The silver-threaded sheets felt like a second skin, cool and impossibly soft, yet Epione was miles away from the comfort of the Katsura mansion. In the depths of her drug-induced sleep, the medicine began to dance with her subconscious, pulling her back into the gray, suffocating fog of her reality.
In her dream, she was back in the equipment shed behind her uncle's house. The air smelled of rusted metal and sour whiskey. The door was locked from the outside, and the only light came from the jagged cracks in the wood.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Heavy footsteps vibrated through the floorboards. She tried to hide behind a stack of empty crates, but her body felt stiff.
"I saw you," her uncle's voice boomed. "I saw you in that shiny car. You think you're better than me now?"
A meaty hand smashed through the rotten wood, grabbing her by the hair. She felt the familiar, sharp sting of a blow across her face—once, twice. until her vision blurred into a hazy red. She tried to cry out, but the scene suddenly dissolved, shifting like static on a broken television.
Now, she was standing in the middle of her classroom. The bright fluorescent lights hummed with an aggressive, buzzing sound. She was huddled over her desk, but her classmates weren't studying. They were circling her like a pack of wolves.
"Look at her," Jinhee sneered, her voice echoing as if through a long tunnel. "The little pizza girl smells like grease and failure. Did you bring us a delivery, Epione? Or are you too busy begging for scraps from the Katsuras?"
A heavy textbook slammed onto her desk, narrowly missing her fingers. Someone poured a carton of cold milk over her head, and she felt the dampness seep into her clothes. The laughter was a jagged, distorted noise that clawed at her ears. She felt small, smaller than she ever had, as the walls of the classroom began to shrink inward.
"You're nothing," they chanted in unison, their faces twisting into monstrous, unrecognizable masks. "Just a tool. Just trash."
Suddenly, the laughter stopped. The lights flickered and died, plunging the classroom into an absolute, suffocating darkness.
Epione felt a strange, cold sensation blooming in the center of her chest. It wasn't fear. It was something metallic and sharp. Her heartbeat, usually a frantic thumping, suddenly slowed into a rhythmic, electronic pulse. Thump-whir. Thump-whir.
A digital HUD flickered across her vision in a searing, electric blue. Rows of data streamed past her eyes, analyzing the heat signatures of the bullies in the dark.
[Threat Detected: Multiple Hostiles]
[Emotional Threshold: Exceeded]
A voice that sounded like her own, but layered with a thousand vibrating blades of steel, echoed inside her skull. It was hollow, devoid of any girlhood or grace.
"Initiating Defense Mode," the voice announced.
In the dream, Epione felt her arm move. not because she told it to, but because a command had been hard-coded into her nerves. Her porcelain-white hand reached out into the dark, and as it moved, the sound of grinding gears drowned out the silence.
She bolted upright in the bed, a silent gasp caught in her throat.
The nightmare vanished instantly, replaced by the sterile, breathtaking luxury of the glass room. She was drenched in a cold sweat, her heart hammering against her ribs. She looked down at her hands. They were still flesh and bone, trembling violently, but the skin looked healthier. The angry purple bruises on her wrists from the day before had faded to a faint, ghostly yellow.
The room was bathed in the soft, blue-gold light of early morning. The floor-to-ceiling windows revealed a view of a perfectly manicured garden, still covered in a layer of mist. It was so quiet it felt unnatural. No sound of sirens, no shouting from the next room, no smell of stale beer.
She stayed there for a long time, clutching the silver blankets to her chest. The bed felt too large, the ceiling too high. Slowly, she swung her legs over the side of the bed. Her feet touched the marble floor, which was perfectly heated. She felt strangely light, as if the gravity in this house was different. The dull, throbbing ache in her head was gone.
She walked over to the chair where Chizuru had placed her delivery bag. Her hand shook as she reached for it. She unzipped the side pocket, looking for her keys.
Her breath hitched.
Inside the pocket, tucked neatly next to her scooter keys, was a thick, rubber-banded stack of high-denomination bills. It was more money than she made in months of deliveries. It was life-changing. It was terrifying.
She pulled the money out, her fingers fumbling with the crisp paper. There was no note. No explanation. Just the silent, heavy weight of the cash in her palm.
The heavy silence of the room was broken by the soft chime of the door sliding open. Chizuru stood there, already perfectly dressed in her school uniform, her hair falling like a sheet of midnight over her shoulders. She didn't move or smile; she simply watched as Epione stood by the chair, the thick stack of cash clutched in her trembling fingers.
"You're awake," Chizuru noted, her voice flat yet strangely resonant. "The synchronization... I mean, the recovery... is progressing ahead of schedule."
"Chizuru, this money..." Epione's voice cracked as she held up the bills. "I can't take this. This is too much. Why did you put this in my bag?"
Chizuru stepped into the room, her movements so fluid they lacked the slight vertical bob of a human gait. She stopped exactly three feet away, an invisible boundary Epione felt but couldn't explain.
"It is a practical solution," Chizuru replied, her eyes tracking the movement of Epione's pulse in her neck. "You expressed concern regarding your uncle's temperament and the unpaid utilities. That currency will neutralize the conflict. If he is satisfied, he will not interfere with your stay here."
"But I have to pay you back," Epione insisted, her eyes stinging. "I'm just a delivery girl. It'll take me years to earn this."
"You won't be paying me back with currency,"
Chizuru said. She reached out, but instead of taking the money, she gently took Epione's wrist. Her fingers were cool, but they felt like sensitive sensors, pressing just firmly enough against the bone.
Chizuru tightened her grip on Epione's wrist, her thumb resting precisely over the radial artery. She wasn't just feeling a pulse; she was counting the beats per minute, analyzing the slight spike in Epione's cortisol levels.
"Your skin conductivity is high," Chizuru remarked, her head tilting at an angle that felt just a bit too sharp. "Are you experiencing a thermal malfunction? Or is it simply... anxiety?"
Epione pulled her hand back slightly, a flicker of unease crossing her face. "I'm just... confused, Chizuru. You talk so strangely sometimes. 'Thermal malfunction'? And the way you're looking at me, like I'm a science project instead of a person."
For a split second, Chizuru's pupils dilated, a whirring sound so faint it could have been the air conditioning echoing in her chest. Then, she blinked, and the warmth returned to her face like a light switch being flipped.
"Oh, ignore me, Epi-chan!" Chizuru giggled, her voice bouncing with a forced cheerfulness. "My father is a doctor, remember? I grew up around medical journals and cold clinics. I guess I just picked up his boring habits. I'm just so worried about you!"
Epione looked at the money in her bag, then back at Chizuru's wide, sparkling eyes. Something felt off. The room was too perfect, the medicine was too effective, and Chizuru's movements were too precise. It felt like she was standing in a beautifully decorated trap.
But then, she remembered the equipment shed. She remembered the rain and the hunger. Chizuru had saved her when no one else even looked her way.
She's just a bit eccentric, Epione told herself, forcing a small, grateful smile. Rich people are probably just different. She's being so kind to me, and here I am being suspicious. I'm the one being rude.
"I'm sorry," Epione whispered, clutching the bag. "I'm not used to people being this nice to me. Thank you, Chizuru. Truly."
"Don't be sorry," Chizuru replied, her smile widening until it showed just a bit too much of her perfect, white teeth. "Gratitude is an excellent catalyst for growth. Now, let's get you into a uniform. We can't have you going to school in those rags. They're... inefficient."
As Epione walked toward the bathroom to change, she didn't see Chizuru pull out a small, metallic stylus and jot a quick note into the air, the holographic screen invisible to human eyes.
Observation: Subject exhibits high levels of 'Self-Blame' and 'Social Debt.'
Note: Use kindness as a primary tether. It overrides her survival instincts.
"Wait, Chizuru?" Epione called out from behind the door. "Why does this uniform feel so heavy? It feels like there are wires in the hem."
Chizuru stood outside the door, her reflection captured in the polished glass of the room. Her eyes flickered with a faint, predatory red for a microsecond before smoothing back into a deep, comforting sapphire.
"It's just high-end fabric," Chizuru called out, her voice bouncing off the marble walls. "It's a specialized blend. I personally prefer the texture to be a bit... rigid. It holds its shape better, don't you think? Soft things tend to tear so easily."
Inside the bathroom, Epione ran her fingers along the hem of the skirt. It felt cold, almost like the surface of a sleek laptop, but it was undeniably beautiful. She frowned, her brow furrowing in a moment of quiet suspicion. Why would a school uniform need to be this sturdy? It felt like she was putting on a suit of armor rather than a blazer.
"It's just so... stiff," Epione murmured, her voice muffled by the door. "And it smells like a new car. Are you sure this is the right size? It feels like it's pulling my shoulders back for me."
"It's the latest fashion from the city," Chizuru lied effortlessly, her head tilted as she listened to the friction of the fabric against Epione's skin. "The structure helps with focus. Besides, you look far too delicate to be wearing anything less than the best. Does it fit?"
Epione stepped out, smoothing the skirt down. The uniform was a deep navy, piped with silver threads that seemed to catch the light even in the shadows. She felt taller, more solid. But the suspicion lingered in the back of her mind—a small, nagging voice wondering why Chizuru had a uniform ready that fit her measurements so perfectly, down to the millimeter.
She looked at Chizuru, who was staring at her with an intensity that felt like a physical weight. Chizuru wasn't looking at the fit of the clothes; she was watching the way Epione's chest rose and fell, her internal sensors logging the respiratory rate.
"You look... functional," Chizuru whispered, before quickly correcting herself with a sharp, practiced grin. "I mean, you look stunning! Much better than that grease-stained delivery jacket. Don't you feel stronger already?"
Epione looked in the mirror. She did feel stronger. The ache in her back was gone, replaced by a strange, humming energy that seemed to radiate from the medicine Chizuru had given her. She pushed her doubts aside, burying them under a layer of gratitude. She's just being helpful, Epione told herself. I'm just not used to being cared for.
"I do," Epione admitted, her voice soft. "Thank you" Chizuru gave her a smile
Before they left for school, the heavy scent of toasted brioche and salted butter drifted through the mansion, pulling Epione toward the dining hall. The Director wasn't in his lab coat today; he wore a casual linen shirt, standing by a marble island with a spatula in hand. He looked less like a cold scientist and more like a doting parent.
"Ah, you're up," he said, beaming as Epione entered. "I hope you like your eggs sunny-side up. Chizuru tells me you've had a rough few days, so I figured a proper meal was mandatory."
He moved around the kitchen with a gentle, humming energy, plating food with meticulous care.
The Director flipped a pancake with a flourish, his movements far more fluid than the rigid, calculated grace Chizuru possessed. The kitchen felt alive, filled with the warmth of the stove and the comforting clinking of silverware.
"Father, the eggs are exactly 0.5 degrees over the optimal serving temperature," Chizuru remarked, peering at the plate with an intensity that made Epione feel like she was watching a high-stakes surgery.
The Director laughed, a deep, hearty sound as he nudged Chizuru away with his elbow. "And your social settings are exactly ten points too grumpy this morning, Chizuru. Let a man cook! Precision isn't everything; sometimes you need a little chaos to make it taste like home."
He turned to Epione, sliding a perfectly plated breakfast in front of her. "Don't mind her. She thinks she can optimize my kitchen, but I've been making these since before she was... well, before she was this tall."
"You burnt the toast three times last Tuesday," Chizuru pointed out, her voice flat but with a tiny, microscopic glint of mischief in her eyes.
"That was an experiment in carbonization!" the Director shot back, winking at Epione. He sat down at the head of the table, his presence radiating a genuine, protective warmth. "Eat up, Epione. You look like you haven't had a proper meal in a decade. If Chizuru gives you any trouble at school today, just tell her I'll revoke her high-speed charging privileges."
"Father, that is a low-tier threat," Chizuru muttered.
Epione noticed Chizuru's plate was empty of food. Instead, Chizuru held a sleek, insulated mug. When she took a sip, the smell wasn't of roasted beans or cream. It was heavy, bitter, and smelled faintly of a machine shop. Epione watched as a drop of the thick, pitch-black liquid clung to the rim of the mug. It looked less like coffee and more like high-grade industrial fuel.
"Is that... espresso?" Epione asked, her voice small.
Chizuru didn't flinch. "It is a specialized blend," she said, her throat making a faint, mechanical clicking sound as she swallowed. "For my metabolism. It provides the necessary... kick."
The Director cleared his throat, covering the sound. "It's an acquired taste. Very high in minerals. Keeps her heart rate where it needs to be." He reached over and patted Chizuru's hand, though Epione noticed he didn't touch the mug.
The Director sat at the head of the table, watching Epione enjoy the first warm meal she'd had in months. He leaned back, tapping his chin thoughtfully.
"You look a lot more color-coordinated with the world today, Epione," he said with a gentle laugh. "The medicine I gave you is a high-potency regenerative compound. It's meant to jumpstart your system after all that exhaustion. Don't be surprised if you feel a bit... focused. It's just your brain finally getting the fuel it needs."
"I do feel much better," Epione said, her voice filled with genuine gratitude. "Actually, I feel amazing. My head doesn't even throb anymore."
"See, Father? Your 'magic juice' actually worked for once," Chizuru chimed in, swirling the dark, oily liquid in her mug.
"For once? I'll have you know my success rate is statistically significant!" the Director joked, pointing his fork at her. "Now, off to school, you two. And Chizuru, try to act like a normal student and not a bodyguard. You're going to give the girl a headache with all that hovering."
"I do not hover," Chizuru stated, standing up with a jerk. "I maintain a strategic perimeter."
The Director rolled his eyes and gave Epione a reassuring smile as they headed for the door. "Good luck today, Epione. Just breathe and take it easy."
The ride to school brought the cold reality back. Epione sat in the luxury sedan, her hands resting on the stiff navy skirt of her new uniform. Beside her, Chizuru was silent again, her eyes fixed on a tablet.
When they arrived, Chizuru didn't make a scene. She simply walked beside Epione, keeping a steady, professional pace.
"You don't have to walk me to my locker," Epione whispered. "People are staring."
"I am merely heading in the same direction," Chizuru replied. Her eyes darted around, taking in every student and every potential trip hazard.
As they passed Jinhee's group, Epione braced for the usual insult. But Chizuru simply turned her head and looked at Jinhee. It wasn't a glare; it was a cold, empty stare that seemed to see right through her. Jinhee froze, her smirk faltering.
Epione noticed the quiet, but she was more focused on how light her legs felt. She figured the Director's medicine was just really, really expensive. It was a nice change to not feel like her bones were made of lead.
In her first period—Advanced Mathematics—the teacher began scribbling a complex equation on the board. Usually, Epione would struggle to even focus on the numbers.
But as the chalk hit the board, the logic seemed to click into place. It wasn't like magic; it just felt like her brain was finally "awake." The steps to the problem seemed to line up in her head, clear and logical.
1.248.5... she thought, scribbling the number down.
She felt a surge of pride. For the first time, she wasn't the "stupid pizza girl" who was too tired to think. She was just a student who had finally gotten a good night's sleep.
From two rows back, Chizuru watched the back of Epione's head. She wasn't smiling. She was counting the seconds it took for Epione to solve the equation, her eyes flashing a faint, dull red as she sent the data back to her father's server.
Subject status: Stable, Chizuru noted internally. Recovery phase complete. Entering phase two.
Epione caught Chizuru's gaze and gave a small, shy smile. Chizuru gave a stiff, almost imperceptible nod back. Epione turned her attention back to her notebook, feeling lucky for the first time in her life, unaware that her "recovery" was just the first step of a much larger plan.