Chapter 4: Unmasked

「僕はあなたに抗えず、溺れてしまう。」

[Boku wa anata ni aragaezu, oborete shimau.]

“I can’t help but drown in you.”

The nurse’s office, bathed in the warm gold of the afternoon sun.

Two girls in their PE clothes, silent.

Corvina sat on the patient’s bed with her legs hanging over the edge. Her expression was tense, her blue eyes fixed on the figure in front of her.

Akane knelt before her holding a bottle of disinfectant in one hand and a piece of cotton in the other. Her crimson eyes bore into the wound she was treating, expression twisted in irritation. Yet despite the fierce look on her face, she was gentle and careful with her movements.

The injured girl did her best not to let it show on her face, but there were still telltale signs of pain: she bit her lip hard, curled her fingers into tight fists, and tensed whenever the disinfectant doused cotton dabbed her wound.

It took another minute or so to finish disinfecting and bandaging the wound. After that, Akane reached out to gently grasp Corvina’s ankle, making her hiss quietly. She had tried not to limp as both girls made their way to the infirmary, but there was no escaping Akane’s sharp, watchful gaze.

As expected, she had sprained her ankle.

Akane clicked her tongue.

“Where’s the damn nurse when you need ‘er…” she grumbled under her breath, heading off to the fridge to get an ice pack. While she did, Corvina shifted to bring her legs up onto the bed.

“Here.” Akane jutted out an arm, clutching the ice pack. She didn’t look Corvina’s way.

The injured girl took the ice pack and placed it over her ankle. “Thank you, Akane.”

Akane just grunted in response.

A heavy silence settled between them after that, thick enough to cut through. Every small sound suddenly felt louder: the twist of the disinfectant bottle’s cap, the soft rustle of cotton being packed away, the quiet clink of scissors as Akane gathered everything she’d used. Her back remained turned towards Corvina the entire time.

Corvina, on her part, was lost in thought. The memory of their eyes meeting on the track was still fresh in her mind. Just before she had looked away, Corvina saw something in them… A brief flicker of something raw and unreadable.

She thought back to when Akane had said she’d take her to the infirmary, making the other kids back off without question. How Akane had steadied her without a word, one arm under Corvina’s, making sure she didn’t have to limp alone. And when they’d finally arrived, she may have scowled and grumbled and pretended not to care, but she treated Corvina’s wound more carefully than most adults’ would have.

It made Corvina’s chest ache in a way she didn’t quite understand, deep and unfamiliar.

That wasn’t nothing.

That wasn’t hate.

That was… something real.

Something she’d never been given without conditions.

Corvina had spent most of her life around people who liked her for her last name, her poise, the way she performed what was expected of her. But Akane didn’t like her. Not even a little bit. Not yet.

She didn’t know what she’d done to deserve Akane’s hidden kindness. She wasn’t perfect around her - far from it. She forgot her script, let the mask slip, made the other girl upset. Yet despite all that, Akane was here.

And maybe that was what this was really about.

Not debt. Not payback. Not obligation.

Despite the anger. Despite the mean tone. Despite the cold shoulder.

Corvina wanted to be her friend.

Not just anyone’s. Akane’s.

—

Akane didn’t look at Corvina. Didn’t want to.

She focused on tidying up, like the faster she moved the faster she could get out of here. She screwed the cap back on the disinfectant bottle, maybe a little too tight. Stuffed the cotton back into its packet with more force than needed. Grabbed the scissors. Kept her hands moving. Kept herself busy.

Anything to take her mind off the tightness she felt in her chest.

She could feel Corvina’s gaze on her back: constant, steady, too perceptive.

It was unbearable.

Why did Corvina always do that? Why did she always look at Akane like that? Like she wasn’t scary, or trouble, or someone to stay away from.

Like she… mattered. Like she actually saw the girl and not the monster.

Akane hated that look. She hated how it made something twist into a tight knot in her stomach. How it made her think stupid things that she didn’t want to think about.

Things like that girl who betrayed her. Used her.

Or the rumours that Corvina was doing the same.

The gut instinct that Corvina wasn’t like that.

She couldn’t trust it. Trust her.

No one did things just to be kind. Not without wanting something back. Not at home, and definitely not at school. Everyone was selfish - she’d learned that the hard way.

So why didn’t Corvina want something? Why did she keep getting in Akane’s way? Why did she keep acting like Akane wasn’t the kind of girl people were supposed to avoid?

Why wouldn’t she just stop?

Her back was still turned towards Corvina when she finally spoke.

“Corvina…”

At the mention of her name, Corvina’s head snapped up to look at Akane.

“Yes?”

The gentle hum of the air conditioner filled the brief silence that ensued.

Akane shut the cabinet. She didn’t turn around.

“...Why won’t you just leave me alone?”

Corvina blinked, surprised. It felt like the tension that had built between them had finally snapped from the weight of Akane’s question. And in its wake, something pierced her chest.

She drew in a breath, lips parting, but for a moment no words came out.

“Why won’t I leave her alone?”

The answer had once felt murky. But now… now it was clear.

“Because… I want to be friends with you.”

Akane’s eyes widened

A knot formed in her stomach. Her breath hitched, and her mouth went dry. Instinct told her to rebuke, but the words couldn’t make it past her lips. Her hands came to rest on the edge of the counter, gripping it so tightly her knuckles turned white. She sucked in a quiet, shaky breath, then tried again.

“I don’t wanna be friends. Get off my back.”

Her words were quiet, but cold. Sharp. She radiated aggression like a feral animal ready to strike, but Corvina was unfazed. Akane’s anger may have deterred her once, but not this time.

Not anymore.

“Then… Why'd you bring me here after I fell?” Corvina ventured. “Others offered to take me. I could walk by myself.”

Akane’s jaw clenched. She could feel Corvina’s gaze. Those eyes of hers that were always watching, always seeing - seeing right through her like she was as transparent as water.

Clear, just like those blue eyes.

“Akane… If you really didn’t want me around you, you’d have pushed me away.”

“I do push you away. You just keep crawling back.”

“You don’t,” Corvina pressed, calm and certain. “I’ve seen how you treat the people you really can’t stand.”

“Shut up…”

“Akane-”

“I said SHUT THE HELL UP!”

Her fist slammed the counter, making Corvina flinch. She whirled around, looking feral with the wild strands of white that fell across her face, her trembling fists, and her snarl that revealed a flash of grit teeth.

“You’re just tryna use me! I know your type!”

“Akane, what-?”

“You’re tryna use me as a shield!” she spits. “Like some angry guard dog. So people stay away from your perfect little princess life!”

Her face twisted with a bitterness no nine year old should know.

“I don’t get how you’re able to be friends with Akane, Emily.”

“Yeah… She’s really scary.”

“She’s really mean too… like an angry dog.”

“I heard her parents are awful.”

“So? Just make sure you don’t get on her bad side.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, my sister said that when it comes to people like that, it’s better to be their friend than their enemy.”

“So… you’re just pretending?”

“Totally. It’s really easy! Just be super nice and-”

“Shh! Emily! She’s behind you!”

“Wha-? A-Akane?!”

Akane’s fists trembled at her sides. “You think I don’t see it? The way they all stare at you like you’re some shiny trophy. Like being close to you makes them important.”

Her next words were quieter, more ragged.

“You think I don’t know what it’s like to be the scary one? The one people pretend to be nice to just so I don’t bite?”

Corvina doesn’t look away. She just breathes. In. Out.

“Is that really what it looks like to you?”

“Wh-what the hell d’you think I-”

“Then look me in the eyes, and say it again.”

Akane froze.

She had been looking at Corvina, but never once into her eyes.

Into her.

She couldn’t.

Because those sapphire eyes didn’t glare. They didn’t flinch. They saw right through her with terrifying clarity.

And like a still lake, she was clear, deep, and impossible to rattle. No matter how many rocks Akane throwed at her in the form of accusations, snarls and insults, the water swallowed them all, returning to stillness.

It scared her.

“You know, Akane…” Corvina started. “We’re more alike than you think.”

“Haa?” Akane snapped, voice rising in warning. “Don’t screw with me, Corvi! We couldn’t be more different even if we tried! You’re rich. You’re popular. You’ve got family. You have good grades and you’re talented and kind and- and you have those stupid pretty eyes like damn sapphires!”

Her voice cracked. She was trembling with anger, and needed a moment to just breathe.

“...You have everything I don’t. So don’t you dare say we’re similar.”

The silence that ensued was brief, but tense. Heavy, with the weight of all the repressed thoughts and emotions Akane had been bottling, now out in the open.

Then Corvina spoke again and listed things off on her fingers.

“You don’t trust anyone. You push people away. You get mad when they try to get close.”

Akane slowly lifted her gaze.

“You come to school early and stay late, pretending like it’s your choice… when it’s not. Not really.”

At this, Akane stiffened. She finally met Corvina’s eyes, and this time she couldn't look away.

“How did you-”

It hit, then.

The fact that Corvina had the same routine.

And it made her recall how those clear eyes turned dark whenever someone said mom.

Corvina knew because she’s the same.

“You…” Akane breathed.

Corvina slid off the bed, hissing when her injured ankle was forced to support her weight. Akane instinctively moved to steady her.

“O-oi, what are you-”

“You’re strong. You aren’t afraid of speaking your mind. You don’t care if people hate you. You aren’t afraid of being alone.”

She stepped closer, and closer, ignoring the pain in her ankle. Akane backed into the counter, wide-eyed.

“...You have everything I don’t.”

A beat.

“And… if my eyes are like sapphires, then yours are like rubies.”

Akane’s breath caught in her throat.

“Hey, look at that.”

“They’re red like blood!”

“Or a demon…”

“Demon child!”

“It’s all your fault”

“You’re the cause of our misfortune.”

“You should’a never been born!”

Her throat closed just as tears welled up in her eyes like a tide she couldn’t fight. She ducked her head, but it was too late. Corvina had seen.

Akane turned away, hurriedly wiping her tears away with her sleeves, but they wouldn’t stop flowing down her cheeks in rivulets. Her shoulders jumped and her breath hitched with every quiet sob she tried to hold back. Her chest felt heavy, constricted, from the intensity of emotion that was trying to push its way out.

It was the first time Corvina had seen Akane cry. The first time she saw her display any emotion aside from anger. She didn’t hesitate, stepping forward to gently wrap her arms around the sobbing girl.

“L-let go…” It’s barely a whisper.

“If it bothers you… push me away.”

“Corv-”

“Let’s be friends.”

Akane tensed.

“I like you, you know. Genuinely. I want to get to know you better. Play together. Talk. Everyone might think you’re mean, but… I know why you act like that. It’s… It’s the stuff at home isn’t it? I understand. I really do.”

And then the dam burst.

Akane clung to her like her life depended on it, burying her face in the crook of Corvina’s neck. Repressed sobs ripped from her throat, wracking her entire frame. Corvina held her tighter, rubbing circles into her back while murmuring soft words of comfort.

“Shh…”

“It’s okay.”

“I’m here for you.”

“Just let it all out.”

And Akane did.

The pain. The sorrow. The burden of strength.

All of it.

And when it had all poured out of her in one torrential release, Akane was left sniffling and tired. Drained. Her eyes were puffy and her head felt heavy from crying. Corvina’s shoulder had a huge wet patch on it, but she didn’t mind. She brushed Akane’s bangs aside before wiping her face with her sleeve.

“Akane?”

Red met blue.

Corvina hugged her again, softly this time.

“We’re friends now, okay?”

A long pause, that felt as though the world itself was holding its breath.

Then, slowly, Akane wrapped her arms around Corvina’s waist. It was hesitant and unsure, like she wasn’t sure if it was welcome, like it was something she’d never done before, but it was real.

“...Mm.”

Corvina smiled.

Somewhere in the distance, the school bell rang.

But for a while longer, neither of them let go.