In Jenny's Clique
It was the long break. Students spread across the courtyard—some playing cards, others lingering in small groups. As always, Marion intended to retreat to Tobia and Manuel, away from curious eyes.
But he stopped mid-step.
Under the old chestnut tree sat Jenny and her clique—two heavily made-up girls giggling about fashion and lipstick shades.
And right in the middle of them—
Xin.
Her blue hair shimmered in the sunlight. Her face was open, curious. She held Jenny's handbag on her lap as if it were treasure, nodding eagerly while the girls explained how to apply lipstick.
"And then you do it like this…" Jenny demonstrated carefully.
Xin leaned in so far her nose nearly touched Jenny's cheek.
"Why?" Xin asked seriously.
"Well, because it makes you look prettier." Jenny laughed and tapped her forehead. "You're already eye-catching, but this always helps."
Xin paused, thinking.
"Being pretty is… good?"
"Of course!" one of the clique girls chimed in. "It's basically the most important thing."
Xin nodded solemnly, as if she had just learned a rule of the world.
"Then I will do it."
Jenny laughed and slipped an arm around her shoulders. "Don't worry. I'll teach you everything. You don't have to understand it all at once. You're with us now."
Marion stood at a distance, bag slung over his shoulder, watching with a heavy stomach.
Xin among Jenny's clique.
Xin learning how to "belong."
Jenny holding her like a little sister.
They have no idea. None of them.
"Marion?" Tobia tapped his shoulder. "You coming?"
"Yeah… in a second," he muttered, still staring.
Xin suddenly lifted her head, as if sensing his gaze. For a brief moment, their eyes met—blue and brown.
She smiled.
Naive. Honest.
Marion felt cold.
Poisonous Flowers
That afternoon, the class lingered in the courtyard after lessons. Marion stood at the edge with Tobia and Manuel when he noticed Rico stepping out from the crowd.
In his hand—a bouquet of freshly picked wildflowers.
On his face—an uncertain smile.
"Oh no," Tobia muttered. "Is he really going to—?"
"Oh yes," Manuel whispered. "This will be painful."
Rico approached Jenny's group.
But instead of handing the flowers to Jenny—
He held them out to Xin.
"Here," he said a bit too loudly. "For you."
Xin stared at the bouquet and frowned.
"Are you trying to poison me?"
The giggling around them died instantly.
"W-what?" Rico froze.
Xin leaned closer, examining the blossoms with grave seriousness.
"These upset the stomach. Those make the heart race. And the small ones—if you eat too many, they kill." She looked up, genuinely puzzled. "Why are you giving me so much poison?"
Silence.
Then an awkward laugh, as if someone hoped it was a joke.
"They're just flowers!" Rico burst out. "You give them because they're pretty!"
"Only… pretty?" Xin blinked.
"Yes, damn it!"
His face flushed crimson.
"You… you slut!"
The clique gasped.
Jenny jumped up instantly, placing herself in front of Xin.
"Rico! Are you insane?!"
Rico swallowed hard, eyes shining—not with anger, but humiliation. Then he turned and ran, dropping the bouquet.
For a moment, only whispers filled the air.
Xin looked down at the fallen flowers.
"So… they are not for killing?"
Jenny gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "No, Xin. Not for killing. Just for giving."
Xin nodded slowly.
Marion, watching from afar, pressed his lips together.
It's getting worse. They don't understand what they're dealing with.
Rabbit Skin
The next morning, the classroom fell unnaturally silent when Rico entered.
He stopped dead.
His desk was splattered with blood.
The smell of iron and decay filled the room.
And in the center lay the freshly skinned hide of a rabbit—still wet, its fur marked with an unusual pattern across the back.
Some students gagged. Others shrieked.
"What the hell is that?!" Lukas cried.
"It smells like… death," Manuel muttered, stepping back.
Rico stood pale, lips trembling. "W-who… who did this?!"
Xin walked calmly to the desk.
She studied the hide for a moment—then nodded approvingly.
"This is a particularly beautiful pelt," she said in the same tone one might use to admire a dress. "With a rare pattern. Someone must have wanted to make you happy."
Whispers exploded.
Jenny stared at her, horrified. "Xin… that's not—"
Rico staggered backward, knocking over his chair.
"Happy?! That's sick! Sick!!"
"But…" Xin looked at him sincerely. "A gift is something good."
"You're insane!" Rico grabbed his bag and fled the room, ghost-white.
For a moment, silence lingered.
Then Lukas and Basti burst into their too-loud "höhöhö" laughter—trying to smother their own fear.
Marion felt his stomach twist.
His eyes drifted to Xin.
She stood calmly beside the blood-stained desk, as if she had said nothing unusual at all.
No one understands what she is.
No one but me.
The Investigation
The smell of blood still lingered when the class teacher entered.
He froze.
"By the gods…"
Then sharply: "Everyone stays seated!"
No one moved.
He approached the desk and lifted the rabbit hide carefully with a cloth.
"Who did this?" His voice echoed.
Silence.
"This is not a childish prank," he continued coldly. "It is macabre. Dangerous. Whoever placed this here has crossed a serious line."
Rico sat trembling in the corner.
Lukas and Basti snickered faintly, then fell silent under the teacher's glare.
Marion's heart pounded.
It was Xin. It has to be.
He glanced at her.
She sat beside Jenny, hands folded neatly in her lap, looking at the teacher with wide, innocent eyes.
Jenny whispered something reassuring to her. Xin nodded faintly, smiling as though she had no idea why the room felt so tense.
Tamara, sitting near Marion, also looked toward Xin.
Her eyes narrowed—just for a fraction of a second.
Then she lowered her gaze.
She said nothing.
"We will investigate," the teacher declared. "Until then, this room will be cleaned. And all of you will keep quiet. No rumors."
Of course, the whispers resumed the moment he stepped out.
"Who would do something like that?"
"Maybe some lunatic from the city?"
"Or a beast-man who snuck in?"
Marion pressed his palms against the desk.
No one said Xin's name.
No one but him could imagine what she was truly capable of.
A Conversation in the Shadows
Rico slipped alone across the courtyard, hands buried deep in his pockets. The image of the blood-soaked desk still clung to him. He had barely slept. The laughter of his classmates echoed in his skull.
Then a voice behind him:
"Rico."
He turned—and froze.
Xin stood there, blue hair glowing in the evening light, her eyes wide and serious.
"W-what do you want?" His throat felt dry.
She stepped closer. "The pelt was for you."
Rico stumbled back. "What?"
"Jenny explained what flowers mean," Xin said earnestly. "And I was so happy that I wanted to give you something too. Something beautiful. The fur was special. It had a pattern. I thought… it fit."
Rico stared at her, unable to respond.
Xin tilted her head. "Maybe we could practice kissing. Like Marion and Tamara."
Rico's face exploded red. Images flashed through his mind—Xin leaning close, blue eyes, her lips near his—
The blood rushed upward—
And promptly began dripping from his nose.
"Blood?" Xin asked, concerned. "Are you unwell?"
Rico wiped his face quickly, grinning crookedly. "Never felt better."
Xin blinked, not understanding why he smiled.
"Good."
Then she turned, as if everything had been resolved, and vanished into the shadows between the buildings.
Rico remained there, heart pounding, nose bleeding—
And a grin on his face that looked far closer to madness than happiness.
A Kiss During Break
The courtyard buzzed with noise during break—voices, laughter, the clatter of cups.
Marion sat at the edge with Tobia and Manuel.
"Hey, look!" Tobia nearly choked on his words. "Rico's getting something!"
Marion looked up—and froze.
In the middle of the courtyard stood Rico, chest puffed out proudly, Xin beside him.
Without hesitation, she leaned toward him and pressed a kiss onto his cheek.
"Confirmation," she said seriously, as if solving an equation. "You are now… my boyfriend?"
Rico glowed red but grinned so wide his back teeth showed. "Uh… yeah! Yeah, of course!"
Marion felt his heart hammer.
This can't be happening. She doesn't know what she's doing. And he has no idea who he's dealing with.
Tobia elbowed him. "Look how red he is. I swear he's going to die of happiness."
Manuel snorted. "Or just die. We'll see which comes first."
Rico's Big Announcement
The next day, the classroom buzzed before the teacher even arrived.
Rico stood at the front, hands on hips, face flushed with pride.
"Alright, listen up!" he shouted. "I've got a girlfriend now!"
"höhöhö!" Lukas and Basti nearly fell off their chairs. "Rico's got a girlfriend! Höhöhö!"
"And not just anyone," Rico continued, grinning. "Xin!"
A ripple went through the class. Some girls rolled their eyes. Others giggled.
Jenny looked surprised—but slightly amused. Xin sat innocently beside her.
"Is that true?" someone asked.
Xin blinked, tilting her head. "Yes. I kissed him."
A chorus of "Ooooh!" erupted.
Rico pumped his fist in triumph.
"Well, Marion?" he called mockingly. "See? I can have a girlfriend too!"
The class laughed. Lukas and Basti made exaggerated kissing noises.
Marion felt his heart sink.
They have no idea what they're celebrating.
Tamara glanced at him, frowning faintly at how pale he looked. Jenny wrapped an arm around Xin's shoulders, proud—as if she had personally arranged the match.
Rico stood there like a king.
"Get used to it!" he shouted. "Xin's mine now!"
Cheers rose, some joking, some sincere.
Only Marion sat silent in the back row, face hot, eyes lowered.
A Conversation in the Courtyard
Late afternoon. The sun hung low over the battlements. Marion sat alone on a stone bench, thoughts circling endlessly—Xin with the rabbit, Xin with Jenny, Xin with Rico.
Then he felt it again.
That gaze.
"Why do you always look so tense?"
He flinched.
Xin stood before him, blue hair falling across her face, eyes curious—almost playful.
Marion exhaled slowly. Once, he would have panicked. Sweated. Fled.
But now… something had shifted.
Yes, she was still a mystery. Still dangerous.
But he had begun to understand something:
She wasn't simply a monster.
She was lonely.
"I'm just… careful," he muttered.
Xin sat beside him, close enough that he could feel her warmth. She smiled.
He swallowed—but nodded faintly. "I know."
A moment passed before he blurted, "Why Rico? Why are you dating him?"
She tilted her head thoughtfully.
"Because I want to understand humans."
"Understand… humans?"
"Yes." She nodded earnestly. "I want to be here. With you. I want them to like me. Adrian has a girlfriend. You have a girlfriend. Everyone has that. So… I need a boyfriend too. Then I am like you."
Marion stared at her.
"And… that's why you chose Rico?"
"Yes." Completely serious. "He gave me flowers. I gave him something. Now we are together. That is how it works, right?"
Marion ran a hand through his hair. Part of him wanted to laugh. Another part wanted to cry.
"More or less…"
Xin leaned forward slightly, eyes bright.
"I want what the others have. Maybe then I will understand how to be human."
Marion fell silent.
For the first time, what he felt wasn't just fear.
It was pity.
Maybe… she isn't as terrible as I thought. Maybe she truly just wants to belong.
What Is Love?
Xin looked up at the sky as if searching for answers written in clouds.
Then she turned to him.
"Marion… what is love?"
He blinked. "Love?"
"Yes." Her brow furrowed as if analyzing a spell. "I see how you look at Tamara. How Adrian looks at his girlfriend. Everyone talks about it. But… what is it?"
Marion swallowed.
How could he explain it? He, the most ordinary of them all, who barely understood why Tamara loved him in the first place.
"Love is…" He stared across the courtyard, searching desperately for words. "It's when you care about someone more than anyone else. When you want to be with them. When it feels like something is missing if they're not there."
Xin listened closely, blue eyes wide, absorbing every word.
"So… a kind of magic."
He let out a soft breath. "Yeah. A magic you can't see."
She was quiet for a moment.
Then suddenly:
"May I be with Rico, then? Do you accept that?"
Marion jerked his head toward her. "What?"
Xin held his gaze steadily.
"I want to know if it is okay for you. If I may be with Rico."
He stared at her, overwhelmed.
Why is she asking me? Am I her keeper? Her judge?
"I… I can't tell you what to do," he stammered. "If that's what you want… it's your choice."
For a moment, she looked at him so quietly he could hear his own heartbeat.
Then she smiled.
Honest.
Almost childlike.
"Thank you, Marion."