As much as Sage hated to admit it, the message was there. It could only mean that someone took Loralei's phone. No. Someone stole it.

He flinched upon seeing the girl collapse with quick, staccato breaths, her eyes widening and her lips quivering. Mei was an ice statue holding herself up with a hand on the floor, colours melting off her face. When grey zipped past him and collided into her, he held his breath.

Feathers fell onto the floor. The Pokémon gazed at him and squawked. A think line of red blemished its wing.

"This is..." Sage ran over to help the girl out. Blade materialised from his Poké Ball and held his hand up while standing in front of the two students.

"That's the Pidove that died, right? Necromancy?" The Gallade slashed at the Pidove that was unprepared.

"H-How?" Mei uttered, her chest rising and falling. She observed the winged Pokémon as it made its way out of the music room. Sayo's words disappeared.

"Sorry about that! Trump can be hard to handle at times," a voice chirped and a girl with dark skin came into view. Her short black hair fell onto the Pokémon's grey feathers when she crouched low. She was shorter than Mei, and her petite figure told her she was most probably going to become a loli one day. Not that it was something to be proud of.

Another girl swung her head into the room and took in the room's contents. Upon placing her eyes on a particular student, her tight-sealed lips drew open to reveal two rows of white teeth with saliva dripping from the incisors.

"You," the girl with green eyes growled. "Who is Sayo to you? What do you have against me for putting me into Healer Killer?"

One or the other. If Mei isn't it, then it can only be... Amity frowned at the thought.

"You Healed the Pidove," Sage stated as he joined the dots. Amity wasn't quite amiable, huh? He went over to console Mei who took comfort in his embrace. "And, she's a player too."

"That doesn't mean she can't be the mastermind. Do you know she has Dissociative Identity Disorder? If you're not careful, she can kill you. Believe what you want, I'll take Trump and leave." Amity scooped up the protesting Pokémon and flounced out of the music room.

Yes, flare up at my deliberate mistake. If it's not you, then I now know who. Someone you're particularly close in a special way is behind this. Amity thought as she turned the bend.

I wonder if she actually did her research. Sage stretched his arms and glanced at the second-year who stood at the threshold watching him.

"What? You disturbed my peace. I'm here for alone time, actually." Sage put his book into his hand and carried on his reading. His eyes darted up and down, occasionally between both girls. This situation was totally not what he was asking for. Louring, he pulled Mei closer to his chest. Ciara's eyes trailed the boy's arm. He broke the quietness between them. "What do you want? If it's an apology, I'll have you know your friend is getting out of hand. If this goes on, who knows how else she'll think—and act?"

"No," Ciara said in hushed tone. "It's your Singularity, right? That's why you're like this?" The girl took a seat in front of him and placed her hand onto his. His hand felt cold. "Do you want to turn off the air conditioning?" She squeezed Mei's shoulders. "Have you two tried the other functions in the app?"

How did she even know this? The boy blinked.

"I forgot. Nice to meet you. I'm Ciara." She extended her hand. "My Singularity is Lie Detector and my perceptiveness allows me to read people even better." When the boy nodded and slowly processed her words—she guessed it so, she said, "Just a fun fact. I once meditated for a whole month without eating."

"Do I want to know that?" Sage closed the book. "What about we try the gachapon?"

Sage entered the app and found that there were daily gifts too. He could get a gachapon ticket everyday. Heck, there's even a Story Mode featuring six characters stuck in the same situation as he.

He went over to the gachapon function and a "gasha gasha" sound was produced when he used the ticket he just obtained. The first try guaranteed a Super Super Rare item. The capsule shook like a Poké Ball when the Pokémon was still in the process of being caught. Then, sparkles filled the screen. Soothing violin music played from the device. Tiny blood splatters formed the background and the item, first blackened, was gradually revealed, in colour, in a square box.

「Congrats! You have received 𝓢𝓢𝓡 𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓶: 𝓣𝓲𝓶𝓮 𝓑𝓸𝓶𝓫! Enjoy your gift!」

Mei gasped and Ciara's hands flew to her mouth. Sage's brows corrugated in a frown.

"Do you think it's real?" Ciara nudged the boy. This was the first time she grew uncertain of a situation. This was too dire, too unheard of.

"The voices are gone," Mei mumbled. "What if..."

The book rolled off Sage's lap, opening and revealing lines of text in serifs.

I'm all too aware that a flightless bird has nowhere to go. A wingless bird? Or one with broken wings? I can never reach the skies then. The earth's my limit. Yes, the earth's my limit. I'm a ticking time bomb.

Mei felt rage bubble within her. She needed to find Zayn.

"Where's Zayn now?" The girl asked.

"Battling lessons with Wyatt, I think," Sage said. "I know! Why don't we check the Story Mode? Maybe it'll tell us if it's real."

Story Mode! But I promised him to keep it secret. Now what? I simply scrolled through the doc and didn't focus on these details. Now what? What if it is his story? Mei nodded to cease the thoughts.

"Okay, it's a game and there's a Story Mode. Maybe it's just an item for the game," Ciara noted.

"No. Amity Healed the Pidove. Mei already killed it yet here it is. Maybe it's real," Sage commented. He got up and brought the book within him. "I'm... going back to my room. I got no lessons today." Then, he added in an aside, "Shit, got to clear my head with a shower."

Ciara yawned. No one could have enough sleep since last night. She figured some students might have to take a longer time to get over it, especially hardcore Café Au Lait fans. Ria couldn't take it and disbanded the unit too, now locking herself in her room. Ciara thought she'd visit the girl and said, "Fine, we'll discuss this again."

Before Ciara strode to the stairs, she tapped Mei's shoulder. The girl pushed her blue hair behind her ears and looked at the black-eyed girl.

"It's not DID, right? Ignorant brats like Yuzu and—why am I not surprised?—Amity often misunderstand. Sorry about that." Ciara managed a smile.

Mei gave out a short hum and pulled her headphones over her ears, tuning in to silence. "You do know the one with DID is not me, but V, right?"

Ciara didn't need much time to put the pieces together and quickly agreed. "Duh. I wonder how that came to be though."

"What... do you think of Zayn?" Mei thought she'd use this chance meeting to her advantage. Maybe it wasn't Sage, but the blue-eyed boy who lied.

"He will manage well on his own. His powerful deduction skills might be key to everything." Ciara, however, did not give her the answer she needed and instead glanced at her phone. "I better go before I'm too late."

"Why? Is Ria going to sleep?"

"Are you free now?" When the writer nodded, Ciara said, "Come with me. We got to hurry."

「」

Grey strands littered the floor. The girl's hair dropped again. She didn't know how many bad hair days she had to go through before everything would come to an end. The sharpened pencil grew blunt over time as she drew more circles on the paper by her feet. Staring into it was like knocking at death's door and peering into a void, only to be swallowed whole.

It's my fault. If I could protect myself, why can't I protect Loralei?

The pencil snapped.

It's my fault. If I could replace her— but who am I kidding? I can't die.

Ria lived her life bound to her two Shuppet dolls since two years ago. Now, they were circling around her, purples eyes with hints of concern. They wanted to help her, cheer her up, but she'd push them away. How many times had that occurred? They couldn't remember.

Loralei was her only friend because the grey-haired girl sucked at communication skills. She'd stutter and be misunderstood—even her cousin, Rain, would misunderstand her so much she just shut her mouth. She'd mumble and it was as if she said nothing at all. Born hearing-impaired, she depended on her left ear the whole of her eighteen years of life.

The second-year hated herself for engaging in a conversation with self-pity. Yet, was there anything else she was most capable of? She didn't know. She was a boat sailing along the choppy waves, going wherever those storms led her to, even if she'd drown and claim herself to be unsinkable. She was drowning in self-pity, the circular patch of light diminishing the longer she stayed in there. Gravity's pull made it harder to go against the currents and swim upwards. She didn't know how to swim either.

Aren't we crazy? Two defects leaning on each other for support. Now, when one is gone, and then there were none.

Café Au Lait's songs played in the background. She lay on the floor and pushed her hands to her heart, her legs folded and tucked in between her arms and body. Her purple eyes moved to the windows, the canvas of grey outside, those varying shades resonating with her. It seemed as if she was the only three-dimensional object that existed and everything else was uni-dimensional, just lines. The smell from the hot cup of chrysanthemum tea ran into her nose and she flipped onto her belly.

Dark clouds lined across the sky. The pouring rain conjured memories in her head.

"When you hear the sound, press the red button," the man at the computer said.

The humming sound decreased in intensity with each set. Ria did as she was told.

"Good. Now, you'll hear the sound of water. Don't let it distract you though. You know what to do."

Ria nodded and pressed the button again and again.

"Good. We'll proceed to your right ear."

The girl gazed at the glass panel, perspiration dotting her forehead, at the face her friend was making. Ria giggled when Loralei winked at her. The girl made various gestures with her hands, of Seviper, of friends, love—a heart shape, of Gyarados... of Braviary... Loralei meant the world to her, giving her the assurance and encouragement she always needed.

Finally, the test ended. She gave the man the device and waited for the results. She entered another room. She knew what to expect, but hearing it brought her to tears nonetheless.

"Ria, good to see you again. How are you doing? Fine? Great! So, you have maintained your hearing well. Keep it up, okay? Oh, you want to know about your right ear? It's... As you can see on this chart, your right ear is completely deaf."

The girl shut her eyes, tasting salty water at the tip of her tongue.

"Hey, Loralei, is the coffin too big for the hole? Shall I dig a bigger hole?" Ria muttered. "I'm not a good roommate and friend, huh?"

No one replied.

Her eyes ran over the books, the trophy, the hairband, the blue laptop, the pictures of the duo on a wooden board attached to the wall, the calendar with crosses signalling the days left till graduation...

How many days have I eaten only yoghurt? Half a year, I guess. That's a lot.

Yoghurt was her only comfort food when Loralei told her, six months ago, that she wanted to do something. Ria just never thought that the silent girl would choose such a way to end it all. The girl played with her hands, creating gestures of Seviper, Gyarados, Feebas and Braviary... and realised they were only two hands.

Her bird-like Pokémon stepped out of the shadows and gave off the fragrance of lemongrass.

"Aromatisse, not now. Please just leave me alone to rot." Muffled by the music, laden with dread. That was her voice.

A heavier, sweeter smell wafted into her nose.

"No." Ria sneezed. Her stomach roared and clawed at her flesh. "Just no."

"Arr?" The Fairy-type Pokémon glided back into the corner of the room.

"I'm going to do something really unforgivable. But please forgive me."

"Ro?" It was much softer than before.

Ria looked at the two dolls in the eye. "Each of you take half of my soul. White Shuppet, you'll be all the positive things, sunshine, rainbows and roses. Black Shuppet, you'll be everything that I despise about myself, self-pity, guilt and despair."

"Ro!" The Pokémon screeched. The Aromatisse could only moan as the girl's soul thinned into two separate lines absorbed into both dolls.

"D-Don't worry... left... not... abl—"

A hiccup. Silence. The door opened.

"Ria?" Ciara surveyed the room. She stepped into the room and squished something under her foot. It was Ria's index finger.

"Ria!" Mei and Ciara screamed at the same time.

"R-Ro..."

Mei whipped her head over to see a pink, bipedal Pokémon staring at her, releasing the smell of cadaverine. Its beak pointed at the table.

Ciara went over to the table to see a piece of paper set on it. Her legs gave way and she fell on her knees.

This was too much for her to bear.

Mei read a part of the letter from where she stood.

... if you think about it, i'm just another weakling, another defect. there is no point in living now that my only support is gone. 'deaf' and 'death', 'avoid' and 'a void'. how interesting. don't worry i only got into my spirit form. i don't know if you can see me but if things are right, like Ghost-type Pokémon, i can be seen.

love, RIA xoxo

Would things have been different, perhaps a little less tragic, if they came minutes earlier? Maybe. Maybe not. Mei didn't want to know the answer.