Chapter 3: Taking Sides

No one expected it to happen. Not on a bright afternoon like this, in a place as carefully managed as St. Valerian’s.

The day was ordinary. Sunlight filtered through the trees. The whistle of a teacher could barely be heard above the shouts and laughter in the playground during recess. Nothing felt strange or off. Nothing foreshadowed what was coming.

But that’s how these things always started. No warning. No buildup. Just a single sudden, irreversible moment.

And for the girl some called “feral”, it only took a single sentence.

It happened when Akane walked past a group of boys near the monkey bars without so much as a glance in their direction. One of them had leaned back and said, loud enough for others to hear, “You smell like beer. Did your dad drink your lunch money again?”

Akane froze.

She went pale. Then red.

She didn’t speak. Didn’t warn him.

Before anyone could blink, she spun around and hit him. Her fist crashed into his cheek, knocking him over. The boy hit the ground hard, scraping his elbow. He sat there, stunned for a second, then burst into tears.

A sharp, stunned silence followed.

Then everything exploded.

Kids shouted. Teachers ran towards the crying boy. One them crouched next to him while the other stormed towards Akane, already chastising her. Whispers erupted through the playground like a shockwave.

“She’s gonna get expelled again.”

“Did you see that?”

"She didn’t even hesitate-”

All of a sudden, a familiar voice cut through the noise.

“He said something mean about her dad. I heard it. He started it.”

The voice wasn’t loud. But it was calm, clear, impossible to ignore, and it silenced everything.

Heads turned.

Corvina stood a few steps behind Akane, arms folded across her chest. She hadn’t moved when it happened, but she’d been watching. And now she spoke with a strange kind of certainty that made everyone pause.

She never caused trouble. Never got involved. Never raised her voice or spoke out of turn. She was polished, untouchable, and most of all, obedient. Yet here she was, speaking up for the problematic transfer student. The nobody.

Corvina’s posture didn’t shift, but something in her expression did. There was an almost imperceptible tightness around her mouth. She looked calm and controlled, but something about it seemed a little strained.

It would’ve cost her nothing to stay quiet, but she didn’t. She knew what her name could do and she was choosing to use it.

For Akane.

The teachers blinked, hesitating. The Umbrae name carried weight here, and when Corvina said she saw it, that changed things.

Akane just stared at her, stunned. The anger was still there, but confusion was now there alongside it.

Why was Corvina doing this? They barely knew each other. She wasn’t supposed to care.

As though sensing Akane’s confusion, Corvina turned slightly, voice soft but steady. “You didn’t deserve that.”

The words landed like a blow. Gentler than Akane’s, but just as unexpected.

The rage burning in her chest flickered. Why? What did she want?

Akane had always thought of her as a fake, stuck-up, untouchable princess - all manners, smiles and fancy words. The kind of girl who never got in trouble and always said the “right” thing because that’s what people expected of her.

But this? This wasn’t fake.

Corvina didn’t need to say anything. She could’ve just watched, or walked away, like everyone else. But she stood up for Akane instead. Not to look good, or impress anyone, or because someone told her to.

Just because it was the right thing to do.

It made her even harder to understand.

The teachers began to scatter the students. One helped the injured boy to the infirmary while the other gestured for Akane to follow. As she was led across the playground, she glanced back at Corvina, who hadn’t moved yet. She wasn’t smiling, nor did she look proud. She just seemed unsure, like even she hadn’t expected to speak up. Like something invisible had tugged the words out of her.

For the first time, Akane didn’t feel angry. She just didn’t know what the hell to make of her.

—

From the edge of the playground, Corvina watched Akane go. She felt strange. Lighter and heavier, all at once.

She hadn’t planned to speak up. She didn’t even realize she was going to until the words had already left her mouth. They jumped out before she could stop them, straight from somewhere deep inside her. Corvina just couldn’t help it after hearing the mean thing that boy had said, and how pale it made Akane turn before she snapped.

Now her heart was pounding. Not with fear, exactly, but with something else. A part of it felt like guilt, but the other part felt like something she didn’t know the name of. Something satisfying and exciting. The kind of feeling that comes from doing a good deed

When Akane had turned back to glance at her, Corvina expected to see anger or confusion. What she saw wasn’t either of those, however. It was something softer, uncertain, and curious. It made Corvina want to step forward and do something, to say something more, but she didn’t know what.

Some kids still lingered even though the teacher made them disperse. They were whispering among themselves, no doubt about Corvina. For once, though she wasn’t tuning in to find out what they were saying. She didn’t try to guess what people expected her to do next.

She was wondering what she wanted to do next.

—

A week had passed since the playground incident.

Wherever Corvina went, children would whisper whenever she walked past. They stared at her, keeping their distance. Nobody said anything to her face, but they didn't need to. She was too observant not to notice.

Initially, she thought it was because she spoke up for Akane. She did something socially unacceptable and maybe standing up for a girl like her was something to be ashamed about. Maybe she had done something she shouldn't have.

However, one day, she heard a certain hushed conversation:

“Do you think Corvina’s scared of her too?”

“Maybe that's why she stood up for her.”

“Akane’s so dangerous that even the Umbrae girl won’t cross her.”

“That's got to be it. She's trying to stay on her good side.”

It didn't make any sense. Corvina wasn't scared or trying to get into Akane’s good books. She just didn't want to see someone get punished for something they didn't start. Especially not Akane.

Little did Corvina know that Akane had heard the rumours too, and it was digging up some very bad memories, causing something bitter to fester in her chest.

Akane had been used before, by that girl whose arm she bit. Her so-called friend who had faked kindness. Now it was happening all over again, only this time it was worse because a part of her wanted to believe that Corvina wasn’t like that.

She forced herself to believe the worst instead.

It was easier.

—

The sky was clear, and the midday sun shone intensely while students were running on the track. The ones that weren’t running yet sat in the shade, hydrating or drying their sweat with towels.

Corvina ran like she was on autopilot: back straight, arms bent at ninety degrees, breathing carefully paced.

But something was wrong.

Her posture was too rigid. Her gaze was unfocused. She didn’t seem to notice when a few kids whispered behind cupped hands as she ran by them.

She was distracted, thinking about Akane and the incident in the playground. Since then, other kids didn’t really talk to her properly anymore. Some of them looked at her like she was dangerous just for speaking up.

Akane changed a little, too. Her glares sharpened and her words got meaner. She called Corvina “princess” like it was an insult. When Corvina tried to hand her a worksheet in class, she snatched it and muttered, “I don’t need your charity.”

It wasn’t as though she had expected Akane to thank her, let alone warm up to her. But she certainly didn’t imagine that Akane would get even meaner. She didn’t even understand why.

Just then, she spotted Akane at the edge of the field from the corner of her eye and glanced at her.

For a second, their eyes met.

Akane instantly looked away. But in that split second of distraction, Corvina tripped.

Her foot caught on the other, sending her crashing. The gravel tore through her tights and scraped her knee, leaving a raw red scratch.

Everything went still. A few kids gasped.

Corvina bolted upright, trying to brush off the whole fall. But her hands began to tremble, and her lips were pressed so tightly together that they grew pale. Her eyes flicked to the blood, then to the torn fabric of her tights. Her expression stayed neutral… until it didn’t.

For a second, something else showed through. Something only Akane caught.

Fear.

Not fear of pain. Not fear of embarrassment.

Fear of consequences.

Of how someone - someone at home - might react to a scar.

Akane's gut twisted.

A couple of students stepped forward.

“I can take her to the nurse,” one said.

“Yeah, me too-”

“I’ll take her,” Akane snapped.

Everyone went quiet.

The kids who had offered stepped back instinctively. No one argued.

She didn’t even realize the words had left her mouth. Something in her moved before her mind could catch up, spurred by the memory of their eyes locking the moment before she tripped.

Something that felt like… guilt.

Corvina just nodded slightly and allowed Akane to help her up. She didn't say anything, or know how to feel about this. Akane had been acting meaner, so why was she suddenly acting nice? Corvina couldn’t understand it. Her chest tightened, like something invisible was squeezing her heart.

It made her feel like crying, but she locked it away as quickly as it came, burying it beneath the composure drilled into her since childhood.

Weakness was something she was never allowed to show. That would never change.

Never.