Friday, October 17
On the second day, there was still no announcement indicating that the science research class would be canceled, so Violetta went to the old biology lab as scheduled. Everything seemed normal, except today Jolly and Jocelyn seemed to be closely following her. As the school bell rang to signal the end of class, they were already waiting by the classroom door, and the three of them walked together to the lab.

"Do you two have something to do at school?" Violetta asked.
"No! I came to pick you up after class," Jolly replied briefly.
"I agree. This silence from the school isn't typical. If you go to class today and receive a 'don't disclose' request, remember to let us know," Jocelyn advised.

Behind Jocelyn's warning lay a rare concern, but it was unclear when the two had started behaving this way. When Violetta had shared her experience about the room that showed signs of a fire, Jolly and Jocelyn's actions suggested a growing fear. Violetta couldn't understand why, especially since she initially found Jocelyn annoying, and Jolly didn't seem significant to her either. So what did Violetta think about her two housemates suddenly showing such concern? Aside from feeling a bit surprised, she was only interested in the supplementary research class, not out of a passion for science, but rather out of a desire for answers regarding recent events.

The door to the old biology lab appeared before them. It was still early, so no students had shown up yet; only Isolde was standing outside, seemingly waiting. Isolde waved hello as the three approached her, her eyes widening in surprise. Violetta waved back.
"Hi, Isolde!"
"The head advisor of the Psychology Club is quite diligent!" Jocelyn remarked, her tone tinged with something polite.
"Hi, everyone! I just find this class a bit interesting. I know you both are just as keen as Violetta here," Isolde replied.
"Do you all know each other?" Violetta asked, surprised.
"I'm glad you're friends with Violetta," Jolly turned to Violetta. "Just a bit of acquaintance from elementary school. Well, goodbye! We'll be back to pick you up in the evening!"

This was the first time Isolde had witnessed the gentle concern of the Greens sisters for someone. She looked at Violetta with a doubtful expression, then smiled.
"You all are really close, huh? It's been a while since I last saw you two."
"We live together, so you could say we're housemates."
"Huh! You live with both of them?"

Everything seemed to surpass Isolde's assumptions. She had only thought that those two old friends had found a new friend, but it appeared Violetta had something more with them. She looked at Violetta with keen interest. Violetta didn't notice this and responded calmly,
"Let's head to class!"
"Aren't you worried...?"

A rare smile once again appeared on Violetta's face:
"No. I just want to know who is really behind all this."
Isolde thought to herself as she entered the classroom. They settled in for a moment, but aside from those who had been there the day before, no other students from different classes had arrived yet. A newcomer walked in, immediately recognizable as an upperclassman, with light brown hair and the build of a specialized student that caught everyone's attention. He spoke up:
"Hello everyone," he said, walking towards the front. "This year, I will be the one evaluating the research class conclusions. Except for the newcomers, it seems we have all returning members here, right? Just call me Diego, and I hope everyone will help each other in this class."
"Are you really that diligent in participating?" Leonard teased, laughing.
"Don't mock me like that, bro!" Diego took a deep breath, his expression becoming serious. "First, I have an announcement for everyone. Those of you here were present yesterday; the school hopes that during the time this class is in session, you will be patient while waiting for explanations from the security staff. Absolutely do not believe any rumors circulating. Just focus on your studies, and the school will definitely clarify the situation."
Alicia thoughtfully glanced over at Isolde and Violetta, and it seemed that everyone here wore the same indifferent acceptance on their faces. After all, upon learning that the class was still happening normally, they had partly felt that things would go on as such; the school's reputation couldn't be so easily threatened. Moments later, the first lesson of the science research class began, and the representative students from different classes were present and accounted for. There was no further news regarding the rumors at school; they simply were not very interested in the class until the first day ended.
After nine o'clock in the evening, Violetta, Isolde, and Alicia left school together, reaching the main gate. Alicia waved goodbye to her friends and got into her family's car. Violetta was also quite surprised to see Jocelyn actually waiting for her. Waving to Alicia, she asked the two girls:
"Why are you late? Did something happen today?"
"Everything went on as usual..." Isolde replied, but she noticed Jocelyn's gaze directed at Violetta.
"Sorry for making you wait! You were right; the school asked us to stay calm. No one showed any concern about yesterday's events during class."
"Yeah!" Jocelyn said naturally, grabbing the bag from Violetta's hand. "Alright, let's go home."
"So, shall we take Isolde to the bus station first and then head back? After all, I still have you. Is that okay, Isolde?"
"I'm fine. I can go on my own," Isolde said, looking directly at Jocelyn and then at the bag in her hand, and then her gaze shifted back to Violetta with a friendly smile.
"That's alright."
"Okay then, Isolde, Jocy agrees too."
"Jocy, huh?" Isolde whispered to herself, then walked alongside the two.
After dropping Isolde off at the bus station, the two of them returned home, and Violetta, looking exhausted, flopped down onto the sofa next to Jolly.
"Are you tired? Do you want to order takeout?" Jolly suggested.
"No! No! I've already prepared the ingredients; it won't take long," Violetta immediately stood up to start cooking.

In the kitchen, the sound of bustling hands was heard as Violetta worked. In the living room, only the two Greens sisters remained. Jocelyn spoke up, her mind still preoccupied since they left school:
"Next time, just call before he comes home. If you keep asking, he won't agree."
"How was school?" Jolly asked casually.
"The labs are fine; no unusual people have come to school recently..."
As he spoke, he pulled out his phone from his pocket, his fingers deftly swiping across the screen. He held the screen, which had just been scrolled through, towards Jolly with an unusually serious expression:
"This is what you need!"
Jolly glanced over the long string of numbers displayed there, looking satisfied:
"Okay, it'll be ready in three hours. But don't expect anything new."
Indeed, both of them knew that no one would be foolish enough to use their real identity to access the school's system through the internal network. However, if they used that ID to access the security network of the school's surveillance office, they might at least check for clues about the person who sent the threatening letter.
"Have you two started investigating already?"
Violetta brought three meat sandwiches from the kitchen and wondered aloud.
"Not exactly," Jolly continued. "Aside from what you already know, there are no clues at all."
"Did anyone mention the threatening letter in class?" Jocelyn reached for a hot, fragrant grilled meat sandwich displayed on a small tray.
The fact that the school had received a threatening letter seemed to have been hushed up, as no authority figure wanted to expose the weak security system in place. Who would allow their children to attend a school where someone could sneak in, leave a threatening letter, and vanish without a trace? If they replaced the letter with something else...
"Almost no one has mentioned it lately, not even about that incident that night. We aren't allowed to talk about it. But I did hear Alicia mention another letter."
Her words made Jolly, who was about to sip his coffee, pause...
"Another letter?"
Like a low note that had just been struck, under the living room lights, Jocelyn nibbled on her sandwich while quickly glancing at Jolly, almost like a signal... Violetta felt no change in the atmosphere; she continued the conversation.

"Alicia said that when she was gathering materials about the school to write the annual quality review regarding the architecture and the events the school had experienced, she found documents about a pink letter. The thing is, that letter wasn't the threatening one..."
"What was it?"
"Alicia is the blonde girl from the history advisory group that was with you, right?" Jocelyn asked as well.
"It must be her... and the pink letter was a suicide note from a senior girl. As for the girl, Alicia said she couldn't be found; all they had was a brief report stamped by the city police department."
After Violetta finished speaking, she turned her eager gaze towards Jolly, who was sipping her coffee, quickly shifting her attention to Jocelyn. He swallowed a bite of his sandwich, then flashed a confident smile and replied:
"Okay, we'll pay attention to that. But you really should be careful when continuing to participate in that class! Because..."
"We are not the ones in control."
Jolly's low voice continued Jocelyn's unfinished sentence. Despite their contrasting appearances, few would know that the two sisters always made Violetta feel a strong synergy. This feeling was most evident when they both delved into a subject together or aimed for a common goal. At those moments, the image of two geniuses created a sense of harmony, like a crescendo in an orchestra, and Violetta enjoyed that feeling or perhaps was simply happy because of it.
That evening ended as usual.