"You're dealing rather well with the fact that there are a bunch of firearms behind you, sweetie," The mountain lion comments with a mischievous grin, "Especially with your history and a-"

"What the fuck do you want, Val?" Your voice is bitter as you speak, your glare more so a dead stare as you try to swallow the anger you currently harbour towards the older woman. "I'm not in the mood to play your games, got it? So you either get to it or I will fucking leave."

Instantly, her grin falls from her face and normally, you'd be scared by the nearly menacing glint in her golden eyes.

"What's with that attitude, sugar?" Her southern-american accent seems thicker than usual, though this is the first time you've heard her use such a sinister tone. Still, you don't back down, not faltering in the slightest as she instinctively bears parts of her fangs at you, the pearly-white weapons glinting in the light. "I just want to talk. Haven't seen you in quite some time, you know? I care about an oddity like yourself."

"Sure you do," A dry chuckle escapes your throat, "Let me guess, I awakened some kind of maternal instincts within you, is that it?"

"Sort of, ye-"

"Cut the bullshit, lion!" Her eyes widen slightly at your outburst and not even you are sure why you resorted to calling her 'lion'. Maybe it's because the last time a large feline and a fancy sofa were involved, you almost lost your life. Fuck, you're pretty sure you lost the rest of your sanity that night. "You care about me for some sick reason because I could potentially be useful to you! I know the drill by now, so do us both a favour and quit pretending! We both know you don't actually care about me."

For about five whole seconds, you suffocate within the silence. She faces your tired glare with her golden hues, softening her gaze after a single tear runs down your cheek. You're quick to wipe it away, though your eyes remain moist.

"You've gone off the deep end, haven't you, sugar?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Anger prickles beneath your skin, itching to explode and you're barely restraining yourself from brutally scratching at your skin.

"You've been hurt by a lot of people," Valentina's voice is soft as she leans forward, stemming her forearms onto her knees as she holds your gaze captive with hers, "And now you're convinced that's the norm. That everyone else will do the same thing."

"You don't know shit." You growl through gritted teeth, almost shaking with fury. "You don't have a single clue about my life; not this one or the one before that. You have no fucking clue about what I'm going through, no one here does. But obviously, something's wrong with me because everyone that I care about or get close to leaves me. Haru's the only one that's still by my side but who the fuck knows how long that's going to last..."

"You know," You continue, your voice daring to break off at the end, "I thought Legoshi wouldn't leave. But here I am; utterly alone. I don't even know why. So it's my fault, right? I'm the one to blame here. That's how it's always been and that's how it's always going to be. I don't deserve to be saved; I don't deserve to be loved because all I do is hurt people. I'm just a fucking piece of shit that drags everyone down with me."

"Do you really think that?" You answer with a sharp nod. "You really don't think you deserve to be loved?"

"Just take Legoshi for example," At this point, you're crying again, utterly consumed by self-hatred, "He almost died saving me from the Shishigumi! Because of his feelings for me or whatever infatuation that wolf had with me, he put his life in danger to save mine! He got hurt because of me, because I was weak enough to get kidnapped!"

"You're not weak, kid." Valentina proclaims, her voice rising in volume. "And if Legoshi wouldn't have been stupid enough to risk his life to save you, you'd be dead now!"

"Maybe it would've been better that way!"

Everything you held back and locked away breaks free in that moment, rising to the surface and threatening to drown you in guilt and shame. Valentina stares at you as you cry, choked sobs shaking your body as you hold your head in your hands and refuse to meet her eyes.

"I should've died that day. Every day since then has been hell because every time I close my eyes I'm back in that room. I can't sleep because I'll just wake up from another nightmare two hours later. Legoshi was the only thing that made life like this worth living. But he's gone now and I don't know what to do. It's pathetic but...I am just so tired of fighting this. I don't feel anything anymore other than anger, guilt or shame." Finding your last bit of courage, you lift your head to meet the feline's gaze. "If this is how my life is going to be from now on, then I don't want to be here to experience it."

You regret meeting her eyes. The moment those words leave your dry lips, you witness the mountain lion's façade fall apart. Her eyes water and soon enough, tears run down her furry cheeks. Desperate to keep up her act, she runs her clawed hand through the fur on her head. "Damnit, kid."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't lie to me." She growls, her pupils turned to slits. "You're not sorry for feeling this way. You're sorry for talking about it. Quit with that bullshit!"

Knowing that she's right, you remain quiet and let your head hang low while you wait for the older woman to calm down. After about two minutes or so, you hear a low sigh come from the feline, a low chuckle following soon after. "You know, you and the others really have a knack for pushing me to my limits."

At this, your head shoots up. "Others? W-wait does that mean-"

"You're not the only one?" Valentina lazily smiles before her melancholic eyes sway towards the windows. "No, you're not. There's been quite a few of you. Though the last one really was something else..."

It's not hard to tell that this person, whoever they may be, meant a lot to Valentina. At least that's what you gather from the forlorn gleam in her golden orbs and the somber smile flickering onto her lips. Once more, the feline chuckles quietly.

"You remind me of her sometimes. She had the same type of 'I do things on my own' attitude, though hers was a lot worse. Knew how to throw a punch, too. She was around your age when I met her, maybe a year or two older now that I think about it. That girl was like a vixen, could rob you blind in the blink of an eye. But she was too righteous for her own good." For a short moment, the mountain lion glances at you. "Like you, life had dealt her a terrible hand. I don't think either one of us would've survived what she went through before she died. But just like you are now, she went off the deep end and didn't want to go on anymore."

Of course, that is a lot of information to take in all at once. First, you're not the only one. There are, or were, others like you, who had died and then come back to life in another world. And second, the one before you felt the same way you do now.

"So..."You ask quietly, afraid of the answer you'll receive. "Were you able to help her?"

"Yeah, I was."

"How?" With furrowed brows, you cautiously meet her eyes, only to find a determined spark amongst the golden pools and a smirk on her face.

"By taking her on as my student. I taught her how to fight and how to control the beast within her. I taught her everything I know." Nodding at you, her smirk grows as wide as that of the Cheshire cat. "And that's exactly what I'm going to do with you."

"Wait what?!"

However, before you can protest her hand clasps around your wrist and drags you towards the closed door next to her arsenal of weapons. With a powerful stride, she opens the mysterious door, pulls you inside and lets you revel in the glory of the scene before you.

It's a training room, a dojo of some sorts with traditional Japanese wallpaper and floor boards. Filled with various training equipment, like a punching bag, weights or even wooden staffs, room seems to radiate pure warrior energy.

"Wha-...why do you have a training room in your apartment?!" Frantically gesturing with your hands like a lunatic, you turn around to face the mountain lion, who's already removing her fancy blouse. "Just what do you do for a living, Valentina? Why do you have a wall full of weapons?!"

"I'm a mercenary and a vigilante, sugar," She answers casually as she puts on a black sports bra, letting you see her well-defined muscles, "So having a bunch of firearms and swords is part of the job, kid. Count yourself lucky that you get to learn from one of Japan's best in the field."

"I still don't know how this is supposed to make me regain the will to live."

"Just do what I tell you to do and we'll see how it works." Then, she throws a wooden staff towards you, which you barely manage to catch. "Now let's see what you can do, sweetie! Hit me with everything you've got!"

What?! But I don't know how to fight! I barely know how to get down a staircase without breaking all of my bones! I got reflexes but those don't work for shit right now!

Suddenly, her staff races towards you and you barely manage to block the attack in time. The overgrown cat smirks down at you; you're well aware that she's toying with you right now because you're in no condition to match her carnivore-strength. "By the way, sugar cube, call me Val."

Sending her a bewildered glance, you force your brain to compile a strategy of some sorts. And not two seconds later, you've got it, the familiar adrenaline filling your weak limbs. The day spent at the lab really tired you out; you've got to make this quick.

Using gravity to your advantage, you drop to the floor, which causes the feline to sway a bit before catching her balance again. Faster than anticipated, she already sends another attack your way. Rolling out of the way, you fight yourself to your feet only to immediately become engaged in a series of blows from Val, all of which you somehow manage to block or dodge.

Unfortunately, your condition is worse than you thought because a wave of dizziness catches you off guard and you can do nothing to evade a sharp blow from Val. Naturally, this only increases your pain and in turn, brings out your rage.

So, knowing full-well that you're not fit enough to last much longer, you take the simple route of 'taking your opponent down with you', sticking to your theme of being an overall piece of shit. With a fierce cry, you let go of your staff and throw yourself onto the carnivore.

Val's caught by surprise and thus, is unable to fight you off as you tightly wrap your arms and legs around her. Though once forced onto the floor, she manages to free her arms from your viperous hold, roll on top of you and pin your arms above your head with one hand, whilst the other holds her staff to your throat.

With a devilish grin, she chuckles. "You sure got me in the end, sugar. Now I know what I'm working with here. Come on, I'll help ya up, sweetie."

She pulls you up, watching carefully as you stagger in your steps.

"Oh, I promised you something to eat, didn't I? Well, I guess now's the best time for it. Mama's gonna make you a nice bowl of eggplant curry!"

"Thanks, Val," You wheeze, settling yourself down onto one of the sofas once more, "I'm just going to...lie down for a second..."

"Sure, get some rest, kid."

You do as intended, lying flat on the burgundy material as your e/c orbs observe the city down below. A multitude of vibrant lights create an ocean of colours, all of them seeping into your brain as a form of self-indulgent; a drug, so to speak. Colours had always been a nice way to calm the hurricanes wreaking havoc within you or to connect you to the bigger picture of the world.

But now, much like everything else in your life, not even the lively colours of the city manage to break through the cage you trapped yourself in. In a way, you're only now truly comprehending how different you are from every other animal in this world.

Estrangement is a bizarre emotion to experience; quite confusing if you're being honest. Detaching yourself from reality seems like your brain's favourite past-time hobby now. That and not letting you catch a wink of good sleep.

I wonder how Legoshi's doing right now....

No! Don't do it, Y/n! He left, there's no sense in crying about him more than you already did. Fucking leave it.

But what if he misses m- Well, I bet he doesn't! Why would he? It's not like he'd have any trouble getting a new girlfriend...Sure, he's probably the most socially awkward person you've ever met in your entire existence but he's insanely cute.

Okay, fuck it, I'm stopping this now. Either way, it's my fault for trusting him in the first place. I should've learnt my lesson by now...

With a heavy sigh, you stuff everything regarding the grey wolf into a box, lock it, throw away the key and hide it in the farthest, darkest corner of your mind. At least that way, you'd keep some of the shameful memories at bay.

"Food's ready, sugar!"

Quietly, you rise from the sofa and join Valentina at the dinner table, thanking her for the meal before digging in. "Wow, this is good."

"What? Did ya expect dear old me to be bad at cooking?"

"I mean...kinda."

Faking injury, the mountain lion pretends to faint whilst dramatically holding her hand to her chest, before bursting out in loud laughter. The two of you eat in silence and once you're done, the older feline insists on driving you back to school. Knowing that she wouldn't let up either way, you give in.

You're not surprised to see that even her car looks expensive; the ebony colour shines in the warm light of the street lamps and the machine roars to life with a deep purr. It's mostly soundless between the two of you, other than Val sometimes telling you a rather amusing story about certain bars you pass.

But amongst all that friendly small-talk, your head is burning to ask a single question.

"Val?" Timidly and hesitant, you turn your head to the mountain lion at the steering wheel. "What happened to her? The one before me?"

The comfortable atmosphere within the small space shifts instantly, taking on a heavy weight that threatens to suffocate you with nostalgia and grief. You're sure you saw a glimmer of guilt and regret flicker in Valentina's golden hues.

"I don't know," She finally admits, though her melancholic tone tells you there's more to the story, "We had to part ways. I can only hope she was able to stay with that lover of hers though. She, out of all people, deserves a happy ending."

"Let's hope she found it," You murmur, turning your head to look out the window. The feline stays quiet.

It doesn't take long for the two of you to reach the school grounds and with a gentle goodbye and the promise to pick you up for training two days from now, Valentina lets you leave the car before driving off. You stare after the vehicle as it disappears into the night, before turning your head upwards to the night-sky.

As they have during the entire time you've been stuck in this world, the millions of stars up above silently stare back at you. The stars that gave you comfort such a long time ago, now only seem to taunt you with their ability to be free from the struggles you and other people are facing.

The stars possess a freedom you can only dream of reaching.

Scoffing loudly at the cheesy thought, you tear your eyes from the sky and vanish into your dorm building, not quite caring about the next day to come.

***

"So you're the only human of this school, right, Senpai?"

"Yup. That's me." You decided to go to drama club today, only because you still feel a sense of duty and obligation towards the other members and the President. "Why do you ask, Pina?"

Currently, you were stacking away some costumes and rearranging the many kinds of fabrics to fit a more organized system. The stage crew's storage in the back of the stage tends to get messy over time and Dom gave you the oh-so important job of taking care of it. You're not exactly complaining; it passes the time and keeps you away from Legoshi.

Speaking of the wolf, you haven't seen him yet. And you are glad about that. No use in reopening unhealed wounds.

"I was just wondering what it's like to be the only animal of your species in a school like this. It must be incredibly lonely."

"Well, certain humans tend to like solitude," You reply passively, "I'm one of those."

However, Pina, the new star actor, decided to accompany you to the storage to 'get to know his upperclassmen and get a feel for the storage', which translated to 'I'm going to stand here without helping you and annoy you with my questions'. Due to the fact that he's younger than you, the tall male calls you by the honorific 'Senpai' and you don't really mind.

"So what's it like having sex with someone from a different species, Senpai?" He asks with a teasing undertone and you slightly halt in your movements. "He's your boyfriend, right? That scary looking wolf? Is he any good?"

"That's none of your concerns, sheep-boy," You grumble, glaring at the many boxes and costumes in front of you, "Besides...he's not my boyfriend anymore."

"Oooh," Pina coos, invading your personal space as you eye his horns with distaste, seeing as they could literally destroy all of your hard work by simply turning his head at the wrong angle, "Trouble in paradise? I could help you out if you'd like. I'm good when it comes to females."

Is this sheep really flirting with me? What a nuisance.

Ignoring your glare, Pina leans even closer to you, his mouth inches from yours. His brilliant blue eyes stare into your own, the flirtatious spark gleaming ever so brightly despite the dim light that fills the storage room.

"I feel an uncontrollable urge to kiss you right now." 

****

Hey ho, homies! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

It's getting juicy, our MC is becoming the next John Wick!

May I just say, I already had this part prewritten yesterday before I posted chapter 51, so to see a comment thread talking about this exact scenario was hilarious. Good job mates, y'all cracked the code!

Also, we learned some of Val's backstory＼(◎o◎)／ Crazy, right? Like I said, bitch decided to become a major character.

I also recently watched weathering with you and can I say that I am absolutely in love with that movie? So beautiful, I can't get over the art.

Anyways, I hope y'all are safe and sound and healthy during this lockdown! Stay safe, guys, gals, and nonbinary pals!

See you in Chapter 53!