"C-Can you sign m-my headphones p-please?"

Lana was eagerly chatting with Lyra, who didn't mind and just agreed excitedly. The rest of both teams and Pyrrha sat at a noodle stand, eating ramen together whilst chatting.

"There you go!" Lyra chirped before she handed the headphones back to Lana. Lana screeched excitedly before she placed them on her head.

"O-Oh my gosh, thank you, thank you, thank you-!!"

"It is truly an honor to be sitting here with you, Pyrrha," Grayson nodded his head in respect. "You too, of course, Lyra. I never imagined that we would get this opportunity..."

"Well, we're nothing special," Pyrrha just said with a small, forced smile. "We're lucky to get the opportunity to participate in these sort of things and meet all kinds of new people, like you."

"W-Wow, you even know just what to say-!" Lana just swooned harder. "Y-You're amazing!"

"Lana, please. They're just normal human beings, I'm far better," Colden was quick to interject, and Raewyn just eyed him.

"You just got your ass kicked, and that's what you have to say?" Raewyn rolled her eyes. "Come on, Colden. Loosen up. It was fun."

"It was fun for us too! Where do you guys come from?" Tanya inquired. "...I forgot."

"Haven Academy," Grayson said after a slurp of his noodles. "I'd like to say we're the best school, but seeing as we just got beat..."

"Beacon Academy is the finest hunter and huntress academy around," Janelle's chest swelled with pride. "Common knowledge."

"Yeah, well, our headmaster wanted us to dispute that. That's what they told us all on our way over," Raewyn chuckled. "Guess we failed at that..."

"T-That's alright, w-we can't win all the time," Lana said before she glanced over to Nico. "U-Um, are you o-okay?"

"...What?" Nico just eyed Lana.

"Y-You're really q-quiet, and I c-can barely even see you from behind your hood..."

"...T-That's because no one wants t-to see what's b-behind my hood," Nico answered flatly, causing everyone in Team GLCR to stare.

"That's not true!" Tanya exclaimed. "What's under your hood doesn't matter to us."

"Yeah," was all Lyra added with a smile. It seemed perfectly normal...to anyone who didn't know her. Her usual uneasy smile and lack of dialect just served to unnerve anyone in Team LJNT, particularly Nico.

"I promise we won't care what's under your hood," Grayson said. "But we won't pressure you to do anything you're uncomfortable with."

"T-Thanks," Nico just shifted uncomfortably, unsure of what to say. Music was suddenly heard in the background, and Lyra perked up immediately.

"Yes-! It's time for a dance!" Lyra cheered as she stood from the ramen stand. Others were already gathered in the area between all the stands. "Come on, Janelle! Let's go!"

"Wait, why me-?" Janelle protested, but she was pulled along by Lyra, much to her chagrin. Tanya laughed.

"Come on, Nico!" Tanya invited. "Let's go join the others. Just like the dance last year!"

"F-Fine. I guess..."

Team LJNT and Team GLCR all danced their heart out in the middle, the crowd around them moving and cheering. A circle began to form, with Lyra of course showing off her moves while some others grooved around. When it was time to trade partners, Lyra linked arms with Nico, twirling the smaller girl around until she was dizzy. Lyra giggled, but Nico couldn't bring herself to feel the same giddiness as the first time they had danced. The event may have been the same, but their relationship was different. Nico could tell that there was something brewing in her golden eyes.

"Oh! I've got to get going, I promised Mura I'd watch his team fight!" Lyra exclaimed as the bell rang to signal noon. The crowd tried to enclose her in, begging for signatures, but Lyra flashed a dazzling smile. "Sorry, I've got to go. Another time! Do you guys wanna come see Mura?"

...and of course, there was that weird feeling in Nico's chest again.

She had no idea why, but she could feel her entire body tense up once more. Lyra dropped
her hand before she disappeared to go watch Mura in the tournament. Janelle, Tanya, and Team GLCR stayed behind.

"You alright, Nico?" Tanya questioned, and Nico could only shrug.

"S-She's so c-confusing..."

"Yes, she is indeed," Janelle sighed as her hands twiddled with the hem of her purple
dress. "She is so...fake. I cannot help but wonder what she is truly thinking or feeling."

"I just don't understand why she has to fake being happy, though," Tanya frowned. "We'll all
be here for each other! She doesn't have to pretend to be...whatever she is right now. Her smiles aren't fooling us anymore...something is hurting her, and as a friend, I don't want to see
her like this!"

"I-I just don't know what we can d-do to help."

Kill the Grimm.

You must do it...You must avenge me...

Lyra frowned as she put her hands to her head, where Kyra's voice whispered urgently. There were no Grimm around, though. Lately, Kyra had been bothering her even when those monsters were nowhere in sight.

I'm sorry, I can't right now...all missions have been put on hold...

You could always start with that Grimm on your team.

Lyra scowled before she shook her head, ignoring Kyra as she made her way to an empty seat to watch Mura. His team, Team MOON was just making it to the stage. Lyra cheered loudly, ignoring the others who were fawning over her instead.

The fight ended swiftly, with Mura's team crushing the team from Vacuo. Meanwhile, the voice continued to bother her. Kill...Kill...Kill... Lyra winced before she stood to go congratulate them.

You have more important things to deal with than congratulating some boy.

"Good job, guys!" Lyra exclaimed as she put on her usual over the top smile. The voice continued to berate her. "You all did...did great!"

Shut up!

But the voice wouldn't. It was insistent throughout the entire conversation, unlike usual where it either made little remarks or was just silent. Lyra found it hard to concentrate as Kyra's voice grew louder and louder.

"Yes, it was fantastic-ngh-ah-" Lyra squeezed her eyes shut before she slammed her hands over her ears, confusing Mura's team. "Dammit, dammit, shut up, shut up, shut up!"

"Uh-Lyra, are you alright?" Mura rushed over in concern. He placed a hand on her shoulder as Mira's team awkwardly walked away.

"Y-Yes. I'm fine! I'm always fine," Lyra's head tweaked and jittered to a tilt as she spoke, a
smile still on her face. People around were staring until they just assumed she was alright. "S-See? I'm fine. I've just-I've got to go. That's all."

"Let me walk you back to your dorm," Mura offered, and while Lyra was quick to decline, he couldn't help but insist until Lyra gave in. Once they were far away from the festivities, Mura shook his head. "So, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. I told you that already."

"Only an idiot would believe that. So...?"

"I already said that there's nothing!" Lyra snapped, her eyes temporarily turning crimson. "I'm fine. I'm always fine. There's never anything wrong with me."

"...It's okay for things to be wrong, you know,"
Mura replied. "You don't have to be okay all the time."

"I know, it's just that-" Lyra had to stop mid-sentence as the voice decided now was an appropriate time to begin screeching. "It's just that...I am fine. That's it."

"...Why are you like this...?"

"Like-Like what?" Lyra perked up as she pushed his arm off of her, her voice strained. "I'm going to go. See you around."

Lyra hurried into her dorm, her heart pounding. Once she was behind the safety of the door, she couldn't help but ball up her fist and slam it into her other hand as Kyra continued to egg her on.

"As her therapist...I'm telling you that she's not making any progress. Maybe a mental hospital..."

"Never," Lyra's mother had denied. "We will do whatever it takes, find whoever we must-"

But it didn't matter how many people were willing to help. No one could make Kyra shut up.

"That girl is so strange. A crazy doesn't deserve to be Pyrrha's sister..."

Everyone had tried in the past. Nothing had ever worked.

"Leave me alone, you freak! No one was talking to you!"

So one day, Lyra magically grew better.

"She's...fine. She's not even talking about a voice."

Ever since then, no one had ever detected anything wrong with Lyra...and she was determined to keep it that way.

No more pity. No more worry. No one had to know.

She was fine, after all.