After an hour, Mitsuya-san's busy mother comes to school to pick him up. Only then did Terada-sensei let him go.
Goro-san has been passing the time chatting with the school nurse, waiting for the kids to go home before going back to the convenience store. But, even though Mitsuya-san is gone, Emma insists on waiting for Draken and her brother.
Both Goro-san and Terada-sensei leave while Karina stays with Emma, the nurse leaving the key to the gray-haired girl. "Don't forget to lock the door with this key, Maya-kun. Some students find it fun stealing from my room." She shakes her head in disbelief. "Really. Kids these days." Then she pats Karina's shoulder. "I hope those two would come back soon. Or else you'll end up waiting all night." She follows the old man outside and shouts. "Still, don't be late for class tomorrow!"
Emma sits beside her. "Thank you for staying with me."
"I-it's no big deal." The blonde girl stares at her for a long time until Karina cannot help but ask, "W-why?"
"That bruise." Emma points at the purplish-black bruise near Karina's ear. "That wasn't there before. And it looks fresh." Curiously, she reaches for the girl's sleeves and exposes her arms. They're filled with wounds and bruises. "Karina-chan. Why do you let them do this to you?"
What answer could she give aside from the obvious?
She's weak.
"I'm sorry."
Emma puts Karina's sleeves back to cover her arms. "You don't need to apologize to me, Karina-chan. Still, you shouldn't let others treat you this way." A short moment of silence then Emma asks another question, "How did they end up bullying you anyway?"
"I forgot. Just, one day, I found a dead rat inside my locker and a note that said that I should die."
The beautiful blonde frowns at her story. "And they've been bullying you ever since?"
"Yes. Mostly Aiko and her friends."
"Yet you call her by her first name?"
Karina looks down at the floor, the memory of Aiko and her together flashes in her mind. In a small voice, she responds. "We were friends. At least I thought we were."
"And I'm guessing you're not sure what happened."
"Yes."
Emma stands up. "Come on, it's already dark. The guards should be locking the gates by now. Let's wait outside instead."
Karina agrees, locking the Nurse's Office and following the blonde.
It doesn't take long before Sano-san and Draken appear in front of the school. They look calm and confident, clearly, the meeting with the rest of Toman was a successful one. Karina starts to believe Mitsuya-san's words, that she should trust that Toman could handle such a hurdle.
Emma decides that they walk Karina home since the gray-haired girl's house is near the school, the beautiful blonde immediately taking the place beside Draken so that they can walk together.
Karina notices that whenever Emma is with Draken, she acts more cutely. Karina feels like someone is watching her. She turns to her side and sees Sano-san staring at her, but this time, once their eyes meet, he doesn't avert his gaze.
"I can't believe Emma took a liking to you. Who knows, you might be Masayoshi Aiko's pawn, and because of you, Emma might be in danger."
Ah, that's why.
He doesn't trust her.
Karina shakes off the sadness that suddenly envelopes her heart.
"I can't be" is all she can say. Besides, she doesn't trust herself to be someone who can successfully play a part in such a complicated scheme. In fact, she is too foolish to take part in any scheme, good or bad.
She doesn't realize that both she and Sano-san have stopped walking. Eye to eye, they look at each other. At that moment, Karina couldn't help but think of the things she could do to please the guy. But she couldn't think of anything.
The sound of cars passing by fills in the silence. Then, all of a sudden, the blond boy reaches for her arm and holds her closer to him saying, "Fool! You almost get yourself killed! Don't stay too close to the cars on the road."
There is a loud blaring sound from a car only seconds away from her.
He just saved her. For the second time.
She is so close to him that she could feel his breath spread on her cheek. Sano-san's grip is solid and strong. He smells like antiseptic but underneath that is a faint scent of manly perfume.
"This keeps on happening." Sano-san's face is serious. "Don't misunderstand. I don't really like helping you. I'm just doing this for Emma."
Their faces too close, Karina realizes how beautiful the boy is.
"Stare..." Both the teens hear from somewhere nearby. When they look at their sides, they see Emma looking at them with a knowing smile. "I see. I see," she mutters as Draken also turns to face them.
"Hurry up and get over your lovey-dovey mode," the tall guy teases.
"Shut up." Sano-san releases the girl and starts walking again, leaving Karina behind. The girl quickly follows with quick tiny steps.
The next day, Sano-san barges inside her classroom in the middle of a lecture, calling her name out loud. "Maya, come with me. Emma needs your help right now. It's an emergency."
Karina stands up from her seat, worried about her new friend. The action is too abrupt it even scares away the tiny birds perched on a branch near her classroom's window. They fly in different directions. "How bad is it?" she asks to which Sano-san answers with a "Very bad."
Quickly putting her things inside her bag and flinging it on her shoulder, Karina exits the classroom, saying goodbye to her teacher and promising to come back once she finishes helping her friend.
Sano-san sits on his bike without a helmet on but gives one to the girl. She grabs it and wears it, sitting behind him. She puts her hands around his waist in a tight grasp, afraid that she will fall. She knows how fast he goes with his motorbike.
Emma, please be okay, she thinks as they pass through streets and corners.
Alas, they arrived...
At the department store.
Could it be...
No. Emma had just shopped for a dress a few days ago.
"Come on," Sano-san gets off his bike. "Emma is waiting in the fitting room."
"Fi-fi..."
"Fitting room."
When they reach the said fitting room, it opens and reveals a perfectly fine Emma in a perfectly fine floral off-shoulder dress that reaches half of her thighs. Only, she is frowning.
"Karina-chan! I've been waiting for ages!" Then she turns to her brother, "Mikey! I thought I told you it was an emergency!"
The boy just shrugs his shoulders. "I did my best." He sits on one of the beanie bags near them.
The place is bustling with busy shoppers and strangers striding leisurely. No one is in school uniform, but them. That's why someone from the crowd would look their way from time to time.
"B-buying a dress again, Emma? And, where is Draken-san?" Karina thinks it's strange not to see the tall boy around the siblings.
Emma replies as she checks how she looks in the big mirror, "Of course, he's not here. He's the reason why we're doing this and why I need a new special dress."
"This?"
The beautiful blonde spins in front of her. "Do I look good in this dress? It's his birthday so he's throwing a party later with Toman. Tell me, is this fine?"
"Y-you look beautiful."
"Really? Isn't it too much?"
"I don't think so..." The dress fits her lithe body firmly and has a peach background with colorful flower designs. They fit Emma so perfectly that Karina wonders if there is a dress in the world that doesn't suit the beautiful blonde.
As if knowing what is inside Karina's mind, Emma smiles. "Okay. Now, it's your turn." She hands the gray-haired girl a bunch of dresses she has been hiding inside the fitting room. "Inside, you go. We don't have much time."
Is she suggesting that Karina finds one that suits her and wears it during the party? But these dresses are so beautiful that Karina's sure nothing would fit her.
Still, she tries one—a plain pale yellow long-sleeved dress that reaches her knees. It hugs her upper body tightly but flows freely down the waist. When she gets out of the fitting room, Emma almost gasps.
"You look wonderful, Karina-chan!" She stands up from one of the beanie bags and turns Karina to face Sano-san. "Look, Mikey, isn't she cute in this?"
Mouth slightly open, the boy doesn't reply. Dark orbs fix on Karina that they make her cheeks flush.
Quietly, Karina's mind wonders what color Sano-san likes. So that she could find a dress, wear it, and hear that he likes it.
"Mikey?" Emma asks her brother. "Does it suit Karina-chan?"
The boy sighs. "No."
The beautiful blonde pouts, not satisfied with her brother's answer. Still, she skims the dresses on the small chair inside the fitting room and chooses a long-sleeved lilac high-waist dress. She gives it to Karina, gesturing that she should try it on.
Again, Sano-san says no. Karina goes back inside the fitting room, trying on a different dress only to be then rejected by Sano-san.
Alas, there is no more dress from the pile that Emma had chosen for her friend. "Now, you're just being mean," said Emma, pertaining to the boy.
"Then just choose one randomly and let's go."
Emma stands up. "That's not the point! You should—"
"Huh?"
"I-it's alright." Karina gets the pile of rejected dresses and gathers them in her arms. "I'll just return these and then look for another one."
"Okay, Karina-chan." The beautiful blonde smiles at her. "Let's just go with whichever you want."
The moment she reaches the lines of dresses displayed inside the store, the gray-haired girl realizes that she made a wrong decision. There are so many dresses that she has no idea which one to choose.
This one looks good.
So is this one.
And this.
Which will Sano-san like?
She's curious.
She takes almost every long-sleeved dress her eyes set upon then almost screams when she finds someone hiding behind a rack full of clothing.
The boy has shoulder-length bright red wavy hair and tanned skin. His eyes are hidden in thick dark sunglasses. As he sees Karina, he gasps. And when the sound of quick steps echoes near them, he grabs Karina's hand, pulls her into a fitting room with him, and covers her mouth. "Quiet or they'll hear us," he whispers.