"Hey Soma~ Earth to Soma? Heeey~"

"A-ah... EHOUUUUUU!!!"

The girl who was called Soma saw the face of her best friend right before it. A distance so close that it would result in a kiss if either of them moved just a little forward. For Soma who did not have much experience with having her personal space being intruded in school, she was obviously startled as she made a strange sound in an attempt to back off.

"C-close..."

Soma muttered under her breath, as she moved the book she had been reading up to cover her panicky face.

"Fufu, you're having that look on your face again, you know~? You're spacing out, aren't you..."

"E-Eh? Well... I mean..."

Soma struggled to find words to answer with.

"Hahaha, don't think too much into it... You're so uptight as usual, aren't you Soma~ Is that book so interesting? You didn't even listen to me a single bit after picking it up in the morning... geez..."

"...I-I'm sorry... Rien..."

"Eii... why are you so quick to apologise... that's not good you know... If you have a concern, then you should voice them out~ ...I wasn't really angry... hmm... maybe I'm jealous? If I said that I was just envious of the book that took away all of my bestie's attention, what would you do~?"

"Eh..." Soma had a befuddled look on her face as the girl called Rien playfully twirled the ends of her hair while enjoying the troubled look on her friend's face.

"Mn, don't mind don't mind~ So, what's it about? If it got you this concentrated, then it must be a good book right?"

"A-ah... you might laugh if I tell you... it's not... re-really a book that I'd recommend..."

"Heeehhh~ now it's gotten me curious. Well, I won't really laugh... I mean, I'm here aren't I~? Something like weird tastes, we've gone way past that now right?"

"...Y-yeah... you're right. For Rien Tokuzaki, a charismatic, perfect, charming, beautiful model student approved by even the teacher body to involve herself in my measly matters... it definitely is a far more laughabl-"

"Ei! Deko-piiiin~"

"O-Ouch! Wh-what are you doing..."

The model student Rien flicked Soma's forehead with a small smile on her face.

"No depressing matters when you're talking to me! I'm the charismatic, perfect, charming, beautiful model student right? Then you just have to follow me without thinking, it definitely will not turn out badly! Follow the back of your reliable older sister, okay~?"

"O-older sister? E-ehhh... but you're..."

"Aw, come on~ is it that bad? I like the ring of it though~ Hey hey~ Try calling me Sister Rien~?"

"Ehhh..."

"Pleaseee~?"

"Uuu... you're definitely going to laugh at this too... and somehow, the conversation had drifted off topic?"

"You're changing it now aren't you~ Do it~ Do it~ Do it~" Rien urged the embarassed girl on, fueling the red on her face.

"....F-fine... I just have it say it... right..."

Soma cleared her throat with a light cough, as they were both in the library. Then with a blushing face...

"...S-sister Riennn....?"

"Hyauuuuuuu~ So cuuuuuuteeee~!"

After feeling satisfied from the teasing, Rien looked out to the window. The sunset was leaving an orange afterglow on their table. Her red hair basking in its light, as if soaking in the warmth and enveloping Soma in it.

It was after another hour before the library had rang a series of announcements to prepare for its closure for today.

"Wow, it's this late already. Let's prepare to head home... Soma?"

"Mn? A-ah, yes... I'll go borrow this book before I go, you can leave first then."

Naturally it was getting dark, and the two girls started to pack up. As Soma moved to the counter to borrow the book that had left unfinished halfway, she turned to see the girl Rien move to the entrance to wait for her. Somewhere deep in her heart, Soma felt a little uneasy from having a relationship like this. It had only been a little more than a week since they'd both became part of the Literature Club and gotten close to each other as friends.

While waiting for the borrowing process to finish, Soma's eyes had wandered, and it seemed to have met with Rien's glance from outside the glass entrance. The girl narrowed her eyes and looked at Soma warmly, resulting in her blushing slightly and looking away. Not that the two of them had any kind of strange relationship, but Soma just did not know how to interact with someone who'd refer to as a 'friend'.

Soon the book had been registered properly, and Soma placed the book into her bag before exiting the community library with Rien.

Since their road back home required the use of the subway trains, the two girls headed towards the same direction as usual. Footsteps could be heard as accompaniment to the soft breeze of the wind, creating a melancholic atmosphere. Feeling concerned over her friend's aloofness, Rien decided to probe it out with the same mischievous tone as ever.

"Soma...? Are you feeling okay?"

To that genuine word of concern, Soma stopped right in her tracks and looked down on the pavement. Rien naturally stopped right beside her.

"I'm... a nuisance right..."

Those words befuddled Rien. How could she have ever thought about her friend like that? To Rien, Soma was like family... no, someone even closer to her than that. Their time spent together may be short, but there was an undeniable feeling of compatiblity with each other. But before Rien could voice out her thoughts, Soma continued as if in resignation.

"...It's alright, you don't have to do this... I'm a nuisance right? Everyone avoids me in school, because they know of my background. If they see you around me, they'll shun you too. You won't escape their bullying too... so-"

"-Worrywart. I stick with you because I want to. Let them say what they want, we're friends regardless of what these people say. They're just jealous, jealous I say~"

"..."

To speak of bullying this lightly, as expected. This person is so admirable... I want to be like this person someday. Rien is my senior in school in her third year of high school. She's just one year older than me, but she seems much more mature and composed than I am... In comparison to me...

Rien did not speak about it anymore, and began to talk about topics that would interest girls of their age. Stuff like the latest cake shops, movies and apparels. Yet Soma merely took them in as things that she wouldn't ever think of doing. Soon they reached the station gantry, and it was time to part ways. It would be for another few minutes of walk after reaching her station, but the two girls would part ways here for today.

Brr brr... A vibrating sound could be heard in my pockets. I quickly understood what it meant.

"It's been getting dangerous around here recently, it's not safe to walk home alone this late. It's on the news lately, like there were multiple cases of people disappearing around this neighbourhood and the police are still speculating about the culprit behind these incidents... Did you hear about the mass kidnapping in the other prefecture a few days ago too? Yaaa... it's seriously getting rotten, this world... ...

...Soma?"

"-Eh? Ah... s-sorry I was a little distracted..."

Rien suddenly stopped walking, making me stop in my tracks. She turned her body around and leaned forward with her head stretched out. She looked worried.

"No... it's fine."

"...Are you sure you're okay? A text?"

A concerning look. I lowered my gaze, unable to meet her in the eyes. Taking the chance while she wasn't looking at my hands, I quickly hid the phone back into my pocket. I slowly took off the thick-framed glasses resting on my nose, rubbing it clean of a sudden drop of rain from the sky. When I was done, I returned it back to its original spot and shook my head a few times to indicate that there was no need to worry about me. I proceeded to try and change the subject.

Rien still had a concerned look on her face. I could tell that she was feeling a little uneasy leaving me alone. But really, I'm... fine.

"... ...Yeah... I'm fine. So you were saying...?"

"Ah, you know that... it's on the news lately, like there were multiple cases of people disappearing around this neighbourhood and the police are still speculating about the culprit behind these incidents."

People disappearing? That's pretty scary... Well, what are the chances anyway. I'd like to see whoever's doing this take me away. I thought so as if it didn't concern the mediocrity of my own life. Not that I would be able to escape from it anyway. I gave a feeble response in return so as to return a gesture of modesty.

"...So I was thinking, can I walk you home today?" A look of expectation, yet I couldn't bear to tell her anything about myself.

As if sensing that the mood was becoming a little heavy, she took the chance to squeeze my chest.

"It's not like I'm going to eat you up you know~? Fufu, you're so soft Soma~"

"F-fuaahhh! Wh-what are you doing! Geez!" Pushing away the long and slender arms of my upperclassmate, I hugged my chest tightly with my arms.

"Well, feeling better?"

"Wh-...ehh?"

"-You smiled~ Yaay~" Rien grinned and put up her fingers to show a 'victory' sign. Thanks to that, my momentum was shaken off course. Really, Rien does things at her own pace as usual... it made me really envious.

"So now that you're feeling better, how about taking up my offer-"

"N-no it's okay... I can manage on my own...Thanks for the offer still, Rien sen- ...R-Rien." I corrected myself mid-sentence when I saw Rien's eyes turn a little sharp all of a sudden.

...Mostly because she was still wriggling her fingers teasingly, as if she wanted a continuation of her earlier actions.

"Mm mm! Good, best friends should just cut the honorifics. We've known each other for quite some time already, there's no need to get all embarassed you know~? ...And well if you say so... just get home right away okay? Don't wander around too much, and call me when you get back home! And then call me again when you get in the showe- Hey, you're leaving?! You're leaving just like that?! Where's my farewell kiss! Che, petty..."

"I still need to see that text from you when you get back home okayyyy?"

Waving at her from a distance with a wry smile, I bade Rien goodbye for today. When I was sure that she was no longer nearby, I released a long sigh before walking towards the opposite direction in the subway. This brief moment of peace, like the sun, it would always fade into darkness...

The train arrived according to the scheduled time and another half an hour passed before I alighted at my station.

"Haah..." My chest grew heavy as I took the first step out of the train. With a slowly and slaggy movement, I exited the station and got to the surface. I stopped for a moment and looked up at the sky veiled in rain clouds. Before I knew it, it had turned rather dark. Without thinking too much, I started walking again.

After walking along for a set distance, I felt another droplet of rain fall on my head.

-Ah, it's started to rain...

Gentle sounds of pitter-patter struck the concrete pavement. Leaves began rustling after being blown away by an approaching wind.

...I don't have an umbrella...

The melancholy started to set in once again. I didn't feel like heading back just yet. Even though Rien had told me to do so quickly, I just had to ignore her kind-hearted advice.

...That's right, I'm not a good girl. ...I don't deserve a friend like her. Someone with such good personality, good grades, good looks, a good body and comes from a wealthy background... Compared to me, I'm a nobody. I'm plump, I'm told I stink of sweat, I have mediocre grades, I've never once had a boyfriend, and I'm poor. How could someone who was 16 just like me, be so completely different?! It was unfair. It was so unfair. I can't help it right? To be j̷͈̠̺̲̎̓͂̇̀̚e̸̘͈̓́a̷̳̠̓͐̔̏͝ļ̵̛̲̗̬̤͈o̸͉͂͒͐̂͆ǘ̵̮͖̳̩̯̎̀̈́̑s̸̤̘̥̲̀͜ of her. Why are our starting parameters so different. Why does everyone like her only... why did she get close to me? Why did she want to be my best friend? ...No, maybe I'm just too stubborn, too ugly-hearted to accept that. Maybe I wanted us to be enemies so I wouldn't hate myself as much as I did now...

The rain was getting heavier, and I would eventually catch a cold if I didn't return back now. Still, I circled around my neighbourhood slowly in the rain a few times, and before I knew it, I had already reached the doorstep of this house. I looked up at the pouring rain, while draining my skirt soaked with rainwater at the entrance.

I was soaked from head to toe, but that felt all the more refreshing instead.

Aah... how I wish everything would just disappear. How I wish everyone would leave me alone...

It's always a constant. Something painful I don't want to experience. The pressure that was exerted on me before I even entered the door was already erasing the fun time I had with Rien today.

The pressure that was exerted on me before I even entered the door was already erasing the pleasant afternoon I had spent with Rien today. The light-hearted image of the library where both of us settled down quickly without talking much, that was where I truly felt a tinge of happiness in my heart.

H...uh? Since when... had I started seeing the time we spent together... fun?

"..."

A tear fell down my face without warning. Ah ah, I couldn't possibly change. I was still a crybaby. I stood in front of the doorstep of the house for a full minute, cleaning up my wet and swollen eyes.

Then the door was swung open violently just as I had tried to take out my keys. The rattling of metal probably was too loud. Or rather, that person was probably waiting impatiently behind the door till now.

The person I didn't want to see, stood before me. A middle-aged man with unkempt and curly brown-dyed hair with a mug beard on his face. His eyes looked like a snake to me, at least only to me. My mother had already fallen captive to his 'charms'. Or rather, raped into submission. It was honestly pitiful, our household that is, to have to rely on such a foul-breathed man to support itself. He was my stepfather, hanging a lecherous grin on his face and had a fishy smell coming out of his white singlet and dark brown pants. I had already knew what it was going to be today, ...again.

"You. You didn't pick up your phone."

"..."

"Where's your reply, are you looking for a beating?! Aghhhn?! ...Well, whatever... I'm in a good mood today."

Yet nothing about his facial expression seemed to indicate any less hostility than before. This man probably didn't even think of me as her daughter, but a product instead.

"Come inside quickly, my friends are already waiting. And you know I hate to keep guests waiting, right?"

He pulled my wrist and dragged me inside, entering a small and shabby apartment. I didn't have the will to resist. We passed by the only corridor in this place where they branched out into 2 small rooms. This apartment only had a moderately sized living room, a small toilet & bathroom compartment, a small kitchen & sink, and two equally small bedrooms. Rather than bedrooms, they should be more suitably called storerooms instead. Along the way, I didn't utter a single sound.

"..."

"...Tch. Go do something about that look of yours. Take a shower or something, you stink...! Listen, I want you to look clean, and smell clean when you come in later, you hear me? Put on that bunny outfit your mother bought for you later. It's on your bed."

The fact that my mother was mentioned in all this did not even surprise me in the slightest. After all, it was her that suggested this to this man. To sell out her own daughter so readily just to save herself, or was it to curry favours so that she would be treated better? I did not care. I did not want to know anymore.

"..."

"You're probably... going to get twice the usual later since there's more of them today. Move like usual and say the things these misters will like. Do your job well and you'll get to sleep today, okay? ...Oi, bitch. You hear me?!"

"Nn!" My hair was being pulled together like a stack of hay. It hurts, but I still did not dare to retaliate.

That man then leaned in closer to my ear and said in an extremely low and threatening voice.

"Keh. This is a reminder so you won't dare to embarass me again. Don't think that I wouldn't know what you tell my clients when I'm away. If you try anything funny again, you're going to pay with more than just your body next time!"

"Guhh..." I fell to the floor with a low thud, a low groan escaping from my mouth. My face remained lowered down, messy bangs hiding the expression of my eyes.

"And god you stink. Get going, you fat ass. Don't waste my fucking time...! Seriously, you're still this stupid after going to school... fuck! All that money wasted on a fucking stupid pig... thinking about it just makes me mad... you better not ask for money this month." After making a disgusted face, that man stepped on the back of my head a few times before entering the room on my left with a cigarette in his mouth.

See, how was this a good mood. Adults just say whatever they want at their own convenience, it's actually disgusting.

As the door opened, I could hear the voices of a few other middle-aged men. I caught a glimpse of them staring at me with their bodies covered with a bathrobe. There were also a few 'instruments' laying on the table nearby.

"..." When he was finally out of sight, I lifted up one of my sleeves and took a whiff instinctively. Then I headed to the bathroom. I didn't feel like it was necessary at all, since those perverts would definitely get turned on from my sweat as well.

The door slowly closed, as a group of men left with satisfied looks on their faces.

It was harder to get by tonight like he said.

The paper notes were littered all over my naked body, mixed in with strange viscous liquids. My eyes no longer held any emotion, as I only sought to get it over as soon as I could. A few bruises could be seen all over my body, with my right eye swollen from one. They had handled me rougher than usual...

That man came in the room shortly after and collected the money. But before leaving the room, he had scanned my body once. I was defiled once more.

Of course, no one came to save me as usual.

"Clean this up before you sleep, don't leave stains behind you hear me?"

And with that, he left the room again. As I layed down on the tatami mat sideways, I could see the contents of my open bag at the side. The book that I had borrowed today.

"The tales of ashes and dreams: Magical Swordsman."

...Dreams... dreams... dreams... fuck... fuck this... why is this happening to me... why must I suffer like this...

I held the urge to want to tear that book apart. Unable to control myself anymore, tears had finally started to water out of my eyes. I sniffled silently in that pungent, filthy room.

I couldn't tell anyone about it, since that man had tons of blackmail material to work with. There were also many ways he could stop me from spilling the beans. I couldn't even rely on my mother, as she had recently became colder and colder towards me for 'stealing affection' from her man. I wanted to laugh so badly at the world's funniest joke. How could anyone other than my good-for-nothing mother take a liking to that kind of man. She wasn't even forced to do it, yet she acted even more of a whore than me. She sold her body to the devil.

And suicide. Even though I have such violent thoughts constantly ringing in my head, I wasn't able to follow through on it. It wasn't like some cool or idealistic way of thinking that I had some kind of regret in my life which kept me from taking my own life. No. Rien? Rien was simply an accessory at best. We had only known each other for a week, there was no way we would be close enough for her to affect me enough to change. The reason was simple.

I was merely a coward who doesn't dare to take her own life.

Resigning to my fate, I stood up slowly and picked up a wet towel nearby to begin cleaning the room up.

It's nighttime.

I snuck out of bed and dressed lightly. Going down the stairs, I exited the house quietly through the back door.

The front door was rigged to trigger an alarm if disarmed at night. The fact that such a measure was in place just to prevent me from escaping, spoke volumes more than the hidden signs of abuse which had time and time again escaped the eyes of patrolling police officers. They were either hidden well enough, or that I was too unsightly to get involved with, an ogre-looking girl whom people would not even want to give me a glance. After a while, it becomes easier for me to accept the fact that I was merely a stranger in this apartment. I could never call this place, my 'home'. Nor could this world, for that matter.

I never looked back. At least for tonight, I wouldn't be able to sleep in there.

"Haah..."

The night wind is really cold, but it felt surprisingly warmer when I realized that I was finally out of that place. I had also just taken a shower quietly, so the comfortable feeling quickly spread throughout my body. My eyes closed and relished another incoming breeze.

It would be just moments before I would be relocated to somewhere nice. Just close my eyes and imagine, somewhere far, far away from here. Where I could be the ideal me. Where I could have a prince who treats me right. A world where I could fly, soar up into the clouds, use magic, fling swords around with the weight of a feather, defeat bandits, adventuring with a group of close comrades. We would slay the Demon King together, and then... and then...

...I opened my eyes.

Of course, just like I expected. Nothing had changed at all. Books were mere fantasies. Tools to satisfy the wishes of the demographic. When I had realized the reality of that, the stories began to lose its color. Nevertheless, it only made me even more desperate for them.

Before long, I could feel a presence near me. It took me a good minute before I had realized it, thus I quickly turned my attention towards the general direction where I had sensed it.

Standing below the flickering light of a lamp-post a few meters away from me was the silhouette of a girl. Without losing composure from being noticed, the girl moved forward to a spot where it was lit up by a lamp post.

...Isn't this... Rien?

Her emotionless and widened eyes mismatched with the smile on her face. It seemed as if she hadn't changed out of her school uniform as well. The words she spoke out of her mouth were incredibly cold.

"Hey Soma, why are you going out so late into the night?"

"R-Rien? I-I could say the same to you! Why are you... here?" I felt uneasy all of a sudden. Something felt off about her. The usual, casual feeling that we shared through short conversations... it wasn't there anymore.

I raised my head a little higher to see if my eyes were not mistaken, and it seemed that she was doing the same. Inspecting? Yes, she was looking at something on my body.

Looking at the freshly-inflicted scars. Immediately, the temperature around her fell sharply.

"Soma... what are those... wounds on your face?" An extremely warped voice, seemingly concealed with hatred for one who had done this to me.

Before I could take a step back, Rien dashed towards me and held both of my wrists.

"Who..."

Her grip on me was extremely firm, as if I'd been bound by handcuffs. Her fingernails pressed into my skin sharply, causing small incisions onto my wrists.

"It... it hurts... Ri-Rien, let go..."

But my words didn't seem to register in her ears.

"Who did this to you?"

Her eyes looked completely like a different person. I had never seen her like this.

"N-no one, it's self-inflicted..."

Rien stayed silent for a moment, as if she did not believe me. Then just as her grip loosened, she pressed down onto my wrists again and started to chuckled under her breath.

"...Huhu... ...Ah... I see. It's them, isn't it. So this is what is troubling my beloved... huhuhu..."

Rien released her grip finally and walked briskly towards my house.

I've never invited her to my house, how did she know where I lived?

I quickly grabbed hold of her waist with both hands, immobilizing her with a hug.

"Let go of me Soma! Those parents, THOSE THINGSSS!!! LET GO OF ME, how dare they do this to my beloved!!! Punishment, they must receive punishmentttt!!!"

Rien was screaming wildly while spouting out some incomprehensible words there, but I knew I couldn't let her go. If he catches wind of this, I knew I was going to have an even harder time tomorrow.

"Rien... please!!! Forget what you've seen today, for my sake!" I yelled out uncharacteristically back at her.

"No, unforgivable... UNFORGIVABLE! You're being blackmailed, aren't you?! That is another tick off my checklist for scum to be purged from this world..."

We were struggling, but Rien and I had already made it on the roadside. We were close to the entrance of the house, where the commotion we were making had already alarmed them. Lights were being turned on, and I could hear curses coming from behind the windows.

"L-let go Soma, I have to do it before they notice... otherwise it will become harder to take their lives if they scream..."

"No! This isn't like you Rien, don't do it!!! Turn back!!! Don't become a murderer...!!! For my sake, please..."

"Like I said-"

The surroundings suddenly became brighter. There was a loud horn beeping.

""Eh?"" We both said the same words.

And as our bodies had not even comprehended the next thing that had happened to use, we were struck by a truck, mangling our bodies from under the tires. We were brutally squashed and killed from it.

"Nngh...my head..."

I slowly opened my eyes, but the vision was a little blurry. I tried to feel things around, but ... my reach... My reach was shorter than I thought.

Eh? I couldn't speak?

I heard someone approaching me.

?!

"Oh darling, she's awake! Come see, come see!"

"Ah, there is my little angel! Oh, the other one is awake too! These two twins are definitely going to grow up and become beauties in the future~ The little ones have definitely taken the better parts from me~"

"What are you saying looking all smug like that, Len? It's from me obviously!"

"Give, give! MY ARMMMMMM, OKAY MARTHA, YOU WIN YOU WIN!"

"Fufu~"

"Well, having my red hair inherited at least feels nice at least."

"Right? We're both part and parcel of these two... Hey Len..."

"Yes dear?"

"Let's raise these two with our all okay?"

"You don't have to say it like that... I'll get all embarrassed like that... well... yeah... let's make this a happy and warm family."

"Yeah."