Otonokizaka's archery range | 2:11pm

"Give it up." Umi said, staring up at Maki with a solemn look. "You and I have nothing to talk about."

"I can help you, Umi." Maki returned the gaze with her pair of imploring violet eyes. "Don't you want something to change too? Between you and Eli..."

Tensing up, Umi turned away, her fingers curling up around the bow. A numbing feeling crept up her spine, clouding her mind and settling heavily on her heart. "There's nothing to change."

"You can't want that." Maki rolled her eyes, hands fidgeting in the pockets of her blazer.

"There's a lot that I want." Umi's other free hand occupied itself by drawing an arrow from a sheath. "But I can't have them."

"I can help you to get it." The wrinkles on Maki's forehead deepened. "But you aren't even trying."

"I see." Umi muttered as she released the arrow, sending it straight into the bull's eye with ease and grace.

"No, you don't." Maki retorted forcefully, her violet eyes flaring. "Stop saying you see when you clearly don't. To date a student from UTX, let alone a member of A-Rise, is suicidal."

Recalling memories that Maki wished could stay buried forever, Maki tried to suppress any more of negative emotions spilling from these memories. She tilted up her chin, reaching to scratch her throat when she stopped herself in the last second, hands curling into fists.

"You can't even see the grave you're pushing yourself into." Maki struggled to speak as her neck tensed in agony.

An empty chuckle escaped from Umi's barely parted lips. "How interesting. You speak as though you've taken this path before."

Umi paused, her head tilting to side. Her dead amber eyes peered lifelessly into Maki's overwhelming violet eyes. The corners of Umi's mouth curled up in a hollow smirk. "Or perhaps you did."

"I did." The first year's face contorted into pain and regret as she muttered. "Guess that makes the both of us the biggest idiots."

The smirk was instantly wiped off Umi's face. "Then do you really think I'm not trying?"

Taking a deep breath, Maki allowed herself a moment to carefully deliberate her question. No matter how she tried to rephrase her words in her head, Maki just could not find the right answer. Unable to respond, Maki's eyes trailed the edges of the wooden planks forming the floor.

"I knew it." Umi's tone was sharp as she let out a long sigh. "You're just like Eli."

Instantaneously, Maki's gaze raised slightly but not above Umi's chin.

"You can't compare me with Eli." Maki swallowed. " I've done far worse things."

"How are you two any different? You're both too stubborn to talk, you both are hiding things, making everything more complicated than it should be," Umi said in exasperation.

The lost second year searched for the first year's eye contact, who uncomfortably scratched her throat. "How do you expect me to continue dating Eli if I can't tell what's real and what isn't? When will the pretenses stop?"

"She only told white lies." Maki averted her eyes. "Eli only lied to you out of pure good will."

"I'm not so sure." Umi said curtly, hints of impatience slipping out of her usual neutral voice.

"Eli didn't want to lie to you." Maki bit her tongue, her voice raising. "But nevertheless I still dragged Eli into this, and snitched on her. This was my second mistake."

Umi stared at her. "Second?"

"I snitched on Eli because of my first mistake." Regret was strangling Maki, as her hoarse voice barely came out from her dry throat. "It was a mistake to take up Kira's offer."

Umi scrutinised Maki, whose body stance tensed. "What was the offer."

"To come up with a song together at her place that night," Maki swallowed. "For Otonokizaka and Muse."

Tired, Umi's head hung back, her eyes roaming the ceiling. Maki's words had an unpleasant sense of familiarity.

"It all adds up now." The second year shortly closed her eyes, exhaling slowly. "Kira trapped you and forced you to do all this."

"Yes." The first year's voice cracked.    Frustration welling up in her chest and threatening to choke her, Maki had enough of enduring Umi's stubbornness. "So please, stop before you do anything foolish like I did."

A scoffing sound escaped Umi's tightly drawn lips. "It's impossible to seek a way out now."

Confused, Maki batted her eyes rapidly as her gaze followed Umi who bent down to place her bow onto the wooden floor. With trembling hands, Umi combed her dull blue hair behind her ears. Slowly, she tugged gently at her collar.

    "Bargaining won't work because it's too late." Umi's expression hardened.

Violet eyes widen in shock as they landed on the numerous hickeys found on her collar bone.

Outside of Otonokizaka's archery range | 2:37pm

Staggering occasionally as she tried to grab hold of herself while walking along the empty hallways, Maki's pace quickened with every step. Turning sharply at the corner, Maki did not pay attention to a person hiding in a corner just outside of the archery range.

With no time to avoid the person, Maki crashed right into that person, causing the both of them to fall onto the ground upon the impact.

"Fuck." Maki groaned, rubbing her rear end in pain.

Lifting her head up again, Maki's eyes met with Kotori's teary amber eyes who remained silent. Awkward, Maki faced away while standing up. She then stuck a hand out, offering Kotori help but the usual kind Kotori shoved Maki's hand away.

"Sorry." It was just a chopped whisper, a faint mutter that fell over Maki's unmoving lips, but Kotori reacted like she had been yelled at, jerking her head towards the first year.

"You're sorry?" A bitter laugh followed.

"I don't need your apology." Kotori turned her back to Maki, a sick feeling of betrayal pressing against her lungs until she felt like she couldn't breathe anymore. "The one you should be apologising is Nico."

"Hah? How the hell does Nico come into this?" Staring right into Kotori's eyes at the mention of Nico's name, Maki furrowed her brows.

Kotori shut her eyes to prevent tears from leaking. "You're despicable."

"I heard my name." Nico appeared from the corner of the hallway, folding her arms in disapproval when she saw Kotori crying. "What the fuck did you do to Kotori, Maki."

Letting out another indignant gasp, Maki tossed her arms in the air. But before Maki could defend herself, Kotori stormed away without looking back, wiping at her eyes.

"Fuck you, Maki." Nico shoved past Maki, chasing after Kotori who disappeared quickly.

Her hands weakly falling to the side of her body again, Maki stared at Nico's figure that slowly disappeared into the distance.

Maki didn't realize she had been holding her breath until she felt her heart pounding painfully inside her chest. She could not comprehend the disturbing sense of guilt pressing on her heart.

Why was Kotori overreacting over a small accident?

_

It did not take the third year much effort to find the crying second year in the corner of the school compound she was familiar with. Cautiously approaching Kotori, Nico did not want to startle her.

Standing beside Kotori, Nico had the urge to embrace her vulnerable junior. Nico spread her arms, and Kotori allowed herself to fall against Nico, clinging onto the older girl's shoulder as she felt protective arms enveloping her.

"I'm sorry." Nico's shoulder muffled Kotori's meek and trembling voice. "I only worried everyone. It's all I ever do, being a burden to everyone. I'm really sorry."

Feeling her heart twisting painfully, Nico hugged Kotori closer to her. "Don't."

Kotori's fingers dug into Nico's blazer. "Don't what?"

"Don't say that about yourself. You're not a burden to me." Nico closed her eyes. "In fact, you're one of the few people I will be worried for if you fell into the sea."

Nico could feel Kotori's head shifting against her shoulder.

"Nico..." A throaty chuckle escaped Kotori's mouth. "You really love Maki, don't you?"

Nico froze. "What – what do you mean?"

Stepping out of the embrace, Kotori took a step back to be able to look at Nico's bewildered face. Kotori had a melancholic smile on her face. "That sounded a lot like something Maki would say. I guess its a connection between couples."

Nico could feel her cheeks burning up, her worry for Kotori slipping away. Shaking her head to get a hold of herself, Nico scolded herself silently for forgetting about their current situation. It was uncomfortably scary how Kotori is able to bent the situation to divert the attention away from herself.

"I guess I do..." Nico muttered.

"You do, Nico." Kotori interjected gently. "Maki is a good person." It was only a faint whisper, weak enough to get lost in a gust of wind, but it reached Nico's sensitive ears nonetheless.

Nico clenched her fists. "Is she really?"

"Eh?"

Torn, Nico faced away from Kotori. "I love Maki, and I thought she is a good person. But now I'm not so sure." Taking a deep breath, Nico turned to Kotori again with a sad look. "What good person can hurt you so badly that you broke down and ran away?"

Kotori ducked her head, tears streaming down her pale cheeks. Nico could feel her heart pounding wildly, her brain urgently telling her to apologize for going too far. Nico watched in pain as Kotori fanned herself some air, closing her eyes and taking deep breaths before she straightened her expression into a relaxed one. Within seconds, the Minami Kotori who was known for her kind smile was back.

And it unsettled Nico more than anything.

"Why do you love Maki?" Kotori's eyes were bright, staring unblinkingly at the flustered Nico.

"Because," Nico replied unhesitantly, "She's not afraid."

Bringing her fists to her chest, Nico shut her eyes with a smile tugging at her lips. "Her bluntness gives me strength."

"Good." Kotori smiled warmly. "I want you to remember your words."

"Whatever for?" Nico raised a brow in confusion as Kotori walked past her, their shoulders brushing against each other's.

"Because," The second year spoke over her shoulder quietly. "You'll need it when you are feeling lost."

Otonokizaka's archery range | 2:17pm

A creak from the wooden floor disturbed Umi once more. "I don't remember you leaving anything behind, Maki –"

Umi fell silent at the sight of the person she dreaded seeing the most.

"Umi." The Student Council President greeted, feeling her throat drying up.

Then, silence fell between them. Eli's heart was racing and her mouth completely dry, breathlessly staring at Umi, anxiously waiting for a reaction.

But the blue haired just gazed back at her with no expression at all. Her eyes showed no anger, no disgust, no shock, nothing. The only thing Eli could see was her own reflection in those amber eyes.

"Please," Eli deliberately let her gaze trail down Umi's face, shortly lingering on her mouth before darting back up. "Please say something."

Umi's jaw twitched but no words came out.

"Umi please just say something." Eli repeated, wringing with her hands. "Anything, really. You can scold me for all you want." She cleared her throat, lowering her voice, "I deserve it."

Umi blankly gazed at Eli's torn expression before reverting her attention back to the target board, her arms tensing as she drew an arrow.

At the instant when Umi pulled the string of the bow back, a sudden surge of impulsion and aggressiveness overwhelmed Eli as she lunged forward, dangerously blocking Umi's line of vision from the target board.

Stunned, Umi's grip on the string loosened slightly, enough to send the arrow straight through Eli. But with her lightning fast reflexes, Umi barely diverted the arrow's direction to the side in time. The arrow flew past Eli's ear, sending a sharp whistle into her ear, causing Eli to fall backwards, covering her ears in a delayed response.

One millisecond late, she was a goner.

"What were you thinking!" Umi yelled, a tear breaking free from her dark amber eyes.

Eli remained on the floor, her eyes squeezed shut in a pained expression.

She hadn't felt this miserable in a long time. It was the kind of misery where she had no one to blame, knowing full well that it was her who had dug her own hole and jumped right into it, completely aware that it might be a bad decision but still hoping on the one percent chance that it might be not.

She had gambled everything on the one percent chance where she would be able to get through to Umi, ignoring the ninety-nine percent certainty of dying.

Chuckling softly, Eli did not lift her head, in fear of her eyes meeting Umi's.

"What's so funny?" Umi growled, anger apparent in her voice.

In a moment of anger and frustration, Umi tossed the bow forcefully onto the ground. The loud thud from the collision of the bow and the ground startled Eli who finally jolted her head up, facing Umi. Umi looked down at Eli through a pair of wide red-rimmed eyes, her mouth slightly open and a glisten of tear above her cracked lips.

"Do you really think this is a joke?" Umi hissed. "You could have died!"

Eli smiled wistfully. "You care."

A wave of nausea welled up in her chest and Umi covered her mouth to suppress it. Breathing heavily, Umi shook her head in desperation.

The tearing second year stumbled a step backwards before dashing out, leaving the Student Council President alone in the empty range.

Crushed with depression, Eli slowly began to understand Umi's preference to mediate on the floor. To feel solid ground beneath her when everything else in her life felt like crumbling reminded her that the world wasn't ending but just spinning in a faster pace than she was used to. The world is spinning and she was drowning, in the sea of lamentations.

___________

a/n: i wrote this chapter while being a little tipsy so excuse any incoherence in my expressions haha :')

(lol every time im suppose to be doing my work and here i am working on my fanfic instead amazing)

also my first book finally hit 2k view omg thanks guys <3

thanks for reading, once again

ants