Inside the building director's office, Anubias peered inside the package as Julie and Alice stared nervously. "I see what you ladies mean. Where would someone find that many cockroaches to kill...?"

"Someone's clearly pranking us!" the Australian screamed.

Alice was silent for most of the office visit, so Anubias asked calmly, "Alice, do you want to file a police report?"

"I...would rather not." After receiving a jaw-dropping reaction from Julie, the redhead continued speaking. "I'm not physically hurt, and I don't want any more negative publicity to affect the radio station. I just want to run the show as smoothly as—"

"I swear, Dylan probably did this!" interrupted Julie. "We set up a fanpage for Alice a couple days ago, and we did write that Alice doesn't like cockroaches. Who knew that the devil works that fast and sends this nasty package?"

Alice kept her head down during Julie's rant, so Anubias asked calmly again, "Alice, do you think Dylan sent this package?"

The redhead stared at the box and brushed her hair behind her ears repeatedly. "Forget it. The package has no return address. Retracing where it came from would be a waste of time. In fact, I'm sorry that we wasted your time, Anubias."

"Alice, how can you let Dylan do this to you?!" Julie cried.

"Alice has a point," Anubias noted. "All of you should focus on making the show better now that Dylan doesn't work here. However, if more suspicious packages come in, let me know immediately. Now return to work."

Both employees nodded. Alice returned to the studio first and blindly bumped into Runo on the way to her desk. "Alice, are you—"

"She's not okay." Julie dragged the bluenette to the side and whispered. "I'll explain later, but I think that Dylan—"

"Not my favorite paper knife!" All eyes faced Alice as she crouched over the fallen office tool on the ground. She wrapped the broken blade tip with scratch paper before trashing it. After capping the broken knife, she tossed it carelessly on her desk and exited the office studio.

Runo kept her eyes on Alice and later whispered to Julie, "You'd better tell me everything."

At the building's back alley, Alice paced around while gripping her phone tightly. Why would someone deliberately send me dead cockroaches when I clearly hate them? Julie thinks that Dylan did it, but we don't have any proof.

Suddenly, she opened her phone contacts and dialed a number. After some ringing, a male voice answered, "What's wrong?"

"I—uh—" The redhead twirled a few strands of hair before asking, "Shun, how did you know that I'm not feeling well?"

"I said that you could call me for anything. You also sounded nervous earlier. So tell me what's wrong."

"Anything can also mean nothing, but that's not the point. This morning, someone sent me a package of dead cockroaches, and—"

"You were specifically complaining about how much hated cockroaches and other bugs when we set up the fanpage the other day..."

"I know, but it's not just that. One time in college, I was in a hurry and decided to eat lunch during dress rehearsal. Suddenly, cockroaches came from nowhere, and I just couldn't deal with anything for the rest of the day. To this day, no one knows where the cockroaches came from. My lunch wasn't expired or overly aromatic."

"So...it's not about hate. It's about fear. Cockroaches give you bad memories, just like—"

"Everyone and everything else." After a long pause on both ends, Alice added, "Maybe my PTSD extends beyond the locker room incident."

"Maybe it's just not overcome yet."

Alice sighed and began walking back to the studio. "Thanks for not minding all my complaints, Shun. I honestly don't know who else to talk to."

Shun took another long pausing before making an offer. "If you think talking to me about past and presents relieves helps set you free, then go for it. If the call doesn't go through, then text me."

"I will." The redhead checked her watch and pressed the elevator button. "I need to go back to work now. I'll—"

"One more thing."

Alice paused.

"Thanks for calling me."

That's all he wanted to say? She smiled, although Shun wouldn't be able to see it anyway. "Talk to you later."

"See you then."

-x-x-x-x-x-

Thank goodness Dr. Brown approved my request and arranged everything for me.

Shun sat patiently on one side of the rectangular table in the meeting room as a security guard escorted a pink-haired prisoner to sit down on the opposite side. "You're Lync Volan? I'm—"

"—Shun. I know who you are. The staff told me you were coming." After an awkward silence, Lync added, "You're Miss Shiori's son, right?"

The raven-haired student nodded. "My mom let you call her by her first name as well?"

"She said it's to lessen any tension between us. Anyway, how are you doing?"

"Excuse me?"

"I know she passed away some time ago. I'd like to know how you coped with that. She was your mom, after all."

Either he's playing with me, or Mom was the only person that treated him nicely ever since. "I'm fine. I did change some things about my academic course so I can pursue what she did. I have a lot of supportive friends as well. So, tell me how you're doing."

Lync shook his head. "No one really cares about me here. The staff treat me nicely, mainly because it's their job. I haven't done anything violent in here. The other prisoners don't even talk to or bully me. It's so weird. By the way, can you do me a favor?"

"First of all, I came to you to ask about the locker room incident. I'm not obligated to do you any favors, especially since I haven't asked you anything yet."

"I just want you to send Miss Shiori some flowers to her grave in my name..."

Shun calmed down after realizing his mistake.

"You probably think I'm a violent killer, and I don't blame you. But Miss Shiori was the only person that visited me, and I'm grateful that she went beyond her assigned tasks and visited me—more often than Dr. Brown, actually."

He's right. Mom was assigned to first evaluate Lync to build a case in court. When she finished, she went to assist Alice while Dr. Brown supervised Lync to make sure he didn't do anything stupid. So not only did Mom help Alice with some life planning beyond mandated victim counselling, she also visited Lync to make sure he's okay even after the jury reached a guilty verdict. "I'm sorry that I yelled at you earlier. I've been jumping to conclusions lately and can't stop overthinking about things. I promise I'll send flowers on your behalf. Did you have specific ones in mind?"

"Pink carnations would be nice. She was very gentle and motherly."

I know how you feel. "Anyway, I need to ask you some serious questions. Were you close with Alice's quintet of friends back then?"

Suddenly, Lync tightened his hands as his fingers pinched each other. "Why are you bringing this up now?"

He's reacting the same way Alice reacts when I mention the past to her. "You said that everyone thinks you're a violent killer, right?"

Lync stared with wide eyes as he pinched his fingers even harder.

"If you think you're innocent, then think of answering my questions as a way to help my Mom truly rest in peace. She doesn't think you're a bad—"

"I killed them, alright?" the prisoner interrupted. "That's a fact, and nobody can change it."

"Then tell me the whole truth."

"I..." Lync groaned loudly as the security guard came to hold him down to prevent throwing a fit. "I didn't mean it. It wasn't supposed to end up like this."

"What do you mean? There's an alternative ending?"

Suddenly, the intercom system played a distinctive tune as Lync looked up. "Shun, thanks for visiting me, but it's almost lunchtime, and I don't really want to be late. See you next time?"

"But I—"

The same security guard from earlier explained, "This facility only gives a short window of time for all prisoners to eat lunch. I hope you understand."

Shun nodded and faced Lync. "I still have school, but I'll try my best to make time and visit."

After that security guard escorted Lync away, another security guard escorted Shun to the facility's front exit. What Lync told me today were only bits and pieces of what I need to know. But every time I pressure him for answers, he avoids the question.

He took out his phone and dialed Alice's number. "Are you busy?"

"Hold on." Footsteps echoed on Alice's end, presumably due to walking elsewhere. "What is it?"

"I spoke with Lync today."

"And...?"

"Alice, I don't think he killed your friends back then. At least, not at his own will."

"So...you think someone else convinced him to stab all five of us? How so?"

"I'm not a professional, but that would fit with Mom's notes about Lync being a nice person incapable of killing people—at his own will, of course. He could've been easily swayed by someone else."

"That could explain why he hesitated..."

Shun paused as he processed this new information. What does 'hesitated' mean? Hesitant to kill? Or hesitant to answer my questions? But Alice wouldn't have known about the conversation I just had with Lync. "Are you still talking about Lync?"

There was another long pause on Alice's end before she said, "Meet me at the harbor from last time."

"Right now? Don't you have work?"

"Lunch break," was the redhead's answer before hanging up.

The raven-haired student immediately drove to the section of Bayview's harbor where he took Alice to last time. After parking, he saw her standing by the railing and digging her fingernails into her crossed arms exposed from wearing a sleeveless polo. "Alice, aren't you freezing?!"

Despite Shun taking off his jacket to cover Alice, she made no effort to look at him and continued staring at the water. "I was so scared that Lync might do something violent while you two were talking."

"He didn't hurt me at all. Lync was very calm and welcoming, just hesitant to answer some of my questions."

"That suggests that he has something to hide."

"Maybe he's trying to hide the identity of the person that told him to do this." That hypothesis immediately caught Alice's attention, prompting her to face Shun and finally realize how much colder today's sea breezes were. "Alice, what were you telling me earlier about 'why he hesitated'?"

"When Lync attacked the others, he used swift motions repeatedly. I was last and fearing for my life on the ground, but it took Lync a while to find me. And when he did, he stood over me for the longest time before stabbing me—slowly."

"So he finished the others quickly but took his time with you?"

Alice nodded. "At the hospital, the nurses said that the others had multiple shallow wounds, but the simultaneous blood loss took their lives quickly. I had only one deep wound, yet I survived despite the agony I went through while waiting for help. Of course, one of them is still comatose to this day."

"Have you visited her at all?"

"No...I still can't get myself together. Even if I wanted to visit, she's in a special care facility with stricter visitor policies." The redhead pulled Shun's jacket tighter over herself and leaned her back against the railing. "Why is it that I survived, but the people that supported me didn't? It makes no—"

Suddenly, Shun pulled Alice closer for a hug, much to the latter's surprise. "Like I said, it's all in the past. Lync can't hurt you anymore."

"I hope you're right." The radio host leaned closer and noted, "You sound tachycardic."

"What?"

"Abnormally fast heart rate. Must be because your body's trying to compensate for being cold."

"Are you sure it's me? You were about to have another panic attack earlier if I hadn't stopped you."

"Maybe it is me." But for other reasons...

As Alice breathed normally again, Shun pondered about all the new information that he learned in the same day from both sides of the situation. Is what Alice told me about hesitation the same as what Lync meant when he said things weren't supposed to end up like this? Did someone force Lync to do this against this will? Or did someone gaslight Lync into thinking that Alice and her friends must be eliminated? But why?

-x-x-x-x-x-

"You didn't have to drive me to work today, Shun..."

The raven-haired student dropped Alice off at her workplace the next day with his motorcycle. "If I hadn't called to follow up after yesterday's situation, then you'd be taking public transportation."

"There's nothing wrong with that. Meanwhile, you have a car and motorcycle."

"But there's nothing wrong with being with me either, right?"

Alice removed her helmet slowly and returned it to Shun. "You're lucky that Aunt Clara went work earlier than usual and that I start late today. Are you still on break?"

"I only have a couple days left. Also, give me your hand." The redhead stared at her hands before offering the hand that wore the charm bracelet. "Why did I have a feeling that you'd give me that hand?"

"Maybe you know me well enough already. You were saying?"

Shun chuckled slightly and pinched Alice's middle proximal interphalangeal joint. The redhead winced as her friend explained. "This is just me—which my mom taught—but pinching that joint relieve my nervousness when it happens."

"You get nervous too?"

"Who doesn't get nervous during public speaking discussion?"

Alice laughed and covered her mouth with her free hand. "I'll try this next time when I go on air with an unfamiliar topic."

"Do you need me to pick you up from work? Your aunt might be more tired today, and I assume that you starting late also means ending late."

The redhead checked her phone for her work schedule. "You have a point. I'll let you know later. See you around."

"Remember what I told you."

Alice smiled and ascended the elevator to the thirteenth floor. She pinched her finger like Shun did, then noticed the scratches on her arms from the other day. This is better than digging my nails into my skin and not noticing the pain until much later. Alice opened the double doors but stepped back upon seeing a familiar metal ladder. "Shadow, you're back?"

"Hey Alice!" The maintenance technician descended the ladder and packed everything. "Gunz called us about repairing the air conditioning and ventilation. I fixed the AC, but I don't have the right parts for the ventilation fans. Those might take a day or two to arrive. For now, just open the windows but not while the AC is on, okay?"

"Thanks, Shadow!" replied everyone.

Alice nodded without a saying word before the technician left the floor. She quickly sat down in her seat and pulled on her bracelet again. The ventilation fans here aren't like the ones from school. Forget about it, Alice.

The tall blond employee stopped by the redhead's desk with some envelopes. "This mail is all yours, Alice!"

"Thanks, Gunz."

Alice tossed some junk mail away until she saw a regular white envelope with her name and work address handwritten in black ink. Is this fan mail? But the sender didn't follow the specific directions for mailing fan correspondence. And there's no return address. She reached for her pen cup but retracted immediately. I still haven't replaced my paper knife yet...

The redhead inserted her finger under the flap and dragged along the adhesive until she touched something and then dropped everything. "That hurts!"

Everyone faced Alice as her finger trickled red, while some gray specks fell out of the envelope. Julie gasped and grabbed her tissue box. "Your finger is bleeding! What happened?!"

While the Australian tended to the wound, Runo approached the gray specks and picked one up. "These are knife blades. They might fit into your empty paper knife handle, Alice."

"My paper knife?"

The bluenette then nodded and showed one blade to the redhead, who further leaned back into her chair. "I appreciate the 'gift', but at least wrap the blades so that nobody gets hurt."

"Runo, can you please call Dan already?! We need to report this!" Julie screamed.

"Fine, give me a moment."

While the Australian continued performing first aid, Alice stared at the knife blades and blood drops on the floor. First the cockroaches, now this. Who's doing this to me? What if Julie's right?