Inevitably, the hours slipped by, and before long, 1 AM had become 7 AM.
Nightingale was already prepared. He had taken a shower to wash away the dampness clinging to his body and brushed his teeth until they gleamed white. More than that, he had already organized a plan and schedule in his mind. Once school hours were over, he intended to head to the nearest gun store and purchase a weapon.
Buying weapons for self-defense was no longer an issue. In fact, it was encouraged for every individual to own at least one.
After all, no one could predict what the future held. The risk of being attacked by someone, or worse, by a rogue Esper or an infected, was at an all-time high. In such situations, carrying a weapon like a gun could make the difference between life and death, even if it only raised the odds of survival by the smallest margin.
Despite it being common knowledge, it would still look strange if he walked in wearing his school uniform, so he packed a change of clothes into his backpack.
By then, he had already left home and locked the door behind him. Now he stood at the bus stop, waiting.
Ding!
A few moments later, the bus pulled up with a low rumble and the door wheezed open. Nightingale climbed aboard, swiping his pass without much thought. The interior smelled faintly of metal and cheap disinfectant but he ignored it.
This was simply the passive effect of his Perception attribute.
He slid into a seat near the window, placing his backpack on his lap. Outside, the streets were still painted in the dull hues of early morning, neither alive with people nor entirely empty.
A liminal hour, perhaps that was the appropriate term.
Nightingale leaned his head against the glass with half-lidded eyes. His mind drifted to the hours ahead: the lectures he would barely listen to, the faces of classmates he had no interest in, and Marcus's all-too-familiar, irritating voice.
Beneath the mundane school routine, his real day wouldn't begin until the final bell rang.
What a pain.
As the thought crossed his mind, his consciousness began to blur, and he let his eyes drift shut. Moments later, the bus lurched into motion.
† †
Entering his classroom, Nightingale glanced around and saw that only a handful of students had arrived. He felt relieved. During the day, the room would gradually fill with chatter and noise, so he treasured these rare moments of morning silence.
Hmm. Marcus isn't here yet, how strange. He usually comes early.
Thinking about that guy wouldn't do him any good. Come to think of it, Nightingale didn't even know where Marcus lived, despite the fact that the bastard was supposed to be his childhood friend.
Instead, his thoughts drifted to something more pressing, and that was Chloe's situation.
Her parents must have noticed her absence by now. They were probably worried sick. Chloe herself hadn't said anything about it because… well, she'd been occupied. Still, it was a bad situation. If she returned home like this, they would no doubt scold her thoroughly.
'Curses. Could she have gotten in trouble because of me?' He thought, feeling guilty for her situation.
But before his worry could spiral any further, a voice interrupted.
"Boo!"
"Ah! W-Wh—?!"
Startled, Sonny jumped and spun around toward the source of the voice. His reaction only earned a laugh.
Familiar features came into view.
Green hair, mismatched eyes, and a lean build. The young man had his long, messy hair tied back into a ponytail, and wore the academy's black blazer over a plain white shirt. The blazer was left carelessly unbuttoned, paired with matching black pants and shoes.
At a glance, he gave off the easygoing, nonchalant air of someone naturally friendly. But beneath that exterior, Marcus was every bit the mischievous trickster, and a shameless pervert.
Sonny ground his teeth.
"Goddamn it, Marcus! How many times do I have to tell you to stop sneaking up on people?!"
Marcus only grinned.
"I'm sooo sorry! Please, find it in your heart to forgive this poor old soul and just let it slide. Besides, how could I resist when you're just standing there like that? Anyone would be tempted!"
Then he added, raising a brow,
"By the way, where the hell did you disappear to yesterday? Don't tell me you missed your way to the toilet and ended up taking a dump somewhere else. I didn't even know that was possible."
Sonny only shrugged.
"Think whatever you want. It's none of your business anyway."
Marcus leaned in, still wearing his trademark grin.
"C'mon, c'mon. Can't you at least share a little secret with your best friend?"
Sonny sneered.
"Why the hell would I do something that stupid? If I wanted everyone to know all of my secrets, I'd just go straight to the boarding channel!"
Marcus blinked, then spoke with exaggerated exasperation,
"Ugggghhhh! Are you seriously trying to say I'm disloyal? How cruel! Don't you know of my unwavering fidelity? How could you even doubt me, Sonny! After all these years, I've been nothing but your devoted… okay, fine, slightly annoying, companion!"
So you know you're annoying?
"Honestly, I expected more trust! Or at least a little gratitude for all the times I've saved your sorry hide from boredom."
You've saved me from boredom, huh? That's one way to put it.
Realizing Marcus was spouting nothing but nonsense, Sonny sighed and finally asked,
"Where is Chloe, anyway?"
Marcus blinked.
"Huh? What's with the sudden question about that damn gorilla?"
"Just asking. She usually comes to school early, but it's already past 7:30."
Marcus made a gesture.
"Perhaps there's a first time for everything. No body can keep the status quo forever. The highest point always falls eventually and reach the lowest. But who cares about all that anyway?"
Then his eyes narrowed.
"But why are you suddenly asking about Chloe? Come to think of it, you guys barely even talk to each other."
Ah, not good!
In truth, Sonny and Chloe rarely interacted at school, each held back by their own reasons.
Everyone knew they were childhood friends, but their connection went no further than that, at least to the outside world. On top of that, it would have been far too troublesome if anyone discovered the true nature of their current relationship, given their unique reputations.
Even Marcus, their mutual childhood friend, remained unaware of this secret.
The clueless fellow would certainly become suspicious if he suddenly asked about Chloe. That was his oblivious mistake.
How could Sonny divert his attention from that?
He opened his mouth to offer some half-hearted excuse, then paused and closed it. The true subject of interest was standing right behind Marcus.
"Huh? What are you staring at now?"
The green-haired boy followed Sonny's gaze and froze mid-turn. His eyes widened, and he practically jumped out of his skin at the sight of Chloe.
"AAH! IT'S A GIANT GORILLA! WHO LET YOU OUT OF THE ZOO?!"
Chloe's eyebrow twitched, the corner of her mouth lifting slightly in silent amusement or maybe disbelief. Either way, her eyes were far from friendly.
"What a… charming way to greet a friend," she remarked dryly.
Marcus cleared his throat and took a few hurried steps back, trying to save face.
"Oh! Chloe… I didn't see you there. Truly, my apologies. You have to understand, there was news about a rogue gorilla escaping from the national zoo, and… well, you kind of resemble it. Just a bit rough around the edges, it's genuinely scary. Anyone would have been startled. No offense, of course. Don't be mad, okay?"
Chloe's gaze didn't soften, but Sonny stifled a laugh at Marcus's ridiculous explanation.
He pictured the savage woman pouncing on Marcus, delivering a merciless beating, the usual result whenever Marcus intentionally tried to ragebait her and succeeded without failure.
Patience had never been her strong suit.
Still, Sonny wondered if Marcus secretly enjoyed being beaten up. It wouldn't be surprising. Not only was the fool a pervert, but he was also utterly helpless.
Yet, to his surprise, the expected scene never came.
Chloe simply rolled her eyes.
"Ha ha ha. Very funny. Look at me laughing my heart out. You really did your best."
Both boys blinked in dumbfounded silence.
Did this woman just… try to crack a joke? Since when did she develop a sense of humor?
Her gaze then shifted from Marcus and landed on Sonny, studying him with an expression he couldn't quite read.
Why is she looking at me like that? Sonny thought uneasily.
"By the way," Chloe said, still not sparing Marcus a glance, "do you mind if I borrow this idiot for a minute or so?"
Marcus, just as bewildered, opened his mouth but faltered, unsure of what to say. In the end, he closed his eyes and raised both hands in surrender, as if giving up entirely.
"You want to borrow him? Fine. He's all yours."
You bastard… loyal my ass!
Sonny glared daggers at the so-called green-haired loyalist. But Marcus didn't even notice. It seemed he had willingly sacrificed him for what he considered a noble cause.
Chloe turned on her heel without waiting for an answer, motioning for Sonny to follow her with a simple wave of her hand.
Sonny hesitated for a brief moment, glancing back at Marcus, who was still standing frozen, his expression a mix of confusion and grudging acceptance.
Well, here goes nothing.
Then, with a resigned sigh, He slung his backpack over one shoulder and trailed after Chloe.