Archive of Our Own ^beta

Mobius is, unsurprisingly, furious.

She stares up at the biology test scores posted in the science hall with her arms crossed and a scowl on her face. There, at the number two spot, is Mobius’s name. It’s an impressive feat in itself, for the Golden Courtyard is one of the most competitive boarding schools in the country. Only the brightest minds can survive its cutthroat curriculum, and Mobius has managed to secure the top score on every test without fail for three years in a row.

She grits her teeth as she reads 1) Vill-V - 100 points above 2) Mobius - 98 points for the umpteenth time in a row. In Mobius’s opinion, there’s no conceivable way that Vill-V, the Courtyard’s resident slacker, could ever beat her on her own turf. Every time Mobius’s eyes wandered towards Vill-V in the lecture hall, the enigmatic girl was always either fiddling with a new invention or playing some sort of inane card game by herself. Seeing Vill-V’s name above hers after Mobius had studied all night for this test makes her blood boil.

“Oh my, did I come at a bad time?” a voice sings from behind. Mobius turns to see Elysia sidle up next to her in order to read the test results. When her eyes land on the number one score, she grins and tilts her head towards Mobius.

“Demoted down to second best by only two points… no wonder you were boring holes into the wall with that glare of yours,” Elysia says. “It’s okay, Mobi! This was only a matter of time, really.”

“I hate you,” is all Mobius says to restrain herself from strangling her friend. Well, “friend” was a stretch, but Mobius has to admit that having someone to study with is nice on occasion.

“Aww, you don’t mean that! But I’m impressed, I didn’t expect Vill-V of all people to knock you down,” Elysia hums. She turns back towards the scores and continues to look through them. “Hmm… tenth. Better than last time! Your tutoring really paid off.”

Mobius scoffs. “You still owe me for that, by the way.” She tunes out Elysia’s excuse as her mind wanders to more important matters. She knows that Vill-V is in her physics class, and their next test is in a week. That should be more than enough time for Mobius to figure out whatever strings Vill-V pulled to beat her in a battle of academics. An idea suddenly strikes her.

“Elysia,” Mobius says, interrupting whatever the other girl was rambling about. “Do you have any other classes with Vill-V?”

Elysia rubs her chin in thought. “Engineering for sure,” she says. “She’s always blowing stuff up in there. Some days the professor hates her guts, others he can’t get enough of her theories.”

“And her test scores?”

“Average? Like, she tries on them just enough to pass.”

“When’s your next engineering test?”

“What is this, an interrogation?” Elysia laughs, but she humors Mobius anyways. “It’s this Friday.”

“Friday…” Mobius mutters, mostly to herself. If Vill-V gets the top score on that test, then Mobius will know for sure that something is up. She finds it hard to believe that Vill-V suddenly experienced a change of heart and decided to study for once, especially so late into the semester.

“Look at you, Mobi, so deep in thought,” Elysia croons. “I didn’t realize you were so interested in Vill-V, it makes me jealous!”

Mobius glares at Elysia to shoot down whatever idea is brewing in that annoying brain of hers as soon as possible. She makes a mental note to leave room in her plan to account for Elysia’s shenanigans. “Just let me know what her score is on Friday,” Mobius says in lieu of a goodbye, briskly making her way down the hall before the conversation can escalate.

“Sure, sure. I’ll tell Vill-V all about you, as well!” Elysia calls, and Mobius begins to seriously regret not running in the opposite direction as soon as Elysia had approached her earlier.

The quiet of the library eases Mobius’s anger as she reclines in a plush chair, book in hand. She flips through the pages absentmindedly, not reading at all as she instead relishes the private corner she has long since established as her own. No other student bothers her here, lest they deal with her snappy temperament and callous attitude. To Mobius, these qualities of hers are a blessing that have served her well for three years.

She takes the time she has in her free period to think. She needs to find a way to uncover Vill-V’s tricks as soon as possible. She feels out of her element, suddenly having a competitor gunning for her top spot. The worst part is that Mobius doesn’t even know Vill-V that well aside from the existence of her alters and her presence in their shared biology and physics class. She has no idea what her studying habits are, if she even has studying habits in the first place, what other classes she takes, or what she does in her free time.

Mobius can at least piece together the fact that Vill-V is lonely. She’s noticed the hesitant stares other classmates give the girl whenever she invites them to play a game. Mobius suddenly regrets not asking Elysia more about Vill-V’s social life earlier, but she doubts that anyone who causes constant explosions in class would be on the popular side. A majority of the students here care about grades above all, and Mobius is no exception. Distractions in the middle of class would surely deter them from approaching Vill-V entirely.

From Mobius’s experience, it’s almost laughable how easy it is to befriend someone that’s completely alone. A few compliments and a promise to continue hanging out with her would be more than enough for Vill-V to be wrapped around her finger.

With a smile and a close of her book, Mobius rises from her seat and checks her phone. Almost lunchtime. She usually eats while studying in the library, but she supposes she can grin and bear the loud cacophony of the cafeteria if it means getting an opportunity to speak to Vill-V.

When she arrives at the cafeteria, Elysia is waving her over in the lunch line. Mobius slips in next to her, ignoring the protest from the student standing behind her.

“You’ve got that look on your face,” Elysia says as she picks up an empty tray.

“What look?”

“The one you make when you’re scheming something. Like that time you slipped laxatives into Kalpas’s coffee before midterms last year. Did you know that he ended up failing it because he was too busy deciding whether or not he should go to the bathroom in the middle of the test?”

“That’s what he deserves for causing us to get a B on our group project,” Mobius says. “Maybe if he was brighter, he would’ve known that he had more than enough time during the test to do his business. I was simply teaching him a lesson.” She silently thanks Elysia for the reminder about her laxative supply.

“Well, my point stands,” Elysia says. She piles a helping of fruit onto her tray while Mobius takes her time to pick out which specific apple she wants. “What are you planning this time?”

“Nothing involving laxatives.” Mobius finishes paying and scans the cafeteria.

“Headed to the library?” Elysia asks, noticing her hesitation to leave.

“Not today,” Mobius says. She spots Vill-V sitting by herself at one of the circular bar tables that dot the edges of the cafeteria. Elysia follows her gaze and laughs.

“I’ll let you two have your fun,” she teases, walking towards her usual table before Mobius can say something in defense.

Mobius tightens her grip on her tray and stiffly makes her way towards Vill-V. She does her best to shift her face into a neutral expression as she sits down in the unoccupied seat across from Vill-V without a word.

Mobius watches as Vill-V’s listless stare morphs into one of excitement. “Mobius!” she says, voice much too loud and grating on Mobius’s poor ears. “What brings you here to my humble little table? Oh! Could it be that you’re here for a magic show?” Before Mobius can respond, Vill-V pulls out a deck of cards from her pocket and shuffles them in the blink of an eye.

“Pick a card!” she says, leaning closer to Mobius with a few cards fanned out and face down in her hands. Mobius, too stunned to speak, points to a random card. Vill-V flashes the front of the card towards her. “Memorize this.” Mobius doesn’t.

Vill-V returns the card to the deck and shuffles it around a bit. She flips over the top card and proudly holds it up. “Was this your card?”

“Uh… yeah. Sure,” Mobius says. She wasn’t sure what she expected magician Vill-V to be like, but this was certainly more than she bargained for. The magician was never this boisterous in class, typically keeping her tricks to herself whenever Mobius noticed that she was the one fronting.

Vill-V’s grin is blinding. “Impressive, right? But that’s just the preshow!”

Before Vill-V can fish out whatever she’s searching for in her backpack, Mobius coughs loudly to interrupt her. “I’m not here for a magic show.”

Vill-V’s face falls. “Oh. Then why are you here?”

“To eat,” Mobius says. She picks up her fork and takes a bite of salad to emphasize her point.

“There’s no way you’re just here to eat,” Vill-V says after a moment of watching Mobius very deliberately prove that she’s just here to eat. “This is about the biology test, isn’t it?”

Mobius looks up at Vill-V. Her expression has shifted to a much duller, almost unimpressed one. “You don’t have to lie,” she continues. “There’s no other possible explanation for you of all people to be here, in front of me of all people.”

“I like you more than the magician,” Mobius says, disregarding Vill-V’s surprise at her comment. Mobius tilts her head. “Maybe I just wanted to speak to a like-minded individual. It’s not everyday someone manages to beat my score.”

Vill-V crosses her arms and narrows her eyes. Her food is untouched, Mobius notices. “You know about me,” she says. The elaboration is left unsaid between the two of them.

“Is that so surprising? If it makes you feel better, my opinion of you doesn’t change because of it.”

“Oh? And what do you think of me?”

“I think that I want to get to know you more.” It’s not a lie. Mobius takes a sip of her water. “Is that such a bad thing?”

“In your case? It’s not an impossibility. You seem to know plenty about me already.”

Mobius laughs at that, smile widening when she notices Vill-V bristle. “Sue me for being observant, then,” she says. “It’s hard not to notice an interesting character such as yourself.”

“You’ve never spoken to me until I took your precious little number one spot,” Vill-V retorts. “What’s your game, Mobius?”

Mobius heaves a sigh in annoyance. She misses the magician now, if only for her initial lack of suspicion. Talking to the Vill-V currently fronting gives her a headache. Befriending her seems like an impossibility at this point with all of the accusations being thrown around. Mobius decides to throw attempts at flattery out of the window.

“I told you earlier. I just want to talk to someone on my level of intelligence,” she says. “After all, your sudden appearance at the top of the list was quite impressive given your much lower scores in the past.”

Vill-V doesn’t respond, which Mobius takes as her cue to continue. “I’d love to know what studying methods you used. Surely you’ll share some tips with a fellow classmate?”

“There was no trick to it,” Vill-V says. “I just decided to try for once, that’s all.” Her downturned lips split into a grin that doesn’t reach her eyes. “But I take it that you won’t accept that for an answer.”

Infuriatingly enough, she’s right. Mobius studies hard for every test, yet all this girl needs to do is wake up and decide to put in a little more effort? She has to be lying.

“Looks like I’m not the only observant one here,” Mobius says, struggling to retain a calm demeanor. She sets her fork down, indicating that she’s finished with her lunch. Vill-V, meanwhile, has still not eaten. “Not going to finish your food?” she asks in an attempt to redirect the conversation.

Vill-V seems to notice her tray for the first time. “I’m not hungry,” she says. Mobius knows that it’s a blatant lie, but she doesn’t push further. This could be her chance to guarantee another meeting with Vill-V, considering how poorly this one is going.

“The library’s always open if the cafeteria is too much for you,” Mobius says. “Practically nobody’s in there during lunchtime.”

“You’re in there,” Vill-V says. The remark doesn’t elicit shock from Mobius. She’s seen Vill-V wander past the library during lunch a few times over the years. It seems that, in the end, they’ve both been watching each other for a while.

“I hope that isn’t a dealbreaker.” Mobius folds her hands under her chin. “I came all the way out here just to speak with you. This certainly hasn’t been a boring conversation, has it?”

Vill-V regards her in silence before chuckling. “You’ve done nothing but make me even more suspicious of you.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“You really shouldn’t, but I suppose I can’t stop you.”

Mobius glances at the clock on the wall and gets up to leave. There’s still some time left in the lunch period, but she has other matters to attend to. “You’re always welcome to join me in the library,” she says. “I mean it. I want to get to know you—all of you—more.”

Vill-V watches Mobius gather her belongings with a hardened gaze. “I can’t say that I share the sentiment, but I’m sure someone else will disagree,” she says.

“One is better than none,” Mobius smiles. “See you, Vill-V.”

Mobius ignores the feeling of Vill-V’s eyes boring into her back as she makes her way towards her dorm. This is fine. This is going great, actually. Mobius will definitely discover what Vill-V’s hiding up her sleeve before the end of the year—no, the semester. She’ll be back on the top spot of the board soon enough, as if nothing had ever happened. As if nobody had ever managed to knock her off in the first place.

When Mobius’s face hits her pillow, she screams.

Mobius swears that Vill-V’s been ignoring her on purpose all morning. It’s only been a day since their first meeting in the cafeteria, but the girl had not even walked past Mobius, much less glance her way. Had she messed up somewhere? Well, probably, but surely not so badly that Vill-V would resort to straight up avoiding her, right?

Maybe she’s overthinking it. Mobius shakes her head in an attempt to clear any thoughts of Vill-V as she turns the page of her physics textbook. She’s cooped up in the library during lunch to study, thankful for its emptiness. A half eaten burger sits on the tray next to her, abandoned in the pursuit of absorbing as much knowledge as she can before the upcoming test. She can’t even see the librarian from her spot at one of the far tables, obscured by rows upon rows of books.

Her mind can’t help but wander once again to Vill-V’s infuriating well… everything. Her stupid two-toned hair, her weird card trick, her grating voice that was currently trying to get her attention, and the way she easily caught onto Mobius’s intentions.

Wait.

Mobius snaps back to reality to notice Vill-V standing in front of her, waving a hand in front of her face.

“Earth to Mobius,” Vill-V whisper-yells. “Helloooo?”

Mobius bats Vill-V’s hand away and catches herself before her face can morph into a scowl. “So you showed up after all,” she says instead, expression perfectly neutral.

“Sure did!” Vill-V smiles sheepishly and takes a seat across from Mobius. She sets her backpack down on the floor, tray nowhere in sight. “I came to apologize.”

“What for?”

“My—the expert’s behavior yesterday. She was really rude to you, right?”

This is her chance, Mobius realizes. Perhaps her plan wasn’t in complete shambles after all.

Mobius shakes her head and nonchalantly shrugs. “I’ve seen worse,” she says. “She didn’t bother me.”

Vill-V sighs in relief and leans back. “Oh, thank god. I was really worried! She was trying so hard to avoid you earlier, so when it was my turn, I rushed straight to the library!”

Mobius huffs out a forced laugh. So she was being ignored. “Seems like she doesn’t like me that much.”

“She’s always distrustful towards other people,” Vill-V says. “A recluse at heart, so don’t mind her. For what it’s worth, I’d like to study with you.”

Oh, this was almost too easy. Mobius is at least partially right about Vill-V’s desire for companionship, then. With enough honeyed words and study sessions, Vill-V will be confessing exactly how she shot to the top of the test rankings in no time.

Mobius gestures to the open textbook in front of her. “I’ve just been reviewing for the upcoming physics test. You’re welcome to join me, unless you have to study for an earlier test.”

Vill-V takes the bait hook, line, and sinker, pulling an engineering textbook out from her backpack. It looks brand new, and when Vill-V opens it, the pages need to be creased in order to stay flat. “I do have an engineering test in two days,” she says, flipping to a chapter about hydraulics. She looks back up and tilts her head. “Care to share any studying tips?”

“I should be the one asking you,” Mobius says. She doesn’t miss the mischievous glint in Vill-V’s eyes. “I don’t take engineering.”

“You’re like, the smartest person in the school,” Vill-V presses, lips curling into the beginnings of a smirk. “A few general pointers shouldn’t hurt, right?”

So that’s her game. Is she trying to secure her top spot by taking a page from Mobius’s book? Or is she simply deflecting the conversation in order to avoid exposing her tricks?

This Vill-V, Mobius decides, can be just as annoying as the others.

(But is that really such a bad thing?)

Mobius relents and takes out a pack of blank index cards and a pencil from her own backpack. Baby steps. Vill-V will open up eventually, and her being here is proof enough that she does desire companionship in some way.

“Well, since we’re both here, then reviewing flashcards with each other is easiest.”

Vill-V frowns. “A bit boring, don’t you think?”

“Studying isn’t that exciting to begin with.”

“Nonsense!” Vill-V grabs the stack of index cards and lays a few of them out on the table. She snatches Mobius’s pencil and scribbles something on the front and back of each card. The handwriting is so messy that Mobius can’t even begin to decipher it from her position. “We just have to make a game out of it.”

“Do you always play games to study?” Mobius asks. This is certainly one way to learn what Vill-V’s studying methods are, so she won’t stop her this time.

Vill-V hesitates for a moment. “Of course! Monotony is the worst thing ever. I think I’d turn into a zombie if I just read the same boring textbook over and over again.”

Mobius isn’t sure if Vill-V’s making a jab against her. “I guess you have a point,” she acquiesces. “So how does this work?” She taps the card nearest to her and holds it up to read it. She can vaguely make out the word velocity written on the lineless side.

“Hmm… dunno!” Vill-V hums, continuing to jot down what Mobius assumes is definitions on the rest of the cards. “We’ll figure it out as we go. That makes it more fun.”

“Sure,” is all Mobius says. She watches Vill-V furrow her brows in concentration, oddly focused on such a simple task. They sit in silence for a while, the only sound permeating the library being the sound of pencil scratching against paper. It’s soothing, in a way, and Mobius wonders why this stillness isn’t as awkward as she thought it’d be with someone like Vill-V.

Mobius only realizes she could have continued with her own independent studying instead of watching Vill-V when the bell rings.

“Aw, I was on the last one!” Vill-V groans. She sets the pencil down with a sullen look and meets Mobius’s eyes. “Would you mind if I came back tomorrow to continue?”

“You can come back whenever you’d like,” Mobius says. She doesn’t know how much she means it. Vill-V perks up at that, looking the happiest Mobius has ever seen her. Mobius wears a grin to match hers.

“Okay! I’ll take these with me so I can finish them and figure out the rules. Combining our study methods together sounds so exciting!” Vill-V gathers the index cards and stashes them away in her backpack enthusiastically. Mobius retrieves her pencil with much less fervor, noting how its sharpness has reduced to a dull tip. She always despises having to share her materials with fellow classmates, but for once, she’s not that irritated. She speaks up before she can dwell on the thought for any longer.

“I wouldn’t use the word ‘exciting,’” Mobius says. “But I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt.”

Vill-V gives Mobius a mock salute. “I won’t disappoint!”

Mobius watches Vill-V scurry away, bumping into a startled passerby and almost ramming face-first into a bookshelf.

(If Mobius fails to stifle a laugh, then the reason why is completely unrelated to the person she was definitely not talking to during her precious alone time.)

The rest of the day passes by smoothly now that Mobius isn’t so preoccupied with Vill-V. She steals a glance at the girl during physics, watching her fight to stay awake, but nothing more transpires between the two.

Mobius is about to retire to her dorm for the afternoon when Elysia practically barrels into her. Mobius sidesteps out of the way just in time as Elysia skids to a stop.

“Mobi! I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”

“How unfortunate. What do you want?”

Elysia beams and claps her hands together. “A little birdie told me an interesting detail about the biology project.”

Mobius perks up at that, the upcoming end-of-semester project having completely slipped her mind ever since her number one spot became contested. The professor hadn’t given any information out yet other than the fact that it’s going to be assigned in early December, but Elysia is friends with one of his aides. This isn’t the first time she managed to sweet talk her way into procuring unreleased assignments and grades that were not her own. As long as Mobius benefits from this arrangement as well, she’ll continue to turn a blind eye. “Go on.”

“You’re gonna love this. It’s a group project!”

Mobius fixes Elysia with a dead stare in response.

“Don’t give me that, this is the perfect opportunity!”

“…For what?”

“Getting closer to Vill-V! I can tell, she’s all you’ve been thinking about lately. What’s a better way to bond than to stay up late at night together watching plants grow?”

“Being in close proximity with Vill-V is the last thing I want.” Mobius ignores the strange way the lie feels on her tongue. (And the fact that it’s a lie in the first place.)

Elysia pouts. “So antisocial,” she hums. “Okay then, I’ll just partner with Vill-V instead!”

“What? Why?” From what Mobius knows, Elysia has never interacted with Vill-V before.

“Someone has to if you won’t. Besides, I have to keep an eye on her anyways for that engineering test you’re worried about. Really, Mobi, the things I do for you.”

Mobius opens her mouth before closing it again. Any other day of the week, she would gladly take the opportunity to eliminate the possibility of partnering with an annoying classmate.

The situation is different this time, she rationalizes. Working on a project with Vill-V would guarantee more time to figure her out. The length of the project would last well into finals, too, giving Mobius another excuse to study with Vill-V. Surely, with all of that exposure to Vill-V’s antics, Mobius will be able to regain her top spot with ease. Know thy enemy, and all that.

Elysia watches Mobius stew in silence with an amused expression on her face. “You know,” she says after a moment, breaking Mobius out of her reverie. “I can just partner with Aponia instead if you’re gonna be this jealous.”

“I’m not jealous,” Mobius retorts.

“C’mon, it’s written all over your face. You want to spend time with Vill-V, don’t you? Maybe even outside of school if I had to guess.”

“I’d rather die.”

Elysia giggles at that. “Whatever you say! I wasn’t lying when I said I’ll partner with Aponia. I doubt anyone in our class will be scrambling to work with Vill-V when we’re actually assigned the project, so it’s up to you if you want to be with her or not.”

“You've been planning to work with Aponia ever since she told you that it was a group project, right?”

“I just wanted to see how you’d react to someone else working with Vill-V. Your constipated expression didn’t disappoint!”

“I hate you.”

A mocking laugh grates against Mobius’s ears. She idly wonders what she did in a past life to have to put up with someone like Elysia constantly. They banter back and forth for a little longer until Mobius gets fed up enough to stomp into her dorm and slam the door in Elysia’s face.

“Catch ya later, Mobi!” Elysia calls from outside. Mobius yells an obscenity in response. When she hears the sound of retreating footsteps, she flops down at her desk with a groan.

Of all the people that she has to be surrounded by, they have to be the ones that manage to get on her nerves the most. She sighs and opens her laptop. Perhaps some extra studying will save the fragmented remnants of her sanity.

When she finally logs off to go to bed at four in the morning, the exhaustion of staring at a multitude of physics equations for hours is the closest to normalcy she’s gotten in the past two days.

“I’ve figured out the rules!” Vill-V triumphantly declares. She rushes up to meet Mobius, who walks into the biology classroom with bags under her eyes and zero intention to play along with Vill-V’s games so early in the day. There’s a limit to how much she’s willing to put up with whatever shenanigans Vill-V has in store for her, and she can feel herself getting dangerously close to it.

Mobius ignores Vill-V and takes a seat at her desk. She can feel the watchful eyes of her classmates, no doubt wondering why Vill-V of all people would be talking to her of all people.

Vill-V doesn’t seem bothered by this, since she immediately sits in the empty desk next to Mobius (which is nowhere near her usual spot at the other side of the room). “So basically, it functions like a shedding-type card game. But but but! There’s a twist! How about you guess what it is, my dear audience?”

Mobius wants nothing more than to smack Vill-V upside the head in order to get the eccentric magician to shut up. Unfortunately, that would get her nowhere closer to her goal of befriending Vill-V, so she grits her teeth and says, “Knowing you, I imagine it involves something that isn’t even remotely related to a card. Mini figures, maybe?”

“Wanh-wanh…” Vill-V says in a poor imitation of a sad trumpet. “Though you’re half right! No cards are involved in this twist! Okay, that’s strike one. Guess again!”

A quick glance at the clock lets Mobius know that, to her ire, there’s five minutes left until class begins. “Something you’ve invented just for this occasion?”

Vill-V hums and places a hand on her chin. “I guess that’s sorta right? I did stay up all night making this twist, but that answer’s too vague. Strike two!”

To Mobius’s relief, she only has to humor Vill-V once more before the professor finally arrives. “Dice,” she says, knowing that it’s entirely incorrect but wanting nothing more than to end the conversation.

Vill-V is no doubt about to say something about a third strike when her expression shifts from a broad smile to a tired frown. “Ah, the magician must’ve pulled an all-nighter…” she mutters to herself, blinking the sleep out of her eyes as if she has just woken up. “Though I guess that’s to be expected.” The Vill-V that Mobius is sure was the one that approached her in the library yesterday finally notices her.

“Oh, hi Mobius! Sorry, were you talking to the magician just now?” she asks, smile returning but much softer this time. “It’s usually my turn during biology. I can ask her to come back, if you want.”

“No need,” Mobius says. She silently thanks this Vill-V for fronting when she did. “Class is going to start any minute now, after all. Plus, you need to get back to your seat.”

Vill-V gets up and quickly apologizes to the quiet student standing off to the side waiting to get their desk back. She turns her attention back to Mobius and rubs her thumb against her fingers. If Mobius was any less observant, she would have missed the small, almost nervous action. “Well, I’ll see you in the library during lunch!” she says, volume at its normal level of loud that betrays what she currently must be feeling.

“Very well,” Mobius says. She did tell Vill-V earlier that she wouldn’t mind additional visits, so it’s only right to stick to her word for now. “This studying game of yours better work.”

“You wound me! Of course it’ll work! In fact, it’ll be so fun that you’ll completely forget you’re studying for something outrageously boring.” Vill-V, indignant, opens her mouth to continue but promptly shuts it when the bell rings. She gives Mobius a sweeping bow then heads to her seat before the professor can chew her out.

The professor makes no mention of the end-of-semester project by the time class ends, leaving Mobius in a less than desired position. If she wants to secure a partnership with Vill-V, then she’ll have to be the one to bring it up first. Well, it’s not like Vill-V would ever refuse. Who else would she think to partner with first if not Mobius?

The gnawing dread that Vill-V could possibly find someone else lingers in Mobius’s mind until lunch rolls around.

Vill-V is already sitting at their previous table by the time Mobius enters the library. She shuffles a deck of flashcards absentmindedly until Mobius clears her throat.

“This better be good.” Mobius takes a seat and sets her tray down across from Vill-V’s.

“I’d never want to disappoint you, Mobius,” Vill-V says with a grin. “You’re my dear audience!”

“An audience of one can barely be called an audience.”

Vill-V tsks. “No respect for the performing arts… Fine, fine. My dear single, sole, solitary, solo spectator. How about that?”

“I’ll give you credit for alliteration.” Mobius taps her fingers against the table. “Now—the rules?”

“I see someone’s impatient!” Vill-V laughs. She gives herself and Mobius seven cards face down. Mobius recognizes them as the same flashcards that Vill-V was writing on yesterday, albeit with much more glitter and googly eyes. Each card looks like a toddler discovered what the rainbow was and was subsequently left alone in a room with far too much glitter glue. Abhorrent in theory, but so utterly Vill-V that Mobius can’t bring herself to hate it entirely.

This girl is ruining her.

And her hands as well, seeing as they are now covered in a sparkly substance that had obviously not dried overnight when she dragged her cards closer to her. Mobius stares at her pink fingers in disgust. “Is this part of the experience?”

“Ah…” Vill-V, at least, has the decency to look embarrassed. “Yes! It’s an immersive card game! Here, wait—”

Mobius watches Vill-V scramble to pull a tube of pink glitter glue out of her backpack. She squirts some of it onto her own hands, rubbing them together until her fingers are just as messy as Mobius’s. She holds up a hand for Mobius to high five. “Now we match!”

Mobius leaves her hanging. “Now we can’t eat.”

“Well, what if we had so much fun playing that we never touched our food? Exactly. I planned ahead for that outcome by purposefully not drying the cards beforehand. With this,” Vill-V wiggles her fingers, “we don’t have to worry about eating or not eating. Genius, right?”

Mobius moves to rub her temples before realizing how terrible of an idea that would be. She takes a deep breath and reminds herself that she’s enduring this for the greater good of her test scores. “Right. Okay. Sure. Let’s just… get on with it.”

“So, you were completely off the mark with your guesses from this morning! The twist of this game is… drumroll please…” Vill-V drums her hands against her lap as quietly as possible, the possibility of staining her pants pink forgotten. “Combat!”

“You lost me.”

“That’s ‘cause I haven’t even explained it yet. Basically, the idea is that you have to reverse your way of thinking. The goal is to get rid of all of the cards in your hand, but you can only do that if your active card loses to my active card. Card power and matchups are calculated based off of their real world physics equivalent. For example, the acceleration card beats the velocity card.” Vill-V carefully extracts a laminated piece of paper from her backpack with her least sticky fingers. She places it in the middle of the table for Mobius to look at.

“Here’s a table of what cards beat what. It’s self-explanatory for the most part—and you probably won’t even need this, knowing you—but just in case,” Vill-V says, giving Mobius a second to marvel at the effort that she put into this game.

Mobius has to admit, there was a lot of thought that went into this. It must have been hard balancing out the strength of cards, but Mobius can’t find any flaws in Vill-V’s reasoning for the matchups. How unusual it is, to be this intelligent yet waste that potential on something as simple as pasting pom-poms to index cards. Mobius doesn’t know if she’ll ever understand how Vill-V managed to get a perfect score on the last biology test with this method of “studying.”

“Seems straightforward enough,” Mobius says. Vill-V continues to go into the semantics of turn orders, support cards, and win conditions. When Mobius feels that she has a good enough grasp of the rules, they start to play.

It’s… fun. They’re both making up strategies on the fly due to their inexperience, yet Vill-V always keeps hers interesting. While Mobius tries for swift and aggressive plays, Vill-V reacts and adapts to Mobius in order to deliver counterattacks. The expert even makes an appearance after Mobius beats Vill-V in the first round, competitive drive overcoming the animosity she no doubt holds for Mobius.

In the middle of their third round (Mobius simply let Vill-V win the second), Mobius finally decides to bring up the biology project.

“I don’t even want to know where you got this information,” Vill-V says. “A group project… alright. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“What? Not even a ‘thank you’?”

“You’re going to need to try a little harder for me to bend over backwards for you like the magician does.”

Mobius laughs, lips curling into a smirk. “So you’re saying that it isn’t impossible.”

Vill-V snorts. “Keep dreaming. I still don’t like you.”

“And yet here you are, indulging me with a silly card game. Don’t you have an engineering test tomorrow? Why study for physics now?”

Mobius can practically see the steam pouring out of Vill-V’s ears. Oh, messing with the expert is quite fun indeed.

“If you’re trying to rile me up, it’s not working,” Vill-V says, obviously annoyed. She draws a card. “And if you’re only bringing up the project because you want to work with me, then fine. We can be partners.”

“Really? I expected more resistance from you.”

“You want to know more about me so you can become number one again. Any other day of the week, I’d refuse.” Vill-V smiles. “But after discussing this with the others, I want to make this a challenge.”

Mobius leans forward in her chair. “A challenge… interesting. What are the conditions?”

“Take me down. Reclaim your spot and prove that while not undefeated, you’re still the best student in the school. If you get the highest score on more finals than I do at the end of the semester, then you win.”

“Are you really that confident of overtaking the other top students in the classes you don’t share with me?”

“If I wasn’t, I would be studying for engineering right now.”

“Fair point. And what do I get for winning?” With every passing second, Mobius feels fire under her veins. Is this what it’s like, to finally have someone close to an equal? Vill-V is annoying. Loud. Eccentric. But despite having every reason to hate her, Mobius keeps finding herself wanting to come back to her.

“That’s a surprise,” Vill-V says. Her grin is reminiscent of the magician’s, however her eyes are still the hardened gaze of the expert. “A reward that only I know. But, conversely, if I win, then you get to choose my reward.”

Mobius raises a brow at that. “Would I not suffer if I win, then? That hardly seems reasonable, putting all that effort in and getting practically nothing or worse in return.”

“Not everyone is like you, Mobius. Frankly, I was thinking of giving you something nice, if you can believe it.”

“I really don’t.” Mobius thinks about the conditions a little more. At the end of the day, it’s a deal that relies on trusting the loser to provide a suitable enough reward while also giving them the opportunity to punish the winner. How utterly Vill-V.

“It’s up to you,” Vill-V says, breaking the silence. “We can shake on it now or continue playing our game. Unless you’d like to negotiate the conditions?”

Mobius shakes her head. “That’ll be unnecessary. I accept.” She holds her hand out and Vill-V doesn’t hesitate to shake it. It’s not the cleanest handshake, glitter glue staining their skin and its stickiness causing them to have to awkwardly force their hands away.

But it’s an agreement regardless, and Mobius feels a strange sense of relief, now that their intentions with each other have been laid bare for them to pick apart as they please. If Mobius was any less prideful, perhaps she would admit that she’s beginning to see Vill-V as an actual friend, not just an obstacle in the way of her reign at the top.

Mobius buries the very idea of that deep inside and tries not to dwell on it any further.

On Friday, Elysia bears the news that Vill-V did indeed score the highest on the engineering test, beating the second place student by eleven points.

“I peeked a glance at her during the test, and she was so focused it was scary! What passion! Did you give her a pep talk or something, Mobi?”

On Wednesday, Vill-V shows up to their usual spot in the library with a new card game and an expression that Mobius finds she can’t turn down.

“The rules of this one are simple—it involves this spinner I’ve invented!”

On Monday, Mobius is met with Vill-V’s smug face as she continues to bask in the glory of having beaten Mobius on the physics test.

“You can wipe that smirk off, you know. It’s been long enough.”

“After all your complaints about my studying games, I think I deserve it. How about we play a round to celebrate, my dear audience?”

On Thursday, Mobius is sitting on a lone bench on the rooftop and thinking about her next move.

If Elysia is right, then the biology project will be officially given out the next day. Vill-V already agreed to be Mobius’s partner, an arrangement now made difficult with their ongoing bet. To be simultaneously allies and enemies with a near-equal gives Mobius a thrill that she hasn’t felt ever since she came to the Golden Courtyard.

Her precious moments of peace are interrupted when the door bursts open and Vill-V pokes her head out.

“Mobius! There you are!” She closes the door, clearly having paid no heed to the DO NOT ENTER sign pasted on it, and plops herself down next to Mobius.

“And here I thought you’d never find me up here,” Mobius says dryly.

“Nonsense! I’m your rival, so of course I know your every move.”

“That sounds like something a stalker would say, not a rival.”

Vill-V waves her off. “Semantics.”

They lapse into a silence Mobius can’t describe, simply sitting together as chilly autumn air blows across their faces. She had discovered last year that, since most students actually heeded the school’s rules, the roof is always empty. It’s a perfect spot to get some fresh air whenever the library becomes too stuffy. Glancing at the girl next to her, Mobius opens her mouth and says something she’s sure to regret in approximately five seconds.

“Do you want to come to my dorm?”

Truthfully, Mobius doesn’t know why she said that. Maybe she got sick of the cold. Maybe she botched an excuse to leave. Maybe this is all a part of her multi-step plan to become the number one student in the school again.

Vill-V turns to gape at her, shock morphing into excitement as she clasps Mobius’s hands into her own. “I’d love to!”

Or, maybe—

“Don’t misunderstand. If you’re going to be clinging to me all afternoon, then I’d rather hang out somewhere where there’s heat.”

“How exciting! Your dorm room has got to be the most intriguing place in the whole school! I mean, you’re one of the few students who got lucky enough to not have a roommate. I bet that nobody else has managed to step inside with your attitude. Ooh, I wonder what kind of desk setup you have, Ms. I Love Studying Boring Textbooks?”

Maybe she doesn’t need a reason.

Vill-V follows Mobius to the dorms, talking her ear off about how well she’s been doing in robotics competitions. Mobius responds every once in a while (mainly in annoyance, because of course Vill-V is the best on the team), ignoring the stray looks students give the two of them in the hallway. She knows what they’re thinking and, frankly, can’t blame them. Mobius would have never even approached Vill-V in a million years if not for a sudden upset in the test rankings. How strange it is, how the two of them have ended up in this guise of friendship.

“We’re here,” Mobius says, interrupting Vill-V’s tirade on her engineering professor. Mobius unceremoniously unlocks the door and goes in first, taking a seat at the edge of her bed. Vill-V, despite her previous excitement, quietly looks around the small room. She cautiously follows after Mobius, steps careful as if there were traps rigged to explode beneath her feet.

“Wow,” Vill-V breathes. “The decor is… how do I put this? Boring.” She swipes a finger across a bookshelf and peers at the collected dust. “When was the last time you’ve ever cleaned this dump?”

“Hey, I didn’t invite you in here to judge,” Mobius says, oddly defensive. She never had spared a thought to the state of her dorm before. As long as her desk is functional, then it’s good enough.

“Sorry, sorry,” Vill-V apologizes, sounding not the least bit sincere. “I just thought your room would look a lot less chaotic. You know, I read once that the state of one’s most private of areas is a reflection of the state of their being.”

“What have you been reading, some shitty tabloid? My room is fine as is.” Mobius throws a sock lying on the floor at Vill-V when she peeks her head into the bathroom, eliciting a giggle from the other girl.

“You should spruce it up a bit!” Vill-V says. She finally stops snooping and settles herself down in Mobius’s desk chair, spinning idly. “I can give you some pointers, if you want.”

“I dread the idea of seeing what your dorm could possibly look like,” Mobius deadpans. “I’ll take one step inside and get attacked by fifteen different inventions of yours.”

“Sixteen, actually.”

“That doesn’t help your case.”

“Come to my dorm next time, I’ll prove it.”

Mobius raises a brow. “Prove that you have an ungodly amount of unnecessary little doodads or that your dorm is cleaner than mine?”

“Both!” Vill-V grins. “Well, anyways, what do you wanna do?”

Mobius shrugs and doesn’t meet her eyes. “Beats me. I told you earlier, I just wanted to go somewhere warmer.”

Vill-V exaggeratedly strokes her chin in thought. “Your idea of hanging out is either studying or sitting in silence until our bones rot.” She rolls the chair closer to the bed. “Let’s go into town!”

“Hell no.” Mobius could care less about the small town a little ways away from the Golden Courtyard. She’s rarely stepped foot into it ever since she first enrolled in the prestigious school, but she knows that other students frequent it for a change of scenery if nothing else. The town would have become a ghost of itself had it not been for the school’s exorbitant tuition fee and publicity.

“Come onnn,” Vill-V whines. She stands and tugs on Mobius’s sleeve childishly. “It’s the perfect weather for shopping! We can get something to spice up your room.”

Mobius tries to pull her arm away but to no avail, Vill-V’s iron grip dragging her off of the bed before she can blink. “Absolutely not,” Mobius says. “We could be studying instead. For, you know, our bet?”

“But we always study together,” Vill-V points out. “I think you have an addiction to studying. Luckily, I happen to know what the perfect cure is.” They’re almost at the doorway. Mobius stops struggling to pry Vill-V’s hand off, resigning herself to her fate. She sighs and reaches for her wallet and keys from the top of a drawer with her free hand.

“I’m not… addicted... to studying.”

“That’s what every addict says. But don’t worry, Dr. Vill-V will fix you right up. You only need a dose of shopping and bam! A whole new you.”

“I’m going to give you a horrible review, destroying your passion for the medical field. When your hospital goes under, I’ll be there with a list of every grievance I have against you, doctor.”

Vill-V laughs, the noise so full of mirth that Mobius wonders if it always sounded like honey and syrup. She turns to look at Mobius with shining eyes as she opens the door. “Then I’ll just open a new business using all of your feedback. My coworkers and I will toast to you at our grand opening, thanking you for a future full of riches.”

“What’s stopping me from ruining that business, too?”

“Nothing, really.” Vill-V is still holding onto Mobius’s arm, though neither of them mention it as they make their way out of the school. The town is close enough that they can get there on foot in under ten minutes. “But I’ll just keep opening up new ones. Eventually, you’ll give up and stop giving me bad reviews.”

“Your doubt in my resolve wounds me. I won’t rest until you completely resign from entrepreneurship itself, forced to wander the streets as a shell of yourself.”

“If I’m going down, then you’re coming with me. Being a drifter would be boring without company.”

They continue to discuss back-and-forth about made-up scenarios for the entire walk to town. By the time they make it to the plaza, they’ve concluded that they would end up begrudgingly working together if only to repeat their self-made cycle of ruin all over again.

“Where to first, shopping expert?” Mobius asks. She zips up her jacket and pulls the hood over her head, never having been a fan of cold weather. Plus, it would make it difficult for passersby to recognize her.

Vill-V’s arm unwinds from Mobius’s and moves down to grasp her hand, giving it an experimental squeeze. When Mobius says nothing about it (she appreciates the extra body heat, that’s all), Vill-V leads her to a nearby store.

“This is the biggest department store here,” she explains. “We have to leave here with you buying something, okay? Doesn’t have to be anything fancy, just small enough that we can carry it back easily.”

“Fine, fine,” Mobius says. “So if I just buy a potted plant, will that satisfy you?”

“I mean, it does fit my requirements. But a single plant won’t save your dorm.”

“Two plants.”

Vill-V gives her a look. “You’re hopeless. Will it kill you to spice things up a little? Think about anything other than school? Interior design is an important life skill.”

Mobius sniffs. “I’m not planning on living in my dorm room forever.”

“Exactly! So you can decorate it like crazy while you still can! Here, how about this.” Vill-V points to a hideous statue of a horse sitting innocently at the back of a shelf. “This screams ‘Mobius.’”

“No.”

Undeterred, Vill-V spurs onward and continues to point out various items. Mobius refuses each and every one, the reasons varying from disgust to spite.

“If this is what your taste in decor is like, then your dorm must look awful. I pity your roommate,” Mobius says after Vill-V tries to convince her to buy an antique clock.

“My roommate loves my taste in design, thank you very much,” Vill-V says. “She even loves the magician’s magic shows, unlike someone here.”

“Tell the magician to work on her game rules. They’re getting too convoluted.”

“You keep playing them, though,” Vill-V says, pulling Mobius to another aisle before she can retort. Mobius shoots her a withering glare instead. “What about this painting?”

“The colors are revolting. Pass.”

After enough prodding, Mobius caves and purchases a box of fairy lights (“Your laptop screen’s brightness isn’t enough when you study at night!”), if only to leave the store quicker. Unfortunately, Vill-V isn’t done shopping, taking her to a clothing store with the insistence that she needs a new look as well.

“Get ready to see the best outfits money can buy, my dear audience!” The magician lets go of Mobius’s hand to give a theatrical bow by the entrance. Upon noticing the looks that other customers are giving them, Mobius quickly grabs Vill-V’s hand and drags her further into the store.

“Ooh, someone’s excited!” Vill-V says as Mobius finally comes to a stop in front of the headwear section.

“Let’s just get this over with. You do know that I’m never going to wear anything you pick out for me, right?” Mobius says. Vill-V hums a noncommittal response, distracted by the various hats for display. Her eyes fall upon a brown top hat and she puts it on with a grin.

“Before we get to that—how do I look? This hat is befitting of a great magician, right?” Vill-V twirls in place with a flourish.

“It looks fine, I guess. Matches half of your hair color, too.”

Mobius’s impassive response seems to be exactly what Vill-V is looking for, because she enthusiastically declares that she’ll be buying it. Vill-V moves to stand behind Mobius and pushes her towards their next destination, Mobius’s protests falling on deaf ears.

“Wait wait wait!” Vill-V abruptly stops, causing Mobius to stumble a little. “What if we bought matching hats!”

“Hard pass.” Mobius absolutely doesn’t want anyone to look at her strangely for being one of the only two people stupid enough to wear gaudy hats indoors.

Vill-V pouts. “Boo! Will it kill you to live a little?”

“As a matter of fact, yes.”

They end up perusing the entire store before Mobius settles on an outfit that isn’t too horrible. It’s a simple black sleeveless blouse paired with a white skirt that’s a far cry from Mobius’s current gray hoodie and sweatpants.

When she emerges from the fitting room, not as embarrassed as she thought she’d be, Vill-V is waiting for her and applauding.

“You look great!” she says, giving Mobius a once-over. “Even if you never wear this again, seeing you with it on now is good enough for me!”

Mobius ignores the way her cheeks heat up. “Quit clapping, you’re being too loud.”

Vill-V continues to clap regardless—albeit much quieter now—and Mobius asks herself how everything went so wrong so quickly.

Here she is, standing in the middle of a clothing store in an outfit she would never wear in a million years, hanging out with the one person that she had proclaimed as a threat to her educational career only a few weeks ago.

All she wanted to do was “befriend” Vill-V, figure out how she’s been getting the top test scores, and then never speak to her again.

Playing games together, eating together, and shopping together were not a part of that plan.

The challenge that the expert had proposed was the closest thing to getting back on track to her initial goal, but that had easily backfired as Vill-V found more and more excuses to hang out with Mobius.

At the very least, Mobius’s suspicion that Vill-V is horribly lonely was correct. She just never expected that it would manifest into… whatever this clinginess is.

“If we’re done here, I’m going to change back now,” Mobius huffs, reentering the fitting room.

“Okay!” Vill-V calls from outside. “Hey, do you wanna head to the café after this? As a break, y’know?”

The sane part of Mobius wants to decline, run all the way back to the Golden Courtyard, and ignore Vill-V’s presence until the end of time.

But the traitorous part of Mobius wants to accept, to admit that she’s been enjoying her time with Vill-V, and grab drinks together as the sun dips below the horizon.

What a horrible idea. Elysia must be rubbing off on her, because when she opens her mouth next, she finds herself agreeing.

The café is only down the street, which is convenient as Mobius is carrying way too many shopping bags at the moment. Vill-V is already wearing her newly purchased top hat with a grin, practically skipping towards their destination.

They settle down at a booth near the window, the evening crowd thinning out by the time they arrive. Mobius orders hot chocolate while Vill-V opts for brown sugar milk tea with an unfamiliar subdued expression.

“Thank you… for today,” Vill-V says after they grab their drinks. Her voice is soft, and if the café’s ambience was any louder, Mobius wouldn’t have heard it.

Mobius takes a slow sip of her hot chocolate. “I suppose your idea of going into town wasn’t too terrible. I’ll give you this one.”

“I’m glad you had fun.”

“I didn’t say that,” Mobius retorts. “Today was tolerable at best. Don’t get ahead of yourself just because I agreed to come with you here. My time is precious.”

Vill-V laughs that syrupy laugh of hers. “You really are addicted to studying.”

“Say that again, I dare you.” Mobius fixes Vill-V with a glare.

“Oh dear,” Vill-V says, not at all fazed by Mobius’s threat. “At least let me finish my tea first.”

They continue to chat about nothing at all until the sun has set and they’re the last customers sitting inside. Vill-V takes the lead on their silent walk back towards the Golden Courtyard, Mobius trailing behind and lamenting at how chilly the night air is. Her eyes unconsciously drift towards Vill-V’s hands, which are swinging idly at her sides.

Vill-V decides to turn around at the worst possible time and catches her gaze. Before Mobius can say something to defend herself, Vill-V slows down to match her step. Wordlessly, she takes hold of Mobius’s free hand and intertwines their fingers together.

“How unfair,” Mobius says, after a while.

“Hm?”

“Your hand’s so much warmer than mine.”

The end-of-semester biology project is relatively simple, to Mobius’s relief. One partner cultivates a bacterial growth while the other nurtures a plant of their choice. Then, they work together to research the effects that each one has on the other. Elysia shoots Mobius a knowing smirk when Vill-V tells the professor that she’ll be partnering with Mobius.

Mobius wads up a piece of paper and chucks it at Elysia in response when the professor’s back is turned to confirm another group.

By the time Mobius arrives at the library, Vill-V is already there, poring over a guidebook on local flora. The top hat she had purchased yesterday rests innocently on her head as if it has always been there. Meanwhile, Mobius hasn’t even touched her new outfit yet, the shopping bag lying untouched at the foot of her bed.

“What? Never seen a plant before?” Mobius teases in lieu of a greeting, taking her usual seat.

“I’m just refreshing my memory,” Vill-V says. Mobius can immediately tell from the tone of her voice that the expert is fronting. Her lips curl into a smirk.

“Uh-huh. Then what’s the scientific name for, let’s say, an orange lily?”

“Lilium bulbiferum,” Vill-V responds without looking up. “Come now, of course I’d know of the flower that so accurately symbolizes your outstanding personality.”

“You flatter me. I didn’t realize you were a fan.”

Vill-V snorts as if to hide the beginnings of a fond smile Mobius sees creeping up her face. They proceed to discuss the details of their project and decide who’s growing what. Mobius volunteers to handle the bacteria, mainly due to her interest in seeing what plant Vill-V will choose to cultivate.

With that matter settled, Mobius isn’t surprised to find herself discussing robotics with Vill-V. The expert’s eyes almost shine as she explains the specifics behind her latest invention and her distaste for the magician’s creative adjustments.

“You should visit the robotics lab sometime,” Vill-V says as she takes a languid sip of her water. “Even you might find it interesting.”

“How you manage to find the time to study and take part in the robotics team is a mystery to me,” Mobius remarks. “But if someone as reserved as you is inviting me… I suppose I’ll have to consider it.”

The lunch period comes and goes with Mobius and Vill-V’s voices filling the quiet of the library. Vill-V smugly tells Mobius what she scored on her computer science test, earning a glare and an indignant huff from Mobius. She wants nothing more than to wipe the smirk off of Vill-V’s face when she wins their little bet.

The days pass without much fanfare. The plant Vill-V had chosen to grow was a lavender, insisting that it would be easy to take care of. Mobius had merely laughed at the irony and acquiesced.

By the third week of their project, Vill-V stops coming to the library for lunch.

Mobius taps her fingers impatiently on the table, brows furrowed and food forgotten. At first, Vill-V’s visits were sporadic at most, but she still showed up for a majority of the week. It’s Thursday now, and Mobius has been by herself during lunch since last Wednesday.

A part of her wonders if Vill-V is throwing some sort of tantrum due to the fact that Mobius placed higher on her on their latest biology test. They made the exact same score, so it wasn’t much of a victory, but Mobius had been more thankful than ever that she came before Vill-V alphabetically and made sure to rub it in the other’s face.

Mobius decides to stop overthinking and just go and confront Vill-V. Whatever reason she has to flake out on their daily meetings for so long has better be worth it, vanishing without a trace and leaving Mobius with nothing but an ache that has gotten too used to the company of another.

She should have never gotten tangled up with Vill-V, but Mobius now finds herself in too deep with no desire to claw her way out. If Elysia ever discovers how—for lack of a better word—attached Mobius has become to the one who was once her enemy, Mobius is going to gouge someone’s eyes out. Preferably Vill-V’s for making her feel this way.

Resolved to give Vill-V a piece of her mind, Mobius gathers her belongings and sets out to look for her. She recalls how Vill-V once mentioned using the robotics lab to build her garish inventions, and figures that that would be the best place to start. If nothing else, Mobius could hound one of Vill-V’s teammates for her location.

She arrives at the robotics lab to find the door wide open and the lights out. Mobius hears a rustle followed by an expletive and reasons that she made it this far already.

“Vill-V?” Mobius calls into the dark abyss of the lab, warily stepping inside. “Are you in here?”

She squints her eyes and searches for the light switch, hands scrambling along the wall. She’s glad that it’s too dark for anyone to watch her unceremoniously fumble for the switch.

“Maybe!” Vill-V’s voice floats from the back of the room. “That depends on—ah! Wait! Don’t turn on the light!”

“Too late,” Mobius says, straightening her posture before flicking the switch.

A miniature version of Mobius sits on the table in the center of the lab, dressed in… egregious clothing that Mobius dares not to name. Vill-V is standing awkwardly to the side of the abomination, red flush on her cheeks and hands flying up to cover a tarp over the horrific copy. She stands unmoving for a few moments before clearing her throat and straightening her top hat.

“Wow, Mobius! Fancy seeing you here!” she says, making sure the tarp completely hides the mini-Mobius before turning to the original, disorientation fading from her expression. “Who’re you looking for?”

“Vill-V,” Mobius hisses, all anger she feels towards Vill-V’s absences forgotten. “What is that?”

“What’s what?” Vill-V clasps her hands behind her back and feigns an innocent smile.

Mobius storms over to the table and rips the tarp off, ignoring Vill-V’s squawks of protest. She gives Vill-V a dour look. “Explain.”

“There’s nothing to explain,” Vill-V says. “Anyways, Elysia just left if you were looking for—”

“Vill-V.”

“I really don’t know how I ended up—”

“Vill-V!”

Mobius slaps her palm over Vill-V’s mouth to shut her up. The other girl makes no attempt to remove the hand and simply gazes up into Mobius’s annoyed glare with wide eyes.

“You’re impossible,” Mobius says. She doesn’t move. Vill-V’s eyes crease upwards and Mobius assumes that she’s smirking under her hand. “I’m not here for Elysia.”

Vill-V, of course, says nothing, and flicks her stare towards the mini-Mobius on the table before resuming eye contact with Mobius. She still looks like she’s smiling, though it’s hard to tell with the lower half of her face covered.

“I hate it,” Mobius says. “In case you were wondering. Why the hell were you working in the dark anyways?”

A muffled laugh escapes from Vill-V’s lips and Mobius pointedly ignores the feeling of the girl’s breath against her palm. Vill-V raises a hand to point at Mobius’s extended arm and then to herself, a plea to let go.

Mobius digs her fingers into Vill-V’s cheek ever-so-slightly, just to spite her. It’s what she deserves after ditching Mobius for a week. Vill-V gives her a look but does nothing.

For the first time today, Mobius grins. “You’re much more tolerable when you’re not running that stupid mouth of yours.”

When Vill-V remains motionless, Mobius leans in closer, a snake encircling its prey. “I bet that you can easily pry my hand off,” she says, and she has to admit that she relishes in the way Vill-V’s breath hitches. Their faces are so close together that Mobius can count the little flecks of light reflecting in Vill-V’s eyes. “So what’s stopping you?”

Vill-V responds by pinching Mobius’s cheeks and stretching them, not letting go.

The two of them must look ridiculous, and Mobius is glad that the hallways are empty for the most part during the lunch period. They can’t keep standing like this forever, and besides, Mobius came here for a reason. She pulls Vill-V’s hat over her eyes before removing her hand, expecting Vill-V to do the same. However, Vill-V keeps one hand clutching Mobius’s cheek and lifts the brim of her hat with the other. Her eyes never leave Mobius’s.

“This is payback,” she says, giving Mobius’s cheek a squeeze. (Were her fingers always this soft?) “I’ll let you go if you say you like my new invention.”

“You’re such a child,” Mobius scowls, cringing inwardly at the way her voice comes out.

“I have all the time in the world.” Vill-V’s voice is annoyingly triumphant. “And I bet that you can easily pry my hand off any time you want.”

“I just want to prove a point.” Mobius ignores the infuriating tone Vill-V used to echo her own words.

“Oh?”

“Your invention sucks.”

“But I modeled the Mobius 2.0 after you!” Vill-V pouts. She finally lets go of Mobius’s cheek, and Mobius can’t help but miss the warmth of Vill-V’s hand. She immediately wants to smack herself in the head for thinking that. “You should view yourself more positively. A lot of girls would kill for your looks!”

“With that outfit?”

“Okay, that wasn’t our doing, but the face is accurate, right?”

Mobius glances at the table where the invention innocently sits. Now that she’s looking at it clearly, the similarities are uncanny. “In a creepy way.”

She turns to face Vill-V again and suddenly realizes that they’re still standing close together. She takes a step back and crosses her arms, wondering if the heat she feels from her cheeks are from Vill-V’s excessive pinching or something else.

“I’ll take it! Creepy is the perfect way to describe you!” Vill-V gives her a thumbs up.

“Why the hell did you even make that?” Mobius frowns. She regrets asking when Vill-V clears her throat, preparing to go on an exasperating spiel.

“Your dorm is super dirty, so I’m making you this vacuum,” Vill-V says, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a remote. “It’s a thank you gift for always hanging out with me.”

Mobius ignores the warmth pooling in her stomach. Of course Vill-V had been away during lunch to work on another invention. But for her, no less? Mobius doesn’t know if she deserves it.

Vill-V interrupts Mobius’s thoughts with a loud click of a button. She fiddles with the remote for a bit more until the Mobius 2.0 whirls to life.

“This was supposed to be a surprise, which is why it’s not finished yet,” Vill-V says. “If only someone didn’t interrupt me when I was packing up for the day.”

“Maybe I wouldn’t have tried to find you if you didn’t abandon me at the library for days.”

“‘Abandon’ is a strong word. I thought I’d be finished building this a lot sooner, but then the magician decided to completely overhaul some of its functions. I mean, a vacuum with a confetti cannon is a little counterproductive, right?”

“Is our plant still alive, at least?” Mobius goes to sit on top of an empty table, calmer now than she was when she first walked in. She blames it on the impostor-vacuum-thing distracting her.

“Alive and thriving! Well, until it meets your little bacteria thing.” Vill-V takes a seat next to Mobius. “Now, about the Mobius 2.0—”

“I don’t want it,” Mobius says. “Nor do I need it. Especially with that dress it’s wearing.”

Vill-V stares at Mobius as if she had grown a second head right then and there. “Dress aside, you have to admit that your dorm looks like an utter disaster.”

“Didn’t you say that this thing has a confetti cannon? I think that would make things worse, if I’m being honest.”

“You’re so stubborn sometimes,” Vill-V groans, though it quickly transforms into a laugh. She elbows Mobius’s side. “Please tell me you at least hung up those fairy lights.”

Mobius fiddles with the hem of her jacket and pointedly looks away. “I did. They don’t help, by the way.”

“That’s because you need even more decorations to really make them pop!” Vill-V throws her arms into the air enthusiastically. “Which calls for another shopping trip!”

“Hell no.” Mobius reaches over Vill-V to grab both of her arms and force them down. Their position is awkward, Mobius practically in Vill-V’s lap, but she continues speaking regardless. “That was enough shopping for me for a lifetime. Besides, we have way too much to do. Have you forgotten about finals?”

Vill-V twirls a lock of Mobius’s hair nonchalantly. “Finals, schminals. Schoolwork is so boring!”

“And yet I was still challenged to beat your finals scores,” Mobius says. She bats Vill-V’s hand away and leans back to her own personal space. “Dare I say, you’ve actually been enjoying school lately?”

Vill-V blows a raspberry in response, apparently wanting to act as childish as possible. “I’ll admit that I like school if you admit that you liked going shopping with me.”

“In your dreams.” Mobius sticks her tongue out because Vill-V is a bad influence on her. She hops off of the table and makes her way to the Mobius 2.0, tapping its head with a look of disdain. “Get rid of the dress and I’ll consider putting this atrocity in my dorm.”

Vill-V beams, and Mobius has to look away from her glowing face to hide her flushed one.

Mobius is proud to say that she pulled five all-nighters in order to study for finals, surpassing her previous record of three. Elysia claims that she’s been ignited by the fiery passion of more-than-friendship, but Mobius argues that at the end of the day she just wants to beat her rival.

As expected, Mobius and Vill-V obtain a perfect score for their biology project. Their research report is flawless, the two of them having spent the night at Mobius’s dorm in order to finish it. Mobius 2.0 had worked quietly in the background throughout the entire process, confetti cannon fortunately disabled. Mobius loathes to admit how much better her room looks now that it’s been properly cleaned for the first time in years.

Finals week is long, arduous, and exhausting. Mobius meets with Vill-V in the afternoons to discuss what they answered on their respective tests, both sporting dark circles under their eyes. The expert fronts for a majority of the week, explaining that the other alters agreed to take the back seat after seeing her so enthusiastic about something for once.

The two of them await the results with racing nerves. From their discussions, they had mostly gotten the same answers for the classes they shared. Mobius, for once, is not feeling confident in her ability to win the bet.

When the crackling loudspeaker announces one morning that the combined finals scores have been posted in the hallway, Mobius and Vill-V are the first to arrive at the multitude of stapled papers. Their eyes rake over the hundreds of names towards the topmost ranks.

There, at the number one spot, lies Vill-V’s name.

“Hah! I knew the answer to number thirty-four on the physics final was B!” She cheers, turning to Mobius to gauge her reaction.

Mobius is, surprisingly, speechless. She stares up at the test scores with an unreadable expression. Under Vill-V’s name is her own, only two points shy of a perfect score.

“Mobius?” Vill-V waves a hand in front of Mobius’s face. “Um, everything okay? Please don’t tell me you’re a super sore loser.”

After a few more moments of silence, Mobius erupts into sudden laughter. “Two points!” she says, almost hysterical. “Of course, I’d lose to you in the end by two points.”

Vill-V laughs nervously alongside her. “It’s sort of poetic, isn’t it?”

“I suppose this means you win the bet, then.” Mobius wipes a reflex tear from her eye.

“You’re not mad?” Vill-V eyes Mobius warily. “I thought you’d be furious or something. Actually, this is really creepy. Are you sure you’re Mobius?”

Mobius rolls her eyes and turns back to look up at the rankings. “I thought I’d be mad, too,” she says. “After all, I only really approached you because I was frustrated that someone managed to take my top spot. I figured I could squeeze information out of you if I just acted friendly towards you.”

Vill-V says nothing, which Mobius takes as a sign to continue.

“Faking how I feel around you, I realize now, is an impossible task. You’re so annoying because of that, Vill-V,” Mobius sounds wistful, almost, as she stares off into the distance. “I can’t believe you made me enjoy company that wasn’t my own.”

Before Vill-V can even open her mouth to say something, anything, the rising cacophony of incoming students interrupts them.

Mobius takes the opportunity to disappear into the crowd without a trace, leaving Vill-V alone in front of her victory.

Mobius is scared.

She’s not one to feel fear. In fact, she loves all things to do with the horror genre. She’s rarely been subjected to any sorts of test anxiety either. What she’s feeling now, however, can be akin to something entirely foreign, with fear as a placeholder name.

When she saw her name in second place for the list of students that scored the highest on all of their finals, she didn’t feel upset. She didn’t feel angry, or frustrated, or annoyed, or irritated.

She felt free.

Vill-V made her feel free.

So, she ran away.

It’s no secret as to why. Mobius is terrified at the realization that she has become so wholly captivated with another person that understands her, that is an equal. That keeps coming back to her despite her walls, instead whittling them down little by little with flashy smiles and strange creations.

Elysia would call it love, perhaps. Mobius would say that such a simple word is not enough to describe the turbulence of emotions she feels whenever she gazes upon the enigma that is Vill-V.

Maybe she told Vill-V the truth of both her intentions and her feelings in order to receive some sort of closure. She’s not sure, really, because being near Vill-V makes her irrational and prone to that infectious foolishness she’s come to adore.

It doesn’t matter now, Mobius thinks, because it is well into the night and she has yet to see Vill-V ever since they checked the finals results earlier this morning. It’s not like Mobius has been actively avoiding her, though the fact that she’s hiding away on the rooftop despite the December chill seeping into her bones says otherwise.

Mobius leans her head back against the bench and closes her eyes for what feels like an eternity.

When she opens them again, an all-too familiar figure is sitting next to her on the bench.

“The rooftop is banned, you know,” Mobius says, staring at the stars. “And it’s way past curfew.”

Vill-V sputters in surprise. “I didn’t know that!” she says. Mobius can see her wring her hands together nervously from the corner of her eye. “The conductor met you up here before… so I thought… nevermind. Look, I just wanted to say that I’m not mad at you. None of us are. What you said earlier—we kind of suspected that already. But we don’t care. I mean, the reason we started trying on tests in the first place was just to get your attention.”

Mobius gives a noncommittal hum in response. “I haven’t met you before, have I?”

“Figured me out already… that’s Mobius for you. Technically, I’ve just never introduced myself.” Vill-V removes her top hat and lets it rest on her lap. “Um, sorry, I don’t really have a cool title like the others. I’m just the host. You can refer to me as the helix, i-if you want.”

Mobius tears her gaze away from the sky to finally look at Vill-V. “It’s nice to finally meet you,” she says with a smile that could almost be called genuine. “Sorry for being shitty earlier.”

“That’s okay!” Vill-V says. “It’s understandable, really. I know how much tests mean to you. It must’ve been a lot to process since you worked so hard to study for it. Not to discredit you or anything!”

Mobius flexes her fingers in silence, unsure of what to say. Unsure of how to properly communicate her feelings. She blames it on how ethereal Vill-V looks under the twinkling light of the stars above. How she never stood a chance as soon as Vill-V had opened her mouth and shuffled a deck of cards for her in a bustling cafeteria.

“W-well, either way,” Vill-V continues, “is it okay if we can still hang out? We don’t have to, but I think that every one of us can agree that we really like spending time with you.”

Mobius huffs a laugh at that. “I don’t think I could ever refuse you if I tried.” An idea comes to mind, and before she can second guess herself, she says, “Hey, since you won the bet and all, that means I choose your prize, right?”

“Huh? Yeah, that’s what the agreement was.”

“Then,” Mobius leans closer to Vill-V, noses almost touching, voice low, “is a kiss a suitable reward?”

It’s cute, Mobius has to admit, how Vill-V short-circuits right before her eyes. Her face turns a bright shade of red as she loses her grip on her hat, letting it fall to the floor. She stutters, trying to find an answer, before settling with a nod.

Mobius captures Vill-V’s freezing lips with her own, muffling Vill-V’s squeak of surprise at the contact. It doesn’t take long for Vill-V to mirror Mobius’s fervor, trembling and unsure hands finding their way to the back of Mobius’s head. Vill-V’s lips are soft, unbelievably so, and Mobius no longer feels the biting cold that permeates the air.

This, she thinks, as she lowers Vill-V so that her back is resting against the bench, must be what freedom tastes like.

When their lips part, it is only so that they are able to breathe. Mobius wipes the saliva off of Vill-V’s mouth with a finger. “Maybe I’ll start purposefully losing bets,” she says, poking Vill-V’s nose, “if this is the result of them.”

“Do I really have to make a bet with you every time I want to kiss you?” Vill-V asks with a lopsided grin.

“That depends,” Mobius says. “How often do you want to kiss me?”

“I don’t think there was ever a time where I didn’t.”

“Hmm. Is this what it feels like, to love?”

Vill-V shrugs from under Mobius. “Why don’t we find out together?”

Mobius laughs and tucks a strand of Vill-V’s hair behind her ear. “Then here’s a bet—the first person to figure out where to go for a first date wins.”

Vill-V’s voice is honey and syrup as she says, before their lips meet in the middle once again, “You’re on.”