade to talk, maybe explain herself.

Kanade then comprehends her mistake and mentally curses herself.

The shoulder immobilizer was the same one Mafuyu had given her previously. Meaning there was absolutely no trace of Kanade actually going to a hospital.

« You lied to me. » Mafuyu deadpans.

« ... » Kanade simply stood there, unable to do anything. Her heart was pulsating strangely, her stomach seemed to rummage into her mind to convince her to do something. It took all of Kanade’s care she had for Mafuyu to stay still.

Kanade didn’t understand why her body still didn’t cooperate. She had eaten the plant, hasn’t she? And it worked earlier, then why…

Maybe because time had passed. Is the plant’s effect that short-lived or was Kanade simply so starved? Her stomach twists and digs in on itself, making every fiber of Kanade shiver with fear.

« Do you want to be in pain? Is that it? » Mafuyu asks.

« Actually I-I’m doing much better, so there’s no need to worry- »

Mafuyu looks away, almost disappointed « I didn’t say it last time but your shoulder looked really terrible. It’s impossible for you to heal in such a short time, especially not just with painkillers and a shoulder immobilizer anyone can buy freely. »

« Look, it might not have been that bad of a fall... » Kanade prays Mafuyu would just accept this and go away. She needs to leave. Now.

« Did you see yourself? You were crying in pain. »

Silence once more. Mafuyu’s expression indicates nothing this time, no worry, no pain, completely blank.

Meanwhile, Kanade was biting her own tongue in the hopes of controlling these surging emotions inside her. She curses the note in that black box she received for not being more explicit about the plant, and also about these urges, « You simply won’t feel like yourself » it said, this was way more than this simple thing, this was torture. The more Mafuyu talked, the more Kanade had the need to shut her up. She didn’t want to feel that way, but something inside her insisted she does.

« A-Alright, well, thanks for caring, see you later- » Kanade tries to close the door but Mafuyu sticks her foot against the doorframe.

« I think I know why you don’t want to get help or talk to me. » Mafuyu’s expression turns dark. She opens the door wider and Kanade recoils into the darkness of her house. Mafuyu steps in.

« You want to give up on our cursed promise right? If that’s the case, you have to let me know. » Any light in Mafuyu’s eyes had been stolen by Kanade’s cave of a house. Mafuyu frowned, her taller figure right in front of Kanade. The door had closed behind her.

« Tell me! » Mafuyu calls out to Kanade.

The composer stayed silent, gripping her chest. She couldn’t do this anymore. Grabbing Mafuyu by the wrist, she pulls her to the door. But Mafuyu stays in place. Normally Mafuyu was stronger than Kanade, she was as good in athletics as she was in class. Besides, being able to use a bow like the ones they have in the archery club demands lots of endurance, precision, and strength.

Despite this, Kanade defies all logic and manages to bring Mafuyu with her. Mafuyu gasps a bit, surprised as she struggles to free herself from Kanade’s grip, her feet squeaking against the entrance floor.

« Mafuyu this is for your own good…! » Kanade says, in between tugs and pulls.

« So I’m supposed to ignore you rotting in here after you came to me in Sekai and forced me to keep going? »

With each second that passes, Kanade’s mind threatens to overload « Why are you so persistent-..?! »

« I don’t know! » Mafuyu pulls back. Both of their forces clash against one another making them stumble and crash onto the wooden floor.

« Ugh... » Kanade’s head feels like it’s splitting open. She was on top of Mafuyu who had cushioned her fall but it still felt so full and painful. Her eyes fall on the girl under her, who looked a bit in pain.

But instantly her eyes open wide.

Mafuyu straightens herself, looking at Kanade’s arm. It seemed like she wanted to say something but the words fail her, shock replacing any input she might have. Kanade’s shoulder immobilizer had unscratched itself slightly when Kanade fell against Mafuyu.

Kanade sighs « Are you okay… ? »

« Your shoulder... »

Kanade has had enough of lies for today, she couldn’t continue on like this, or she might just cry for all eternity. So she removes all the scratches on her shoulder immobilizer and tries to take it off. Mafuyu places a hand against Kanade’s.

« What are you doing? »

« You’ll see... »

The composer continues, much to Mafuyu’s displeasure. She throws the immobilizer away, unzips her jacket, and shows Mafuyu her shoulder. Kanade then moves it around as if nothing had happened. She does big circles with her arm, retracts her forearm, and tightens her grip. Mafuyu stared in disbelief.

« How? » She mumbles, confused. The sound of her voice smashes Kanade’s brain, falling directly into her starved stomach. This wasn’t good.

« I don’t know but I’m okay so you can leave. » It takes everything in her to fight off her instincts.

« ...Okay. »

Kanade places a hand on Mafuyu’s shoulder « And for the record, I never intended to quit on the promise I made you, okay? »

Mafuyu pauses, then nods. She tries to get up.

Tries.

Kanade was still on her, tightening her grip against Mafuyu’s shoulder.

« Kanade, you tell me to leave but I can’t if you’re on top of me. » She comments, but the composer discards it. Kanade brings a hand to her mouth. It was salivating. Oh no, no, no, no… what was she supposed to do? The plant that’s it! She has to get to the plant and-

Her body presses against Mafuyu’s, determined to stay in place.

« ... » the latter stays silent.

Kanade can’t walk away. She can’t get up. She can’t move. All she can think about is-

« Mafuyu... »

The composer leans in and presses her head against her friend’s neck.

« What? » Mafuyu says.

« I’m sorry… I’m so sorry... »

Her lips come into contact with Mafuyu’s skin. The lyricist jumps a bit.

« Kanade, what are you doing… ? »

Kanade’s consciousness begs for her body to stop. Biting into someone’s neck with teeth like those would probably be lethal. She didn’t want that. After hurting her father, she was about to do the same to Mafuyu, wasn’t she supposed to save her? Small tears erupt from her eyes, like burning prickles of guilt. She opens her mouth bears her teeth and-

« Mafuyu stop me… ! »

Mafuyu trusts Kanade’s words and pushes her away. For a moment their eyes meet and there she saw them. Kanade’s bright, red eyes reflected Mafuyu’s own violet-blue ones, eyes that desired only one thing: to draw blood from Mafuyu’s skin. Kanade opened her mouth with movements resembling a zombie but her eyes were alert. Her large canines were out for anyone to see.

Mafuyu frowns as she struggles to keep Kanade away. Meanwhile, Kanade forces her face forward to bite her bandmate, the one she cared about, one of her closest friends. Her nails scrape at the ground, countering Mafuyu’s pulls by pushing with her palms, as her knees were pushing against the floor as well. Mafuyu’s arms shake a bit, and she winces.

Kanade grabs onto Mafuyu’s shoulders harshly, weakening Mafuyu’s grip.

The lyricist seems to think for a bit. One of her hands gives out, letting Kanade lunge forward right as Mafuyu pushes her forearm up her friend’s face, trading it for her neck.

The composer bites her friend there. Her sharp canines tear through the skin easily. Kanade seemed uncharacteristically ecstatic as she bites into Mafuyu’s arm, making the lyricist grab her head and stop her from moving around so much, as a way to protect her arm from getting torn apart. Mafuyu greets her teeth a bit, tensing up. It stung. And she could feel exactly where Kanade’s canines were in her skin.

Kanade, under Mafuyu’s hold, stayed still. It felt like her canines were reacting to the blood, absorbing it by themselves. Instantly, Kanade could feel life flow through her. Her horrible headache clears up, and her shaky legs finally root themselves peacefully to the ground, as her knees placed around Mafuyu were now steady. At last, she felt refreshed, born anew.

Then her consciousness kicks in. Swiftly, but carefully, she moves away from Mafuyu’s arm, her canines coming out of her skin with a squelchy sound accompanying their exit.

« A-Ah… ! »

She jumps away from Mafuyu, bringing a hand to her mouth. Her fingers turn crimson. Her mouth was bloody and her tongue tasted like metal. But this time it was different. Almost tasty in a way. Like she wanted more…

Needed more.

Kanade wanted to puke.

Her eyes looked mortified. She felt disgusted at herself.

« I’m sorry-! I’m so sorry Mafuyu I-I… I’m sorry. » Kanade’s chest compresses heavily on itself, she lacked oxygen as her heart struggled so much to the point of having excessive beatings resembling an explosion inside. Before she knows it, she falls into a state of panic.

As for Mafuyu, she stared at her arm. There were two bloody holes on top and two smaller ones under, but they didn’t seem too bad despite being deep. Mafuyu thinks pragmatically, the bite was way less threatening than that of a dog that had multiple pointed teeth and molars as well as lots of bite force. Kanade hadn’t bitten into anything too bad, like nerve sections, so everything was fine.

Then her stare falls on her panicked friend. Mafuyu sits up on her knees then goes over to Kanade.

« Ah! N-No, don’t, what if I-I hurt you- ?! »

Mafuyu keeps going either way, but Kanade crawls back.

« N-No… Please... »

« Kanade, it’s okay. »

She cries silently « H-How can you say that… ? »

Kanade was a monster, that’s all it was. From the day she had been blessed by music to this very moment, her entire existence had been revolving around tragedy. And Kanade wasn’t about to let Mafuyu turn into a casualty.

« I’m not hurt, it’s fine. » Mafuyu stays cold-blooded.

« It doesn’t matter… Y-You know the way out so go... » Kanade says, mentally exhausted. Despite her physical condition being better, it wouldn’t change the state of the world she lived in.

The composer, not sparing another look at Mafuyu, gets up, swaying a bit from her shocked state, and goes to her room. With desperate movements, she opens the small varnished black box and picks one of the buds. Someone was following behind.

Kanade turns on her heels and sees Mafuyu simply standing in front of her.

« What are you doing? » The taller girl asks.

Kanade tries to wipe her tears « Please Mafuyu… You don’t know what’s happening right now and the things I wanted to do to you earlier... »

Mafuyu steps closer « What’s this plant? »

Sometimes Mafuyu could be so stubborn, despite not knowing who she is or what she wants. Kanade shakily moves away from Mafuyu and points at the black box she just placed back down.

« Read the note... »

Mafuyu does as she’s told.

Meanwhile, Kanade, sitting on her bed, trembling absolutely everywhere, was about to put the bud into her mouth.

Until a certain someone tugs on her arm.

Kanade jumps at the touch a bit but relents anyway.

« ...What is it ? » she retracts her legs against her chest.

« Is this what happened to you? » Mafuyu asks.

« Yes... »

« Do you still not feel like yourself? »

Kanade seems to think for a bit « I-I feel better physically but I’d rather not keep you in a room with me... »

Mafuyu sits next to her.

« Instead of that plant, would you want this? » Mafuyu offers her arm to Kanade, who looks shocked for a brief second before turning her head away.

« N-No! Mafuyu, you don’t get it, I could’ve killed you earlier, I would’ve bitten into your neck! I was out of control a-and scared and- »

« It’s okay Kanade. I just don’t want you to lie to me anymore. » Mafuyu looks down.

« Mafuyu... » Kanade whimpers sadly.

She didn’t realize it before, but now Mafuyu’s voice was much more comforting than it had been previously. Perhaps because the colors and shapes were way less noisy. Finally, Kanade could manage them. But she still didn’t understand why they were so loud before. Is it because Mafuyu’s emotions didn’t quite express themselves like most people, affecting the way she sounded to the world?

...Or is it because Kanade had finally bitten Mafuyu after preying silently on her?

Another shiver runs through her spine and settles in her lungs like bricks, crushing her ribs and tearing her lungs, in turn making her unable to filter air correctly, her breath itches and wavers irregularly.

« Wait a second. » Mafuyu says as she gets up and disappears into Kanade’s kitchen, allowing the girl to breathe for a little. In a matter of seconds, she comes back with a wet paper towel.

« Come here. » she gestures at Kanade who had crawled to the far side of her bed to come next to her. Kanade freezes for a few seconds, examining Mafuyu’s eyes. She wasn’t sure but she hoped it was some sort of warmth she saw through them. Then she obliges, despite how scared she felt.

Mafuyu gently tries to wipe Kanade’s bloody mouth. At first, the composer retreats, afraid, but Mafuyu was patient, and after a small while, Kanade accepted the gesture. She could feel her face flush, this was embarrassing and stressful, what if she jumped on Mafuyu again? She couldn’t shake these images from earlier away, all they screamed were that she was a broken individual. One that could do nothing more for herself except cry.

And she does.

Mafuyu takes Kanade’s hand gently in hers and wipes her fingertips, erasing the crimson that had tainted them. When her hands were cleaned, she stops, puts the paper towel away, and stares at Kanade, unsure of what to do next.

A weakened voice speaks up.

« I’m a monster, I don’t deserve this. » Kanade breaks down and finally admits, unable to open her eyes, scared to even look at her pale hands. Despite Mafuyu cleaning them, they still felt soiled. And these words were her true feelings. She tried to make them go away, to compose and forget, to change who she was. But someone’s true nature always resurfaces no matter how much they believe they can be reborn into a savior. She couldn’t escape her curse.

« ... » Mafuyu stayed silent.

« I know I said I’d save you Mafuyu, but really I’m only trying to save myself. I-I’m selfish… You really should leave me, forget about me. » The composer cried some more, trying to hide her face.

Mafuyu grabs Kanade’s hands, exactly like Kanade had done for her back in Sekai that day, and stares deeply into her eyes.

« You’re not selfish, Kanade. You’ve always been overworking yourself to compose songs for people. You always wanted to know how I feel. I should at least look out for you. »

« Mafuyu, stop, that’s not... » Kanade protests, but Mafuyu shakes her head.

« You made me smile Kanade. Nothing else did but you. And I still don’t understand. This warmth is confusing but… I can’t just throw it away now. At least, I don’t think I should…? I’m not sure... » Mafuyu stares at Kanade’s hands, the source of all the warmth she received, those hands that created songs, those hands that had apparently hurt people. Then she stares into her eyes, behind those hid a genius mind capable of great sympathy and meticulous art, as well as a monster with red eyes and sharp teeth capable of failing her gift.

Those eyes were now drowning in tears.

Kanade knows Mafuyu was trying her best despite not realizing it herself. But Kanade wouldn’t stop crying. She wanted to believe in Mafuyu’s words. She really did. But something tugged at her heart, something bitter and painful. Kanade always wanted to do good for others. That’s what Mafuyu was trying to tell her, she’s aware but...

« I’m doing what’s good… right? » She searches for any kind of answer in Mafuyu’s inexpressive eyes.

« I don’t see anything that you’ve done wrong, except maybe ignoring your needs. »

Kanade lowers her head and places it against Mafuyu’s chest, letting go of her hands and gripping her clothes tightly. Mafuyu doesn’t move.

« I’m sorry I pushed you earlier. » Kanade mumbles.

« It’s okay. »

« I-I’m sorry I lied, I didn’t know what to do... »

« It’s okay. » Mafuyu hesitantly strokes Kanade’s hair, observing the way it flows gently.

Kanade’s voice cracks « I-I don’t want to hurt anyone... »

« You… didn’t. »

Just then, Kanade hears Mafuyu’s heartbeat speeds up. Instead of questioning Mafuyu about it and getting an ambiguous answer, she decides to hug her instead. Slowly, her arms envelop Mafuyu’s body, slipping under hers. Then Kanade freezes a bit.

« Please tell me if it makes you uncomfortable. » Kanade says.

« What do you mean? »

« ...Because I’m hugging you, and I wouldn’t want to cross your boundaries... »

« My boundaries… ? »

A small silence hangs in the air, then the lyricist answers.

« It’s okay, it’s… warm. When Miku does this for me in Sekai I feel less sad. But right now you’re the one who’s sad... » Mafuyu’s heart speeds up once more, but she doesn’t notice it herself, only Kanade does. And this time, the shapes and colors made more sense to her.

The composer brings Mafuyu closer to her, tightening her embrace as her shaky limbs wrapped around her friend. The pressure from Kanade’s body pushed Mafuyu to lie back down on her bed. Kanade followed suit. The composer was, once again on top of Mafuyu. They stare at each other, but Kanade quickly averts her eyes, embarrassed. Their faces weren’t too far apart, and Kanade wasn’t used to such physical contact, despite initiating it.

« Kanade, look at me. »

The girl in question turns her face toward the voice that had called to her. Upon finding her friend’s violet eyes, her own light up. Mafuyu had a small, shy smile.

« Your blue eyes have returned,» she speaks gently.

Kanade smiles back, chuckling a bit.

Deep inside her, she was happy to hear Mafuyu’s voice normally again. But she wasn’t about to tell her, so instead, she lays down next to her. Mafuyu looks at Kanade’s long and silky hair as it gently cards her face, falling against her nose. She extends her arm toward it but hesitates.

« Your boundaries… » Mafuyu says timidly, imitating Kanade.

« It’s okay go ahead. » Kanade smiles, her eyes full of warmth and reassurance despite her hoarse, broken voice.

After receiving approval, Mafuyu then softly touches Kanade’s hair, brushing it away from her face, and stroking some strands away gently.

« Mizuki and Ena keep talking about your hair. They were right, it is silky »

Kanade laughs a bit « Do you like my hair? »

« I don’t dislike it... »

« You keep touching it so it must mean you do like it. »

They lock eyes. « I like your hair too, Mafuyu. »

« Really ? »

Kanade shifts a bit and runs her hand through Mafuyu’s wavy bangs. Despite her tremors, her fingertips could feel how soft they were, which calmed her heart. These hands of hers she usually perceives wrongly felt her own again. The blood staining them had been wiped away, purified anew. Was it bad for someone who bore wrongness in her core to feel like this? Like she could touch Mafuyu? She simply hoped it made her friend feel warm again, instead of accepting that she might need this as well.

« Yeah, they’re fluffy. » The composer continues playing with Mafuyu’s hair « I push them away but they always seem to fall back right into place, it’s kind of funny. »

« I see. »

Then Mafuyu grabs Kanade’s hand, looking a bit more serious « Earlier you said you were still afraid of losing control, right? »

« Yeah… ? » Kanade looked a bit guilty.

« Then you can take my blood. To be sure it won’t happen again. »

« W...What? »

Mafuyu stares at Kanade’s mouth, more precisely her teeth. Kanade was deeply uncomfortable « Mafuyu I… I still don’t know how this works, I don’t want to hurt you. »

« I told you it’s okay. Just don’t bite my arteries and it should be fine. Also not places that can be seen by others. »

The composer ponders for a bit. Mafuyu clearly showed no sign of being uncomfortable, perhaps this could be a new opportunity for Mafuyu to explore this desire to help. Though Kanade wasn't sure herself, was there even a safe area for her to bite? « If you’re okay then… where would be the best place? » She asks.

Mafuyu starts to unbutton her sweater, takes it off, then half unbuttons her shirt. She lets her collar slide off. Kanade's stare goes elsewhere, a bit uneasy.

« My shoulder, it shouldn’t hurt much, not like I mind either way... » Mafuyu seemed to have thought about this, considering the width and length of Kanade's canines.

Kanade gulps nervously « Can’t I do your forearm like earlier? »

« The sports uniform at school has short sleeves, if I have multiple holes or bandaids it would be suspicious. »

Kanade sighs. Gently she places one hand on Mafuyu’s neck and the other on her arm. Slowly, she approaches her.

« Well, here goes... If something is wrong just push me away... »

Mafuyu nods.

Kanade opens her mouth, timidly at first, a big contrast compared to how she had acted earlier. Her lips graze Mafuyu’s skin. She opens wider and bites down, doing her best to not hesitate so Mafuyu isn’t hurt. Her canines go in like a knife into butter, which was a disturbing thought, making Kanade stop her biting motion shortly, not going all the way in. Now that Kanade wasn't in a frenzy, she could feel her canines perforating Mafuyu’s skin, as well as the blood that drew right after dispersing onto Kanade’s tongue.

It disgusted her. But something pushed her to keep going. Something she hated.

Mafuyu does her best to stay steady, but Kanade was applying more and more pressure, she could actually feel her blood getting sucked. But more than that, she could feel Kanade shaking. Completely terrified.

So she does the first thing that comes to her mind, she brings Kanade close to her by warping her arms around her body. Her own heartbeat accelerates, and she doesn't know why.

Kanade pulls away, a bit dazed. Both of them were breathing harder.

« Y-Your wound is still… bleeding a bit. Sorry. » Kanade comments.

« ...It’s okay. »

« W-What about your forearm from earlier, does it still hurt? »

« It’s fine... »

Mafuyu still held Kanade close. The smaller girl lets out a shy exhale before asking « Do you have to go back home soon? »

« It doesn’t matter. » Mafuyu’s voice turns strict. Despite Kanade not wanting her friend to get in trouble with her mother, she was too tired to argue about this. Still, she was surprised nonetheless.

They both stay like that in silence, as Kanade slowly nuzzles into Mafuyu’s clothes.

« Your heart beats pretty loudly, Mafuyu. » Her voice was muffled against her friend’s clothes.

« ...Why? »

Kanade lifts her head up a bit « I don’t know either. What do you think? »

Mafuyu stares down and pauses. « I don’t think it’s a bad feeling. But also... »

« Hm ? »

Mafuyu’s grip seems to tighten slightly around Kanade’s lower back, it was a really small bit of force Mafuyu applied that only the composer could feel pressuring against herself, as perceptive as she was toward Mafuyu. « It’s good that you’re doing better. I... » The lyricist struggled to speak.

Another pause, then Mafuyu sighs softly.

« I’m not sure, sorry. » She says, defeated.

« It’s okay Mafuyu, I’m glad you’re here. » Kanade grins slightly, she continues « It’s been pretty scary, to be honest, but you helped a lot so thank you. » Her smile wavers a little.

Silence again, comfortable, familiar silence they both were accustomed to when working with each other usually. Kanade enjoyed Mafuyu’s presence greatly and she believed in her, believed that one day Mafuyu will find herself and feel things again. She’d have thoughts about sharing apples with her and having another tea party of sorts with all of N25, and upon finding Mafuyu next to her, she’d see her smile, with wonder growing in her eyes as she could finally taste the slightly bitter aroma in her tea, the spice in Mizuki’s curry, the sweetness of Ena’s pancake and the warmth of biting into this nostalgic fruit Mafuyu would have come to understand she appreciates, a round and red apple Kanade would have bought for her.

As N25, they could go to music festivals and enjoy it with a new perspective. With her classmates, Mafuyu could be herself and let that pressure of putting up a front flowing out of her gently. It’d be like spring after a cold and freezing winter, where the frozen lakes of their feelings would flow naturally into their body, their senses, and thoughts like they were meant to from the start. And maybe, just maybe, Mafuyu would understand why her heart beats the way it does.

« Warm... » Mafuyu whispers.

« Are you sleepy, Mafuyu? » Kanade chuckles slightly, all that stress from before slowly vanishes as she watches her friend’s eyes softly squint, accompanying a relaxed expression, perhaps a bit dazed as well.

« Not sure... »

« You are, aren’t you? Even your voice is all hazy. » Kanade couldn’t help but find that endearing. Despite Mafuyu not realizing it, she was showing a bit more human emotions through her expression these days. Kanade allowed herself to, for a small moment, believe that she hadn’t completely screwed everything up and that her care and time given to Mafuyu had been worthwhile. Perhaps she deserved to gain happiness from such a simple thing. She knows it makes her happy deep down, it’s just been hard to fully accept such feelings and come to terms with the fact that maybe Kanade would deserve comfort and happiness like everyone else.

But sometimes she’s too oblivious to her own pain, she had better things to do after all.

Mafuyu shifts a bit and yawns. Kanade leaves some space between them for Mafuyu to stretch.

« I saw an empty flower pot in your kitchen. » Mafuyu mumbles.

« Oh, yeah that’s for the plant from the black box… I wasn’t sure what to do with it so I thought I could grow it out, but I couldn’t find anything about it on the internet. » Kanade looks down a bit embarrassed.

« I could have a look if you want. »

Kanade’s eyes light up « Are you good with plants Mafuyu? »

« I guess I have some knowledge about it. » Mafuyu sits up, staring at the black box. She sharpens her gaze « Also… Do you know who sent you that box? »

« No… But it feels a bit familiar. » Kanade sits up as well.

« You’ve already tasted one of the buds, right? »

« Yeah, I had to… But I’m okay so I don’t think it’s poisonous or anything. »

Mafuyu gets up and picks up the small box, staring at the plant inside « The effects could be slow and insidious you’re not sure… It’s better to use me. »

« I wouldn’t exactly phrase it like that... » Kanade gets up as well.

They both make their way to the kitchen and on one of the counters lay the flower pot. Mafuyu puts the small varnished black box next to it.

« Since it looks like it has been cut from its stem, you should probably put it in a glass of water first, so its roots will grow out. Though it’s not guaranteed it will work... » The lyricist says, taking the small plant between her fingers and examining it.

Kanade hums, as she shuffles through the kitchen to find a glass. She would have to try to find out.

« Is tap water okay? » She asks, walking to the sink.

« Yes, though I’ve never seen a plant like that... »

In Kanade’s kitchen, there are two small windows. On one of them, Mafuyu could see a white vase standing discreetly in front of the light, blending in with the rays of sunlight. Meanwhile, Kanade finishes filling up the glass in her hand.

« Is this enough water? » Kanade questions, looking back at Mafuyu only to find her staring at the white vase. She traces her stare and understands she’s specifically looking at the white flower placed inside, its petals now translucent with the sun outside. Kanade squints a bit, still not used to this much light. Regardless, she smiles to herself as a reminiscence of the past takes hold once more.

« This is a white carnation. A fake one, I mean, because all the flowers die here. It wasn’t like that before because mom used to take care of them so well. » Kanade’s smile was bittersweet, setting the glass of water aside, she takes the empty flower pot in her hands. Mafuyu follows her movements.

« This is like a memento for her. So she’s always with us in a way. I say us but dad can’t see it anymore, so I sometimes bring him real carnations. » A small sigh escapes her lips. She remembers how Mizuki had brought her to the flower bed, now way smaller compared to her memories. But despite her body growing and changing with time, and her parents not being by her side now, she’ll never forget these precious moments she lived. She won’t run away from them anymore, even if they’re a bit painful at times.

« It’s pretty. » Mafuyu says quietly, despite not knowing if she likes these flowers or not, it felt appropriate to say.

« Yeah… White carnations were her favorites. I think they might be mine too. » Kanade stares into the empty flower pot, despite its bright orange brick color, it felt devoid of life. She hoped to fill it soon enough.

Mafuyu walks next to Kanade and takes the glass of water in her hands. She adjusts the water a bit, pouring some out into the sink. The composer continues. «  You should see some real carnations, they’re way better than this fake one. Something about the way they fold on themselves, with those unique petals, but still very much open for you to see them, it’s nice… Flowers in general are pretty captivating. » Kanade turns to face Mafuyu, who stared at her, the grayish plant in one hand and the glass of water in the other.

Mafuyu looks carefully toward Kanade. The composer’s eyes reflected content for the past, but at the same time, it felt like they were searching for something in the present day, something she still knew nothing about. She was lost, but at least she would hold these memories close.

« That’s why I have to compose. » A pause freezes the air, ironically reminding them both that time still flowed endlessly despite the state of things. And without elaborating much, Kanade moves on and looks at the plant in Mafuyu’s hand.

« Let’s put it in the glass. »

« Okay… » Mafuyu says, but to Kanade’s surprise, she hands her the plant.

« Oh… But what if I do something wrong with it? I’m pretty clumsy... » Kanade awkwardly chuckles at that last part. Despite it being something so simple, Kanade felt like it was much more precious and fragile.

« You just have to place the stem diagonally so it doesn’t fall entirely into the glass. » Mafuyu says calmly.

Kanade takes a deep breath, grabs the small plant, and after a few seconds, she puts it in the glass. The stem engorges itself in water as the buds were taking in the ambient air. The glass of water sat by the sink, under the windows, and the blinding light piercing through.

« Do you think it will bloom? » Kanade asks, hunching over the small plant, staring at it as if it was a school project she was happy to show her professor. The professor in question being Mafuyu here.

« It looks like it, but I don’t know. »

« When should I take it out of the glass? »

« When you start to see roots… Putting it in dirt right after is important. » Mafuyu seemed a bit surprised by the way Kanade asked so many questions, but didn’t mind.

The composer points to the empty flower pot with one hand, the other was brought to her chin in that signature move she does when thinking about something « What kind of dirt should I put in it? »

« There is special dirt made with potting mixes that can help the roots grow and such. But maybe ask someone at a flower shop for advice. »

Kanade smiles « You know many things Mafuyu, that’s impressive. »

« I have to. » Mafuyu looks out the windows, propping herself against the kitchen counter. Her stare turns once more to the fake carnation, one manufactured by human hands, created as a display of beauty for other humans to see, one that only replicates the real sentiment of the flowers out there, never bearing the same smell or surface to the touch.

Mafuyu then looked toward Kanade who was squinting her eyes at the light above her. Despite her clearly not liking it, the evening sun basked her in such pretty orange hues that the girl shone brightly, but not too blindingly so, just enough to send a warm, electrifying feeling all the way over to Mafuyu’s chest.

Kanade usually had pale skin, her eyes were blue and her hair was silver, all pretty cold colors. Yet under the evening rays, they mixed and enticed Mafuyu to keep staring. Her eyes were full of light, like endless pools of ocean, like the vast and free sky bounded by no earthly matters and shackles.

But what pulled Mafuyu in even more was Kanade’s hair. Silver rays beamed against the sunshine, letting reflections of light hit Mafuyu’s iris, enveloping her heart with a gentle veil similar to a shy and tranquil embrace. Despite Kanade’s cold colors, they mixed extremely well with the light of the world, with the sun.

Mafuyu could only wonder what she’d look like under the moonlight, especially since this was Kanade’s usual world. Perhaps it'll bear the same blue hues from her monitors blaring light into her dark room.

As for the composer, she was lost in thoughts but turned her attention to Mafuyu. She basked under the same sunlight as her, and despite it burning Kanade's eyes and making her skin itch and boil, she thought that maybe things would be okay and a future with Mafuyu in it, as well as all of N25, wasn’t a too far-fetched request, despite how selfish Kanade thinks this makes her be. It felt special to see Mafuyu’s eyes finally bearing life, even if it was simply from the sun.

And those wide eyes stared directly at her with deep, undescribable intent.

« What is it Mafuyu ? » Kanade questions.

«  ...Your hair reminds me of the white carnation. » Mafuyu admits, her brows knit together, she seems confused. But the wonder never leaves her eyes.

« Really? It’s probably because you haven’t seen real ones. They’re usually a cream color, a warmer white. My hair is more on the colder side. »

« But you look warm. »

There’s a pause after that statement. Kanade feels her ears becoming hotter, ironically. She smiles nonetheless. Mafuyu was changing bit by bit, and Kanade couldn’t ask for more. Even if the sun of that house had died and its inhabitants were falling ill, perhaps the sun truly was a star and their unique wonder and mystery could be found anywhere. Perhaps the sun could be found in many people, despite their nocturnal habits.

And maybe life could bloom again in those people.

Mafuyu seems taken aback by what she said, her grip tightens a little on the kitchen counter and she plays with her bangs a bit, moving them in and out of the way.

Kanade looks at Mafuyu’s hand against the counter. She debates whether she should take it into her own or not but her eyes find something else.

The tiny plant in the glass of water seemed to recoil a bit and close in on itself, wrinkling.

« Hold on... » Kanade utters, frowning. The small plant seemed to resonate within her once more. Patterns resembling red spikes and hot waves of flashing lights appeared in Kanade’s vision. She could practically hear the plant squirming on itself, crumpling at her own heart. Suddenly she feels hot herself. Too hot.

She knows that sensation very well. It happened to her when she was outside. Kanade instantly grabs the glass of water and rushes to her room, hiding it from the sun.

« Kanade? » Mafuyu says, following her.

« The sun is hurting it I just… I just know it. »

Mafuyu stays silent for a bit then looks down « Okay… I should probably get going. » she breathes out, her voice lower than usual.

« Oh, right. » Kanade turns back to her « I’ll walk you to the door » she offers her a sweet smile and begins walking ahead but Mafuyu grabs her wrist. She lets her hand slide down to grab Kanade’s.

« Mhm, let’s go,» she says. Her expression remains neutral, but her gesture was really clear, clearer than any word she couldn’t mutter, than any feeling she couldn’t feel through the heavy fog in her heart.

Mafuyu watches as Kanade stops, her mouth opened slightly, completely surprised at first. Then her cheeks become rosy and Mafuyu wonders if flowers could give her that same feeling. Maybe she’d go search for some with Kanade later, as much as Kanade wanted to do it as well, simply because Kanade might make the same kind of face when seeing them. In truth, Mafuyu had no need for flowers, because there was one right in front of her. But seeing Kanade happy made her feel... glad somehow.

But she keeps those strange thoughts to herself. As naturally as they came, she lets them flow and prefers actually watching the flower by her side than dwelling on it.

Kanade clears her throat a bit and gets a better hold of Mafuyu’s hand. Despite being the one initiating it, the lyricist left her hand kinda loose and limp against Kanade’s, courtesy of lacking empathy and desires. But deep down, simply acting out of that feeling in her chest signified something way bigger for her. Because she had no reason to do this, no puppeteer to pull her strings.

And Kanade knew that as well.

So she makes sure to walk slowly to the door, to indulge in this moment. Once they were in front of the door, Kanade’s expression turns bittersweet but this time a bit different from what she had grown accustomed to. Nostalgia wasn’t the cause of this, but letting her friend go was. Even if this bittersweet feeling seemed to sting a bit more, it also felt way more hopeful. Because she had accomplished so much today with Mafuyu, despite this day beginning awfully. And she had room to keep going, a goal to move forward to.

This bittersweet feeling wouldn’t be set in stone like something from the past was, it meant going forward this time. Perhaps she wouldn’t have been able to do that without the past, despite how tragically it ended.

Mafuyu catches on Kanade’s expression.

« Are you okay? »

« Yeah, don’t worry, Also… thank you. For everything. » Kanade smiles warmly, as usual.

Mafuyu felt confused, for her she had simply done the right thing, as in, helping someone that was hurt. But the more she thinks about it, the more she had done things that weren’t directly necessary, simply because it felt warm. Perhaps a bit… uncomfortable at times upon seeing Kanade cry. But seeing her smile after helping was always something that comforted Mafuyu. Even if she wouldn’t understand it completely, she had helped her in more than a physical way. What she knew for sure though, is that something was happening in her chest.

And Kanade was grateful apparently. A special kind of gratefulness unlike her classmates, especially different from her parents. One filled with genuine feelings. Feelings Mafuyu had no description or shape to give to. She simply felt it was stronger.

« Mhm. » She hums back, unable to say much more.

Kanade lets go of Mafuyu’s hand and unlocks the door.

« Get home safe. See you. »

Mafuyu stops in front of the entrance « Oh, Miku said she’s been missing you in Sekai... »

« Okay, I’ll make sure to visit. » Kanade had completely forgotten about Sekai. But mostly, she didn’t want to make Miku and the others worried, besides, she didn’t have any demo to show them, so it wasn’t worth coming over.

« Mh, goodbye. » Mafuyu lingers, then she steps out of Kanade’s house, gripping her chest a bit.

Kanade locks the door behind her and lets out a big sigh. She hides her face in her warm palms, letting her back push itself against the front door and slide down. She hits the ground softly. Under her hands, a wide smile and two rosy cheeks embellished her face.

« Ahh, I really must be sick these days... » She exhales, unable to hide the excitement in her heart, letting it out shyly but still hiding her face from no one in particular. Maybe because she was a bit embarrassed. It reminded her of when she was a child excited and happy by everything and nothing in particular. In a way, she kept those feelings right against her fingers, in the comfort of her own memories, hence why she holds her face in such a shy fashion.

But above all, what made her joyfully giddy inside, was that her house hadn’t felt that filled in so long.

Kanade, with newfound confidence, gets up and walks to her room. She spares a quick look toward the plant on her desk that took a normal shape again and sat on her chair. Connecting to nightcord, she cracks her fingers and knuckles, surprising herself. It's a pretty cliché thing to do, but also fun when you’re about to work. Because Kanade was going to finally finish composing the song they worked so hard on with N25. She had made them wait long enough, and now that the doubts in her head and the horrible feelings in her body had vanished, it was time to work.

It was time to compose the future.

Chapter Text

Kanade had done it. She finished the entire song. The composer went through multiple trials and errors, doing her best to analyze each shape, each spike, each circle and color that the sounds expressed to her, she neatly sewed them together, finely tying all her work. Making the verses stronger, the pre-chorus softer, adding a few instruments here and there, cutting the chorus a bit and polishing the bridge into an explosion of squares and triangles, a firework of colors with a stunning final banquet and gentler intertwined sequences, she was happy with the results.

She had followed her friends’ work, at times asking their opinions, in turn demanding they change some of their own products. Ena had an incredibly detailed character with complementary colors playing with the cold background, making room for the warmer meaning behind the composition of her art, as if the character had just realized something and colored a world that refused to see them. Mizuki’s MV made it so the character was actually rejecting the world in front of them, movements describing really well the thought process of the character putting a darkened veil in front of their own eyes, in pain but ultimately finding a way, with clever intermissions and layouts that jumped right at the viewer’s eyes in a more cinematic approach than their previous works.

Mafuyu had written lyrics filled with doubts and dread but also some stagnant warmth that was shown through confused expressions and interesting cuts of sentences that kept the listeners on their toes, waiting for more, to grasp the answer to this enigma of a song that managed to grip at people’s hearts, as always. But strangely enough, it seemed as if Mafuyu had written the lyrics differently. As if she was more lost, or perhaps in introspection. They still worked nonetheless, as talented as she was.

And Kanade had given advice to everyone. With her new senses, she was able to give a clearer picture of what she had in mind. She helped smooth out the lyrics so they’d flow easier through the audience’s mind, as well as ways the colors and the layout of the MV and illustration could captivate people.

In turn, her music was warm but also melancholic, a bit nostalgic. In remembrance of the old days, she added some sounds from a music box that played with people’s heartstrings as the song gained power. She didn’t hesitate to play with noises, like sounds of water, doors shutting down, metallic clinks, and mild crunching of leaves, in order to create a unique atmosphere that plunged the listener into a different world, perhaps one that resembled Kanade’s sensible one, mixed with the talents and personalities of her bandmates.

Stretching in her seat, Kanade closes her eyes. She still hadn’t gone to Sekai... Kanade wondered how it would work for her now, with this new, unknown body, thrown into Sekai. They don’t know much about this space that creates itself through their feelings. Vocaloids aren’t real people per se, their voices are made of synthetic sounds, and their bodies… Kanade frowns. They could produce body warmth, but did they have a beating heart? Organs? Bones? One thing was sure, they had feelings and concerns, and Kanade didn’t want to burden them.

Another thing bugs the composer, she still hadn’t seen her friends either. Knots form in her stomach as anxiety stems from the cluster inside, what if they notice something different about her? They surely will, especially Ena. Kanade could pretend to smile, say that her shoulder healed itself and she had to take it easy now, but her evergrowing pale skin and sharp teeth were a bit harder to conceal. Besides, after jumping on Mafuyu and almost biting through her throat, Kanade feared seeing them in real life would be a bit more difficult than through voice chat. She’d feel their presence, their heartbeats, and smells...

But despite everything she had one advantage, the fact that her usual behavior wasn’t any different. She’s never liked the sun, never goes outside much, and doesn’t do well with crowds. Her awful lifestyle for one does her a favor, aside from composing away through the days and nights, so they wouldn’t suspect her if she’d want to avoid people or the sun… or if her skin was paler than before.

Kanade brings her index and thumb to her canines, touching them. It still was a weird feeling, having these almost foreign objects in her mouth that were apparently a part of her, feeling them against her tongue and lips, careful not to bite herself which had happened before, she had scraped her lip while focusing in the middle of work. It had bled a bit, but she quickly recovered. Perhaps a bit too fast for her liking.

The human body was already such a chore to get used to, new changes were even more destabilizing. Adapting to something that’s constantly changing and reacting to everything around was exhausting. But Kanade pushed through. She had gained strength and endurance after all, but her eyes would still grow sleepy.

Kanade’s sleep schedule had always been a downward mess. It never seemed to fix itself, perhaps because one would need to care about it for it to change. Needless to say, she still escaped it, avoiding it as much as possible. But these days, she did it in such a feverish and compulsive way as something had poisoned her dreamland and rendered sleep useless.

Kanade was having regular nightmares about all of her teeth falling, or regrowing in twisted, gory ways, as blood dispersed on all her clothes and rotted in her now smelly, crimson house. She’d see her face, contorted and destroyed, assaulting her dearest friends who could only stare back at her with glassy, unresponsive eyes. At times, she’d even see herself burn in the sun outside, while many people observed her.

After that, she’d wake up in a cold sweat, shivering, and at times unable to breathe. She’d take a cold shower afterward, as a way to feel human again, to grasp the mundane routine of hygiene once more. But the cold was a bit too kind to her, even when the faucet was turned all the way to the blue side as if her body couldn’t care less about temperature as long as it wasn’t direct sunlight. Not used to that « kind coldness » managing to only freeze her saddened heart as the rest of her body remained unbothered, she’d quickly turn off the water and escape the irrationally stuffy room. Occasionally when the nightmares were too much and a shower wasn’t enough, Kanade would eat one of the buds from her plant, and the very real frosty, minty sensation would shake her senses and reboot her thoughts.

She shakes her head, a bit dazed, no use thinking back on those awful moments, N25 had completed their song after all. Rubbing her eyes and looking to her left, there was the small plant. It had tiny, white roots sprawling out of the small stem, meaning it was time to move it to a bigger house, finally filling this old flower pot. Kanade, still afraid of going outside had turned to online advice for plants and bought a special growing mix like the ones Mafuyu had talked to her about.

« Mafuyu... » Kanade whispers, staring at the small plant she grazes with her fingertip.

Aside from speaking in the voice chat, it’s been a while since Kanade had actually seen Mafuyu. The last time left her a bit traumatized, with all that biting and… blood. She had actually ingested Mafuyu’s blood, transforming her friend into livestock directly shooting into her veins, as if she was nothing but mere food. How was she even supposed to face her? Last time everything had ended well, but after dwelling on it alone in the darkest confines of her house, Kanade felt repulsed by her acts.

Mafuyu had told her it was okay, that she could use her to satiate herself. Use her.

Kanade hated that word. Mafuyu wasn’t just a tool. What made Kanade so superior that she could feed on humans now? That simple fact doesn’t even make her human anymore. Humans would get sick from eating each other’s flesh, humans have compassion for the animals they eat. Some absolutely don’t, intentionally treating animals as less than humans and letting them live upon the rotting corpses of their own in industrial, locked-up farms. Aren’t these people usually monsters or is that part of human nature? Cannibalistic people are directly seen as immoral, even if it’s due to cultural differences. So… what about vampires? What makes Kanade so much better than all of this, especially if she bore such animalistic instincts within her?

Kanade couldn’t even go outside to give her father his clothes, she had to ask Mochizuki, much to her embarrassment, to do the delivery in her place. Kanade kept apologizing again and again, while Mochizuki smiled and repeated how it wasn’t an issue at all. But deep down, Kanade felt ashamed, like she was lying to her friends and to everyone she knows. The truth is, whenever Mochizuki came, she’d feel so scared. Her heart would tumble on itself, making weird, crinkling noises inside, giving up on her lungs, forcing her to lock herself up in her room some more.

Mochizuki was so kind to her, despite Kanade being someone who could brutally attack her at any moment. Someone who couldn’t be trusted. Someone that hid a despicable creature. An identity she couldn’t share, the best she could do was make this strange body of hers work even more than before. Kanade had to take advantage of how less hungry and tired she felt.

Speaking of hunger, it’s been a while since she hasn’t fed on anyone, since Mafuyu came… Yet she was fine. Her stomach could do uncomfortable twirls inside at times, but Kanade figured it was simply her body being alive, she desperately needed to think that way.

Ping.

A sound notification from nightcord, Kanade reacted to it before the sound had even finished ringing. Her head spins a bit from the sudden movement, feeling surprised at how fast she was.

There she reads everyone saying they were ready to come to Sekai, simply waiting on her answer. Kanade grips her mouse tightly, slides it to the message bar, and writes « I’ll be here. », each letter she types on her keyboard resonates through her empty room.

She throws one last look at her surroundings, despite their Sekai looking so desolate and empty, it feels way warmer than this room she breathed in every day. Kanade tried to reassure herself, thinking about Miku’s soft and wholesome smile, Rin’s fake attitude of appearing a bit annoyed at things but caring deep down, Luka’s sly but genuine smiles, Meiko’s distant overlooking eyes, and Len’s shy and careful demeanor. They all were really special, like their own personal confidences with personalities differing from the usual way vocaloids are perceived.

« It’ll be fine… I’m not starving, I’m not dizzy, I can manage the light, and sounds better... » Kanade repeats to herself as a mantra of sorts, gripping her phone, its black screen reflecting a mushy, blurry reflection of herself. Quickly she unlocks it and ‘Composing the future’ stares back at her.

For a few seconds, she wonders if she’s going down the right path. This song they had done was great, right? Even if her brain was changing into something unrecognizable, she had found a way to embrace it and create some more, so it’ll be fine… right? Her thumb hovers upon the screen, and a painless, invisible cramp solidifies it into place.

The composer takes a deep breath and counts to one. She imagines the vocaloids’ reactions to their work, all with unique but heartwarming comebacks. Kanade counts to two. She imagines Mizuki and Ena, happy to share their work, probably scolding Kanade a bit for how pale she is but ultimately being glad she’s physically here with them. Kanade counts to three. She imagines how Mafuyu might be a step closer to being saved, eventually breaking into a smile.

Kanade breathes out all the air she could from her lungs and presses her thumb down.

Triangles overtake her vision, pink, blue, red, and brown ones mix into a warping sound. For a minute, Kanade’s body becomes what she sees and she forgets she exists. As her body materializes into Sekai, she could finally inhale, as if she had been thrown into boiling, muzzled water repressed into her ears and swam out of its heavy waves, stabbing at her blinded eyes.

Unknowingly she had closed her own. Gently, as if scared of being swung by something, she opens them, feeling way more vulnerable than she’d have planned before coming here. Blindness overtakes her before finally adjusts to the place she had grown fond of. The lights were embracing her into lovely familiarity, pulling her into the gray Sekai, slowly releasing her ringing ears from the pressure of diving into this world. The one formed out of Mafuyu’s feelings, the one Kanade, Mizuki, and Ena were allowed into, the one they could impact.

From farther away, Kanade could see dark silhouettes forming, contrasting with the monochrome, whitish palette of the Sekai, approaching her. Kanade threw a quick look at her phone, trying to decipher any weird reddish color that might taint her eyes but nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

« Hey, Kanade! Are you okay? » Mizuki greets, vigorously waving their arm at Kanade but stops short once seeing the look in her eyes.

« Yeah, it’s just been a while since I came here. »

« Kanade! It’s been so long, how has your arm been? » Ena questions, a big smile plastered on her face.

« It healed well, I simply have to rest now and take it slow. » From the corner of her eyes, she could see a purple shadow moving. It was Mafuyu, who wore her signature neutral expression.

« Hey, K. »

« Hello... »

Ena crosses her arms « This is all you have to say after seeing not seeing Kanade for so long ? »

Kanade nervously tries to grin a bit, doing a slow up-and-down gesture with her hand hoping to calm Ena down. In truth, they had seen each other much more recently than Mizuki or Ena had seen the composer, but it still has been a while after all.

Mafuyu throws a glance at Kanade « We’ve talked through voice chat, though. »

« Typical, whatever... » Ena rotates on her heels, giving all her attention to Kanade « You look a bit pale Kanade, we really should go out more now that you’re better! Right, Mizuki? » Ena gives them a knowing look.

Mizuki awkwardly giggles « S-Sure! Since we just need to review our song, we can upload it and then go to the family dinner tomorrow. »

« I’d like that. » Kanade finds herself swooped, it has indeed been a while since she’s seen her friends face to face. She watches them carefully as if they could go away at any moment, and there she feels it.

A pang inside of her body.

Unsure of the cause, she examines the scenery. Ena and Mizuki’s presence did create visual constellations and abstract colors in front of her eyes, she could feel their heartbeat and breathing as well if she concentrated a bit more but she did her best to not mind it, afraid her eyes might turn red. Mafuyu was the same as when she left, with no change to her pulse and shapes, and no strange desire to jump at her throat either.

Another pang, louder this time, as if something was approaching. Kanade shakes her head and ignores the grinding progressively settling into her brain.

« Kanade. » A sweet, synthetic voice comes into life from behind her. She turns around and finds Miku, her heterochromatic eyes gently pinch themselves, and her cheekbones go up slightly. The vocaloid was smiling, and Kanade could see her in ways she’d never thought she’d do before.

It was as if an influx of energy ran through her body. It happened a bit with humans, but this time it felt way more powerful. Some sort of turquoise turbine, with will-o’-the-wisps of sorts escaping it, innocently floating around. Like a burning, bright, and warm blue fire, tenderly but strongly lighting up. Kanade’s eyes grow wide.

« Kanade… ? » Miku tilts her head, confused, but Kanade gets a grasp on the world surrounding her, careful to not indulge too much in this view.

« Miku, I’m happy to see you, how have you been? » Kanade tilts her head back, feigning ignorance and calmness, meanwhile her mind desperately wanted to see more of what made Miku so different from the others.

« I’m happy as well. » Her voice resembled some patterns she’d see and hear when her friends talked through their mics, so it wasn’t all that foreign to her. It was simply a matter of decoding in what order they were. Softly, Miku comes up to Kanade and tries to hug her.

The composer takes a step back.

« A-Ah, um... » her heart sinks upon finding Miku’s sad expression.

« Her shoulder, we’ve told you about this Miku. » Mafuyu says, saving the situation.

« Oh. Sorry... » Miku looks down.

« It’s fine! We can always hug later. » Kanade reassures, making a small smile appear on the vocaloid’s face.

Before anyone could notice, she feels three more presences approaching, and one more from farther away. Kanade quickly turns to greet the other vocaloids, surprising the group a bit.

« Woah Kanade, did that sport session with Ena made you sharper? » Mizuki comments, jabbing Ena softly at her sides.

Kanade chuckles a bit, unsure how to respond.

Two blond heads and a pink one appear.

« Kanade! Seems like you recovered. » Luka sneakily comes up to her, observing her a bit too intimately for Kanade’s comfort. Especially since she had to concentrate on managing everyone’s voice without betraying her own nature.

When seeing Luka in front of her, Kanade does a double take. Her aura looked way rounder and wavy, settling on the outlines of her body instead of inside. It felt almost dizzy to look at her like something was spilling out of her, something untouchable that’d stuck to your insides. But strangely, these pinkish, bright waves felt inoffensive, if only a bit nauseous.

« Good thing you’re doing better, everyone here wouldn’t stop complaining... » Rin deadpans, but the tiniest grin makes its way to her face. Rin’s presence felt much more dense but weirdly light. There was like some sort of prickly bubble surrounding her, hiding a compact, orange energy cube of care that’d spread in viny, flowery traces through her limbs. It felt warmer than Luka’s energy, but also farther away than Miku’s.

« Kanade, hi... » Len murmurs, putting a hand on his wrist and walking over to Miku. His energy felt much quieter than the others, some small yellow circles make their way around and right back into him, as if hiding, they looked like gentle pulsating electric waves. Upon coming into contact with Miku, it felt like their energy’s speed matched each other, signifying how Len was attached to Miku, and how in turn Miku appreciated everyone.

A bit overwhelmed, Kanade takes a step back and goes next to Mizuki, whose presence showed itself in a more manageable way to Kanade. Her eyes wince a bit, and a tingling sensation settles in her eyes like snowflakes falling onto her retina and coating her vision white.

Feeling Mizuki turn toward her, Kanade instantly smiles, as a way to look okay and divert her own focus away.

« Is everything fine Kanade? » Mizuki whispers, not wanting to draw much attention to them as the rest of the group seems to be talking with each other.

« Yeah, I just haven’t been moving much these past few days. »

« Don’t force yourself tomorrow okay? Even though it might help, you still need rest. » Mizuki smiles and Kanade feels herself getting better, she regains her strength a bit.

Another pang stabs her guts while Mizuki isn’t looking.

« Look who decided to show up! » Luka teases, as a brown-haired person makes their way to the group.

« What’s it to you? I’m here for the song. » Meiko sighs as Kanade’s eyes fall on her. Her aura was different from the others. A thick, square veil resembling one of a glass garden surrounded her, Kanade had trouble discerning any real shape or pulsation except some sharp balls of light emanating a red hue coming from inside her. It’s as if she was foggy in a sense but also really clearly involved with the world around her. She could illuminate the outside a bit while preventing it from shedding light into her.

« Well, is everyone ready to review our final version of the song? » Ena asks cheerfully.

They all stand in a circle, throwing expectant looks toward Kanade who had compiled their work on it beforehand. She walks in front, doing her best to avoid the gaze of others, staring at the ground, she places her phone down and presses play.

Everyone gathers a bit closer to watch and listen, meanwhile, Kanade takes a small and silent step back. She already knows the content of the video after all. Prideful, Mizuki and Ena continue watching it, but one person steps away as well.

« Kanade. » Mafuyu whispers to the composer.

« Ah- ! Mafuyu, hey. » A bit startled, Kanade loses her footing. She quickly and awkwardly stares at the mass of people around her phone, afraid she had drawn attention to herself, but they were too mesmerized with the song to notice. Kanade sighs in relief.

Mafuyu lowers her voice « Sorry, I scared you. »

« It's alright, what is it? » She smiles despite the mass of people on her left sensibly calling to her, creating a cluster of energy that made Kanade a bit uneasy. At least now she wouldn't stare at it and draw some more attention to her eyes.

« You're behaving differently. » Mafuyu states.

Kanade nervously brings her hands together, intertwining her own fingers as if they were holding her heart « I'm fine it's just... People are a bit much right now. »

« But you were always okay in Sekai. »

Something pangs and thumbs away in the empty Sekai, flashing in thunderous deep blue hues. She blinks a few times, desperate to find back the white Sekai. This time, the overstimulation was a bit much.

« Kanade, your eyes... » Mafuyu murmurs quietly.

« They're a different color... aren't they? » Kanade asks, staring at nothing in front of her. Focusing to the point of draining her own energy, she tries to get her vision back.

« ...Yes »

Kanade tries her best to breathe, but she decides to focus on the music that's playing in the background and its familiar aspect. For a few seconds, her instincts begged her to flee, but she'd have to steal her own phone away from people's eyes. For everyone to see something they couldn't understand.

« ...Are you hurt? » Mafuyu asks, stepping a bit closer to Kanade.

« N-No, just my senses are way more sensitive than before... Ah-! » Finally, as if changing lenses, her vision comes back and her retinas burn a bit.

« Oh. They're back to normal » Mafuyu lets out just as the group of vocaloid turns back.

« This was nice. I really liked the progression in this song. » Miku says, gently bringing a hand over to her chest.

Kanade smiles right as her heartbeat decides to make the flesh of her jaw its house, loud and vagabond beats building tension in her nerves there.

All the comments the vocaloids make on the song, MV and illustration turn into a jumble of white noise. Words mixed as Kanade couldn't make sense of them, she squints at Ena's and Mizuki's glowing faces upon hearing the compliments and critics of Miku and the others, feeling her eyes burning up some more, she had to control herself.

A certain mischievous voice slips into Kanade's left ear « Is everything okay, Kanade? »

Kanade prevents herself from screaming, she jumps a bit instead. « Luka...! »

« You know, despite this Sekai being birthed from Mafuyu's emotions, we can sort of feel when something happens even to those who aren't Mafuyu. » Luka turns to said girl briefly who stared back a bit confused.

« Mainly because... » Luka shuffles in her hidden pockets « Of this. »

In her palm was a single, bright red petal.

Mafuyu walks closer to Luka, side-eyeing the foreign object in her hand. Kanade's blood turns cold. At this moment, she felt stripped away from a part of her she didn't even know she had. Like someone had dissected her corpse and placed a mangled part of her organ on a table to examine it and squirm in its slimy insides, Luka here being like a surgeon that found the exact tumor in Kanade's awful system but not knowing what kind of tumor it was.

Or if there was more to this because this petal lacked a proper flower. Yet here she was, plunging a scalpel into Kanade, hoping to hit the right spot.

Luka stares at the petal, smiling mysteriously « I found it while walking around. There aren't many colorful things here so it stood out instantly. I'm not sure what that means but it feels like you, Kanade. »

Kanade averts her eyes, feeling Luka's aura enveloping her in its warm, vicious grasp. Locking on its target to make them spit out truths. This was how she helped people, she set things into motion like a domino effect carried out by someone bearing a mischievous smile in the hopes to trigger a certain resolution while not being amongst the dominoes.

But Kanade didn't want her diagnosis, and she definitely hated the feeling of getting an autopsy on this body she had trouble acknowledging as her own. She didn’t want to become a pawn in the games she plays, even if she had all the good intentions in the world, Kanade was too afraid for more petals to grow and paint this Sekai red.

The composer fidgets « I-I'm not sure what- »

A different voice cuts through their exchange.

« What do you think, are we done? » Ena smiles at those out of the circle they had formed. Kanade instantly stares at her, one of the only people here without an overwhelming aura.

Perhaps a bit too quick as Ena catches on to her distress.

« Are you all okay there? »

« No problem at all, we were discussing Kanade's composition, isn't that right? » Luka smiles, the bright red petal nowhere in sight.

« Right. » Mafuyu says, throwing a look at Kanade, who found familiarity in those eyes allowing her to calm down.

« Well, if everyone's okay with the song then we can upload it tonight! » Mizuki practically celebrates.

« Yeah, and then to the family dinner! » Ena says, throwing a quick, knowing look toward Mizuki.

« Sure » Kanade replies. She walks over to her phone as the circle of people dissipates. She was about to press ‘Composing the future’ but Ena stops her.

« Kanade, make sure to take care of yourself and eat, okay? Especially since you’re recovering. »

Eating. Why does she have to talk about that? Kanade shivers a bit, dismissing Ena’s words. After all, her friend was oblivious to the fact Kanade was lying to her.

« Don’t worry, I’m doing good. See you. » Kanade smiles as she waves timidly to the rest of the group. The vocaloids all stare at her, all were making that same kind of expression that dug into Kanade’s spine and made her stiffen. One wearing a deep frown, telling her ‘we know you aren’t the same.’

She gets teleported back, and the same strange plunging process happens, first flooding her eardrums into a pool of boiling water, but something was different. Right as the triangles leave her vision, just as Kanade thinks she’ll escape from Sekai by disappearing, another pang of raging blue crashes her vision. It engulfs her mind right as she’s brought back.

When appearing in her room, Kanade instantly dives to the floor. There was an awful ringing in her ears, making her almost bite her tongue as she recoiled in place, clashing her teeth together. On her floor, she was in a sideway crouched position, her legs were brought to her chest and her arms were bent around her head in a protective manner, holding her ears. She tenses up, then after a while, the horrid feeling passes, and the darkness of her room welcomes her back.

She sits back up slowly, the world looking whimsical and wavy, almost unreal. Then she gets a grip and something lightens up in her head as she makes sense of what just happened. That blue torrent of energy felt like something had been called and awoken farther away, preparing itself as it approached the empty Sekai. Kanade wasn’t sure, but perhaps a new feeling was being born here.

And perhaps, a new someone would appear?

But she had no time to lose, this body had to work after all. So she goes to her desk, sits on her chair, and gets everything ready for uploading the song. After signaling it to the group by messages, as she felt a bit too exhausted to hear their voices contorting in her head, she presses the upload button, and in a matter of seconds, their song was published on the Internet for the whole wide world to see. After a few minutes, comments and reactions began to flood in as views were rising.

Kanade takes a deep sigh of relief. On nightcord, everyone celebrated happily, satisfied that their efforts were getting recognized. For Kanade it was about saving people and reaching them, for Ena it was about recognition of her hard work, for Mizuki it was about being authentic in what they liked and for Mafuyu it was about finding herself. They all had different goals but ultimately their interests intersect with one another.

Kanade smiles. She truly loved them and their unique selves. She couldn’t ask for better bandmates to help in her quest.

Her heart softens at the thought, finding herself nostalgic over how her group came to be. Despite calmness finally being brought to her, after the stressful event of earlier with this double life she lived and tried to hide in the face of people connected to her feelings, she needed to take a rest. The composer sends a message to the ones she cherished the most, telling them she’ll take a nap.

After that, she gets up.

Just then, her vision blurs and Kanade prays it’s simply because she was tired due to the overstimulation taking its toll.

Heading to bed, she grabs her phone and collapses onto it. She plugs her earbuds into the small object in her hands and lets it play her pride and joy, the ripened fruit of her hardships, her group’s creation, right into her ears. Music takes hold of her, but more importantly, the singing voices of her friends filled her vision and thoughts.

Kanade closes her eyes.

Each of her friends’ voices had something special to them, something unique that translated their real character deep inside. These people she still had trouble calling friends despite it all, because Kanade always questioned whether she had any right to have things simply because she enjoyed them instead of serving a greater purpose. Just like that time she did sports with Ena, Ichika, and Minori. Luka had pushed her to be a bit more selfish and to cherish her own emotions.

But with her body changing, she wonders if that was even something she could do anymore. Now was a time to protect people from her ways and to use this newfound strength in a productive manner.

Still, for now, she took a moment of peace and listened to the voices of people she somehow wanted to believe were her friends. Though, something lodges itself in her heart. Something came over her every time she would hear Mafuyu’s voice. The composer didn’t know exactly why, but her voice flowed gently through her head and vision, making peaceful wavelengths lull her heart.

Stirring a bit under her bed sheets when Mafuyu’s voice became more emotional and pained, Kanade felt uncomfortable from how much she didn’t understand. Mafuyu and Kanade always had some sort of similarities, in the way they viewed music, in the way they felt the pain of the world, and despite their opposing goal, one where Kanade wants to save people and one where Mafuyu wants to save herself, Kanade still hoped deep down she could save her own ego and rewrite her curse, and Mafuyu was discovering through all the people around her how warm it felt to help others without any intention of honorific duty behind.

Kanade then thinks about Ena and how far she’s come with her art as well as the way she works and gives her best at all times, never giving up despite the odds being against her at times. Then Mizuki, Kanade wasn’t sure what sort of pain stood deeply into their core but she knew Mizuki was one of the friendliest people she knew, as the composer still feels grateful for the time they had helped her find the flower bed of carnations and remember something important from the past.

Yet Mafuyu was different and Kanade couldn’t explain why. Perhaps it’s this strange connection between them that pushes Kanade to want Mafuyu to smile, in turn continuing her father’s barely alive legacy. At first, Kanade had put herself into this almost codependent situation, where she’ll compose away to save Mafuyu and will keep doing it as long as Mafuyu would tell her « It’s not enough. » But now that Mafuyu actually grows beyond their arrangement, as well as how Kanade was forming relationships with more genuine people, things were beginning to change.

That’s why Kanade must keep her distance now. With Mafuyu and with all the other people she knows, despite how much they’d like to see her smile as well. Because deep down she’s always treated a fine line between life and death, and with this new unpredictable, blood-craving body of hers, she had to be even more careful.

So for now, she’ll simply listen to her bandmates’ voices through their songs, ignoring her own. That’s how she’ll feel the warmth from what they had accomplished, and the only way for her to feel for her friends is through their common creation.

And even if Mafuyu’s voice pulled a bit more at her heartstrings, Kanade falls asleep anyway, smiling away at how much more she could produce with this corpse she had to bear as hers.

Darkness covers her into a thin black veil, as faraway lights illuminate slowly through the barren landscape. Despite the warmth of these enchanting fragments of sun igniting her desires, the composer could feel cold sweat prickle at her neck, sticking against her white, ghostly hair.

Like a spider crawling through its web, the faulted composer moves with rapid ease, cutting through the obscure horizon without a care in the world. In this instant, nothing could stop her, no obstacles could ever break her reach for those bright and sparkly suns all around her, not even herself could stop this possessed corpse from racing along.

A decaying white hand plunges through one of the lights that had been weaker to grow and failed to fly off into the never-ending sky in time. These pale fingers settle around the sun's throat.

These whitish, fading hands crush the breathing sun's airpipe. And it was okay because there were still many disposable suns around, no matter talent or effort, no matter willful or bent, they would all fall down either way.

But not her own light. Hers was like none other. Hers was better. Hers fed on dying ones to spread its slimy wings and creep as an ashy trail of shadow behind every corner that hid in face of the true sun. One that covets millions of others in the shape of herself but brighter, gleaming with the life she could never have but had no need to possess anyway, simply consume.

The dead star at her fingertips falls to the ground, as intended, after having shined its brightest, still not being enough to escape a cursed person. Its blood freezes against the cold and black grass under, and in small splashes, it leaks out from its broken pipes to this unforgiving world. The silver monster sits on top of its prey, defeated, and with a certain melody translating into its wicked smile, the monster lowers its head and slurps at the extinct sun's content.

Leaving a bit of distance from its prey, suddenly its appearance sets the whitish ghost into a turmoil of emotions, a peculiar sense of panic that settles heavily under guilty minds.

The dead sun opens its eyes wide, its glassy iris burning into its killer's bloody ones. As it recoils in pain and agony, there she could see it.

Kanade stares at her father, fallen under her hands, his blood was dripping out of her mouth.

The veil of darkness and lies fades, revealing corpses upon corpses of people whose faces had melted into one another, like a giant puddle of a dirtied mess scraped at the side of a random paper, a page forgotten to time, a dirtied and useless score.

Kanade takes a few steps back, and before her eyes could leak some more, she trips on someone behind her.

There was Mafuyu, Mizuki, and Ena, who stared at her like she was nothing more than garbage on the streets. Mafuyu held her own throat, as blood started to drip from her hands but her empty glare never left Kanade's compact and stiff stomach, filling it with dread and deep remorse.

Another wave of cold sweat hits her before she finally, truly opens her eyes and finds herself back in this room where she could pretend to act like Kanade 'the gifted composer' again.

Her cold bedroom.

A lonesome melody played from her ears. One so loud and heartwrenching, she almost hated it for a moment. In shock, she shugs the sound out of her ears as her earphones go flying away.

Alarmed, she checks her surroundings, completely lost, her lungs on the verge of breaking in half and collapsing on top of her organs, piling themselves on top of her muddy and twisted heart. Kanade does her best to ground herself, naming things she could see, smell and taste.

On her right, on top of her ruffled and damp sheets were her earphones that had been tossed aside. She must have really thrown them hard as they were unplugged from her phone, which she found only after feeling around the covers. Everything else was left untouched.

Now, she starts to notice how there's a weird smell in her room. A powdery and ashy type of smell spread all around. It felt like someone was smelting heavy iron through her skull. Feeling a bit on edge, she gets up. The first thought that flows into her head is "This body can't waver, it needs to compose."

Right as her feet touch the ground, a metallic taste fills her mouth. A cold and distant feeling makes her want to crawl out of her skin.

"D-Did I... Bite someone? But there's no blood anywhere..." She asks to the void in her room. Only silence answers back.

She was left alone in the dark, unmoving as she starts to drool like a dog.

"Huh...? But w-why ?!" Kanade with one hand grasps her bed covers tightly, almost ripping into them, and with the other, she wipes her mouth. It hadn't been that long since she has fed on Mafuyu, or at least, she had spent much longer days without any blood. When she was hungry before, her body felt exponential symptoms so this sudden, brutal feeling was unexpected and terrifying.

Kanade rushes to her desk and eyes eagerly the whitish plant soaked in water. But her face falls with silent horror, seeing how there was only one bud left. Kanade lets out a small squeal, then gets ahold of herself, with a deep breath, she tries to analyze the situation.

Earlier she felt dizzy at some point, but that was probably due to her senses being so overstimulated, especially after traveling to Sekai. At times her stomach moved and twisted a bit but it was fine, she could simply be hungry but not starving, right? And now she was drooling out of nowhere, with a weird metallic taste in her mouth that beckoned her to whoever she'd rather not see. People.

But she had no room for mistake, none at all. She had to make this right, to be better, to do better...! With this lack of space, Kanade almost forgets to breathe. But to her, she simply held her breath for a better occasion, there was much to do after all.

So she won't take the bud. She decides to keep it until before they meet with N25 at the family dinner. She thought about not going but these events prove to her how she had to let go of her friends. This could do as a last goodbye to them, and the last time she'll escape this house.

This house started to smell like gunpowder, though nothing had happened. Perhaps it was a bit too dusty, when will Mochizuki come again?

Kanade would rather not see her, but she probably had no choice. Long ago, having fainted once already in this house after refusing help, her grandma and Mochizuki wouldn't let her off the grid so easily. Kanade had to be smarter, more efficient, and put the way she used her body to the frontline of her concerns. Then maybe she'll concord a plan with her lonely mind to put some distance between herself and her friends.

For now, she had to prepare herself for the dinner in a few hours. And that meant making sure she was operational. As usual, she goes to take a cold shower, but that drowsy feeling never leaves her, it almost embraced her lungs instead of crushing them, manipulating her into thinking this was fine. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go usually… Something stuck to the air, but she discarded it, she had no time. Getting out of the shower, her knees buckle slightly. Despite how much she bends, she shouldn't break. There was no time for breaks after all.

Her mind was now calmer, but her body still seemed to have trouble adjusting to the clash between her previous nightmare and coming back to reality. Or maybe there was something in the air.

Kanade wasn't sure, but she knows that despite being supposedly a vampire her body still sucked the life out of her, how ironic. And by life, she meant the time she took to compose, all her work, and her life sentence to save people. Kanade saw herself as a conductor of life, a simple messenger delivering saving graces to people. But her body has always betrayed her wishes. Demanding food, rest, friends, and even affection at times, though Kanade wouldn't understand it nor accept it. And it was always so weak, she had no endurance, no strength, all that she was good at resided in that mind of hers, her body mere shackles she hated. Shackles that drowned her.

With this mindset she adopted, she hoped to not get taken away by the pressure of life and its murky waters. Having this new body she thought she could get under control turned out to be a starved, injured shark thrown into a polluted, cramped bath.

Yet she wouldn't give up. Because if she did, she would have no use anymore. So for now she ignores her defective mouth and rocky knees, diverting this spell that was trying to be put on her. She wants to make her room more breathable instead. This smell all around was intoxicating, and Kanade feared something might be wrong in her house. And the last thing she'd want is something blowing up her composing materials.

Kanade searched for so long all around her house to find out why this powerful smell was present yet she found nothing. Nothing that burnt, no gas leak, and no heater problem. There was nothing suspicious about her house. It simply felt dusty and constrained, as her feet kept walking on some specs of dust she couldn't even see.

Kanade sighed, she had no time to take some fresh air, for now, she should go on Nightcore and work some more until it was time to go to the family dinner.

Time passes by in a flash and before she knows it, she faces her big front door, looming right over her. Kanade took a deep breath, making sure she had the last bud in her pocket, then opens the door. A setting sun greeted her on this cold evening. Her skin responds to the world by feeling the hot rays of sunlight as a disturbance, invisible to the freezing air.

Kanade readjusts her black cap and black mask she had put on then gets a move on. She takes the underground passages, shielding her eyes from people all around. Despite not feeling cold, goosebumps still attacked her whenever the wind would pick up, her receptors apparently not entirely dead just rendered… eerily senseless.

After a long walk where she did her best to concentrate on her own steps and ignore the noisy town, she was now just a few meters away from the dinner. Craving relief, she shoves the bud into her mouth and chews it down hard. Swallowing the small plant, Kanade could finally feel herself breathe in the horizon without being beaten up by sounds and visions bent through her senses. The watering in her mouth she pushed back down her esophagus stopped.

"Kanade!" A voice calls out, one the composer easily deciphered as Mizuki.

Turning around she sees them waving with a large smile plastered onto their face, by their sides were Mafuyu and Ena.

"Woah, Kanade you changed your style. It's pretty dark but it fits you well, though maybe one day Mizuki and I could add some color to that!" Ena says confidently, puffing her chest.

"Are you on a secret mission? Maybe you're a double agent!" Mizuki gasps, feigning surprise.

It's true Kanade's entire look resembled someone who tried to go incognito, with her black hoodie and black cap. Like a secret agent or... A generic killer.

Ena shakes her head at Mizuki's statement about how ridiculous it all is but can't hide her grin and sparkly eyes. Mizuki is still not over their joke, going on about how Kanade might hide her true physical abilities to not blow her cover, only pretending to not have any athletic abilities so people won’t question her too much. Little did they know, Kanade truly lived a double life, though far more tiring and useless to the world.

Still, Kanade chuckles. Yeah, she was gonna miss all of them.

"Let's go in," Mafuyu says monotonously, throwing a small glance toward Kanade and then walking to the dinner.

Once inside, the group felt at home, and like clockwork, they did the exact same thing they always did when coming here. They go to their favorite table, make sure it looks occupied then Mizuki and Ena go to a vending machine to examine if the toy capsules are worth it today. At times Kanade and Mafuyu would follow them, but tonight they were left at their table.

"How have you been Mafuyu?" Kanade asks the girl beside her. She was glad the dinner was emptier than usual today, she wasn't sure if she would take all the noisiness, the lightning was bright enough as it is. And besides, it was a good setup to ask Mafuyu how she was in person for the last time.

"I've been fine. What about you?" Kanade swore Mafuyu's eyes pierced her soul, despite it all she nervously smiles.

"Well you know, the usual."

Truth be told, even their usual could be considered weird. But none of them minded, somehow this strange connection they shared with life felt comfortable. Less lonely. Kanade changes the subject "I noticed your lyrics were a bit different from your previous ones. It's not bad at all, I just wondered what caused this?"

Mafuyu blinks a few times, silently. Right there, Kanade could feel Mafuyu's pulse become agitated, into some sort of heavy squiggles. The composer could predict her answer.

"I'm not sure, I guess I've been having strange feelings these days..."

They look into each other's eyes, and Kanade shifts a bit in place. She felt like she was breaching Mafuyu's privacy. Being her considerate self, one that let others take their time and is present when needed, this was awkward. Because she could exactly feel what Mafuyu's confusion looked like. It felt like an achy gelatinous mass liquifying itself on her heart to hinder how it felt toward life. Perhaps it was her mother. Or perhaps it was Kanade's fault and Mafuyu could perceive all of her thoughts right now with how much she stared into her soul.

Kanade might feel a bit paranoid.

"We're back!" Ena exclaims as she takes a sit. Mizuki follows suit and throws four small objects onto the table. The clinking sound they make had Kanade jumping a bit, her sensitive ears and their reflexes noticed only by the one at her side.

"Look at those, aren't they just so cute?" Mizuki gushes, pointing at the keychains on the table.

They were small black bunnies with white horns, in a seated position, looking sleepy. "They're part of a series I like, I was really surprised to see them here!"

"Why did you buy four?" Mafuyu asks, slouching a bit on her sit.

"So we can all have matching ones! And also because Ena's selfies need something popular to peak again..." That last cocky comment makes Ena frown harshly.

"That's not why I decided to buy them!"

"Yeah, but you thought about it..." Mizuki brings a hand to their mouth innocently, hiding great mischief.

Ena was about to retort back but a waiter arrives and greets them.

"What will you order tonight?" He asks.

"I'll have the fall edition fries! Make it big for sharing." Mizuki says in such a carefree manner.

"I'll have a cheesecake and an iced tea, thank you." Ena nods to herself, confident in her choice, practically already tasting it in her mind.

Now it was Kanade's turn, as Mafuyu usually followed her lead. And she was utterly stuck. Food is absolutely a no-go, she didn't want to throw up or get sick in front of her friends, and drinks could barely flow all the way down without an issue. Her digestive system was completely dead except for something completely inhuman, other people's blood.

Shaking her thoughts away as the waiter waits awkwardly but politely, she chooses the safest option for her mutated stomach "I'll just have water."

The waiter writes this down normally while the rest of N25 stare in disbelief at Kanade. Mafuyu marks a small pause before answering "I'll have oolong tea."

The waiter leaves and the table falls silent. Ena, as usual, was the one to break through this confusing chilly air.

"You always take the ramen here, did you eat before coming or something?" She frowns curiously.

"I'm just not that hungry," Kanade replies, sinking in her seat a bit.

"Even so, it's important to be well-fed, especially for the kind of work you do, you'll fry your brain!" Ena remarks.

Mizuki scratches their neck "Ena calm down I'm sure Kanade has her reasons, it's not a big deal, she can have some of my fries"

Ena, unsatisfied, drops the subject despite her suspicions. Kanade's breath almost stopped. Had she been... Scared of getting found out? More importantly, her stomach was now in pain and she had no idea why. Or rather, she didn't want to face why. Kanade wouldn't dare meet her friends' eyes, which only made them more suspicious. Perhaps that was only her imagination. Mafuyu on the other hand was in a contemplative mood.

"Here let's all take one!" Mizuki says, handing the keychains to the group. Kanade jolts away from her thoughts in a more noticeable way than Mafuyu.

"Are you okay Kanade?" Ena asks her, and Kanade nods "I was thinking of our next song, it's fine, more importantly, thanks for having bought these for us." She smiles sweetly and Ena returns it.

Kanade's tension was hidden under layers and layers of frosty, thorny veils. The plant she ingested was effective at preventing her from losing track of her consciousness but she could feel something swirling in her stomach like it moved out of her will and stretched infinitely yet she felt no pain. Like an uncomfortable itch or a numbing ache.

And despite the plant’s best efforts, Kanade couldn't take her mind off the movement inside, freely roaming her intestines, completely out of her reach.

Before that blackened hand inside could grab her stomach and twist it, flattening it like dough, Mafuyu tugged on her shirt discreetly under the table.

Kanade turns her attention to her swiftly like an owl, almost cracking her neck in the process. She finds a silent Mafuyu, watching over the conversation between Ena and Mizuki. For a moment Kanade could breathe until she lingered on the warmth of Mafuyu's touch through her shirt. She was suddenly reminded of how hot the lyricist’s blood felt in her mouth as it squished between her teeth and under her tongue. Images from her nightmare splash quickly for a few seconds through her brain.

She does her best to feign normalcy.

Mizuki’s order finally arrives, and a big plate of freshly made fries right out of the fryer was on the table, as well as water for them to share. The fries had a more orange, brownish color like they had been toasted but upon further inspection, it was a light coat of some spice of sorts. Kanade hated spices but this one wasn't so bad, at least in her memories. Now it engulfed her nose like she had been fried with them, almost tasting the spice as she breathed. The waiter also brought Mafuyu’s oolong tea and Ena's iced tea.

Her friends start to dig in, and Ena carefully picks one of her liking and bites into it right away. Mizuki waits a bit then selects one as well, blowing onto it multiple times before eating it. Mafuyu doesn't move her hand away from Kanade's clothes and simply stares in front of her, sipping a bit on her tea. Kanade couldn’t understand Mafuyu’s reaction right now, but at least it allowed her to breathe and not seem like the only weird one who ate none of the fries, so she was thankful.

Ena’s cheesecake arrives and she happily snaps a picture, sticking her tongue out as she gets the perfect angle. Mizuki teases her about it, but Ena shrugs it off.

« Hey, how about we take a group selfie? » Ena asks.

Everyone agrees though Kanade felt nervous. She wasn’t sure why, perhaps the idea of her now transformed body being immortalized wasn’t ideal. Ena prepares her phone and extends her arm, Mizuki squeezes next to Ena as Mafuyu and Kanade shift closer to the table. Mafuyu wouldn’t let go of Kanade’s shirt, and Kanade wasn’t sure if she should react to it or simply let it be, their connected hands were hidden under the table.

Snap.

Ena looks at her screen with a wide smile that starts to fade a bit.

« Kanade, you’re so blurry. » She comments.

« R-Really? » Kanade was sure why she didn’t move, especially with all that anxiety made her as still as a statue. Or perhaps she didn’t quite notice, and she was all jittery instead.

« Let’s take another one- »

« Let’s just eat. » Mafuyu cuts through Ena’s words, saving Kanade in the process.

« Sure, sure, killing the fun as usual... » Ena frowns at Mafuyu who keeps a straight face, despite this slight banter, the two still cared about each other and looked out for one another, their arguments were more out of habit than anything. And truth be told, Ena also really wanted to eat that cheesecake already so she moves on.

Kanade sighs quietly, relieved. She has doubts that her vampiric condition was the cause for ruining the picture though she couldn’t be sure. Also because she’s been pretty jumpy for a while. Wait, since when have her limbs started... trembling?

‘Not again…’ She thinks, powerless to stop it.

« Kanade, the fries are almost gone, are you sure you don’t want any? » Mizuki asks, pointing one toward Kanade. How long had they been here? Ena had finished her plate, and all the leftover fries were probably cold because of Kanade and Mafuyu’s cup was empty. Even her own water was still filled to the brim. Her eyes quickly dart all over the place, she could feel everyone’s pulse beating at her feet and rattle into her brain, making her stomach turn for the billionth time. It was hard containing it, and pretending that everything was fine, but her friends wore such pitiful, worried stares that Kanade could throw up from how guilty she felt.

She was lying to them again and making them feel bad. She’s supposed to be the savior, not the one craving salvation. This wasn’t supposed to be like that. How stupid was she to have thought she could actually use this gross body of hers to do chores more efficiently, to do work more effectively?

Kanade desperately wanted her crappy life from before. It wasn’t the best, but she wasn’t ready to throw it away, was she? Despite how much she wanted to disappear at times, despite how well she had indulged in her supposed goal, none of it was entirely healthy. Everyone tried to get her out of it, making her leave the house, do some activities with her, and hang out, but they couldn’t succeed. Kanade let them do their things but deep down she was doing it more for them than herself. She ignores how good it feels and focuses on work. And now that everything was worse, she dares to long for the past she set aside?

Well, to hell with this body.

To hell with her life.

Kanade swipes the fry off Mizuki’s hand and bites into it. The confused, wide-eyed looks on her friends get drowned out by what was happening in her mouth. She could feel the crunchy texture with the soft interior, but here she found her taste buds had died. She felt nothing, no bitterness, sweetness, not salt, nothing. Not even spice, despite its violent stench.

Kanade could cry because she knows only one thing could bring her normalcy such as taste. And it was bloo-

She bites into it some more like an animal, searching for the tasty entrails of the fry, finding nothing more than texture getting crushed under her teeth, nothing more than the mere act of chewing without even getting any pleasure from it.

Still, she gulps it all down and somehow she relates a bit to Mafuyu and how she has lost her taste. But Mafuyu never really minded, did she ? Or perhaps she was just used to it.

Kanade feels the mass dropping into her stomach like she had just swallowed cemented dirt.

« How… is it? » Mizuki asks, doing their best to hide their concern.

« Pretty good. » Kanade lies as she breathes. An ugly smile deteriorates her face.

She had to power through the storm forming in her stomach after all. Frost mixes with the fry in a heavy blizzard of movements inside, only making her more aware of the sharpness antagonizing her stomach. She made a mistake, one that the plant couldn’t hide anymore. Kanade feels her mouth water, she was doomed.

« I-I’ll… go to the restroom. » The composer wobbles out of her seat, as Mafuyu moves away to let her leave. Without looking back, she hurries to the toilet and locks herself inside.

Her stomach turns with burning waves that come crashing at the back of her throat, she tries to swallow it away but her tongue freezes in place and purges her insides away. Kanade throws up inside the toilet bowl.

« Ugh... » She gasps for air, her beating heart tears at her chest. This wasn’t good at all. Her arms turn limp and tense, her veins feel cold, and somehow the last bit of the frosty plant inside her system was fighting off her urges. But Kanade was confused, she wasn’t supposed to be this hungry yet, it wasn’t supposed to be this sudden, so what made it this way?

She had to calm down, anything. The plant was withering away, draining itself into her own blood, Kanade grips at the walls and greets her teeth. Should she bite herself, should she-

Someone knocks at her door.

Kanade freezes in place how could she have not sensed their presence? Why do they seem so… different, she turns around and finds a strange, cold beating resonating in her vision.

« They’re already there, I’d advise you to leave. They’re after you and only you. Also, here. » A familiar voice Kanade couldn’t quite place echoes into the restrooms. A small, red bud rolls under the stall she was in and bumps against her shoe.

« Huh, w-who are you? » Kanade asks. A simple, cold breeze flashes away and leaves her in silence. Quickly, she takes the bud at her feet into her hand and inspects it.

It’s not like she had any choice, despite how suspicious it was, and how it had just rolled on a dirty toilet floor, she bites into it and sloppily gulps it down. Instantly her instincts calm down as the plant pumps in her veins once more. She breathes out a cold exhale and after a few seconds, the composer exits the restrooms.

The stranger’s words still repeat in her mind as she approaches her friends. Instinctively, she looks around but finds nothing out of the ordinary. She sits back down at her friends’ table.

« Sorry, I felt a bit sick but I’m doing better now. » She smiles, trying to reassure them, but this strange presence she feels crawls under her skin still. Maybe she was a bit too on edge, but then again, the strange voice helped her, right? Shadows tug at the corners of her eyes until Ena’s voice comes through.

« It’s okay, we can go home for the night maybe? You’re awfully pale, you need some rest. »

Kanade chuckles bitterly, Ena had no idea what the real reason behind her sickly face was, but nonetheless, they all agree and begin to leave after paying the bill. When outside the dinner, the air was strangely colder, perhaps a bit thicker. Kanade didn’t mind the temperature, but something didn’t settle right with her.

Out of her vision, a black shadow emerges from upwards.

« Ah-! » Kanade retreats a bit but nothing happens. The landscape was the same, if only less populated. They were in a small alley, soon they’ll separate from each other. Kanade felt anxious.

« What’s going on Kanade? » Mizuki asks, following Kanade’s gaze and then looking back at her, confused.

« Nothing I, um, It’s just a bit cold... » The liar speaks.

« Well, look at how you’re dressed! Next time make sure to bring something warmer. Do you want my scarf? » Ena asks, forceful care tainting her voice.

« I’m okay, my home isn’t that far. »

« No, you’ll get sicker this way, come here. » Ena walks toward Kanade and was about to envelop her in the warm piece of clothing.

Something cracks. Then multiple leaves follow. Kanade’s senses feel like they’re going haywire.

But really they were right all along.

She pushes Ena away, as the wind picks up, stinging hard at their skin, almost cutting through them. Kanade knows she was targeted. And her friends remained clueless.

« What the-! Kanade, what’s gotten into you ?! »

« You have to get away from me... »

« What? » Ena frowns hard, but Kanade steps back.

« Just, leave! » Kanade runs away as fast as she could into the narrow alleyways. She continues until the footsteps behind her cease and brand new ones cut through her run. At least her friends were nowhere in sight.

Something coming from the sky jumps down and pushes her hard against the tarred floor.

« Agh-! » Kanade winces, then looks up.

Someone with a black mask coated in fine gold around the edges stares down at Kanade through two dark holes. The stranger was wearing a black hat with a feather hanging from it and gold contours. A long black coat adorned their body and closed at the neck with fur around it, a red ribbon closes it on top with a golden flower in the middle that connects to a red cape.

Most importantly, a rifle with gold coating was pointed right at Kanade’s face, and from its barrel a disgusting stench made Kanade shake in place.

From the tip of the mysterious person’s brown gloves, the trigger was pressed.

BANG.

Kanade barely evades it and stumbles to her side. A silvery mass now crushed against the pavement sticks to the ground at her left, from where the bullet had been shot. A smokey trail emanates from it.

« Wh-What do you want- » Kanade cries out but the figure throws some transparent powder at her face, with an overwhelming metallic smell that Kanade recognizes.

It was the same from inside her house.

And now it stuck to her eyes and throat and made her choke to the ground, her stomach bubbles and she struggles to contain her now drenched mouth. Her cravings come crashing back, except something was different. She felt incredibly weak and heavy, almost unable to move.

In a matter of seconds, she hears the rifle being loaded as it creates distorted waves in front of her eyes. Kanade dodges its deadly shot.

The bullet deviates from her head and tears into her arm instead.

« Agh-! » Kanade groans painfully as a burning sensation builds up inside. Disorientated, she tries to find her attacker’s pulse and shockingly fails. It’s as if they had none. Kanade could only hear their footsteps and their rifle's movements.

Which was pointed right at her face.

With her healthy arm, she grabs it and moves it away as it shoots to the ground at her side. Then she bites into the stranger’s forearm violently, gripping it tightly, her instincts pushing her to draw blood and flesh.

The mysterious figure whimpers and then shoves Kanade a few meters away, who manages to get back up on her feet as they slide onto the ground. With frosty blood through her veins, she charges at the mysterious person once more and grabs them by the red ribbon they had. Her opponent punches her directly in the jaw and Kanade gets thrown at the wall, in her fall she manages to tear off a bit of the ribbon as the small golden flower falls.

Suddenly, Kanade could hear the heartbeats of her attacker. With wide eyes, she could finally feel their presence, and in doing so she sees her own cravings intensify, especially since fresh, scarlet blood dripped from their arm.

Another shot from their rifle resonates and grazes Kanade’s cheek as she evades it, quickly coming into contact with the figure, her piercing red eyes glare at the figure and there she finds two blue ones looking back.

She opens her mouth, ready to bite at her opponent’s throat until they smack Kanade in the head with the back of their rifle, freeing some loose strands of blue hair out of their hat.

The vampire falls to the floor, dazed. She had trouble getting back up and the mysterious attacker instantly points their gun at Kanade’s struggling body.

Kanade greets her teeth, her vision was too hazy, trapped by her own cravings torturing her mind and the hit she just received. Between pain and forced desires, Kanade could feel the powder that had been launched at her, heavily affecting her body. She supposes the plant helped her have some boosts of energy, but now with the effect of the powder doubling down on her, trying to make her madly hungry and weak…

She was rendered useless.

Kanade does her best to get back up but her arms buckle, too many chemical reactions were happening in her body turning into a battlefield of blurry wants and hurt. Tears stung her eyes, trying to evacuate the unknown objects from under her eyelids, as she thinks back about her friends.

She still hadn’t completed her mission, her goal.

‘If I die now, was I a good savior? Did I manage to save anyone? If I have to die now, did I accomplish anything ?’ was all the failed composer could think about.

The gun readies itself, a sharp sound attesting to its effectiveness.

Kanade wonders about her new body and somehow perhaps dying wasn’t so bad. Could she save more lives than what that blood-craving body might take away? She wasn’t sure. Faraway footsteps resonate, but Kanade’s mind was swarmed with too many thoughts and her body was too weak.

BANG.

Kanade’s tears fall to the ground as her body heads for the pavement.

But there was no pain.

Her eyes open themselves and find purple locks of hair in front of her eyes. Through them, she finds a panicked stare, one that belonged to her dear friend Mafuyu who kicked the gun away as it fired off in a panic, luckily no one was hurt.

« Mafuyu… ? » Kanade winces, trying to get up but feeling the pain in her arm propagates itself as silver tries to travel into her bloodstream. With the strength she has left, she speaks « Leave, please... » Bood from the one who attacked Kanade coated her mouth.

Mafuyu frowns and looks back at the attacker who seems to freeze up. Kanade notices the shift in their pulse as if they became hesitant. But they point the gun again toward Kanade. Mafuyu instantly moves in front of Kanade as the attacker’s gaze sharpens.

But before they could shoot, something shoves them away. That same cold breeze of air blows in Mafuyu and Kanade’s direction, like a powerful forcefield.

« Tsk, you… ! » the attacker lets out, frustrated. Then the mysterious cold presence runs toward them.

Kanade’s vision blurs more and more as each second passes, her red eyes diminishing in brightness. She had trouble following the movements in front of her, not knowing what was happening outside of her own guesses from her heightened senses.

She hears grunts and sharp objects clinging and grinding against one another, until the air shifts some more, and the attacker flees the scene.

Before Kanade collapses, she hears the familiar cold presence say « The hunter’s gone. » From there, she allows herself to slip away.

Mafuyu looks down at her with worried eyes.

« What should I do ? » she asks the stranger that just saved them.

« You already know what to do, don’t you? It’s what she needs. » They say, turning back, their expression hidden under a mask. Then, they leave as quickly as they came.

Silence feels the air, as the wind gently blows against Mafuyu’s skin. The cold wasn’t important at all, not even the way her hair was messily floating in the air and getting into her eyes. For now, all she could see was Kanade’s collapsed body, with a light cut on her cheek and a bloody wound in her arm.

She inspects it carefully, removing a bit of clothing from Kanade, and notices the bleeding had stopped, replaced by silver coagulating on her skin. The same thing was happening to the cut on her face, but less noticeable.

« Kanade… Please. » She whispers, holding Kanade’s head carefully, her thumb grazing her cheek. Her skin was cold, way too cold for Mafuyu’s liking, who lowers her head against Kanade’s chest.

She hears faint, even heartbeats. Moving upwards, she finds that Kanade was breathing so quietly and weakly, but it wasn’t abnormal. A small, shaky sigh of relief escapes the lyricist’s mouth. Something in Mafuyu’s chest broke, but she couldn’t process it quite well. She decides to dress Kanade back up as she stares at her with glassy, watery eyes. With her hand, she softly wipes the blood on her mouth away.

After a small pause, wordlessly, she lifts up her body and holds it against hers, hugging her gently.

Footsteps from behind echo into the alleyway.

« Mafuyu, did you find her- Kanade ?! » Ena exclaims, running up to the two girls on the floor, her knees hitting the concrete hard next to them.

« What happened ?! » She says, approaching Kanade.

« Is she alright ?! » Mizuki says, swiftly crouching next to the group.

« She… collapsed. But she’s breathing normally... » Mafuyu says, with a heavy heart and a weak voice.

Ena was about to say something until she sees Mafuyu’s expression. She still had Kanade in her arms, but her eyes were sparkly as if she was about to cry. Her expression was like none she had ever seen. It’s like there was too much happening in her chest, so much that she couldn’t even react, she just froze there, staring at Kanade, holding onto her collapsed friend’s hand.

After calming herself, trying not to cause any more panic, Ena asks « Did you… see her collapse? »

« ... » Mafuyu wasn’t sure how to answer, and to be honest, her mind was too focused on Kanade that she barely heard Ena’s voice.

« We should call the emergencies. » Ena continues, then Mafuyu looks back at her.

« No, Kanade wouldn’t like that... » she manages to say.

Ena, too stunned to speak, stays silent, trying to think of a calm way to answer despite the clear anger forming on her face. Mizuki speaks instead. « But she needs medical attention, Mafuyu... »

« It’s more complicated than that just trust her, please... » Mafuyu almost begs, but her eyes remain empty.

« Her? » Ena says, looking at Kanade completely unresponsive, confused. But something in Mafuyu’s eyes told Ena they should listen to her words. Mafuyu was reliable, even if that was part of her good girl persona, it doesn’t change the fact that she knows when people need help, especially since she has shown to have interest in the medical field. If she helped strangers, surely she wouldn’t leave Kanade to die?

Ena had her doubts, and Kanade looked rough. She tries to find some sort of answer from Mizuki who seemed as confused as her, but ultimately they sighed.

Mizuki puts a hand on Mafuyu’s shoulder. « Let’s get her home when she wakes up, okay? »

« Okay... » Mafuyu mutters, putting Kanade’s body into the recovery position.

The group wasn’t sure what to do. Ena takes out her scarf and places it on top of Kanade, Mizuki had an extra sweater they brought and covers Kanade with it. Mafuyu made sure the wounds were covered up so the other two wouldn’t see them, the cheek with the cut was hidden toward the ground and her wounded arm was hidden under Kanade’s clothing. Since it was a dark color, the blood wasn’t noticeable.

« What do you think made her collapse? » Ena asks the group.

Mafuyu stays silent, unsure if she should tell them the truth or not, too pained and stunned to answer. They all sat around Kanade in a circle.

« Well, she never really ate well and she seemed particularly tired. If she’s become sick, it makes sense for her to collapse. » Mizuki says, staring at Kanade painfully.

« Why can’t she take better care of herself, she can’t compose like that. » Ena frowns but truly she was hurt and wanted the best for her friend.

Mizuki sighs « I think she might be blaming herself for a lot of things you know? Like her dad... » They were reminded of the day they helped Kanade find the carnations after she was drenched in the rain. The soft smile she wore was enough to make Mizuki content. Kanade always did so much for the group, she was soft-mannered and accepting, and with great compassion, she deserved a bit of peace.

But now, the pieces of the puzzle started to fit in perfectly, and it hurt.

Ena nods quietly.

Mafuyu doesn’t say anything, she stood still, like a statue frozen in time, damaged by time.

« You really care about Kanade, don’t you? » Mizuki asks Mafuyu.

Mafuyu looks toward the MV creator, then back down at Kanade. « We made a promise... »

Ena chimes in, trying to be positive « Aside from the promise, along the way I think we all became great friends, at least I’d like to think so. »

Mizuki looks away awkwardly « Yeah... » they say, deep down hoping they could stay like that forever but still unable to shake away their anxious thoughts about the future.

Mafuyu thinks for a bit and wonders if perhaps, more than the songs they create, beyond their simple work agreements, something else can save her in there. But her messy feelings won’t let her find an answer now.

After a few horrendously long minutes, Kanade stirs a bit, as if she had merely been asleep.

« Mhm- ugh... » She mumbles incomprehensibly. Her eyes open slowly.

« Kanade! » Ena and Mizuki say in unison, getting closer to the girl they just shout the name of.

Mafuyu gets closer as well with wide eyes.

« What… Are you all okay? » Kanade asks, trying to get up.

« Don’t get up so fast! More importantly, how are you feeling? Don’t ask us! » Ena says eagerly.

« I’m... » she begins, then images from what happened before she collapsed flashback in her mind. She remembers her wounds aren’t normal ones, and despite how much they burn into her tissues, she has to lie « I’m okay. »

Mafuyu stares at her with dark eyes. Kanade looks back at her. The lyricist knows Kanade lies, she probably had to lie as well… right? She searches into Mafuyu’s eyes for anything that might indicate she told the others about what happened, slight panic settles in, but Mizuki cuts through her thoughts.

« We were so worried! Please Kanade, take better care of yourself if you need any help with something I could pass by your house. » They wear a weak but genuine smile.

« Thanks, everyone, I’ll do my best... » In truth, Kanade wanted them as far away from her as possible, especially after what happened today, this mysterious ‘hunter’ could have hurt them as well. They don’t have to put up with her pain and troubles. Especially since she turned into a dangerous hazard.

« What about these…? » Kanade says, pointing toward the clothing her friends put on her.

« You can keep it, you need it more than we do right now. » Mizuki reassures her. Kanade protests a bit but Ena insists. After a few seconds of back and forth, Ena asks something.

« Do you think you’re okay to go home? »

« Yeah, I think I can stand. » The composer tries to stand on her own, but Mafuyu grabs her arm and helps her up.

« Thank you... » She says, Mafuyu doesn’t answer, but she doesn’t let go either. Kanade’s hold was heavy against Mafuyu’s arm, probably because she had trouble standing upright with the throbbing pain in her arm and the hit she received in the head. But they’ll both have to keep it a secret for now.

« I could carry you. » Mafuyu proposes.

« Wh-What? Won’t I be heavy? » Kanade says, nervous.

« We’ll have to find out,» she says, sweeping Kanade from her feet.

« Ah! I could go on your back instead it’ll be less tiring for you... » she mutters, almost inaudibly, but Mafuyu ignores her.

Mizuki laughs « Bahaha, it’s like those dramas where the lead carries their wounded love interest! »

« Mizuki! Don’t you see Kanade’s already embarrassed, look at her face! » She says, trying to sound serious but suppressing a laugh.

« Guys, please... » Kanade says, hiding her reddened cheeks with her hand. Mafuyu gets a better hold on Kanade, readjusting her in place, and making Kanade squeal a bit.

Ena’s face falls flat as she realizes something « Let’s take the underground passages, we have fewer chances of being seen there... »

« Are you embarrassed Ena? Or perhaps… jealous? » Mizuki chuckles some more, placing a hand in front of their mouth mischievously.

« Shut it! Why would I want to get carried like that ?! »

The group marches on toward Kanade’s house. After a trip filled with a sassy Mizuki tormenting Ena and Mafuyu’s unwavering hold, they’re almost at Kanade’s house.

« Aren’t your muscles getting sore? » Kanade asks quietly to Mafuyu, as Mizuki and Ena were bantering in the background.

« It’s fine, you’re pretty light. And I don’t really care either way. » She answers, looking right ahead. Mafuyu was pretty athletic, but even so, it must be tiring to walk with someone in their arms like that for a long way. Even if that someone doesn’t eat properly.

« Heh, you remember the path to my house, you must have a good photographic memory- ah! » Kanade groans from the pain in her arm.

« Are you okay? And don’t lie to me. » Mafuyu asks, looking straight into Kanade’s eyes this time.

The composer relents « It... burns. »

« Tell me if I hold you too hard. »

« Okay... » Kanade says. Despite how close she is to Mafuyu, she notices her hunger isn’t that much of a bother right now. Earlier when she bit that person, she probably absorbed some of their blood. But she still feels really weak. She also supposes her hunger will come back soon since the amount of blood she drained wasn’t that much and the strange transparent powder that was thrown at her is still probably in her body.

But she tries to appreciate this small moment of peace anyway, despite the pain in her arm. She snuggles into Mafuyu’s warm hold, closing her eyes. With her other healthy arm, she tightens her grip a bit around Mafuyu’s neck. From where she was, she could feel her friend’s heartbeat and it soothed her heart. At least, she could feel this sense of peace and familiar comfort one last time before cutting all physical ties with her friends.

Then she gets self-conscious and blushes a bit, hoping no one would notice. After all, she wasn’t used to such closeness, especially getting carried by someone. Maybe one person noticed. And perhaps that person was Mafuyu, as her heartbeat quickens. Kanade discards it as Mafuyu simply getting exhausted from carrying her.

None of them speak for the rest of the way.

After a while, the group finds itself in front of Kanade’s house. Mafuyu puts her down, Kanade’s arm slides gently away from Mafuyu’s neck, then she reaches for her keys and opens her front door.

« Shoot, I’m gonna be late for my night classes! » Ena says, checking her phone.

« Ena is actually being studious? » Mizuki teases.

« Says the one who keeps skipping their classes! » Ena crosses her arms at Mizuki who sticks their tongue out. « Well, I think I’ll go to my classes, will you be okay Kanade? »

« Yeah, don’t worry… And also… Sorry for pushing you earlier. » Kanade admits, ashamed.

« It’s okay, I don’t really know why you did it but if you feel sick it’s better to collapse in front of us and not in a random street, okay? » Ena smiles.

« Yes, sorry... » Kanade looks down, they clearly have no idea about what happened.

Mizuki stretches themselves « I have my shift soon as well, I think I’ll go with Ena. » They look expectantly toward Mafuyu, waiting for a reaction of sorts.

« I’ll stay with her, » she says.

« What about your mom? » Mizuki questions, concerned.

Ena puts her hands on her hips « Just tell her you’re with me, want me to call her? »

« I think it should be fine, I’ll text her. » Mafuyu sends a message to her mom and after arguing for a bit, with Ena’s advice on what to say to be more convincing, she accepts.

Ena starts to walk away, waving at Kanade and Mafuyu « Well, we’ll see you later then, update us on nightcord! »

« See you! » Mizuki waves as well and departs with Ena.

After the two left, Mafuyu enters Kanade’s house.

« Oh, Mochizuki came to clean. Ah, and I forgot to give them back their scarf and sweater... » The composer notes then closes the door behind her.

« Kanade, your wounds. » Mafuyu doesn’t waste any time.

« I… I’ll manage something. » Kanade says, ready to take all responsibility for what happened. She begins to walk toward her bedroom but Mafuyu stops her.

« Let me have a look. » She says firmly.

Kanade sighs, but accepts, as they settle on her couch. Kanade puts her friend’s clothes away and then takes off her hoodie, revealing her arm that now formed some sort of silvery typhon from where the bullet hit her, it spread all around her arm.

Mafuyu crouches in front of her and frowns. Silent, cold anger fills up her eyes. Kanade doesn’t have it in her to even look at her wound, nor Mafuyu’s face that she imagines being disappointed.

« What happened before I came? » Mafuyu asks, inspecting Kanade’s arm closely.

« I… got attacked. Maybe punched too, and shoved a bit… I think I got hit by the back of that rifle too but it’s fine... » She tries to minimize what happened as if she wasn’t at risk of a concussion, but Mafuyu was having none of it. She stared daggers into Kanade’s eyes.

« We lied to Ena and Mizuki… Don’t you want to tell them the truth at some point? »

« ...I’d rather not, they could get hurt. »

Mafuyu doesn’t say anything, instead, she looked toward Kanade’s cut on her face, who was coated in silver and starting to form lines around her cheek, into what Mafuyu guessed were her veins.

Kanade tries to laugh, but tears swell up in her eyes from the pain. « I want to thank you Mafuyu for earlier but please never intervene again, because of me you could have gotten hurt or- »

« And you would have gotten killed without my help. » Mafuyu says, her expression somber, she looks away.

« Sorry... » Kanade mutters. Mafuyu gets up and sits next to her.

« You need to drink my blood to get better, it’s what that person implied when you collapsed... » The lyricist admits, as she begins unbuttoning her shirt.

Kanade tenses up « W-What ? No, I-I’m sure it’ll go away like all the other wounds I got- »

« Please Kanade let me do this. The silver is getting into your skin and I’m sure it hurts you a lot. »

« We can wait! We don’t know yet what’ll happen- » Kanade argues, scooting away from Mafuyu, hitting the side of her couch.

« Kanade, it’s not getting better- »

« Don’t you get it ?! You need to stay away from me, all of you! » Kanade snaps, tears escaping from her eyes, frustrating her even more. She was powerless, only good to cry and get hurt. The only way she can save someone is by isolating herself and working from the shadows, like always.

In this instant, she’s reminded of the nightmares she had, where she murdered her friends, and how that awful feeling that turns her blood craving into an animalistic rage resembled the effects of the powder. She still had it in her system, she could tear Mafuyu apart right then and there.

« But, our promise Kanade, you said you wouldn’t give up on it... » Mafuyu frowns, her eyes a bit wet and her voice completely unsure and hurt despite her outward somber look.

« You don’t have to g-give me your blood and turn yourself into a tool for me, I’ll make songs for you anyway, so there’s no need to do that! »

« It’s not about- »

Kanade smiles through her tears, she has to keep this up until Mafuyu leaves « Why do you cling to me so much? I’m not the greatest Mafuyu, especially with… this. » Kanade points at her ugly and large canines then continues, her voice breaking « What about that junior at your school that seems to care about you? You’ve said it yourself there’s something different about her. Or the clubmate that does archery with you? Or even the rest of N25? I’m sure they’re a way better match for you. »

« Kanade- » Mafuyu’s voice gets shut down.

« I-I have to tell you all goodbye. I’ll still make songs on nightcord with you but, it’s for the better... »

Now, Mafuyu didn’t even know what to say, her brain smudged on itself and stains her visions, she can’t see, nor hear. All she knows is Kanade’s words. Her mind screams that they were wrong but Mafuyu stayed still. So the only thing left to do was cry. She cries and cries, silent hiccups and small sobs make her breath shallow as tears stream down her face. Kanade looked down, trying to put aside the pain she felt in her chest. She knows this was for the better. She thinks this was for the better.

Was it really?

Kanade does the mistake of looking up at Mafuyu who wiped her tears away.

« I-It’s okay, I’ll still make music Mafuyu, I’ll still save you... » Kanade reaches out but stops herself. This wasn’t the time to do this, she should cut all physical ties. She should stay away. She…

« You’re the one who doesn’t get it! » Mafuyu suddenly vociferates, looking straight into Kanade’s soiled soul. « I don’t just want your music! I want to be with you all! It’s the only time I ever feel warm and weightless… And now you’re making my chest have all these awful emotions… Don’t you get it? I want to give you my blood to help you, to do something, anything… ! »

Mafuyu’s throat tightens, turning her voice raw and painful, she yells through it all anyway, while Kanade stares with wide, teary eyes. « You’ve told me you didn’t like to see me in pain? Well I hate to see you in pain too, I hate it, and I hate how y-you-! »

Mafuyu gets closer to Kanade and grabs her by the shoulders, gently so as to not hurt her but with enough vigor and weight to get her message across « I hate how you decide things for us and blame yourself for everything. Don’t you think it feels warm when I see you happy? Why are you so inclined on making yourself miserable? »

Kanade was shocked. She never expected to hear such words from Mafuyu, especially not words that stung so deeply, breaking her heart into a million pieces.

Mafuyu cries some more then lowers herself onto Kanade’s chest with glassy, empty, red eyes. « You’re different from mom’s affection, you’re different from people at school and you’re different from the rest of N25, though there are similarities. I want to know why, so please keep searching with me for this feeling. »

They stay in silence for a bit as Mafuyu crumples Kanade’s shirt. The composer caresses the top of Mafuyu’s hair, accepting defeat.

« You know, sometimes I don’t think I ever should have gotten my gift for music. But then again, I have to make a reason for myself. And lately, I’ve had these awful nightmares, I-I don’t know what to do… They make me see all that I despise about myself. Like I can never escape my mistakes or at least the prospect of my mistakes ever happening again. » Kanade explains, voice weak but calmer than before, despite the horrible pain in her arm, the adrenaline of this moment makes it more important for her to speak.

« Kanade, all of you keep telling me getting help is beneficial… I’d like you to do the same… I think. To rely on us, maybe... » Mafuyu says, her voice muffled against Kanade’s clothes.

Kanade stops for a moment, then she runs a hand through Mafuyu’s hair in a soothing motion. Truly, despite what she had become, she couldn’t kill all of her empathy, could she?

« It’s hard but… I’ll try. I'll speak with the others. »

Mafuyu nods then lift herself up, looking into Kanade’s eyes. « So... » she begins, placing a hand on her shirt. « Will you drink my blood? »

Kanade thinks for a moment. This felt bigger than simply getting blood. This felt like… accepting her own condition. Her own life. One she neglected so much. One she placed as a tool for others. In a sense, she wasn’t that different from Mafuyu, except she actually finds a genuine purpose in it, not one to simply pretend to live for and ultimately turn into a broken, empty doll.

The nightmares were haunting and devastating. They stuck to her skin and eyes. They couldn’t be unmade, the past wouldn’t get erased. Nothing was that easy. But then again maybe… Maybe there was something more to this life.

Kanade looks into Mafuyu’s eyes and then nods quietly.

The lyricist unbuttons her shirt and Kanade approaches her shoulder. The composer’s shaky breath builds tension inside her sensible chords. This was now or never. This was recovery or isolation. This was life or death.

Kanade opens her mouth, her canines hover on top of Mafuyu’s skin until they go in. She carefully places them and then begins to suck. Along the way, fragments of thoughts swim in her brain so fast she cannot process them. The only thing she knows is that tears were rolling down her cheeks. She puts more pressure in, as her instincts kick in but she also holds herself against Mafuyu and finds some sort of anchor there to keep her in check with reality and with what mattered in this instant: her friend.

Mafuyu stood still, but when Kanade put more pressure in, her jaw tensed up out of reflex. She decides to place her hands on Kanade’s lower back and hold her.

After a while, when Kanade’s arm begins to hurt and burn differently, the composer licks the surface of Mafuyu’s skin to make sure there aren’t any droplets of blood remaining that could stain her friend’s shirt, then pulls away. Her deep, red eyes look vacantly into Mafuyu’s purple ones, a hue of blue paints them lighter. This scene looked way too much like her nightmare, but Mafuyu’s eyes weren’t berating her this time. Thye looked… accepting.

Kanade cries silently « Sorry it’s still a bit hard to get used to. » Mafuyu takes her by the hand and brings her wounded arm up front. Kanade was in pain, but the silver was disappearing progressively. After a while the silver seemed to have completely vanished, leaving only a red scab where the bullet would have hit if it didn’t dissolve itself into silver.

Mafuyu checks Kanade’s cut on her cheek by grabbing her face softly with one hand. The cut had completely disappeared. Mafuyu grazes with her thumb the place where it should have been.

Kanade’s face was a bit red due to her crying. She looked beyond exhausted. The composer then puts some distance between herself and Mafuyu

« I think I need a bit of alone time right now... » Mafuyu nods, leaving Kanade to go into the bathroom to freshen up.

The composer locks the door behind her and stares at her reflection. It was blurry but she still could make out her eyes, blue was coming back to her. She sighs and splashes some cold water on her face. Closing her eyes, all she can see is blood at her feet from puddles upon puddles and into her hands. After a few deep breaths, as she tries to calm her ragged lungs, she leaves the bathroom alone with her reflection and gets back to Mafuyu.

« I think I’ll go to sleep, » she tells her with weak, weary eyes. Mafuyu arbored dark circles as well, making Kanade’s heart twist slightly. « Y-You can sleep too if you want, and if you’re hungry feel free to take food from the fridge, Mochizuki must have made something. I’ll be in my room. »

Mafuyu nods softly, then Kanade goes to her room and sits on her bed. She clears up some space and slips into the cold covers. Her body didn’t seem to create much warmth anymore, or perhaps it was because Kanade couldn’t feel it. It was very faint. She kind of misses it, but despite this emptiness inside, she has to accept it and closes her eyes.

But she couldn’t fall asleep, her mind was too active. Trapped in a paradox, her thoughts were making her exhausted since the whole day was tiring, but strangely enough, she was too drained to sleep instantly and too wired to feel peace. From farther away, she could hear Mafuyu ruffle through the kitchen and heat up some food. She pushes a chair and begins to eat Kanade guesses.

The composer turns under the covers and faces the wall. She was restless, but at least she got rid of that nauseous feeling after drinking blood. The nightmares were leaving her alone for a bit, she could press pause, but for now, she was too tired to cry anymore. In the kitchen, she could hear Mafuyu putting the dishes away, as they cling to the sink. Then footsteps resonate through the corridors.

It’s been so long since Kanade had life walking into this house. Mochizuki was the closest thing to her memories of her parents cooking in the kitchen as nice smells greeted her when she woke up, or when her dad played guitar to her mom, and the beautiful melody resonated through the walls. Even so, when Mochizuki was here, Kanade was working and didn’t always hear her moving around, being too busy composing as music blasted into her ears.

Kanade opens her eyes to the wall in front of her, she exhales softly in contemplation, until someone knocks on her bedroom door.

« Come in. » Kanade says, trying to raise her drowsy voice. Someone comes into the room and walks to Kanade’s bed.

« Can I sleep here? » Mafuyu asks.

« Sure... » The composer answers, still staring at the wall.

Mafuyu lifts the covers gently and lays into bed behind Kanade, who moves a bit to make some space. The lyricist makes sure to place the covers back into a cozy cocoon of sorts so they’re both well covered. Without a word, she shifts closer to Kanade and readjusts the cover on top of the composer’s exposed shoulders. Then she lets her arms slide back into the duvet, placing it around Kanade’s waist. Kanade shuffles a bit in place, surprised by this act, but naturally snuggles back against Mafuyu’s chest as she puts a hand on top of the lyricist’s. They were like puzzle pieces that fit against each other’s bodies.

To her surprise, Kanade could feel Mafuyu’s warmth as it lulls her tired heart. Her friend’s gentle breathing lightly grazed through her parted hair, hitting her neck. Kanade retracts her legs a bit, and Mafuyu follows her motion and does the same. Then the lyricist tightens her hold on Kanade and nuzzles into her back a bit desperately.

« I was scared... » Mafuyu says, with a racing heart, she swallows harshly « I’m glad you’re here now. » She brings Kanade closer.

The composer tries to restrain herself but small tears escape her eyes. « I was scared you’d get hurt as well... » she confesses, squeezing Mafuyu’s hand. Then, she feels her back getting wet. Mafuyu was also crying.

« Heh, we keep crying today... » Kanade chuckles in a bittersweet tone.

« Please don’t leave me alone. You said you wouldn’t when I came here before… Even if you have problems, even if you’re a vampire, please don’t. » Mafuyu cries quietly.

Kanade’s heart sinks a bit because Mafuyu always relied on her in her own ways. And Kanade had thought seriously about breaking this apart and changing their promise. « I’m so sorry Mafuyu for everything that happened… I’ll be here always. »

Something deep inside Kanade pushes her for more, it’s that same affection she desired inside but pushed back, these connections she wants with people. Kanade thought she was unfit, but now that Mafuyu held her so gently, perhaps pushing her friends away did more hurt than it helped. And perhaps this misfit of a heart could find a home.

So Kanade lifts Mafuyu’s hand up to her lips and kisses her knuckles shyly. Instantly, she feels her heart race faster, but there was one more heartbeat right behind her that thumped loudly. Mafuyu’s.

Kanade’s hand shakes.

« I-I’m sorry, I shouldn’t do that... » Kanade whispers, confused by her own actions. She knows Mafuyu was heavily depressed and had trouble understanding her own emotions, she probably didn’t need this type of confusing affection right now, not when everything looks black and white to her as she just motions through her monochromous days.

« I-It’s warm… I like it. » Mafuyu admits as she holds Kanade closer. Then, she lightly but gently kisses Kanade’s exposed neck, as if curiously trying to replicate what Kanade did, as she searched for this newfound type of affection. The composer tenses up a bit surprised but then relaxes as she holds Mafuyu’s hand tighter. Mafuyu, despite not understanding her own feelings, wasn’t stupid. She knows what this meant, she’s heard about, read about it, and seen movies about it, though she never really cared for it. But since this involved Kanade, and something thumping in her own chest, she couldn’t just ignore it, so she asks with a low, confused voice. « Kanade do you like me? »

The composer was in shock, her mind was racing messily « Well, I care about you a lot... » She had so little experience with this, she wasn’t sure what to say. She’s always thought of as herself to be too busy for affection and that she would probably not be the best partner to have in her head, despite how much her friends think of her as a caring person. She didn’t know much about relationships or romance, and never really thought about it either, she simply knew how to… care, as a savior, as a calm strength, and as an enabler.

Besides, she had trouble truly looking out for herself, how could she do that for someone else?

Mafuyu nuzzles deeper into Kanade’s neck, not sure if she was even capable to bear such heavy feelings, but strangely enough, she didn’t mind right now. It was a bit overwhelming but ultimately enjoyable, she whispers back « I care about you too... » Kanade reciprocates her words by bringing Mafuyu’s arm to her chest.

They stay in comfortable, relaxing silence, as their exhausted soul could find rest through the loud beating in their chests. A moment passes of them indulging in each other’s warmth until they quickly fall asleep. Despite Kanade’s cold body, she found some familiar safety in the arms of Mafuyu, and Mafuyu found affection and care she never thought she could experience that way. She had her mother’s love but she came to question it when Mizuki and Ena pointed it out. Besides, it was an entirely new experience to feel, completely different.

For tonight though, all the bad thoughts and nightmares were washed away from their minds.

Meanwhile, out on the streets, Ena and Mizuki walked side by side, talking to each other.

« There’s something going on, I just know it, they’re both acting weird. Especially Kanade. » Ena points out to Mizuki.

« Well, we could try to ask Kanade but eventually, she’ll tell us when she’s ready. » Mizuki couldn’t help but draw parallels to their own situation with Ena.

« She was pretty roughed up when we found her, it’s suspicious. I didn’t want to speak up about it earlier because so many things were happening but... » Ena takes a long exhale filled with worry, perhaps she regretted not being upfront, especially because she always has been that way.

« It’s okay, as long as we look out for her it will be fine, Kanade has her private life she doesn’t expand on much but she’s never been closed off about it. I think she just really doesn’t want to worry us. »

« I’m worried anyway, but we’ll do our best to help. »

After a few more steps, the two of them part ways with much on their minds.

Out on the rooftops, someone observed them. « I hate heights... » They mutter as they escape the area, heading toward vivid street.

Chapter Text

When Kanade opens her eyes, the first thing she could feel was some weight on her body. The room was dark and despite her new ability to see better, the sleepiness she rubs from her eyes still hindered her vision. Gently, she puts a hand on what seemed to go around her chest and instantly recognizes this warmth. After looking more closely, she finally remembers what happened before she fell asleep. A small smile lit up her face, Mafuyu was by her side.

Kanade looks straight ahead as she sits up, letting Mafuyu’s arm slightly slide from her body. Small splints of light seemed to go through some spots on her blinds and curtains. It was probably morning, around 8 AM or so, Kanade guessed with her ability to track time. She was glad she still had that, especially since it wasn’t due to being a vampire.

« Mmn... » Mafuyu moved a bit under her, squeezing Kanade as the composer lays back down and turns to face her friend. The lyricist slowly opens her eyes as Kanade brushes some of her wavy hair away.

« I didn’t mean to wake you, sorry, you can sleep a bit more. » Kanade smiles.

Mafuyu groans a bit as she nuzzles closer to Kanade’s chest. The composer blushes a bit, self-conscious of her now loud heartbeat but Mafuyu didn’t seem to mind. Instead, she looked even more sleepy than before. Kanade can’t help but grin as she closes her eyes once more.

But her thoughts prevent her from falling back asleep as she observes the outline of Mafuyu’s face.

‘I’m not sure if I can tell the others but I’ll do my best to be more honest.’ Kanade thinks silently.

Some time passes as Mafuyu stirs from her sleep once again, but this time her eyes were locked onto Kanade’s.

Kanade stares back. « Hey »

« ...Hey. » Mafuyu whispers, her voice lower than usual. She probably wasn’t as awake as she looked to be.

Kanade notices some small dark circles tainting Mafuyu’s skin under her eyes. Ultimately she feels a bit guilty, even if from now on she would try not to blame herself, she can’t help it right away.

« Were you able to sleep well? » Kanade asks, gentle concern flowing through her voice.

Mafuyu slowly sits up. « At first it took a while but yes. »

« Sorry, it’s probably due to this crazy situation... » Kanade follows her movements.

« ...This probably means that I care. » Mafuyu nonchalantly says until she freezes a bit. A frown appears on her face and an uncharacteristic crease forms between her brows. Kanade tilts her head, looks like Mafuyu just discovered something new. « I guess pain happens when people care. » she continues, almost questioning her sentence.

Kanade puts the covers away, sheepishly smiling « Makes sense. »

In comfortable silence, they both get up and go wash up in the bathroom.

« Mafuyu, um, this might seem weird but, how do you see my reflection in the mirror? » Kanade says, unable to look at the mirror in front of her, staring at the sink overrun by water.

Mafuyu looks at the mirror, then Kanade, then back at the mirror again.

« Lift your head. »

Kanade does as she’s told and she sees Mafuyu’s flipped reflection.

« You look normal. » Mafuyu deadpans, as she turns off the tap.

« W-Wait, what, but I- ! » Kanade finally looks at herself. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. « Huh… ? » Kanade questions as Mafuyu raises an eyebrow. Eventually, they both leave the room.

After fumbling in the kitchen to make something for her friend, as Mafuyu helps Kanade brew tea by handling the kettle, they both sit at the table. Mafuyu starts to dig in.

« I can’t ever seem to remember how to make tea properly, haha. » Kanade laughs awkwardly as she holds her head with one arm.

« It’s alright... » Mafuyu looks vaguely in her direction before eating again.

Obviously, Kanade had nothing to eat but it didn’t bother her. Especially since food seemed so gross to her now, but she still misses her cup noodles.

‘Food, huh…’ She silently ponders, as there was nothing more to say. That’s all it was, the reality she had to accept. She looks toward Mafuyu as she bites into her toast some more. At least Kanade wasn’t hungry.

Something suddenly clicks in her head.

« Mafuyu, there’s something I didn’t mention. »

« What is it? »

« Something made me suddenly weak and hungry yesterday, it started when I was home, I couldn’t quite understand what it was but that hunter threw some powder at me that had the same effect and smell. And… oh. » Sudden dread dawns over Kanade. That smell of gunpowder in her house, like powdered iron, a strong metallic taste in her mouth that made her crave like a beast just as it weakened her…

Kanade brings a hand to her mouth « It was in... my house. All over the place. »

Mafuyu pauses « Did someone break in? »

« I noticed when I woke up after my nap… but how? And why didn’t they k-kill me instead? »

« They probably needed to make you weak if they intended to harm you. You might’ve woken up, maybe... » Mafuyu frowns.

« But, I’m not that strong… Actually, I don’t know. » Kanade’s eyes fill with horror, just as she gets up to grab her phone.

« They probably only knew you were a vampire. I don’t know how though. »

Quickly, Kanade dials a number.

A voice echoes from her phone’s speaker « Hello, Yoisaki, why are you calling so early is everything fine? »

« Hello Mochizuki, sorry to bother you, and yes, everything’s okay, I just wanted to ask when you came to my house yesterday was there anything different about it? » Kanade anxiously taps her nails on the table.

« Hmm, nothing too out of the ordinary. I cleaned up and made stew as usual. Oh, I guess it was pretty dusty. I don’t know how that happened, I’ll make sure to clean better next time. »

« I-It’s fine, it’s not your fault I moved some personal stuff around. » Kanade tries not to alarm Mochizuki.

After some more exchange, the two girls say their goodbyes

« I, uhh… I’m not sure what to do Mafuyu. I’ll try to stay awake more, I don’t know how I couldn’t hear them enter… What if they come back? » Kanade paces back and forth, until Mafuyu gets up.

« We should try to find that person that helped you. For now, let’s check on your plant. » The lyricist puts her dishes away. Was Mafuyu diverting her attention away? Despite the stress that pressured Kanade, the composer decided to not think about it too much and escape these thoughts. Besides, she wanted to check on her plant.

With a big exhale letting this pressure flow out, Kanade forces a smile trying to focus on the plant.

« Ah, right! » Kanade goes to her room, a bit excited. After Mafuyu had joined her, Kanade lets out a big sigh, remembering the state it was in.

« I only had one bud left, I used it before going to the dinner. »

Mafuyu points at the stem, right next to a leaf « Look here, seems like it’s gonna grow again, its tip is red. »

« Yeah, but it’s so slow. » Kanade whines.

« Why don’t you try letting it grow this time? Buds are meant to become flowers, other times they’re leaves or shoots. Try not to use one every time you’re hungry, they should be emergencies. You can call me instead. »

« But they’re... » ‘Easy’ is what Kanade wanted to say but when she turned to Mafuyu, who stared back at her, something in her eyes told Kanade she shouldn’t argue more. Maybe she shouldn’t rely on these buds so much. But it’s hard to forget the nightmares she had and the times she lost control.

Mafuyu gets up. « Let’s go to the kitchen, I think it’s ready to be put in a real pot. »

Kanade follows suit, holding carefully the glass where the plant was. After hiding the small window in the kitchen with towels as makeshift curtains, Mafuyu brings the bigger orange pot on the table as Kanade puts down the plant. The composer brings the dirt she bought with the special mix as Mafuyu stares with wide eyes.

« W-What? » Kanade asks as she puts the large bags down.

« Isn’t that heavy? »

« Not really…? » A bit of awkward silence fills the air as Kanade realizes what just happened. Someone as unfit as her shouldn’t be able to lift these bags so easily but it happened. Kanade stares at her hands like she was in a dream. Mafuyu simply shrugs it off and goes to the bag, ripping it.

Meanwhile, Kanade ventures into forgotten parts of her house. A small storage room with all sorts of tools and objects she didn’t need. Her parents probably used them more, but now they accumulated dust as time passed. Kanade let them be, until today that is. She was facing gardening tools of all shapes and forms, so much so that it was a bit overwhelming.

A wave of remembrance hits her again. She remembers vaguely her mother using a triangle-shaped tool, a bit round on the inside, to pull out dirt and place all kinds of seeds in pots. Her father looked longingly at the two, as Kanade did her best to dig through the dirt. Her small hands had planted the tool instead, and wanting to get it out, she had pulled on it with such strength that dirt when all over the place and on top of her hair and clothes.

Kanade thought she might have been in trouble as her mother looked at her with wide eyes, some dirt had gotten on her hair too, but her father laughed endlessly, making the three of them burst into laughter. Her mother then showed her how to do it properly, explaining how mistakes are a part of learning, as her dad brought them fresh, cold drinks.

She remembers it was probably summer, they were out in front of their house, as the sun blazed high.

Now the hand trowel was left to rust in a small, darkened room. With a bittersweet sigh, Kanade takes it out of a random box, as well as some roughed-up gloves she found, and brings them to the kitchen where Mafuyu was waiting. Despite accepting everything that had happened, despite how grateful she was to have all these happy memories, it doesn’t change the fact that it hurts deep down.

« We aren’t obligated to use that. » Mafuyu comments, as she was sitting on the ground next to the pot, pointing at the tool, but Kanade doesn’t change her trajectory. Heading for the different bags laid out, she turns quickly to hand Mafuyu some gloves, sits on her knees then puts hers on as she prepares everything for the pot. After putting different layers to maximize the plant’s living environment, she plunges into the dirt with her tool.

« It’s easier with the tool, less messy. » Kanade smiles, as she takes out the dirt perfectly without any single bit falling to the side.

« You know how to do this? » Mafuyu asks, watching as Kanade puts dirt into the pot.

« I don’t know much about plants but I do remember how to do it. I used to plant flowers sometimes with my mom. »

Mafuyu carefully observes as Kanade gets swept in the moment, putting more and more dirt into the pot. The composer was a bit lost in thoughts, remembering how her father had taught her to pitch a baseball and how she used it to her advantage at that one outing with Ena, Ichika, and Minori. She was happy at that time, and today she’s… content.

Shaking her thoughts away, she looks back at Mafuyu. « Sorry, I was a bit zoned out, wanna try it? »

Mafuyu pauses a bit then nods slightly, putting on the gloves Kanade had given her.

« So, it’s not that hard, you’ve seen me do it, right? You go in the bag slowly... » Kanade explains as Mafuyu follows her words. « Yeah, just like that, try to feel how much dirt there is to fill the whole trowel. » Mafuyu shuffles in the bag and then slowly takes out the tool. Then she brings it to the pot and tilts the trowel.

« You’re a natural at this. » Kanade smiles gently. « Is this your first time? »

« I did one time in the past but I don’t remember, I have more knowledge than practice. Though it’s not as hard as it seems. » Mafuyu states, probably referring to her science classes.

« Right, then let’s try something. We’ll put the plant in the pot now but it needs a bit of space first. Its roots are small though so let’s keep it in mind for how deep we’ll go. » Kanade explains, as she points toward the dirt in the pot. « Take some dirt out, I think there’s too much... » Kanade says, slightly embarrassed to not have caught that beforehand.

Mafuyu hums a bit as she practically stabs the pot.

« Woah, careful, are you trying to dig a hole? » Kanade asks, half-joking.

« Isn’t that what we’re supposed to do? »

« Well, uh... » Kanade was a bit unsure, searching in her memories, but Mafuyu goes on anyway. She tugs gently at the tool but then curiously stares at it.

« What is it? » Kanade asks, looking over the pot.

« Hmm… It’s stuck. » Mafuyu mutters. She frowns a bit as she puts more pressure into pulling.

Perhaps a bit too much as when the tool finally frees itself, some dirt goes flying around.

« Ah-! » Both girls yelp as they get back from the pot. Mafuyu was a bit pushed to the ground as her weight was put on the tool.

« Sorry, I got your house dirty…? » Mafuyu begins but stops when she turns to Kanade.

The composer burst into laughter. Practically holding her stomach as she laughed uncontrollably.

Mafuyu’s brows lift just as Kanade comes closer. « You have dirt on your face and hair... » The composer chuckles, softly wiping some away from Mafuyu, who stared back with big, curious eyes. « And don’t worry about my house, it’s fine. »

Despite the missing blazing sun and summer haze, Kanade definitely felt her heart light up.

Mafuyu ruffles Kanade’s hair a bit. « You also have dirt on you. » Kanade laughs once more as Mafuyu smiles gently, very slightly, inaudibly chuckling to herself. She’s probably not even realizing it, all Mafuyu knows is that she feels lighter, with that same warmth feeling her up.

« You’re smiling, that’s good. » Kanade says, an endearing expression on her face.

« Well, you’re laughing. »

« I didn’t know you could be clumsy, that’s new. »

« Is it bad? » Mafuyu wipes some dirt from her own face and hair.

« Not at all. Making mistakes is okay. » Kanade smiles warmly, as she sits next to Mafuyu. Their shoulders bump into one another, as Kanade gently puts her head against Mafuyu’s shoulder. After a small pause, Kanade spreads her hand out in front of her.

« These gloves were my parents’ gloves. I had some too but they’re too small for me now. » Mafuyu stays silent, as Kanade contemplates her past. She continues, lifting her head as it cocks to the side « I’m happy I get to do this again with you. »

« I... » Mafuyu begins, thinking for an instant, then replies « Thank you. » A very light smile appears on her face just as Kanade feels her ears burn up.

« L-Let’s get back to the plant, we’ll clean up afterward. »

After making enough space for the plant, Kanade gently puts it in the pot as Mafuyu fills the sides until the dirt’s surface was flat.

« I think this is good enough, what do you think? » Kanade asks, happy with their work.

« It’s nice. »

They water it then move it back to Kanade’s room. After that, they start to vacuum the place and successfully clean off all the dirt on them. There wasn’t that much so it was easy to get rid of.

Kanade settles on her couch, and a long exhale escapes her lungs. Now that they were done with the plant, anxious thoughts began to swim back, but they quickly drown as her eyes settle on Mafuyu. As if understanding her pleading eyes, Mafuyu sits next to Kanade.

But what was submerged can only come back with much pressure as Mafuyu expects some kind of words from her friend. Kanade swallows harshly as sweat droplets begin to form.

« I… I’m not sure what to do. »

« Are you scared? » Mafuyu questions.

Kanade pauses. It’s something she’s thought about before. Death. Something that stuck so close to her, something she thought she’d fall to sooner than what life intended, by her own hands, yet it’s something she hoped to make disappear for other people, even if it was only during one single song.

Yet she’d never thought someone would give death to her. A long time ago, she’d probably have seen it as an offering, to herself, to the world. But now...

With moist hands she clenches, Kanade answers « I still have a goal I’m not finished with. I don’t want to die before saving people. I’m… scared to not succeed. »

Mafuyu stares at her, narrowing her eyes. « And when you’ll save people…? What will happen then? »

« I’m not sure. I guess there will always be someone to save, somewhere. »

« So you’ll just be there for other people. » Mafuyu turned toward Kanade who stared right in front of her. Plans for herself, that’s something she often shoved aside.

Kanade looks back at Mafuyu. The lyricist sighs « For now we need to find the person who hurt you and the one who helped you. Also, maybe install some security systems on your doors and windows, with alarms and notifications if someone breaks in. »

« Right… And maybe if I need to sleep, I can go to Sekai? Or just take naps while on a nightcord call. I just hope they don’t set traps or something… Ah, this is stressful. »

« Well, you can tell us when you sleep so we’ll be on the lookout for that. If they want to trap you why didn’t they do it sooner? And I doubt they’ll use a bomb in your house while there are others next to it. Though they can always use toxic gas… I don’t know if it’s effective on vampires but... » Mafuyu’s voice trails a bit as Kanade’s face falls.

The composer’s knuckles turn white « I thought about… spending time at someone else’s house. Maybe ask Mizuki or Ena. But… I don’t want to trouble them, I’d have to explain everything and I won’t be able to compose. I can’t just move my equipment to their house and there are no plugs in Sekai. »

Mafuyu thinks for a few seconds before speaking « For now, let’s do what we said, and if one day you don’t feel safe enough, you go to Sekai or ask the others. You won’t bother them, and I’m sure they won’t force you to explain what’s happening. If they can just help you like you’ve helped them. It’s about your survival, Kanade. »

« You have school tomorrow, right? » Kanade asks.

« Yes. And I have to get home before the evening. »

Silence falls into the room. Mafuyu would leave in just a few hours and Kanade will be alone again. She has to make do with what little time they have left.

« Wanna hear some of the demos I haven’t finished? » Kanade asks, Mafuyu nods. They both walk to Kanade’s sacred sanctuary, where she composes day in and day out. « Here, sit on my chair. » Mafuyu seemed a bit reluctant at first, perhaps unsure, after all this is where the magic happened. She eyes Kanade but eventually does as she’s told.

The composer opens a few files, her shoulder grazes Mafuyu’s as she smiles a bit awkwardly « Normally I prefer sharing my work when it’s more polished, especially since I have to save you but… I want you to hear these. »

Kanade plays them, and Mafuyu closes her eyes. For a few seconds she seems overwhelmed, other times she seems lost, and by the end, she stares at Kanade, in profound silence.

« …I’m sorry, I know these aren’t worthy enough to save you- »

« Did you change your approach? » Mafuyu asks, her eyes wide, gleaming with something.

Kanade is taken aback « Well, since I’ve become a vampire it changed my way to see, feel, and hear the world, so... »

« Why do these… Make it painful in my chest. Like they were grabbing at something I don’t even know. » Mafuyu grips her shirt, while Kanade’s blood runs cold.

It’s true that maybe the composer had created patterns in her music that were shaped closer to Mafuyu’s whole self viewed through her vampiric lenses, in desperate attempts to save her more efficiently. She hoped to turn it around and create a song that said « I’m glad you’re here. »

...Was her new approach a mistake?

« I-I’m sorry Mafu- »

« It’s not bad, it’s just… confusing. And comforting…? »

The two girls look at each other, Kanade’s comforting eyes meet Mafuyu’s pleading ones.

« Please finish them when you can. » Mafuyu asks as the composer feels her chest tighten. It seems like the stakes kept growing bigger these days, but at least, her new abilities let her take larger steps in the right direction.

Kanade smiles endearingly « I will. »

The two of them discuss music ideas and adjustments a bit more before Mafuyu gets up. « I have to get back home. »

« Yeah, I know. » Kanade looks down, but still finds it in herself to walk to her front door, with Mafuyu following suit.

The lyricist stops in her tracks, right as Kanade was unlocking her door. « I forgot, but I managed to keep this. » Mafuyu hands her a golden rose, with cracks on its metallic petals. It’s the same one that the person who attacked her was wearing like a brooch.

Kanade takes it into her hands and freezes still. The object felt so cold it burned. Or perhaps was it too hot? Kanade couldn’t tell, but it felt weird to feel high temperatures like that again. She couldn’t feel anything while handling it, except its temperature on her bare skin, but yet even just closing her eyes and assessing the room didn’t help. It’s like that object didn’t exist out of her regular vision. Was that why Kanade couldn’t feel her attacker’s shapes and colors?

The composer holds it up and touches Mafuyu with it, but she can still feel her friend’s pulse. Perhaps it’s because the flower was cracked?

« Does that feel… cold to you? Or hot maybe? » Kanade asks as she holds the object for Mafuyu to touch. The lyricist places her finger against it but shakes her head « It’s room temperature to me. »

Kanade takes a deep sigh « That’s weird, well, either way, thanks for giving it to me. But don’t you think they can track me with it? Or feel it? »

Mafuyu’s expression hardens a bit « I’m not sure. They know where you live anyway. I just thought you could maybe use it to your advantage. »

« How ? »

« I’m not sure. »

Kanade shoves the object into her pocket. « We’ll see. » she shrugs then opens her door, ignoring the sinking anticipation of being alone traveling all throughout her spine. Despite this, Mafuyu stood still, staring at Kanade.

« What is it? » The composer questions.

« I don’t know. » Mafuyu deadpans.

Kanade smiles despite the bittersweet feeling inside « It’ll be fine, we’ll keep in touch. »

« Okay. » The lyricist says but still doesn’t move.

Kanade tilts her head a bit, closes the door again then opens her arms, ready to say something she never thought she’d ask in a million years. « Do you… want a hug… maybe? »

Mafuyu stares silently at her, while Kanade retracts her arms slowly, a bit embarrassed. She was always confident in Mafuyu’s wish but perhaps she came on too strongly this time. But to her surprise, Mafuyu takes a step in front of her and then puts her hands on Kanade’s shoulders. Mafuyu almost analyses Kanade’s face but relaxes her touch a bit. The composer takes this as a yes, and gently envelops Mafuyu in her arms, reaching to her back and softly pulling her closer.

Due to their height difference, Kanade was tiptoeing which inadvertently pushed her further against Mafuyu. So the lyricist hugs her back, burying her head in her friend’s neck.

The composer didn’t notice at first but a few seconds into the embrace, she realized she perhaps needed this more than she’d thought. For the first time in a while, she acknowledges her feelings and melts into the warm hug. Despite not being able to feel the temperature of things quite well, the warmth in her chest was enough to fill her wounded, fragile heart.

« I’m sorry I have to leave. » Mafuyu whispers, but Kanade chuckles, stroking Mafuyu’s back.

« It’s alright. I’m happy I get to see more emotions from you. »

« From me… ? »

The two girls put some distance between them but they held each other's hands still.

« Yeah. » Kanade smiles ever so sweetly it almost aches in Mafuyu’s chest, just as it does in the composer’s.

Once again, they stare at each other, this time with both contentment and longing. Some unknown desire settles in their hearts, but before they get overwhelmed and the world stops completely, Kanade reaches for the door.

« See you on nightcord. » Kanade smiles, one hand on the door handle and one hand intertwined with Mafuyu.

« See you. » The lyricist mutters, letting their hands slide from one another, as Mafuyu grew smaller in the distance. Kanade watches her leave with a tiny exhale then shuts the door.

The violent emptiness of her house suddenly washes over her. The wooden floor creaks just a bit louder, just a tiny bit noisier, echoing in her house just as her steps seem to crack the ground under. Despite her ability to move, she remains rooted to this house and its huge walls, way bigger than she was. From the ceiling Mochizuki has trouble reaching at times to clean, to these doors getting older and rustier, to this room she practically breathes her own oxygen in. Kanade walks but she’s stuck in musty waters, as the level rises each day. Through her computer and music, she found a branch to grab onto, a vine to get her out.

But strangely today, she feels stuck, like dregs that clouded her, these hasty waters bring an unfamiliar heavy current, perhaps the innate fear of getting taken away by someone who would end her life, while her friends swam away. But this fear spreads in her chest and clogs her throat, she doesn’t want to cry, she doesn’t want to hide herself away, and yet... A part of her doesn’t care if she had to die.

But once she reenters her room, she watches the curious plant in the orange-brick flower pot. Its strangeness felt comforting, its loneliness relatable, its colors reassuring. Despite everything, Kanade sits down, thinking about her friends, her place in the world, and herself.

She had to do something. The buds would grow soon enough once again. Spring slowly settles back in and if not for herself then for her goal she decides to move on.

Putting a cap on her head, Kanade smiles to herself, the tides confiding her finally lower a bit. « Let’s search for what we’re looking for. »

Even if everything isn’t perfect, she opens her front door and sets off on a journey to find people who aren’t exactly like everyone around. People that might help. People that might know.

An answer amongst others.

━━━━━

A new sun sets early this morning. The freezing weather slowly vanishes, melting as the rivers flow quietly and the flowers bloom shyly. On this hazy morning, Mafuyu looks out her window, another day where she’d have to barely hang on and keep her facades on. Despite not even noticing what she does, Mafuyu leaves her house bluntly after slipping a stingy smile to her mother who was none the wiser of these boiling, confusing feelings brewing in her child.

Mafuyu walks to school, sleep-walking through despite watching the world with hawk eyes. The more she approached Miyamasuzaka, the more she felt her body creaking in place, programmed to be rigid in her lies. Mafuyu never cared for appearances, even through the makeup she puts on each time she sees someone. When it slips, when the perfect, reliable daughter and student appears as a mere veil of crystal, she quickly swallows invisible needles and threads, tangling her feelings inside complicated knots.

Awake but elsewhere, Mafuyu’s day continues as it usually does. Her classes come and go, her workload is as unchanging as ever, she stops to eat tasteless food for her dull scores and grades, to keep her roaming focus intact and circles through her days like an untouched doll, perfectly sewn with inflammable fabric and uncomfy textures.

P.E. arrives and Mafuyu feels empty. Perhaps this day was a bit harsher than others, but she couldn’t tell either way. Her thoughts get lost in the mass of people and the metallic sounds of lockers being shut. She puts her sports uniform on, the tissue touches her skin. The lyricist quietly stares at it. She was good at sports. Good at everything. And the more she stares the more she wonders ‘Why all of this? What’s the point ?’ It’s for a good future her mother says... Before any clear words form, she notices the small bite marks on her shoulder. Images from yesterday plague her mind, a time when she was with Kanade and helped rehouse her strange plant. Now that she thought about it, something was truly different about her, about N25. Her eyes soften, seemingly lost in a daze.

A classmate’s voice resonates and Mafuyu quickly readjusts her shirt, making sure it falls right on her body and hides it all. She looks around as students progressively leave the locker room. And now, any trace of Kanade had disappeared, none of these people surrounding her would know anything about her life and what she truly does when she’s done with school. All these people who while unsure of what to do for their future know what they want to do today.

Mafuyu refrains from sighing, but she does stay a bit behind in the locker room, trailing her feet like two big weights begging her to think about Kanade and N25 just a bit more. But it might lead to what she truly wants to do, and frankly, Mafuyu didn’t have the way to access her true desire for what’ll come out of her studies and music, despite possessing the will.

Finally, she arrives in a big gym and listens to the instructions for today. As if it was input in her brain, Mafuyu does as she’s told, though today something was different and some first years joined them.

« You’re so good at sports, thanks for showing me how to receive the ball. » A classmate smiles, apparently really happy to finally understand volleyball better. Mafuyu doesn’t see much of anything though, this person seemed to smile so easily.

Yet she smiles with as much ease on her own, contracting the muscles of her face, with the politeness she was educated to bear, as her heart remains unmoved, flattening on itself « It’s alright, I’m glad you got it! Don’t hesitate to ask for help again if you need to. »

This can’t be happiness. And even if it was easy to smile, why did it feel so-

« Oh, Asahina, we’re missing 3 more balls, could you go get them from the storage room, please? » A teacher calls out.

With one more smile, Mafuyu agrees, marches toward the storage room without any second thought, and finds herself in front of it, practically snapping herself back to reality. She goes to open the door, but a hand appears from the side of her vision reaching for the knob.

« Ah, I’m sorry, you can go on ahead. » The girl says, with a calm voice.

Mafuyu trails her arm to finally assess her face. It was a one-year student, with short blue hair and blue eyes, smiling at her with the force of a thousand lights. Probably because she had been under many before. This was the idol Haruka Kiritani, who retired but recently joined a new freelance group.

But more importantly, there were some bite marks on her arms, from something with big canines. Bigger than normal humans it seemed. The lyricist could have missed them since Haruka put some sort of bandaid on it but it doesn’t seem to hide everything. What shook Mafuyu the most was the familiarity she felt from seeing it, as those marks were the same she possessed on her body currently. The ones Kanade gave her. Except Kiritani’s bite marks seemed way more roughed up and damaged.

People would think this was a dog bite perhaps. But Mafuyu caught it, her medical knowledge coming in handy.

A small pause was marked as Mafuyu shakes her mind off this girl’s arm to stare back at her. The idol seemed to sweat a bit, and despite a big smile plastered on her face, Mafuyu could sense some discomfort.

Quickly, Mafuyu reverts to her doll-like self, whatever that means for her identity « Oh it’s okay, don’t apologize. I was thinking about our sports uniforms, it’s still a bit too cold to wear these shorter ones, don’t you think? »

« Oh, yeah, I’m kind of cold, I hope volleyball can warm me up. » The idol answers.

Mafuyu forces a smile, and this time she feels it, this nasty feeling of being caught in a lie « It should if you play properly. Anyway, what did you want in here? » Mafuyu opens the door, and Kiritani smiles softly.

« Some balls we’re missing, » she answers.

The two get what they need, and despite it all, there’s tension subsiding. As they move to leave the storage room, Mafuyu talks some more « Hey, you’re part of the student council right? I’d like to discuss some affairs with you about some upcoming events. Are you free today after school? »

The idol seems to think for a few seconds, before answering with an unwavering voice hiding something Mafuyu couldn’t quite place « Oh, I’ve been meaning to talk to a senior about this. Today should be fine, yes. »

« Good, see you then. »

« See you. » Kiritani leaves a bit too quickly.

Mafuyu lets out a long exhale, frowns slightly then brings back the balls to her teacher.

« Thank you Mafuyu, always reliable. Wait you’re a bit pale, are you alright? »

« Yes... » Something starts to bubble up inside, something Mafuyu knows she has to grab onto and never let go. But what should she do about everyone around? Her grades? Her parents? Everything.

She speaks up anyway, going against the foremost impressions of her feelings « Um, I’m sorry but I feel a bit sick and nauseous... »

The teacher’s face turns surprised, but ultimately falls into compassion, guess it works to play the good, perfect student « Oh, sorry to hear that, here I’ll give you a pass, you can go to the nurse’s office. »

« Thank you. » Mafuyu quickly takes off after refusing some of her classmates’ help. She arrives at the nurse’s office, gives her pass, and lies down. They won’t call her parents as long as she doesn’t miss more than P.E. While lying down and staring at the blank, white ceiling, Mafuyu frowns. That nauseous feeling feels real now.

This girl was the one that attacked Kanade. She had to be, right?

« Is that why it… hurt so much when I smiled at her? » Mafuyu questions herself, but only the lonely silence answers back. That same silence reminds her of how she’s never understood herself. Yet these feelings feel so bright and vivid they might as well make her truly sick.

Mafuyu closes her eyes, wishing to listen to those demos Kanade made once more.

━━━━━

A bit farther into town, Kanade scans the streets. She passes every intersection and crossroad she finds, attentive to any shift of air, any suspicious gust of wind, any trace or color of a special kind of shape. She makes rounds through the noisy roads and busy streets, she does her best to avoid people. In her pocket is hidden a bud from the treasured plant she remembers planting fondly with Mafuyu. It had grown quite quickly in just a day, to her surprise. With unwavering determination, she stumbles back into a familiar place, one she knew quite well.

After a few more turns, she finds herself in front of a big hospital. The hospital where her father resides, is completely unaware of his child’s whereabouts, unaware of her existence.

Biting the inside of her cheek like mere gum to destress, almost tearing through her skin, Kanade feels a shiver in her spine. She shakes it off the best she can, but the guilt still hangs high. She understood her family’s memories, doing her best to feel happy and grateful that they ever happened but it didn’t change how hard it was for her to not have seen her father in so long.

Thinking to herself, quietly pacing around, Kanade figured since she hadn’t found anything yesterday, she might as well not waste this day. Shoving the bud in her mouth, anxiously biting into it, Kanade feels its minty, ice-cold sensation fill her mind and spirit.

She walks forward, and in front of the hospital doors, where her reflection stared at her, curiously curving and bending in place, Kanade takes one deep inhale then after a few seconds, she exhales and pushes the door without looking at the glass.

Strangely, the stairs feel much more massive despite her new physical abilities, the longer she walks, the longer they stretched.

« Hello, miss Yoisaki, it’s been a while. Here to see your dad? » A familiar nurse calls out, to which Kanade smiles and nods.

Knowing the way by heart, Kanade walks to the corridor where her father was and then makes it to the front of his room. She breathes in once more, all these memories aren’t a waste, they’re a blessing and Kanade should be grateful. She breathes out, settling her feelings to the side for now as the deep desire to see her father and the unremovable guilt from everything mix and battle inside her.

But for a second, she shuts them down and opens the door.

The room, unchanging as ever, white as a dove, brighter even than her monitor’s LEDs, was bearing her dad as he lay on the hospital bed, his chest gently rising up and down. Kanade’s nightmarish visions come back to haunt her, but this is reality, and her dad was, though hospitalized alive and breathing. In this strange reality, Kanade could sense her dad in whole new ways, though she’d rather ignore it, she knows it’ll do more harm than good.

She’d rather ignore it and yet...

She can feel his slow pulse and colorful shapes. They feel warm and familiar, like a kind force enveloping him, but something stung to the inside of his head, spreading to his muscles. Kanade feels the pressure that puts him in his bed, though gone, the damage is still there. She’s supposed to ignore it, she knows but it’s hard.

She swallows invisible thoughts and feelings she can’t see, all she looks at is her father who after all this time, despite the shapes and colors, still hasn’t changed. But Kanade isn’t upset, rather, her eyes sting a bit.

« Hey Dad, it’s me, it’s been a while, I know… a-and I’m sorry. » She utters quietly.

Her father yields no response. He just sleeps, with a peaceful look on his face.

Kanade sits by him on a chair and indulges in the silence. She watches him, every inch of his face and how his smile would create slight dimples, every part of his hands she took countless times in hers. These hands shared that same power with music.

Kanade looks away, to this white void of a room and begins to speak « Things have been different these days, Dad, I-I… I changed a lot. » Quickly she throws a nervous look his way like he was about to wake up like he was about to recognize her and recognize how different she was.

But he stays unmoving, unchanging, sleeping.

Kanade takes a hold of herself, usually, she always had it under control whenever she visits, but today was different, as most things seemed these days. Very rapidly she skims over her own new nature but no strange urges come. So she continues, a bit more relaxed with herself. « My life has visions bent now. There are things I can feel, things I can see and hear, that no one else can. I have to hurt people to get what I need to survive and it’s scary b-but… somehow, I want to keep going. »

Kanade grips her pants, surprised by her own words, and closes her eyes. She exhales the tremors in her voice away. A poor smile crosses her way, as she lets it out « You know the music group I told you about? N25? Well, they’re all amazing still. We’re growing closer I think. There’s Ena who’s gaining confidence and determination in her art, though she’s always had the latter, Mizuki who always brings us together despite their own struggles and pain, and Mafuyu who… w-who... »

Kanade freezes as her heart seems to stop. Her face turns a bit pinkish, remembering what they did together, but ultimately she smiles « For Mafuyu things haven’t been the easiest with her mother, I wish I could give her that same love and warmth mom and you gave to me, but I’m not exactly sure how. So I do the only thing I’m good at, I compose with a goal in mind. I wish you could meet N25, I’m sure you would love them. They’re all very talented and great to have around. »

Kanade chuckles a bit, as she stares at her dad. He moved slightly from his spot, readjusting himself.

« As for my role, well, I’ve had to get used to my changes but after a long while I have to say, as weird as that sounds I think… I found something. Some place to be and to stay, and people to look after with my music and N25’s work. I think I’m happy with the way things are though… I'm not too sure what to do with myself, aside from all that. It’s my life but, what about after I’ve saved who I needed to save… ? »

Some bed sheets shuffle and a soft and low groan can be heard. Kanade turns to her father who opens his eyes.

« Hello, who are you? » He asks, a slight, polite smile on his face.

Kanade stops moving, as her father’s pulse gets slightly higher. She does her best to erase her choked voice and wipes her eyes on the verge of tears. She hadn’t even noticed.

« H-Hello, I-I’m, um, someone you used to know. » She smiles as big as she could, as the man in front of her tilts his head.

« I see. I think I heard you talk a bit. »

« Y-You did? » Kanade tries not to open her mouth too much, to hide her unnatural teeth. But her father doesn’t know her anymore so what’s even the point? She stops and focuses on him.

« I’m not sure what you’re going through but my wife and I are expecting our child. I used to be so focused on music and people’s expectations but with my wife, I finally found a way to make myself better and use my work as I intend to. I’m working on being kinder to myself, so I could give that kindness to my child. I know it’s not the same situation but, before doing good to others, I think I had to maybe search deeper within myself and my interests. You can’t help anyone if you’re in the deep end, right? » He says as naturally as possible, with such a reassuring voice Kanade felt like she could cry. At least, he didn't hear the part when she called him 'Dad'.

« B-But what if you- I mean, if I fall back into those same patterns of… forgetting myself? Or my purpose in life? » Kanade thinks about her dad, as he crumbled under work and stress, trying to do his best for people who did not want his work. And how Kanade stole all that. Now it’s her, falling to music as new parts of herself come to life and change even what she’s worked for all her life.

Her father readjusts his back, pulling a bit on his sheets as his eyes form small crescents, smiling along his lips « Life isn’t easy, there will always be changes. But if you want to do good and work for it, things will go well. »

« You’re a...very kind man. » Kanade smiles, her father was a good man.

« Thank you, I hope I can make my music as kind as you say I am. Also, since you seem a bit familiar, I wanted to ask... What’s your name again ? »

« Kanade... »

« Oh, what a nice name, that’s what we want to name our daughter when she’ll be born. »

Kanade can’t help but smile, she’s heard this multiple times yet today it feels so warm. So much so it might even cover up the tragic bittersweet taste of it all. She knows he won’t remember this discussion ever, despite it being a good step towards recovery. Usually, she never indulged in discussions like these too much but…

She wonders, does it have something to do with her new nature?

As her father’s shapes contort, he nods to himself and then speaks once more « And who’s that friend next to you? »

« …Friend? »

A strange echo resonates inside Kanade. In a matter of seconds, she turns to the side and sees someone she’s met somewhere before, but she isn’t quite sure where.

« I thought you were another one of those hunters with that thing. » The tall boy points to her pocket where the golden rose was. Kanade doesn’t even have time to speak, the boy walks away « I’ll be waiting for you outside. » A wave of cold air builds up around him and brushes past Kanade as he leaves. An air she’s felt before, almost frosty... when was it?

Kanade only realizes now that she was holding her father’s hands, his voice silently slipping away from her mind. She quickly looks at him but his eyes were shut.

« Thank you for everything. I’ll leave for today. » Kanade lets go of her father and stands back up. She walks over to the door, holds it a bit then turns around. « ...Goodbye. » Kanade smiles, watching her father softly, noticing a gentle smile on his sleeping face. She finally leaves the room, closing the door behind her

That’s when she suddenly realises where that boy’s aura was from. Her pulse quickens, and images from the time she fought the hunter come back, though half unconscious she felt something, that same feeling she’s had in the restrooms. It’s the one who saved her possibly. Kanade brings a hand to her mouth in shock, but she has to be ready for this. Zipping up her black jacket, she walks forth.

━━━━━

Meanwhile, in front of Mafuyu, the classroom was gently lit up by the setting sun. Today’s activities had taken longer than anticipated, but she pushed through anyway, as she always does. Her mother quickly comes to mind, but her smiling image quickly fades away as the door opens.

« Ah, Asahina, sorry my practice took longer than I thought. » Haruka comes into the classroom, a bit out of breath.

« It’s alright, I also just finished my work, today cram school has been pushed back. » Mafuyu smiles as perfectly as she can, though it freezes up her insides.

Haruka closes the door behind her and then comes closer. « So... » she starts hesitantly, but as the perfect idol she’s supposed to be, she echoes Mafuyu’s smile, perhaps a bit brighter and more genuine, « What did you want to talk about? »

Mafuyu approaches Haruka, then slides her phone onto one of the tables in front of them. « Do you happen to know anything about this? » On the screen was a very peculiar picture of a broken golden rose.

The air grows thicker as Haruka turns silent. Her eyes become cold, her face expressionless. She looks up at Mafuyu who for some reason forgot how to smile as well.

Mafuyu’s throat begins to burn, so she whispers bitterly « Why? »

Haruka tightens her fists « It’s what I have to do. » she says with a distant look, her voice trails a bit, but determination lights up in her eyes. « You wouldn’t understand, this does not concern you. »

« You tried to kill someone, of course, this concerns me. » Mafuyu does her best to remain calm, but her furrowed brows and tightened jaw betray her.

Taking advantage back of the situation, Haruka groans a bit « I’m doing this to save people. Do you have any idea what creatures like them are capable of? »

Mafuyu quickly recalls the time when Kanade had bitten her arm. That abnormal strength, that lack of control. What Haruka doesn’t know is how much she’s struggled to keep it under control, and how well she succeeded despite the hardships. « She’s never done anything bad. » Mafuyu claims.

The idol sighs « You haven’t seen her that day, in the streets, she almost bit someone’s head off. No matter what she does it’s only a matter of time. Her power will keep getting stronger and she won’t be able to control her urges any longer. »

« How can you be so sure? » Mafuyu questions, as Haruka turns her back indifferently.

« How can you not? Tell me she’s never hurt you then. It’s about keeping people safe before it’s too late. » Ever so slightly, Mafuyu catches it. Haruka’s hands were so tightened they might as well shake. « I have to. » She mutters almost inaudibly like a heavy guillotine stood over her head.

Her deep, blue hair reflects the sunlight just as the brightest idol leaves the room. One unshaken by Mafuyu’s words, or so it seemed. Mafuyu felt powerless, but at least she wasn’t clueless. Her hands against the table and her head held down, she sighs and gathers her things. That small doubt Haruka had shown, she had to grasp at it she had no other choice.

Quietly, Mafuyu follows Haruka.

The burning setting sun outside only emphasizes what Mafuyu had to do. If her time with her group were to be stolen, then she had to act now. The idol in front of her walked quickly, but Mafuyu was fast as well, and despite Haruka possessing special capabilities and tools, she remained human, something Mafuyu prevailed amongst for years. Still, the idol seemed to go about her day like any normal high schooler, but something felt strange, something Mafuyu couldn’t quite place.

As they walked further, the lyricist kept a good distance between them. Then suddenly Haruka seems to have taken a turn. Mafuyu follows quietly but the place looked like a labyrinth of sorts. She turns and turns again, like a mirror hall with no exit in sight, the alleyways spread the more she walked until a voice resonates through.

« Why are you following me? » Of course, she would know she was being followed eventually. But Mafuyu wasn’t done.

« I won’t let you hurt my friend. » She replies to the nothingness.

Something hits the ground behind her, boots creaking against concrete. « Why is that? »

Mafuyu narrows her eyes, staying completely still « She’s... supposed to save me. »

« Such a selfish goal, because of you, dozens may die. » Haruka responds, as Mafuyu finally turns to look her in the eyes. She wore her golden knitted clothes from the other day, seemingly ready to hunt.

Selfish… No, Haruka doesn’t understand. « She’s special to me. She... » Mafuyu argues, her debate skills suddenly faltering, confusing her. As Haruka’s determination keeps growing bigger and bigger, Mafuyu takes a deep breath and relaxes.

Kanade… Kanade… She’s the only one Mafuyu can reach out to. She’s the only one Mafuyu can be comfortable with, along with N25. She makes her want to open up more to people, she makes her want to find her true, and most importantly she makes her want to stay. More than having Kanade save her, Mafuyu wants to… She wants...

« I want to see her smile, it’s warm when she does. And I want to make music with her. » Mafuyu looks towards the ground. Huh, that’s weird, she said that so naturally, so unprepared, and yet it feels right.

« I can understand that... » Haruka says, as if recalling something, or perhaps someone dear to her.

Mafuyu takes a deep breath, then her senior-like attitude comes back, only to strengthen the sincerity of her next words « It’s not just about me. She saves people with her music, it’s her dearest wish. I won’t let you destroy that. » But that goody-two-shoes attitude can only last as much as her feelings burn through. As the veil turns to ash, she frowns and takes a step toward Haruka.

Haruka sighs, saving Mafuyu from breaking her facade too much « Listen. You can come along if you want. I can sense some of these monsters crawling around. It’s my role to protect the people of this town. I’m also a savior thriving for hope. I know someone who cherishes people’s smiles as well... » Saying this, the hunter smiles to herself, but quickly shifts back her determined composure, as if these streets were a stage she had to perform on. « As an idol, I can’t stay indifferent to what you told me. So come with me this evening, and decide for yourself how dangerous they can become. And if I tell you to hide, you hide. »

Mafuyu pauses for a bit but nods « Alright. I’ll come. »

The streets suddenly seem to regain their normal look as Haruka presses something on a new golden rose. Mafuyu looks around, multiple exits were in sight.

« Don’t worry about that, it’s an illusion to protect regular humans that hides our fights against vampires. »

Mafuyu stays silent, walking next to Haruka who guides herself with the golden brooch. « Well, what good timing, one is very near. »

The two of them take off toward the signal, through narrowed streets.

━━━━━

Back at the hospital, Kanade was walking down the stairs and faced the big front doors. She silently tightened her grip, reflecting on herself with this encounter only she knew about. She was about to face someone who gave her both hope and fear. But one thing’s for sure, she had to do it.

She walks through the hospital doors and a gust of wind greets her unbothered skin. Kanade pushes some of her hair out of the way and in the corner of her vision she sees the boy from earlier who looked down at his phone.

She walks up to him as he speaks without looking up « You aren’t being very careful. I was able to follow you without you noticing anything. »

Kanade looks away, at the blowing trees. Spring was close but not here quite yet. « I was too absorbed in something else. » She gathers her courage and speaks up « Are you the one who saved me? »

« Yes, and I wasn’t supposed to originally but… Someone I know kind of forced my hand. » He answers, looking out into the distance. « I think you still have that thing on you, right? The golden rose you took from the hunter. »

« Oh, um, yes. Why? »

« I can feel it with my own brooch, though its signal is very fleeting since it’s cracked. » The blue-haired boy reveals a silver-coated rose of his own, with bluish colors.

« Does that mean I can be tracked? » Kanade asks.

« It means you aren’t being careful enough. » The boy spits, though he seems reluctant to show any aggressiveness. Kanade tilts her head, questioning his behavior in silence. He continues « With this, you can detect other hunters, but they can also detect yours in return. Its range depends on how it was made. »

The composer nods, as she finally found a use for this object. A double-edged sword of sorts, both useful and dangerous.

« Why did you decide to speak with me? And what did you mean in your letter by… family friend? »

«As I told you, someone forced my hand. This someone knew your father, not personally but business-wise. » The boy’s expression, though a bit bitter at first, seems to soften. « But it’s not my story. I just did the one thing I could for that person, as I’ve already taken a path he doesn’t wish for me. »

What did he mean by business-wise? Is that person in the music world perhaps? For now, she simply smiles at the boy in front of her, who seemed quite familiar actually « I see, well, thank you for saving me. »

The boy narrows his gray eyes, then actually shows a soft, peaceful smile « I’m glad I could be here. Normally I don’t do this but, since I’m a family friend, if you have any questions feel free to ask. »

Kanade pauses for a second. She holds her breath as her thoughts get in order. Truly, even without the hardships of this new life, there was something she was desperate to know, something she’s never truly put her finger on. A mystery with many routes possible, leading to doubtful answers.

Exhaling a bit, she asks « How did I bec- »

« Yo! Toya! What are you doing here? I just finished my shift- » An orange-haired boy with a yellow streak in his hair and greenish eyes calls out to the person that saved Kanade, but quickly stops in his tracks.

Isn’t that Ena’s brother? What was his name… Akito? Kanade gasps silently as Toya looks away.

« Oh hello, I didn’t see you there. You’re one of Ena’s friends, right? » Akito’s whole demeanor changes, as he offers a small smile to Kanade. Somehow, she could sense something similar to Mafuyu, but not as deeply rooted as her. Regardless, she awkwardly smiles back « Ah, yes, I’m Kanade Yoisaki. I do know your sister. »

« Yoisaki huh... » Akito mutters almost inaudibly, only for Toya to catch on, giving him a stern look. « Toya did you… Did you involve yourself again? »

Toya sighs a bit « Listen, now is not the time Akito. Let’s get to practice alright? »

Akito clicks his tongue a bit but doesn’t refuse « Alright, let’s go. » He smiles once more toward Kanade, though a bit more disingenuous this time « Take care of Ena, goodby- »

« Lil brosef ’! » A voice exclaims. How many more times will someone get interrupted? But Kanade’s thoughts quickly vanish as she recognizes that voice, a voice she knew quite well. One she had placed like a puzzle piece in their songs, fitting right in.

Looking past Akito, she sees Mizuki, waving their arms happily with Ena by their side. « Ugh, did you have to call out to my brother? » The artist grumbles a bit, but her face lights up when she sees Kanade.

« Wait, isn’t that Kanade? Kanade hello! » The two of them rush to the composer.

« Ah, Ena, Mizuki, hey. » Kanade smiles as the two circle her, greeting Toya in the process. Akito grumbles something upon seeing Ena but quickly turns towards his partner.

« We need to talk… Let’s get to ‘practice’. Akiyama, Yoisaki, and… Ena sadly, see you later. »

« Okay, bye lil’ bro! » Mizuki exclaims, as Ena makes a vaguely annoyed face at her brother.

Kanade and Toya give each other a look before waving goodbye.

« Kanade, did you visit your dad? » Ena asks. « Yeah, I did, he’s doing as usual. It’s been a while so I was glad to see him. » Kanade can’t quite tell them what he said or that he even spoke a bit.

« Did you meet these two on the way? » Mizuki questions, looking toward where the two boys had gone. « Ah, yeah, Akito recognized me I think, so we quickly said hi. » She lies but she had no choice. Following where Mizuki was looking, her chance at an answer disappears into the streets. But not all is lost, she had that golden rose, and though cracked, it still worked. And if Toya was Akito’s music partner, she could ask to see him again.

Though Akito’s behavior was a bit strange… She could sense his elevated pulse and anxiety though hidden under different layers. Kanade wasn’t sure why, but for now, she had to play it cool.

« What about you two, what were you doing out? » Kanade smiles, changing the subject.

Mizuki puffs their chest with pride « We did some pretty good shopping if I say so myself. Ena was a bit grumpy at times but my shopping skills saved her- »

« What ?! Excuse you, I wasn’t grumpy! You were the one who kept teasing me! »

The two have a friendly banter and Kanade feels at peace. Her friends were truly the best she could ask for. Though she hid something very important from them. Her smile fades silently.

« Should we message Mafuyu to see if she wants to meet up? I know her mom is way harsher on her these days but could be cool to try. » Mizuki wonders as the group agrees.

Suddenly, from the depths of her pockets, Kanade could feel the cracked, golden rose burning up. It was very light but she felt it, especially since it was the only item that let her feel the temperature again.

« Are you okay Kanade? Is there a ghost haunting us perhaps? » Mizuki says trying to teas Kanade.

« Um, no, it’s fine… Actually, I have to- » Kanade stops. She has to what? Leave them be as she goes on a dangerous quest? The composer desperately wanted to protect her friends, but she also had to be more honest with them, about many things. « Before Mafuyu comes, there was somewhere I wanted to check out… » She admits.

« Oh, well, we can come with you since we’re here. » Ena smiles warmly and Kanade feels her chest tightens. She’s so scared to get them hurt but…

‘If I wasn’t here, you would’ve gotten killed.’ She remembers Mafuyu’s words, that day when she encountered the hunter. If she were to meet a new one right now, they would probably not harm regular humans right? Kanade wanted to be more honest, but should honesty come at the price of getting hurt?

For now, Kanade sighs, smiling bitterly to her friends, she’ll see how it goes along the way « Okay, you can come. And this is gonna sound weird but… If I tell you to hide, then do it, okay? »

Ena gives her a suspicious look « Is this like, a surprise you’re preparing? »

Kanade awkwardly tilts her head « I have things to tell you on the way, you’ll understand. »

Ena and Mizuki, though a bit confused, accept Kanade’s strange request. As the composer looks down a bit, probably nervous, not even knowing where to begin, Mizuki puts an arm around her neck and points at the sky « Then let’s go, team! To your secret location! »

Kanade chuckles, especially since the location was also unknown to her.

Kanade walks, following the pulse quietly, and finds herself at the corner Toya and Akito took. She turns a few more times and readies herself. After a few breathing techniques, she starts « Listen, these last few weeks, I- »

Kanade stops. She stares down something at the end of the hallway. Someone she’s seen before.

« Guys, hide now. » Kanade quickly says, as Ena and Mizuki rush behind a wall.

The person in front of her stares her down through her mask, a hand on her holster. Kanade freezes, unsure of what to do. She takes a few steps « Listen, I’m not here to hurt you, I just want to get answers- »

The hunter draws their gun. The same one that already pierced through her skin before. A shiver passes from her neck to her toes, her blood turns cold. Though the hunter seems to hesitate, giving a side eye to something on their left before focusing back on Kanade.

Out of nowhere, a voice resonates « Akito ?! What is he doing here? » Ena gets up but Mizuki grabs her arm, Kanade throws a discreet, sharp look at them but feels something incredibly cold behind her. She turns back to the hunter.

But the hunter suddenly gasps loudly, as if taken aback, and then throws something at them.

Boom.

It explodes loudly in their ears as their vision gets overrun by grayish smoke.

The first thing Kanade feels is her throat tightening. She starts to choke, but a familiar voice speaks to her, zipping up her jacket with one swift movement « Use your plant if you need to. » He tells her, as Kanade takes this opportunity to hide her mouth and nose under her clothes.

Someone comes next to him, coughing a bit « She's one of them, right? Look at her eyes, you can’t lie to me! And her name is Yoisaki... I knew it! I knew you were still getting involved in this. It's gonna kill you if you keep this up, Toya. »

« Akito, please, not now- » Toya tries to argue back, but Akito cuts through his words.

« I'm just trying to protect you. »

« I'm good enough to protect myse- »

Another bomb, an incapacitating one comes at their feet, clinking at the ground. Toya looks quickly at Kanade but before he could move Akito pushes him out of the way. Due to the smoke that was probably an anti-vampire one, Kanade couldn’t see that well but she still had her senses. In a matter of seconds, Kanade was able to sense where her friends were through the smoke and kicks the grenade away from them, back to where the golden rose felt the pulsation.

Back where the bomb was launched.

It gets hit upwards before exploding.

The smoke fades a bit as Kanade runs to take cover. But rapidly, she senses another force. One she's never felt before. One so familiar but so spiky and dangerous. One right next to where one of her friends’ shapes and colors were. Through the smoke that burned her eyes, Kanade rushes to them and understands that her friend was Mizuki on the ground, fighting off some sort of creature.

In that instant, Kanade was glad she had her vampiric senses. But since she was using them, her eyes were still red.

« K...Kanade? » Mizuki mutters, but they had no time, the composer yells at them « Move! » Ena runs to pick Mizuki up but gasps when she sees Kanade, who in turn couldn't quite see their faces.

The gig was up now, wasn’t it? Still, this wasn’t her priority right now.

« You know where to go right? Sekai! » Kanade smiles at their colorful shapes and pulses, just as she gets struck by the black figure, and her body was pushed a few meters away on the ground.

This strength, this feeling, this was...!

Looking up, she sees a face with piercing red eyes, as the smoke lifts some more.

Despite her vision still being hindered, she knew it was another vampire just like her.

« Wait, I'm the same as you- » Desperate for answers she shouts. But someone tugs on her arm and pushes her away just as the creature was about to jump her again. Suddenly, Toya arrives from the skies and casts some sort of blueish silvery beam that sends the creature flying, just as it pushes Kanade farther away as well.

But she doesn’t quite fly away, as she falls into someone’s arms, both of them now knocked to the floor.

« ..M-Mafuyu? What are you doing here?! » Kanade exclaims, surprised and worried, helping Mafuyu sit up.

« Ugh... Do you see now? » Mafuyu turns to Haruka, who looks back at her in shock, but ultimately chuckles under her breath as she gets to Toya's sides.

« Was that the… hunter? Wait, I-I have to go help them! » Kanade tries to get up but Mafuyu holds her down, against herself.

« No, you don't. » Ena's voice resonates from behind her. Kanade turns to see Ena and Mizuki right behind. But Ena pointed to Kanade's forehead.

« A-Ah...! » Kanade says upon seeing them but feels something dripping from her head. She touches it and confirms there was some blood.

« She'll be fine she'll heal quickly. » A masculine voice emerges from out of nowhere. It was Akito, who came out of hiding. « But they won't. » He says, irritated, looking somber when pointing at Toya and Haruka fighting.

Beams of lights and crushing sounds reverbed through the narrow street.

« You never lost your sense, prodigy, » Haruka exclaims almost sarcastically at Toya.

« And you've never lost your glow, idol. » Toya smiles ever so slightly.

« How come you've had everything but still decided to not follow through with being a vampire hunter? » Haruka asks him as she shoots at the dark mass lunging at them, almost offended, only her persona hid it well.

« I wanted to make my own way. » He says, focused.

Then, the creature jumps in a strange pattern, with weird shapes at his feet only Kanade could see. Its extreme speed makes it almost disappear for a few seconds, as it lands on Toya violently. The singer lets out a big cry, clenching his teeth, just as Haruka cuts through the vampire with her blade, coming into contact with bright yellowish lights.

Akito curses, eyes wide, staring at the scene.

« This can't go on... » Kanade mutters as she forces herself out of Mafuyu's grasp. Despite the lyricist’s strength, Kanade breaks out of it easily. « Thank you for taking care of me, but I want to do this. » She smiles at them, leaving her friends speechless.

Ena and Mizuki go after her but Kanade was too quick. Mafuyu just presses her hand at her chest.

Kanade fades into battle, coming into contact with the creature who bit into Toya's shoulder violently as he went to protect Haruka. She pushes her palm in front of its face as they come crashing against the pavement. Kanade swallows a bud quickly, as the creature gets back up ready to hit her, but she bites into his arm and focuses on the frosty sensation enveloping her.

Some strange bluish aura leaves trails around the creature's arms as it screams viciously and punches Kanade away.

It was enough time for Haruka to come right next to Kanade, and slash at the vampire who recoiled violently, but she wasn’t done, she shoots at it again, and again, and again as it shrieks. Reloading her gun, she also lifts her mask up slightly, just enough to reveal herself to Kanade.

« Go. I'll take it from here. It's what I do. » Haruka gives her a bright smile, completely stunning Kanade.

« B-But... » The composer tries to argue, as the creature slowly gets back up from the ground.

« I never wanted to hurt innocent people. I'm someone who's supposed to give hope. When I saw you, I... I don't know. I guess there are still many things I don't know. The smoke will make you tired since you inhaled it. So, go back to your friends now, and don't make me come get you later. » The idol says as she readjusts her mask.

Kanade interprets this last sentence as a warning. Then the creature flees, but not before Haruka chases it from the rooftops. They both disappear into the hidden parts of the city.

Kanade was left in shock before she hears Toya whimper a bit.

« Toya! » Akito rushes by his side. Kanade gets next to him. « See...? Because of you, he's hurt now. » Akito says, clouded by anger. The rest of N25 come around Toya, who gets help being lifted up back on his feet by Akito.

« Maybe there's a way to heal him, like a plant or- » Kanade tries to explain but Akito cuts her off.

« He's human, Yoisaki. Anything can happen from infections to life-changing wounds. But you... » he spits, looking at her bruises and cuts « You're not human. »

Kanade was left silent, as Toya quickly looks at her, wanting to say something but his pain was too much. Akito frowns hard « Don't contact him ever again. »

« Stop being so rude, Akito, are you seriously telling her that right now?! She came to help! » Ena yells at him full of fury but he just leaves with Toya by his side.

« Where are you going? I’m not finished talking to you! I can't believe him, can you?! » Ena looks back toward the group but Kanade notices something that breaks her heart. Kanade had tears in her eyes.

Mizuki puts a hand on her shoulder but she takes a step back. « I-I... » She touches her forehead as blood coats her fingers. Again. A life filled with blood, that's all she had left.

Tears drop from her face. She's not even human so why is she crying? She's a monster, she isn't supposed to-

Rapidly, something flashes in her mind, as she was reminded of her father, sleeping peacefully in his bed. She hadn't hurt him. Her nightmares didn’t come true. And right now she just saved her friends. She didn’t hurt anyone. Even if Toya is wounded… She… She was useful. And now she needed to come clean.

« I'm sorry I lied to you both, » Kanade says through her tears, looking in Mizuki and Ena's direction. Words were hard to let out, her throat crumbles on itself.

But she sees arms in her visions, getting closer, wrapping around her. It was Mizuki, hugging her out of all people. « You're not a monster Kanade. I've met some really awful people and I can testify truthfully, you're absolutely not one of them. »

« B-But... »

« You have some explaining to do, okay? But you're still our Kanade, the same kind and generous soul we’ve come to love. » Ena says, coming to hug Kanade.

« Ah, the tsundere lets go of her facade? » Mizuki comments with a smirk.

« Shut up, why are you ruining this?! » Ena frowns, but she couldn't do anything while her arms held Kanade and Mizuki close.

Kanade couldn't help but laugh weakly, despite her tears. She really had great friends, huh? And knowing she was able to be there for them was amazing. Gently looking up a bit, she sees Mafuyu standing in front of them silently. She stared at Kanade, unsure of what to do, but before Kanade could say anything, the lyricist goes up to them and squeezes the group in her arms.

« Woah, Mafuyu?! » Mizuki exclaims, completely surprised. But then Mafuyu squeezes some more.

« A-Agh, you're crushing us you jerk- » Ena says as her breath cuts off.

« M-Mafuyu... » Kanade mutters, getting a bit squashed under everyone.

After a few more seconds, they all let go.

« Ah, well, why don't we all go to the family dinner? » Mizuki proposes with a bright smile.

Kanade looks toward where Toya and Akito went, then where Haruka was. « Yeah, but before that, Ena and Mafuyu can you ask them if they're alright? Toya and that idol hunter? And then tell me? »

The two girls nod, accepting her wishes.

Then Ena notices something and she practically jumps on her spot. « Wait! Kanade has blood all over her we can't go to the dinner just yet! »

« Oh, right. And I might have a cut or two as well... » Mizuki says, chuckling a bit.

« WHAT ?! Why didn’t you say so sooner? Show me. » Ena says, already inspecting Mizuki from every angle.

After a bit, they find a spot to sit down, just as Mafuyu crouches in front of Kanade to take care of her wounds.

« I hope this emergency medkit we bought will be enough, » Kanade whispers to her.

« It should be. » Mafuyu assures her « Though it might sting a bit. »

« Alright, now I think you can start telling us a bit about... all of this crazy story. » Ena says, exhaling deeply just as Mizuki brings a hand to their head « Yeah, it was like an anime, I almost can't believe it! Especially when Mafuyu crushe- I mean hugged us. But Ena was as grumpy as usual so, I believe it. » Mizuki waves their arms as they spoke.

« You... Shut it! Let Kanade speak. And don’t move so much since you got grabbed by that thing… » Ena says, trying to apply bandages on Mizuki’s disinfected arms.

Kanade chuckles, before wincing a bit when Mafuyu presses something against her forehead.

The sun was setting gently, and pretty hues of golden and orange lay across the small lit parts of the street they hid in. It was time to tell her friends.

« Alright, I'll be honest with you. It started a few weeks ago, actually months maybe? We were on a call and I started to feel a bit weird... »

They continued like this until they reached the dinner, where Kanade eventually told them all about it.

Meanwhile, at home, Mafuyu's mom stared at the clock, her child was late. She had to do something about it. Opening her child's bedroom door, she lets herself in...