Intermission: The Day Before

A massive sigh escaped my mouth as I melted into the couch.

Genuinely, I couldn’t remember the last time I felt this tired after studying. With me being able to learn things so quickly, studying was like a cherry on top. Now I could practically feel my brain oozing out my ears.

Only two days had passed, three including today, but these study sessions were taking everything out of me. Teaching math was easy, but learning history was like drilling a screw in my head.

And to pour salt in my wounds, tomorrow was the beginning of the school week.

Just great.

“So you really are an idiot,” My sharp tongue tutor sitting next to me, Ze’Seki, drilled deeper into my skull. She shook her head while reviewing the worksheet I’d just finished. I guess I’d done much worse than I’d originally expected.

“I didn’t know I came here to be insulted.”

“Well, I’m insulted by how bad you are at this,” she waved the worksheet, holding it like it was deplorable.

Ze’Seki really wasn’t holding back anymore, was she? It’s like starting this (fake) friendship with her also gave her a free pass to insult me without repercussions. I had some training due to Kokoro and my aunt, so I wouldn’t just keel over from her words.

“I know you’re not talking to me about being bad at something. Especially with your math scores.”

She sat up straight, “W-Well, even I did better at that. This looks like you purposely tried getting everything wrong.”

Ouch. A direct shot at my pride I see.

“Just sounds like someone’s a bad teacher,” I crossed my arms.

“Or someone’s a bad student,” she said with a pout.

It was fruitless to try to deny that much. I may be a good student most of the time, but I fell flat on my face when history is brought into the equation.

I guess that was a loss for both of us.

“Well, I just need to get good enough to pass this semester…at the very least pass this week’s test.”

“You get weekly tests at McKinley, right?”

“Yep. It can really be a pain.”

At least history was.

But now that Ze’Seki was helping me out, I might have a chance.

I sighed while lamenting how close I really was to the edge of failure.

Hm?

As I looked up towards Ze’Seki, I noticed she was nervously playing with her hands. Her eyes were downcast, and she bit her upper lip.

“You okay?” I nudged her.

She jumped to attention, “Y-Yea, yeah…I’m fine.” A weak smile appeared on her face.

“Are you sure?”

She gave a simple nod.

Obviously, there was something on her mind. Minding my own business was basically my MO, but with Nor’s assignment still floating in mind, being a little more forward with her felt like the right call.

Excuses.

“Are you…nervous about school?” I asked, sitting up straight like a parent about to give a serious conversation with their child.

She flinched.

So I was right on the money.

“N-Not really…”

“Come on, you don’t need to worry,” I reassured her, “You might struggle alone, but don’t forget you have a genius on your side.” I pointed at myself.

Ze’Seki thought for a moment before saying, “Yeah…I’ve heard Kokoro’s grades are pretty good.”

I deflated.

“Me…I’m the genius.”

“I should ask her for some advice…” she trailed off, thoroughly ignoring me.

In all fairness, she wasn’t entirely wrong. Kokoro would be a much better influence or mentor for her. Not only was she much better at socializing, but they were both girls. They had more they could confide with each other.

Or something like that.

A small laugh took me out of my thoughts. Not long after, Ze’Seki burst out laughing while looking at me.

Had I ever seen her laugh like that?

“Don’t worry, you might not be a genius, but you're pretty smart,” she continued laughing.

“That’s an understatement, but I’ll take it…I guess.”

Ze’Seki laughed for a little longer, but soon enough her smile subsided, replaced by an uneasy grin.

A few seconds of silence passed before she finally said, in a low voice, “Hey, Tsutsumi.”

“What’s up?”

Ze’Seki took in a deep, shaky, breath before asking, “Did…Did you really mean what you said a few days ago…?”

An oddly nonspecific question. We’d said plenty of things to each other the last few days. How far back did ‘few’ constitute in this case?

“Which part?”

“Y-You know…”

“No…No I don’t.”

She groaned. Looking off to the side, she flicked her arm then said, “You know, the whole…y-you would never hate me…thing…”

Oh.

That.

My face reddened. Thankfully Ze’Seki was looking away. The last thing I wanted was her teasing me about that.

Anyway, I did mean everything I said. Obviously. It was just a little embarrassing to think back to. I felt like I accidentally said it in a weird way.

I really should’ve phrased it better.

“R-Right, I said that,” I answered to cover up my embarrassment. Not minding that I hadn’t answered the original question, I looked away too.

“But…did you mean it?”

I sighed. What was I even doing? I just had to reassure her.

“Of course, idiot. Why would I lie?”

The idiot part kind of slipped out, but the irony of my words didn’t escape me. Obviously, I would lie. I was lying to her now. It was just not the same thing she was talking about.

Still, Ze’Seki still seemed happy with my response, showing a clear smile while looking down at her hands.

Ignoring the ‘idiot’ part of my answer, she gave a quiet, “…Thank you…” before standing from the couch. She stretched then said, “Kokoro’s cooking tonight, right?”

I guess we’re switching topics now.

“Yep. Want me to make us a snack to keep us alive?”

Her face lit up as she nodded, “If you don’t mind.”

Well, this is what a friend would do right? At least, a friend that happens to live with them—who also happens to be faking that friendship.

Hypocrite.

I shook away the thought that kept lingering in the back of my mind.

---

Evy was over the moons.

Yes, both of them.

The last few days had been nothing but studying, but that was the most enjoyment she’d felt in such a long time. And it was all because of the guy cooking a snack in front of her.

Araldo pulled out fish and eggs from the fridge, then grabbed breadcrumbs from the cupboards. He quickly placed them on the counter and turned to her.

“You’re okay with fish sticks, right?”

She nodded.

Without a word, he began to work.

With school starting soon, tomorrow even, her stomach fluttered with nervousness. All her worries were either about to come true or be dispelled.

But at the very least, she was starting to feel confident she could trust Araldo to be by her side—Kokoro too of course.

“Do you think…I can help?”

“Can you cook?” Araldo asked troubled.

“W-Well,” she always had her mom cook for her, so she wasn’t too well versed in the culinary arts. But she I helped her mom a few times with some stuff, “I can at least to the breading.”

“That’s basically the whole thing…” he said as he grabbed the breadcrumb container and tossed it her way.

“W-Wha—?” without any warning, Evy wasn’t fast enough to react in time. The container slammed directly on her face.

“Oh, my bad. I usually do that with Kokoro so it kind of slipped.”

Evy glared at him while holding her nose. It didn’t hurt that much, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t give him a punch in the shoulder for that.

Which she did.

But a part of her felt really happy with his comment.

Whether she was wrong to think it or not, having him confuse her for Kokoro was just another sign he didn’t see her as just a random person. That maybe he already saw her as a friend.

That maybe…she’d finally gotten that true friendship she was looking for.

Well, Evy knew she wouldn’t reach the same relationship he had with Kokoro. She still didn’t know exactly what they were to each other, but she guessed they were cousins. Maybe she’d ask eventually.

“Aren’t you going to cut the fish?” she asked Araldo who was blankly staring at her.

“Right. I just got distracted with how red your nose is.”

“S-Shut up.”

And so, side-by-side, they began cooking.

---

Kokoro’s ears twitched as she caught the sound of something sizzling. Her sharp nose intercepted a pleasant smell coming from elsewhere. She followed the trail outside her room and downstairs.

It was fish.

She knew that.

But who was making fish?

Licking her lips, she turned the corner towards the kitchen—then immediately jumped back!

“!!!”

Was she seeing this clearly?

She couldn’t be.

Araldo. THE Araldo. The guy who didn’t like to deal with people was cooking with someone who wasn’t herself or Ina.

Was the universe coming to a close? That’s the only way she could imagine something this drastic would happen!

Reeling in her outlandish imagination, she was genuinely confused what’d transpired between them. She wasn’t there with them all the time and she still didn’t know why they were late that one day, but that probably had something to do with it, she thought.

Well, whatever it was, she didn’t mind it. Not in the slightest. Actually, she more than welcomed the change, however, she did still find it odd to witness.

She couldn’t hold back her tail from curling excitedly as she spied on them from a distance—creepily.

Kokoro was genuinely happy.

She hadn’t seen him hang out with someone in so long.

Ever since he became distant from everyone else, Kokoro was the last friend he’d had. She still didn’t know what caused him to push everyone away, but she could still picture him crying on his bed, his face scratched with bruises and wounds around his arms—

Way to go Ari! She cheered in her mind.

This could only mean good things. As his best friend, she couldn’t be happier for him.

She took a step back and made her way back upstairs.

Interrupting them now wouldn’t be the best idea, but she would reprimand them later for not sharing some of the fish.

She hung her head.

Right, I have to cook today, she lamented.

---

You’re still no different from back then, are you?

The voice in Nor’s mind couldn’t be real, he knew it wasn’t. Whatever it spoke about, none of it mattered, yet he understood why it was there.

“Hm,” he let out, “I don’t see that as true.”

You’re making this harder on yourself pointlessly, why? To help someone like him? He doesn’t want to be helped. He doesn’t need it.

Nor ran his finger over the ‘A’ on his chest, “She would’ve told me to do it too. You know that to be true.”

Whatever voice had been in his head was now strangely quiet.

Maybe he really was going insane. Being trapped in the same place for hundreds of years will do that to you.