A long time ago, there was a little girl that roamed a large, desolate world. The lands were covered by nothing but darkness. Light was a concept, but it was tucked away in its own little realm. The little girl wandered aimlessly through this strange world, constantly haunted by the darkness all around her.

She couldn't escape it no matter where she went and it didn't help that eventually creatures were born from the very force she found herself in. They each had different forms, but one thing was consistent, they lacked a sense. They were nothing but the personification of destructive instincts. These creatures would bite, maim and kill each other for no other reason but because they were compelled too.

Such power in the hands of mindless beasts… No matter how the girl felt she knew that she too would suffer the fate of the fallen creatures.

But despite knowing that, the girl approached the creatures. Each step she took filled her with dread and excitement. The bloodlust the creatures naturally exude came and went, as if it was trying to feel the girl out. They eventually came face to face and stared into each others' eyes. She slowly raised her hands and reached out for its nose. Pressing against its giant snout, the creature exploded into an innumerable amount of tiny, little pieces.

The girl was covered from head to toe in its purplish-black blood. Her tongue crept past her lips and partook of the blood. She then found herself drawn to the other creatures and reached for them too, each one suffering the same fate.

Soon she was once again alone, that was until an arrow pierced her right shoulder. Her blood started to pour out and mix with the external blood she received from the creatures. Turning around, she saw a group of hunters comprised of several men and women. Their leader was a craggily, but strong old man. He wasn't the kind of respectable elder that was kind and knew well, but one that was cruel and corrupt. If you crossed him, you may find yourself "heroically sacrificing" yourself for him.

He saw what she had done to those creatures; they were keeping tabs of them for a long time. They were watching their movements, planning routes to bypass them while hoping one day to put them down for good. Naturally, instead of being grateful for the girl's removal of these obstacles, the elder immediately deemed her a threat. He saw her as a demon in human skin that ascended to their world to bring about the end times.

The elder ordered his group to fire upon the girl, but they were hesitant. Half were hesitant because of their target's appearance; they couldn't bring themselves to hurt a small girl. The other half was outright scared; the elder's arrow had a direct hit, yet the girl showed no signs of pain. Expectedly, the elder did not take kindly to this. Threats of banishment were thrown their way, forcing the group to put aside their reservations and open fire on the girl. Several arrows pierced her skin, causing more blood to pour out of her.

The hunters were horrified. Despite their onslaught, the girl still stood, unfazed by what had happened to her.

The girl begun to reflect on the situation; she looked at all the arrows that dug into her skin then back at the hunters. Without saying a word, she had begun to approach. The elder, defensive and scared ordered more arrows be flung her way. But it didn't matter. No matter how many flew into her, the girl continued her stride forward.

Increasingly desperate, the elder took his bow and swung it at the girl. The moment it made contact, it cracked and eroded into dust. Before he could even process what just happened, the girl extended her right index finger forward and placed in on the elder's abdomen. With just the tiniest push, her finger steadily pushed through the skin and further into his body, the elder crying out in pain, the entire way through. She then raised her finger, lifting his body off the ground at the same time.

She wiggled her finger, raising the elder up then crashing down on the ground. His veins suddenly became visible on his skin, bulging and black. Blood flowed out of his mouth and broken bits of his bones burst through his skin. But even after all of that, he was still alive. The girl retracted her finger, leaving the broken old man to collapse on the ground.

Overcome with fear, the hunters started to run. With her attention still on the corpse, they thought they could get away. But they were wrong.

The combined blood of the girl and the creatures from before mixed together, removing the arrows from her body then flying off of her. The large conglomerate of blood split into four, rounding up the hunters and boxing them in. The blood then increased in size and transformed into the creatures from before; even stronger versions of them.

They wasted no time in diving in and feasting on the hunters. Their screams filled the area until suddenly, it was quiet.

Her eyes still glued to the elder, the girl did nothing as the bloodied creatures approached her. Unlike their violent behavior with the hunters, the creatures gently snuggled up to the girl.

The elder with tears in his eyes, begged for the girl to kill him, but she didn't respond. She simply stared at him, burning his visage into her memory. Once she was done, she turned to leave, accompanied by the creatures. Not looking back, the girl continued her trek through the dark world.

"Well, how was that?" Mali asked.

Shujinkou, stunned by what he just heard, could only respond with, "Wow, Mali, that certainly was dark…"

Mali stared at Shujinkou, smiling in delight. "Was Senpai expecting anything different? So far, we've done nothing but talk about fairy tales and their original tones which are considered dark."

"Yeah, I never realized that most Hansel and Gretel adaptations cut out part of the beginning…"

Shujinkou scratched his right cheek and recalled what he had just learned about the story he heard as a kid. Famine and abandoning children in the middle of the wood; makes the whole with enticing them with food a little darker with context. They didn't really have much of a choice…

"A lot of fairy tales from the past have been changed so they're not too dark for kids to read," Yuki explained. "For example, did you know that the first published version of Little Red Riding Hood ended at the point where she was eaten by the wolf?"

"Actually, it wasn't the original published version, but I did read one where it ended there," Shujinkou replied. "Didn't really think much of it as a kid, but I was also surprised that every version I seen after had Red Riding Hood and her grandmother rescued at the end."

"I'm surprised Senpai never read the version where the grandmother was locked in a closet and never ate anyone, being killed by a lumberjack before he could do so with Little Red," Mali marveled.

"I think I've heard of something like that…"

But Shujinkou couldn't really recall. It wasn't a subject he really put much thought into.

"Still, I never realized that fairy tales could be so dark. But I guess it makes sense considering the time periods they were written it."

Yuki nodded her head in agreement. "Yeah, that's what I said when my classmates used to think I was making up weird versions."

"Really?" A look of concern landed on Mali's face, something Shujinkou found bewildering. "They didn't consider you weird for liking these fairy tales, did they?"

"Well, I wasn't really called weird for reading it. Like I said, they thought I was making them up at first. They apologized after I showed them they were real."

A bright smile crossed Mali's face. "That's good. It'd suck if your uniqueness got you ridiculed."

Shujinkou scratched his right cheek. The smile Mali gave Yuki was unlike the ones she usually gave others. The clear maliciousness that accompanied her innocent smiles wasn't there at all.

But despite that, something about her smile still seemed off.

Mali's eyes were soon drawn to the stuffed toy sitting atop Yuki's lap once again. Taking note of patchwork-like stitching and monstrous features, she couldn't help but find the stuffed companion fascinating.

"I like what you did to Grimm," Mali complimented.

Yuki's eyes lit up surprise. "You knew I did this on purpose? Most usually ask me what happened and why I didn't get another."

"Not me. I could tell that you think Grimm would look better this way. You could say that I'm good with people like that."

"Wow… That's amazing."

"Not really, just a trait I picked up; figuring out as much as you can about people as quickly as possible was a necessity."

Though that explanation went over Yuki's head, it made Shujinkou wonder if it was related to whatever made Mali arrive to her current mindset.

I hope I'm just over thinking and exaggerating things for her too.

He then stood up and walked into the kitchen. There he found Yuri pouring a cup of tea with a serious expression on her face.

"You okay, Yuri?" Shujinkou asked.

"Hm?" As if waking from a trance, Yuri's face immediately softened as she turned towards Shujinkou. "I'm fine. I was just in deep thought. Did I look like I was distressed?"

"Kinda."

"I see…"

Yuri brought the steamy cup of tea towards her face and took a sip. Silence soon followed, prompting Shujinkou to scratch his right cheek.

"Penny for your thoughts?" he asked.

"Hm?" Confusion was clearly present on Yuri's face as she stared at Shujinkou."Ah… Sorry, I got caught up in my thoughts again."

"I think I'm starting to get a taste of my own medicine here."

A small giggle slipped through Yuri's lips. "Well, I wasn't trying to do that; especially since I'm not one to call anyone out on that."

"So…"

"Well, to be honest…"Pausing mid-sentence, Yuri soon closed her eyes and considered her next words very carefully. "No, never mind, I'd rather keep it to myself."

"Oh, okay then."

With neither side not knowing what else to say, silence once again overtook their conversation.

"Hey, Yuri… Want to go out?" Shujinkou suddenly asked.

"Eh?!"

Completely taken aback by the sudden proposal, Yuri could do nothing but hide her red face.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Shujinkou worriedly asked.

"I-it's just-! What you just-!"

As she struggled to put her words together, Yuri noticed the genuine confusion that rested on Shujinkou's face. "Did… Did you just ask me something?"

"Not really…" Shujinkou answered, awkwardly scratching his right cheek.

"Oh…"

Yuri averted her gaze and started playing with her hair. I must have just heard that then… When I really think about it, that sounded too forward and out of nowhere to come from Shujinkou…

A disappointed and guilt-ridden look fell on Yuri's face.

"Yuri…"

"…I'm sorry," her expression once again softened as she took a deep breath. "I just have a lot on my mind right now."

Shujinkou scratched his right cheek. He had a response he wanted to say, but he couldn't say it. Rather, he realized that he shouldn't say it using words.

"Ah… You don't need to think of something to say to cheer me up," Yuri assured him with a smile. "It's not getting to me for the most part and I believe that that's the best anyone can aspire towards right now."

"Well, that's good then…"

Despite her words of assurance, Shujinkou still felt as powerless as ever.

"Ah, I almost forgot."

Walking past him, Yuri peeked into the other room. To her surprise, the two remaining occupants were gone.

She then went upstairs where she could hear the sounds laughter. She curiously stuck her head into her sister's room and found Mali giving Yuki a piggyback ride.

"Wow… They're becoming fast friends," Shujinkou noted under his breath.

"That's because Senpai always over thinks things like this," Mali cheerfully replied.

Surprised, Shujinkou couldn't help but wonder how she heard him. Perhaps he was louder than he thought.

But as he tried to figure out what happened, he noticed the first-year student smiling a knowing smile at him, sending a shiver down his spine.

Does she know what I'm thinking too?

Shujinkou couldn't understand what it was about Mali that was bothering him so much. Sure, her words and actions negatively impacted him whenever she wanted them too, but lately they seemed, "enhanced".

Mali soon shifted her gaze to Yuri and took note of the way she looked at her. It was subdued, but Mali could see the concern in her eyes.

"That's pretty stand up of you," she said.

"Eh?"

Mali giggled as she watched confusion take hold in Yuri.

Yuki silently glanced down at Mali then climbed off her back. She then approached her elder sister, a bright smile crossing her face.

"Capre diem, Yuri," she whispered.

"Eh? But you invited him in to play," she whispered back.

"But this is more important. Seize the day."

"I'm not really sure, right now seems… I'm not really sure."

Yuki placed her hand on Yuri's shoulder. "Carpe diem."

With those parting words, she closed her bedroom door.

"So, I guess those two will be doing their own thing, huh?" Shujinkou said.

"I guess…" Yuri sighed.

"So… You want to head back downstairs?"

"Actually, I'm going to retire to my room for now."

"Oh. Okay."

Shujinkou turned around and approached the stairs.

"Ah…"

Shujinkou turned back around. "Yeah?"

"Why are you going downstairs?" Yuri asked.

"Oh, well… You said you were retiring so I thought that meant that you wanted to be alone.'

"I… see the implication, but I didn't mean for it to come off that way. Plus, I would hate to leave a guest unattended for so long."

"But are you sure that I'm allowed in your room? You didn't want me in there last time I was here."

"Well… it was because that time was… It would have been embarrassing if you were caught waiting in my room then. Besides, it wouldn't really be fair for you to invite me to yours and never doing the same in return. So… You could come in if you like."

Shujinkou nodded his head in followed Yuri into her room.

It was similar to how imagined it would look like. Aside from the standard bed and TV, there a bookshelf filled with literary works and journals and in a corner, shelves of tools for what she uses for her "atmospheric enhances." He also noticed she had a pair of tinted blinds to the side of her window.

But despite his predications, there was one thing he didn't expect once he entered; something that that went beyond visual stimuli.

"Wow, you're room's pretty… atmospheric." He said, amazed.

"Atmospheric? You don't think it's too gloomy do you?" she worriedly asked.

"No, it's not that. It's tranquil."

"Ah, I'm glad. That's more or less what I was going for. I probably don't have to tell you this, but bedrooms are a pretty good reflection of a person's personality, so I'm really glad it didn't give you a bad impression."

"I get that, but that's also why I'm not really surprised by how atmospheric yours is."

"Atmospheric…"

Despite her hobbies and interest, Yuri had never really considered using that word to describe her bedroom. "Now that I think about it, that may be a more appropriate description all things considered."

"Are you referring to your atmospheric creation techniques?" Shujinkou queried.

"Yes. I like to create different atmospheres and moods when I'm reading or writing or just because so that's why I said atmospheric was more appropriate."

"Huh…" Shujinkou took another look around the room. "Going back to the whole rooms reflecting a person's personality thing, yours does pretty much show your interest in literature and those enhancements."

"Mm. The way you worded that, I'm sure you're aware that that the atmospheric feeling you felt when you entered and what you can discover about a person just from looking around their room are two separate things.

No, perhaps it would be better to say that they're two factors that display a person's personality."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, as you just demonstrated by looking around, you can discover some of the things a person is interested in. Then there's the other part; the air that surrounds it. In my case, you described it as atmospheric. Put those together and you can get a good picture of a person's personality."

"Kinda makes me wonder what the air in my room is." A look of dismay fell on Shujinkou's face as one possibility immediately came to him. "I hope it's not awkward passiveness…"

Yuri shook her head."No, from what I've gauged from my trips there, I can confidently say that yours is 'comfort'."

"Comfort?"

"The first time I was there, I felt the same comfort and security I've always felt around you."

"Comfort, huh…"

Not too long ago, Shujinkou would have denied that just because he did not think he was worthy of a such a compliment. But he no longer viewed himself that way.

But even with new-found self-esteem, he still couldn't accept it.

"Am I really that comforting?" Shujinkou solemnly asked. "Being called a source of comfort, the heart of the club… isn't someone who's been called that supposed to be able to help their friends when they need them. Yet, I haven't really been able to do that lately."

"That's not true."

"But it is. I'm not entirely sure I handled my part in the whole Akuma thing that great, I'm pretty sure I'm not making any headway with Mali and I got Natsuki in trouble with her dad and now she won't even talk to me. Some comfort or heart of the club…"

Shujinkou suddenly slapped himself, shocking Yuri.

"Sorry, got a little too depressed again," Shujinkou weakly chuckled, rubbing his throbbing right cheek. "I mean, I'm the last person who should be upset given the circumstances."

"I don't think you were being self-absorbed. It sounds like you were upset over not being able to do anything about what's happening lately. I understand the feeling of powerlessness well myself. Still you shouldn't be too hard on yourself for recent events."

"I mean… I guess objectively I can't really fault myself in regards to Mali and objectively I can say I felt I was doing what I felt was right with the Akuma thing given that's the best anybody can do, but I'm fairly sure I'm objectively the reason Natsuki got in trouble and it's probably why she won't talk to me. I don't even get an acknowledgement really. And every time it makes me think I got her in so much trouble that she may even hate me right now."

"I see…"

Despite his best attempt otherwise, Yuri could see Shujinkou trying to be rationalize the current situations he was involved in did nothing to make him feel better. Even if they did, she could tell that the thought of a friend hating him for whatever reason still would've affected him greatly.

But that wasn't the only thing bothering him. Judging by his attempt to shrug off his own feeling earlier, it was clear he was struggling to not go back to his habit of self-deprecation.

Right now, Shujinkou reminds me of how I felt during the summer.

Recalling that feelings back then and how he helped encourage her to confront them gave her an idea. Yuri walked to one of her shelves and pulled a single book from it.

"Perhaps this might aid you in your attempts to talk to her."

She presented the book to Shujinkou.

"Isn't that Hadi Girl Vol. 2?" he asked.

"Mm-hmm. I have yet to return it to Natsuki due to the current circumstances. But perhaps she'd be willing to pay you some mind if you had something of hers to return."

"You really think that'll work?"

"Well, given how openly protective of her collection she is, I would say that it's highly likely."

Though it sounded like a plan that would work, Shujinkou was a little hesitant about it. "I don't know, it kinda sounds like blackmail."

"It's not so much blackmail as it's taking advantage of an opportunity born from the expected action of returning what's rightfully hers," Yuri explained.

"Huh. I guess that's true. Okay."

He accepted the book and gently placed it in his backpack. Once he made sure it was properly secured, he turned back to Yuri and smiled. "Thanks, Yuri."

Yuri replied with a simple, but cheerful nod. The spark of hope in his eyes was thanks enough.

…

"Thank you for having us."

Shujinkou scratched his right cheek as he watched Mali exchange goodbyes with Yuki. He didn't really catch much of their interactions, but it was safe to assume they got along with each, if only a little.

Once they were done, Yuki turned her attention to him. "Be sure to come again soon, Shujinkou. You're Yuri's friend so you can pretty much come over whenever you want."

"Right, I'll be sure to remember that."

Yuki then glanced down at Grimm, listening to what her companion had to say. Suddenly, she clamped her left hand over the toy's mouth.

Slowly backing inside, she mumbled back, "Can't suggest that, that's too too forward of her."

"Well, I guess it's time for me to head home," Mali announced. "See you later, Senpai."

Just as she was about to leave, Mali heard someone call out to her.

"Ah, Mali…"

Mali stopped and looked back at Yuri with curiosity in her eyes.

"I didn't really see much of you two together but from what I glimpsed and considering Yuki's still cheerful demeanor, well… To be frank, I guess I'm trying to say… Thank you for being kind to my sister."

Mali remained silent before smiling.

"Little sisters have to stick together."

"You have an older sibling, Mali?" Shujinkou asked.

With a nonchalant shrug, she answered with, "Maybe. Who knows?"

The two shot confused stares at Mali. They weren't sure how she could go from confidently calling herself a younger sibling then say she wasn't sure.

Giggling at the sight of them trying to wrack their brains, Mali added, "Maybe a less confusing answer would be yes and no."

Her answer did nothing to clear up the confusion, a fact she was well aware of.

"Anyway, I really got to head back now; unescorted, because I don't want Senpai to see my home."

Shujinkou curiously scratched his right cheek as he watched Mali disappear into the darkness.

"…Alright, guess I'd better get going too," Shujinkou said. "See you tomorrow, Yuri."

"Right… Safe travels."

As Shujinkou turned to leave, he felt a pair of arms wrap around him.

"Yuri?"

Caught off guard, that was all the shocked young man could respond with.

"Sorry. It's just- I can't really explain why but I thought that this might offer you some comfort," she explained.

Shujinkou did feel some comfort from the hug, however it did not last. Once the shock had passed, he noticed her grip slowly tighten. He felt her arms tremble as he glanced back at her. As he suspected, her face displayed nothing but self-loathing.

"Hey, are you-?"

"Sorry… I'm really struggling hiding such a face."

Shujinkou gently removed Yuri's arms from around him.

"Is this about the thing you were feeling earlier?"

Yuri silently nodded her head.

"Are you sure you don't want to talk about it? If it's really bothering you this much…"

"No, it really is something that I have to overcome myself. If I don't, then I may not be able to handle potential future events and I'd rather not have that outcome come to past. I… I want to be someone who could handle those potential outcomes, so that's why I have to conquer it myself."

Shujinkou scratched his right cheek, unsure what he should say.

"If it makes you feel better, objectively speaking it's not exactly the biggest problem. Priority wise in that regard, it's near the bottom, so it's not really something anyone else should be concerned about."

"You say that but…"

"I understand your point, but it really is something that only I can handle and I assure you that it's nothing you should be concerned with."

"…Okay."

He wasn't sure if that was the right thing to say, but he felt like he shouldn't force the matter.

"Well… Guess I'll go now."

"Yes… Good night, Shujinkou."

"Good night."