The fluorescent lights hummed their eternal, maddening song.
Hoshimi stood in the corridor outside Neila's room, his violet eyes fixed on the chrome door with the number 309 embossed in small, sterile letters. His reflection stared back at him from the polished surface, pale, hollow-cheeked.
"I'll do one more person before going to bed."
Behind him, the common room sat empty. Kira was asleep, finally, after hours of pacing and picking at her skin until it reddened
[She would be my main suspect]
He knocked.
Three soft taps.
No response.
He knocked again, harder this time. The sound echoed down the empty corridor like a warning shot.
"Neila. I know you're in there."
A long pause. Then, muffled through the door
"I'm busy."
"Doing what?"
"Important things. Things that don't concern you."
Hoshimi's jaw tightened. He pressed his palm flat against the cool metal of the door, feeling the faint vibration of mana beneath the surface. A barrier, subtle but efficient, woven into the room's defenses. She'd been expecting him.
"I can break this down," he said. His voice was flat, emotionless, the voice of someone delivering a fact rather than a threat. "If I wanted to do it, I have permission, y'know?"
Another pause. Longer this time.
Then, a soft click. The door swung open.
Neila stood in the doorway, her twin-tails perfectly arranged, her blue eyes sharp and unreadable. She wore a pristine white shirt, tailored to her small frame, and black slacks that probably cost more than most students' monthly stipends. Her room behind her was immaculate, every surface gleaming, every object arranged with geometric precision.
"You're annoying," she said. "You know that?"
"I've been told."
He stared at her shirt.
"What are you looking at? Pervert."
He replied in his cold, monotone voice. "I see you're spending the Mirlo estate's money quite well."
"I do what I want to, you puppet. You have no right to judge me on how I spend my money."
"Yea, sure."
She studied him for a long moment, her gaze sweeping across his face, his posture, the tension in his shoulders. Whatever she saw seemed to amuse her. A small, predatory smile curved her lips.
"Fine. Come in. Just don't break anything."
She stepped aside, and Hoshimi entered.
Books aligned on shelves by height. Pens arranged in a ceramic holder like soldiers awaiting inspection. A laptop sat closed on the desk, its screen dark, its cord coiled with geometric precision. The bed was made with hospital corners.
And everywhere, everywhere, there were boxes.
Some held clothes. Others held books, journals, files. And one, smaller than the rest, sat open on her desk, its interior lined with velvet.
Inside, gleaming in the dim light, was a collection of jewelry. Necklaces with gems that caught the fluorescent light and scattered it into rainbows. Rings that had probably belonged to someone's grandmother. A brooch shaped like a flower, its petals crusted with emeralds that might have been real.
Hoshimi's eyes lingered on the box for a moment too long.
"See something you like?" Neila's voice was silk wrapped around steel. She had settled into the single chair in the room, her legs crossed, her hands folded in her lap. "Shame about what happened to them."
"You didn't waste any time claiming their things."
"Waste?" Neila's eyebrows rose. "The assets were legally transferred. I have documentation. Would you like to see it?"
"I'd like to know how you got a grieving child to sign over his entire inheritance."
Something flickered in Neila's expression.
"I guess I had provided what he needed most, he felt lonely, so I provided him with company." She tilted her head, studying him with those unsettling blue eyes. "You do the same with Kira, providing company for someone in need."
He moved to the window, looking out at the darkened courtyard below. The craters were still there, dark scars against what remained of the grass. Students moved through the shadows in small groups, too afraid to be alone, too traumatized to sleep.
He turned to face her. In the dim light, Neila's small frame was swallowed by the chair, her hands folded so neatly in her lap. But her eyes were sharp.
"The invasion," he said. "You fought someone from the Smiths, didn't you?"
Neila's expression didn't change. "I did."
"She was strong. Stronger than someone of her caliber should be."
"Yes." Neila shrugged. "She was using drugs. Or some kind of augmentation to forcefully enhance her abilities. Her flames were rather excessive."
"And you defeated her."
"I did, all me."
Hoshimi filed that away. "Seraphina said you created a vacuum. Used sound waves to extinguish the flames."
"She can't seem to keep her mouth shut."
"It worked, someone like you beating her. You must've gotten really lucky."
"You're insulting me, aren't you?"
Hoshimi smiled, ever so slightly. "Why would I? Luck is a skill after all. In that aspect, you're rather skilled."
She uncrossed her legs, leaned forward in her chair.
"The reason you're here, you want to know if I killed her," Neila said. "Audrey Mirlo. Your little girlfriend, the blonde one that always followed you around like a little rat."
Hoshimi's jaw tightened.
"Anyways, I didn't." Neila's voice was flat, final. "I didn't kill her. I didn't order her killed. I didn't want her dead. She was..." She paused, searching for the word. "Useful. The girl was the next heir of the Mirlo family, and she was rather fragile, that's why you stuck close to her instead of Elias right? Since she was easier to control, she would've been rather useful when she grew up, it makes no sense for me to kill her."
"So you only cared about what she could give you."
"Is that so different from you?" Neila rose from the chair. "You held her hand. You wiped her tears. You made her feel seen, wanted, loved. And for what?" She stepped closer, close enough that Hoshimi could see the faint pulse of mana beneath her skin, the barely contained power that hummed in her veins. "For information. Not that you got anything out of her anyways, except for that little thing about her mother. A tool you could use when you needed it."
"That's not-"
"Not what?" Neila's laugh was sharp, brittle. "You think I didn't see it? You're a puppet, Shirogane Hoshimi. But at least I know what strings I'm pulling. I'm not stupid."
Hoshimi's head leaned to the side, his eyes narrowing, as his fists clenched.
"Are you trying to rile me up?"
Neila didn't flinch. Didn't move. Just stood there, her blue eyes blazing, her smile unwavering.
"Go ahead," she whispered. "Hit me. Prove me right."