The week that followed was filled with life. Students bustled all around the school, getting ready for the upcoming event. After transforming the academy into a Christmas paradise — an operation spearheaded by the older sister — preliminary preparations were underway. With the last day of class before winter break rolling around, Nari decided she should at least make an appearance. She had, after all, been absent for effectively a quarter of the year. Of course, doing so quickly proved hazardous and as she was nearly tackled upon entering the classroom, she found herself immediately regretting her decision.

"Siren! You're back! You came back!"

"Yes, Apollon, I came back. Now please, give me some space."

The god respected her request but didn't leave her side. Instead, he just continued his tirade from afar, keeping a safer distance between them. "Did you hear the news, Siren?! Did you hear?!"

"What, about the festival? Of course, I heard. Everyone's talking about it."

Apollon shook his head, earning a raised eyebrow. "No, not the festival. The event at the festival."

"Huh?" The sun god wasn't making any sense. And while she did her best to exercise more patience with him following her rehabilitation — as he was one of the many who helped make it possible — it was far too early for this nonsense. "What are you talking about?"

"Luna!" he shouted.

"What?!" Every muscle in her body tensed; it took everything in her power not to clap her hands over her mouth. In her mind, she was already slapping herself for making such an amateurish mistake. Answering to her stage name surrounded by every student in the classroom had to be the dumbest thing she had done all year — and that was including her overdose. Thankfully, no one seemed to notice, specifically Apollon who was already continuing on his rant. She had never been so grateful for his obliviousness.

"Luna is coming! She's holding another concert! Another concert! It's going to be during the Christmas Market!"

"Oh… right." So, it seemed word had already got out. Rather impressive considering she just finalized the plan with Zeus not even two days before. Then again, Apollon was the student body president. All student events held pended his approval. Technically, he would have been one of the first to know.

"Mm-hmm! I made the announcement this morning. You'll get to see your favorite idol!"

Nari balked. "This morning — how?" Class hadn't even started yet. When in the world had he found the time to do that? Chances were most of the students weren't even awake. Her answer was him reaching into his pocket and pulling out the student handbook. He flipped toward the back section where it listed school events. Sure enough, there she was. Pop star extraordinaire, holding a sparkling microphone and singing her heart out surrounded by golden light. A candid shot taken from the concert. She wasn't even aware there had been photographers present. "When did that get there?" she muttered.

"I'm so happy you'll get to see her this time, Siren. I'm so happy!"

"Apollon —"

"How wonderful!" Another voice drifted into the fray, sounding from the doorway as another group of students wandered into the room. Balder smiled, sharing in Apollon's mirth, the two gods of light threatening to blind her with their presence. "I'm so glad we'll be able to see Luna again. It was truly quite an experience."

"Gotta say, I'm surprised she's up for it. The last performance was intense."

Nari turned, eyes rounding slightly at a pair of silver ones looking pointedly in her direction. She could almost see what looked like concern in his gaze, but she didn't take the time to appreciate it, looking away moments after contact. It was their first interaction since their encounter in the hallway, and the thought of it alone made her heart skip a beat. Looking at him wasn't an option; she didn't trust herself. No, meeting his gaze was guaranteed to bring color to her pale skin, and that was the last thing she needed. In front of her Apollon and Balder had descended into a discussion of what sort of music she might perform the second time.

"I hope she performs Midnight Mamba again," Balder suggested. Murmurs of agreement rippled along the classroom, accompanied by a series of nods. Not only were some of the other gods in agreement, but the doll students as well and that certainly threw her for a loop. Discovering that they had opinions of their own was the strangest thing she had learned all year. She had always assumed them to operate like androids on software. Maybe they were more genuine than she gave them credit for…

"Really? I was hoping she'd sing Here I Stand! That was my favorite song, my favorite!" Apollon gave a beaming smile before belting out her tune with all his might, turning every pair of eyes in his direction. Nari's own blew wide and her mouth fell open, along with nearly every other student in the classroom. She was absolutely stunned. She had heard a glimpse of his capability during their music lesson, but it had been far more subdued, not to mention harmonized with the other five. It was nothing like this, and quite frankly, she was a little miffed that he had been holding out on her during their music lesson. That god could sing.

"Holy shit, Apollon… with a voice like that, you should be in the music club…"

"Really?! You really think I could?"

"Well, yeah. I mean… wow. You've got some serious pipes."

Dionysus shrugged from his seat. "God of the arts. Apollon loves to sing."

"Yeah, no kidding…"

Apollon appeared to be running with the idea, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Can I join the music club, Siren? Can I really?"

"U-Uh… well —" Nari paused, looking nervously between her sister and the sunny god. She had only made an off-handed comment, she hadn't been expecting him to actually consider it. In retrospect, knowing him, she probably should have. Before she could protest, Tsukito spoke up from the first row, sealing her fate.

"There is no rule prohibiting it, so long as you do not shirk your duties."

"A-Ah…"

"Oh, that's great! Really great! I'm going to be a member of the music club!"

Nari sighed, bringing a palm to her forehead. This was certainly going to cause a dilemma. It was strange enough practicing for her last concert with her second member — Anubis had effectively joined the club at some point. Now she was going to have to try to navigate around Apollon as well. Surely, even he would notice should he watch her during her practice, and revealing herself was not an option; it would be catastrophic. The image of swaths of doll paparazzi swarming the dorms made her shudder. What an absolute disaster. She really needed to learn to keep her thoughts to herself.

Balder spoke up immediately, seeming exhilarated by the idea. "Oh, you should join, Agana Belea! Don't worry about the council, Yui and I can manage while you're gone."

Loki's eyes narrowed, taking in Balder's expression. He was far too happy about getting rid of the sun god. Nari reacted similarly, twitching her nose at the sight of them. She had also noticed the light tension between the two of them; almost as though he wanted Apollon out of the way. She also couldn't help but notice that he had left Tsukito entirely out of the equation. Nari hadn't the slightest clue what was going on with him, but she didn't like it. Not one bit.

"Oh, Yui! We should attend the concert together!"

"Wait, what?!" Yui blanched, startled by Balder's sudden suggestion. Actually, it almost sounded more like a demand. "B-But —"

"Aw, no fair! I was going to ask Fairy!" While Apollon pouted, Balder seemed to revel in his loss.

"What is it that the humans say? You schmooze, you lose?"

"It's snooze…" Yui corrected.

"Really? Hmm… I thought I was pretty close…"

"They aren't close at all!"

While the two went back and forth, Nari watched the four of them with narrowed eyes. Apollon, looking genuinely miffed at the idea of Yui attending the concert with the other god. Balder looking back at him with cool venom in his eyes. Loki glaring at both of them as though the very idea had affronted him. And her sister stood in the center looking hopelessly confused. What was going on with them? Shaking her head, Nari broke them up, deciding it best to put a stop to it before tensions could escalate further. "Okay, all of you need to relax. The concert is going to be during the festival, right? You're all going to be managing your booths, I don't think anyone will be attending with anyone."

"R-Right!" Yui jumped at the idea, glad to finally be out of the middle of their argument.

Before Balder could protest further, Thoth burst through the door, glowering at the standing students with a look that could probably kill — were he not wearing his limiter. Shaking her head, Nari went to her seat, watching curiously as the other three did the same. Yui sat at her desk and took out her notes. Apollon's eyes followed her. Balder's eyes followed the sun god. And Loki's followed the light. What the hell was going on?

. . .

Their class was uneventful, Thoth giving a brief overview of different cultures before moving on to the topic of human brain function. Ironically, her own mind drifted in and out throughout the entire lesson, eyes looking around the room. She couldn't shake off the unusual behavior of her classmates, specifically Loki. She had never seen her look at Balder like that before. For that matter, she had never seen Balder look at Apollon in such a way. It was certainly strange, to say the least. She couldn't help but wonder about it, putting together as many pieces of the puzzle as possible in the hopes they would form a bigger picture.

Yui had her eyes on Apollon, that much she was certain of at this point. Reserved as she was, she had never seen her blush the way she did around the gun god. And from the looks of things, Balder seemed to have his eyes on Yui. Not too surprising; people liked Yui. She was very likeable. It was only a matter of time before the god of light noticed that. The part that she couldn't figure out was how Loki fit into all of this, watching the two of them with unmoving eyes.

She had never known him to have any sort of interest in her sister. Then again, she had never really asked. She had never needed to. After all, his fascination with Nari herself had always seemed to far outpace any sort of curiosity with anyone else. Of course, he also enjoyed harassing her above anyone else. That didn't necessarily equate to affection. But she was sure in the last few weeks, something had blossomed between them, even though she couldn't put a label on it. She had certainly felt closer to him… had she been overthinking it?

And what about the other day under the mistletoe? There was no way he didn't notice the spark; she could see it in his eyes. Loki had been nearly just as breathless as she was when he pulled away… But maybe that was all there was to it. Attraction. Excitement. That didn't mean it extended any further. As class went on, Nari felt her mind wandering, drifting deeper and deeper into her anxious thoughts. When the bell rang, she nearly leapt out of her seat, eager to get away from the stifling confines of the room. She strode away without a word; without ever looking back.

. . .

"Hey, Nari."

"Hey."

When her sister found her, Nari was sitting in the mess hall alone at a table near the back of the room with a healthy serving of sushi. She had been searching for her since her hasty departure from the classroom. The speed with which she made her exit concerned her. Placing down her tray, she took her miso soup and placed it front of her before eyeing her sister's dish. More accurately, she would describe it as a platter, containing almost every kind of roll and slice. And naturally, there was one element distinctly missing. "No vegetables again, I see."

The older sister shrugged nonchalantly, popping a bite of salmon nigiri into her mouth. "Sorry, forgot to ask for any."

Yui smiled. "I figured as much. Which is why I brought you some." From her tray, she pulled a small bowl filled with Ohitashi and slid it across the table. Her offer was met with an eyeroll and a quiet groan, taking the salad, and placing it with the rest of her ensemble. There really was no getting around this girl. "So, a concert, huh? That's what was decided on?"

"Yeah, it sure looks that way."

"I'm a little surprised. I didn't think Luna would want to perform."

Nari shrugged. "I guess she changed her mind. From what I hear, she has something special planned for the evening."

"Oh?" Yui's eyes widened with interest. "Any thoughts on what it might be?"

"Not entirely sure. I hear it's going to be Christmas-themed, spanning across cultures. But rumor has it…" Nari leaned in closer for dramatic emphasis. "… she's unveiling a song from the vault."

"From the vault…?" Her sister barely contained her excitement, lips pulling into a wide smile. "Could it be her original debut? I heard it was never released to the public…"

"Possibly." Nari smiled, keeping her sister in suspense. Truth be told, she had no idea whether or not she was even going to finish the thing in time. It was better not to get her hopes up. Leaning back, she shrugged. "Anyway, it's just a rumor. But if she is un-vaulting it, it must be something special."

"Well, I'm looking forward to it either way. I'm sure whatever she comes up with will be spectacular."

"I certainly hope so…" Nari took another bite of her salad, trying to hide the grimace under sister's scrutinizing gaze. "Anyway, what brings you here? I figured you'd be working with the student council or something."

Yui shook her head. "No, not today. Honestly, I was running around trying to find you. You worried me today, the way you bolted out of class."

"Yeah, sorry about that. I was just feeling a little… overwhelmed."

A small grin rose to her face, taking another sip of her soup. "Does it have anything to do with you-know-who?"

Nari flinched. She didn't like the devious smile her sister was giving her. "Maybe. He might be… part of it."

"Hmm." The younger sibling hummed but said nothing further. Her sister had already suffered enough for one day. There was no reason for her to pile it on. For now. Silence fell between them, Yui watching her finish up her sushi and — begrudgingly — her salad. The two spent another few minutes catching up, stacking their dishes onto their trays. Nari stretched her arms, slowly rising from the table.

"I think I'm going to go take a nap or something. I'm exhausted… it's been so long; I had forgotten how tiring classes could be."

"Well, this was the last one for a little while. At least you'll get some time to rest during the break."

"Hardly. Gotta ready for the concert. You know a Starlight's work never ends."

"Yeah, well don't work too hard, alright? You're not that far out of recovery. Please, don't push yourself."

"I won't, Yui. I promise." Waving goodbye, Nari turned and slowly her way to the door. Yui returned it, watching her go with a smile. She had been betrayed by her sister before; she had damaged her trust by being untruthful to her. But this time, she could tell she really meant it. Nari wouldn't be breaking her promises anymore.

As she reached the doorway, Nari paused as she felt the familiar itch. The skin-crawling sensation that someone was watching her. Turning, she whipped her head to the side to catch a glimpse of red disappearing around the bend. Strange. Loki had made a habit of watching her since early in the school year, she was used to his antics by now. What was odd was that up until this moment, he had never been caught. He had never allowed himself too. He was far too careful. For her to have managed to catch him off guard, that could only mean he wasn't paying attention. But how was that even possible? Loki had tunnel vision; she couldn't make a single movement without him knowing it. He would have seen her approach.

Unless of course… he hadn't been watching her in the first place.

But if that were the case, then what was he doing there? Surely, he had better things to do than hang around the cafeteria, especially if Balder or Thor weren't nearby. Was it possible? A sinking feeling started to rise in the pit of her stomach as the thought slowly crossed her mind. What if it hadn't been her, he was following?

What if it had been Yui instead?