Reon rubbed her eyes. She was not crying anymore but the tears kept coming to her eyes, maybe her eyes were damaged from crying the whole month. She sobbed and looked at the door.
The afternoon fairy was at the door, waiting to greet Reon as she steps in. Eya nodded, smiled, and handed a customer his card. She stood at the counter while the customer left to find his seat.
Reon's heart was beating faster than normal. She was afraid to step into the Vr-cade for some reason. She grabbed the handle, then stepped back, and she did it two more times.
Hitori's words rung in her ears differently. 'You are a traitor and you should die!' Something like that. When she tried to get Hitori's words out of her mind, she just changed the words and magnified the pain.
Reon dropped her head, she felt the warm tears form in her red eyes again. 'I do not want to cry again… I do not…' she said to herself.
Soon, she could see nothing but a blurry vision of the stone pavement and the bottom of the Vr-cade's door. She shuddered. Maybe she should have worn a jacket over her summer dress, perhaps that would have kept her warm on a summer afternoon.
Reon wanted to throw her clenched fist into the glass and break the Vr-cade's door. Then she wanted to run downhill, screaming at the top of her lungs or cursing Hitori at the top of her lungs.
'I tried so many times! But why does not he understand? Is he stupid? He is an idiot, that is for sure… but… why do I need an idiot's help then? Maybe I am mad…' She closed her eyes and tears touched her cheeks. 'I may be mad. The problem is with me… not someone else—'
Her thoughts were interrupted by a voice. "Madam! Are you okay?"
And she woke from the zone of victim-blaming or self-blaming when she felt a warm and powerful hand on her shoulder.
She heard the voice again, it said, "Do you need help with something?"
She turned almost instantly after opening her eyes. Her eyes fell on a jockey man with a bright smile on his face and the sun shining down on him just added more glow to his face.
But Reon closed her mouth, rubbed her tears, and shook her head. "No. I am fine, thank you, sir."
She looked down and pushed the door. The guy, who must be in his fifth year, was left staring as she strode inside.
Eya smiled when she saw Reon, but dropped it when Reon did not even look at her and went to the staff room. Eya climbed down from the stool she was standing on.
"Kakashi, get the counter for me," she said and followed Reon to the staff room. The next instant, Kakashi appeared at the counter and held his stoic expression.
Reon closed the door behind her, and Eya teleported through it, and entered the room. She jumped on the bed and dug her face into a pillow.
Eya stopped at the doorway. She could hear Reon's soft, muffled sobs.
She realizes it was not the time to take harsh actions, so she took soft steps and walked toward Reon.
She thought, ''It must be him. He made her cry again. God, what is wrong with that jerk?' She stopped near Reon. 'Ah, I can not see a sweet girl like her cry anymore.'
She looked at Reon's bare thighs, her skirt was going up her butt. Eya grabbed the hem of her skirt and pulled it down to her knees. Reon shuddered when she felt the touch over his bare thighs.
"Relax…" Eya said, "it is me."
Reon could not relax. She raised her head and looked at Eya with red, teary eyes. Eya's eyes widened when she saw what she had made of herself.
"What happened to you? Damn, sit straight, let me take a look." Eya leaned forward.
Reon stood straight without protesting. She leaned against the wall and let Eya inspect her. She cast a healing spell to make the irritation in Reon's eyes fade. It did help to some extent, but the burning sensation did not leave.
Eya pulled her finger down and looked into Reon's eyes. "Alright, now tell me what happened," she asked.
Reon hesitated, but she said, "I tried again… but he called me the same names over and over. I can not take this anymore."
'Honestly, he is being a toxic jerk. I never thought Hitori-san would turn into someone like this. His best friend died, but that does not give him a reason to act the way he pleases and hurt the ones who are trying to console him.'
"You should stop it. If he does not, he does not. How long are you going to hurt yourself—"
"No. I can not stop. I have to try again. I will keep trying—"
"But why?!" Eya asked. "He is toxic, he does not respect you, he insults you, then why? Do you like him by any chance?"
Reon shook her head immediately. "I can not… I do not like him. He is… I am already committed, was committed to someone. And that someone was not him."
"Then why are you trying so desperately to convince him? Just answer me, why?"
Reon was silent. She perhaps had no answer to Eya's question. Or perhaps she was debating whether to tell her or not.
Maybe I can tell her… maybe I can… she thought. Looking into Eya's eyes, she thought, she would not do something like that.
"Onogi has my parents," she said, "and he will kill them sooner or later."
Eya nodded. She did not know her parents were under Onogi's control, but if they are, then her family is at the stake.
"Look at me, I can not just go into his house and kill him. His guard will kill me even before I can reach him. That is the reality."
"You do not have to do this alone…" Eya muttered.
"You are right. I do not. But Hitori does and he will."
She had to agree with that line. Hitori will go alone if he has to, but he will not stop after he gets stronger. He will ignore the dangers, the risks, the stakes, and advance like an immortal fool.
"I can not stop him myself, and neither can Hitori. No matter how strong he gets or how skilled he gets at casting curses. If we two use our different paths, iff we two go on our own paths to kill him, he will end up killing us."
Eya nodded. "So you want to team up with him."
"Yes. If I can pair with Hitori, with his anger for Onogi and grief for Kamiya, we will stop him. No matter what."
Eya smiled. She is not alone, she does not get it. We will be with Hitori-san even if he advances like an immortal fool.
She patted Reon's back. "Go no," she said, "and try for the last time. But if that cocky brat insults you again, I will have to step in."
She said it as a half-joke and half-commitment.
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