Aris sat hunched on her bed, staring into nothing. Her shoulders trembled, her head bowed as her words spilled out like a confession only half-allowed to be spoken.
"I know… I know thinking about the past won't change anything. But… I can't stop. I don't have the strength. I'm not that strong…"
Her voice cracked at the end, each word brittle like glass about to shatter.
I sighed heavily, scratching the back of my head. If her thoughts were a whirlpool, dragging her back into memories of that night, then talking about them now would only pull her deeper. What she needed wasn't to keep reopening fresh scars—but a glimpse of light beyond them.
"Aris," I started carefully, "I won't force you to forget. I know how heavy the past is. But maybe…" A half-smile crossed my lips as the idea hit me suddenly. I clapped my hands. "That's it!"
Startled, Aris looked up, her tear-streaked face fragile, yet her eyes blinking with curiosity.
"I know what we have to do! Something to shake things up. So, Aris—be ready in the evening."
Her lips parted to protest, her voice hoarse. "But… I don't—"
"No arguments." I cut her off with a determined grin. Before she had the chance to crawl back into silence, I turned and left the room, clinging to the faintest hope that maybe—just maybe—distracting her from the spiral would help her take one step forward.
Back in the living room, Aris's mother was sipping tea, her hands still trembling around the porcelain cup as she looked at me expectantly.
"White… were you able to talk to her?"
I hesitated, then nodded. "We spoke. Progress is… difficult. But I think I may have found a way to start guiding her back to herself."
Her mother's relief showed first in her shoulders, which sagged as though the weight of her fear had lightened. "Thank you," was all she whispered before I took my leave and stepped back into the world outside.
The walk home was quiet, but when I approached my apartment door, that silence broke at once.
Someone was already waiting there.
A familiar figure stood upright in a red coat, the brim of her hat casting shadows over sharp, knowing eyes. Even before she turned, my heart sank.
Luna.
The student council president. And trouble personified.
I froze mid-step, debating retreat. But she didn't even give me the chance. Her head turned slightly, and her calm voice carried through the air:
"White."
I forced a grin and turned around, as if I hadn't just contemplated fleeing my own home. "Miss President. What an honor. What brings you here?"
She glanced at her wristwatch without looking up. "I've been waiting twenty-eight minutes and seventeen seconds for your return."
"…You actually counted?" My patience threatened to crack. "Fine. Did something happen?"
Instead of answering, Luna's lips curled. "One tea. Two sugar cubes. Temperature between 150 and 180 Fahrenheit."
"...What?"
Her eyes gleamed with amusement. "Do I have to repeat myself?"
I pinched the bridge of my nose. "No… no need. Please, just come in."
Inside, her presence immediately stirred Bell, who darted toward the doorway as soon as I opened it.
"Papa, you're back! Welcome back!" she squealed, before spotting Luna's tall figure. "Oh! It's Luna-sis! Hellooo!"
"Bell," Luna greeted, her stern aura softening instantly. She reached down to pat Bell's head, her smile unexpectedly gentle. "How have you been? I made you something you liked before."
From her bag, she produced a neat packet wrapped in soft paper. Cookies.
"Yaayyy! Cookies!" Bell beamed in childish delight as she ran to the kitchen, prize in hand.
"Just like always," Luna said quietly, watching her skip away. "Isn't she, Bell's Papa?"
"…Right," I muttered, still unsure if her calling me Papa was affectionate or horrifying.
We sat in the living room, tension humming like static. The clink of porcelain echoed as I poured tea for both of us. Luna's eyes, unflinching, followed each movement as though she were analyzing a ritual.
When she finally sipped, she whispered, "Not bad. I didn't expect you to be skilled at this as well."
"Living alone forces you to survive somehow," I said flatly. Then, deciding to cut through the silence, I asked, "Now… can you tell me why you're here?"
"Why?" Her eyes lifted from the cup to mine. "Because I came to check on you. I heard about the accident. I'm glad you're alive."
I blinked. "You came all this way… just for that?"
Her smile widened, unsettling. "That's not all." She leaned forward, voice velvet and unnerving. "Do you know? The aura you gave off before has… doubled. And your bond with Bell? Stronger than ever."
My chest tightened. Bell, innocently munching cookies nearby, tilted her head curiously. Quickly, I softened my tone. "Bell. Why don't you take those to the bedroom? I'll join you later."
She nodded happily and skipped away, leaving the monster called silence behind her.
That was when Luna asked, so casually it chilled the air:
"Are you sure you didn't die again—and just not realize it yet?"
The world froze.
I gripped the teacup harder, forcing a calmness I didn't feel. The truth—that Aisha revived me—was a secret that could endanger everyone, including Luna herself.
So I smiled faintly. "What a morbid way to check on someone, Miss President."
Her eyes glimmered as though she could see past the mask, but before anything more could be said, the front door opened.
"I'm home!" Miss Elsa stepped in, carrying shopping bags. She began cheerfully, "I bought fruit for—" Then stopped dead. Her eyes landed on Luna and me with wide shock, and in an instant her face turned red.
"W-Wait, oh no! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to barge in on your… your girlfriend time!" Elsa squeaked, covering her cheeks.
My hand slammed against the table in panic. "It's not like that!"
Unfazed, Luna rose smoothly and bowed to her. "Nice to meet you. I'm Luna—the student council president, and president of the paranormal investigation club. I dropped by to see how my club member… no, my friend, was doing."
Her smile was sweet, but the glint in her eyes carried secrets.
"Student council president? Oh my," Miss Elsa said, more impressed than disturbed. "White, you never told me you had such an important friend." She placed the fruit on the table before adding kindly to Luna, "I hope you'll take good care of him. He's like a younger brother to me after all these years."
"Yes," Luna replied simply, as if that word meant many more than it should. She glanced at her watch. "But for now, I need to leave. I have a piano class. It was lovely meeting you."
With precise steps, she vanished as quickly as she had appeared.
Elsa lingered a moment, holding out the bag of fruit to me. "These are for your health. I'll head back to do some laundry. If you need anything, White, just come next door."
"Thank you, sis."
When the door shut, silence reclaimed the apartment.
I leaned back on the couch, staring at where Luna had been only moments ago. Even now, I couldn't unravel her motives. I didn't recall ever joining her so-called paranormal club, let alone being her "friend."
And yet, she looked at me as though she'd known me all along.