"...And the law won."

Valleri groggily opened her eyes, blinking the drug-induced sleep away. The wounds she had gotten on her mad dash around the City were all but gone, thanks to another round of healing in the Soul Sanctum.

She looked to her bedside. Hornet was there, waiting for her to wake up. The Spider Princess gasped when she stirred, and leapt into Valleri's side, embracing her.

"You're awake!" the Princess smiled, nuzzling into Valleri's jacket. "T-The healer bugs wouldn't let me see you until you were done…"

Valleri gave a soft laugh, sitting up as she held Hornet close. "It's okay. I'm better now." She looked at her arm; it had taken a nasty blow inside that tram car, and the skin around it had started to discolor. But checking it now, it felt good as new.

This really was magic, Valleri was starting to realize. Even now, it was still hard to really believe.

A shuffle to her side. Valleri turned to see Reed, still partially armored, sitting by her other bedside opposite to Hornet. Without his helmet, she could see his dark chitin and two antennae on his head; it seemed he was some kind of winged ant, interestingly enough.

She glanced awkwardly to the ground when he met her gaze. "Uhh… S-Sorry about all of that, Reed."

The guard sighed. "It's alright. You're insane, but they let me go shortly after arresting me, once they understood the full story." He rubbed the back of his head, "Though, uh, I imagine that might make things worse for you."

Valleri frowned. That was probably fair. She was the one who blew through the entire City; Reed was just dragged along. "It's fine. They haven't killed me yet, anyway," she half-joked.

The door slammed open.

"VALLERI!" screamed Great Knight Dryya, flanked by a nervous-looking retainer that was trying to calm her down. Everyone jumped at the sudden intrusion, and Valleri froze when she saw Dryya was holding her nail.

The Great Knight raised her blade high above her head…

Dryya fell backwards, collapsing on the floor in a heap with a clang. She groaned, holding her stomach in her arms. The Royal retainer quickly helped her up, saying, "T-The good Lady, she had been poisoned as well, although t-thankfully it was a very minor dose, which is why she can stand here so soon-"

"W-Wait!" Valleri said, sitting up straighter. "You're from the Palace, right? Do you know how Hurley's doing?" The bee seemed to get the worst of the poisoning; while everyone else had minor symptoms of fatigue, Hurley had collapsed completely, like his whole body had just shut down on him.

The retainer seemed to falter at the question. They looked away, staring at the ground, unable to meet her gaze. Valleri felt her chest clench up.

"I… I'm sorry. Last I heard, Royal Scholar Hurley had… passed away."

Valleri's blood ran cold.

Dryya rose to her feet, leaning on the doorframe for support, while glaring daggers at Valleri. Her breathing was labored; it was clear that Dryya was pushing herself just to be here. "What…" she paused to catch her breath, "What do you have to say for yourself?

Valleri glared at her. "I already told you the whole story. Someone from the Palace kidnapped Hornet, transformed into some monster, and I saved Hornet from them. I'm sorry about the damage, but it was an emergency-"

"This is different," Dryya seethed. "You're the one who killed Scholar Hurley, aren't you?"

Valleri choked on her own breath, horror creeping in. "Y...You can't be serious -!"

Dryya held up a small vial of white powder. "This was found among your confiscated possessions. A quick chemical test showed it was the same poison that Scholar Hurley had taken. I don't see how you can explain this one away, Valleri."

Something tumbled out of the retainer's cloak and clattered to the floor. A tiny glass vial with some white powder, rolling along the metal floor of the tram.

Without thinking, Valleri reached out and snagged it, stuffing it in her pocket.

"T-That was-! I stole it from Hornet's kidnapper! H-He-!"

"Oh, spare me," Dryya hissed with pure contempt. "'Hornet's kidnapper.' There was no kidnapper! You were trying to cause confusion to make your escape!"

Reed rose to his chair, kneeling before Dryya. "G-Great Knight, with all due respect, I was with Valleri the whole time. She's telling you the truth."

'I've already heard your whole story," Dryya dismissed him. She had to lean on her nail like a walking stick, her fatigue still weighing her down. She didn't look very 'great', slumped over like that. "But nobody was with her inside that tram. Are we supposed to take her word for it?"

Valleri wanted to jump out of bed and beat Dryya senseless, but the Knight had a point. She was wanted for dozens of crimes now; her word was worth less than shit. She couldn't defend herself at all.

"She speaks the truth."

From around the door walked Great Knight Isma. The contrast between her calm, composed self versus Dryya's exhaustion was strange to see, but Valleri supposed that was what happened when one got drugged and the other didn't.

Dryya huffed, "Back from vacation, are you? And what do you mean?"

"I was there. There was a retainer on the tram, however… they had morphed into some ungodly monster. They weren't even a sentient bug anymore, they had strayed so far from our King's light."

(This line caught Valleri's attention - they really did see Lateralus as a god-king, didn't they? But she kept listening.)

Isma continued, "Their very shell was bubbling with Infection. I had doubted it myself at first, but Valleri did enter the tram alone, only to leave with Princess Hornet. I can verify her story completely."

Dryya stared at her, expressionless, for a long moment. With a heavy sigh, she collapsed into a nearby chair, shaking her head. "...I suppose it would be insane to kill the one person who was defending you," she huffed.

Valleri looked down. She still couldn't believe it. Hurley was… dead. She had watched someone die. She wasn't even thinking about how her trial was going to go now; Hurley was the only person in this god forsaken kingdom who had shown her an ounce of kindness, and he was gone.

"A-Are you alright, Miss Valleri?" Hornet said, looking up at her.

Valleri blinked away tears, forcing a smile for Hornet's sake. "Y...Yeah. I'm fine. I'll be fine, I…"

"R-REEEED!"

A small child came stampeding into the already cramped room, running right up to Reed and hugging him tight as he cried. Reed stumbled, nearly falling off of his chair as he held the boy tight.

"T-There, there… There's no need to worry. I'm alright, Lenny…"

The name registered to Valleri like a kick in the gut. "L-Lenny?"

Lenny paused, turning to look at Valleri. When he did, he recoiled. "Y-You're-! What're you doing here?!"

Valleri raised her hands up placatingly. "Uhh… I-I'm healing? We're in a hospital." Or whatever the Hallownestian equivalent of a hospital was. They were in the Soul Sanctum. A Soul Sanctum? Same difference.

"You know her?!" Reed asked, gaze darting from Valleri to Lenny, trying and failing to figure out where in the world the two could have possibly run into each other.

Isma smiled. "Interesting coincidence, is it not? After your first… 'episode'... in the City, I had contacted Lenny's brother Reed in Dirtmouth to inform him of the situation."

The child perked up at this. "M-My name is Lenny, Lady Isma! M-My brother is in the Guard, his name is Reed!"

…

"W-Well, perhaps we should still bring you to the nearest barracks. I'm sure there, we'll at least be able to contact him and let him know you're alright."

"I thought I had remembered Reed's name from somewhere. It had turned out that Reed had previously witnessed what appears to have been your entrance into Hallownest."

Isma tilted her head, giving Valleri a coy smile. "Is there anything you don't do so explosively?"

Valleri rubbed her head. "Don't remind me…" She didn't know what became of that car she hijacked and frantically drove into Hallownest, but she did hear an explosion as she had staggered away from the wreck. She thought cars only blew up like that in movies.

"...arm has healed quite nicely, despite the alien biology. Their skeletons appear to be under the surface of their bodies; an endoskeleton instead of an exoskeleton like most bugs have. Luckily, the damage amounted to a mere fracture rather than an actual break-"

Valleri looked up as a familiar Mantis girl walked past the door; Sylvia, if she remembered correctly. She was the one who helped heal her the first time she wound up in the Sanctum.

Sylvia turned, looked at Valleri, and frowned. "Weren't you just here the other day?"

Elsewhere in the Soul Sanctum, the artifact designated C-0086 was dripping wet, the drops echoing through the chamber as the water pooled on the floor around its wheels. Great Knight Isma had managed to recover it after it had been dropped into the river, and it had been transferred to the Soul Sanctum for study.

To say Lady Godiva had several questions was an understatement as she circled around it, taking in every angle and shape, trying to make heads or tails of how it worked.

"So this is the beast that rampaged through the City just a few hours ago…"

On the surface, its function was obvious enough. It was a vehicle; two wheels for movement, and two handlebars to turn it. Logically, it would need to be going a minimum speed, or else it would tip over, she imagined.

Beyond that, none of it made sense. What were the grips and buttons and switches near the handlebars for? What was meant to go through and come out all these pipes? How did it make that monstrous roaring that echoes through the whole City? And most importantly, what was it that made the wheels even move?

Though, it was difficult to properly study while it was drenched. There was a risk of the water damaging the machine itself, but she wasn't sure. They would need to dry it off first, and then they could study it more in-depth.

Lady Godiva hummed, turning to her guest assistant. "What's your opinion, Quirrel?"

The young pillbug from the Teacher's Archives was nothing short of a prodigy, having made remarkable leaps and bounds in his studies under Teacher Monomon's tutelage. He also had quite a number of discoveries and theories under his own belt, which was impressive for a bug his age.

The pillbug squatted next to the bike, looking as close as he could without touching it. "Well… for starters, it would be prudent to put the machine's integrity first. After seeing such abuse, it would be no surprise to find something damaged."

He raised a hand to the leather seat of the bike and ran a single finger over it, feeling the moisture from when it was dropped into the river. "Hm. Perhaps with Lady Isma's assistance, we can properly dry it off, as well as extract any water from the internals that may be clogging it?"

The internals. Yes, this machine seemed to function off of pipes; any excess water within it could very well be interrupting it. "I agree. I'll see if I can't ask for her help before she leaves for the Palace again."

Quirrel turned back to the bike. Having touched the seat, he seemed a bit more confident that it wouldn't shatter to dust at any moment, so he pressed the back of his palm near the center. "Interesting! Despite being submerged in water, it's still fairly warm around here!"

Lady Godiva looked up, surprised.. "Warm…?"

Quirrel kept running his hands along the pipes. "It uses pipes, and using it makes it warm… Though, since it has been deactivated since being submerged in cool water, we can assume it was much hotter while it was in use. If we assume that it is fueled by something being burned, then many of the pieces start to come together."

She walked closer, intrigued by his theory. Burning fuel… it did explain some of the mysterious aspects of the machine.

"I'm not sure exactly what is being burned, but there were reports of the smell of ozone left in its wake at the parade. There is energy in heat, however, we have never known how to effectively harness it; it would make sense for such a blindingly fast vehicle to be powered by fire, of all things."

Lady Godiva smiled. "Impressive. I suppose this is why they call you a prodigy." She turned back to the vehicle, "Well, if it works off of heat, then perhaps we can try to figure out what types of fuel work with it. A machine like this powered off of something like Soul would be a sight to behold…"

Quirrel grazed his fingers over the handlebars, when he accidentally bumped into the turn signal switch. The lights on the bike began to flash on and off, a loud clicking noise accompanying it.

"A-Ah! I didn't mean to- H-Help?!"

"I wanted to ask about that bounty."

A day had passed, and Valleri was back in the White Palace, chains around her wrists. The Pale King sat before her, knowing by now that he could only be so strict with her before she started to act up and cause problems.

"...I did put up a bounty of five million Geo for the life of the poisoner, yes."

Valleri, for the first time since he had met her, actually looked nervous for once. He'd have expected her to spit out whatever she wanted and then fight tooth and nail to get it, but she seemed timid about this line of questioning. He could tell why; the five million was only up for grabs because Scholar Hurley had lost his life.

"I… Okay, look, I know it's awful, but…" Valleri scratched the back of her neck. "I did catch the guy-"

"And killed him."

"A-And killed... him…" Valleri bit her lip, sighing. "I-I wanted to know if I was able to collect that five million."

The Pale King, despite all his frustrations with Valleri, managed to keep his composure long enough to explain to her, "Yes, you were indeed eligible to collect the bounty. And it has already been paid in full."

Valleri blinked, sitting up in surprise. "I… Really? But I... didn't get anything."

"Exactly." Lateralus rose from his seat, circling around Valleri with his arms behind his back as he spoke. "You see, in most cases, Hallownest's bounty system is collateral deducted. You had received the full bounty of five million - and it was all immediately spent, leaving you with nothing."

Ah, there was that indignant look of defiance he had come to expect from her. She glared at him, looking like she wanted to stand up and start fighting him; fat chance, with the two Kingsmoulds on either side of her. "Collata- What does that mean?! I didn't spend five million on anything!"

The Pale King whirled around, staring Valleri right in the eyes. "You spent it on that tram you destroyed."

Valleri blinked.

"And on the damage to a precious scientific artifact."

Valleri looked down sheepishly.

"AND on reparations for the parade you trampled all over!"

"Look-" Valleri rose from her seat, only for the Kingsmoulds to hold their scythes out in front of her, preventing her from taking another step. She paused for a moment, eyeing the blades, before she continued. "I'm sorry, but I had to protect Hornet! And it's really important I get this five million! Please!"

The Pale King regarded her, his stern gaze scanning her up and down. She was desperate, and for good reason. "You don't want five million Geo. You want to pay off your bail," he stated the obvious.

"I- Yes," Valleri said. "I know it's a terrible thought to have, but with Hurley g-gone, there's nothing left to defend me from this false murder charge. I need to be able to defend myself, and I can't do that if I'm stuck in a box until my trial!" She swallowed, trying to compose herself. "A-And I don't even know why anyone would want to kill Hurley…"

"...You still maintain that the charges against you are false," Lateralus noted.

Valleri said nothing, only nodding her head almost imperceptibly.

The Pale King sighed, circling back around to his desk. "You understand," he explained, "That whether you are guilty or not, many of the most powerful figures in Hallownest are vying for the blood of the culprit in this case. All signs are pointing towards your guilt, except for Scholar Hurley's testimony."

Valleri gasped, understanding starting to dawn on her. "You don't mean-!"

"The poison we found in Scholar Hurley's system, and in the vial you… found," he hesitated, as if still uncertain whether to believe her story of the past few hours, "were both the same. And it was not the first time we had seen that kind of poison before, either; it's most commonly used in cases with ties to a suspected criminal organization known as the Topaz Clan."

Valleri's breath hitched in her throat. The Topaz… Clan? Hurley was targeted by the fucking mafia?!

"In addition, one of the victims in your case was suspected of being a Topaz Clan officer. Perhaps they want to see you found guilty, and wish to erase any evidence pointing toward the contrary, even if it means ending innocent lives."

The Pale King leaned into Valleri, his dark eyes boring deep into her own. "Do you understand now just how deep you're in?"

Valleri felt like she was going to collapse. Hurley died… because of her. He was the kindest person she had met down here, the only one who didn't treat her like shit, and he died because he wanted to protect her. She may as well have poisoned him herself.

"If I may intrude for a moment, Wyrm?"

Valleri turned around, the two Kingsmoulds forgetting about her to aim their weapons at the newcomer. Herrah the Beast walked in, arms crossed as she regarded Lateralus and Valleri.

"Herrah… What brings you here?" Lateralus glared at her, a sinking feeling in his stomach that he already knew where this was going.

"Ah, I had merely overheard your discussion with Valleri here regarding her bail. Five million is quite steep; not something that can be paid off easily. And without it, I doubt you stand much of a chance in a trial right now." She sighed, giving a sly smile to Valleri.

"That… is true," Lateralus confessed. "What does that have to do with-"

"I'm here to inform you that I will be paying off Valleri's bail, personally."

…

"W-What reason do you have to do such a thing!" Lateralus shouted, confused more than he was angry, but he was angry all the same. "You've already interfered with this case enough! Don't you have a stake in finding a culprit, too?"

"I have a stake in finding the correct culprit." Herrah glared at the Pale King, before turning back to Valleri. "My own Great Knight, Ramones, claims that Valleri is not the guilty party here, and I'm inclined to trust his word."

The hulking form of the Beast smiled down at Valleri, "Besides, I owe a favor to this little one. For my daughter's life, a measly five million Geo is no object to me."

Valleri stared up at Herrah, eyes wide and slack-jawed. Her throat felt too dry to speak, but she managed to get the words she needed out anyway.

"W… Why?" she asked. "I… I couldn't even protect Hornet properly. I had to scramble to save her. I-I'm sorry, but-"

"Don't be sorry," Herrah interrupted. "Be better. As a Queen, I'm not always going to be able to protect Hornet myself. If I can't help her, then you need to. And if you can't help her, then you need to get better at helping her." She turned, "I only ask that you make that your duty."

Valleri was left there, uncomprehending and frozen, as Herrah turned to face Lateralus. "Expect her bail to be paid in full by tomorrow. I expect her to be released then."

"Wait!" Valleri spoke up, whirling around to face the Beast as she was about to leave. "Why me?! I care a lot about Hornet, but so does the king, o-or any of your other subjects, or any of his subjects! Why do you need someone like me to do this?!"

Herrah pondered her wording. Someone like me. It didn't speak anything positive towards Valleri's self-image. She turned to the tiny thief and spoke in a low tone.

"...I'm not going to be around for much longer, Valleri."

Valleri's breath hitched, not understanding. Herrah continued.

"My daughter's life comes before all else for me. A child will grow from not only their parents' guidance, but from their parents' example. My subjects, who would cave at my beck and call, are unfit to raise the next Queen of Deepnest. And my pride will not allow our kingdom's monarch to be molded after another's, which is another reason I have maintained full custody of Hornet thus far."

Behind them both, Lateralus huffed silently.

"You, Valleri, are a lowly thief at best, and a killer at worst. You live - no, you thrive off of the shadows. You take all that you own, and will not allow anyone to stand in your way. You value your own strength before anyone else's, a strength that others may flock to. A strength, and independence, that commands respect."

Herrah the Beast leaned down, bearing a toothy, monstrous grin at Valleri.

"And you're just like me."

With any luck, this was her last night as a prisoner.

Valleri couldn't sleep. She hadn't even bothered to change her clothes, and instead was fully dressed in her raven-black leather jacket, standing on the balcony of her room. It was dark, and yet the White Palace always seemed to have an ethereal glow to it that reminded her of moonlight.

...What the hell was going to happen tomorrow, once her bail was paid off? What would happen to her? To her life?

Would they still let her stay at the Palace? She had no money and nowhere else to go. She could go back to sleeping on the streets like before she was arrested, but they had a keen eye on her now, and she probably couldn't get away with the same bullshit she'd been getting away with. No more stealing from passing nobles to buy herself a cheap dinner, then.

She probably couldn't even escape, she realized. She was probably wanted for murder back in Los Angeles, and they wouldn't let her flee Hallownest so easily when she was wanted here, too. And how could she even leave Hallownest in the first place? Her only option was to stand her ground and face the music, and hope for the best.

She still didn't have a set trial date, as far as she was aware. She didn't know anything about law, and especially Hallownest law, but they probably still needed to prepare an actual case against her. And it would be much easier for them to do so with Hurley gone.

Meaning if she wanted to survive, she needed to prove herself innocent.

Valleri reached into her shirt and tugged out the small golden cross around her neck. She held it in her palm, feeling the cool metal on her skin, watching the pale light of the Palace reflect off of its golden surface.

...What would happen to Hornet? It was all but her duty to protect her now. But she still didn't understand how she got roped into it. She loved that little spider punk dearly, but in what way was a vulgar, filthy thief a suitable guardian for a princess? She was the last person in the Kingdom that should be allowed to raise her.

...But she'd do it. Because she owed Herrah that much. The Beast of Deepnest had given her a chance to save her own life, and it was a favor she might never be able to repay, even if she managed to raise Hornet right.

"I know not the significance of this symbol to your species. But what, I wonder, does it mean to you?"

Resolve. She would protect Hornet with her life if she had to. And she would prove her innocence - her justice - even if she died trying.

"You, Valleri, are a lowly thief at best, and a killer at worst. You live - no, you thrive off of the shadows. You take all that you own, and will not allow anyone to stand in your way."

The shadows of her prison grew longer as the night stretched on, the darkness pulling her mind deeper. The only light that was left for her was the golden sheen of the cross around her neck. She would not let anyone stop her, no Great Knights, no Topaz Clan or whatever. Gods and kings alike would fall before her if they tried to get in her way.

"You value your own strength before anyone else's, a strength that others may flock to. A strength, and independence, that commands respect."

The whole world had turned against her, but she didn't need them anyway. She would give Hornet the best goddamn life she could. And she would save herself from her fate, even if nobody else would.

"And you're just like me."

Valleri clenched the cross in a fist with a cry.

SIX

YEARS

AGO

WINTER OF 1984

AN UNKNOWN WASTELAND JUST OUTSIDE OF HALLOWNEST

"G-Goddamnit…"

A gruff man stumbled through the frigid snow that came up to his calves. He coughed violently; no more snow was falling and the weather was still, but that didn't do much for their situation.

He'd lost that woman somewhere about half a mile back. Having an extra mouth to feed, an extra body that needed to be kept warm, would just make survival harder for them, anyway.

He didn't even bother to spare her a glance as he turned and walked away, pretending he couldn't hear her cries that sounded so faint as she froze from the inside out.

"D-Dad… W-Wh-Wh-Where's mom? A-Aren't we gonna go back for her?"

"Shut up!" the old man roared through chattering teeth. He'd thought the damn boy would be stronger than this. He was looking for shelter; it couldn't be far. All they had seen was a bunch of dust and rock, but he'd find something. He always did!

The old man's stomach rumbled. He was hungry.

He reached down to his well-used leather belt. His fingers fumbled over his Colt Python for a moment before he instead pulled out a canteen, feeling like his fingers against the cold metal were about to fall off as he drank until only drops dribbled down his tongue.

His 12-year-old son stared, whimpering as he watched what he thought was their last water go down his old man's throat. Little did that brat know this was actually whiskey, and he couldn't have it anyway.

He stumbled on, his vision blurring as the alcohol took quick effect. His son only watched helplessly as his dad tripped over something and collapsed into the snow.

"D-Dad! P-Please, dad, get up! We have to-"

He froze as the old man slowly rose up from the snow, a manic grin on his face as he stared at his own son. In his hands was a sharp, jagged rock he had picked up from under the snow.

"M-Maxwell…" The old man slurred, rising up to his knees. There was a frightening energy in him that wasn't there before. "Y-Your old man just got the most brilliant ideah!"

The 12-year-old boy, Maxwell, could barely speak. "D...Dad…?

"I'll chop ya up," he spat. "I'll cook you up into a nice little stew. Y-Ya could keep me well 'n fed for days! A-A-And I wouldn't have to worry about you anymore!"

"D-Dad-!"

Maxwell cried out as his father tackled him into the snow, pinning him to the freezing rock as he stood above him, sharp rock in hand. His father stared down at him with a panting grin, drool running down his stubble, the madness of Saturn reflecting in his eyes as he aimed the rock above the neck of his own son.

"C'mon, it ain't so scary! I-I can make it quick!" He laughed, hunger-driven insanity rolling through his belly. "I wonder which part of ya I should start on first!"

BANG!

The old man gasped, the rock slipping out of his fingers and falling into the snow. Maxwell scrambled out from underneath him, sitting up against a rock wall as his father looked down at the bullet wound in his stomach, blood oozing out and painting the surrounding snow red. His eyes rolled to the back of his head and he collapsed, not even feeling the cold of the snow anymore.

And even in the arctic cold wind, even as he was shivering from the wind and from the horror of it all, frightened tears blinking out of his eyes,

The gun butt felt so smooth and warm, cradled in Maxwell's palm.

Chapter name and summary are a reference to I Fought The Law by The Bobby Fuller Four.
Other musical references in this chapter include:
TOPAZ (artist)
Maxwell's Silver Hammer by The Beatles.

okay that bit at the end might seem really out of nowhere but its important i promise. just trust me homie

holy FUCK i am FLYING through these chapters. i have literally no idea how i wrote this much in such a small time frame. maybe MR is just easier to write for me, but i'm hoping this energy carry over to the main Ethno fic as well. maybe I can finish this story in four years instead of five hahahahaha im dying

Yeah, but to be more serious, Midnight Rider is definitely more of a "fun" fic for me. Not to say Ethno isn't fun, nor am I saying that MR is never serious, but generally it's proven to be much easier for me to write, probably because I don't worry about the "hows" and "whys" as much. In the Discord server, iirc I compared my treatment of MR's story to the Yakuza series; its overall synopsis is pretty serious, and it definitely has very serious moments, but a lot of the specific events are also silly and fun as well. Whereas with Ethno, I'm a bit more careful about the tone.

There's *one* super-short chapter left of the MR's "prologue" before we shift back to Ethno. I say "prologue" but it isn't really; MR's story is meant to be more episodic and segmented, with the focus on multiple short story arcs rather than one overarching plotline like in Ethno. This "prologue" is mostly meant to set up the scenario for those "episodes". So after this next chapter (which is really more of a teaser/interlude than a real chapter), MR's story is gonna kind of go all over the place.

Speaking of the Yakuza series! Here's a hint for you: When I compared Midnight Rider to Yakuza, someone in the server said that this fic needs a "Majima analogue". Maybe something to consider...?

The next chapter, again, is literally just a short teaser that I might even finish and upload TONIGHT, so keep an eye out for that. PLEASE leave a comment, and thank you for reading! :)