Chapter 26 - Seeking Help
The next day, Holo stepped into Felicia's room with a renewed sense of purpose. After everything she had told him, he felt compelled to help her, even if he wasn't entirely sure how. He wasn't a therapist, and he didn't have the tools or expertise to fix someone's deep-seated issues. But he could listen, and he could try.
Felicia sat in her usual spot, but her demeanor had shifted. She no longer greeted him with a smirk or a flirtatious comment. Instead, she looked at him with a mix of curiosity and vulnerability, as if she didn't know what to expect from him anymore.
"Good morning," Holo said, taking a seat across from her.
"Morning," she replied quietly, her hands resting in her lap.
There was a brief silence before Holo spoke again. "I wanted to try something different today. If that's okay with you."
Felicia raised an eyebrow. "Different how?"
"I want to talk to you," he said. "Really talk. Like a therapist would. I'm not a professional or anything, but I think it might help."
Felicia blinked, clearly surprised. "You want to play therapist now? Isn't that a little out of your league?"
"Probably," Holo admitted with a small smile. "But I want to help you, Felicia. And if this is a way to do that, I'm willing to try."
She hesitated, her red eyes studying him carefully. "Fine," she said after a moment. "I'll play along. But don't expect me to spill my guts."
"I won't force you to share anything you don't want to," Holo said gently. "But I think talking things out might make it easier to understand yourself. And maybe... help you move forward."
Felicia leaned back in her chair, her gaze drifting to the ceiling. "You're really something, Holo," she muttered. "Most people would've given up on me by now."
"I'm not most people," he replied simply.
Over the next few days, their conversations shifted. Holo asked Felicia about her feelings, her thoughts, and her experiences. He wanted to understand her—not just the pain and trauma she carried, but the way she saw herself and the world around her.
At first, Felicia was hesitant, often deflecting his questions with sarcasm or jokes. But as time went on, she began to open up more. Holo learned how deeply she regretted her actions, how much she hated the person she had become, and how scared she was of hurting someone else.
One day, during one of their sessions, Felicia looked at him with a solemn expression. "Holo," she said quietly, "do you think... I should just die?"
Her words hit him like a punch to the gut. For a moment, he was too stunned to respond. But then, without thinking, he stood up and smacked her across the face—not hard, but enough to snap her out of her spiral.
Felicia's eyes widened in shock, her hand flying to her cheek. "W-What the hell, Holo?!"
"You don't get to say that!" he shouted, his voice trembling with emotion. "Do you have any idea how much that would hurt people?"
Felicia blinked, clearly taken aback. "What people?" she muttered. "No one would care if I was gone."
"I would," Holo said firmly, his voice softening. "I would care, Felicia."
Her chest tightened, and she stared at him, her red eyes glistening with unshed tears. "Why?" she whispered. "Why do you care about someone like me?"
"Because you're not as horrible as you think you are," he said. "You've done bad things, sure, but you're also trying to make things right. That means something."
Felicia looked away, her hands trembling. "Do you really think I can be redeemed?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Holo hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. "No," he said honestly. "I don't think anyone can truly 'redeem' themselves. What's done is done. But you can move on. You can better yourself. And you can make sure that you never become the person you were afraid of turning into."
Felicia stared at him, her heart pounding in her chest. No one had ever spoken to her like this before. No one had ever told her that it was okay to move forward, to let go of the weight she had been carrying for so long.
The next day, Felicia's room was quieter than usual. She sat calmly in her chair, her hands folded neatly in her lap, her posture composed. It was a far cry from the chaotic, provocative energy she used to radiate. She looked up eagerly when the door opened, her red eyes lighting up at the sight of Holo entering the room.
"Holo," she greeted softly, her voice warm and sweet, devoid of the teasing edge it once held. "Good morning."
"Good morning, Felicia," Holo replied with a small smile. "You're looking... relaxed today."
She blushed faintly, her hands fidgeting in her lap. "I just... I feel calmer when you're here."
Before Holo could respond, the door opened again, and two familiar figures stepped inside. Trixie and Scarlet strode in, their expressions unreadable as they surveyed the room. Felicia stiffened slightly, her gaze darting between the two girls.
"What are you two doing here?" Felicia asked, her voice quieter than usual.
"We wanted to see for ourselves," Trixie said, crossing her arms. "Holo's been talking about how much progress you've made."
"And we were curious," Scarlet added, her sharp gaze settling on Felicia. "It's hard to believe someone like you could change in just a month."
Felicia looked away, her cheeks flushing. "I'm... trying," she muttered. "For Holo."
Trixie raised an eyebrow, her eyes narrowing as she studied Felicia. The once brazen and provocative woman now sat like a proper, patient girl, her demeanor almost demure. But there was something in the way she looked at Holo—something that made Trixie's stomach twist.
Scarlet noticed it too. Felicia's red eyes softened whenever they landed on Holo, her gaze lingering a little too long. It wasn't just admiration or gratitude—it was something deeper, something more dangerous. Her expression mirrored the overwhelming, insatiable desire that both Trixie and Scarlet felt whenever they looked at Holo.
"She's not as reformed as she looks," Scarlet muttered under her breath, earning a glance from Trixie.
Trixie smirked, leaning closer to Scarlet. "You see it too, huh?"
"Of course I do," Scarlet replied, her voice low. "She's obsessed with him."
Felicia seemed oblivious to their exchange, her attention entirely focused on Holo. "Did you sleep well?" she asked him, her voice soft and almost timid.
"I did," Holo said with a nod. "Thanks for asking."
Trixie couldn't hold back any longer. "Okay, what's going on here?" she said, stepping forward and gesturing toward Felicia. "What happened to the shameless pervert who couldn't keep her hands to herself?"
Felicia flinched, her blush deepening as she glanced at Holo. "I... I realized I was wrong," she said quietly. "Holo helped me see that."
"Holo helped you?" Scarlet asked, her tone skeptical.
"Yes," Felicia said firmly, her red eyes meeting Scarlet's. "He didn't give up on me, even when I deserved it. He believed in me. And because of him, I want to be better."
Trixie raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms. "That's cute and all, but let's be real here—you're not fooling anyone."
Felicia frowned, her hands clenching in her lap. "What do you mean?"
"You can act all innocent and reformed," Scarlet said, her voice cold, "but we can see it in your eyes."
Felicia stiffened, her gaze dropping to the floor.
"You're obsessed with him," Trixie said bluntly, her eyes narrowing. "Just like we are."
Holo blinked, taken aback by Trixie's honesty. "Trixie—"
"What?" she said, shrugging. "It's true. You already know how we feel about you, Holo. And now, so does she."
Felicia's face turned bright red, and she looked up at Holo with wide eyes. "I... I don't..."
"Don't bother denying it," Scarlet said, her tone sharp but calm. "We've been there. We know what it feels like."
Felicia swallowed hard, her hands trembling slightly. "I... I just want to be near him," she admitted quietly. "I don't know what else to do."
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Trixie smirked, leaning closer to Holo. "Looks like you've got another admirer, Holo."
Holo sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "This isn't a competition, you know."
"Maybe not to you," Scarlet said, her voice softening slightly, "but it is to us."
Felicia looked between the two girls, her expression conflicted. "I don't want to fight with you," she said. "I just... I just want to be with him."
Trixie and Scarlet exchanged a glance before turning their attention back to Felicia. "We'll see," Scarlet said cryptically, her tone laced with warning.
Holo sighed again, feeling the tension in the room thickening. "Can we all just get along?" he asked, his voice tinged with exasperation.
The three girls looked at him, their expressions softening slightly. For now, the fragile truce held, but Holo couldn't shake the feeling that things were far from resolved.