"Is this yours?" the voice belonged to a female student in the regular black and white uniform.
Her features consisted of fair skin, black hair, and blue eyes.
She was quite pretty, and the smile on her face was sweet.
Well, looks are one thing if not deceiving.
"Huh?" It took a while for me to register that the question was directed at me.
I was confused, and the hand that held the stall knob paused as I gripped the cold steel.
My head slowly turned to face the female student standing in front of the first stall.
Due to the close proximity between the second stall and the first, I could clearly see the hairpin she dangled in front of my face.
My eyes glued to it as I slowly realized the implications that came with her obtaining it.
"Yes, it's mine," I said, moving closer to grab it.
She dodged my hand while laughing.
"Oh, it's really yours," she said, waving the hairpin at me.
I knew that she probably wouldn't give it back to me.
Well, can I kill her and steal it back?
"Where did you get it?" I asked the question first.
"Hmm, I came to your dorm to check for my stuff and happened to see the hairpin," she said.
Ha… so basically you came to my room to take my hard-earned money as usual, but you saw the hairpin.
But that hairpin has always been hidden, so how on earth did she find it?
Unless it was during that time it fell out.
That time being this morning.
My roommates were more aggressive than usual.
Their mood was unpleasant due to the pushover of their group getting sick.
And it just had to be the day after I washed her uniform.
Anyway, I was blamed for it without evidence and slapped around to relieve their anger.
Of course, I didn't fight back but apologized for it.
The hairpin must have fallen out at that time.
"Please give it back," I said, staring at her.
"I'm sorry, I don't think I heard you correctly."
"Care to repeat that, Onee-san?" she said.
I flinched at that term—older sister.
It's not something she likes to use unless she's about to torment me.
"It's just that I need the hairpin," I tried to argue.
"You… need something?" my sister snickered as she said it sarcastically.
She emphasized the word you and need while trying to hold back her laughter.
What's so funny?
Should I kill you so that you won't be able to smile again?
"I don't need anything except that hairpin," I said.
"I'm curious why you think you have the qualifications to say that in front of me," she said, still snickering.
"It's just old rusty garbage, so I just thought it's not appropriate for someone like you to have it." I didn't say the reason.
"That's something I can decide for myself."
"I can work more jobs and get you a new one," I said, and my body started to ache again.
It was reminding me how I'm already working up to my limit.
"But I want this one." She was playing with me, and we both knew it.
"I can help you get into clubs without Father knowing."
"I can do that just fine, is that all?" she said.
I paused and looked at her, dumbfounded.
You can get into clubs by yourself?
But that's not what you told me that day.
No, you said that you needed my help and took me to the club.
You said I should be grateful for the job opportunity.
But the only thing I ended up being grateful for was that my disease makes me look like this.
I can still feel the disgusting hands as they grabbed me and tore off my uniform.
My hands are still trembling to this moment at what could have happened.
My hands tremble now from the idea of tearing those hands from the body.
And my cheeks sting as I remember the slap I received from the boss for disrespecting a guest.
My face blooms into a smile as I slap the manager to death.
And all of this was just a sick joke to you.
But can I get angry about it?
Yes, I can.
Can I do anything about it?
No, I can't.
So I just have to accept it.
Yes, I do.
Because there's nothing I can do or say to express my anger.
Hehe.
I can always just kill her to express this rage.
"I'm sorry, but I…" I apologized first instinctively once I felt angry.
I honestly don't know if it's because I feel sorry for myself or I feel sorry that I'm angry.
"Mom and Dad would be disappointed in you."
Haha… isn't it the child they abandoned that should be disappointed?
"I'm sorry." I apologized because I still don't want them to be disappointed.
"After all they've done for you, even though you are a monster," she said.
Is it really my fault that I have Waanderberg syndrome and albinism?
"I'm sorry." I apologized because I do look quite monstrous.
"Or do you suddenly think you're all that because you earn money?"
Yeah, the money that goes to your booze and snacks.
Even though our family is one of the pillars of the noble district.
That is a high status in these times.
And high status equals a lot of money.
And a lot of money goes into their precious daughter.
I'm not considered a daughter but a stain.
Meant to be hidden away.
"I'm sorry." I apologized because I felt contempt for her.
I should just kill those adults that abandoned me.
"You really love to apologize, don't you?" my sister said.
"I'm sorry." I don't know why I apologized, but I figured it was because I annoyed her.
"Why don't you show some sincerity?"
I looked around and found a bucket of mop water.
"I'm waiting."
I grabbed the bucket and dumped its contents all over myself.
"I'm sorry," I apologized with my head down.
My sister laughed at me while taking pictures.
I just stood there resisting the urge to cry.
I decided to watch the water spread all over the floor to distract myself.
I even heard someone slip outside.
The feet that were showing inside the occupied stall twitched once the water came close.
Her socks were soaked due to how close I was standing to the stall.
I could see the black spots from the outline of her wet socks.
I flinched because I remembered the students in the clinic who also had black spots.
That's why I decided to move to the sink to squeeze my blazer damp.
I walked to the sink and removed my wet glasses.
There were water droplets on it, though it doesn't really matter since I don't need glasses.
I just use it to hide the eyes behind the bangs.
Due to my rare disease, I have pink eyes.
They say it's because the blood vessels in my eyes are prominent.
So it makes my iris look pink.
Basically, it's like I'm constantly in the state of having pink eye.
Waanderberg syndrome causes my skin to become transparent.
So my blood vessels are very prominent, which disgusts most people.
And my hair has streaks of white that have to be dyed black regularly.
I try my best to hide all this to avoid inconvenience to other people.
I wear baggy clothes and never wear skirts or shorts.
I always wear a nose mask and huge black-tinted glasses that make everything dark.
My hair is dyed weekly with my own money, and I avoid people in general.
Even when I do have to interact with people, I try to do it as fast as possible.
But those eyes that look at me in disgust make me nervous.
I end up stumbling over my words and apologizing all the time.
Which just makes it worse.
Other people don't help me but laugh at me.
Should I just end the whole world?
Boom!
The stall door opened with force.
The student came out with an awkward posture.
She growled at us.
I froze in fear.
I instinctively knew that the student was dangerous.
The sink was farther from the stall, and my sister hadn't moved much.
So it wasn't surprising that she was attacked first.
But my sister is tough.
These were dangerous times due to the destruction of half the world.
The people who could survive the natural disaster were certainly not weak.
And being the daughter of a high noble meant that she was taught how to defend herself or run away.
My sister dodged the student and rolled to my side.
I just stared at her with my hands over my mouth, trying not to scream.
My sister may have been a survivor, but I was not.
I was just lucky to survive this long.
And my grandma sacrificed herself to keep me alive when my luck ran out.
That's why the hairpin was so important to me.
It was her last gift to me because she knew I loved peonies.
Now it looks like I might join her soon enough.
The student landed on the floor and stood back up with a weird posture.
Her back lifted itself up, and her legs followed.
Visually it was terrifying, and the sound of her bones cracking due to the weird movement was even worse.
She stumbled around to face us, and I could see the glaring red eyes that looked at us.
My sister frowned beside me, and then I felt a hand push me forward.
I couldn't hold it back this time, and I screamed.
The student lunged at me and bit into my neck.
I screamed, and tears were flowing.
The last thing I saw as my vision faded was my sister's back and the peony hairpin that was on the ground.
Suddenly I felt that the person I'm most sorry to is myself.
I'm sorry that I wasn't dead.
I really am weak.
He he.
Ha ha.
He he he.
...
"Is this yours?"
Huh… I'm alive.