The night air was cool in the academy corridors, lantern light washing the stone floors in soft gold as Blanche Van Equinox moved forward, her arms securely carrying Yuxin's limp body. Her every step was graceful, almost ceremonial, yet there was urgency in the tight set of her jaw and the way her eyes flicked down every so often at Yuxin's pale face. The folds of her uniform skirt whispered against the floor, her blond hair catching the dim glow with every measured stride.
Behind her trailed Fuuka and Yuki, their shadows long and wavering across the walls. Blanche did not speak; her focus was wholly on the unconscious girl in her arms. But behind her, the silence did not hold for long.
Yuki leaned toward Fuuka, lowering her voice into a hushed whisper, her crimson-gray eyes narrowing curiously.
"Alright, I've gotta ask… where the hell did you meet her? Blanche Van Equinox doesn't exactly spend her free time chatting with strangers in back corridors. Since when are you two… acquainted?"
Her tone was sharp, suspicious, though tinged with genuine curiosity. She studied Fuuka's calm profile as they walked, waiting for cracks to appear.
Fuuka did not falter, her steps as steady as Blanche's ahead of them. She kept her eyes fixed on the floor in front of her, her voice level, each syllable measured.
"We met at a banquet. A formal gathering. We spoke. We became acquainted"
Yuki's brows rose in faint surprise, her lips parting slightly.
""A banquet? You? What banquet? Since when do you even go to those?."
Her voice carried a note of reluctant admiration, as if she couldn't quite believe Fuuka had managed such a thing. Blanche was not just any noble—she was the Equinox heiress, the symbol of quiet perfection that most students only ever admired from afar. To hear that Fuuka, reserved and aloof as she was, had forged a connection at some noble banquet—it was almost unthinkable.
Fuuka inclined her head faintly, not meeting Yuki's eyes, her expression unreadable as ever.
"One of the seasonal feasts. It was not… significant. But Blanche and I spoke at length. She is approachable, if one makes the effort."
But inside, her thoughts whispered differently, silent words threading through her composure like cracks under glass.
Not circumstance. Silas. The engagement… the ties between Caelumotris and Equinox. That was where I first crossed paths with her. She was there, radiant in her station, and I—bound by an arrangement not yet spoken aloud. If I told Yuki this truth, what would she do? What would it do to her, with her feelings she hides so poorly?
Fuuka's hands tightened imperceptibly at her sides, but her face betrayed nothing.
Yuki, oblivious to the layers beneath Fuuka's quiet, gave a soft huff and shook her head, almost smiling despite herself.
"Well… color me surprised. You're full of secrets, huh? I never pegged you as the type to mingle with people like Blanche. But hey—if you can pull that off, maybe I've been underestimating you."
Her words came light, half-teasing, but they rang with a strange sincerity. She cast another glance toward Blanche's tall figure ahead of them, walking like a guardian angel with Yuxin cradled safely in her arms.
Fuuka let her gaze linger on that sight for a moment too long before looking away again, murmuring under her breath where Yuki couldn't hear.
No. It isn't me Blanche trusts. It's the web spun between families, between vows not yet public, between a name she knows. That is why she looks at me without suspicion.
But her voice never spoke the truth aloud.
Instead, the three of them walked on, Blanche silent and focused, Yuki half in awe and half uneasy, and Fuuka wrapped in secrets she could not reveal—secrets that tied them all closer together than any of them realized.
The colossal doors of the academy's library loomed like the entrance to a labyrinth carved into reality itself. Their surface was a tapestry of aged oak, reinforced with iron ribs that gleamed faintly under the lamplight of the corridor. The hinges, massive enough to crush a man's hand in a careless slip, let out a groan as Blanche pushed them open.
Beyond, the air shifted—cool, dry, touched with the eternal breath of parchment. The library sprawled endlessly, a world within walls. Rows of towering shelves stretched skyward like pillars of a cathedral, stacked so densely with tomes that they seemed to lean under the burden of centuries. Between them ran narrow aisles, winding and splitting, bending away into shadows as if daring anyone who entered to lose themselves. High above, bridges of wrought iron crisscrossed the upper levels, their lattices draped with chains of glowing crystal lamps that swung gently, scattering fragments of light across the abyss below.
Reading alcoves dotted the perimeter like hidden sanctuaries—arched windows filtering pale daylight into soft pools, small tables crowned with scattered quills and candles. In one corner, couches and armchairs lay arranged around low stands, marked by the faint imprint of regular use. The sheer scale of the place pressed down like a weight; this was not just a collection of books, but a kingdom of silence and memory.
Blanche's boots clicked lightly as she crossed the threshold, her expression calm yet taut. Behind her, Fuuka's voice carried, clipped but measured.
"Blanche. Put Yuxin down over there. The sofa in the far corner—I use it sometimes."
Blanche inclined her head without hesitation. She strode past the looming stacks, weaving between the towering shadows until she found the sofa Fuuka had mentioned. The cushions were worn just slightly, molded by the habit of someone who had rested here many times before. Gently, almost ceremoniously, Blanche lowered Yuxin's limp form onto the seat. The girl's breathing was steady, shallow, her pale face tilted toward the dim glow of the crystals above.
Fuuka raised one hand, and her body rippled like water struck by stone. In an instant, multiple copies of her split off, each clone flickering into solidity before striding into different corridors of the labyrinthine shelves. They dispersed like phantoms with purpose, scattering through the library's impossible sprawl. Blanche and Yuki could only watch as the procession of Fuukas vanished into the depths.
Blanche's brows furrowed faintly. The sight of countless Fuukas combing through the endless tomes was unsettling—efficient, yes, but uncanny in a way that gnawed at her instincts.
Fuuka herself, the original, remained rooted where she was, her presence calm, unwavering. She turned, her eyes catching Blanche's.
"You can leave now."
Blanche blinked once, uncertain. Her lips parted, her tone measured, polite, almost too proper.
"Senior… with all due respect, I cannot. Yuxin is my friend, and she is in no state to be left alone. It would go against everything I stand for to abandon her here."
She stepped forward, her golden hair catching the lamplight, her voice edged with soft urgency.
"Please allow me to stay. I'll cause no trouble. I'll swear it—on my name, on my family's honor."
But Fuuka's hand lifted, a silent command. Her voice came low, final.
"Enough. This is not a matter of loyalty or oaths. What happens next is classified. Academy secrets. Not even you may witness it."
Her gaze flicked toward Yuki, who stood a short distance away.
"That includes you, Yuki."
The radio club president's crimson-gray eyes narrowed, but she gave a single, slow nod.
Blanche's chest tightened. She tried again, her words tumbling out softer, almost pleading.
"Surely… there must be an exception. If not for me, then for her. I promise, I will not speak of it to anyone. Not even my father, not even to my—"
Fuuka cut across her with sharp precision.
"Even if you were a king, Blanche, the answer would remain the same. There are procedures that must be followed. For you, it is impossible."
Her tone carried no cruelty, only finality—stone striking stone, leaving no room for argument.
Blanche's lips pressed together, frustration coiling in her chest. She wanted to protest, to resist, but the weight of Fuuka's words was immovable. Slowly, painfully, she relented, lowering her head in defeat.
"…I understand."
Fuuka turned away, dismissing her.
"Then leave. Both of you. Now."
The library's silence deepened around them, heavy with the scent of old pages and the unseen march of Fuuka's clones. Blanche glanced once more at Yuxin, her heart twisting, but she knew there was no choice. With a long exhale, she moved toward the door.
Yuki fell into step beside her, her face expressionless, but her eyes sharp as a blade hidden beneath velvet.
And together, without another word, the two slipped out of the labyrinth, leaving Fuuka and her endless doubles behind.
The heavy doors of the library shut behind them with a low thud, their echo rolling down the quiet corridor like the dying note of a bell. Outside, the air felt strangely lighter, though the weight in Blanche's chest only seemed to grow heavier. Her hands fidgeted against the folds of her uniform as her mind replayed the image of Yuxin lying unconscious on that sofa, swallowed by the dim glow of crystal lamps.
Her usually composed face betrayed her now—worry carved into her brow, her lips pressed thin as though she were biting back unspoken fears. She stared at the polished floor, but in truth, her thoughts were still with her friend inside.