Paint & Treble: Duo Overture
	Chapter 2 - An Odd Pear
	Written by: CS-Masyet
	Previous version: March 20, 2010 (est.) Uploaded on: March 19, 2017

Tear

Tear   "I-I can't believe it... I-it's you?"

Ail   "Huh? What's me?"

I showed him the key that I'd taken out of my pocket.

Tear   "Y-you... Y-you're going to be my roommate, f-from now on..."

Ail   "Seriously?!"

He stood there, clearly shocked by the news.

Ail   "So... First you end up transferring to the same class as me, then we end up having lunch at the same table, and then we were both chosen for that 'monster thing', and now we're both roommates? I sure have had a lot of weird, coincidental run-ins with you today..."

Tear   "I-I'm sorry..."

Ail   "Why are you apologizing? I mean, it kind of makes sense... We're both transferees, so the school staff must've thought it was easier to just put us in the same room together."

Tear   "U-uh, yeah. I guess that's true..."

Ail   "I mean, I suppose it would've been nice to have this room all to myself... But at least I don't have to have Chef Boy as a roommate, y'know?"

Tear   "S-so you don't have any problem with me being your roommate, then?"

Ail   "Why, do you want me to have a problem with it?"

Tear   "N-no! That's not what I...!"

Ail   "I'm only kidding. And no, I have no problem with you rooming with me. It's not like I've got much choice, anyways. At least I kind of already know you."

Tear   Yeah... I was worried about who would be my roommate at this school, but I guess I'm pretty lucky that's it's someone I already know, even if it's someone I just met today. And he was nice to me during lunch and in the elevator, too...

Tear   ... But that's strange... For some reason, I was expecting him to be a lot more upset about this...

Ail   "... So, new roomie... I bet you'd like to come in now, right? Go right ahead."

Before I even had a chance to ask, Ail moved slightly to the right to give me space to enter the room.

Tear   "O-oh, thank you..."

I slowly entered, kind of nervous about entering a room that used to belong to just Ail for a little while.

Ail   "So, your name's Tear, right?"

Tear   "Y-yes, that's right..."

Ail   "It sounds kind of girly-sounding, but I guess it suits you."

Tear   "N-no, it's... a-a gender neutral name...!"

Ail   "It is?"

Tear   "Y-y'know... Like Tear, the legendary warrior... U-uh, I mean, after she became known as a legendary warrior, it became a gender neutral name in this region..."

Ail   "Really? Huh. I don't think I've heard about that legend before..."

Tear   "Y-you haven't...?"

Ail   "No, but it sounds kind of interesting. Would you mind telling me about it sometime?"

Tear   "S-sure! I think it's a pretty cool legend, actually!"

Tear   Wow, I can't believe I held a conversation with him so easily! I-I'm kind of proud of myself!

Ail   "By the way, I'm Ail, in case you didn't remember. Ail Diluvi. My name's not short for anything, so just 'Ail' is fine."

Tear   "A-alright..."

Ail   "'kay... I'm sure you'd like to make yourself at home, so feel free to do whatever you want with your side of the room. I'm tired, so I'm going back to bed to try and catch some z's. Don't make too much noise, okay?"

Tear   "U-um, okay..."

After Ail went to his bed to lie down, I decided to look around the room a bit more.

Tear   It's hard to make myself at home when I'm so nervous... After all, even though Ail seems like a nice guy, I'm still going to be sharing a room with a boy I barely know...

Tear   ... B-but I knew that I would have to deal with things I'm uncomfortable with when I came to Neturus High. I can't let something like this discourage me! To do what I came here to do, I have to be brave!

Unfortunately, any amount of confidence I had just gained at that moment was immediately lost, once I finally noticed an obvious problem with the room...

Tear   "W-wha?!"

Ail   "What's your problem?! I'm trying to sleep over here!"

Tear   "A-ah, I-I'm sorry! B-but, u-um, my bed..."

Ail   "Huh? What's wrong with your be-..."

He sat up and noticed the problem I had as well, before he'd even finished speaking.

Ail   "... oh. That's right; there's only one bed in here..."

Tear   "W-where do I sleep...?"

Ail   "Did the staff make a mistake, or do they really intend for the both of us to use one bed? We'd have no choice but to share it..."

Tear   "W-WHAT!?"

Ail   "Jeez, what're you getting so riled up about?! I was only kidding."

Tear   "O-oh... okay..."

Tear   T-that scared me... I don't think that's something I could handle...

Ail   "In all seriousness though, this is a bit of a problem, huh? I'm sure you want to get some sleep, too..."

Tear   There's got to be a place for me to sleep somewhere in here...

I looked around the room, and noticed a couch on the opposite side of the room as Ail's bed. There was a small table in front of it, which I assumed could be used for studying, or for placing snacks or drinks on top of while watching the TV hanging on the wall facing the couch. I decided to ignore the table and TV though, and focused my attention on the couch, noticing something unusual about it...

Tear   W-wait, this couch... Could it be?!

Ail   "Is that where you want to sleep? It doesn't look big enough, even for you..."

Tear   "Actually, it might be, if what I'm thinking right now is correct..."

Ail   "What do you mean?"

Tear   "U-um, well... you'll see. Let me just..."

I turned around and grabbed the table in front of the couch, moving it out of the way. After that I removed the couch's cushions and put them on top of the table.

Ail   "Uh... what're you doing?"

Tear   "Ah, I knew it! It's there!"

Once I saw it, I grabbed it without hesitation, and began to tug on it.

Tear   "Uhn... Hrrngh!" N-no good! It won't budge!

I tried as hard as I could, but I just couldn't pull it out. Instead, I eventually lost my grip and fell to the floor in exhaustion. Ail sighed as a result, seemingly not knowing what I was up to.

Ail   "I have no idea what you're up to, but let me give it a shot."

Ail grabbed at the handle in the couch, trying his best to pull at it in the same way I did. His attempt ended up going a lot better than mine, as he was able to pull it forward, far enough that he almost ended up under the TV hanging on the wall behind him.

Ail   "It's... a..."

Tear   "A bed! I knew it! There's the second bed!"

Tear   It's a good thing I decided to try that! Even if Ail was the one who had to pull it out for me...

Ail   "W-what the? There was a bed in there this whole time?! How the...?"

Tear   "It's a couch bed. You've never seen one before, Mr. Diluvi?"

Ail   "I said to call me Ail. Don't call me 'Mr. Diluvi'; it makes me sound like an old man."

Tear   "S-sorry..."

Ail   "But anyway, no, I've never seen one of these things before. Or even knew that something like this existed, for that matter..."

Tear   "My family used to have one of these when I was little. Back then, I slept in it with my sister all the time..."

Ail   "Why didn't your parents just get you a normal bed...?"

Tear   "W-well, um, my family used to move around a lot, because of my parents' jobs. Because they didn't have much money, we'd usually have to make do with what was at the places they rented..."

Ail   "So you got to travel with your family pretty often, huh? That sounds... kind of fun."

Tear   "Fun...?"

Tear   "... Yeah, I guess so. There were some unhappy times, but there were some fun times, too..."

Ail   "I see... So, you're happy with that couch bed, right? 'cause I've already 'settled in' around the area near the other bed, and I don't feel like going through the trouble of moving everything."

Tear   "Y-you've unpacked all of your things already?"

Ail   "Yeah. I got here a day early, so I had plenty of time."

Tear   "Really? Maybe I should've done that, too..."

Ail   "I don't think it matters that much, unless you brought a lot of things with you. I only came here early because I felt like it."

Tear   "Yeah, I guess you're right..."

Ail   "Speaking of which, didn't you bring anything with you? Where's your stuff?"

Tear   "Huh?"

After a bit of time, the realization of what he had just said hit me, and I became extremely uneasy in an instant.

Tear   "A-ah! Oh no; I-I forgot to get my suitcase from the main office earlier!"

Ail   "Seriously?! The office room is probably going to close soon; if you don't hurry up and get it they might decide to keep all of your stuff for themselves!"

Tear   "W-what?! W-will they really do something like that?"

He sighed, suddenly opening our dorm room door.

Ail   "I was obviously joking. But I'm sure you don't want to leave your stuff there overnight, right?"

Tear   "Y-yeah... There's some stuff I'd like to have with me tonight..."

Ail   "Okay then. Let's go."

Tear   "H-huh? You're coming too?"

Ail   "Sure. I'm kind of tired after all I've had to do today, but it's been a pretty hectic day for you, too. It wouldn't be fair to go to sleep before you."

Tear   "O-okay. Thanks..."

--

Ail   "We'd better hurry; it's almost past 8."

Ail told me, once we'd left our dorm room.

Tear   "O-oh no! W-will we make it in time?!"

Ail   "There's no need to panic. We should we fine as long as we make it there without any distractions..."

???   "Heeey there~! Aiiileeey~!"

All of a sudden, from across the hall, someone called out in our direction with a rather loud and giddy voice. She ran up to us happily, seeming to recognize Ail.

Ail   "What is it!? Um... hm..."

Ail   "... who are you again...?"

Chelsea   "I'm Chelsea! What, you forgot already? It's only been a day since we met each other, y'know!"

Ail   "So, what do you want?! I'm busy."

Chelsea   "Oh, as irritable and rude as always! You're such an aloof bad boy; I like that!"

Chelsea   "I do wish you'd be a little more friendly, though..."

Ail   "... Let's go, Tear."

Chelsea   "Tear? Is that the shy guy hiding behind you?"

Tear   "..."

I nervously clung to the back of Ail's shirt, trying my best to avoid eye contact with Chelsea.

Ail   "Is something wrong? You doing okay?"

Chelsea   "Oh, so you've made a friend after all?"

Ail   "He's my new roommate. He forgot his stuff at the office, so we're going to go get it right now."

Chelsea   "Your roommate, huh? Heehee! They really put the aloof boy and shy boy together?! Well, I guess you two loner types make a good pair!"

She continued to chuckle, finding our situation funny for some reason.

Chelsea   "Oh wait, I guess if you two are together, you can't really consider yourselves loners anymore, huh...?"

Tear   "... U-um, Ail? C-can we... go now...?"

Chelsea   "Hey, c'mon! What's the matter? You don't have to be scared of me! I won't bite or anything!"

I said nothing, hiding my face behind Ail's back.

Chelsea   "Or is it... you're just stunned by my incredible beauty?"

Ail   "Yeah, I'm pretty sure that isn't it..."

Chelsea   "What the heck is that supposed to mean?!"

Ail   "..."

Chelsea   "Fine, whatever! You're busy, right? I'll get out of your way, then..."

Chelsea finally decided to leave, but before she did so she looked back at us one last time.

Chelsea   "Later, Ailey~!"

She blew Ail a kiss, then entered her dorm room.

Ail   "Well, she's gone. You can stop hiding behind my back now."

Tear   Chelsea...

Ail   "Hey, Tear? Hello!?"

Tear   "..."

All of a sudden, Ail jabbed at my forehead with his finger.

Tear   "O-ow!"

Ail   "Sorry, but I couldn't think of anything else to do to get you to listen to me..."

Tear   "I-I'm sorry..."

Ail   "You must be pretty tired. Let's hurry up and take care of this so we can get some shut-eye already."

Tear   "Y-yeah, okay..."

We continued on our way to the office. Ail seemed a bit concerned about me at first, but never ended up questioning me about what happened just a moment before. We had both decided to stay silent for a while, until...

???   "Hey, bud!"

Tear   Huh?

We both heard a loud voice coming from someone standing in front of us down the hall. They weren't calling out to either of us though, instead to someone inside one of the dorm rooms belonging to the door he was knocking on.

Mac   "You've spent all day in there again, haven't you? Come out and take a break, bud!"

Ail   "You do realize that some people are asleep right now, right?"

Mac   "Oh hey there, Ail! Bud! What's up? Going for a stroll this fine afternoon?"

Ail   "It's 8 o' clock."

Mac   "Really? Time sure flies when you're having fun! Especially at a great school like this, bud! Although it'd be even better if Tech would leave his room once and a while..."

Mac   "Hm? Wait, who's that with you, bud?"

Ail   "Oh, he's Tear. He's my new roommate. He forgot his stuff at the office, so we're going to go get it right now."

Mac   "Ah, I see! Nice to meet you, Tear! I'm Mac; I met Ail yesterday! We bonded over a bottle of water, bud!"

Tear   "B-bonded over... a bottle of water?"

Mac   "Yeah, it was crazy, bud! I was having a hard time starting a conversation with him, until I decided to offer him some bottled water. Then he thanked me and guzzled the whole thing down! And now we're friends, bud!"

Ail   "You aren't my friend just because you gave me water..."

Mac   "Oh? You think there's some deeper meaning behind our friendship, bud?"

Ail   "No! I'm saying that just giving me water isn't enough to make us friends!"

Mac   "Hm...?"

Mac paused for a second, thinking about what he'd told him.

Mac   "... Oh, I see, bud! The water wasn't good enough for you, right? Alright, then I'll get you better quality water next time, bud!"

Ail   "No! You're completely missing the point!"

Tear   "Heheh..."

I couldn't help giggling at the silly conversation that they were having.

Ail   "Tear, was that you...?"

Tear   "W-what?! N-no, I... I-I wasn't laughing at you o-or anything!"

Ail   "Huh... Oh, really...?"

???   "Who the heck is making so much noise out there?!"

All of a sudden, the dorm room door that Mac had been knocking on earlier opened, and out came a person with a tired and irritable expression on his face.

Mac   "Ah, it's about time, bud! I was calling out for you to come out earlier, you know!"

Tech   "Really? You were?"

Mac   "You spend too much time in there, bud! Don't you need to eat? Or take a shower? Or pee?"

Tech   "Mac, listen to me..."

Mac   "Hm? What's up, bud?"

Tech   "... Every dorm room has its own bathroom. I don't need to leave my room to shower or pee."

Mac   "Oh, that's right, bud! I forgot about that!"

Tech   "Anyway, the reason I didn't hear you earlier is because I'd dozed off. While still at the computer, no less..."

Tear   Is that why he has all of those marks on his face...?

Tech   "To be honest, I'm actually grateful you woke me up. I've already wasted 2 hours of precious time."

Mac   "No, you shouldn't be grateful for that, bud! You're planning on staying up all night again, aren't you?"

Tech   "Of course I am. I've still got a lot of work to do."

Mac   "C-c'mon, bud!"

Tech   "'C'mon' nothing. You know more than anyone else that I don't have time to waste. Now, if you'll excuse me..."

Tech turned around to enter his dorm room, but Mac grabbed one of his arms to stop him.

Mac   "You can at least take a small break to get something to eat, can't you, bud?"

Tech   "... Alright, fine. I suppose I could use the energy for tonight's work."

Mac   "What about you two, buds? You want to get something to eat? My treat!"

Ail   "I'm not really that hungry, but I wouldn't mind a drink, I guess... What about you, Tear?"

Tear   "O-okay. I am a little thristy, too..."

Mac   "Alrighty then! Once you go take of what you need to in the office, we can grab some grub and drinks from the cafeteria, bud! Since Chels isn't here, it'll be like a guys' night out! ... Except that we'll still be in the dorm building."

Tech   "Guys' night out?"

Tech questioned, before suddenly pointing at me.

Tech   "What about her?"

Tear   "W-what?!"

Mac   "Hahah, you're so silly, bud! Tear's a boy! You really do need some shut-eye, Tech; your lack of sleep is messing with your head!"

  Tech said nothing, simply looking at me in confusion.

Tear   T-this guy... Is he...?

Ail   "Let's hurry up and go, Tear."

Tear   "Y-yeah, okay..."

--

We left the dorm room area and made it to the office (finally). There was only one lady left in there, but we were thankfully able to get Tear's stuff without any trouble. And so, we left and made our way to the cafeteria.

Ail   "That's a small suitcase."

Tear   "I-it is?"

Ail   "Yeah. I was expecting it to be a lot bigger than that."

Tear   "I-I decided it would be best to just bring the essentials..."

Ail   "Yeah, I get it... I didn't bring that much stuff, either."

Once we'd made it there, we decided to look for Mac and Tech. We looked around the empty lounge area until we found Tech, fast asleep while sitting at one of the tables.

Ail   "... Found him."

Tear   "Where's Mac?"

Ail   "Dunno. He probably went to get food without us."

Tear   "Oh, okay..."

I decided to place my suitcase on the table that Tech was sleeping on and sat down on one of the chairs.

Ail   "You tired, too?"

Tear   "U-um... Y-yeah..."

Ail   "Alright. Then you can stay here; I'll go get us some drinks."

Tear   "I-is that really okay?"

Ail   "It's fine, don't worry about it. Be back in a bit."

Tear   "S-sorry for the trouble..."

Still sitting at the table, I watched Ail walk to where the vending machines were located.

Tear   Ail... He looked like a scary guy at first, but he's actually pretty nice... Maybe if I ask him for help, he could...

Tear   ... N-no, I can't do that. If I involve him with that, he might hate me, or get put in danger. And then there's the monsters we have to deal with...

Tear   I-I thought if I simply mustered enough courage I'd be fine, but... I just don't know if I can handle this all by myself... What should I do...?

I looked over at Tech, still sleeping soundly. His glasses had fallen off his face and were now sitting on the table next to him.

Tear   Watching him sleep like that makes me want to drift off into sleep too... And travel to a place where I don't have to worry about anything ever again...

Tear   "... Forever..."

Tear   ... No, I can't fall asleep! I-it would be rude to be here sleeping when Ail comes back!

Tear   "... But... So tired... So... sleepy..."

--

???   "... Hey, wake up, Tear. I brought you something to drink."

Tear   "Mnph... H-huh?"

I uttered, slowly opening my eyes.

Ail   "I know you're tired, but could you at least wait until you go to bed first before you fall asleep? I don't want to have to carry you."

Tear   O-oh no, I must've dozed off! And I promised myself I wouldn't, too...

Tear   "S-sorry..."

Ail took a seat next to me as I sat up and wiped my face in an attempt to wake myself up.

Tear   "How long was I asleep?"

Ail   "About ten minutes; I just got back. Here."

Tear   "F-for me? Thanks..."

He passed something over to me. It looked like a small carton of juice.

Tear   "Pear juice...?"

Ail   "Actually, it's booze."

Tear   "W-what!?"

Ail   "Heh, I'm joking, of course. As if this school would sell alcohol; in juice cartons, no less."

Tear   "T-that wasn't funny..."

Ail   "You were fine eating that pear earlier, so I'm assuming you're also okay with it in juice form, right?"

Tear   "Yeah, I guess so... But you..."

Ail   "... What?"

Tear   "W-what're you going to do with all of that juice?"

Ail   "Drink it of course. I'm thirsty."

Tear   "A-all of it?!"

Tear   First the two bottles of water during lunch, now five cartons of pear juice? Is he actually some kind of fish person or something...?

Tear   ... Because that would be kind of cool...

Ail   "... Alright, fine. I guess I can share one of them... Here."

Ail reluctantly handed one of the juices to Mac, who had already taken a seat next to his (still sleeping) friend.

Mac   "Wow, for me? Thanks, bud! If you're hungry, I could give you this sandwich in return, bud. It doesn't look like Tech'll be waking up anytime soon."

Ail   "Didn't he say something about not wanting to sleep anymore though...?"

Mac   "He's been pretty busy with work, but I think he deserves a little break, bud. I don't think he'll be able to work that well when he's so tired, anyways."

Tear   "U-um, what is his work, exactly? I-if you don't mind me prying..."

Mac   "It's no problem, bud! Tech is a programmer. And a really good one, at that, bud!"

Tear   "U-uh, what does a programmer do, exactly?"

Mac   "Well... hm..."

Mac scratched his head, thinking about my question for a bit.

Mac   "... Programming stuff, bud!"

Tear   So he has no idea...

Mac   "I know that a lot of people like his work though, so he gets many jobs very often, bud. So it keeps him busy. Really busy, bud."

Tear   "B-but that's what making him so tired, right? D-does he really like programming that much?"

Mac   "Not really. But it makes him a decent amount of money, bud."

Tear   Eh? That's surprising...

Ail   "What's he need so much money for? This school's tuition is cheap enough that even I could afford it."

Mac   "Well, you see... That's..."

Tech   "... none of your business."

Tech finished for him, who had apparently gotten up during our conversation.

Mac   "Oh, you're up, bud! Sorry if we woke you."

Tech   "Mac, I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't discuss my private matters with other people without me knowing."

Mac   "S-sorry, bud..."

Tech   "Now, if you'd excuse me, I have to go continue my work..."

He then immediately got up and began to walk back to the dorms.

Mac   "W-wait! Come back, bud! At least eat your sandwich first!"

Mac hurriedly got up and started following him.

Tear   Why did Tech get so upset? He had a really scary look on his face...

After he finished his drinks, Ail got up as well.

Ail   "... Let's go back too, Tear."

Tear   "U-um, okay..."

--

Ail   "Man, I'm exhuasted... I can't wait to catch some z's..."

Ail said, once we had made it back to our room.

Tear   "U-um, Ail?"

Ail   "Why are just standing there? Aren't you tired?"

Tear   "Y-y'know, about the monsters... I-I..."

Ail   "What? Are you scared?"

Tear   "Y-yeah, I am... It's pretty pathetic, right? I promised myself I would do a better job at building my confidence more, a-and I even agreed to help with the monster fighting... B-but I already feel like running away from it all..."

Ail   "There's nothing pathetic about that!"

Tear   "W-what?"

Ail   "Honestly, I think it's more strange to have absolutely no problem fighting monsters right after someone tells you to do so. If it weren't for these magic emblem things, I'd still think they'd just made the whole thing up..."

Tear   "... But it's not made up, is it...? A-as much as I wish it was..."

Ail   "You don't need to worry."

Tear   "Huh?"

Ail   "You're not the only one stuck in this mess. I am too... and so is Chef Boy. And I don't know about him, but if it's necessary, I've got your back. We'll find a way to deal with this together."

Tear   "R-really...?"

Ail   "Yeah, so don't lose sleep over it or anything, alright?"

Tear   "T-thank you. I-it's been so long... since I met anyone at school that was as nice as you."

Ail   "Hey hey, there's no need to cry..."

Tear   "I-it's just... It's been so hard for me, being alone all this time..."

Tear   And I'll probably always be alone...

Ail   "... I'll be your friend. Then you won't be alone anymore."

Tear   "E-eh? F-f-for real!?"

Ail   "Yeah, for real. This might sound kind of weird, but it feels like we've already been friends for quite a while now... Might as well make it official."

Tear   "Y-yeah, you're right... Now that you say that, I kind of feel that way, too..."

Tear   Maybe I don't have to worry about being alone, after all! Ail said he's willing to be my friend... I actually made a friend!

Ail   "... Tear..."

Tear   "Um, yes? What is it?"

Ail   "U-uh, never mind. It's nothing..."

Tear   "O-okay, then..."

Ail   "H-hurry up and set up your things so I can turn off the lights. I want to head to bed already..."

Tear   "Yeah, sorry. I promise not to take long..."

While I was getting some stuff out of my suitcase, I could hear Ail doing something behind me. Out of curiosity, I decided to look behind me... and saw him with his shirt off.

Tear   "A-ah! S-sorry!"

Ail   "What? What happened?"

Tear   "N-nothing! I-I-I didn't look back at you j-just now or a-anything!"

Ail   "...?"

Tear   I'd better hurry up! I shouldn't need to take that much out of here...

I decided to just take out my fish-shaped pillow, and left the suitcase and everything else in it on the small table. Once I had placed the pillow on my bed, I noticed another problem with it...

Ail   "That pillow..."

Tear   "It's my favorite. I-I didn't want to leave it behind..."

Ail   "That's not what I meant. You didn't bring any blankets?"

Tear   "I didn't think I'd need any..."

Ail   "Yeah, that's a good point... Now what?"

Tear   "D-don't worry, it's fine. I should be warm enough with my sweatshirt on..."

Ail   "You aren't going to change?"

Tear   "U-um! I-I'm feeling really tired, so I-I'll just change tomorrow instead...!"

Ail   "Okay then... Does that mean it's alright to turn off the lights now?"

Tear   "S-sure, that's fine."

After I went to bed to lie down, I heard Ail head over to the light switch to turn off the lights. Because I was so tired, I drifted off to sleep immediately, even though I didn't have any blankets.

Ail   "Night, Tear."

Tear   "Good night, Ail."

Because I was so tired, even though I didn't have any blankets, I immediately drifted off to sleep...

Tear   Thank you, Ail... I hope we can be great friends...

 Ail   "Tear... I promise that things will be better for us this time..."

End of Chapter 2

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Writer's Comments:

And that's Duo Overture's 2nd chapter, this time from Tear's perspective. In case you didn't notice, there are a few differences between this chapter and Reverse Side Canvas's 2nd chapter. Did you notice them all? Some are pretty subtle, so you might have to read this alongside the other one to actually notice them!

It's March 19th right now, which is only one day before the 7th anniversary of the day the previous Paint & Treble's 2nd chapter was written! I can't believe it's already been that long! ... Well, despite that, there's not much else to say about this chapter this time, so I'll leave it off here. It's pretty late in the month, but hopefully I can get at least a little bit done for this series before April starts! Here's hopin'!

- CS-Masyet