- Acadia Central Mall, 3rd Floor Refuge -

-Five minutes after the emergency alert-

"It's really not a big deal," Lily said to her parents for the fifth time, smiling awkwardly.

"No, really." The man in front of Lily insisted with teary eyes. "You saved our little girl. If something happens to our Lucy. What will we do? ”

Lily nodded. Finding the parents proved to be an easy task, as they waited just outside the open door of the shelter, begging the responsible mall security to find their children. They were both relieved when they saw Lily running away with their little daughter and rushed out to hug her.

And then they realize that their son is not there?

"Are you sure Brian is on his way?" The mother asked, still holding Lucy to her chest.

Lily looked back through the vault door, feeling the corners of her mouth curl slightly. Lily and her family are taken into the vault, but refuse to go further with the rest of the population. The mall security guards in charge all looked young and a little dazed, so they allowed it after a brief explanation that they were waiting for someone.

"My friend Mai knows what she's doing," Lily smirked. "She's the most reliable person I know. They may shorten the time, but they will succeed. ”

This doesn't seem to alleviate the parents' fears much, and there's little other way to convince them. Lily looked back at the hallway leading to the vault and forced herself to stay still. It was hard because all she really wanted to do was rush out and find Mai. It's a completely stupid idea considering that Lily doesn't know where she'll start looking.

Mai is right, as always. Despite her shy and humble nature, Mai is one of the smartest people Lily knows. There was a glint in Mai's sapphire eyes, and behind it was a quiet cunning of constant calculation. On more than one occasion, Lily has experienced Mai doing something for no reason, only to find that her actions solve multiple problems before some of them arise.

The only problem is that Mai often has blind spots in his own happiness.

"Lily?" A familiar woman's voice rang out, and Lily looked back at the inside of the vault.

Lily's homeroom teacher, Ms. Thoma, walked up to her. Lily could see more deeply into the futuristic white interior of the shelter, where a group of people were nervously talking in groups. The largest group is made up of four classes at Ravenwood High School. The teachers had counted the numbers, but Lily didn't join the others, just waved to Ms. Thoma.

Lily casually noticed that Mai's homeroom teacher was talking to some guardians and teachers instead of waiting at the entrance. This made Lily's eyes narrow slightly, but she didn't show it in Mrs. Thoma's happy expression.

"Still waiting for the microphone, huh?" Ms. Toma asked with a concerned look in her eyes.

Ms. Thoma is a perfect teacher. She is warm and kind, always wearing clothes that match her personality, like the simple blue dress and yellow cardigan she wears now. Her face is round and soft, giving the impression of being empathetic.

"Yes." Lily nodded in reply. "It should be anytime now."

Ms. Thoma glanced at her fidgeting parents and returned to Lily with a relaxed smile.

"If it were anyone else, I might have been nervous," Ms Thoma replied, "but judging by the way you talked about her, I'm sure she's already on her way back." ”

Lily felt her cheeks flush as she scoffed and crossed her arms defiantly.

"I don't talk much about her."

"I said it the way you talked about her," Miss Thoma chuckled, and Lily's face became hotter. "Honestly, she must have made such an impression on you, and she wasn't in our class at all."

Lily shrugged, not knowing what to say, and Lily smiled as she felt a hint of pride welling up in her chest.

"Anyway," said Ms. Thoma, holding her hand and looking at her watch. "There should be a little over four minutes left, so there's plenty of time-"

Suddenly, the lights went out.

Emergency alerts

The power supply is damaged. The main shielding station is offline. SOS sent. Evacuate in place until help arrives.

When the notification popped into Lily's mind, she froze. Inside the vault, the lights flickered again, but outside, the red emergency lights bathed the hallways in crimson shadows. A sudden chill came from the back of Lily's neck, and she felt her mouth dry. Inside the shelter, many people let out exclamations.

Then, a second message appeared.

Emergency alerts

Multiple usurpation cracks have been detected on the following floors:

Basement 1

Building 1

Building 2

Building 3

Building 4

Building 5

Reality Alteration: Medium

Partial Dream Class: Restless

Guardian Command has successfully raised the alarm.

The system enters a low-power mode. This will be the last message.

Ms. Thoma's eyes widened, and her calm expression swept away. Suddenly hearing the sound of a heavy object moving, Lily turned around and saw two vault doors begin to close. The mall security guards outside quickly ran in, their eyes wide open and full of fear. Lily heard the desperate cries of her parents next to her, and something suddenly flashed inside her.

Wheat. Mai is with those monsters. Emaciated little Mai has been trembling with fear when she makes the decision to break up with Lily. It's all about saving a child, and it's all without thinking. Although Lily had heard a lot of rumors about her being bullied, Mai never complained anything to Lily.

Wheat.

Lily's heart shook, and she didn't hesitate. She walked towards the closing door and began to move as fast as she could. She wasn't going to leave her friend there, as she had already failed to help her many times. To figure out the directions, Lily just has to find the map on the wall and go from there.

Before Lily could take two steps, a hand grabbed her arm ironclad and pulled her back. Lily nearly fell from the sudden shift in balance and looked back frantically. Ms. Thoma put her arms around Lily's arms, a sickly expression contorted on her face. But her eyes were steely.

"Lily, no," Ms. Thoma almost whispered. Her voice was flat, but Lily could hear something trembling beneath the surface.

"Let go of me." Lily hissed, trying to break free of her arm. "I'm not going to leave her outside!"

"I can't do that," Ms. Thoma replied. "Lily, it's my job to keep you safe."

"I'll be right back, I promise!" Lily shouted in a trembling voice. "I won't leave her out alone!"

Next to them, Lucy's father seemed to finally realize what was happening, turned and ran out of the door of the vault. As he rushed to the gate, two mall security guards grabbed him and pulled him down. He struggled and screamed in pain, but he couldn't break free. At the same time, Lily felt her other hand grasp her other arm, and she turned to see an officer standing in front of her.

She didn't want to accidentally hurt Ms. Thoma, but she trusted the teacher to understand. Lily grabbed their hands and shook her weight off of them. She managed to escape from the security guards, but to her surprise, Ms. Thoma held on to her. When Lily tripped and lost her balance due to her movements, she pulled Lily hard, twisting her into a bear hug and holding her in the chest.

Lily growled in frustration, trying to break free.

Seconds later, Lily heard the door to the vault slam shut. The heavy gears make a whirling sound as they turn, followed by a loud and distinctive clicking sound as something locks into place. Lady Thoma finally let go of Lily, and she stumbled away from the teacher, looking at the large double door.

They were locked up, and Lily looked at them in horror, her heart sinking.

No, wait, it's not over yet. Lily remembers that the Vault was designed with two sets of double doors, with an airlock-like room between the two doors. This way, people can safely come and go as needed. This means that Lily can still go out and help Mai. All she had to do was find the console.

Lily's gaze fell on the large touchscreen next to the door.

"Lily, please listen to me." Ms. Thoma pleaded.

Lily gave the teacher a surprised look. With tears in her eyes, she walked over slowly, placing her trembling hand on Lily's shoulder. Lily glared at her, anger burning in her chest.

"There's nothing we can do but wait for her to get here," Ms. Thoma said. "If you go out...... You will only be dangerous. ”

"I don't care." Lily replied fiercely.

"I know, but I do know. I think Mai will do the same. ”

Lily felt her breath disappear, and the words hit her like a sledgehammer, and she backed away slightly in front of her teacher.

"She'll hide," Ms. Thoma continued, her voice calm but determined. "If you go out, you might get hurt, and now there's nothing we can do but trust her."

Slowly, Lily felt the anger in her heart begin to subside, leaving her to stand in place with her fists clenched feebly. Ms. Thoma is right...... Lily knew in her heart that she wasn't thinking much of it. Again. As much as she wanted to rush out and find Mai, she had no idea where she would be now. No, going out in a blind panic is simply self-defeating.

"Toma was right." A voice suddenly interjected, waking Lily from her thoughts. She turned around and saw Mai's teacher, Mr. Tojo, walking over with two other teachers.

Lily narrowed her eyes at the young, suave man.

"yes—it's important to stay in the vault right now," he stammered, his words a little too fast. "No one goes out, unless it's an emergency. If someone comes to the door, we can open the door at any time. Right? ”

Lily felt like she was studying him. His hands were constantly adjusting the tie or fiddling with the rest of the garment. His forehead was covered with beads of sweat, and although his expression was always calm, his gaze was turning and twitching with every slight movement.

Scared, right? Lily thought to herself. Really, it's not surprising. He was the youngest teacher here, and she turned her gaze to Lady Doojin, who squinted at Mr. Dongcheng, then turned to Lily and nodded slightly.

"Whatever." Lily turned and walked towards the touchscreen where the mall security guard was standing. "I'll at least look at the camera. You can stay and make sure I don't open the door or do anything. ”

The three mall police officers protectively walked up to the console, but looked at each other in surprise.

"Camera?" One of them asked the other. "Is there a camera?"

Lily looked at the guard in amazement. Only now did she discover how young they looked. But shouldn't they be trained in this area? For God's sake, they have all kinds of guns!

"Yes," Lily said slowly, looking at them gravely. "If we don't have cameras, how do you think we can tell if someone is trying to get in?"

"Uh......" one of them began, looking nervously at the others. We uh...... We are all newcomers.

"Are you all new here?" Lady Thoma, who was standing next to Lily, asked with a confused look on her face.

"Yes," the other replied with a helpless shrug.

"Forget it." Lily sighed helplessly. "This isn't my first usurpation, I have a magical soldier telling me all about how the Vault works, so get out of the way."

"Multiple sclerosis. Parker, this is not the way to talk to your elders! Mr. Dongcheng pushed his glasses and said with a frown.

Lily raised an eyebrow, her gaze scanning the three college student guards and Mr. Tojo.

"Of course. I'm sorry. Now can I tell you what's going on? ”

The screen flickered, turning into several pristine views of the hallway leading to the shelter door. Dangli

Lily points out that there is an option to open an outer or inner door on the camera menu, as well as an option highlighted in bright red that says "Emergency Shield". In an instant, she felt herself tense.

"Why don't you two go and see if anyone needs anything?" Ms. Thoma interjected, speaking to two security guards. "Food, water, medical care. One of you should stay here and keep an eye on the cameras, though. Mr. Carpenter and Mrs. Mills, both of you are senior teachers, so maybe you keep a close eye on the behavior of your students. The barracks should be large enough for them to gather together. ”

Lily was a little surprised when Ms. Thoma was in charge, and the other teachers nodded in agreement and started moving. The other two teachers are indeed more senior than her, but seem happy to put her in charge as well. Maybe it's the calm assurance in her tone, or the way she expresses her advice, because it seems to work. Soon, the terminal of the shelter became less crowded.

"Multiple sclerosis." Parker, you should go with the other students as well. Mr. Tojo cleared his throat and said. I assure you, Lady Toma and I will keep an eye out for Ms. Kuroki. ”

Lily fired back with a fiery response. What the hell is wrong with this guy?

"It's okay." Lily said disdainfully. "I'll stay here."

Lily could almost feel the shocking silence behind her, and she felt a small amount of satisfaction from his reaction.

"Multiple sclerosis. Parker, that's not—"

"It's okay," Ms. Thoma interrupted steadily, her voice firm. "She's just worried about her friends. She can stay and watch with us. ”

Mr. Tojo sighed helplessly, but did not argue.

Lily's eyes were glued to the screen, and Lily reminded herself more than once to breathe while looking at the monitor, waiting for anything to come along.

Come on, Mai, Lily thought to herself. Where are you?

- - - - - - -

- Acadia Central Mall, 3rd Floor Refuge - -

Ten minutes after a power outage-

Most of the others in the vault, including all the students, had gone deep into the vault, making their way to the barracks or other rooms into which the vault had been divided.

So Lily continued to stare at the screen, wondering when Mai would be-

Suddenly, something appears on the camera, and the console emits a loud, shrill beep to alert everyone who detects movement. Lily's heart rose to her throat with joy, but when she saw the figure around the corner, her heart sank again. As the figure slowly and dragged down the hallway, someone let out a cry of astonishment.

The thing was tall and bent over. It's a bit humanoid, but it's like it's made of pale, featureless clay, and it's in poor shape. Its arms are long enough to touch the ground, and its fingers are jointless, undulating things. The monster was so skinny that its ribs almost pierced its chest. However, the worst part is the face. It has no eyes, only large, empty eye sockets. Underneath is a large mouth, which occupies a third of its head, and grinning with a mocking smile large enough to show its gums.

The teeth of this monster are human teeth, but they are upgraded versions of sharp teeth.

There are also some things on display next to this creature.

[Little Pale Man]

Known Levels: 10 - 15

Next to Lily, people were talking at the same time.

"What the hell is that thing?" A mall guard gasped.

"No......," the mother sobbed and fell into her husband's arms.

"St-"

Lily looked at the thing and turned off the noise as well. For some reason, it looks strangely familiar...... No, it's familiar! Looks like one of the monsters from Magical Girl's Sunset Rebellion. In fact, almost exactly the same. Lily watched in confusion as it shuffled forward with a long stride. As it got closer, some sound came from the console speakers.

"Everyone, be quiet!" Lily shouted, her voice quieting down.

Then, when the thing finally stood in front of the outer door of the vault, the noise became clear.

It giggled.

Slowly, the creature reached out a hand towards the outer door of the vault and gently pressed it against it. Its too long fingers wriggled, wriggling on the metal like worms. The giggles continued throughout the whole time, sounding completely childish, which sounded wrong.

"Those things want to come in!" A mall guard shouted, his hand already on the holster.

"Don't panic," said Ms. Thoma calmly. "The shelter's system is designed to automatically assess threats. As long as we stay calm, we'll be fine—"

The creature suddenly withdrew its arms and slammed them against the door. There was a loud bang on the touchscreen, but the exterior door was not damaged. It tried again and again, but still left no trace. Lily let out a sigh of relief, unaware that she had been holding her breath.

Monsters are weird. Everything around her seemed to give her goosebumps, and the giggles made her gnash her teeth, but it was good. Of course, it's scary, but if it can't even sink the door—

"It's trying to break in!" The mall security guard shouted. "Wow - we need to do something!"

"It's okay," Ms. Thoma tried to reassure him. "It won't even break—"

"It's going to summon more of these things!" He insisted. "Voice! If more people show up, it's only a matter of time before they come in! We need to do something! ”

There was silence all around, and he looked around with pleading eyes. Suddenly, Mr. Tojo took a slight step forward and pushed his glasses, and Lily saw that his hands were shaking.

"Yes, there are emergency shields...... Mr. Tojo stammered. But-"

"No!" Lily angrily turned around and pounced on him. "You don't dare! The automation system takes care of this! ”

"What if it breaks?" The panicked security guard insisted. "What if it doesn't work?"

The female guard tried to put her hand on his shoulder to calm him down, but he shook it off. As Lily looked at the man's wide-open eyes, she felt her pulse quicken. Lily slowly faced a small group of onlookers and stood in front of the monitor. She clenched her fists to make sure her feet were steady.

"We—we can't put everyone in danger!" The guy continued to stutter. "We have no way of knowing if the system is working! It is our duty to protect the people! We — we need to open it,"

"Calm down." The female guard said with a shudder. "We shouldn't touch that button unless absolutely necessary. Everybody knows that. ”

"It's necessary!" He hissed as he pointed to the screen behind Lily. "That's not normal! It's giggling! I mean, look at ......."

His voice faded, and then his outstretched fingers began to tremble. Lily watched as everyone followed his fingers. Their faces turned pale in unison, and it was only then that Lily noticed that the monster's knocking on the door had stopped along with the giggles. Lily stared at the crowd and slowly turned her head to look at the screen.

This thing's face is right in front of the main camera, and its raw teeth take up the entire screen. The thing's hollow eye sockets pierced into the camera with a hungry emptiness, and then slowly opened its mouth.

"Eat?" It asked in a low, twisted voice, and Lily flinched when she recognized the Japanese word.

Don't...... That thing just spoke? Lily resisted the fear of trembling her spine, and suddenly her mouth was dry. This...... Is this normal? Lily wasn't sure if she had heard anyone speak before. The word it chooses......

"W-What did you just say?" Darik asked. "What did you say!?"

There was a shocking silence before anyone could speak.

"It's time to eat." Mr. Tojo replied with a pale face. "It just looked at us through the camera and asked if there was anything to eat. ”

As if he could hear Mr. Tojo's voice, the monster began to tremble slightly, and the giggles returned. Slowly, it becomes more and more intense until it becomes insanity. Its big mouth opened and it laughed out loud and sounded like the discordant laughter of small children.

"Whatever!" Darek yelled and rushed to the touchscreen.

No! Fear and anger burned inside Lily when she saw his movements, and she reacted purely instinctively.

Lily turned to face him, growling and raising her fist. As she stared down at him, she felt her heart beat wildly. She glared at the man defiantly, and despite the fact that he was at least seven inches taller than her and weighed more than fifty pounds, she was not upset. Daerik froze for a moment, his eyes widened, and he looked at her in surprise.

"Stand back!" Lily growled. "I'm not going to let you press that button!"

Darik paused, as if he didn't know what to do, and looked at Lily.

Darek rushed forward and pushed Ms. Thoma away. She screamed and staggered and fell, but Lily didn't have time to help her as Darik grabbed her by the shoulders and tried to push her away. He was too close to him to make a proper punch, so Lily curled her fingers into claws, grabbed his hand, and slammed his hand hard while holding herself in place with the wall. Lily felt her nails sink deep into it, and Darik let out a yelp and stumbled back, looking at her hands.

He had bloody scratches on his body, and as she regained her footing, she felt a damp warmth on her fingers. Her heart was beating faster, and she could feel the adrenaline rushing through her veins. Lily sees the female guard try to grab Ms. Thoma, but is only halfway successful, and both fall to the floor. The other guard just watched in shock, his mouth moving, but he didn't make a sound.

"Slut!" Daerik screamed, his face contorted with despair and anger. He walked towards her.

Lily heard Ms. Thoma scream, and the security guard punched her on the side of the head, the light turning her world white.

In the next second, she fell to the ground. The pain spread from her face to her left eye, and her movements felt strangely disjointed as she tried to stand up. She let out a scream as her brain began pounding violently against her skull.

As she knelt down, she felt her arms tremble.

"Warning!" A clear, synthesized voice shouted. "Activating the emergency protective system of the shelter will prevent anyone from entering or leaving until help arrives. Do not participate unless the automated threat system is not working and the outer door has been breached. Activating the system without cause can be prosecuted in court. To confirm the activation of the emergency shield, press and hold the accept button for five seconds. ”

Lily looked up through her swimming vision and saw Derek in front of the screen, his fingers ready to press the button.

"No!" Lily screamed, and she lunged forward to his knees.

She managed to knock him to the ground, but immediately after, her face slammed into the side of his leg, causing her head to feel a sharp pain again. When he tried to push her away, instead of untying herself, she wrapped her legs tighter. Moments later, Lucy's father and female guards suddenly arrived, helped Lily to her feet, and pinned Darik's arm to the ground. He kept trying to kick his leg away, but Lily persevered as she became more and more disgusting.

"Let me go!" He shouted. "You're going to kill us all!"

He struggled a little more, and Lily felt a hand on her shoulder.

"I'll take over." The third security guard said in a trembling voice. "You can let go now."

Lily turned her head to look at him, and it took a moment to see his serious expression in her blurred vision. Slowly, she broke free of her restraints, and the man quickly took over and knelt on Derrick's lap.

Lily broke free and stood up with trembling legs, all she could do was stay on her feet.

"Lily!" Lady Thoma shouted, and Lily turned to see her limping closer, "Are you alright?" ”

Ms. Thoma began to examine Lily gently, her expression worried, but Lily only smiled in response, not wanting to give away the throbbing pain on the left side of her face. Her lips were also painful, and there was a faint smell of blood in her mouth.

"It's okay," Lily tried to reassure Miss Thoma, but her expression became more distraught. "Just a little-"

"Confirmation received," the synthesized voice said. "Activate the emergency shield."

Lily spun around in shock, fear welling up in her heart.

Mr. Tojo stood in front of the touchscreen, his fingers outstretched and trembling slightly. Everyone else looked at him in shock, and even Derrick stopped struggling. Lily looked at Mai's homeroom teacher in confusion. Everything in Lily seemed to be gone, leaving nothing but emptiness.

Mr. Tojo slowly reached for his glasses and pushed them to his nose.

"Protecting our students is our top priority as teachers," he said with a shudder. "If there's any danger—"

The hatred in Lily's heart ignited, burning painfully, and she let out a scream. Suddenly, pain, nausea, and dizziness all mattered anymore. She lunges at the coward, only to be stopped by Miss Thoma from behind. Lily reached out to him, clutching the air, trying to grab him as she screamed at him incoherently. Mr. Tojo took a step back, his face contorted into a grimace that seemed painful.

He had just "killed" Mai.

The thought echoed through Lily's mind, and she couldn't stop it.

Lily struggled, pouring all her anger into trying to break free. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't do anything.

Eventually, the lady grabbed her.

Lily heard a soft cry and turned to see her parents on the ground hugging each other.

"I know some first aid," she said. "There's an infirmary a little further away—"

"I'm not leaving," Lily said hoarsely, slowly but carefully walking back to the console screen.

Seeing Mr. Dongcheng standing a few steps away, he glared at her.

She'll make him pay. She will make sure of that.

"How about you get us some chairs and bring the first aid kit here?" Ms. Thoma asked the security guard. "I guess we'll just wait here."

"It's going to be fine," Lily said, trying to reassure them, but her voice was surprisingly hollow. "You'll see. Mai will go with your son, and even if she can't get in, she'll figure it out. She will keep him safe. ”

Ms. Thoma walked up to Mr. Tojo to activate the shield, and there was silence until he cleared his throat.

"It may seem cold," he said in a deep voice. "But two lives simply can't beat—"

She saw Lady Thoma spin and slap him hard, staggering back a step. The sound was loud and resounded throughout the room. He looked at her in shock, carefully covering his cheeks. Ms. Thoma stared at him with angry eyes.

"Shut up." Her tone was cold, and her tone was calm. "Leave."

Lily turned back to the screen to watch, leaning against the wall to balance.

Mai will be fine, Lily thought. She had to be.

- - - - - - -

- Acadia Central Mall, 3rd Floor Refuge - -

Eighteen minutes after a power outage-

Lily put an ice pack on the left side of her face and looked at the blank monitor.

Lily's head throbbed, but the medication worked. Now that the adrenaline has really subsided, though, Lily is feeling exhausted. Although the battle was short, it cost her a lot. She secretly remembered in her mind that she had to get stronger and maybe it would be time to start the martial arts classes she planned to take.

Maybe she should send a message to Sergeant Kelly (the magical soldier she met in her previous usurpation) and ask for advice. Lily misses the woman with whom she had only been talking for a few hours. Maybe it's because Lily shows interest and asks questions unabashedly, but Kelly is happy to answer them and joke around throughout the ordeal. Maybe Kelly guessed Lily's mind and wanted to help her.

"It's not easy," Kelly said, shaking the red hair off his eyes. "It's definitely not for me, but if you need anything, please message me. I'm happy to help. ”

Lily sighed and closed her eyes. The previous idea was too naïve, and she knows it now. She thought she had enough time to strengthen herself and train. Lily thought being at the top of the track team was already a good start, but now painfully proving her wrong. With a stupid punch, she fell to the ground. She was too far from her goal......

Doodle!

The sound of the Vault's sirens opened Lily's eyes, and she got up from her seat and staggered to the console. She almost fell, but when she opened her eyes wide to see what the camera was showing, she managed to stand herself on the wall.

"Mai!" She shivered and gasped.

At the end of the hallway, Mai's cute little figure appeared, her hand being held by a little boy. Lily felt a surge of joy welling up in her heart, and she let out a laugh of disbelief. When the crowd joins her, her parents cry loudly, and Lily feels a big smile on her face. She was so confident that Mai would succeed, and somehow, she even managed to take the boy all the way! Twenty minutes of stealth past A

Athema, survived, somehow, she did!

When Lily saw Mai stop suddenly, the excitement was gone. It was only then that Lily began to understand some of the details. First, she noticed the ice axe that Mai was carrying, and the blade was covered in black stains. Lily's eyes began to make out more of the same black spots sprayed on Mai's clothes.

When Lily looked at her friend with wide eyes, she felt her heart tremble.

Is that...... Her blood? Lily thought as a chill swept through her body. Is she hurt?

Lily watched as Mai's face distorted with desperation, and she rushed to the door, letting go of the boy's hand and ice axe. She ran to the door and began to slam the magical barrier, shouting silently. Lily watched as Mai collapsed on the fence, kneeling on the ground, resting her head on the fence. She stared at the barrier in disbelief and didn't move.

There was dead silence in the vault.

In a daze, Lily felt someone's soft hand grasp her hand, and the other hand grabbed her shoulder, squeezing it tightly.

Even though Lily could feel the warmth running down her cheeks, she felt nothing but heartache.

Mai froze suddenly, looking away from the door and turning to the boy she had left in the middle of the hallway. Lily watched as Mai wiped her cheek, the sad expression on her face disappearing into a trembling smile, and she quickly stood up and motioned for the boy to come closer. He ran to her, embracing her with both arms, clutching some kind of action figure in one hand. When the boy said something to her, Mai hugged him tightly and responded slowly. The boy looked like he was about to cry, but Mai's words seemed to calm him down.

Then start walking away. Lily couldn't understand how Mai had recovered so quickly. Somehow, Mai even manages to show a brave look for the boy and seems to care more about him. Lily watched as Mai almost nonchalantly picked up the ice axe she had dropped, and then she disappeared around the corner with the boy.

Lily exhaled with a shudder, then slowly turned around. The other teachers must have heard the movement as well, as they had already appeared. Ms. Thoma took Lily's shoulders and hands in an attempt to give a reassuring smile. Parents looked both relieved and horrified, but they stopped looking at the screen. Lily followed their gaze.

"I'......," he hesitated, seemingly speechless. I'm sorry. But that's the only way......"

"Fuck off, die." She whispered, sitting back in her chair.

There was silence, and Lily noticed that none of the teachers were angry with her for saying that. The next second, she heard footsteps go away. Ms. Thoma sat down in the chair next to Lily, a gentle hand still resting on her shoulder. Lily didn't speak, closing her eyes. Aside from a few whispers, the silence was good, and Lily felt as if she had taken a little weight off. Mai is still alive. At least so much.

"Uh-huh......" A voice suddenly interrupted her thoughts. Lily opened her eyes and saw the little girl, and Lucy was standing right in front of her.

"Hmm...... I just wanted to thank you," she said, moving nervously. "To save me. And your friend saved my brother. ”

Lily blinked, then looked at the girl's parents. Their expressions trembled, but they nodded to her sincerely, gratefully. Something cracked in Lily's heart, and she had to clear her throat, emotions surging.

"Hehe," Lily said, trying to show her usual smile to the little girl. "I told you my friend was great, right?"

"Yes!" Lucy agreed, nodding vigorously. "When I told Mom and Dad that there was a pirate girl protecting Brian, they didn't believe me!"

It took Lily a moment to understand what she meant, but then she remembered Mai's blindfold. When Lucy's parents look at their daughter in amazement, Lily laughs out loud. Lily felt some of the tension in her body disappear, and it took her a minute to stop and react.

"Well, she's not exactly a pirate," Lily chuckled. "But she's really cool to wear, isn't she?"

Lucy grinned, nodded, and took a few steps back to her seated parents. They gave Lily an apologetic look, and Lily waved in acknowledgment. Mai might find it funny, too, even if she doesn't feel comfortable with her eyes. After a while, Lily felt her hand being gently pinched, and she turned her head to see Lady Thoma smiling softly at her.

"Are you alright?" She asked, gentle eyes.

"I'm ......" Lily took a breath and adjusted herself. I am fine...... Just ......"

Lily's voice grew quieter, not knowing how to describe her feelings. Guilty? Mortified? Fury? Which word can sum it all up?

Ms. Thoma just nodded, as if she understood.

"I guess that's the part where I told you that everything that happened wasn't your fault," Ms. Thoma smiled weakly. "The only responsibility lies with us adults."

"But I promised her," Lily quickly retorted, looking up at her teacher. "I told her—"

"When someone tries to open the shield," Ms. Thoma interrupted. "Who's in the way? Are we teachers? Is it one of the security guards who is responsible for the safety of the people in the shelter? ”

Lily was silent, then sighed.

"That doesn't change the fact that Mai is trapped there."

"Lily," Ms. Thoma said in a low voice. "I know we've talked about how you feel about some of your friends...... Insincere. It's like they're just coming to you to help themselves. I also know that's why you value your friendship with Mai so much. She's not in our class, and from what you tell me, she doesn't care about sports or popularity. ”

"Not only that," Lily moved uneasily. "She didn't even have a reason to talk to me, let alone do what she did."

"It's a good move," agrees Ms. Thoma. "I just want to make sure you know that Mai isn't your only friend. You have other people you can rely on. ”

Lily looked up at the teacher and smiled at her.

"Uh-uh. I have a super-badass homeroom teacher who also slaps the other teachers on my side."

"I think you're underestimating yourself," Ms. Thoma said. "I've been to a couple of your athletics meets, you know? Even though none of them are the best on the team, you're always there to cheer them on. I think that impressed Sophie because she competed with you in many of the same races and you still cheered for her and celebrated when she was doing well. And Hideyoshi, well, not many people pay attention to the long distance races, and not many people even stay to watch the races, so think about what it means to her that you cheer her on every lap. ”

"But..."

"As for why they don't say so much," Ms. Thoma continued. "Your lunch group usually has top club members. They may feel a bit out of place or not popular enough to really get involved. ”

Lily was silent for a long time, chewing on what Lady Thoma had said.

"Anyway," Ms. Thoma said. "I just want to make sure you know you have someone to talk to. I...... I don't know what's going to happen to Mai or how she's going to react when it's all over, but you do have someone who cares about you. ”。

The mobile alarm went off again. Her attention immediately returned to the monitor as she stood up and moved closer to it. Everyone else was only one step behind her.

Above, she saw Mai and the child walking around the corner towards the door. Lily watched, her mouth dry and wondering what Mai was going to do. Mai stopped a few feet from the door and looked around for a moment. Then she tilts her head slightly and turns her head to look directly at the camera. Lily is ready to face the hatred and despair of her friends. Lily saw Mai ...... A gentle smile? Even stranger was the boy, who looked at Mai with a smile on his face.

Lily watched as Mai pointed at the boy, then at herself, and then at a thumbs up. Lily stared blankly at the screen for a moment, then realized what Mai was doing. Somehow, she knew that there was no sound from the vault with the emergency shield closed, so she tried to communicate with gestures.

She pointed to the hole in her blazer and waved her hand as if it weren't a big deal. Mai seemed to hesitate for a moment, then raised the ice axe, pointing an empty finger at it. She made a slight wiggle motion with her axe, then raised a finger and drew a "one" unmistakably. Lily felt her jaw open.

"Is she ......," security guard Mary stammered. Did she say she had fought one of the monsters? ”

A big smile bloomed on Lily's face. "She said she killed one."

As if to emphasize this, Mai ran a finger across her throat and made a slicing motion. She then repeated the gesture of pointing at the child and giving herself a thumbs up. The onlookers also gave a thumbs up. Lily shook her head dumbfounded, unable to believe how elated he was.

Mai tilted her head again, as if thinking, and then waved at them, gesturing her surroundings. Then she lifted a three. She pointed to herself and the child, then used two fingers to mimic the movement of walking, gently waving them back and forth while pointing to the floor. Finally, she held out a finger and pointed to the entrance to the vault. Lily frowned.

She ...... Say they're on the third floor now, but she's going to the first floor shelter? Why not the second? ”

"The shelter on each floor is built at both ends," Ms. Thoma explained, blinking in surprise. "This way the floor can have a large, open middle area while still providing good coverage. If someone is on the other end of the shelter, they simply go up and down a floor and get close to the shelter. The only exception is the ground floor, where the sanctuary is larger and occupies the entire basement. These entrances are close to the middle. ”

"So......" Lily tried to piece together Mai's plan. Instead of going up and down one floor and going through the entire floor to get to the vault, she had to go down two floors and go to the large vault? ”

Ms. Thoma nodded. "It's only half the distance."

When Mai started making more gestures, everyone fell silent. At first, Lily wasn't sure what Mai was imitating, but as Mai repeated, Lily understood. She made an "L" shape, then raised one finger, then another "L", and finally, she made a twisted "Y" shape with three fingers. As Mai pointed to the door of the vault, Lily felt her heart stop beating and took a breath.

Mai drew a circle with his index finger and thumb, and the other three fingers extended at the same time, making a generic "OK" symbol. She then points to the camera and herself, smiles and gives a thumbs up and nods.

Lily felt the tension in her body disappear, but it was quickly replaced by guilt. Why is Mai so kind? She didn't even know what was going on in the vault or if Lily was trying to stop the emergency shield. But...

Mai seemed to reinforce herself, and took another breath with a shudder. Then she waved her hand and began to walk away. The boy followed, and soon, they were around the corner and disappeared from sight again. Lily sat back in her chair and shook her head.

"Your friend is such a special person." Father whispered, and Lily smiled weakly.

"Do you really think she came up with a spell?" Mary asked.

"I don't know how, but yes," Lily replied. "Where else can the black blood come from? Knowing Mai, she may have had some crazy plans in place, and I'm guessing she's already had more ways to get them both to the shelter safely. ”

"I'm going to get stronger." Lily stared at the monitor, reassuring herself softly.

I will be stronger, and one day, I will repay you for pulling me out of the darkness.