Akari was about to step into her room when she heard a small voice behind her.
"Cousin… Akari."
She turned slowly. Rin stood a few steps away, trying to catch her breath. It looked like she had rushed through the corridor just to reach her.
"About what happened in the hallway," Rin began, her voice wavering, "I… I want to explain."
Akari's expression did not soften. Her eyes held a distance Rin was not used to seeing. "You mean when she killed you in front of everyone, and you rewarded her with a kiss."
Her tone was calm, but something sharp hid beneath it. Something that stung more than anger.
Rin flinched as if the words touched a bruise. "That's not what it was. That's not what happened."
Akari breathed out slowly. For a moment she looked older than she was. "Stop trying to explain. It is the Ice Queen. Anything can happen when she is involved."
She turned toward her door again, her hand brushing lightly against the carved wooden frame. She looked ready to disappear inside and shut the world out.
Rin took a small step forward. "About Rei's father…"
The words stopped Akari just as she was about to enter. Rin continued, her voice softer now, "I do not know what to say about what happened to him. But I know Rie must be in pain. Losing someone you love… it never stops hurting."
Her hands tightened at her sides. That pain was one she knew well. Her parents faces, their voices, their last moments… those memories never left her. They never stopped pressing on her heart.
Akari lowered her hand from the door. "I know how she must feel," she said quietly. "Rie does not know how to handle pain. When she hurts, she burn things. That is how she cries."
She turned fully toward Rin. Her eyes were dim, but they held a fierce worry.
"You know, cousin Rin… I am not afraid of the Ice Queen, Selene. I am more afraid of Rie. She will not take this lightly. She will want to express her pain, and it will fall on Sister Shion."
Akari placed a hand over her chest. Her fingers trembled slightly.
"I must protect her. No matter what it takes, even if it means facing the person i love."
She spoke the words like a vow set deep in stone. Then she stepped inside her room and closed the door with a quiet thud.
The hallway grew silent again.
Rin stared at the closed door for a long moment. A cold breeze slipped through the corridor, brushing over her skin. The place, usually filled with voices and footsteps, felt strangely empty now. As if every room swallowed its emotions to hide them away.
She wanted to knock on Akari's door. She wanted to offer comfort, or support, or anything warm.
But Rin had never learned how.
No one had comforted her when she lost her parents, instead they blamed her for it, no one held her while she cried. She grew up learning to hide pain, not soothe it.
Now she stood here, helpless, not knowing how to reach her grieving friends.
Startling her, a familiar voice drifted through the quiet.
"So," Selene said, leaning casually against the doorway of Rin's room, "what will our third date be like today."
Rin spun around. "Are you serious? My friends are grieving. How can you think of a date right now."
Selene smiled. Even in the dim hallway, her silver hair glowed faintly, and her eyes looked cold enough to freeze water.
"If the world chooses to grieve, that is not my concern," she said. "Death is a kind gift. One should be grateful for it."
Rin stared at her, stunned. Her throat tightened with confusion and frustration. "You cannot say things like that," she whispered.
But Selene only tilted her head, as if Rin's reaction amused her.
"I will see you at the market ground tonight," she said. "Do not keep me waiting, wear something nice Kisaragi. Remember you ou are hosting this third date."
There was a teasing warmth hidden in her calm voice, but Rin could not find any warmth to return.
Selene pushed herself away from the wall and began to walk. "Come, Ice. Let us go home. You do not need to keep watch."
Ice who has been standing there looked at Rin before leaving.
Their footsteps echoed softly, growing fainter with each step until they disappeared completely.
Rin stood there alone again.
The silence returned, heavier than before, as if the walls themselves were waiting to see what would happen next.
She breathed out slowly and turned toward her room. Her hand was already on the door when the one beside hers opened.
Shion stepped out.
"Rin," she said, her voice small and thin.
Rin turned quickly. "Cousin Shion, are you alright? You should be resting."
Shion's eyes were red. Her face looked drained, as if she had been holding back tears that never quite fell. She looked like someone who had been fighting her own thoughts all day.
"Everyone thinks I killed him," she whispered. "Do you believe me."
Rin's eyes softened. She could see the fear under Shion's words, the guilt she was drowning in. "I believe something is happening that you cannot control," Rin said gently. "Right now what matters is finding a way to get rid of the butterfly before it causes more harm. I will try to learn more about it, if that is possible."
She said it softly, but inside she already had a plan.
Selene knew things about the dark stone, the butterfly, and magic of the land.
If Rin spent more time with her tonight, maybe she could find a way to ask… without making Selene suspicious.
Shion's shoulders loosened a little. "Thank you. Should we begin our research tomorrow, if possible?"
"Yes," Rin replied. "Tomorrow. I will make time for us tomorrow. For now, you should rest."
Shion nodded and Rin opened her own door and slipped inside, closing it softly behind her.
The moment the hallway fell quiet again, Shion felt the soft flutter of wings on her shoulder.
The butterfly stared toward Rin's door, its tiny wings glowing faintly.
"Oh, she plans to get rid of me," it said, its voice carrying a playful mockery. "How adorable."
It giggled, the sound sweet and cruel at the same time. "Tell me, Shiro. Should I act frightened. Should I flutter away in tragic panic. Or should I sit down and write my will."
It tapped its chest lightly with a tiny finger. "Even that Ice Queen could not erase me. What exactly makes her think they can do better."
Shion closed her eyes. "My name is Shion, not Shiro," she said quietly.
She stepped inside her room, pretending she did not hear the butterfly's laughter.
But the laughter followed her anyway, soft and cold, settling into the darkness like a shadow that refused to sleep.