CHAPTER 7 Act 4

My decision is to make a move alone along the way. Even if Mr. Oeas was aware of what was going on, I still doubt he would provide me with the information I want, particularly on Hiram Frestia. Besides, I still have a bit of a grudge towards the Aqua Family.

For the time being, I must know what has occurred at school during the previous several days.

"I didn't see Mr. Oaes with you. I thought representatives were usually together. Are you perhaps alone, Ms. Hollows?"

"Don't make us look like everyone else, Ms. Leyand; you know that not all representatives for every Organization were always together."

We're sitting in the rear corner of the Library, facing one another. Days passed and I've been hesitating to come and meet Ms. Leyand. However, this time I decided to go and Ms. Leyand was already present when I arrived. It appears like she is waiting for me to show up. However, she was bemused when he didn't notice Mr. Oaes' presence.

"Well, Fufu, it appears that you no longer trust the Aqua Family, is that correct? Does that imply you trust me more than they?"

"Stop being conceited, Ms. Leyand; I'm not here to spend my time on your nonsense remarks," I replied bluntly.

"...Fine, go ahead and ask anything; that's why you're here, right?"

At last, she stopped playing like a fool.

"First, if I may, what are your plans?"

"Hoh, that means you are willing to help me?"

She becomes enthralled all of a sudden.

"Don't get me wrong; let me clearly ask again. What is your actual goal in all of this?"

"..."

Her smile had turned frigidly serene, making her quiet. I also sense irritation in her silence.

"You're now silent, huh? You see, instead of questioning why the President wanted to get rid of the Families, why don't you start pointing out your plan first, Ms. Leyand? Yes, we agree that we must eliminate what's in our way, but why do you need to tell other representatives about your plan? To be honest, that makes me suspicious."

Still, I'm not sure whether her assumption was all true, but I'll wait for the President to act before making a thorough countermeasure.

"...So you don't trust me at all, Ms. Hollows?"

"Absolutely."

I stared at her calm expression adamantly, but then she suddenly grinned and laughed herself silly.

"Pftt hahaha... I can't... keep up my seriousness." After that she eventually regained her composure and relaxed a bit before continuing, "Ms. Hollows, do you still have time for suspecting me? Fufu, you're incredibly careful. Have you ever heard the saying, Time is crucial?"

Ms. Leyand intently gazed at me and spoke without pause.

Looks like I hit the mark, so she's probably not going to answer that question. But I'm not finished with my business here.

"You're right, but how and when did you know this information, and from whom?"

"Erm, that's a little secret, 'ya know?"

She offered me a delighted wink while saying that.

"If you keep dodging my questions, then why are we here?"

"Not all questions deserve a response, Ms. Hollows. Therefore, maybe your question is a little difficult for me to answer. Give me an easy one please!" she shouted gleefully. She seemed to be enjoying herself.

"Then, Ms. Leyand, tell me about your intentions for the President? Are you sure you'll be able to make him suffer? Also, the fact that dethroning the President wouldn't solve the Organization's issue."

Looking closely, it seems foolish to dethrone the president when the Organization is in disarray. If we make judgments like this, we will never be able to stand on our own in the future. That's why I couldn't simply agree with her. Not now.

"Suffering, you say? Ah, that will be our outcome, Ms. Hollows; in addition, what if I tell you that someone will become a scapegoat?"

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"Scapegoat?" I wondered, adding, "Then who? The President? Perhaps Ms. Zei Wyte, as she was the root of the Organization's turmoil."

"No, it was you."

"..."

That caught me off guard. I heard her words softly and clearly, but it took me a while to realize them. She was serious enough that I cast an intentful gaze at her.

"You know what it means, right, Ms. Hollows? Just like Ms. Hiram Frestia, gather all the hate and despair, then leave the scho—"

"Wait a sec, why me? Do you know what you're on about?" I grabbed her collar and put her face close to mine. "Also, you mentioned Hiram Frestia—"

"Yes, I am aware of my words. I want you to accept full responsibility for this chaos alongside the President. That's all."

"That's all?" I scuffed, frustrated, "You make it sound easy, Ms. Leyand, and you didn't even give me the specifics. This is nonsense."

She then smiled, but had nothing to say to me in response.

Luckily, there is no one inside the library, so we haven't been heard by anyone.

"...I don't know what you're thinking, Ms. Leyand. Do anything you want, but don't include my name in whatever you do."

I tighten my grip on her collar even harder.

"Is that so? But it can't be help."

"What do you mean?"

"Listen, Ms. Hollows, you can't trust anyone, including me."

"Is that an advice?"

"Perhaps, but more of a warning, I could say," as she gave me a distinct grin.

"How far did you plan, I suppose you can answer that."

"Hmmm, I think the time when you're not around?"

"You—"

"Hiram Frestia..." she stated emphatically, causing me to pause.

When I heard that name, I steadily regained control over my rage. I almost ended up hitting her face.

"I doubt you will say anything else, so I'll take this time to ask. Before anything else, you did mention Hiram Frestia," I let go of her and said, "Can you explain to me in detail why she left and blamed it all on herself as you said?"

I want to uncover as many hints as possible so that my time here wasn't in vain.

"Hmmm, is it okay to answer that?" she pondered aloud.

"I can't force the words into you, but I'm sure you know something, Ms. Leyand."

"Fufu, did you forget what I just said, Ms. Hollows? Are you really going to trust me?"

"I don't care if you become my enemy; all I want is a response, even if it's only a clue."

"Hm, okay. In exchange, the wish... I want to control your decision on that."

"Hm? What wish do you say?"

"I'm pretty sure the President oriented you about what's going on in our classroom. The one who gets the highest score will grant a request."

"...And then what?"

"I heard from the President that you got a perfect score. Of course, no doubt you will have that wish. Apart from that, the President wanted to convey a word of congratulations, given that you received a perfect score. Fufu, did that get you more excited?"

I'm not expecting a terrible score, but this is rather much unexpected.

"Is that so? Wait, give me a second."

I need to think about this carefully. One wrong move and it will ruin everything for those around me. I absolutely need information, but in retrospect, that request was crucial.

"That—"

"Ah, Ms. Hollows, of course that wish is absolutely yours, but I'll just intervene on what you wish, okay?"

"Intervene...I see; therefore I can't utilize my wish until you give me permission."

"Exactly."

So that's what she wants in exchange for Hiram Frestia's information.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do now. It appears like I am getting trapped in this circumstance. I'm confused.

However, at that same moment, someone approached us. I thought no one was around, though I never imagined he'd be here. A male student that I knew.

"Levi?"

"Lisa..."

"Oh, Mr. Flavin"

We three made eye contact and all felt surprised and awkward.

"Ah, sorry for interrupting both of you..."

He seemed to be panicking, but he quickly regained his calm.

"It's fine, we're almost finished. Now your answer, Ms. Hollows?"

"..."

I merely stared at her and didn't give a response back. I was still confused about what to do.

"Once again, I apologize for intruding, but Lisa appears to be unable to think right now; could you please tell me what this means?" Levi cut in, confident but annoyed.

"Fufu, how audacious of you, Mr. Flavin; you're overstepping your bounds, you know?"

They exchanged sharp gazes as though fighting for their lives.

"I'm not sure what your discussion is about, but it's okay to refuse Lisa; it appears she's getting the upper hand here. Don't you think it has many flaws? Maybe she's tricking you."

"Huh?" I said in confusion.

"Lisa, how many times do I have to tell you that you're not in your state right now?" he yelled all of a sudden.

Levi is always like this, and I know he's worried about me, but he's going too far, so I stared at him fiercely, holding my anger back.

Levi Flavin, a member of our football team. He is incredibly arrogant, yet there are times when he is concerned about others around him.

"I can—"

"No, Lisa. Come with me."

He grabs my arm and pulls me away from Ms. Leyand. He eventually drags me out of the Library, leaving the conversation as it is. I don't even have time to properly say goodbye to Ms. Leyand.

"Wait a minute, it's rude to leave Levi!" I screamed while he was dragging me along the corridor.

"..."

"Hold on, Levi! My hand hurts."

As soon as he heard my grumbling, he instantly let go of my hand and looked at me.

"Why didn't you say anything, Lisa?"

His tone is serious and commanding, as though he is dissatisfied.

"Anything? For what?"

"Why don't you understand?"

Now he sounds more frustrated and upset.

"Huh?"

"Every time you wanted to go fully alone, you forgot about the others who were waiting for your word 'help'."

"What? Now you're angry at me? Why are you always like this? Okay, then why didn't you help me out of your own volition?"

"..."

With that, he became quiet.

"Fred also said that, but you guys didn't help on your own accord. I'm waiting for you guys too, but you didn't come to me. I'm not asking for you to come, but I'm just confused. If you're worried, then why did I always feel like I was alone? I'm not the type of person who wants any help from someone. It's not because I want to be alone, but I can do it alone. Now that I understand what you're thinking, it makes me more unreasonable. I'm already tired, so give me a little space."

"Lisa—"

"No, stop it, Mr. Flavin; you're excessively infuriating, you know that? If next time you interfere, I will definitely bury your name in the back of my mind."

Following that, I leave him speechless.

Now I still don't know what I'm going to do next.