Morning came quicker than Takumi would have liked. He was already out of bed and dressed by the time Lyss finally finished getting ready, her footsteps rushing down the stairs with that last-minute urgency she always seemed to carry.
Takumi sat at the dining table, one wrist angled toward his smartwatch as he checked the time again. A mug of coffee steamed in front of him, and he took a calm sip, like the day hadn't started trying to fight him yet.
Lyss appeared at the bottom step and immediately spotted him. "Oh, you're already up! Morning, Takumi!" she called, lifting a hand in a quick wave as she crossed the room.
"Morning," he replied simply, setting the mug down.
Lyss glanced toward the staircase again, brows knitting. "We're cutting it close. What's taking Timotheo so long? We don't have time to babysit him."
Takumi lifted one shoulder in a quiet shrug. "No idea."
Suddenly, loud voices echoed from the upper floor, sharp enough to make both Takumi and Lyss look up from the dining area.
"Timotheo! "Get up, you lazy raccoon!" Cinder's voice rang out. "Quit hibernating! It's morning!"
"I'm up! I'm up!" Timotheo yelled back, his voice cracking with panic. "I swear I'm vertical right now!"
"Vertical doesn't count if you're still emotionally in bed!" Cinder snapped. "Move!"
Takumi silently took his empty coffee cup to the sink, rinsing it like the activity was just part of the dorm's daily schedule. Lyss stayed where she was, a tired sheen of sweat on her face as she muttered, "Here we go again." …"
Upstairs, a door slammed. Heavy footsteps stormed toward the stairs, and Timotheo's protests got louder.
"I'm awake! I'm awake! Please stop!"
"Stop?" Cinder barked. "You want mercy? Earn it with punctuality!"
A second later, Cinder rounded the corner at the top of the stairwell with Timotheo in tow, gripping the back of his collar like he was a misbehaving pet.
"New dorm rule!" she announced. "If you oversleep, you get the express checkout!"
"WAIT—Cinder, no—!"
She swung her arm and launched him down the stairs.
Timotheo yelped the whole way, limbs flailing as he tumbled, then hit the bottom floor with a loud thud and slid across the polished surface like a thrown rug.
His skid ended right near the living room end table. A lamp toppled from the impact, bonked him on the forehead, and the shade flopped over his face like it was trying to finish him off. The bag followed, clunking into his stomach for extra disrespect, leaving him sprawled out in a defeated heap with the lamp shade still on.
Then Takumi finally spoke, voice calm like he was commenting on the weather.
"Not one to judge," he said, slipping his sports bag strap over his shoulder, "but she might be a psychopath."
He walked over to Timotheo with one hand still in his pocket, then reached down with the other.
"Sleep well?" he asked. Timotheo yanked the lampshade off his face and stared up at him, thoroughly unimpressed. "I was, yeah. Then she delivered me a nightmare."
He took Takumi's hand, got hauled upright, and brushed himself off with the dignity of someone who had absolutely none left, while Takumi's mouth twitched into a small, unexpectedly gentle smile.
Behind them, Cinder's voice cracked through the room again. "To class! Now!"
Timotheo and Lyss snapped instantly, yelling in perfect sync, "Yes, ma'am!" before bolting for the door like it was an evacuation drill.
Takumi was a half-step slower, only pausing when Cinder approached him, arms crossed, expression sharp.
"Good," she said, giving him a quick look-over. "You're awake, you're standing, and you didn't earn a beating. Keep the streak."
She turned away with the same authority she walked in with. "I'll see you after class."
Takumi let out a quiet breath and followed after the others, leaving the dorm behind as the morning finally started moving.
Once Takumi stepped outside, Lyss and Timotheo were already waiting near the entrance, the morning air still cool against their faces. They turned toward him at the same time, like they'd been silently agreeing to let him deal with the aftermath first.
"This happens a lot, doesn't it?" Lyss asked with a long sigh. "How do you even survive in there?"
Timotheo crossed his arms, trying to look irritated, but he still looked more offended than angry. "What was I supposed to do? I was having a great dream. I was about to beat my high score." He clicked his tongue. "Now I'm awake, and my life is tragic."
Lyss shook her head, deadpan. "Of course. Only you would dream about a video game."
Takumi walked up, glanced at his smartwatch, and lifted his head. "We should move before we miss the monorail."
He took the lead naturally, hands relaxed, pace steady. Lyss and Timotheo followed behind him with their bags, falling into step.
Timotheo grumbled as they walked, voice just loud enough to be heard. "Still can't believe you're basically exempt from the upcoming exams while we've got to suffer."
Lyss shot him a look. "He transferred mid-year. Give him a break."
"I know," Timotheo muttered, but he didn't sound convinced. "It's just… unfair."
Takumi didn't even turn around when he replied. "I'd probably ace them anyway."
That got Timotheo's attention fast. He leaned forward slightly, staring at Takumi's back like he'd been personally challenged. "Yeah? Doubt it. We don't even have the same curriculum as Aoshima High."
Takumi finally glanced over his shoulder, a small, calm smile cutting in. "Really." He let the word sit for a beat. "Wanna bet?"
Some time later, once they were back on the monorail, the atmosphere felt almost normal again. Takumi stood near the doors with his phone in hand, one shoulder angled toward the window, while Lyss had taken a seat behind him and Timotheo sat across, half-focused on whatever was on his screen.
"At least it's not packed like yesterday," Lyss sighed, letting her head rest back for a moment. "And I really don't feel like running into another Malform. Two days in a row was more than enough for my lifetime."
Timotheo finally looked up from his phone, blinking like he'd been dragged back into reality. "Yeah… I barely even know what to think about all that." He scratched the side of his cheek, then added honestly, "I've never seen a Malform up close. Like, face-to-face."
Lyss stared at him like he'd just confessed to living a peaceful life on purpose. "Lucky you," she muttered, not sure if she was annoyed or relieved for him.
Takumi turned his head slightly, gaze moving between them. "Then what are Malforms, exactly?" he asked, calm as always, but sharper now. "Because whatever I fought yesterday wasn't just another threat."
Timotheo leaned back a little, thinking. Before he could answer, Lyss lifted a finger to her cheek and rubbed it absentmindedly, looking a touch uncomfortable.
"I mean…" she said, forcing a small laugh. "I don't really know that much about them."
The way she looked away made it sound casual, but Takumi caught the hesitation anyway.
Timotheo nodded like it made sense. "We're students. They don't exactly give us the full breakdown on Critical-level stuff." He tapped his chin with his thumb. "Probably on purpose."
Takumi let his expression stay neutral and didn't push, even if something about Lyss's timing kept snagging at the back of his mind. For now, he let it pass.
Then Timotheo's face brightened like he'd just found the solution to world peace.
"Yo, I've got an idea!" he said, lifting his phone. "Let's swap numbers. And after class, we take Takumi out somewhere decent. Steakhouse or something. He's new, he almost died twice, and he still showed up. That deserves food."
He looked between them, grin spreading. "What do you say?"
Timotheo thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah… good steak sounds heavenly right now. If Takumi wants in, I'm in too." He lifted a finger like he was about to present a legal contract. "But just so you know, you're paying, Lyss. I'm broke."
Lyss arched an eyebrow. "Broke? You?"
He spread his hands with a straight face. "Yeah. I spent way too much money on video games."
Lyss stared at him in silence.
Timotheo immediately waved it off. "I'm joking! That's just what Cinder thinks I did. She's got this whole 'Timotheo vs. Responsibility' fanfiction running in her head."
Lyss clicked her tongue. "You do look like the type who would lose a paycheck to a limited-time skin and call it character development."
Timotheo gasped, offended. "First of all, it's not a skin. It's an investment. Second, I don't even pay-to-win."
Lyss smirked. "No, you pay-to-cope."
Timotheo sighed like she'd stabbed him. "Okay, fair. But I'm looking at off-campus work, alright? Cafés seem worth it. Flexible hours, decent pay, and I can 'study' while secretly recovering from Cinder's daily emotional uppercuts."
Lyss tilted her head. "So you want a job for money."
Timotheo nodded. "And for safety."
Lyss blinked. "Safety?"
He pointed toward the ceiling like Cinder lived up there permanently. "If I'm at work, she can't spawn behind me and yell 'wake up, raccoon' like it's a legal requirement."
Lyss leaned forward with her elbows on her knees, chin resting in her palm as she studied Takumi.
"So… what do you say, Takumi?" she asked. "Wanna hang out after school?"
Takumi hesitated, then rubbed the back of his neck, a little awkward but honest. "I kinda already made plans tonight. One of my friends has been freaking out since I disappeared, and I promised I'd meet him after class back in Aoshima."
Lyss and Timotheo went quiet for a beat, letting it land. Lyss's expression softened first.
"That's honestly even better," she said with a small nod. "I've never really gone through Aoshima's main district properly. So yeah, that works. We can do our own thing another time."
Timotheo lifted his head like he'd been waiting for an opening. "Or we could just all go," he said, tone casual but interested. "I've been meaning to actually visit Aoshima instead of hearing about it like it's some mythical place."
Lyss shot him a look, half warning, half amused. "Timotheo. Be normal." Then she glanced back at Takumi. "Your friend's probably been dying to see you. It might be less awkward if you two meet alone."
Takumi's mouth twitched into a faint smile, hands still in his pockets. "It's fine," he said. "You can come with me." He nodded toward them both. "We'll grab food too. I'll show you around, and you'll stop looking at Aoshima like it's a locked DLC."
Timotheo caught Takumi's little smile and immediately acted personally offended. "Wow. Thanks, dude. Way to ruin the moment," he said, glaring like Takumi had just committed a crime against friendship.
Lyss let out a small giggle, and for once Takumi didn't hide that he was enjoying himself. The teasing had landed, and he knew it.
"Technically, we're still in Aoshima," Takumi said, keeping it casual. "But once you go deeper in, it actually feels like the city. The Institute's basically sitting on the edge of it."
Timotheo adjusted his round glasses, then threw Takumi a thumbs-up like it was a contract signing. "Bet. It's settled then. Aoshima it is."
To be continued...