The alarm clock rang. Yuna rolled over for the hundredth time. She had hardly slept this night. Too many thoughts went through her head. Yui's wondrous awakening from her stupor was just one of them. To be honest, she was afraid of sleeping. As soon as she closed her eye and drifted away, Tirr lurked in her dreams.
He was not dead. He was inside her and she couldn't do anything against him. She feared that he could control her, so she didn't want to sleep with anyone in the same room.
Damn it.
The high-school girl struggled up from the futon, rolled it together and stowed it with her trained routine in her closet. Then she went into the hall with her washing utensils and moved to the bathroom. In half-sleep she slouched into the bath and almost stumbled over Wataru, who was just washing his upper body.
"Why do you have to bathe in the morning?" she asked annoyed, and wanted to redraw.
"I wish you a good morning too."
"Hm."
"Can't we both wash in the same room?" He made no effort to stop the process.
"That makes me feel uncomfortable."
"You're being really weird."
"Fuck you, Wata." She stepped out and slammed the door shut behind her. For a moment, she stood at the door of the bath and studied the selection of the snack machine opposite of her. "Fuck it all."
The girl went back to her room, changed from her pajamas into her blue-white school uniform, and then began to get her hair done. While she brushed her hair, her gaze fell on the window from which a red light was reflected.
"Fuck. I hadn't thought of that at all."
Her hand, which held the hairbrush, sank down as she stepped closer to the glass. She couldn't see her right eye very well, but she had to think of something.
She lifted up her hairbrush to finish the brushing, and then made her side pigtails. Next, she grabbed a bandage and tried to wrap her right eye part. She fought for a few minutes desperately, until she gave up with a deep sigh. She couldn't go to school with sunglasses.
"What shall I do? And why didn't I think of it earlier?"
There was a knock at her door. "You can go to the bath now."
"Wait! Come in!"
The door latch went down, and Wataru stretched in his head. "What?"
"Um ... could you help me?"
"With what?"
Grinning, she raised her hand with the bandages. "Tada ..."
"Just take an eye-patch."
"And where am I supposed to pop it out right now?"
He sighed. "I wake Ayumi."
"No. You'll do it."
"I can't do this."
She looked at him pleading. "Please."
The young man glanced at his girlfriend. She was really an extraordinary girl. How could someone this strong and brave be so helpless? He shook his head, smiling, and came over to her.
"Give it to me," he agreed.
She handed him the bandages. "Here."
"How does Ayumi do that?"
"No idea, otherwise I could do it myself," Yuna snarled.
"That helps me immensely."
"Just do it."
"Tz ..." Somewhat briskly, Wataru began to wrap the bandages around her head.
"Hey! Not the hair too!"
"Shall I help you now or not?"
"Give it back!" Yuna reached for the bandages.
"No." Both clenched their fingers into the bandages and tore at them.
"Let go!" Yuna snapped.
"No." The musician smirked.
"Give it!" Her voice quivered.
"No. Just let me do it." The girl gave in and looked down. She took a deep breath and snuffled. "Are you all right, Yuna-chan?"
"No ..."
The sudden change of mood of his girlfriend unsettled Wataru. Usually, she wasn't so unstable. Carefully, he reached for her hand.
"Don't..." She backed away with her hand.
"What's the matter, Yuna-chan?"
She looked up and faced him. There was a tear in her left eye. "I ... I don't know either. I'm scared."
"It's okay." He spread his arms around her and pressed her body to his. "You don't have to be afraid. You are the bravest person I know."
She leaned against him and pressed her forehead against his neck. "They all will ask me questions. What am I supposed to tell? I ... I haven't slept for days and I always hear Tirr in my head. He's not dead."
"He's dead. You've defeated him. You're just stressed."
"Hopefully ..."
Wataru stroked her back. "I'm sure. I can't imagine what you've been through, but it must have been terrible. Such a thing can't even go past someone who is as strong as you. Perhaps you should wait with the school and relax."
For a while they remained like this, and while Wataru stroked his girlfriend soothingly, she thought about what had been said. Perhaps he was right. Maybe she had just been pushed too far over her limits. Maybe she simply needed some more peace and quiet. Or she had to get help from him.
Slowly she broke away from Wataru. He smiled encouragingly at the high-school girl.
"Thank you, Wata," she whispered.
"I'm always there for you."
"Thank you." The blue-haired put her lips on his and kissed him long. "Thank you."
"Gladly. Do you want me to bandage you now?"
Yuna laughed and pulled them out of his hand. "You can't do it. I'll throw Ayumi out of her bed."
He raised an eyebrow. "Now it's all right?"
The girl stretched out her tongue and left her room to throw her roommate out of the feathers. She still owed the red-haired for the last Saturday, when she had forced her to a shopping trip. Revenge was sweet.
Yuna stayed on the sidewalk at the edge of the school premises and looked at the multistory building behind it. Nagging, Ayumi had met her wish and neatly packed her right eye part. Visually, she was armed for the school day, now she was concerned about her psyche.
"I know ... actually I didn't want to use you anymore, but ..."
"You don't use me. I lend you my power."
"Nevertheless ... as long as I have you with me, I will never be able to lead a normal life. As long as I let you participate in my life, I will always be a monster."
"Why do you have such a confused point of view? We're not enemies, Yuna. We are allies."
"You're a monster."
"I'm an Oni. No more and no less."
"Anyway."
"Just because I'm not human, doesn't automatically make me a monster. And the same is true for you. There is more than black and white, my child."
The high-school girl snorted. "Sure," she said aloud.
"If you need my power, I will lend it to you. This is our agreement."
She sighed. "Okay."
"Now go inside and face the fight."
"Yuna-chan?"
The Masuda girl twitched since she was fully absorbed in her mental conversation with her own Oni, and turned her head. "Hi, Mizuki-san."
The violet-haired raised her eyebrow. "It's Mizuki-senpai for you, junior."
"For real?"
The guitarist shook her head. "You're being really rude, Yuna-chan."
"Thank you. Likewise."
"Good morning, Yuna-chan. Senpai," Hikari greeted them as she approached them.
"You see? Your friend knows how to behave."
"What is it?" the black-haired wondered.
"The little one just doesn't know how to behave."
Hikari chuckled. "Please, go easy on her. It's her first day of school. I'm Hikari Wada."
"Mizuki Sasaki. Nice to meet you, Wada-kun."
"Nice to meet you, Sasaki-senpai. Can I ask you something?" Hikari took an excited breath.
"Sure."
"You look familiar to me. Are you by chance the guitarist of Wakamino?"
Mizuki grinned broadly. "Indeed."
"Sugoi. Last weekend, I met Nobu, your drummer."
"You were in the Pitstop, right?"
"Yes."
"You were the girl next to Yuna, right?"
Hikari beamed across her face. "Yes!"
"Cool. Thank you for being there."
"Of course! I'm a huge fan, Sensei!"
The older girl laughed and waved. "Don't exaggerate, Wada-kun."
Annoyed, Yuna twisted her eye while the other two girls laughed. Apparently, Hikari had decided to skip their quarrels and not to behave like a complete lunatic.
She spotted Nisha, who smiled at her and waved over her shoulder shyly.
"That bitch is obtrusive," Hikari said.
"Who is that?" Mizuki followed the cat girl with her eyes.
The black-haired spitefully replied, "Our class-representative and super nerd. And lately Yuna's new, best friend."
"Wooah. Easy, you don't have to kill her right away," the older one joked.
"I'm sorry, Sasaki-senpai."
"Come on. It's going to ring right away. Inside with you." The three high-school girls went to the main building.
"Stand by me," Yuna thought.
"At any time."
"Shut your mouth."
The Oni laughed.