Anthrax waited patiently, hoping that Venos does in fact have something unique to say so that he can use it against her if his answers reach another's ears.

That would give him a sense of security and finally an excuse to genuinely talk to someone about his own self.

He didn't want to keep his hopes high, however, because he also knows that not a lot of people would reveal something so important about themselves to such a lowly creature like himself.

So Venos caught him rather curious. "So?" "I'm a girl. And I go to an academy." Anthrax stared at her suspiciously. "The academy?" "Well, the only academy in this city, I guess." If she truly is a girl, who goes to the academy, she can easily lose her scholarship if people like his master find out. "How exactly do I know you're telling the truth?"

She grinned at him. "You don't. You can either believe me or not." He returned her grin with a light laugh. "Great. Then I choose not to believe you and unless you have proof..." "Do you think anyone can just wear the uniform? Because let me tell you, they can't. Only those who go to the academy can, or the ones who stay there during the holidays. You can only get it a day before you actually go there and only if you're absolutely sure in your enrollment."

From the outside, Anthrax certainly seemed skeptical, but on the inside, part of him was seriously enjoying this conversation, which for ones in his life felt real. No pet names, no invasive touching in the middle of his sentence.

"But how do I know you haven't stolen it or got it from your brother perhaps?" "Simple, don't you think academy students and professors would've known if I stole it. I'm pretty sure they would've known if my brother, whom I don't have, didn't return it. They have an exact number of uniforms and that many students are allowed to enroll."

Anthrax doesn't know where he heard it from, but he's pretty certain he had. After all, they're a lot of drunken guests during these parties who talk about their children in the academy. Some of them he even slept with. "Fair enough, but how do I know if you're a girl?"

Venos opened her mouth, then closed it, realizing she's out of ideas. Anthrax couldn't suppress a smile, so he hid it with his hand. He wondered which creative idea would she come up with.

Venos exhaled loudly. "Alright, I guess this is the only way." Anthrax watched curiously until she started to lower her pants. Pure horror adorned his features and soon he put a hand before his face. "No, wait! What is your plan?"

"Listen, if I want to prove the existence of my female parts, I can just show you the absence of my male ones. See!" He slowly removed his hand from his view, to make sure she was telling the truth.

Anthrax was quite in shock from this whole situation, but he couldn't notice her lady parts, she covered them well but exposed her abdomen to show her unexistent man parts.

"Convinced yet?" Asked Venos, while Anthrax observed the clean skin. "I mean there's no proof they ever even existed, so I'll give you a pass." Venos smiled in victory. "You can pull up your pants now." He said quickly.

Venos did exactly that and asked him, "will you finally answer my question?" Anthrax looked defeated, but in actuality, he couldn't wait for this moment either.

"Why do you want to know what's my life like so much?" He questioned curiously. Venos paused to think then spoke. "I-I have a friend who's a hybrid, not the one like you, he looks a lot like me, but he has a hybrid blood in him."

"And what about him?" Anthrax's eyes turned a darker shade. "He doesn't hang out with others that much and his parents are very protective for some reason."

"I don't know where you came from, but to be honest, I don't know why most hybrid parents are so protective. They certainly aren't protective when we have to do house chores. Or, I don't know, when we have to take care of children who aren't ours. Or even when we have to do work in fields. They're only protective when they have to let us out when we talk to men or something stupid like that."

It seemed like Venos hit the nerve. "But why?" Asked Venos. Anthrax turned to face her. "That is something I've yet to figure out." Silence surrounded them.

Venos observed Anthrax's facial expressions, full of, to her, unknown emotions. To her surprise, he continued. "Odd isn't it? They would call you the nicest names, would try to please you even, and yet..."

Venos couldn't decipher his words. Who were 'they', anyway? But he still wasn't finished. "And yet, when you reveal the teeniest bit of your true self, they punish you like their world depends on it. When you are desperate for their help, they'll make you beg for it and laugh in your face for returning you empty-handed."

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He shook his head. "Hypocrites are the lot of them. Hypocrites, I'm telling you. Those who care for you, those who provide for you, and those who talk to you about everything during the night and when the day comes... They'll act like you never met."

He paused for a moment. "Look at me, talking a lot more than I should. Heh, it's like my mouth hurts."

This left Venos with so many questions. It's like she didn't understand a word from his speech, but he obviously wasn't happy. It's almost like he doesn't have any friends, just like Leon back then.

"But, is there no school for hybrids?" Anthrax smiled, ready to answer. "I can only dream about it." Venos didn't like this. He can't be lonely for the rest of his life and he also can't be clueless for the rest of his life. She has to help this hybrid, somehow.

'Great, now you just have to teach him.' 'That's right voice, you're a genius!' 'Are you serious, I was joking, you are busy enough and, I believe, troubled enough.' 'Don't worry I can handle this.'

"Would you like to have a schooling experience?" Even though he was the only person in the room he still turned around to look for someone else. "Me?" "Who else?" She smiled. "You know we're in big problems if this gets out? Got it? Both of us?"

"I know." 'Venos you don't know!' 'Oh, shut up!' "Just to make this clear, how exactly will this work?" "I'll be your teacher." For some reason, Anthrax lowered his voice and Venos gave in.

"My teacher even if you haven't finished academy yourself?" "Hey, I finished primary school, that's enough to teach you writing and calculating."

He thought for a moment. "Alright, but what if I want to know more?" "We'll get there in time." No matter how risky it sounded, if they could do this in a private room, at night, it could pass all too well. Besides, he can't lie to himself, this is his only opportunity.

"When do you want us to start?" Venos clapped her hands in excitement. "Whenever you can. The sooner, the better." "Fine then. See you soon!"

As she opened the door, Anthrax yelled. "It better be challenging!" Venos knew he meant the lesson, but he probably said that because it sounds so ambiguous and he didn't want others to find out that he's getting schooled.

Which is pretty odd, because others usually do the opposite. She left the house feeling satisfied with herself.

---

Before entering her room, Venos remembered about her roommates' fight. She bit her lower lip and proceeded to open the door.

Both of her roommates were asleep, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it also means that it's up to her imagination to come up with their fight's outcome. Which is a bad thing.

To keep herself busy, before she ends up in an eternal chain of thoughts, she took out a paper and a feather. Should she write to Leon? She had a bunch of things to tell him, but none of them sounded appropriate or even a bit comforting. So she decided to write a lesson, instead.

She wants to prepare the lesson for Anthrax, but also she can send it to Leon after they're done. She started writing letter by letter, she also made sure to leave a lot of space for them to repeat it.

Eventually, she got tired and went to bed.

---

"Tobias? Hey, psst, Tobias!" Tobias rolled to another side of his bed, incapable of opening his eyes. An all-familiar voice called for him, ever so annoyingly.

He opened his eyes, multiple times, to get a clear view of his friend. Once he was able to clearly see his friends' freckles, and messy brown hair, he asked, "What is it, Bard?"

"Let's prank Nuji!" Bard's eyes sparkled. "Can't this wait?" "Nope! We have to do it before he wakes up." Tobias glanced over Nuji, wondering how he's still asleep.

"What would annoy our dear roomie endlessly?" "Let me think... You know how he always says he's not in love with that girl who keeps coming over?" "The one we tease him about?" "Yeah, how about we use that against him?"

"Or we can just prank her, and let the situation unfold." Tobias shrugged his shoulders. "Fine with me." "I know! Let's write her a letter."

"What should we tell her?" "Maybe we can invite her on a date in Nuji's name?" "Bard, it has to be in-character. It has to be more like, I don't know something they like doing together. Like..." "Like playing card games or chess or whatever." "Yeah, it needs to be something casual, but outdoors."

"Maybe.. hunting, where he'll sweep her off her feet with his incredible hunting skills?" "Great, I'm on it." Tobias took out a paper and started writing. "Can you find her address?" Bard mumbled something in return. Right in time of finishing the letter, Bard came with an address. "I think it's this?" "And if it's not?" "We'll have an even better laugh."

---

"Good sir, can you just forward this letter for us, please?" Begged two boys. An elder man, who seemed to be famous for selling all different kinds of things near the academy, smiled.

"Love letters, huh? Is there anything better than young love, I wonder? For which one of you boys am I doing this?" "For our friend!" Beamed Bard. "Yeah, his name is Nuji," Tobias added.

"Such good friends you are. I'll try my best to deliver this." He waved to them and heard them yell after. "Thank you, sir." "Goodbye, sir." Oh, how he loved those young rascals.

---

Venos didn't feel brave enough to investigate the relationship between Felicius and Karlo yet. So, she sat on a table. The table was usually occupied with Bard and Tobias. While waiting for them, she felt so lonely.

How suffocating that loneliness feels. Unfolding one chain of thoughts, then another one, then another. Stopping mid-process to return to that first one, getting lost along the way.

For what? Venos didn't know, but she couldn't stop. It is out of her ability.

Hearing Tobias and Bard turned her current moment upside-down. A sigh of relief escaped her body. "Hey Venos, guess what we did?" Asked Bard. "We pranked Nuji!" Barged in Tobias.

Bard glared at him, while Tobias shrugged his shoulders in apology. "He was supposed to guess... Oh well, whatever, what he said."

Before Venos got a chance to ask, Bard said, "We sent a letter to his girlfriend." "Timka?" Wondered Venos. "Yeah, her." Venos listened to their description of the event and smiled imagining different scenarios.

"They're gonna be so confused!" Grinned Venos. "Now! On to the next target!" Said Bard, rubbing his hands in excitement. "Let's prank that boy Felicius." Suggested Tobias. Venos' mind stopped to process this.

"Felicius?"