Ouryou Rikako's hand danced gently on the paper with a pure and unparalleled dexterity, as she directed a glance at the motionless figure posing one meter away, to identify whether she should change a certain detail in her sketch or simply continue with the hard work. The most difficult part she found was the hand, since it was holding the chin in an analytical posture, and every time she looked at it, she could not avoid being distracted by the thin lips and the somewhat pointed nose that the face displayed. The eyes were squinted, and the light coming through the wide window of the room seemed to reflect magic upon the silvery they emitted. Rikako was struck by the faint smile that had long illuminated Yashiro's expression. She looked like a little girl who could not help but laugh after committing her first bad deed.
"Ever since we ran into my classmate, that smile hasn't left your face," Rikako remarked in a soft tone.
Yashiro extended the gesture, as if she had been waiting for the commentary, but was still unable to hide the fun. Her eyes were fixed on the sky, which she could contemplate from her position even though she was sitting. It was sometimes necessary to make certain pauses when talking, to take a breath and think, or simply to observe the other, and both had become accustomed to it long ago, so Rikako kept looking closely at her, considering every detail. A half smile was drawn on her face, when she realized that Yashiro had to make a great effort to avoid reaching out and bending over, so that Rikako could finish the sketch more efficiently and quickly.
"It saddens me to find girls who, from such a young age, are instilled with the obligation to get married, have children, a good car…"
Yashiro grimaced in disgust and closed her eyes for a moment, tilting her head as if trying to rebuke her own words and push the thought out of her mind. She stayed silent for a few seconds, until she clenched her chin hand tightly into a fist.
"I think you and I have the same position regarding the educational policy of the Ousou Academy," Ouryou Rikako assumed looking down for one thousandth of a second. "It's strange… we're in a completely different time, where women can choose to be more than their predecessors, those whose only natural reason for existence was the mere fact of giving birth. Parenthood is a huge responsibility. Deciding to be a mother or a father is to be willing to sacrifice oneself for the life of a child, it's to end up becoming a means to an end, where the end becomes the child in question…"
The silence that followed was impressive and incredibly long. Yashiro heard her speak with her lips slightly open, like a child who listens to a great story before falling asleep. She felt her heart beating fast as if it were going to leave at any moment, a victim of Rikako's way of thinking, one she had never known and which, at the time, resembled hers so much that it even seemed unreal to her that she was a person of flesh and blood. For a long time, she was speechless. And when her heart finally started beating normally again, Yashiro leaned back proudly, letting out a smile full of mockery.
"But you're just a teenager!" Yashiro sneered with disdain. "When you grow up, you'll change your mind and have children, a husband who loves you and repeats incessantly how beautiful you are…"
Rikako bit her lip as she shook her head and looked around. Her fists clenched like she was making a great effort to avoid hitting someone, and when she finally dared to turn her gaze to Yashiro, it took only a few seconds for all her consternation to dissipate. Without knowing how or when, both exchanged a complicit smile and ended up laughing at the comment. It had been a long time since Rikako had felt that emotion eating away at her insides, and in a way, it was comforting. There were so many students, and yet none seemed as interesting as Takahashi Yashiro. She had long since finished the sketch and Yashiro just sat there, lost both in her thoughts and in the view that Rikako was giving, until a sudden knock interrupted the long-awaited peace, almost making the whole floor vibrate.
"Takahashi-san! Uh… am I interrupting something?"
Yashiro's smile dissolved entirely at once, and she tilted her head in the direction of the high voice with an almost palpable seriousness. A girl with brown hair in a ponytail stood at the door, still with her hand on the doorknob, as if she were undecided or actually afraid to go in. She was a classmate of hers called Hamada Saori and she found it strange that she was looking for her, since she had not planned anything with her. She wondered if she would need help with some exercise, but she did not see it possible as it was still a long way off the exam dates. The shadow that had been cast on Yashiro's face was as disturbing as fleeting, although it only lasted a split second and was not noticed by the newcomer, but by Rikako.
"Not at all! Feel free to come in."
After a few moments of uncertainty, Saori decided to pass by smiling openly. When she approached them both, she suddenly stopped and gave them a mischievous look, her light brown eyes shining brightly. Yashiro could not help but frown, though she said nothing. Rikako, on the other hand, only smiled inwardly the way she used to when she enjoyed watching her partner get upset. The only thing she wanted at that point was for the young woman to say what she had to say and turn around the way she had come. Yashiro apparently intuited her thoughts, as she exchanged an eloquent glance with her and raised her face a few millimeters, alluding to the all-important patience.
"Excuse me if I'm bothering you, but did you hear about the murder?"
Yashiro guided her gaze towards the surroundings, making memory, until the image of the politician Ryoji Hashida came to her mind. She remembered seeing him through pictures in the garden of a restaurant, and it had been all a mess in the news ever since. It had made society tremble in a way that had never been seen before. When she finally managed to draw a smile on her face, she turned to the girl.
"What about that?"
The young woman opened her eyes in complete surprise and stood frozen for several seconds, the color seemed to have left her skin as if she had been submerged in a sea of cold water. Her sight was fixed on the floor, unable to look her straight in the eye. Yashiro squinted as she sensed, at the obvious discomfort, that something was going on. She began to wonder if it was related to the great sorrow she had perceived in her classmates that very morning, who were chatting in class without paying attention to what the teachers were explaining, immersed in a clear conflict that affected them all equally.
"I don't know if it's true, but… there are certain rumors. It has been leaked on the networks that the Public Safety Bureau has its eyes on this academy. They're looking for someone on the inside. Seems like the politician met with someone from this academy, but it's unknown who because he didn't share the information with anyone."
Yashiro arched an eyebrow at the impact of her words and let silence break through the room. She tilted her head in the direction of Rikako, looking for her company to see that she had indeed reacted the same way. Neither of them had expected such news, and it must have been so recent that it had not yet been made public among both teachers and students. Yashiro was so shocked that she could not come to terms with it, or perhaps she did not want to believe her words. It started to make sense that such an establishment would harbor a murderer.
Although the Ousou Academy placed many restrictions, it was possible to break the rules, you just had to learn how to do it. The mere fact that it was conservative made it more vulnerable. Technology and science were advancing by leaps and bounds, and there were not even security cameras there. She sighed deeply on further reflection. She could foresee that someday security would be tightened, and therefore many things would stop happening within the academy, a few of them somewhat innocent and others a little more serious. The teachers would no longer even have the same contact with their students, fearful of receiving any complaints. Yashiro smiled as she realized that when such a time came, she would no longer be there. Rikako, on the other hand, would have to go through it.
"Does anyone else know about this?" Rikako looked up and asked.
Saori shook her head, but they were not shocked. The entire city would be watching out for an imminent psycho hazard, and it would not be surprising if Ousou Academy imposed one of its usual barriers against viral news, when it came to protecting its students. A mechanism that was useful to the academy, but did not serve in the long term. Each and every one of them had to come to reality at some point or another, and they had to be prepared for it. And therein lay the problem. You could never be prepared.
Saori look down biting her lip unconsciously, a gesture that did not go unnoticed by the other two students. The confidence and sweetness that Yashiro reflected, however, encouraged her to continue, and she soon showed a cheerful and sincere smile again. She was a person who entered into confidence too quickly, who could be convinced by simple pleasant words. One of the reasons why her presence was becoming unbearable for Yashiro.
"Still… I'll try to warn the others," Saori sought with some shyness. "At least to keep their eyes open."
Yashiro kept her smile intact and never stopped looking into her eyes. She stood more upright in the chair and waited for a few seconds until she decided to face her, with the same softness and delicacy with which she treated her other classmates. Her eyes glowed in satisfaction and she carefully avoided expressing any aggression in her voice.
"I think it's an excellent idea. Look for Hisakawa Izumi. She's an expert on the web and can help you. Thanks for letting us know, Hamada-san."
The girl pursed her lips and remained silent for a while, as if analyzing her possibilities, until she nodded her head letting out an honest smile. Yashiro soothed her expression, relaxing her eyelids and stretching back slightly. Saori pointed to her by raising a thumb and rushed back to the classroom door. Yashiro raised a hand leaving it extended in the air for a few seconds, to greet her silently. But just as Saori opened the door to leave, she suddenly stopped in her tracks, as if time had frozen or something in the room had caught her attention, and decided to turn around again to look at the two students.
"Takahashi-san… be careful."
Yashiro slowly nodded in her direction. Seconds later, Saori greeted her again with her hand and left the room, closing the door and producing an almost deafening sound. The atmosphere became dark and silent, as if it had been a victim of a tornado and there was nothing left but remains and memories around. Yashiro's eyebrows were slightly furrowed and her eyes were lost on the floor, she was listening to the echo of the conversation that had taken place earlier. Rikako had been silent the whole time, and yet Yashiro felt her closer than ever, she could sense the burning in her gaze as a blinding ray of light. She still remembered the strange way Saori had looked at Rikako, almost as if she took her for someone who did not study at the academy.
"Trouble in paradise?" Rikako questioned in a sarcastic and equally somber tone.
Yashiro moistened her lips looking up at the ceiling, and tilted her head towards the young woman with a half-smile. The other, in response, simply shook her head.