"Tsk!"
Ellen's gaze shifted strangely. She rolled her eyes upward, sighed, then turned to look at the classmate still sitting on the floor.
The girl had blond hair that made her pale face appear even paler. Her small white hands were curled like claws in front of her, trembling violently as her whole body shook.
Suddenly, Ellen crouched down and clasped her hands.
As if sensing the warmth in her palms, the girl jerked her head up. When she recognized Ellen, she threw herself into her arms, sobbing loudly, "Ellen!!!"
"There, there, Ruby. No more crying."
A look of helplessness crossed Ellen's face as she gently patted her back, whispering soft comfort to the girl named Ruby.
That was her dearest friend.
And it was precisely because Ruby had been in danger that Ellen had lost focus for a moment, nearly getting ambushed.
"Whoa~"
Phaga raised an eyebrow at the sight of the two girls embracing. He let out a soft "huh," watching with interest.
Ruby clearly heard it. Her pale face instantly flushed crimson. She wriggled out of Ellen's arms, turned her face away in embarrassment, and muttered, "Ellen, really... You treat me like a little kid."
"You are a kid, Ruby. You're not even an adult yet."
Ellen ruffled her hair as she stood, choosing to ignore the muffled retort, "You're not an adult either." She turned toward Phaga, took a steadying breath, and gave a slight bow under Phaga's surprised gaze.
"Thank you."
Straightening her back, Ellen pulled Ruby up from the floor and scanned the surroundings.
Ruby had also calmed down and copied Ellen's gesture of thanks.
Phaga waved it off dismissively, tilting his chin and looking away. All three turned their eyes toward the hallway.
...
After a while, the commotion in the classroom settled, and the students finally began filing out.
But that didn't mean they were calm. Unlike Ellen and Phaga, most had no anchor at all. Fear left them adrift and directionless.
And yet—humans are curious creatures. Compared to others, they unite at incredible speed... then immediately look for someone to lead.
Before long, one boy broke free of his fear and spoke up.
"Ellen, Phaga. Everyone has different levels of resistance. We can't stay here too long. We need to get out."
"That's true."
Phaga glanced at him. It was the class president, someone usually thoughtful toward classmates.
But Phaga wasn't close to him.
In fact, Phaga wasn't close with anyone in the class. Knowing their names was already pushing it.
So instead of replying, he tapped his toes, flicked up a small pebble, and under everyone's eyes, kicked it straight into the stairwell entrance.
The space there warped instantly, like a ravenous wolf tearing open its jaws. A dim, eerie glow flickered in the dark throat, and the pebble vanished the instant it touched the rift.
Gone.
Ellen frowned. The class president, who understood immediately, paled.
Phaga stood under his umbrella, half his figure hidden beneath the canopy.
He had already known there was a spatial rift. After all, the Ethereal had appeared suddenly. Unless they'd teleported, there was no way they could've reached the third floor so quickly.
He turned back to the president and poured cold water on his words:
"You're right, but when the Hollow descends, space itself warps. Only professional investigators can tell what's real and what's a fissure.
If it is a fissure—where does it lead? I'd rather not step out and find myself falling to my death."
Pulling back his gaze, Phaga ignored the sighs and despair around him. His voice was cold.
"My opinion is that we stay here and wait for rescue."
Tick. Tock.
Time dripped away like water. Fear gnawed at their nerves, fraying reason into agitation and unease. Without realizing it, most of the class began leaning toward Phaga's cautious plan.
But another rational voice rose against it.
Ellen stepped forward, pulling Phaga aside by the arm.
She could see it clearly: only the two of them had the power to determine the group's fate. Only the two of them had the strength to protect the others.
So Ellen put one hand on her hip and said, "But what if some classmates can't endure until rescue comes? If we just stay here, the Ethereals might..."
"When it rains, which gets you wetter—running forward quickly, or walking slowly?" Phaga suddenly cut her off with an odd question.
Ellen froze. Though she didn't understand at first, she answered, "One runs headlong into the rain, the other stays in it longer. Who gets wetter depends on how long it rains... and how far they are from home."
As soon as she said it, Ellen's face went pale. She suddenly understood.
Unlike their usual walk home with a clear path, they knew nothing about the Hollow's spatial structure.
If they wandered aimlessly, they couldn't even be sure of finding a way out. Sure, if they did, it would be great.
But they'd take a beating along the way—one stray hit could even land on a temple.
"So we should just stay here."
Phaga glanced at her, already seeing her slight nod. She was nearly convinced.
He added, "Too bad we don't have a Proxy. Otherwise..."
"We do!"
A familiar voice cut in, drifting into both Ellen and Phaga's ears.
Their pupils widened as they snapped their heads around.
And there was Ruby, standing behind them without either of them noticing, clearly having overheard everything.
She looked a little embarrassed, her cheeks tinged pink. Pressing her index fingers together nervously in front of her chest, she mumbled, "Um... I'm an apprentice Proxy, you know."
Phaga only needed to say "Oh" in moments like this. But for Ellen, it wasn't that simple.
Her face filled with hurt. The usual mix of tsundere and laziness vanished. Blinking innocently, she looked more dazed and soft than ever as she murmured, "Ruby... you're an apprentice Proxy? Why didn't I ever know?"
Ruby hurried to soothe her. "Everyone has some secrets, right? Like how I knew you could fight, but I never realized you could fight this well... Besides, Proxy work is illegal."
"Oh, right."
Ellen blinked in surprise, then remembered—Proxy was indeed illegal.
With that in mind, Ruby's secrecy made sense.
Rustle!
Suddenly, Ellen heard movement nearby and instinctively turned her head.
She saw Phaga push off with his toes, leaping slightly as he shouted to the classmates in the hallway:
"Change of plans! Get ready to break out!"
The class president's face lit up—this meant the weaker classmates had a chance!
"Wait!"
Ellen quickly objected. "Didn't you just say something about getting wet?"
Phaga turned back, lips parting slightly. For some reason, Ellen immediately noticed his canine teeth—sharper than a normal person's.
He said:
"Can you really fight the same way with or without a Proxy?"
"Or would you rather sit here and wait for rescue, watching your classmates turn into Ethereals? Can you be a little more aggressive?"