His eyes swollen from not sleeping the night before, another day of school has begun. The group of boys are walking through the schoolyard, chatting as they're excited about their upcoming trip to the red light district, as Arlo takes his time trailing behind, his body like a slug from his fatigue. Reflections on Sabrina's incident he ponders upon, his heart heavy with the feeling of anxiousness, dying for this day to be over with.

"Man, another curfew, huh. And they're going to lock the city gates again. I wonder if it's another monster attack or something," The third wonders.

"Don't you think we would hear about it by now?" The fourth questions. "All the soldiers said, is that everybody should be back into their domains by 6 pm"

"Well...as long as our plans aren't messed up, then I'm fine with it. Wait..." The second's feet stop, his eyes shaking with his tummy going bitter in thought, as he now realizes something.

Osuv then breaks with a turn to face another, his hand heavily pushed on his shoulder, with eyes that laugh at the tired elf's state, snapping him out of his daydream.

"Little Arlo...tell me, why are you looking so gloomier than you usually are?" Osuv charges, looking into the boy's eyes. "Is there something for you to tell us?"

"H-Huh...?" Arlo sounds, seeing as Osuv smirks, his fingers shaking as the dwarf confronts him.

"Ah..." Osuv chuckles, shaking his head at the thought. "Is it because of what happened to Sabrina?"

"Is that the reason? Ugh, let's just hope she doesn't rat out on the rest of us," The third rubs his forehead.

"Hm, of course, she can't. With all our customers, we've made sure they've signed a deal, a kiss with the devil, you could say," Osuv reminds them, taking out his phone with going into his gallery, showing to Arlo all the customers with the item in their hands, as he had forced a smile on their faces to show their gratitude of his aid. "If she chooses to rat us out, then she rats out everybody else who bought it. And what do you think will happen if she does it, and everybody else finds out? She'd ruin the hopes and dreams of all who wanted to just....feel that guaranteed certainty, just as she also wanted. Do you think they would just feel bad for her after she confesses? No...no, Arlo. Maybe they'll be some, but they'll always be that few that will follow her for the rest of her life. They'll hate her, wish for her life to be in ruins as she did to them, and maybe...they'll end up doing just that...making sure she suffers till she decides on...kicking the bucket, if you know what I mean. Do you understand now...my friend?"

"...B-But...she's your girlfriend, Osuv," Arlo reminds him, his voice trembling. "Aren't you worried about her?"

"What is there to worry about, hm? She'll be fine. She'll be out of the hospital in no time...frostbites are supposed to make you stronger, after all," He also reminds, patting on Arlo's shoulder.

"Tch, I know she's madly in love with you, but I wouldn't put it past her either," The second scratches his head. "What do you see in this chick anyway? That's all she has, looks, but an awful personality"

"Hmm...her tits?" Osuv grins.

"Ah, you fucking player," The third laughs with them, Arlo phasing out once again.

"Oi, Arlo! Tch! Alright," The second sounds, taking out his phone as he sees that Arlo has returned to his annoying behaviour. "Let me remind you of why you hang out with us"

The sounds of laughter begin to sound in his ear, as Arlo begins to witness a terrible memory that was captured on the second's phone. Inside the bathroom on the video, he sees himself within one of the showers, as they had surprised him as he was naked, with pushing him to the ground as he struggles to get up with being wet.

"You just make sure you don't go to anybody either," The second hit his phone against Arlo with each word. "Especially that bitch of a sweetheart of yours, Chloe. I realize she's been having some interest in us lately"

"Now when I think about it, she's been crossing us more often than we would like to," The fourth nods. "She has some nerves messing around with our pal's mistress. I can't believe she even got her into nearly killing herself on overdosing"

"In front of us everybody else too," Osuv adds, his eyes serious as he looks at Arlo. "...I heard even the captain was watching"

"Shit.." The second sounds. "You don't think he knows it's us, right?"

"As I've said, if she doesn't say anything, then there's no way we'll be caught. And that goes for us too, alright, Arlo?"

Within their chatter, Arlo goes back into silence, zoned out at looking as they carry on without a care in the world. And their smiles like little devils, he perceives, his ears ringing to the sound of hearing his nerves pulsating, and his anger and anxiousness that boils, with only in his mind, the disgust he feels for himself, and from his once close friend, Chloe.

"You listening, you moron?!" The second grab Arlo's shirt.

"Let go of me!!!" Arlo greets him with a swift punch to the face, his body tensed in his decision of fighting back as he breathes heavily, flashes of Chloe's face in his thoughts.

Dropped to the ground from an unexpected attack, the second slowly looks up, wiping from his mouth blood spilt by Arlo's rage, as the others stand and watch in shock. And so, other students begin to appear from the loudness of Arlo's voice, curious of the commotion as they mumble in their groups as they crowd them in a circle. His lips trembling, he looks at Arlo whose eyes have become like an unhinged person, and appearing is his words of rage, rushing Arlo with a curve of his own blow into his face. The students all yell in shock, as they begin to witness the clash of both of them striking each other with heavy hits that shake the nerves of those nearby, bouncing into tables as they wrestle. And in butting in for them to stop, comes Arlo's classmates that break up the fight, grabbing Arlo as they push the other one into Osuv and the others.

"Arlo?? What the hell is going on???" The lizardman questions, seeing his damaged face.

"You fucking bastard!! You finally crossed the line, huh!" The second shouts.

"Heh! How about it Arlo? How about I show everybody here our little secret?!!"

"The hell you on about...? What's wrong with you??" Another of Arlo's classmates charges.

"Hell..." The lizardman sounds. "I knew these guys were bad news. Come on...we're leaving"

"Wait! I said wait!" The second pulls out his phone. "I warned you, didn't I? Now you'll they'll see what a pathetic little bitch you are"

"Tch...!" Arlo sounds, his body going cold, and his eyes drowning in fear as he sees his hand hovering over the video.

And he presses the play button, starting with the sounds of laughter that echo across the hallway, but comes another who quickly grabs his phone, with turning down the volume as she watches as they antagonize him, stopping the video as she's seen enough. Veins popping in her head, her horns looking more dangerous than usual, she turns to Arlo in realizing his suffering, seeing how embarrassed he is.

"I'm confiscating this..." She simply states, placing it in her pocket.

"Give me back my pho-huh?!"

"You..." Thea turns to him, grasping his shirt with lifting him into the air, shocking everyone around her. "Do you have a death wish?? You think you can mess with my student and get away with it?!!"

"What are you gonna do about it?!" The second charges, smirking as he becomes sweaty. "You try anything, and I sue your ass! You hear me?! Now put me down before I angrier!!"

"Sue me?? Go ahead! Just know, I'm gonna make sure your days will be you sipping from a straw when you're broken up on a hospital bed"

"Do it! I dare you! Do it, bitch!!" He shouts.

"Ngh!"

"Ms.Hansen!!" Arlo shouts, stopping Thea before she could lift her clenched fist. "Stop!! Just Stop...! Don't do anything! Just...leave me alone!"

He runs off with his peers calling his name in their worries. And there he stops, surprised in also seeing as Chloe was also watching, her face fit with questioning what was happening, then to see Victor as well. He hurriedly sprints off as Thea calls his name, with her dropping the second onto the floor, running off to catch him.

"Wait," Victor stops her. "Don't go after him as yet. Let him air out for a bit"

Sweating with vexatious thoughts, his teeth grits as he just wants a place to hide. Finally, he finds one, his chest heavy as he gasps for air, looking at the sky as his fists clench. He steadily drops to the floor, punching the wall next to him as he curses himself, then grabbing his chest to the chained feeling of shame. And then he hears the scatter of stones shifted on the ground, his swollen eyes not even shifting to look up.

"Drink it..." The voice orders him to do.

Hesitant, he looks up in knowing who's voice it is, waking up as his heart pounds faster, from Chloe who has found her way to his hiding place. Slowly he takes the bottle with trying his best not to touch her hand, warmed by the drink as he drinks it, his face healing as he nods to her in gratitude for her kindness.

"...I'm pretty pathetic, huh?" He chuckles to her, forcing a smile.

"...Yeah, you are," She candidly tells him, shaking her head.

"Ah," He simply nods, curling up to hide his face. "I can see why you're always looking down on me now. I'm just an idiot who can't even stand up for himself, a weakling. And now, Ms.Hansen might get in trouble because of me. Tch...damn it"

"...Well...at least you manned up," She tells him, slowly having his head lift. "The bastards acted like they could say or do anything to you, and you finally showed them the truth. Damn it, it was fucking annoying always watching you hanging out with them. You acted like you were their puppy or something, geez"

"Chloe..." He softly speaks, stopping as she walks over to him, standing above him with blowing up her hair.

"Arlo," She sounds his name, her eyes serious. "I know what you've been up to...so don't try covering it anymore...I know everything"

"I..." His face freezes, knowing what she means, ashamed with averting his eyes as he learns she knew all along.

"Listen to me, don't run away from this, and don't go back to those fuckers either. The moment you do any of these things, is the day you truly fucked up. Heh, and you saw it, didn't you? That stupid, dragon lady loves you too much to want to get angry at you anyway...so, what are you gonna do?" She kneels in front of him.

"I," He starts again, clenching his pants legs, surprised as he feels her warm hand atop his head.

"Heh," She smirks. "Welcome back, idiot"

Under the cover of shade they both rest, Chloe sitting beside him as she watches him go back to his sulking, his body now motionless, without a sound, and his mind without a thought, as the leaves of time shift, coming to the evening shades of red. And back within the halls, mostly emptied from the students gone, are Thea and Victor waiting by her class, Thea picking her nail, looking up as she sees her two students coming.

"C-Chloe, Arlo...?" She smiles.

"I'm sorry I shouted at you," Arlo scratches his head, grabbed as he is hugged by his teacher, cringing Chloe who watches.

"I'm just glad you're alright," She rubs his head, squeezing him tightly.

With her letting him go, Arlo then turns to Victor, shaking for only for a moment, his eyes turning at looking at Chloe and Thea, grasping his chest as he takes deep breaths.

"I'd like to be counselled," He looks to Victor, his eyes pressing with certainty. "And I want you guys to hear as well"

From there they enter Victor's office, everybody taking a seat in a moment of silence. With his hands shaking, he clenches them, Thea resting her hands onto them as Chloe sits at the window.

"Since coming to this school, my only dream was to someday become stronger so I could help people. But...the more I spent my time here, the more I realized how weak I was," He chuckles. "The day I hit the ninth grade, I became a target for some of the stronger kids, and all could just do was to deal with it. 'I'm leaving in two years anyway'. 'I'm leaving in a year, so just hold on'. 'Ah, It's just a few months now, I can take it... I'm used to this anyway'. Those were my thoughts the whole time. So...when they took that video of me, that's where I felt the world was never kind enough to let me finally escape in peace, and it made me angry at myself. I lost my friends and my will, and I just...really wanted to die"

"Arlo..."Thea sounds, stopped by the shaking of his head.

"You suspected me, didn't you...? Well, you're right. I cowardly decided on helping them to protect myself, and one of my classmates got into trouble because of it...at Lam's avenue today, by 6, a trade-off will take place in one of the alleyways. The soldiers don't really patrol there as much, so it's always been a place where Osuv and the others would meet their dealer. I'll take whatever punishment I deserve. Please...stop them from getting anybody else hurt," His hands tremble.

By the window, her hands clenched, Chloe hisses with realizing what he has been through this whole time, as Thea hugs Arlo while holding back her tears. And taking his phone out, Victor makes a dial to his units, firstly explaining to them his secret job, then telling them what he had heard.

"We've found our suspects. Please...let's do our best," He looks at Arlo, as his units on the phone all yell in salute, hanging up as he places a hand on Arlo's shoulder. "Know this, you are no coward. As a knight, I will always remember your courage and what you've done for your people. Remember this, you've just saved hundreds of your schoolmates, and possibly thousands of citizens from suffering the same fate as your classmate did. And I promise, those who've done you wrong will surely be put to justice. Thank you, Arlo"

With that, Victor leaves them with Arlo steadily sitting still, nodding his head, holding back his tears to his heart relieved, from the confession that has set his soul free from his chains of guilt and shame.