I swallowed hard. My heart was beating faster than usual.
With careful steps, I made my way toward the front door of my apartment, trying not to make a sound. Through the small glass panel on the door, I peeked outside.
A girl stood there. Long blonde hair tied up in two pigtails, school uniform already neat and pressed, a messenger bag slung over her shoulder. Her face looked slightly worried, though her lips still held that faint smile she always wore.
Ashford-san...?
"Excuse me! Is this Masayuki-kun's place?" Her voice came through clearly from the other side of the door, a little hurried but still polite.
What was Ashford-san doing here this early? We were in the same class, sure, but our relationship had never been anything more than the occasional greeting at school. She had never once come to my apartment. So why now...?
"Yeah... what's up, Ashford-san?" I answered from behind the door, trying to sound as calm as possible, even as my hand unconsciously reached up to touch one of the horns on my head.
"I just wanted to ask... did something happen to your body this morning?"
My breath stopped.
What did she just say? Something happened to my body? How could she possibly know? No, wait. Maybe it was just a coincidence. Maybe she was asking about something ordinary, like being sick, or having a fever, or...
"Ye..."
The word almost slipped out. But something inside me pulled the brakes, like an alarm going off in my head, warning me not to answer carelessly. I went silent.
And Chloe... she noticed.
A brief pause. Then her voice came again, softer this time, calmer, as if she had already anticipated this reaction from the very beginning.
"Just open the door."
Hesitantly, my hand reached for the door handle. My fingers felt cold. I took a deep breath, then slowly pulled the door open.
The morning air hit my face, and in that same instant, our eyes met.
Ashford-san didn't scream. Didn't step back. Didn't show a single hint of surprise. Her bright green eyes simply looked straight at the top of my head, at the two things that shouldn't have been there, then slowly dropped back down to meet my gaze.
"So... you ate it."
Her voice was flat. Not a question. More like a confirmation.
I didn't understand what she meant. Ate? Ate what? But before my brain could process anything, my mouth had already moved on its own.
"...Sorry."
I had no idea why I apologized. Maybe because her tone sounded like someone who was disappointed. Or maybe because I felt guilty about something I didn't even understand.
Ashford-san let out a long breath. Not an annoyed sigh, more like the exhale of someone who had expected this to happen but still hoped their prediction would be wrong. Without a word, her hand reached into her messenger bag and pulled out a small bottle.
"Take this pill."
She held the bottle out toward me. Inside were a few white pills that looked completely ordinary, like something you could buy at any pharmacy.
"I don't understand, Ashford-san. What's actually..."
She ignored me. Her hand took one pill from the bottle and placed it in my palm, as though explanations were something that could wait, but the medicine couldn't.
"It won't work right away. Probably won't kick in until around noon." Her tone shifted, sounding like someone who was used to giving instructions like this. "So this morning, just stay home. Don't go anywhere. Don't do anything."
"Wait... so you actually have a cure for this?" I pointed at the top of my own head, still unable to believe what was happening.
"We'll talk about it at school." Ashford-san cut me off quickly. She had already slipped the small bottle back into her bag and adjusted the strap on her shoulder, clearly ready to leave. "I'll tell the teacher you're sick. Once the horns are gone, just come to school in the afternoon."
And just like that, without waiting for my reply, without giving me a chance to ask anything more, Ashford-san turned around and walked away. Her steps were quick and deliberate, like someone who was already running late and had no time for small talk.
I stood in the doorway, a white pill in my right palm and a million questions in my head.
What just happened?
How did Ashford-san know about the horns? What did she mean by "ate it"? Why did she have pills for something like this? And most importantly, since when did my quiet, well-mannered classmate... know about things like this?
The morning breeze drifted past, and the door to my apartment was still wide open.
I looked at the pill one more time, then swallowed it.
Not because I believed her. But because right now, I had no other choice.