Ch.2 - An Odd Pair

	Paint & Treble: Reverse Side Canvas
	Chapter 2 - An Odd Pair
	Written by: CS-Masyet
	Previous version: March 20, 2010 (est.) Uploaded on: July 21, 2016 New Style Remake: December 11, 2016

Ail

School overall has never been all that much fun for me. Yet, for some reason, I always feel at least a bit of excitement when going to a new school. Maybe it's because I wonder if the next school will be "the one"; the one school that would change everything. The place that I would finally have that grand school experience that I've always dreamed of, ever since I was a kid. However, each new school I would go to turned out to be even more boring and dull than the last. Of course, my hope for that experience has begun to dwindle over time; in fact I can hardly even remember what exactly I wanted my great school life to be like in the first place.

Just like with the other schools, I felt a flicker of excitement when first arriving at Neturus High. Maybe it's because, unlike my previous schools, this one is in a different part of the region? Because unlike my previous schools, not a single one of my classmates will know who I am? This school's slogan is "A Place of Infinite Possibilities"...

But from what I've heard about this school, and from what my other experiences of school have been like, I'm sure this one won't be any different...

... Is what I thought when I entered the school building on my first day of school. But what ended up happening that day was nothing like I expected at all. Heck, it's nothing I could've expected to happen to me at any moment in my entire life.

Ms. Reachet "It will be the job of you two, along with Barry, to vanquish all of the monsters that have begun to plague this land."

Seriously?! Fighting monsters? I didn't even know something like that actually existed before Ms. Reachet had told me that. Sure, I've heard stories about them when I was younger, but I never believed those tales. So despite all of the strange things I've witnessed in my life, I figured such things weren't real. But after what I heard, it seemed like anything could be possible, no matter how odd it may be to believe.

Unfortunately, as I'm no longer a child, realizing such a thing didn't fill me with joy. Rather, it just added on to the (looong) list of problems I had to deal with. And I had a feeling that I wouldn't have a chance of making that list shrink very much anytime soon.

Will I ever find a silver lining in my life? As much as I wish for it, I have a feeling that's never going to happen...

--

I opened the door for the person who'd disturbed my rest by knocking on my dorm room door. In front of me was the other guy who transferred into this school, one of the other ones who was asked to fight monsters and got a weapon... That same shy, sweatshirt wearing boy was trembling before me...

... Tear.

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

Ail "Huh? What's me?"

He held up a key that he took out of his pocket.

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

Ail ... Whuh?

Ail "Seriously?!"

I just stood there, practically flabbergasted 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?! What's with all of these weird, coincidental run-ins with you today?"

Tear "I-I'm sorry..."

I sighed, not having said that to upset him or blame him for all that's happened.

Ail "Whatever, at least this time actually 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."

Ail I was hoping I could have this room all to myself... but I guess that was just wishful thinking. Oh well; at least I don't have to have Chef Boy as a roommate...

Tear "U-uh... E-e-excuse me..."

Ail "What? Do you need something?"

Tear "U-um, I..."

He paused, then turned his head away from me.

Tear "O-oh, never mind..."

I stared at him for a bit, until I realized what he wanted.

Ail "... You want to come in?"

Tear "A-ah, yes please."

Ail "You don't need to ask me. It's your room too, after all."

Tear "O-oh, right...!"

His face lit up in realization, like he hadn't been able to figure out something so obvious himself. He entered the room slowly, apparently nervous about entering a room that previously had solely belonged to me.

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? Well, whatever."

Ail What's he getting so defensive for...?

Tear "A-and you're..."

Ail "... Ail Diluvi. In case you're wondering, my name's not short for anything, so just 'Ail' is fine."

Tear "A-alright..."

For some reason, Tear began to (er, well, continued to) look around the room uneasily. As I didn't care, I decided to ignore him and went back to what I was doing previously: laying on my bed. After the day I'd had, all I wanted to do was get some shut-eye.

Ail Now that I think about it, I actually lucked out. Tear is really quiet, so I won't have to worry about him making noise while I'm trying to slee-...

Tear "W-wha?!"

Ail ... For real!?

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-..."

I sat up, and immediately noticed the problem before I finished my sentence.

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

Ail Come to think of it, that's the reason I was sure I would be by myself in this room at first...

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, calm down. I was only kidding."

Tear "O-oh... okay..."

Ail What's with him all of a sudden? One minute he's as quiet as a mouse, and then he suddenly starts shouting his lungs out...

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

I decided to get up off the bed and walked up next to him, who had his attention on the couch at the other corner of the room. There was a television attached to the wall opposite that of the couch, so it was set up perfectly for lounging around after school or something. I thought that was kind of weird, since you'd think they'd make the décor in the room more suited towards studying, not goofing off. I didn't particularly care that much about the television though, and I had my bed, so I barely paid any attention to the couch before now.

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

Ail Although there doesn't seem to be anywhere else better in here...

Tear didn't listen to what I had said to him, as he seemed to be really focused on that couch for some reason.

Tear "Hm... I wonder..."

Tear suddenly turned away from it, and decided to move the small table in front of the couch off to the side. He then went back to the couch and removed its cushions, placing them on the table.

Ail "Uh... what're you doing?"

Tear "Ah, I knew it! It's there!"

Tear said rather happily, grabbing ahold of something from inside the couch.

Tear "Uhn... Hrrngh!"

Whatever it was, he tried his best to pull it out, but to no avail. He eventually fell to the floor in exhaustion. I couldn't help but sigh.

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

There seemed to be a handle in the middle of the couch's interior, where the cushions previously covered up. I grabbed it, and pulled with all of my might. I expected to be pulling something upward, but it surprisingly sent me moving straight in front of the couch instead, toward the wall the television was attached to. What I pulled out was pretty long, almost making me end up right below the television.

Ail "It's... a..."

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

Tear said as if he had known all along that the bed might be there, and was happy that he was correct in the end.

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."

Ail I never would've even thought something like this existed...

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...?

Ail "Well, you're happy with this one, right? 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 "Does it matter?"

Tear "N-no, I guess not..."

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

Tear "Huh?"

He looked at me blankly for a second, before a look of realization appeared on his face.

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

Ail "Seriously...? You'd better go get it before they decide to keep all of your stuff for themselves."

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

I sighed, opening the door to exit the room.

Ail "I was obviously joking. But I still think it's best to grab your things as soon as possible. C'mon, let's go."

Tear "H-huh? You're coming too?"

Ail "Yeah. I'm not going to get any sleep with you coming in and out of this room, anyways. So I might as well."

Tear "O-okay. Thanks..."

--

Ail "We'd better hurry; it's almost past 8. The office room is probably going to close soon."

I told Tear, 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 my direction with an obnxiously loud voice. She ran up to me gleefully, seeming happy to have spotted me.

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 giggled, for some reason pleased by how annoyed I was.

Ail "As always"...? This is only the second time you've talked to me...

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?"

I looked over my shoulder, and saw him nervously clutching the back of my shirt, trying not to make eye contact with Chelsea.

Ail What's with him? I know he's shy, but this is ridiculous... Is he particularly nervous around girls or something?

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 annoyingly giggled a second time, once again haphazardly finding amusement in my current situation.

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!"

Tear responded by turning his face away from her.

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?!"

I decided not to answer her.

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

Chelsea began to walk away, before looking back at me one last time.

Chelsea "Later, Ailey~!"

She entered her own dorm room, but not without blowing me a kiss first.

Ail Jeez, that's finally over. What a pain in the butt...

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

Tear didn't respond, instead staring off in the direction of Chelsea's dorm room door.

Ail "Hey, Tear? Hello!?"

Tear "..."

I grabbed him by his shoulders, and started shaking him.

Tear "W-wha!?"

Ail "What's wrong with you? Let's go already!"

Tear "O-oh, right. I'm sorry..."

Ail "I'm tired, and I'm sure you are too. So let's hurry up and take care of this so we can get some shut-eye."

We continued on our way to the office. Tear decided to remain quiet, which I had absolutely no problem with. In fact, I was perfectly content if it stayed like that the rest of the way there...

??? "Hey, bud!"

Ail Oh, come on!

The voice wasn't actually calling out to me, though. Er, well, they weren't calling out to Tear either, of course. Rather, it was coming from someone knocking on one the dorm room doors.

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..."

He's Mac, a rather tall and burly guy, who I met at the same time as Chelsea. Despite his size, he's a really friendly person... almost unbearably so.

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."

I told him, pretty much repeating what I told Chelsea verbatim.

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, taking in what I'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 heard soft giggles coming from behind me.

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, Tech's dorm room door opened, and out came... well, Tech, of course.

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..."

Ail That explains 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 suddenly questioned, before pointing at Tear.

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, looking at Tear with a puzzled expression.

Ail "Let's hurry up and go, Tear."

Tear "Y-yeah, okay..."

--

We left the dorm room area and made it to the office. Even there was only one person left there, we were thankfully able to get my stuff without any trouble. Once we were done with that, 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 "Oh, I see..."

Ail Well, it's not like I brought that much stuff myself, 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, conked out at one of the tables.

Ail "... Found him."

Tear "W-where's Mac?"

Ail "How should I know? He probably went to get food without us."

Tear "O-oh, okay..."

Tear uttered, placing his bag on the table and plopping himself 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 "I wouldn't say it if it wasn't. Be back in a bit."

Tear "S-sorry for the trouble..."

Ail I can't blame him, after the day we've had. I can't wait to head to bed myself...

--

Leaving Tear behind, I headed to the area that the vending machines were located.

Ail Tear... He's not a bad guy or anything, and I kind of like it that he's quiet, but...

Ail The way he acts brings back memories of the past. Memories... that I don't want to remember...

Ail "... I figured that this is where Mac would've gone, but I don't see him anywhere..."

Ail Did we miss each other or something? It would've been nice to get some free drinks, but oh well...

I went to one of the machines, and bought a bunch of boxes of juice.

??? "Hey there, Ail!"

Just as I was about to leave, I saw someone run up to me.

Mac "Sorry, bud. I had to take care of a... bathroom emergency."

It was Mac.

Mac "Oh, whatcha got there? Drinks? I could've bought them for you, bud."

Ail "It's fine. Don't worry about it."

Mac "Where's your roomie, bud? Is he at the table with Tech?"

Ail "Yeah. He was tired, so I left him there and came to get drinks by myself."

Mac "Tired, huh? Was today a busy day for him, bud?"

Ail "You have no idea..."

Mac "That's a lot you've got to carry by yourself, bud! 1, 2, 3, 4, 5... six drinks?! Were you expecting two other people to join us, or were the extras freebies?"

Ail "Oh, did you want some drinks, too? Sorry, but I didn't get you any."

Mac "Then why so many, bud? You going to drink them all yourself?"

Ail "Of course not... One's for Tear, obviously."

Mac "I-I see... Well, let me get some food for me and Tech, and I'll help you bring of those drinks back, okay bud?"

Ail "I'm good; I don't need any help..."

Mac "Really? If you say so, bud."

Mac put some money in the machine and bought two sandwiches.

Ail "I still can't believe this school actually sells sandwiches in vending machines..."

Mac "It's pretty convenient though, isn't it, bud? I always get them for lunch; they're pretty good! You should try some too, bud!"

Ail "Actually, I already stocked up on a few of these yesterday. They're alright, I guess."

Mac grabbed the two small sandwiches out of the machine.

Mac "Alright, got them. Let's go, bud."

We started making our way back to the table.

Mac "You know, it was nice chatting with you, bud! We should do this kind of thing again sometime! It's like we're already the best of friends!"

I said nothing to him, looking away from him.

Ail I already told you, we're not friends...

I ignored his goofy grin until we made it to where the other two were waiting for us. Well, I say "waiting", but they were actually both out like a light. Tech was still snoozing as he was when I left him, but Tear was fast asleep as well. His head was rested against his suitcase, as he slept there peacefully.

Ail Well, at least during the time we'll be together, I won't have to ever worry about you snoring...

I placed the juice on the table and began shaking him again.

Ail "Hey, I brought you something to drink. Wake up."

Tear "Mnph... H-huh?"

Tear uttered, opening his eyes slowly.

Ail "I know you're tired, but wait until you go to bed first before you fall asleep. I'm not carrying you."

Tear "S-sorry..."

Tear sat up and wiped his face, as I sat down next to him.

Tear "How long was I asleep?"

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

Tear "F-for me? Thanks..."

I passed him a juice. He picked it up and examined it.

Tear "Pear juice...?"

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

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

Tear began to stare at me strangely, while I was drinking my own juice.

Ail "... What?"

Tear "I-it's nothing... Never mind..."

Mac "Hey you two; if you're hungry, I could give you this sandwich, 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 Tear's question for a bit.

Mac "... Programming stuff, bud!"

Ail 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."

Ail Oh? I wasn't expecting that response...

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 started walking back to the dorms.

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

Mac hurriedly got up and started following him.

Ail What the heck was that all about...? Well, whatever...

I finished the last of my drinks and 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..."

I said, once we had finally made it back to our room. I began to head for bed, until I realized Tear wasn't doing the same. He was just standing there at the doorway, hugging his suitcase to his chest, with a sorrowful expression on his face.

Ail "What's wrong? Weren't you tired before?"

Tear "..."

Ail "I hope it's not about that couch bed. I already told you I don-..."

Tear "It's not that."

Ail "What is it, then?"

Tear "I-it's just... I've been thinking; ever since we found out about the monsters and got our weapons..."

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, don't go all weepy on me."

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

Tear "U-um... A-actually... I'm not really good at making friends. Even at the last school I went to, I wasn't able to make any at all... I've always... been all alone..."

Ail Ah, right. He said something like that before, didn't he...

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

Tear "E-eh? F-f-for real!?"

Ail "Yeah, for real. It's not like I have any friends either, anyways."

Tear "B-but what about the people that we talked to today...?"

Ail "You mean Chelsea and Mac? I'm not really comfortable around those friendly types... for certain reasons."

Tear "B-but, you're okay with... me?"

Ail "Yeah. Because you remind me o-..."

Tear "Huh?"

Ail "... Never mind. There isn't any particular reason why, okay? So, if you're alright with being friends with someone like me..."

Tear "O-of course I am! Thank you so much!"

Ail I think that's the biggest smile I've ever seen him make since I've met him... When he smiles, he actually looks kind of cute...

Ail W-wait, what am I thinking?! He's a guy!

Ail "Y-yeah, whatever, you can be all thankful and smiley once you're in bed, okay?! Hurry up and set up your things so I can turn off the lights."

Tear "Right, okay!"

While Tear was getting ready, I decided to change into some lighter clothes I brought with me.

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 "...?"

Once I finished changing, I decided to take a look at what Tear was doing. He was staring down at his bed, his small suitcase now on the table next to it. The only thing different about the bed now was that there was a fish-shaped pillow on it now.

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...

Tear "B-but 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."

Once I saw that Tear went to lie on his bed, I went over to the light switch and flipped it down. The light of the moon outside the window gave enough light in the room that I could still make my way to my own bed.

Ail "Night, Tear."

Tear "Good night, Ail."

With that, we both closed our eyes and began to drift off into sleep...

... But...

Ail It's actually pretty chilly right now... Is he going to be alright without any blankets? Well, I've got two blankets on my bed; I guess I don't really need both of them...

I got off my bed quietly, grabbed the thicker blanket, and brought it over to Tear. He was already asleep, for some reason hugging his fish pillow instead of resting his head on it.

Tear "Ffmngh..."

Ail "Pft... What the heck was that supposed to be?"

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

Ail Heh...

I put the blanket over him gently, then returned to my own bed.

Ail Sweet dreams, you corny weirdo...

End of Chapter 2

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Writer's Comments:

Another chapter done! ... Finally... Because I've been so busy, I haven't written one in a while, so I figured I should get around to finishing this. So I took a break from... what I was working on, to work on this. What is it I'm working on? Well, you'll have to wait until later to find out. Sorry!

Anyway, I actually wanted to get this done yesterday (well two days ago; it's already past 1 am...), but I ended up getting distracted often while working on it (as usual...), so it took a bit longer than I thought it would. I have more time off work this week than I usually do, so I'm glad I was able to take advantage of that to get this done at all, at least.

For anyone familiar with the previous version of this chapter, you might've noticed I changed Ail's interaction with Mac and the others. While re-writing this chapter, I realized that it was strange for Ail to act so friendly with people he'd only know for a day, so I fixed that in this version. It may make Ail seem more like a jerk now, but I feel it's more appropriate for his character to act this way.

Well, enough rambling. I'd like to go to bed myself so I have more time tomorrow to work on some more chapters. I don't know if I'll be able to finish another chapter before this month ends, but I'll at least (try) to use the rest of the time I've got as best as I can.

Well, until next time... Enjoy!

- CS-Masyet