Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“After three months, the trial against the staff of the Cerasus senior high school APE Institute has resulted in a guilty verdict.”

Zorome was in his bed, lying on his side as he watched the news report on his mobile phone. It was close to midnight, and he had already watched the news piece several times over that same day. He knew about the outcome before it reached the news press, but it was still sinking in that his father, the former principal of APE, was the guiltiest perpetrator. Itsuki had long been forced to leave home by his wife Daitan but was now going to be even further away from his family. Yet again, Zorome watched as the news reporter—a man—detailed what he already knew.

“For many decades, APE Institute had the reputation of being one of the most prolific schools in Cerasus next to Franxx Academy and Mistilteinn Elementary. Numerous charities have donated money to it to improve its education and the building itself, while APE also supplied money for numerous charities as well. Countless students have left with high grades, furthering how APE were considered good with caring for and teaching their students. Sadly, this reputation would be in tatters only three months ago.”

The news switched from the reporter sitting at their desk to a montage of various clips depicting the staff who formerly worked for APE. First to appear was a man in his late thirties with short brown hair, who was shown inside a courtroom. The narrator of the footage was a woman.

“Dai Rokuda was the geography teacher at APE who was thought highly of by his students and their parents. This changed when it was discovered he was in the possession of child sexual abuse imagery on the servers of the computers in APE itself. He was able to access it as the staff were the only members of the school to have no search filters enabled. No sooner had he been arrested; this finding made its way into the news and was largely shared on social media. By the early morning of the next day, the Cerasus Police Department made another discovery when analysing the content he possessed: documents which proved APE have been falsifying information for years, dating back to two decades prior when Principal Itsuki Asaka first arrived there.”

Itsuki was then shown in the footage, entering a police car. The clip itself was evidently recorded by a person on their mobile phone judging by its shaky nature.

“Later that morning, Asaka was arrested. This was shortly followed by the Vice Principal Reo Tsuda and several other members of staff.”

The footage showed a private recording of Tsuda being interviewed. He possessed long hair and a moustache.

“In custody, the staff confessed to their crimes, but only Asaka showed no signs of remorse for their actions. He was the person solely responsible for causing this corruption, revealing he never cared about his staff, let alone his students, as he wanted APE to look good so he would look good in return. Accusers have even said he never treated them like human beings and he is an ‘arrogant, dangerous narcissist’.”

A clip showed a tall woman with reddish-brown hair that was fashioned as a bob cut. Zorome knew who she was instantly, even before the scandal occurred. She was walking to court.

“Nana Yamamoto was the school nurse at APE who discovered the corruption which it secretly hid. Five months prior to when the scandal was uncovered proper, she attempted to go public with the information, but Asaka threatened her with a libel case. Having had already caused ‘damage’ by her allegations, she was subsequently fired and relocated to Franxx. APE hid a great amount of truth from the public, their offences including assault of their students, manslaughter from bullying which they failed to prevent, racism, homophobia, bribery, and budget cuts that violated health and safety guidelines. With the revelation that a member of staff was a paedophile, many students and staff members have come forward accusing Rokuda of sexual assault. However, the most significant offence is undoubtedly how they expelled students and fired staff, like Yamamoto, for speaking what was actually true to cover up their crimes.”

Two people appeared on screen, being interviewed in public. There was thirty-year-old Tomi and his niece Hana, who possessed the family name Watanabe. Tomi was Hana’s uncle, with Hana being known to Zorome as his friend with the nickname Zero Two.

“I am furious with how APE have expelled my niece,” Tomi spoke. He was clearly repressing his rage for the camera so he would not embarrass himself. “I may be a lawyer, but for once I am going to demand compensation for not a client, but my own family. My niece was falsely accused of starting a fight when in actual fact a member of staff attacked a student she studied with and they tried to report it. They ended up getting expelled!”

More clips from the trial appeared on the screen as the female narrator continued speaking.

“Countless parents and former students have come forward with accusations against APE for these crimes. With the great remorse that most of the staff have shown, they have insisted that their families and close friends were completely oblivious to their actions, something they have since confirmed.”

A slender woman was then being interviewed, possessing blonde hair in a ponytail that was faded and greying. This was Daitan.

“I never knew it.” Her tone was quiet. She was clearly upset and frustrated. “I never knew APE were hiding all this… this horrid stuff. If only I knew.”

“I have known Itsuki since our university years.” The next person to appear was the bearded Principal of Franxx Academy, Werner Frank. “I never thought I would learn that he would betray not just the trust of myself, but my wife and his own family.”

More footage appeared from inside the courtroom, this time depicting an older woman with hair that was mostly grey but had hints of caramel-blonde streaks in it. This was Frank’s wife Karina, who had since become APE’s vice principal in Tsuda’s absence.

“I knew nothing of this,” she told the court. “I may have only been working at APE for the last decade, but I had never suspected anything was wrong. My husband always said that I could trust Itsuki, but now I don’t think we ever can.”

The next recording presented the corrupt staff having their wrists cuffed by handcuffs at the end of the trial. The narrator again explained what was happening.

“Asaka and Tsuda will now be facing a thirty-year sentence for the harm that APE has caused, while the other staff will be behinds bars for twenty-five.”

Before the narrator could even sign off, let alone finish reporting, Zorome closed the video and turned his phone off. He placed the device beside his laptop on his desk next to his bed, staring up at the ceiling as he still thought about how his family’s life had changed. Itsuki’s parents had been dead for years, but that did not stop his remaining family—his siblings and in-laws—from disowning him. At school, Zorome had been harassed and even attacked by former APE students who were falsely expelled because of his parent’s actions. The only person to not shift the blame onto him was Zero Two, something she was not just grateful for, but even defended her friend.

A single tear slid down the right side of his face as he turned onto the same side, doing his best to fall asleep and wish his life was not what it was.

Chapter Text

It may have been the last day in the school week, but Zorome’s mood was hardly lifted. Knowing that his father was now an incarcerated criminal was one thing, but the once happy life he and his mother once lived would still need to recover from the revelations. Daitan’s friends and co-workers were supportive towards her, with none of them treating her coldly. Conversely, Zorome knew he was still going to face harassment from his classmates, but also knew his friends would help him.

Futoshi knocked on the door to the Asaka residence, and he barely waited a second before it was answered by his friend. Daitan was in the back of the hallway and watched as they spoke to one another.

“I thought we could walk to Franxx together as usual,” he told him.

“Fine,” Zorome shrugged back. “Just let me get my shoes on.”

As he turned away from the door to locate his shoes, Futoshi looked up at Daitan, who quietly spoke “thank you” to him. Once Zorome was wearing his shoes, he left his home with his friend and they began their walk.

“I know he was a lying bastard,” the shorter teenager with purple eyes told his larger friend. “That part I’ve gotten use to. The bit I still can’t get my head around is how he’s been locked up.”

“At least you still have your mum. You may have idolised your dad, but you love her just the same.”

“Yeah, that’s true.” Zorome’s tone was quiet. He was lost in thought but was still focused on where he was walking along the paths and near crossing junctions.

“I mean, you felt like crap that time you accused her of misplacing that textbook to the point you—”

“Shush!” Zorome snapped at him. He was embarrassed by the whole incident and did not want anyone to learn about it.

“Well, if you’re so embarrassed by it, don’t tell your friends about how you tried to compensate for it.”

They continued their walk to the academy, meeting with Ichigo and Naomi along the way. A short while later, they met with Miku and Mitsuru, with the largened group walking together. Minutes later, they arrived to Franxx, walking alongside the fence that surrounded the site for education. As they drew closer to one of the entrances for the students, a familiar blue car stopped outside the front of the school. The door to the front passenger seat opened and Kokoro emerged, visibly wincing as she spoke to the driver, who was her mother, Nari. A few seconds later, the car drove off, with the group of friends watching as she wrapped an arm around her stomach.

“Kokoro?” Miku quickened her pace as she approached the girl with the long grey-blonde hair. “Are you okay? You look like you’re in pain.”

“I-I am in some discomfort,” she confessed, putting on a brave face.

“Did you eat something bad? Are you sure you want to come in today?”

“It’s not my stomach,” Kokoro replied. By that point, the other friends had reached where they were and stopped walking to listen to her. Both Futoshi and Mitsuru looked concerned for her. “It’s just my cycle. This one is stronger than normal.”

“I’m off.” Zorome hurried off, not wanting to hear about a puberty-related issue that did not affect him.

“Are you sure it’s that?” Futoshi asked her. He seemed very worried for her.

“Uh…” Ichigo wanted to tell him off for intruding on such a private matter, but chose not to. “Girl problems, guys.”

“T.M.I. for you,” Naomi added. Futoshi and Mitsuru walked off to catch up with Zorome, with both occasionally glancing back at her.

“Are you sure it is that?” Miku repeated Futoshi’s question.

“I am definitely bleeding, and I was due my cycle.”

“That doesn’t necessarily mean the two are linked,” Ichigo pointed out.

“But it is heavy.”

“Perhaps it is?” Naomi shrugged, but she too was unsure like her friends. “Either way, you shouldn’t be here if it’s too uncomfortable for you. How long has it been happening?”

“Since around nine last night,” Kokoro replied.

“Has it eased up at any point?” Ichigo then asked. Kokoro shook her head. “Look, we know you said you’re fine with a lot of pain, but sometimes there can be too much of it. If you do feel too ill, promise you’ll go to the nurse’s office?”

“Okay,” Kokoro gave another nod, wincing again.

With the rest of her friends, she slowly made her way into the academy building, briefly stopping by her locker to remove a book from it for the first lesson. She was doing this in advance so she would not be in the crowded corridor when homeroom had ended, and the other students were navigating their way to their classrooms. She gave a small gasp at another spasm from her abdomen, shutting her locker before gradually reaching her homeroom. It did not start for a few minutes, and even though she would always be seated throughout homeroom, she was glad she could sit down. The pain, while still bad, was relieved slightly when she was not moving around too much.

The bell for homeroom rang, and a minute later, Hachi entered the room with a quiet “good morning”. He seated himself at his desk and activated the computer so he could sign into it. As Kokoro watched him, she began to pant slightly to lessen her pain. Another student, who was seated to her left, noticed she was in pain and sweating.

“Are you feeling alright?” she asked her. A nod followed.

“Just the monthly problem.”

“That bad?”

Another nod followed. It was then that Kokoro noticed another symptom. She felt nauseous. She was always aware of it being a potential symptom of her menstrual cycle, something that Miku had once fallen victim to, whereas the worst symptom next to cramps she had ever experienced was a loose bowel movement. If anything, the pain was making her nausea worse, which made her wonder if it was her body’s way of showing how she was repressing her discomfort.

“Okay, class.” A minute later, and Hachi had logged into the computer. He activated the overhead projector against the interactive whiteboard. “Once the projector has properly activated, I will read out the messages on the messaging system.”

A wave of tiredness hit Kokoro, a sign that she was now experiencing an incoming headache as well. The projection appearing on the board, while by no means a bright flash that would induce seizures, made her wince and look away. Normally, this would never happen to her, let alone other students.

“Okay.” Hachi looked at his computer. “Mr. Imazu’s class third period will be relocating to the library. Ms. Matsumoto has issued a small reminder that her class fourth period have a homework worksheet due in today. Music club afterschool will not occur due to staff absence.”

The nausea was increasing and becoming stronger and stronger. Kokoro also began to shake, her repression of her pain making her sickness feel worse. In connection to her headache, she felt tired and almost faint, the brightness of both the projection and the sunlight emerging through the windows in the large room not doing her any favours.

“Principal Frank has also issued a matter regarding the theft of—”

Before Hachi could finish reading the message, he and the rest of his homeroom were shocked by what they witnessed. Kokoro could no longer hold back her nausea and projectile vomited across where she sat, missing the person in the desk in front of her by several inches. Her male peers made sounds of disgust at what she had unintentionally done, while the females expressed sympathy as Zorome quietly chuckled to himself.

“I think she broke my record,” he whispered to the nearby Futoshi, who ignored him and shouted Kokoro’s name with great concern.

“Sir, I am so sorry!” Kokoro was almost in tears, now clutching at her stomach from the pain with both arms.

“It doesn’t matter,” he told her. He was firm, but far from even agitated. “Go to the nurse’s office.”

She stood up from her desk, her satchel slung over her shoulders as she walked out of the room slowly. She was in far too much pain to walk at her normal pace, while running would easily be agony. She knew exactly where Yamamoto’s office was; in fact, it was not far away, but it felt like miles to reach it in her unfortunate state. As she walked, she felt weak and tired, a great pressure in her lower body which was accompanied by the feel of her blood exiting her.

She begged that Yamamoto would be in her office. A few weeks prior, Zorome had been injured on the way to school by another student, but she was running late and had to speak to Frank instead. Kokoro wanted to be home. The pain may have been worse than her previous menstrual cycles, but she could not cope with it in a busy environment.

The nurse’s office was a pale blue room with several bed-like sofa chairs, a desk which Yamamoto worked at and a kitchen-like area, as well as a toilet cubicle. Kokoro entered the room, forgetting to knock as she entered. Yamamoto spun in her desk’s chair as soon as the student appeared, noticing the extreme pain the teenager was in.

“You appear to be in a great amount of pain,” she observed.

“I-I-It’s my menstrual cycle.” By this point, Kokoro was in tears.

“Have you ever had one as uncomfortable as this before?”

“Not this painful, no.”

“Right,” Yamamoto nodded. “Do you definitely know if it’s your period?”

“I am bleeding.”

“Have you been sexually active recently?”

“Sorry?” Kokoro was confused.

“Have you had sex?”

“No.” She gave a small shake of her head. “W-Why would you ask that?”

“Just a precautionary question.” The school nurse stated her reasoning. “Could you lie down for me please?”

Kokoro made her way to one of the sofa chairs, placing her satchel beside it as she lied down. Yamamoto moved her chair over to where she was.

“Can I have your name?”

“Kokoro.”

“And your surname?”

“Ichido.”

“Okay. Could you lift up your shirt please?”

Kokoro followed her instructions, allowing the nurse to feel her stomach. After this, she felt her sides.

“Your stomach appears to be hard, but I could not trace anything abnormal on the sides.”

“Do you think it’s appendicitis?” Kokoro almost panicked at the thought.

“I’m not entirely sure. Have you been experiencing any issues going to the toilet recently?”

“None at all.”

Kokoro suddenly gasped, sitting upright as she held onto her stomach. She was still shaking and sweating, with Yamamoto still trying to decide a possible diagnosis.

“I am not convinced this is your period. I think it is more than that.”

She gasped again, her head shooting up from her hunched position.

“I… I need to go to the bathroom.”

“You can use the cubicle,” Yamamoto calmly told her.

Despite her agony, Kokoro shot up from where she was lying, briefly feeling dizzy as she ran into the toilet cubicle. She locked the door in the small white room, which contained both a toilet and a small sink with a bottle of soap gel attached to the wall. She pulled her underwear down to her knees as she seated herself, pushing at what she felt needed to come out. It was hard and moved very slowly, making her scream and cry. She then felt something escape from her with considerable speed; it was liquid in nature, so she just assumed it was stool in liquid form.

“Be careful,” Yamamoto warned her, standing by the cubicle door. “You might feel like there is something coming out, but it could be nothing.”

“There is something!” Kokoro yelled. “I can feel it!”

She strained, pushing down into her lower body with an audible grunt. After catching her breath every few reprieves, she pushed and pushed at what felt like just a large bowel movement. It was on her last push into her lower body that she screamed louder than before and for longer. Kokoro’s tone was high and considerably shrill, making the occurrence seem even more concerning for the school nurse.

“I’m going to contact the principal,” Yamamoto declared. “I’m going to ask him to call an ambulance and have the car park’s gates opened.”

“Don’t,” Kokoro panted, exhausted from her actions. She sat back against the tank of the toilet. “The pain… it’s stopped.”

“It’s… stopped?” Yamamoto was shocked. How could the student she was convinced had an abdominal issue along the lines of appendicitis have stopped feeling that level of pain?

“Yes.” Kokoro was tired, almost feeling euphoria from her relief. “I guess I only had an upset stomach.”

“There’s no way she could have mistaken a bowel movement for her period,” Yamamoto pondered. “She was definitely in pain. I have seen students fake it before. This was the real deal.”

“I guess I better head back to homeroom.”

Kokoro still remained seated despite her words, as she was taking in the relief she had gained. However, a slight pain returned to her stomach. It was less than a fraction of the pain she had previous felt, but she immediately guessed she would only feel this discomfort temporarily as a consequence of her straining.

That was when she heard something from underneath her. It was a splash. A tiny splash. As if something was moving underneath her, like a rodent up a drainpipe. Only she could have heard it, but the next sound was heard by both her and Yamamoto.

A coo. A very small coo. Not one that belonged to a bird, but a living being. More precisely, a young living being. The coo very shortly grew into a small cry that continued and never ceased for a second. It dawned on her what the sound meant, and Kokoro was afraid to see the truth. She very slowly stood up, allowing her underwear to drop to her ankles as she took a small step back and looked into the toilet bowl to see if her worst fears had been confirmed.

Chapter Text

It was a baby. An actual baby. The infant may have been small, but they seemed smaller than they likely should have been. They were still attached to their umbilical cord, which still led up into Kokoro’s body. To make matters worse, the blood and mucus-covered child was lying upright in the toilet, indicating they had been born breech.

“Kokoro!” Yamamoto called through the door. “Open the door for me!”

The school nurse’s words were ignored, as the shaken teenager very slowly and quietly removed the screaming baby—a girl—out of the bowl. With the blood-soaked girl cradled in her arms, tears formed in her eyes again as she seated herself on the toilet again. She looked at the child, her own lip trembling as tears fell from her eyes. She could not comprehend the situation.

“I didn’t know,” she murmured to herself quietly, her focus slowly shifting away from her child as her mind drifted. As she spoke, her whole body was shivering. “I didn’t know. I didn’t know. I didn’t know.”

“You have to open the door for me!” Yamamoto repeated herself, but she knew why Kokoro had not responded. Knowing that yelling at her was not going to help in the slightest, she removed her purse from her pocket and fumbled for a coin. The tall woman used it to open the lock via its safety measure, the door sharply opening afterwards. She gazed upon the crying adolescent and the screaming child in her arms. There was blood on the floor as well from when Kokoro had stood up, with some of it making its way onto her thighs. Yamamoto knew of what had happened as soon as the baby cried, but the reality was kicking in for her as well.

“Kokoro, listen to me.” She knelt in front of her, her hands on the sides of her head so she could make the traumatised girl look at her. “Focus on my voice. Stay with me. I am here to help you.”

Yamamoto kept repeating herself so the student would not slip into shock. After almost a minute, Kokoro calmed down, but her shakiness—both mentally and physically—were still present. She was still crying, but her near-hysterical state had subsided. The baby had also stopped crying, but occasionally made sounds.

“Let me just check on it.” Yamamoto looked over at the small person in Kokoro’s arms. She too noticed its small size and gender, but she also checked its mouth and nostrils. Both were perfectly clear. “Okay. She seems to be breathing fine. I’m just going to get a towel to clean her and keep her warm. Then I’ll ring Principal Frank to contact an ambulance.”

The school nurse removed a large white towel from a cupboard and returned to the cubicle. As she promised, she cleaned the baby and wrapped it up, with Kokoro still holding her tightly when she was handed back to her. Yamamoto remained by their side, kneeling in front of them like before. Instead of using the phone on her desk, she used her mobile which was in her pocket. She dialled a number and held it up to the side of her head.

“Principal Frank, it’s Ms. Yamamoto. You’ll need to contact an ambulance and request for the car park’s gates to be opened.”

“What’s happened?”

“This student I’m with… she’s just delivered a baby on the toilet.”

“I’m sorry, what?” Frank’s response was flat. “Did you just say—”

“Yes, they had a baby.”

“Did they know?”

Yamamoto looked up at Kokoro and asked, “did you know?”

Kokoro shook her head. She was almost in a trance, as indicated by her wide eyes.

“No, she didn’t.”

“Okay. Who is the student?”

“Kokoro Ichido.”

“Kokoro?” Again, Frank was surprised.

“Yes, Kokoro.”

“Right. I’ll come by to check on you both after I contact the site manager to open the gates. He’ll redirect the paramedics to where you are. I’m assuming you’re in your office?”

“Yes sir.”

“Okay, I’ll see you shortly.”

After this, he hung up. Yamamoto slid her phone back into her pocket and continued consoling Kokoro.

“It’s going to be alright,” she calmly told her. “Principal Frank is phoning the ambulance as we speak.”

Kokoro nodded, tears appearing in her eyes and shortly rolling down her face.

“I’m sorry,” she quietly whimpered, the first words she had spoken in a long period of time.

“You don’t have to apologise,” Yamamoto smiled, a small chuckle emerging to try lightening the situation. “I’m just doing my job and you’re lucky to be in the care of someone who has medical expertise.”

The baby gave a small, brief coo.

“I think she agrees with me.” She looked down at the small girl before facing her birth mother again. “How do you feel now? Are you still bleeding?”

“M-My stomach still hurts a little,” Kokoro was able to stutter out. “I still feel something.”

“Well, your placenta might show up soon. Could you stand up for a second?”

Kokoro tried to do it by herself, but Yamamoto held her by her arms to assist her. She glanced over the teenager’s shoulders and investigated the toilet bowl. The water was now red, and next to mucus being on the sides, she thought she saw more waste matter inside it as well. She gently lowered Kokoro back onto the seat.

“You are still bleeding,” Yamamoto gently informed her, almost in a whisper. “The worst thing you could do is panic. This could just be part of the afterbirth. Also, I need to mention that it appears you did have a bowel movement during delivery.”

Kokoro’s face turned a bright pink and her tears reappeared. She had never felt so embarrassed before.

“But that is okay,” she was reassured, the nurse resting her hands on the student’s shoulders. “This sort of thing happens to a lot of women in childbirth. I never saw any of it on your baby, so chances are she’ll be fine.”

“Yamamoto!” a voice exclaimed. Frank entered the office, noticing how the school nurse was tending to the student. He walked over to where they were and observed the situation. “How is she at the moment?”

“Shaken,” Yamamoto replied. “She was almost slipping into shock before I rung you, so I calmed her first. She’s still bleeding.”

“Has the placenta emerged yet?”

“Not yet.”

“Okay. What about the baby? Are they of good health?”

“No breathing problems seemingly. Since she was delivered in the toilet, there is a risk she could be ill, but as she appears small, she might be premature.”

“She looks like she is premature,” the bearded man noted.

“She also came out breech.” Kokoro’s response was quiet, but still fully audible.

“Right.” Frank nodded back to her statement. He then faced Yamamoto again. “Stay with her. See if you can get the placenta out, but don’t force it. Can I use your computer to locate her emergency contact?”

“That’s perfectly fine, sir.”

Nari had barely started her shift as a nurse at Cerasus North Hospital when she received the phone call from Frank. After quickly dressing back into her casual clothing, she drove all the way back to Franxx knowing she should have never taken her daughter to school that morning. Several minutes later, she arrived at the academy, immediately noticing that an ambulance had left the staff car park. The woman with long curly brown hair raced into the reception area and asked what had happened. The receptionist stated that Kokoro was going to be taken to Cerasus South, which was the closest hospital. They never even explained to the student’s mother what had happened, as Nari left the academy building as soon as she entered it.

Once she arrived at Cerasus South, she was several minutes behind and asked the receptionist present if she knew of Kokoro’s whereabouts. They were fully aware of where she was, with a single word throwing Nari off completely.

“Congratulations.”

Congratulations? What on earth for? She enquired, only to learn the truth of what had happened at Franxx. She was astounded; how could her daughter have been pregnant? There were no visible signs that she, a nurse, would have noticed. Other than the unexpected arrival, she also learned of Kokoro’s condition and decided to contact her husband.

Nari anxiously waited in the visitor’s room. She had to tell her husband of what had happened, but the biggest relief she needed was that their daughter and her child were both healthy. Fifteen minutes passed before she was greeted by the sight of her husband Jona, who was led straight to the visitor’s room. He was a tall fierce-looking man with the same hair colour as his daughter, which was short but unkempt. Unlike his wife, he did not change out of his work clothing, wearing his blue police officer uniform and its hat. Nari stood up from where she sat and approached him.

“What’s happened?” he asked his wife. “Is Kokoro okay?”

“That pain she was having… it wasn’t her period.”

“Well, what were they then?”

“They were labour pains.”

Jona’s eyes widened. Did his wife just say what he thought she said?

“Labour?” He repeated the word. “She was pregnant?” Just like Nari, he was still struggling to process the truth. “How… since when was she sexually active?” He was almost out of breath, even though he had not run anywhere and was not suffering a panic attack. Nari wished she could answer the question, but they both knew who the only person to answer it was. “Was it a miscarriage?”

“From what I gather, it isn’t.”

“Do we know how far along it was?”

“Not at the moment,” she told him. “All I know is the medical staff are treating Kokoro for a postpartum haemorrhage. The placenta supposedly came out fine, but she is bleeding a lot.”

“Mr and Mrs Ichido?” A male doctor entered the room. They both sharply faced him.

“How is she?” Nari was almost frantic. “Look, I’m a nurse. Tell me as much as you can.”

“Your daughter has been stabilised,” he calmly reassured the duo. “She didn’t need a transfusion. All she needs is a rest. She is very shaken by all of this.”

“I would imagine so,” Jona noted. “Can we see her?”

“Of course,” the doctor nodded. “Follow me.”

The parents followed the doctor as requested and were led to a small pale pink room that had been set for Kokoro. She was lying in her bed, sitting up against the pillow with her eyes shut. As soon as the door to her room opened, she opened her eyes to see who was visiting her.

“Mum!” she quietly spoke, crying again. “Dad!”

As the doctor left them, Nari sat beside her daughter and hugged her, Kokoro’s head buried in her chest as she cried again. There was an additional chair so Jona could seat himself as well.

“It’s alright,” her mother reassured her. “We’re here. You’re going to be fine.”

“I’m sorry,” Kokoro wept. “I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t apologise.” Jona held her hand firmly, showing his support. “You didn’t know, and we didn’t know. We’re all in the same situation.”

For a few minutes more she cried into her mother’s chest, briefly stopping when the doctor returned to the room with a nurse. Nari and Kokoro ended their embrace so they could face both the medical practitioners along with Jona.

“The little girl,” Kokoro whispered, trying not to cry again. “Is she okay? Is she healthy?”

“She was premature,” the nurse softly noted. “We estimate her to be at seven months. Due to the location of where she was born, she has contracted an infection which we believe to be caused by exposure to urine.”

“Urine?” Jona was shocked. “But, how did—”

“I thought I needed the toilet,” Kokoro whimpered, shrinking in on herself through shame and humiliation. Nari held her hand.

“She will need antibiotic treatment and will be in the NICU for a month, possibly a month and a half depending on how she recovers.” The nurse’s words made Kokoro feel even worse. “Fortunately, she is in very good hands, and due to how far along we believe her to be, she has an extremely high survival chance.”

“Also, you will need to rest for the next few days,” the doctor told Kokoro. “If you wish to use the toilet, a member of staff can provide a bedpan, and if you wish to see your daughter, you can use a wheelchair.”

“I would like to see her,” Kokoro spoke softly. She seemed fixated and once again trance-like.

“Okay. I’ll bring one up shortly.”

The doctor and the nurse left the room, leaving the family by themselves to continue comprehending the events of that morning so far.

“Kokoro.” She looked up at her father shortly after he spoke her name. His tone was gentle. “We’re not mad. We’re not mad at all. We’re just piecing this all together. But…” He seemed hesitant. “We do need to know something that only you would possibly know.”

Kokoro was horrified. Even if she would not be the person in trouble, she knew the person Jona wished for her to identify would be.

“Who is the father?” It was Nari who provided the question instead. The teenager looked back and forth at her parents using only her eyes. After several seconds, she decided to name them.

“Mitsuru.”

Chapter Text

Elsewhere, the school day at Franxx went ahead like nothing had happened. While Frank by no means covered up the truth of what had happened, it was kept quiet when the ambulance arrived but he disclosed the truth with the rest of the staff in the staffroom during morning break. They never told the students of what happened to Kokoro to avoid a commotion, as they knew the truth would be discovered eventually.

When the school day ended, the members of Squad 13 were preparing to leave Franxx. Futoshi was at his locker when Miku stopped by.

“Have you received a message from Kokoro?” she asked him. He shook his head.

“I don’t think it was a girl problem,” he told her. “There’s no one else that ambulance could have been for. I’m really worried about her. If only there was some sort of rumour going around so we could have a hint as to why she’s not here.”

“Give her some space.” They were approached by Goro, who was accompanied by Ichigo. “She might’ve needed an emergency operation for all we know.”

“But we don’t know,” Miku replied. “I really wish we did.”

“We’re just going to have to wait,” Ichigo calmly noted, trying to maintain order.

The concerned duo took a breather, and once Futoshi was finished with his locker, they began their exit. They very shortly met up with Hiro and Zero Two, shortly followed by Zorome, Naomi, Ikuno, and Mitsuru. The crowds were still large as they poured out of the building’s front, with a small handful of teachers ensuring that none of them caused chaos as they left the premises.

“Mitsuru!”

No sooner had Squad 13 passed the school’s gates, they heard the voice call out. Looking in the direction it came from, they saw it was Jona, who had parked his police car on the side of the opposite path. Most of the group of friends had met him before, so they knew he was going to talk about something related to Kokoro. He walked over the road with a distinct pace, Squad 13 having stopped walking as soon as he spoke. They could see he was clearly angry. What shocked them all was, as soon as he was standing right where they were, he grabbed Mitsuru by his arm and pinned him against the school’s fence.

“You’re responsible for this!” He was fierce, almost as if he were apprehending a criminal like he normally would. Many students and teachers who were nearby watched the commotion, the latter too afraid to interfere.

“It’s because of him Kokoro was ill?” Hiro asked with confusion.

“She was never ill.” Jona never faced Hiro as he replied. “As it turns out, he got my daughter pregnant!”

The jaws of all the students and teachers present dropped. They could not believe the words he had just spoken. Many of the bystanders murmured quietly to one another about the revelation.

“P-P-P-Pregnant?!” Mitsuru sputtered. Normally, strict male authority figures never intimidated him, which was why Hachi never bothered him. Jona was an exception.

“How is Kokoro pregnant?” Zero Two asked. She faced Hiro sharply. “Did any of you know about this?”

“None of us knew,” Ikuno replied. “This is new to us.”

“He’s the father?!” Futoshi was still in shock. If anything, he seemed mortified.

“Kokoro scored, let alone with him?” Zorome was also trying to piece together what they had all discovered. Everyone who was present just glared at him. He only shrugged back in response, clearly surprised at how they did not find it odd themselves.

“She couldn’t have been far along,” Goro noted. “Could it have been one of those—”

“It wasn’t ectopic,” Jona cut him off, still facing Mitsuru. “She was in labour and gave birth to a seven-month-old girl who is in the NICU for the next month. Meanwhile, my daughter is very upset by what has happened, especially as she’s suffered from a post-partum haemorrhage. When…” He inched his face closer to Mitsuru’s. “When did you get the time to have sex with my daughter?”

Still intimidated by the police officer and refusing to struggle out of his grip, Mitsuru decided to speak the truth. It would be shocking for his friends, let alone Jona, but embarrassing for himself.

“The beach trip we had several months ago,” he began. “I was with Kokoro, Miku, Goro and Zorome.”

The named friends then realised what he was referring to. It was Miku who interrupted him.

“You two walked off,” she softly spoke. “You said you got lost.”

“We wanted to have some fun together as we’d secretly been seeing each other.” He continued his story. “We found an old, abandoned shack and did it in there. No one suspected a thing.”

“And this is the consequence of your actions,” Jona spat.

“I pulled out!” Mitsuru panicked. “I didn’t have a condom, so I pulled out. I swore it was effective because—”

“Too much!” Naomi told him, almost grimacing.

“Well, it wasn’t effective, was it?” Jona continued staring down at him. “You are responsible for getting my daughter pregnant and unknowingly bringing a life into this world. We are very lucky that little girl has a high chance of survival. If I could arrest you, I would. But first—are your parents home?”

Mitsuru stared at him with even wider eyes. Why was he asking such a question?

“What?” he quietly asked.

“Answer me!” Jona snapped. “Are your parents home?”

“Only my father should be in right now,” he told him.

“Okay,” Jona nodded. “You will be coming with me. You are to tell me of your home address. I will be telling him of what you’ve done, and after that, stay away from my daughter.”

He then slowly faced the rest of Squad 13. They had never seen Jona in his ‘police mode’ before, and intimidating was a gentle way of describing the man they normally saw as a kind gentleman. Suddenly, his sour face changed to that of a brighter and friendlier one as he calmed down to speak to them in a very different manner, almost as if his conversation with Mitsuru had never taken place.

“Conversely, you guys are fine. It’s perfectly fine that you want to help and support her right now, but give her some space. Wait until she seeks you instead of you seeking her. She’s been through quite an ordeal and she’ll tell you more about it later.”

“Understood, sir,” Ichigo nodded.

Chapter Text

Jona led Mitsuru to his police car, where the teenager was seated in the back of the vehicle. All Mitsuru had to do was specify the street he lived on and Jona knew where to take him. During the journey, which lasted less than ten minutes, the two occupants of the car never spoke. Jona would occasionally glare at Mitsuru through the rear-view mirror, who felt as though he had been arrested for his actions.

“That’s my house.”

After the long silence, Mitsuru broke it when he pointed at the house which stood by itself. It was surrounded by a large brick wall that had been painted over with white paint, a large metal gate being the only way to access his place of residence as the vehicles were kept inside the space within. Jona parked his car close by on the opposite side of the road, the duo exiting the vehicle at the same time. Mitsuru led him onto the premises and opened the front door to his house. They entered the hallway, where the stairs were.

“Afternoon, son,” Ryoto called out knowing who it was. He was upstairs. “How was your day?”

“Mr. Ebisu?” Jona called out himself. His voice surprised Ryoto, who quickened his pace and walked down the stairs. He stopped halfway. He possessed short finely trimmed hair that was the same colour as his son’s and was rather wide-eyed, even without the surprise of a police officer being in his home.

“How can I help you, officer?” he asked the stranger.

“Your son is responsible for the pregnancy my daughter has just learned she unknowingly had.”

Ryoto stared at Mitsuru, visible confusion on his face. He was positive Jona had just stated his son was responsible for making someone pregnant.

“I-I’m sorry...” The man, who was normally a judge in a court of law, was perplexed. “Did… did you just say—”

“Your son is responsible for making my daughter pregnant.” He sharply cut him off. Again, Ryoto was still baffled.

“Who is your daughter?”

“Kokoro.”

“There’s the answer to that,” Ryoto thought to himself. “It had to be one of Mitsuru’s friends.” He then walked down the stairs to properly speak to Jona. “By ‘unknowingly’, do you mean—”

“She did not know she was pregnant until delivery.” Jona once again interrupted him but was not as blunt as the last time. “She suffered a postpartum haemorrhage and we’re lucky she’s okay. She is currently at Cerasus South Hospital and is extremely upset by this whole affair.”

“What about the baby?” Ryoto hesitated slightly before he spoke. He was by no means intimidated, let alone by Jona, but the story he was being informed of greatly concerned him.

“The girl was born at seven months. She is in the NICU because she has fallen ill. You’re both lucky that she has a high chance of survival and doesn’t have any defects.” He then glared at Mitsuru before looking back at his father. “You should keep your son on a leash. He is to stay the hell away from my daughter.”

With no further words, the police officer left the house and drove off. Ryoto was still dazed, but had the strength to sternly speak to his son.

“I can’t believe this.” He looked down at Mitsuru, who was only a few inches shorter than the forty-eight-year-old. “You, my own son, are responsible for making a female friend and peer pregnant?” He was almost exasperated. “Mitsuru, when on earth did you get the time to have sex with another person?”

“The beach trip several months ago.” Mitsuru was quiet. His father was not scaring him, but he was feeling guilt from what his actions had led to. “We’d been seeing each other in secret and ran off to… you know.”

“Have sex?” Ryoto quizzed him. His son nodded back.

“I thought I pulled out. I swear. I don’t remember—”

“What were you thinking?” While calm, his father was evidently furious. “Even without the pregnancy, what you did could have affected you in other ways. Didn’t you remember a word of what your mother and I, let alone what your teachers taught you? Also, you’ve brought another person into this world. That is a huge responsibility. Your mother and I knew we wanted to have a child, and we knew it would be a great task to care for you. Were you prepared for this with Kokoro?”

“Well, no.” Mitsuru was almost whispering. “But she might give it up for—”

“Who cares what she might do with the baby!” Ryoto raised his tone. “You are still responsible for what you’ve done to her. I can only imagine the fear going on in her head when she realised she had been pregnant and didn’t know about it. She’ll be in hospital right now, wishing she knew so she didn’t make any potential lifestyle choices that could have harmed the baby. Just because the baby doesn’t have any defects doesn’t mean she’s not going to have guilt.” He paused to catch his breath, briefly turning away to collect his thoughts. “Your mother is going to be livid.”

Instantly, Mitsuru looked more worried than he had been with Jona. The reason he never feared strict male figures was because he feared strict female ones. Therefore, he possessed a personal dislike for Nana Matsumoto, all because of his mother’s behaviour.

“No.” He shook his head. “We can’t tell Mum about this.”

“Of course she is going to have to hear about this.” Ryoto almost spat as he spoke. “She needs to know as much as I did.”

Mitsuru heard the front door open. For the past few hours, he had been lying on his bed in his bedroom, thinking about the revelation that he had caused. He had not been grounded; a simple grounding would not be justice in Ryoto’s eyes for what his son had inadvertently done. Any second, Mitsuru knew he would hear his mother’s voice calling out to him. He anticipated fury from her.

“Mitsuru.” He heard her voice. She was not angry—not yet at least—but there was still a commanding tone to it. “Come downstairs.”

He sat up and began his descent. He was by no means slow, as he knew either of his parents would snap at him if he was, but his pace was far from fast. He was dreading how things were going to go.

When he was at the bottom of the stairs, he entered the living room, where he saw his parents at the table in the adjacent dining room. His parents were sat at the long ends of the table—Ryoto one side, his mother Mayuko the other—and he sat in the middle as normal. He warily faced his mother, who possessed long ginger hair that was tied into a ponytail. She was a year older than her husband, her job being a curator in a local museum.

“Your father has told me you are in considerable trouble.” She was a very cold woman. “I did not want him to tell me, as you are the one responsible for whatever it is you have done.”

There was a pause. Mitsuru was almost too afraid to speak, his heart sinking in his chest.

“Well?” Her tone raised slightly. “What have you done? Mitsuru Ebisu, I demand to know.”

He briefly looked at his father, who continued frowning at him, before facing his mother again.

“Kokoro…” He swallowed, fearing what would happen next. “Kokoro gave birth today.”

Another silence occurred.

“Pardon?” Mayuko was scowling at her son, her expression never changing.

“She gave birth to a baby she didn’t know she was carrying.”

The fearful silence returned. For almost ten seconds it lasted before Mayuko quietly spoke.

“I am going to assume that you are responsible for the pregnancy?”

It was a condescending tone and one that Mitsuru always feared. He nodded back to her.

“You never said you had been seeing her romantically. For how long has this been happening?”

“Almost a year.” Mitsuru’s voice was quiet. His stern mother maintained her scowl.

“When did you find yourself the time to engage in sexual activity with her?”

This was the part of the story he dreaded telling her the most. Again, he swallowed, harder than before.

“The beach trip.” After he named the event, he looked down at the table space in front of him where his plate would normally go.

“Look at me.” Mayuko sternly made him face her again. “You were only gone a day with your friends. How did you have the time during that trip to do that? Surely you were in a public place when you did it.”

“We found an old, abandoned shack and did it there.” He really did not want to answer her anymore, a mixture of guilt and embarrassment bubbling within him.

“He also never used proper protection,” Ryoto pointed out to his wife. “He used the withdrawal method.”

“That does not matter.” Mayuko never faced him as she responded to his words. “What’s important is he is responsible for the creation of another human being and the shock he has caused for his friend.”

“That has certainly happened,” he added. As the father spoke, she faced him. “Mitsuru was taken here by Mr. Ichido, who informed me of what he did. Kokoro is most likely experiencing trauma from the birth itself as she rests in Cerasus South, as he said she was upset by what has transpired. Other than the discovery she had been pregnant, she experienced a postpartum haemorrhage.”

“Do we know of the baby’s condition?” she asked him.

“Born two months early and ill,” he replied. “However, her survival rate is high.”

“Any mention of defects?”

“There are none at all, luckily.”

Yet again, there was a silence which was painful for Mitsuru. It was like torture waiting for what was going to be said next. Both of his parents faced their offspring again.

“Mitsuru Ebisu, I have never been so ashamed.” Mayuko’s coldness never ceased. “This is the worst thing you have ever done. In fact, this is worse than when you broke Ikuno’s nose just because you wished to work with that prodigy child Hiro.”

As if his heart could not sink any lower, it did. In the last few months, he acquired guilt for the specified transgression, all because he wished to be as good, if not better than Hiro was. He ended up taking his frustration out on Ikuno, a decision that brought shame not just to himself, but his family.

“I’m at a loss.” Despite her anger, there was a miniscule hint of sadness in Mayuko’s tone. “We have raised you properly, yet you still commit terrible acts. There is no doubt that this failure is rooted deep in Franxx’s staff failing to control you, just like the staff of the other schools you have studied at. We are beyond disappointed. Your academic behaviour is fine, but your social one needs more than just improvement at times. We are done here.”

With no further communication, Mitsuru quietly and slowly left the room.

Chapter Text

Kokoro remained in her hospital bed for the entirety of the day. Her mind never rested, mulling over her guilt at not knowing she was carrying another person inside of her for the past seven months. She may have never consumed alcohol or smoked any narcotics, let alone eaten too many unhealthy food products, but she still did not care for herself as properly as she could have done. She wished she knew she was in labour sooner, as the delivery would never have led to the baby girl falling ill. It still amazed her she had conceived in the first place; she recalled the time she and Mitsuru had spent in the shack exactly as it occurred. She remembered him pulling out of her perfectly in time.

By now, it was the evening. Deciding to no longer be with just her thoughts, she picked up her mobile phone from the bedside table and texted her friends’ group chat.

Is everyone online? :Kokoro

After a few seconds, she received responses one after the other.

Miku: Kokoro, are you alright?

Futoshi: How much better do you feel?

Hiro: I hope you’re feeling better.

Goro: Have you rested well?

Zorome: Are you feeling okay? Is the baby fine too?

Ichigo: How are you feeling right now?

Naomi: Has anything happened since you were admitted to hospital?

Ikuno: How is your recovery so far?

Zero_Two: I hope you two are okay.

For almost half a minute, Kokoro stared at her phone screen. There were two things that surprised her; the fact they knew exactly of what had happened and Mitsuru’s absence from the chat. His icon, which depicted a photograph of his face, possessed no green ring around it to indicate he was online.

How do you already know about what happened to me? Zorome said he knew about the baby :Kokoro

Zorome: Your old man came by afterschool and almost throttled him for knocking you up.

Ichigo: I hate to tell you this, but I think the whole school now knows about it.

Ikuno: I have never seen your father so angry before.

Zero_Two: He told us everything about what had happened to you.

Hiro: He then made Mitsuru tell him where his house was and has presumably told his dad about what has happened. No doubt his mother has also been told as well.

She then decided to text another message to her friends.

Do you have any clue what Mitsuru is doing right now? He isn’t online. :Kokoro

A quarter of a minute later, she had received responses to her enquiry.

Goro: To tell the truth, he’s probably going to try avoiding you.

Miku: Your dad told him not to go anywhere near you.

Ikuno: He might be feeling guilty about this as well.

An idea sprung to Kokoro’s mind. She texted it to the chat.

I’m going to try ringing him. :Kokoro

She briefly closed the chat and selected Mitsuru’s number. It never even started ringing; he had blocked her number. She returned to the chat.

He’s blocked me. :Kokoro

Zorome: Arrogant as ever. Acting like he’s had a screwdriver shoved up his pisshole as usual.

Zero_Two: The main reason I personally hate the guy.

Ichigo: Blocked? Not answering a call is one thing, but that is too far.

Futoshi: What did you ever see in him? He’s always a prick. We all know about what he did to Ikuno back in Mistilteinn. The guy was beyond redemption when he did that. I never properly forgave him anyway.

Ikuno: Thanks for bringing that up, Futoshi. I almost forgot about it.

Goro: If you ask me, he is the way he is because of Mrs. Ebisu.

Zorome: Tell us something we don’t know.

Naomi: Your father has certainly scared him, Kokoro. That might be why he’s taken this extra unnecessary step.

Zorome: In fairness, your dad did scare your mother’s midwife when she was being rude to her.

He didn’t do that, Zorome. :Kokoro

Zorome: Really? I swore you once said he did.

Zero_Two: Wait, what was this about?

When my parents had just parked at the hospital the day my mother went into labour with me, they witnessed an angry nurse who was persistently yelling at a junior doctor even when he had left the premises and entered the car park. When the nurse was close to assaulting the junior doctor, my dad approached them to see what the argument was about. The nurse angrily told him not to interfere, only to shortly be told by another nurse who was meeting my mother who he was. The angry nurse stopped dead in her tracks when she realised she was talking to my father, who is considered one of the most prolific police officers in all of Cerasus. :Kokoro

Futoshi: His story is the stuff of legends.

Miku: Yeah. Forget those memes about that martial arts actor. Mr. Ichido is scary in the line of duty. People were saying loads of stories about him in the playground after Kokoro first told everyone that story. There’s even a group that posts memes about him which he appreciates.

Zero_Two: I think I’ll look that up. So, what was the nurse yelling about in the first place?

I can’t remember. All I know is they were having a bad day and they were taking it out on the junior doctor over a very petty thing. Obviously, my mother was never affected, and neither was I. I was born several hours later. :Kokoro

Ichigo: Okay, well enough about your dad and Mitsuru. What are you going to do now?

Zorome: Ichigo is right. Are you going to keep the baby?

A long silence followed. After almost a minute, Kokoro finally replied.

We haven’t reached a proper verdict. :Kokoro

She will legally be in our care until close to when she will be discharged. :Kokoro

Zero_Two: Will the verdict be your parents’ decision or your own? This is your baby, not theirs.

Hiro: Zero Two, don’t. Kokoro may be our friend, but this is not our business.

Futoshi: Could we still visit you and the baby?

Visitors are fine. However, it needs to be two at one time. :Kokoro

Also—side note—I should be out by Sunday. :Kokoro

Ikuno: That’s very promising.

After this, they all decided to choose which days they would visit Cerasus South. All the while, even though he had blocked Kokoro’s number, Mitsuru was still part of the group chat. After the conversation had taken place, he read through the entire exchange, increasing his guilt.

Chapter Text

It was early that Saturday morning, and Zorome was restless in his bed. He was by no means energetic, let alone looking forward to a particular event that day, but found he could not fall asleep again. Fortunately, he had not woken too early—it was only half past six—so he decided to occupy himself with his phone.

He plugged his headphones into the device and then inserted the individual pods into his ears. Normally if he were restless or bored, he would use the opportunity to discreetly self-gratify. Instead, he chose the pastime of watching a television programme he and his friends—sans Naomi—liked. Called Strelizia and the Protectors, it was a children’s animated series that centred on the adventures of five crime-fighting robots known as Klaxobots, who regularly fought the evil aliens known as the Virm. The Klaxobots, created by Doctor Klaxos, were led by Strelizia, their members being Delphinium, Argentea, Genista and Chlorophytum; Argentea was always Zorome’s favourite character, the same for Miku. The series was originally targeted for a young female audience, but the viewership ultimately led to teenagers and even adults of both genders watching it. It originally aired when he was five years old and was still airing to that day. He was able to find it as an unofficial upload to a streaming website; he knew watching it there was breaking the law, but he was only one of millions of lawbreakers doing this.

Zorome watched with anticipation at the Klaxobots fighting off the Virm’s forces. The alien race also used robots, which were tall and purple in appearance; the Virm themselves were never properly shown in the series, although a mysterious character once left behind a purple mask in a previous episode after they were defeated. The battle scene was in the middle of a city, which was surprisingly devoid of any civilians at that point in time.

Zorome knew exactly what was going to happen next: Strelizia would be overwhelmed, but Argentea would leap forward and save her, with the duo living to fight another day.

What happened next was a complete surprise, especially as he knew the episode well.

In a blinding flash of light, a mysterious creature appeared. It was almost like a star, being white and glowing brightly. In the centre of its body—if such a thing for it existed—were two of the purple masks, which also glowed. Strelizia and her friends faced the creature, with even the Virm robots stopping their attack and staring at the unusual sight.

The white eyeholes on the masks lit up, an invisible energy emerging that made the Virm robots explode. In a matter of seconds, they were all defeated.

“Thank you,” Genista told the creature. “You really helped us out there. If you don’t mind me asking, who are you?”

At first, it never responded. Several seconds past before it finally spoke.

“TRASH… THIS IS ALL TRASH.”

Its eyes glowed yet again, this time destroying Genista in a small explosion that completely obliterated her head. Zorome was completely shocked; this was not in the original episode. There was no way he had accidentally found a fan-made video which would depict this. The animation quality was just the same as any other episode.

Then the creature destroyed Delphinium. Then Chlorophytum. Then Strelizia herself.

The only target left was Argentea. Zorome knew it was a work of fiction but begged that his favourite character would fight back. He guessed correctly, as Argentea tried to swipe at the creature with her built-in claws, but it appeared to be made of pure energy. The creature’s eyes glowed one last time, with Argentea being consumed by a massive explosion. Nothing was left of the Klaxobot, not even a small screw that held her metal plates together.

“What?” Zorome whispered to himself. He was still confused by what he had witnessed.

The creature then faced the fake ‘camera’, almost as if it were looking straight at Zorome himself. It drew closer and closer until it was pressing against the screen. To his horror, the plastic on his phone screen stretched like rubber, the creature genuinely trying to emerge into the real world.

“THIS IS TRASH!”

Zorome woke up in a sweat. He had fallen asleep while watching the episode, so rewound it to the point where it diverged from what originally happened. As he watched, he found the episode’s ending had not changed. There was no glowing creature who had destroyed the Virm robots, let alone the Klaxobots and Argentea.

It was a nightmare. Just a nightmare. He very rarely had them, so only pondered what it meant briefly before he shrugged it off and checked the time. It was almost eight. He decided to leave the device on his bedside desk and once again bury his head under the duvet.

Chapter Text

It was that same Saturday morning where Kokoro and her unexpected arrival would be receiving their first visitor. Miku offered to go first since she was not busy, and was dropped off at Cerasus South by her father. A nurse led her to her friend’s room, where she finally had the chance to see Kokoro in person after a long anxious wait.

“Hey, Miku.” The two hugged as soon as they met, the teenager with the pigtails leaning over the bed to embrace its occupant. “How is everyone?”

“We’re all fine, but what about you?” While calm, she had a trace of being tense in her behaviour. “Did you sleep well?”

“It was fine.” Kokoro seemed dazed. “I’m still processing everything that has happened. I guess everyone else is too?”

“Yeah,” Miku nodded. “Is Mitsuru still blocking you?”

Kokoro only nodded to reply.

“Well, I told Goro to see if he could speak to Mitsuru when they have their soccer game this afternoon. He seems to be avoiding everyone else now.”

“Why?” Kokoro was shocked, but it was subdued. “From what I heard about my father losing his temper with him, I don’t see why he should avoid everyone else too. Did he tell him to keep away from them as well?”

“No, he didn’t.”

“Huh.”

“Ms. Ichido?” The nurse—a man—caught her attention. She and her friend faced him. “Do you wish to visit your baby as planned?”

“Yes please,” she replied.

“I’ll help you into your wheelchair.”

As he offered, the nurse assisted Kokoro into her wheelchair, but she insisted that Miku was the one who helped her after that. Miku wheeled her out of the room, following the directions Kokoro told her to go to reach the NICU. A minute later, they found the room filled with incubators, with Kokoro once again pointing out which one Miku had to push her towards. It was the one in the middle of the left side of the room, a small whiteboard attached to the bottom of the incubator reading BABY ICHIDO in bold capital letters. The baby girl herself was naked save for her nappy and the wires around her, a tube covering her nose that provided oxygen and assisted her breathing.

“So, this is her.” Miku’s voice was hushed. She was so surprised by the sight before her. She believed what Jona had told her and Squad 13, but it was too hard to believe in the flesh. “God, she’s so small.”

“I was so frightened when I learned I had delivered her.” Kokoro’s tone was also quiet. “If only I knew I was pregnant, if only I knew so much sooner. Miku…” She looked up at her friend, who faced her. “I haven’t told anyone else this outside of my parents, but… I gave birth to her on the toilet. I didn’t realise she had come out until I heard her crying.”

Miku was horrified. She knew Kokoro was already shaken by the events of the day prior, but now she knew another reason. She saw the tears in her friend’s eyes.

“That part-time job I have as a babysitter… I don’t deserve it anymore. Not after this. If I can’t look after my own flesh and blood, what good am I continuing caring for someone else’s?”

“Kokoro, look.” Miku held her hand. “This doesn’t make you a bad person. Sure, she’s premature, but look at all of this.” She gestured to the incubator and the medical equipment. “She’s going to pull through. She’s easily going to grow up to be just like you and me. No one would think she was premature or ill in the first place.”

“But I wasn’t born like this,” Kokoro snivelled as she faced her child. “Neither were you.”

“I was.”

Kokoro sharply looked up at her friend.

“I had the cord around my neck. I could have died, yet here I am. I’m a survivor and so will she be.”

The teenager in the wheelchair thought about what she had been told.

“You’re right. She has a whole future ahead of her. I want to make sure she leaves this hospital healthy and ready for the world, no matter who cares for her.”

“Do you think you’ll do it?” Miku enquired. “I know I shouldn’t ask that, especially since Hiro cautioned Zero Two about it.”

“I-I really don’t know,” Kokoro replied. She almost appeared overwhelmed. “I have too much work to do. I am not ready to become a parent yet.”

There was a small pause before Kokoro spoke again.

“Miku… do you ever have… urges?”

Miku glanced at her. She was puzzled, as evident by her perplexed expression.

“‘Urges’?”

Kokoro nodded back.

“I kept having so many of them before Mitsuru and I… well… spent time together. We even planned it together that we would… do it. It was such a wonderful time we had. I had never felt so happy before, but… I’m starting to wonder if I should’ve never given in to those urges. We thought everything would be fine, and now, we’re all learning that I was carrying this little girl inside me and I never figured it out. I just assumed by how things went that we wouldn’t be in this mess right now.”

Like Kokoro, Miku felt lost. Her friend was filled with so much doubt that it worried her. No matter what positivity had been thrown at her, it would shortly disperse and the cycle would begin again. She hoped things would certainly improve for not just Kokoro, but Mitsuru as well.

That afternoon, Goro was in Jian Park and stood in its large grassy field. A few minutes after he had arrived, he was met by Hiro, followed by Zorome and then Futoshi. It was the latter who provided the ball for their friendly game. Several minutes passed, with the other person they were waiting for still not showing up.

“I can’t believe he’s avoiding us now.” Goro analysed the situation. “Kokoro I can understand, but us? If all of us were together, it would make even more sense, but—”

“We get it, egghead.” Zorome’s response was flat. “You don’t need to turn into a detective to look at this.”

“Wait, here he comes.” Hiro pointed into the distance, where their friend could be seen. Mitsuru had just passed through the gate in the fence that surrounded the park. His pace, while still a walking one, was slow.

“A fucking snail’s pace,” Zorome sneered. He then yelled out to him “hey Mitsuru, I’ve seen corpses move quicker!”

“Cut him some slack,” Goro snapped at the teenager with the wild hair, but his tone was hushed. “He’s not the only one trying to cope with what has happened.”

“Damn right.” Futoshi, who had been silent the entire time, spoke up. Goro, Hiro and Zorome faced him. He seemed cold as he spoke quietly. “He certainly needs to think about what he’s done.”

“What?” Zorome was perplexed. “What are you talking about?”

“Deflowering her and getting her pregnant.”

“‘Deflowering’?” Hiro was surprised by Futoshi’s choice of words.

“Mitsuru!” Futoshi suddenly barked at his normally arrogant friend. Mitsuru faced their direction, his head previously held low. He was several metres away from where his friends were. “You’re going to pay for what you did!”

Futoshi sharply kicked the soccer ball with tremendous power, sending it flying like a bullet. It hit Mitsuru in the chest, making him take a few steps backwards, but he never fell. As he clutched the spherical object in his hands in front of his chest, he was shocked to see Futoshi charging towards where he was. The larger male clenched a fist and swung, but Mitsuru dodged the attack. Futoshi repeated the attack with his other hand, but it was once again avoided by his opponent. He then grabbed Mitsuru by the collar, but by this point, his other friends ran over and tried to pull him away.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Zorome questioned him. “You’re not normally like this!”

“Well, what the hell’s wrong with him?!” Futoshi snapped back. “Being in a relationship with Kokoro, not telling us, and then unknowingly getting her pregnant? That’s what’s wrong here! Mitsuru, why didn’t you ever say something?!”

“It was just between us.” Mitsuru stood his ground. While he was firm, it was obvious he was troubled. “We didn’t want any of you to get jealous.”

“A bit ironic now,” Futoshi remarked, obviously alluding to not just Hiro being with Zero Two, but Goro being with Ichigo.

“That’s beside the point,” Goro told him.

“Yeah,” Zorome agreed. “You come across as though you’re jealous yourself, big guy.”

“Of course I am!”

By that point Hiro, Goro, and Zorome stopped struggling with pulling their friend away. He had stopped in his tracks, standing on the grass, and panting heavily.

“Why should this egotistical dickhead with a superiority complex be with someone like Kokoro?”

A silence followed. No one knew what to say.

“Well, uh…” Hiro tried to think of an answer. “Why not?”

“He doesn’t deserve her!” Futoshi snapped, making Hiro flinch. “He’s the same guy who once hit a girl just because things weren’t going his way.”

“That was six years ago,” Mitsuru glared back at him.

“That doesn’t mean you might not do it again! Just because you’ve made up with your original victim means nothing.”

“Well, how are you better?” Mitsuru questioned him. Hiro gestured to Mitsuru, telling him not to provoke Futoshi, but his signs were ignored. “What do you have that I don’t? Baking skills? Gaming skills? A larger stomach?”

Futoshi tried to grab Mitsuru again, but like before Hiro, Goro and Zorome had to struggle to hold him back.

“I’m gentle!” Futoshi bellowed back.

“Not right now.”

“Stop provoking him!” Zorome glared at him. He was struggling the most with holding his larger friend back. Mitsuru kicked the ball back, hitting Futoshi’s legs.

“I’m getting out of here.” He rolled his eyes. “I’ve had enough of this.” As he turned around and walked away, Futoshi still shouted at him.

“Yeah, walk away! Don’t accept how you not just upset Kokoro, don’t accept how you’re also a father!”

“Man, give it a rest!” Zorome was frustrated. “The two are in love. Get over it.”

“That could be a ‘were’ instead,” Goro noted. “Mr. Ichido doesn’t want them together.”

“‘Could’ be.” Hiro faced him. By that point, Mitsuru had left the park, so the friends released their grip on Futoshi, who stopped fighting back. “He’s probably worrying about her and she could be worrying about him.”

“They should talk,” Zorome added, making Futoshi sneer “but Mr. Ichido wouldn’t allow it.”

“He has no control over what happens in Franxx unless he organised a restraining order,” Goro noted. “There’s a small loophole there.”

“He might avoid speaking to her, full stop.” Zorome made a point. “Mr. Ichido was pretty terrifying, and he wasn’t even attacking us.”

“They should still talk,” Goro repeated what Zorome said previously. “If anything, the most comfort Kokoro will receive would be from him.”

Chapter Text

Zorome zipped through the open gate, looking forward to what he was about to be doing. He was visiting Cerasus Zoo which, despite its name, was on the outskirts of the city itself. He had caught a bus to reach his destination and was visiting it by himself as his other friends were unavailable. In the past, it was Daitan who would often take him there when he was younger, but once he was old enough, he could travel to places without his parents’ watchful eye providing he arrived home when he said he would or when they ordered.

The first enclosure he would catch eye of was a small one that contained meerkats. It possessed no roof section and contained sand, a dry fallen tree and fake termite mounds. There was a cement wall surrounding it, with Zorome peering over it into the pit. He could see one of the meerkats digging in the sand, trying to dig a hole and possibly bury something. It soon stopped and stood on its hind legs, standing tall like the rest of its species would do.

That was when he noticed something was different.

It was missing its head. The neck was smoothed over, almost as if a human had had their hand or arm amputated and the stump remained. Astonishingly, the meerkat was alive. It was behaving like it would even if it did possess its head. It was a very uncanny, surreal, and unsettling sight.

To make things worse, it was not the only meerkat to be missing its head. There were several others just like it, even the pups.

“Where are their heads?” Zorome asked aloud, hoping one of the nearby people would hear him. “How are they alive?”

He turned to his left, but the person who was there—a man—was gone. There was also a woman near him on his right, but she too had vanished. Zorome frantically looked around, noticing that he seemed to be the only person at the zoo. There had been numerous other visitors only seconds prior, the silence created by their absence unexpectedly intimidating him.

He ran off further into the zoo, shortly locating the large enclosure which contained the lions. It was a small field surrounded by a ditch and barbed wire, as well as a long hedgerow and wooden fence. Just like the meerkats, the lions and lionesses appeared to be alive, but their bodies were absent of their heads.

As Zorome tried to run on further to see if any other animals were affected, he tripped on a small rock that made him lose his footing. He fell forwards, using his hands to break his fall. As he lifted his face up off the cement path, he saw something walking towards him. It had grey-brown fur and was also missing its head, making him try to figure out what it was.

“A fox? A raccoon?” He thought through numerous ideas. “Wait… this is a tanuki.”

It was hard to identify the animal without its most vital component, but he finally had the answer.

“What the hell has happened to you all?” he asked it. Just as he was about to grab hold of the creature, a bright flash occurred before them. Hovering before them was the same being that had been in the nightmare that he had experienced the previous morning.

Before the entity could speak, Zorome once again woke up in a sweat, and this time sat up in his bed. He could remember all the nightmare in detail. He glanced at his clock—which read half-past five in the morning—and contemplated the imagery.

“Why were they missing their heads?” he whispered to himself. “Why was that… thing… in this dream as well?”

He pondered for a few seconds. As he focused on the tanuki and then the glowing creature, a word almost slipped out of his mouth.

“Miya—”

He covered his mouth with his hand. It was a sharp move. He shook his head.

“No.” Like before, his tone was hushed. “That never happened. It never happened.”

Chapter Text

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about her, Darling.”

Hiro faced Zero Two, who was seated next to him on the bus. She was seated at the window and continuously stared out of it while Hiro previously looked forward. It was that day where they chose to visit Kokoro and the baby at Cerasus South and decided to do so in the morning.

“I think we all are,” he told his girlfriend.

“I don’t just mean how it’s physically affected her.”

“I know that.”

“What if this makes her depressed?” She was calm, her face almost blank as she faced him. “No one can learn they were pregnant while they were in labour and not have some sort of trauma from it. We all know from her dad that she was pretty shaken by what has happened and we don’t even know the circumstances of the birth itself. For all we know, Kokoro could have been one of those people who thought they had to use the bathroom and ended up giving birth on the toilet.”

“We don’t know that,” Hiro pointed out. “Ms. Yamamoto or even the paramedics might have helped her with the delivery for all we know.”

“That doesn’t mean anything.” Zero Two was notably firm. “Darling, you know about my mother’s life. She may have had depression for a long time and was not even our age when she had me, but she was still a young woman. She may have loved me, but that didn’t mean having a child didn’t give her stress.”

“You think Kokoro might become suicidal?” His voice was hushed, showing he was shocked at the hypothetical consequence she proposed.

“It’s hard to tell. My mother had nine months to plan. Kokoro had possibly minutes. That is providing she and her family decide to keep the baby.”

There was a small silence for almost ten seconds.

“She is very protective of the baby,” Hiro noted. “Watching over her. Making sure she recovers. She’s good with caring for children. That’s why she became a babysitter.”

“She wants to make amends for not knowing about the pregnancy,” Zero Two observed. “We both know what Miku said she was like yesterday. If she’s as sensitive as you say she is, I think she might be developing a form of survivor’s guilt, even if the baby is just ill and can be treated easily. She’s still walking away mostly unscathed in comparison. I haven’t known everyone for as long as you have, but I can tell that Kokoro is one of the nicest people I have ever met. She’s pure.”

“‘Pure’?” He was taken back by her words. She nodded to reply. “Yeah. That actually does describe her well.” He then glanced over her shoulder and saw they were approaching a bus stop. “This is our stop.”

He pressed the button on the pole connected to the seat in front of him. A bell chimed as a small sign lit up with the words STOPPING shortly appearing. The bus stopped, allowing the duo to dismount and walk up to the large white building ahead of them.

In the afternoon, Jona and Nari received a phone call from Cerasus South stating that Kokoro was going to be discharged. Nari was the one who drove herself and her husband to the hospital, where they located their daughter in the room they had already visited before a few days prior. Kokoro was standing beside her bed, which had her small suitcase of clothing and toiletries upon it. Nearby was the same doctor who had cared for her when she arrived.

“She’s all set,” he reassured her parents.

“Will she be okay?” Jona enquired.

“She has more or less recovered after the rest she had from the last few days,” he was told. “As with any pregnancy, she should not overexert herself for the next month.”

“Can I still go back to school?” Kokoro then asked.

“How do you commute to it?” she was then asked in return.

“She always walks,” Nari answered for her. “We could drop her off or she takes the bus.”

“I would advise that she can go, but should do so with caution. If anything, I would advise that she relies on a wheelchair for the next month or so.”

“Perhaps we should ring Franxx tomorrow morning before school starts.” Jona faced his wife as he suggested his idea. “Principal Frank might not be in favour of it, but it’s best to check. If he does support her coming back, I’ll write a letter for her as a backup to excuse her from PE.” He then looked at his daughter. “Personally, I don’t think you should go back yet, but as long as you’re physically okay, then it should be fine.”

“I just… I just want some normality.” Kokoro stuttered slightly as she spoke. “It’s still hard to comprehend what’s happened, but I am still not going to shift my focus completely away from that little girl.”

“She’s in good hands,” the doctor reassured her.

“I am going to visit her every afternoon until she leaves this hospital. I want to see her improve to know that she will be okay.”

Chapter Text

The school day had ended, but it was still only the first day of the school week itself. Just like any other day, Squad 13 exited Franxx and walked together in their large group. Kokoro seemed fine, almost as if the events of the last few days had not even taken place, while Futoshi’s own behaviour had also ostensibly improved. Additionally, Mitsuru seemed to be in better spirits—or rather, just his usual self—and had no issues being around Kokoro despite Jona’s words. As usual, they all talked as they walked.

“It’s a shame we all have homework to do,” Zorome remarked. “If we had the time, I’d make me and the guys have a quick game of soccer at Jian Park.”

“Save your competitive nature for whenever you do your gaming next,” Goro told him. “We all know you like to prioritise your own things over others’.”

“That’s not true!” Zorome snapped back. “I do do my homework. That’s why I said I would play a game if I didn’t have anything else to do.”

“Homework is one thing, but how often do you study?” Naomi then asked.

“I always study,” he replied.

“Define ‘always’.”

He seemed almost flustered as he thought of a response.

“I always do it the day before a test. I’m more familiar with it then.”

“You’d be more familiar if you did a little every day or once every week,” Ikuno noted. “I always have a set schedule with what I study each day regardless of any homework I have or tests that are upcoming.”

“Oh, good for you!” Zorome was sarcastic. “I bet you’re just the same, aren’t you, Hiro?” He looked directly at the person he named. “You goddamn prodigy.”

“We all have our own study schedules,” Ichigo pointed out.

“Why is that school has to turn us into such fucking nerds by teaching us shit we will never be able to use in real life? ‘Shall we teach them how to pay taxes? Nah, let’s talk about how the nucleus is the middle of a cell. That’ll really come in handy if they want to become a video game developer, baker or even a handyman’. And before you say anything, Ikuno, I know it will be useful for you because you want to be a scientist so freaking badly!”

He sharply faced the direction she was in in their large group, but she was no longer there. During his rant, his friends had all disappeared. This was not due to them tiring of what he had to say; there was a fog surrounding him. It was not there before his tirade started, so obviously he and possibly even the rest of the group had become lost. It was so thick he could barely see a few metres ahead of him. Buildings, trees, and any other normal sights were no longer visible. The grey concrete path was still beneath him, but even he did not know what to make of the situation.

“Guys?” Zorome anxiously called out. “Goro? Naomi? Zero Two?”

The sounds of cars passing on the nearby road, as well as busy crowds, had also ceased altogether.

“Miku?”

He then saw something fly in front of him. Then he realised it never flew, but floated; it was a small bubble, the exact size of a Ping-Pong ball. It landed on the path and popped a few seconds later. Shortly after, another bubble appeared. And another. And another. They were coming from straight ahead. Zorome cautiously walked forward, following them in the direction they came from. Perhaps Zero Two had a bottle of bubble soap for her to amuse herself with and started blowing them?

As he walked forward, Zorome noticed the number of bubbles which flew towards him appeared more frequently and in larger numbers. There were so many that he had to start covering his face with his arms and squint his eyes to protect them. Before he knew it, there was an avalanche of bubbles, almost as if it was a torrential downpour of rain, but it was completely horizontal. They were then so close together that they became a thick foam, like the one found in a bubble bath.

“What’s happening?” he called out. “Why is there this fog? Why are there so many bubbles? Where is everyone?”

He stopped walking completely. It never hurt to navigate his way through the foam, but it was incredibly difficult to do with the persistence of the water-film spheres that never ended.

“Mum? Mum?”

A voice suddenly called out to him. He briefly pulled his arms away from his face and, still squinting, saw a light. Perhaps it was someone with a torch who knew him. The voice was familiar, but he could not remember who it was. They were male; that was all he could decipher. He pressed on, his arms once again shielding his face as he took small steps through the bubbles, fog, and foam, the source of the light growing ever closer.

After almost a minute, he reached his destination. The visual obstructions had both ceased, and to his horror, he saw who had guided him out of the chaos: the same entity with the two purple masks upon its body.

“THANK GOD YOU’RE OKAY.”

It was then that he woke up. It was just another nightmare. He was still yet to have another Monday at school, his bedside clock reading half-past four.

“Why is this thing in my dreams?” Zorome whispered to himself quietly, rolling onto his back in his bed. “Why does it keep appearing? What do these dreams mean?”

Chapter Text

“Hey.” Naomi approached Ikuno, who was tending to her locker. They both had just over five minutes before homeroom started.

“Morning,” the girl with the glasses replied.

“Do you think Kokoro might come back today? She hasn’t said anything after what she texted us all last night.”

“I don’t honestly know,” Ikuno shrugged. “Personally, I don’t think she should. She may have not had all the time in the world to prepare, but that is no excuse for her to push herself. My dad even reckons it’s more of the psychological part of what has happened that’ll be worse.”

“No shit,” Naomi nodded. “I would be needing therapy if I only just discovered I was pregnant and was about to give birth.”

“You wouldn’t be pregnant in the first place and we both know why.”

“That is why I would need therapy.”

“Guys.”

Their attention was drawn to Zero Two, who walked over to where they were.

“I have something important to tell you. It will concern both of you.”

“Don’t you mean it concerns both of us?” Ikuno asked her.

“No, it will concern you.” Zero Two stood by her choice of words. “Do you remember how I referred to a group of people I hung out with back at APE?”

“Yeah,” Naomi nodded. “Didn’t you say they called themselves the Nines or something like that?”

“Yes, the Nines. They’ve all been expelled, and I’ve heard along the grapevine the lead member and one other are coming here.”

“What?” Ikuno looked shocked. “Do you definitely know that?”

“Sadly, yes. They call themselves—”

“It doesn’t matter what they call themselves!” Naomi cut her off. While she was angry, it was obviously masking her fears. “If they’re as ruthless as you’ve said they are, then all the LGBTQ students here are in danger.”

“Naomi, this is Franxx, not what APE once was.” Ikuno calmly tried to reassure her but was also anxious. “Principal Frank has already stomped out any homophobia that happened when the LGBTQ club first started. We both know that, even if there is a tiny peep, he will put an end to it.”

“That and I’m here,” Zero Two noted. “I could easily knock their block off. They may be older, but I—”

“They’re older?!” Naomi looked even more horrified. “That just makes things worse! We all know what that Mark guy was like towards Ichigo. It’s been a miracle he had standards when it came to other students coming out and joining the club.”

“Also, I wouldn’t be using aggression, Zero Two,” Ikuno advised her. “By chance, did the Nines use aggression themselves and physically hurt people?”

“Yes,” the teenager with the pink hair nodded. “But I would be doing it for you and—”

“Even if you are supporting us, you are no worse than them if you use violence to get your point across.”

Zero Two gave a visible sigh, clearly defeated by what she had been told.

“Fine,” she replied reluctantly. “But still, you can rely on me and the others to help you.”

“Of course,” Naomi replied, calmer than before. “Let’s just hope Principal Frank can at the very least scare them or at the very most expel them.”

Elsewhere, Kokoro was in her homeroom alongside Zorome and Futoshi. It had been an awkward morning for her, as all the other students stared at her as soon as she was dropped off by Nari and was able to maneuverer herself into the school on her wheelchair. They all knew the truth about why she had been rushed to Cerasus South the previous Friday, and she could tell that they were all critical of her for not knowing she was pregnant. She swore she overheard two students talking about her behind her back, so she did her best to block it out.

Hachi soon entered the classroom and seated himself at his desk. Like with Kokoro and her friends, he was early, as the bell to signal homeroom had started was still yet to occur. Kokoro removed the letter Jona had written for her from her satchel, navigated her way from her desk and towards the one used by her homeroom teacher.

“Mr. Kato?”

He noticed her, having had rummaged through one of the desk’s drawers to look for an item. He saw the envelope in her hand.

“Is this to excuse you from PE?” he asked her. Most students were intimidated by the serious-looking man with short blue hair, but Kokoro was an exception. If anything, Hachi reminded her of her father despite his usual lack of expression.

“Yes, sir.”

“Your letter was not needed.” Despite his words, he received the item and opened it, glancing over what was written on the paper. “We are all aware of your situation and Principal Frank told me you would be continuing your studies. You will be excused for the next month from doing PE. Rest as much as you can and do not stress yourself.”

“Yes, sir,” she nodded back, very shortly returning to her seat. Hachi then signed into his email on the computer, allowing its slow loading time to think about what had happened to his student. He personally did not think she should have been at Franxx despite her recuperation over the weekend, but it was merely a case of finding out how she coped in the following days. He strongly disagreed with how Jona outed Mitsuru, making the situation worse by making a private matter public, but it was not his jurisdiction to express this.

Zorome was at his desk, where he was sketching in a notebook he owned. This was not one he used for study, as it was not designated for a specific class, so he practically used it for whatever purpose he needed it for. In this case, he was drawing the mysterious creature that had appeared in his nightmares. Recreating it from memory was easy, although he was not sure if the two masks upon its glowing ‘body’ were completely accurate.

“What the hell was that thing?” he thought to himself. “It was never on Strelizia. Let’s see… it destroyed all of the Klaxobots and tried to come for me… it was somehow responsible for those animals missing their heads… it then saved me from those bubbles and the fog… this is trash… thank God you’re okay…”

It was then that he stopped himself. Suddenly, his emotional state felt like it was changing. He then realised why he felt different: he felt upset. In fact, he felt so upset that, if he kept thinking about his dreams, he could tell he would start crying. There was indeed slight moisture in his eyes, but he was able to prevent it from worsening.

“What?” he whispered to himself. It was so quiet and stealthily done that he did not even need to move his mouth. “Why are those dreams making me upset thinking about them? I’m not five.”

He continued looking at his drawing, which took up the corner of a page. Nothing seemed familiar about the creature, so it was clearly something his mind had made up, just as they often did when a living being slept. The only question to him was why it started appearing.

“I wish to see Kokoro Ichido in my office. I repeat, Kokoro Ichido is to go to my office. That will be all.”

Kokoro was shocked to hear her name being called by Frank on the speaker system, but she—along with her peers—knew the reason. She decided to take her satchel with her as a precaution, leaving the classroom with no further word to Hachi, who had in fact emailed Frank that Kokoro was in school. She slowly made her way to his office, the journey there reminding her of the ill-fated walk she performed only three days prior to Yamamoto’s own office. The whole memory haunted her, making her wish she knew about her baby’s existence prior to learning she had been born in one of the worst possible places.

She knocked on Frank’s door, a small shout of “come in” following. She opened the door, revealing that he was not the only person in the room, as Yamamoto was standing beside his desk.

“Oh.” Kokoro’s quiet words caught the nurse’s attention.

“Kokoro,” Yamamoto nodded at her.

The student moved forward and stood before the desk, all while remaining seated in the wheelchair.

“Good morning,” Frank told her.

“Good morning, sir,” Kokoro replied.

“How are we feeling?” he asked her.

“Better.” There was a very slight hesitation in her words.

“‘Better’?” He repeated her word. “In what way?”

“I-I’ve recovered from the birth,” she noted.

“That’s good to hear,” Yamamoto replied. “But how have you recovered?”

Kokoro looked puzzled. She was genuinely surprised by how she was being asked such a question from a nurse.

“What she means is your recovery physical or mental?” Frank explained to her. As Kokoro processed his words, he continued talking to her. “Kokoro, you may have physically recovered from what happened on Friday, but there is no possible way you have not been affected emotionally by it.” He leaned forward slightly. “How do we feel?”

She looked down into her lap, her hands gripping the material of her skirt.

“Worried,” she quietly spoke. “I feel worried. For that little girl. I may not have drunk and I don’t smoke, but I should have done more for her. I’m lucky she doesn’t have defects.”

“How is she?” Yamamoto asked her.

“She’s being given antibiotics and needs equipment to help her breathe. She should be out in at least a month’s time.”

“That’s good,” Frank nodded. “But focusing on you being worried—this is the only gripe I have about you returning to your studies. You may feel emotional distress being back here very shortly after Friday’s events. Kokoro, Franxx has contact with a former student who is a psychiatrist. If there are students with emotional issues, I can provide them their details so they can contact them. Would you like me to give you their number?”

She paused slightly.

“N-No thank you,” she gently replied.

“Are you sure?” He was surprised, as was Yamamoto.

“I’m sure,” the student nodded. “I have my friends and family to help me.”

“That might not be enough,” Yamamoto warned her.

“I-I’ll be fine,” Kokoro reassured her. “I promise.”

Frank was visibly defeated.

“Okay,” he spoke quietly. “But if there are any issues, I can give you their number.”

“I understand, sir.”

“Right,” he nodded. “You can return to homeroom now.”

“Thank you, sir.” She turned around and was about to open the door when she stopped herself. She faced the duo again. “Also, I cannot apologise enough for—”

“There is nothing to apologise for,” Yamamoto told her. “As I said to you the other day, you were lucky to be in good hands.”

Kokoro nodded back and then left the room. Once she was gone, Yamamoto faced Frank.

“You should still have given her that information.”

“It’s her decision,” he told her. “It’s just a waiting game to see how she copes being back at Franxx. If something doesn’t happen today, it’ll be tomorrow.”

“If you ask me, she shouldn’t be back at school, full stop. I’m amazed the doctors even told her it was acceptable even with the wheelchair.”

Chapter Text

Morning break had started, with the corridors of Franxx filling with its students shortly after the bell had rung. As they poured out into the grounds of the academy itself, Kokoro briefly stopped by her locker to store away a textbook she did not need to carry with her for the rest of that day. It was one of the few instances where she could stand from her wheelchair to complete a task.

“I still can’t believe what happened to that second-year student.”

She overheard the conversation between two female students. They were passing by, Kokoro’s face obscured by her locker door. She continued listening to what was being said knowing it was about her.

“I know, right? How can you not know you were knocked up? Surely she’d be wanting to take a leak every five minutes and be puking all over the place.”

“Do you think she had a toilet baby? I’ve read stories where that has happened a lot.”

“I once read about a woman whose baby fell down her trouser leg when she arrived at the hospital. The only difference is she knew she was pregnant.”

The conversation went on, slowly fading away the further the two students were from where Kokoro stood. She shut her locker and began her journey to the field. As she made her way, the words of those students, as well as the other ones she heard in passing from the many other students that day, rang in her mind intrusively. The way they all looked at her and discussed the events of the previous Friday made her feel like a member of a circus freakshow. She already felt bad with what had happened, but hearing her peers talk about her behind her back made her feel worse. Fortunately, she never heard her friends doing such things, but had a strong feeling they likely were as well.

“It’s good to see you’re back.” She was greeted by Ichigo, who was sitting down on the grass like the rest of Squad 13 in their usual spot near the metal fence.

“I wasn’t gone long.” Kokoro smiled, hiding her anxiety. “You know I was only away one day.”

“At least you have some normality,” Zero Two noted, but like the rest of her friends, she was deeply concerned for her.

“Yeah,” Kokoro nodded to this. “That’s what I really need.” She scanned over who was present as she sat down, only to realise one person was absent. “Where’s Mitsuru?”

“He’s performed a magic trick,” Zorome told her. “He’s vanished up his own ass.”

Miku proceeded to slap him around the back of the head.

“What the hell was that for?!” he snapped at her as he rubbed the back of his head.

“Don’t be so insensitive!” Miku barked back. “You know how she feels right now.”

“I’m trying to make light of it.”

“Not when they’re having to put up with… you know!”

“Guys, it’s fine.” Kokoro stretched out her arms to settle the duo. “Don’t worry. So, Mitsuru is avoiding all of us now?”

“So, it would seem,” Goro noted, briefly looking at Futoshi. The teenager with the bushy eyebrows was eating a bread roll as usual, folding his arms and pouting when he noticed he was being glared at by the other male members of the group.

“He’s blocked all of us on social media,” Hiro added. “He hasn’t unfriended us. Just blocked us. He won’t even speak to us when you’re not around.”

“So much for talking about your problems,” Naomi snorted. The other females of the group—sans Kokoro—were aware of Futoshi’s jealousy, having been informed by Hiro on Saturday. “You’d think he would’ve said something to any of us, let alone the staff.”

“With a mother like his, though.” Futoshi then spoke after his previous bite. “I think he behaves the way he does because how he was raised.”

“No shit,” Zorome replied. “We’ve hardly spoken to her and we can all tell she’s obsessive and controlling. That’s how he got his superiority complex.”

“What about you?” Miku questioned the teenager with the wild hair. “You’ve got one too. Look at that gaming session you uploaded yesterday afternoon. You boasted for a minute straight you no-scoped that enemy. It wasn’t even an online battle. It was an NPC!”

“But they were a tough target to begin with.”

“Playing against an NPC is different to another player.” Hiro was observational. “A real person moves at random and can be hard to predict. An NPC’s behaviour can be predicted depending on the type of video game.”

“Just as long as their behaviour is fair,” Ikuno added. “I don’t understand why some developers deliberately make their games ludicrously hard.”

“Some people are masochists,” Miku told her. “Your mum would know a thing or two about that, wouldn’t she?” She teased her friend.

“Oh, don’t bring that up.” Ikuno shuddered at the memory. “That was a very awkward talk we had that day for all of us.”

“It could have been worse. Couldn’t it, Futoshi?” Zorome faced his large friend. “Ikuno’s not the only person to walk in on their parents doing it. If I ever want to get rid of a boner, I know what to imagine considering they’re ‘big boned’ like you are.”

“So, these are your friends, Iota?”

The soft but still masculine voice caught the attention of the group. Standing before them were two students in the Franxx Academy uniform. The taller one of the duo had bushy blonde hair and green eyes, and while they were male, appeared to have an almost feminine trait to them. The other student was shorter, possessing lime green hair in a bob cut. While the male wore trousers, the female instead wore a skirt as per the demands of the uniform policy. Squad 13 were silent, all staring at the two students. They knew exactly who they were.

“You’re part of the Nines, aren’t you?” Hiro asked them.

“Indeed,” the male nodded. He had a posh flair to himself. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Alpha and this is Delta.”

“Hello,” the female gave a small wave. She seemed cheerful.

“So, you use nicknames?” Ichigo asked next.

“Of course,” Delta nodded. “Other than myself and Alpha, the rest of us include Beta, Gamma, Epsilon, Zeta, Eta, and Theta.”

“Of course, it was not just us,” Alpha noted. “Iota was with us too.”

He was looking at Zero Two, the rest of The Squad turning to face her.

“I don’t like that name,” she hissed.

“So, Zero Two sounds better?” Alpha was constantly smiling, as was Delta. He glanced at her friends. “Have you ever wondered why she prefers calling herself that?”

“We know why,” Hiro replied. “When the police found her, they—”

“Of course, you know about the ‘Child Zero-Two’ part.” Alpha cut him off. “The other reason is her connection to us. More precisely, myself. would you like to know what mine and Delta’s real names are?”

“Not really.” Zero Two folded her arms and rolled her eyes.

“Delta’s is Eriko Ishida. Mine is Hiroshi Watanabe.”

“Watanabe?” Miku seemed to awaken upon hearing the name. She seemed shocked.

“Zero Two, that’s your surname.” Zorome stated the obvious. “Does that mean—”

“I’m her older cousin,” Alpha proudly announced. “Two years older, to be precise.”

“I thought you looked familiar,” Hiro noted. “I saw a photo of you around her place.”

“Well, I don’t live there because I am not Tomi’s son. I’m Satoru’s.” Alpha was referring to his uncle and father, respectively. He then clasped his hands together, his smile never fading. “Now, I see this is your ‘squad’ that you hang out with. The first proper friends you’ve ever had. I must thank you all for being her friends. Especially you.”

He looked straight at Hiro.

“Which one is the animal killer?” Delta asked eagerly. She was almost jumping on the spot with enthusiasm. Squad 13 all looked shocked at her choice of words.

“Animal killer?” Kokoro was puzzled.

“The one who tried to hurt Iota just because she took the one she loved away from her.”

“We’ve heard many stories since we arrived today,” Alpha noted. “If what that Takada guy has said is anything to go by, said person has also been nicknamed ‘Bitchigo’.”

“Stop saying that!” Goro suddenly barked. He seemed irate. “She doesn’t deserve that treatment for what she did.”

“Goro, it’s fine.” Ichigo calmed him down, her hand on his shoulder. “They’re not properly saying it themselves anyway.”

“Are you her?” Alpha leaned forward. He still stood before them but towered over Ichigo. The short girl with the blue hair nodded. “Well, it’s nice to meet you.”

“We’ve also heard that one of you was pregnant and didn’t know about it.” Like Alpha, Delta seemed immensely insensitive. Kokoro almost jumped at her words. “How do you do that?”

“That is enough!” Futoshi sharply yelled, jumping up from where he sat. He was instantly on his feet, his actions never making Alpha or Delta flinch. “Can you be any more insensitive?!”

“Futoshi.” Ikuno held his wrist. He looked down at her, her behaviour being very calm, but firm. “Calm. Let’s just sit ourselves back down.”

With a quick sigh, he sat back down.

“You know, outside of what we’ve learned here, we have something which you’ll learn about APE in return.”

“And what’s that?” Zero Two asked her cousin coldly. Her arms were still folded.

“You were the figurehead of a rebellion.”

Like before, the rest of Squad 13 sharply faced her. Zero Two seemed puzzled.

“How?” she asked the duo.

“Your expulsion was what triggered it.” Delta detailed the story. “Everyone knew that APE was not as good as it appeared to be, and when Iota was expelled with the other student to hide the truth of what happened, the students started to plot against APE. They were going to create a blog which exposed them for the corrupt liars that they were, but on the day it was going to start, Mr. Rokuda got arrested for having kiddie porn on the school’s servers.”

“And the rest is history,” Alpha added. “Of course, the Nines were kept out of the loop to prevent us from leaking it to the old principal and vice principal. We often snitched when we were studying there.” He then faced Delta. “Well, I think we’ve had our fair share of introducing ourselves to Iota’s friends. It’s best we walk on.”

“I agree!”

The two happily walked off, Squad 13 staring at them with disbelief. Their behaviour certainly seemed off.

“The hell is wrong with them?” Zorome muttered.

“So, for how long were you going to conceal from us that one of those people was a part of your family?” Naomi faced Zero Two. She was cold.

“Ever since I wished he wasn’t my cousin.” The teenager with the pink hair gave a plain response. “He was a bully towards me because he envied the attention I received when I was found all those years ago. And that was before he even founded the Nines. They’re very intelligent, especially Alpha, so keep your eye out. They were also highly critical of any staff at APE that they perceived as incompetent, and were willing to snitch them out to Principal Asaka.”

Zorome held his head low upon hearing his father being mentioned.

“I get the feeling they took advantage of APE’s corruption so they could get away with their behaviour.” Ikuno analysed what she already knew.

“That’s exactly what they did,” Zero Two replied. “With the corruption gone, they got kicked out, but Principal Frank has given those two another chance. He refused to allow the others here. Believe me—they wouldn’t dream of being snitches for him. I doubt they’ll change, so it won’t be long until we say good riddance.”

Chapter Text

For the most part, the school day continued just like any other. Granted, there were whispers from other students about the unexpected birth—with said whispers being overheard by the rest of Squad 13 as well—but no definitive harassment took place. After the large group of friends sat together to eat their lunch in the cafeteria, they parted ways to go about any tasks they had to do. As they did this, Miku walked with Kokoro.

“I need to head up to the library to finish some work,” the girl with the pigtails told her friend. “Do you want to join me?”

“In a little bit. I need the toilet first.”

“Fair enough. Meet you there.”

Miku walked on ahead while Kokoro took a left turn in the corridor. She soon found the disabled toilet that was situated in that area and entered it. She opened the door of the cubicle, pushed her wheelchair inside, and locked the door behind her.

It was then that she froze. She was in a different room than the toilet cubicle in Yamamoto’s office, but the memory of what had taken place the previous Friday rang back into her mind. Even as she turned around after she stood up, lowered her underwear to her knees and seated herself on the toilet with her skirt briefly lifted, the memory assaulted her mind, haunting her.

I thought it was my period. Nothing else. It was the same pain, but worse.

I insisted I went to school. My mother, let alone my father, did not want me to, but I had previously been at Franxx when I found myself having a painful cycle, so I knew I could tolerate it.

It was in homeroom where everything felt worse. I thought I was having a migraine as I felt so faint. Before I knew it, let alone the rest of my class, I threw up. I had eaten very little that morning, but that did not stop my body from expelling it.

Mr. Kato sent me to the nurse’s office, where Ms. Yamamoto checked me over. When I considered the possibility I had appendicitis, I was frightened. I have heard so many stories of people who have had that, and even though they had successful operations, it showed how close to death they were.

Then I felt a sudden urgency to use the toilet. Ms. Yamamoto let me use the toilet in her office, and when I was there, I could feel that something was trying to come out. I assumed I might have had something that did not agree with me, I was severely constipated, or I unknowingly was holding back a large bowel movement. I felt something come out of me very quickly that I just assumed was diarrhoea, even though I could feel that there was still something inside of me. I pushed and pushed, screaming on the last push as I felt something finally emerge.

And then the pain was gone. It had stopped. It was like it was never there in the first place. I was so relieved.

Then I heard something splashing underneath me. This was shortly followed by a tiny sound that soon became a cry for help. But it never said that word. It was a cry. A sad cry. I knew what that exact sound meant, but I was begging it was not true. I stood off the toilet and looked down.

There was a baby in the toilet. She was so small, sitting upright, an obvious sign she had been born breech. Amongst my fear, I still had the instinct to lift her out of the toilet, holding her before me and staring in horror at who had unknowingly been inside me. It was then that I started crying. Other than asking ‘how did I not know?’ I asked how I was. I remembered the time I shared with Mitsuru at the beach. I distinctly remember him pulling out. Clearly, it was not a good contraceptive method, and because of my carelessness, I had given birth to a child who was clearly premature. I have never smoked or drank, but that did not mean I was treating my body properly during the time this little girl was inside me.

Ms. Yamamoto then unlocked the door and came in to help us. She calmed me down, and I am so thankful she did, as I could feel myself slipping away. She cleaned up the baby and contacted Principal Frank about what had happened, and all I could do was apologise for everything I had done. She told me I did not need to, but I felt I had to. She also checked on me, finding that I was still bleeding, and I had… pooped… during birth.

If I was not already embarrassed by the birth, let alone that, I felt worse when Principal Frank saw the state I was in. As he contacted my mother, I knew I would have a lot of explaining to do not just for her, but my father. He is very protective of us, and I knew that, once I told them who the father was, he would lash out at him. He has never overexerted anger towards me, but I have seen him do it while in the line of duty as a police officer. I had a strong feeling he would be close to that once I told him about myself and Mitsuru.

The paramedics soon arrived, and just before they took me to hospital, my placenta came out, but I kept bleeding. As it turns out, I was having what is called a postpartum haemorrhage, and I feared for my life when I heard a paramedic say I was losing blood. Fortunately, I never lost too much, and I am still here to tell this story.

For several minutes, long after she had finished what she had to do, Kokoro cried to herself. It took a while for herself to recover, the trip to the stall—despite being a different one—seemingly being the trigger for her upsetting memory.

She cleaned herself and flushed the toilet, washing her hands in the nearby sink. She checked in the mirror that her appearance did not give away she had been crying. She wiped her eyes with her sleeve, dried her hands with a paper towel and left the room in her wheelchair.

“Okay,” she thought to herself. “I’ll be checking on that little girl with Ichigo and Goro today after school. We all want to see her get better.”

Chapter Text

“Zorome.”

Hachi approached the student he named. Zorome looked up from his desk, having been flicking through his notebook. He still had the sketch of the unusual glowing being that had appeared in his dreams.

“Sir?”

“Could you do me a favour and retrieve some lined paper from the storage room at the end of the corridor? I need to have some spare in my desk’s drawer.”

“Yes sir.”

“If anyone asks, tell them I sent you.”

The student slowly stood up from his desk and left his homeroom. He knew exactly where the storage room itself was, which was often unlocked, but a sign was hung up that stated STAFF ONLY in big bold letters. This did not stop students from entering it, whether they received a staff member’s permission or not to do so.

In less than a quarter of a minute, Zorome was standing before the room itself, the door being painted a creamy tan. He twisted the silver metal handle and pulled the door open, revealing a small room that could have housed one person if it was an office. Inside of it were tall wooden shelves with four tiers, holding various exercise books, papers, paints, and numerous stationary tools. While the items themselves were extremely organised on the shelves, there were still countless sheets of paper lying on the floor, almost obscuring the green square tiles beneath it.

Zorome walked into the room, scanning his eyes across the shelves to locate the item he had been told to search for.

“Red exercise book. Green exercise book. Small purple exercise book. Pack of colouring pencils. Those stupid maths compasses. Plain paper. Lined paper!”

He instantly noticed what he was looking for, the paper being stored within a plastic package. He removed one from the shelf it was on, briefly hesitating afterwards.

“How many did he want? Should I bring two?” His eyes looked back and forth at the heavy package in his hands and the ones on the shelf. He then shrugged. “If he wants more, he’ll say.”

Just as he was about to walk off, Zorome found himself stuck to the floor. At first, he assumed he had trodden in some glue that must have been amongst the papers on the floor, but when he looked down, he could not believe his eyes. Not just were his feet buried beneath the papers, which were right up to his ankles, but he seemed to be sinking down. It was almost as if he was in quicksand. The sudden realisation of what was happening made the process accelerate, and in a matter of seconds, he found himself buried up to his knees. He tried to pull one of his legs out with his hands, but the force of the paper prevented him from doing so.

“Help!” he cried out as loud as he could. “Help me! Somebody help me! I don’t know what’s happening!”

By that point, his legs were fully submerged under the paper and floor, and as he tried to use his hands to push himself out, they had sunk under as well.

“Help! Futoshi! Goro! Hiro! Zero Two! Mum! Someone!?”

“LET ME DO IT!”

He recognised the voice instantly. His heart was already racing, but it raced even faster than before. A few seconds later, the strange being that had been haunting him had returned yet again. Due to how he was low in the floor—almost up to his shoulders, in fact—it towered over him.

“No!” Zorome begged. “Not you! You always do this to me!”

“SINCE YOU CAN’T DO IT YOURSELF, I’LL MAKE YOU DO IT.”

An arm emerged from between the two purple masks, glowing brightly just like the rest of the body. It pressed itself down hard on Zorome’s head, pushing him down further than before.

Just as he screamed, his head was fully submerged, the feeling of the paper cutting him making him scream even more, but the paper muffled his cries.

Like before, Zorome awoke in a sweat. It was yet another nightmare. He hastily activated his bedside light, checking his arms and legs for paper cuts, but there were none. His bedside clock read half past three in the morning. He was sweltering under his pyjama shirt, forcing him to remove it entirely and toss it on the floor after he used it to wipe his brow.

“Why,” he whispered to himself aloud. “Why do I keep having these nightmares? I’m not a little kid. Why are they getting to me?”

Chapter Text

Still feeling tired despite how he was able to fall asleep earlier that morning, Zorome left his home and began his walk to Franxx. He had received a text message from Futoshi, who stated he was going to be running late slightly, meaning that Zorome would be commencing his walk by himself.

After almost five minutes of walking, he stopped at a traffic light junction. As he waited for the green light in the shape of a humanoid to appear, allowing him permission to cross the road, he once again thought back to his nightmares.

“What is it with these dreams? Why do I keep having them? I swear I once read somebody said they can sometimes predict the future. Could that be what these are?”

He immediately pushed the idea away.

“No, that would be stupid, Zorome. Your grades are hardly perfect, but even you know that is stupid. But what is that thing I keep seeing? And why is it chasing after me?”

The light turned green and a loud beeping was heard, drawing his attention to the crossing. All the vehicles were stationary, allowing him to cross the road and reach the other path. As he walked on, his focus returned to his memories of the nightmares.

“It was pushing me down under the ground. The paper on it was like quicksand. It hurt like hell as well. Then again, papercuts are painful. But what did that thing say?”

His mind tried to piece together the rest of the dream. He soon remembered what it said, a concentrated expression appearing on his face as he mulled it over.

“Since you can’t do it yourself, I’ll make you do it.”

Unexpectedly, an overwhelming sensation swept over Zorome. His face tensed itself, his vision becoming blurry as tears formed in them. Just like with the previous day, concentrating on analysing the nightmares were inexplicably upsetting him for reasons that he could not fathom.

“Damnit,” he cursed under his breath. He stopped walking to wipe his eyes with his sleeve. “No. This happened to me yesterday. Why am I crying suddenly?”

“Morning, Zorome!”

Zorome almost jumped out of his skin when the large hand slapped itself down on his shoulder. He spun around to face who was talking to him, only to find that it was Futoshi. He stared at his friend with wide shocked eyes.

“Is everything alright?”

Zorome continued looking shocked at Futoshi. He never responded; his eyes now clear of tears.

“Hello? Earth to Zorome? Are you feeling okay?”

“I thought you said you were running late!” Zorome sharply barked. It was then Futoshi’s turn to look shocked, but his expression was barely held for a second.

“So did I. It turns out the last question on that piece of maths revision for tomorrow’s test wasn’t too difficult after all. I’d been putting it off for quite a while.”

“Oh. Yeah.” Zorome seemed dazed. “Yeah, I’ve been revising too. It’s non-calculator, right?”

“Yep.”

“Thank god.” He breathed a sigh of relief. “I didn’t want to be looking at the wrong one.”

“So, are you feeling okay though? It looked as though you were wiping your eyes.”

“Because I had an itch.”

“Itchy eyes?”

“Yeah,” Zorome nodded. “That and I irritated them this morning when I accidentally got a pencil shaving in one.” It was a lie, but he hoped it would be believed. “In fairness, better to have this kind of pink eye than the other.”

“Uh, yeah.” Futoshi was, for once, surprised by how the conversation drifted down a smutty route. He was used to it from Zorome, but even he was taken back by what he had just been told. “Let’s continue walking.”

Goro was standing in front of his locker, tending to the items inside of it. He had at least five minutes before homeroom started, and even though the task he set out to complete would not take long, he wanted to make sure he was punctual as usual. He slipped the exercise book for geography into his rucksack and shut the locker.

Just as he was about to walk off, he stopped when he found Alpha standing before him with a small smile.

“Good morning,” the student with the blonde hair calmly spoke. “Goro, isn’t it?”

“Uh, yes.” Goro too was calm, his behaviour almost awkward. “Did you want to speak to me about something?”

“Indeed,” Alpha nodded. “You and Iota possess the same homeroom teacher, do you not?”

“Yes.” Goro nodded back, unsure of where the conversation was leading. “Ms. Matsumoto. Why do you ask?”

“Well, I just want to know what your opinion is of her.”

“My opinion?” He was stupefied by what was being asked. “Well… she’s fine. Really nice when you get to know her. She can be a bit… well, scary if you get on her bad side. No other way I can describe her, really.”

There was a long pause between them. Alpha’s expression never changed.

“Interesting. But what do you think of her actual teaching abilities?”

“Fine,” Goro shrugged. “Like I said, nothing else I can really say about her.”

“What about when it comes to discipline?”

“Oh.” Again, Goro was surprised. “Well, as I said, she can be scary. She will be strict if she absolutely has to be.”

“And how often is that?”

Goro once again shrugged.

“When she has to be.”

Like before, there was a long pause, with Alpha’s smug expression never altering.

“Delta and I shared a class with her yesterday. We both witnessed how there were two students misbehaving, with said students being seated together. At one point, she sent them out to the corridor, and after staying there for approximately five minutes, when they returned to their seats, they persisted with their behaviour. Exiling them to the corridor is one thing, but for Ms. Matsumoto to not consider moving the two apart baffled us. It was the obvious solution, and yet she never performed it. The reason I enquired for your opinion was purely just to see another perspective. You perceive her as a good member of staff, whereas Delta and I possess a different viewpoint.”

With no further words, Alpha turned around and walked off. Goro could not believe he had just engaged in a conversation with who he and his friends perceived as an enemy, but what surprised him even more was the intelligence displayed by them. He always thought himself, let alone Hiro, Ichigo, and Ikuno were very analytical, but what he witnessed astounded him.

He then remembered what he was doing and proceeded to walk to his homeroom.

Chapter Text

It was lunch break, with all the students at Franxx busying themselves in various ways outside of their timetabled lessons. Both Ikuno and Naomi were using the girl’s toilets, with the former first emerging from the cubicle she used after she flushed the toilet. She was shortly followed by Naomi, who left the cubicle next to the one she had used.

“Those Alpha and Delta are dangerous.” Ikuno was the first person to speak as they both washed their hands at the long row of sinks. “If what Goro said is anything to go by, I think they’re the complete opposite of Zero Two.”

“They’re the complete opposite of all of us,” Naomi replied.

“No, I mean with their intelligence. They’re both opposites and equals to her, just like with an archnemesis in a work of fiction. They think differently to everyone else. They must have used loopholes at APE to get away with what they did, regardless of them taking advantage of the corruption.”

“It’s likely.” They moved away from the sinks and stood in front of the paper towel dispenser. They took a paper each and dried their hands before throwing the papers in the bin underneath. “But I am not going down without a fight. I am not going to let them get to me.” She seemed very hot blooded. “If they do anything to us, let alone any of the other LGBT students here, we are going to make sure we will put an end to it.”

“Hello!”

Naomi almost jumped with fright at the voice that emanated from behind her. She slowly turned around to see that Delta was standing before her, having had just entered the girl’s toilets. Naomi took a small step back, standing closer to Ikuno, who was also unsure of what was going to transpire. All the while, Delta stood before the duo, her hands held behind her back while a cheerful smile was on her face.

“Hi.” Naomi’s response was quiet. After this, Delta continued staring at them unflinchingly.

“Aren’t you two the pioneers of the LGBTQ+ club here?”

“Uh… yes.” Ikuno adjusted her glasses.

“Why?”

The question made the two friends stare at each other. They were both anxious. It was Naomi who provided the response.

“To help support the LGBTQ students that study here. We set it up after we came out to our friends and families and learned how supportive they could be.”

Delta’s movements never changed, apart from her eyes focusing on Naomi, then Ikuno, and then Naomi again.

“Are you both gay?”

“Yes,” Ikuno quietly replied.

“What is it like?”

The duo’s eyes widened at the question. Like before, they faced each other, but Naomi was the one who responded.

“Not that different to being like anyone else.” She wanted to be assertive but feared that any sign of aggression could escalate the situation. “We’re still the same people. We are only attracted to the same sex, that’s all. It doesn’t change anything else about us.”

When she finished talking, Delta continued staring at them. Several seconds passed before she walked past them and entered one of the cubicles. Deciding not to hesitate, Ikuno and Naomi left the toilets and entered the corridor.

“She’s awfully chipper,” Ikuno noted. “She almost had me on edge.”

“It’s a good thing we were both there,” Naomi told her. “Better that we worked together to get out of that than it was just one of us. Dykes like us have to stick together.”

Ikuno sharply looked at her. She was far from offended but was shocked by the remark, especially knowing her friend’s history with that word.

“Hey.” Naomi smiled at her. “Only we can use that word. Now, let’s see how Kokoro is. Didn’t she say she would be heading towards the library?”

Elsewhere, Kokoro was indeed making her way to where Franxx’s library was. It was situated on the first floor of the main building, the hallway with the winding stairs to the next floor being painted an off-white colour, with a lift nearby for students and staff who could not use the stairs.

Just after she pressed the button for the lift, a voice caught her attention.

“Hey, you.”

She froze instantly. She was not terrified, but knew the call was targeted at herself. Kokoro faced the person, who was another student. They were tall and broad-chested, their grey-blonde hair being greyer than her own. She knew exactly who this student was: it was Mark Takada, the same student who had previously bullied Ichigo a few months prior. He was accompanied by his group of friends, which consisted of three males and two females.

“Aren’t you that girl who got knocked up and didn’t even know about it?”

Kokoro was intimidated. Up until that point, none of the other students had directly spoken to her about her unexpected arrival. She did not know what to say. All the while, he knew the answer.

“How the hell did you even do that?” Mark was incredibly scornful. He was by no means shouting, but his voice had an almost commanding tone to it. “Surely you spotted some sort of sign you had a child inside you before you gave birth.” He took a few steps closer, standing directly in front of her and towered over her. He was cold. “My mother knew when she was having me. How did you not even know about your own? I bet you had it on the toilet, thinking you had to push out a massive turd.”

What happened next was something Mark, let alone his friends and the other passing students who had witnessed his talk, never anticipated on. Kokoro’s eyes widened and she stood up out of the wheelchair and tried backing away, only to fall backwards onto the stairs behind her. She gripped her head with her hands tightly.

“No! No!”

Almost instantly, she started crying. Just like with when she had learned she had given birth, she was hysterical. Unlike with that incident, she was hyperventilating and her heart pounded in her chest.

“No! How could I not know I was pregnant? I’m too young to become a mother!”

Mark and the students nearby took a few steps back, horrified at what they were witnessing. They then watched as Kokoro stuck a hand between her legs under her skirt, making her notice there was a warm liquid coming from her, which began to pool around her on the lower steps and make their way onto the floor.

“No! No! No! No! How can I not know again?!”

As she screamed and cried, the horrified Mark tried to calm her down, but never lowered himself to her level.

“Hey. Listen to me. Listen. It’s just piss.”

His attempts to help her made her scream louder than before. All the students witnessing her meltdown had previously also been critical of her but seeing her in the state she was in made her realise how stressed she was by the birth.

“Kokoro!”

Ikuno came running over, with Naomi running shortly after. The spectacled girl lowered herself to where her friend was, avoiding stepping in the puddle beneath her.

“Ikuno, it’s happening again! I can’t be having another baby! What if I bleed out and die this time?”

“Kokoro, you’re not pregnant again.” Ikuno soothingly spoke to calm her. “It’s okay.” She then hugged her friend, who hugged back as she cried into her shoulder. “You’ve just had a panic attack, that’s all.”

“I-I-I didn’t think she would lose it.” Mark was clearly remorseful for berating her.

“You made this happen?” Naomi sharply looked at him. If looks could kill, her angered face certainly would have done so. “What the hell were you thinking?”

“I said I didn’t think she would lose it! I never thought she’d get all spastic like she did.”

“Well, look what you’ve done, all because you wanted to tell her you were shocked that she didn’t know about her pregnancy.”

Mark, let alone his friends and the other students, looked alarmed by what she had told them.

“Yeah, I’ve heard what everyone’s been saying.” Naomi folded her arms as she continued scolding them. “So don’t even think about doing it again. I thought you’d have learned a thing or two from when you bullied Ichigo.”

“But I wasn’t trying to bully Kokoro!”

“You should keep your opinions to yourself, you arrogant fuckhead.”

“What’s going on here?”

Apart from Kokoro, who continued crying into Ikuno’s shoulder, all the students faced Principal Frank, who walked over to them with a noticeable pace. He saw Ikuno comforting her and noticed the urine on the floor.

“Kokoro.” He spoke her name in a hushed tone. “Dear lord.”

“I’m sorry!” Mark begged. “I was only questioning her as to how—”

“Takada, you should know better than to harass a person under immense pressure.” Frank was more than firm, and for once was yelling, but not as intensely as he potentially could have. “You don’t deliberately flash a light at someone with epilepsy, do you? Put yourself in her shoes. You would be surprised if someone you knew suddenly gave birth without knowing they were pregnant, wouldn’t you? Such occurrences that you see documented on the television have ramifications that are not always depicted. This is one of them.”

He then lowered himself to where Ikuno and Kokoro were. Just like Ikuno, he avoided the puddle.

“Kokoro.” His voice switched to that of a gentle, friendlier tone. The student’s head removed itself from her friend’s shoulder and faced the principal. “I am not going to let you ignore this anxiety anymore. Clean yourself up and meet me at my office. I have the contact details of the psychiatrist there.”

He then faced Mark again.

“Go to my office. I’m not done with speaking to you yet.”

Chapter Text

That same day after the school day had ended, it was Naomi and Ikuno’s turn to join Kokoro with her visit to Cerasus South Hospital. As with the rest of their friends, they were concerned about how Kokoro felt guilt for not knowing she was pregnant, her frequent visits to the hospital being her method of watching over the child she had unknowingly carried. Her behaviour was almost obsessive, fuelling her friends’ worries about her more.

“This is her.” Kokoro’s voice was hushed as she entered the NICU ward. She directed Naomi and Ikuno to the incubator, where the small girl was lying. Kokoro opened the hatch so she could gently stroke the child.

“She’s so small.” Naomi stated what was plainly obvious.

“But she has a very high chance of survival,” Ikuno reminded her. “I can see her doing well.”

“So can I,” Kokoro nodded, briefly facing her before looking back at the baby. “But I want to make sure.”

For almost half a minute, the trio looked at the small child in the incubator, who weakly held one of Kokoro’s fingers. Outside of the heart monitor for Kokoro’s baby and the others in the room, there was silence.

“Thank you for earlier.” The teenager with the grey-blonde hair suddenly spoke. She yet again faced Ikuno. “I’ve never felt that upset before. I’m glad you found me.”

“We’d be lying if we said we weren’t worried about you,” the spectacled girl replied. “We know you’re pretty shaken up by what’s happened.”

“But then again, anyone would if this happened to them,” Naomi added. “Hey, Ikuno.” She looked at her. “What was that thing you once said your mother had after she had you?”

Ikuno hesitated slightly as she tried to process what was being referred to. She then realised what Naomi meant.

“Post-partum depression. Why?”

“Well, maybe Kokoro has that. Your mum may have never had difficulties with your birth, but it’s a possibility.”

“That’s true,” Ikuno nodded. “But if you ask me, I think Kokoro most likely has PTSD.”

“PTSD?” Kokoro was surprised at the idea. “My father says that some of the officers on the force have had that, but I’ve never been the victim of a crime.”

“It can happen if anything traumatic happens.” A young male nurse overheard their conversation, having been checking on a nearby baby in another incubator. He walked over and they faced him. “It is not uncommon for women to have PTSD from their birth, whether it was a straightforward one or not. I would strongly advise consulting help if you believe you have it or have been feeling distressed.”

He then left the room. Naomi looked at Kokoro again.

“Do you have those contact details Principal Frank gave you?”

Kokoro patted her satchel, which was slung over her shoulders. She then opened it, pulling out a notepad with the information written down upon the page she showed them. The handwriting was not her own, but Frank’s.

“Good,” Ikuno nodded. “Don’t just take our word for it. There could be more than just trauma involved.”

“You know, there’s still one thing that puzzles me.” Naomi was seemingly intrigued. “Kokoro, how on earth did you end up falling in love with Mitsuru?”

“Oh.” She was taken back by the question. She removed her hand from the incubator and shut the hatch. “Well, we’ve always been friends since we were five, but…” She was clearly trying to piece together her memories. “It was when we all fell out with him after…”

She glanced at Ikuno.

“He hurt me?” She completed her sentence. Kokoro nodded back. “It was when you switched partners for that project.” Again, Kokoro nodded.

“As we worked together, he told me about what he wanted to do. He said he wanted to get really good grades by working with Hiro on the project knowing how smart he is, but when our teacher paired him with you, he was worried he was going to do poorly.” She then realised how she phrased her answer and became defensive, her arms waving out in a panic. “Not because of anything to do with you Ikuno, what I mean is—”

“It’s okay.” Ikuno gave a small smile and laugh. “I know what you meant.”

“Oh.” Kokoro breathed a sigh of relief and then continued her story. “He said that it was his mother who always wanted him to do his best, and he really wanted to do so for the project. He told me that if he ever received a grade that was not to her satisfaction, even if it was still something good, she wanted him to do more.”

“In other words, why have a C when you can have a B, or a B when you have an A.” Naomi expressed what they were all thinking. “I remember you telling us that now. That’s why we all—” She cut herself off, glanced at Ikuno, and then rephrased her words. “That’s why most of us forgave him back then.”

“I remember Mrs. Ebisu on the day she was called in with my mother.” Ikuno reflected as well. “Seeing how she spoke to Mitsuru later made me realise why he is what he is. Back then, because of the misery he caused me, I refused to let it be an excuse to allow me to forgive him. I only forgave him when he properly had shame for it.”

“Okay, but outside of taking pity on him, surely there’s something else you see in him.” Naomi changed the path of the conversation.

“Well, we both like gardening.” Kokoro gave a very small smile.

“Gardening?” Ikuno was surprised.

 “He’s very fond of it,” Kokoro nodded. “He said he likes growing flowers especially, just like I do.”

“Okay.” Naomi was wide-eyed. “Never thought he was that type of person, but I guess there are a lot of things you don’t know about people, even the ones you know well.”

An electronic chime sound suddenly played, being reminiscent of a bell dinging. Kokoro pulled out her mobile phone from her jacket’s pocket and read the text message she received. Immediately, her expression showed concern.

“Who is it?” Naomi enquired. She did not receive a response. “Kokoro, what does it say?”

“I-It’s from Futoshi.” She held up her phone and presented it to the duo. “He was just checking on me. He’s only just heard of what happened earlier.”

She then slipped her phone back into her pocket.

“Can I… speak to you two about something in private?”

“Of course you can.” Ikuno was almost shocked at the question.

“Okay,” Kokoro nodded anxiously. “Futoshi has been really nice and helpful the last few days to me. He’s been checking on me, seeing if I’m fine, and well…” She was almost hesitant to say what was on her mind. “I’m getting the feeling that he has had, for a long time… well, feelings for me.”

Ikuno and Naomi glanced at each other, their expressions and hand movements clearly indicating they were non-verbally arguing with who was going to speak.

“Yeah, about that.” Naomi chose to speak up. “Something Goro told Ichigo, who told us girls in private is that he does. He’s very worried about what has happened.”

“I’ve broken his heart, haven’t I?”

“Kokoro, look.” Ikuno placed her hands on her friend’s shoulders. “This sort of thing happens all the time to people. By being in love with Mitsuru, you haven’t done anything wrong. You just feel differently about him compared to Futoshi.”

“But I do care for Futoshi,” she noted. “How can I—”

“You’re still friends with him. That’s what’s important. If you still help and support him as a friend, that’s all that matters. He’ll get over this and find someone else.”

“Providing Mitsuru comes back to me.” There was a hint of sadness in her voice.

“He’ll come to his senses once we find him,” Naomi reassured her. “Or he stops keeping his distance from us. Whichever comes first.”

Chapter Text

That night, Zorome never experienced a single nightmare. This was not because he did not play video games with horror content, let alone he watched anything on the television with it—purely because he did—but he barely slept. He was too anxious about the maths test he would be sitting the next day. It may have not been an exam, but he had studied harder than he normally would have done to see if he could drastically improve himself. He was by no means poor academically, but he felt rivalled by his friends, who were almost prodigies in comparison to his mediocrity.

Ultimately, he only slept for around three hours, if not under. He was too tired for his mind to conjure up another nightmare, with the only horror he experienced being his alarm clock awakening him as if his home was being ransacked unexpectedly. He trudged his way to Franxx with great tiredness, meeting up with Futoshi just as he normally would.

When he arrived at the academy, just like he would on every Wednesday, he swapped the items around in his locker and his rucksack. Just as he was about to finish his small task, Futoshi nudged his shoulder.

“What?”

He faced his friend, only to shortly realise they had been approached by both Alpha and Delta. The duo stood before them, small smiles on their faces as usual. Zorome and Futoshi knew that, while they were not any sexuality other than heterosexual, they were going to be asked something rather cynical. They, along with the rest of Squad 13, had been informed by Goro of what he had been told by Alpha.

“Good morning.” Delta was cheerful. She gave a small wave despite the short distance between them.

“Uh… morning.” Zorome’s response was quiet. He too gave a small wave, albeit an awkward one.

“We would just like to enquire something from you.” Alpha seemed upright despite what Zero Two had previously said about him.

“Us?” Futoshi was confused.

“No, no. Not you.” Alpha shook his head before looking at Zorome. “You.”

“Me?” Zorome pointed to himself. “Uh… what do you want to know?”

“Since we’ve arrived here, we’ve heard all manner of stories regarding Iota and her friends, as you already know. There is but one small detail we wish to check with you specifically.”

“And that is…?” Zorome was unsure.

“Are you the son of ex-Principal Asaka?”

Delta was the one who provided the question. Instantly, Zorome looked worried, but he stood his ground. He clenched his fists and straightened his back, following these actions by folding his arms.

“Yes.” He was unexpectedly firm, but never shouted. “It’s true. I am the son of the man who expelled many students from APE to cover up their crimes. I’m not happy about it and you won’t believe what I’ve had to go through since I learned he was a liar.” His expression was angry, but tired from not just the night before, but the familiar situation. “Get it over with. Go on.”

“What?” Alpha was perplexed.

“You’re clearly pissed that you got expelled because he and the teachers were replaced. I’ve had enough of people ganging up on me because of the stuff he did. Say whatever you want. Get it out of your system. I’ve seen and heard it all.”

Alpha and Delta exchanged their confused expressions before looking back at him after a few seconds. They were evidently taken back by his small outburst.

“Why should we gang up on a person because of what their parent did?” Alpha questioned him. “There’s no logic to it. You are not your father. You are your own person. We only wished to know if it was true as to whether or not you were his son.”

Zorome was wide-eyed. He slowly unfolded his arms and unclenched his fists. He could not believe the insightful words he had been given.

“Oh.” He did not know what to say. “Okay. Sorry.”

“All’s fine,” Alpha replied, nodding slightly. “Now, if you don’t mind me saying, you look quite tired.”

“Too nervous to sleep last night,” Zorome replied. “I have a test today and I’ve been studying harder than normal for it. I’m hoping I do well.”

“Providing you don’t fall asleep during it,” Delta noted cheerfully. “That reminds me—there was an interesting story about you going around. Is it true you once fell asleep in a lesson and experienced a nocturnal emission?”

“What?!” Zorome almost jumped out of his skin. “No, it’s not true! It never happened!”

“Says you!”

Mark was passing the quartet and stopped by the lockers. He had overheard their conversation.

“It was the talk of the entire academy when it happened! The son of the now-disgraced former principal of APE creamed his pants in maths class. You’d have thought with a father who ran another school he would have better etiquette and social skills.”

He then walked off, laughing all the while. Alpha and Delta yet again exchanged glances before they decided to move on, not speaking another word as they did so. Zorome was incredibly red-faced, his tensed face indicating anger and embarrassment.

“I said you shouldn’t have been on your phone late that night.” While he did try to show some sympathy, Futoshi found it difficult to achieve. “You wouldn’t have fallen asleep if—”

“Just shut up!” Zorome slammed his locker shut and picked up his rucksack. “Let’s get to homeroom.”

“Hand it over!”

Nana’s raised tone caught all the students off guard. It was second period, with her lesson being the one where Zorome would be taking the maths test along with the rest of his class, including Hiro, Futoshi, and Miku; it was the latter student who was being yelled at. The tall teacher approached the student at her desk with a pace.

“Miku, I have seen you remove your calculator from your bag three times now. I have already told you that this is a non-calculator paper.”

She grabbed hold of the silver-grey object in Miku’s hands, a small tug-of-war occurring when she refused to release it from her grasp.

“Why the hell is this paper so damn difficult for once?” Miku barked. She was unusually foul-tempered. Or rather, she was foul-tempered in front of a teacher, something she never did before.

“Hand it over!”

“Did you even check these tests before you handed them out?! The grammar of this entire sentence makes no sense to the point it feels like I’m having a brain haemorrhage. How do you even have a job?! Maybe what those former APE students have said about you is true!”

The entire class were shocked at her words. Some gasped, but everyone’s eyes widened. Even Nana could not believe her ears, her shock making her release her grip on the calculator, allowing Miku to still hold it. However, she was not going to let her win.

“Get out!” She pointed to the door. “Stand in the corridor! We will finish this conversation outside while everyone continues working!”

Miku threw her calculator into her rucksack and stormed out of the room, her arms folded. Nana followed shortly after her, their argument shortly being heard by the students. Zorome glanced back at Hiro, who shrugged, before the student with the messy hair looked at Futoshi, who repeated Hiro’s actions. Saying nothing else, they continued with completing the small paper booklet they had been given.

Chapter Text

The remainder of the maths lesson continued without any further words from Miku, who finished as much of the test as she could. Nana had properly confiscated her calculator and did not return it until the lesson had ended. When this happened, morning break started, and Squad 13—except for Mitsuru still—navigated their way to their usual spot on the academy’s field and sat together on the grass.

“Hey, uh, Miku.” Hiro was the first person to speak to her. “Is everything alright? You seemed very flustered last lesson.”

“What happened?” Ichigo then asked her.

“She lost her shit with Ms. Matsumoto because she was using her calculator during a non-calculator test.” Zorome answered for her, the girl with the pigtails still possessing an irritated expression. She folded her arms when the topic was discussed. “Yeah, what was that about? Normally you don’t act like that around teachers.”

Miku gave a frustrated sigh.

“My laptop’s broken,” she told her friends. “My dad said he needed to borrow it yesterday afternoon, and before I knew it, it had detached from the hinge. He’s taken it to a repair shop, and they said it might be a few days to come back to us. I have so much work on there that is important to me.”

“I didn’t think it would take long to reattach,” Naomi observed.

“They say it is low priority, so we’re in a queue.”

“Still, that’s no reason to flare up at a teacher,” Goro told her. “Especially Ms. Matsumoto.”

“I thought you liked her,” Futoshi asked him.

“I do, but that doesn’t mean she’s a bit… well, scary when mad.”

“It’s the same with Mr. Kato,” Kokoro commented. Everyone looked at her with shocked faces.

“He’s like that all the damn time,” Zorome told her. “I’ve never seen him smile once.”

“I have,” Ikuno noted. “It was… unsettling.”

A phone could be heard vibrating, and it was emanating from Kokoro’s satchel. She pulled it out and answered it.

“Hello?... Oh, hi Dad… Okay… Right… I’m with my friends… yeah, I’ll have to tell them… Okay, see you after school. Bye.”

While she still appeared cheerful, there was a hint of concern as the exchange played out.

“What’s going on?” Futoshi asked her as she slipped her phone back into her bag.

“I’m visiting the psychiatrist today straight after school. My dad has just booked the appointment.”

“So Futoshi and I won’t be able to visit the baby?” Zorome enquired.

“We’ll have to do it tomorrow.”

“As long as you get the help you need, then it’s fine,” Futoshi nodded.

“I will definitely be needing it after what happened yesterday.”

“Personally, I don’t get why you’re going to see someone who looks at your thoughts.” Zorome was cynical. “It’s obvious you’ve got trauma from the birth and not knowing you were pregnant.”

“The mind goes deeper than that,” Zero Two told him. “There are things that we say and do without knowing why. It’s up to a psychiatrist to answer why it happens. Some famous guy had this theory about it.”

“I wish someone had a look at my dreams.” Goro seemed amused. “I’ve had this reoccurring one recently which is absolutely ridiculous.”

“What was it about?” Ichigo looked up at him. Even when they were sitting down, she was shorter.

“Well, I’ve only had the two, and while they were the same, they still happened differently. What happened in both was that we were basically soldiers in a post-apocalyptic future fighting these giant creatures that seemed to be part-machine, part-dinosaur. To fight them, we were using the Klaxobots from Strelizia like mechas.”

“The Klaxobots?” Miku’s ears pricked up.

“Yeah,” Goro nodded. “It was a boy-girl team in each of them. Zero Two wasn’t completely human, we were all products of cloning, while adults didn’t treat us like we were people as well.”

“That sounds horrible,” Ikuno commented.

“It was far from being a nightmare, but the weirdest part is the machine creatures we were fighting weren’t the real enemy. In fact, they lived on Earth before we did, and were almost killed because of aliens, who were secretly in charge of the government organisation we were working for.”

“This is turning out to be too weird.” Zorome shook his head. “Even by my standards.”

“The only difference between the two dreams is that, in the first one, Hiro and Zero Two died destroying the alien homeworld after a great space battle between the machine creatures and the aliens, only to be reincarnated centuries later, while in the second one, none of that space stuff happened and they lived, but in both of them, the aliens were still destroyed, and humanity was back the way it was before the apocalypse.”

“I should write this down.” Miku was intrigued. “This could actually make a good TV show.”

“Don’t bother,” Zorome told her. “The alien part was unnecessary. Maybe if the government was just a really bad one and there was a rebellion against it, perhaps that could work out.”

“Even though there are giant monsters out of nowhere? It feels as though there is a bigger fish, so the alien part works.”

“It did feel rushed towards the end,” Goro added. “So, unless you gave the aliens more backstory other than just a war, it could work out.”

“Dreams are weird.” Zorome shook his head and rolled his eyes. He could not help but think about the dreams he had been experiencing himself, but chose not to bring them up in the conversation.

As soon as the bell rang to indicate break had ended, Alpha and Delta made their way to where their maths class was. It was the same room Nana used for her homeroom, although she did teach lessons in other classrooms.

“Let’s see what she does next,” Alpha quietly told Delta as they entered the long, spacious room. There was already half a class full of students, with the teacher yet to appear. “Let’s see if she fails to discipline anymore students in more effective ways than what she chooses to do.”

The duo sat at their desks that were far apart, but this was a coincidence. However, Nana, along with the rest of the staff—let alone Frank—were all informed of their misdeeds at APE and monitored them closely.

“Hiroshi. Eriko.”

Nana suddenly poked her head into her classroom. She caught the attention of the duo.

“I wish to speak to both of you outside for a second.”

Without looking at each other, let alone questioning why they were being requested to have the private conversation, Alpha and Delta left the classroom and stood in the corridor with their teacher. The crowds had mostly died down and it was quieter than the normal rowdy sound of students traversing the corridors, allowing Nana’s quiet voice to be heard.

“There has been a lot of words flying around the academy since yesterday. From what myself and Principal Frank have heard, they emanated from you two.”

Although she was scowling, it was a restrained anger.

“So, you are aware of what we have been discussing about you?” Alpha enquired. Nana nodded to reply. “We are entitled to our opinions.”

“What you are spreading is a malicious falsehood. Sometimes it is the students who are incapable of following basic manners and standards, such as the two you spoke of who are in our classroom right now. I have no issues with disciplining the students I teach whatsoever.”

“It sounds as though you can’t handle criticism,” Delta observed. All the while, she maintained a cheerful demeanour, just as she usually did.

“You have no right to say that.” The teacher was furious but held back her rage. “Students have no authority over their teachers, so if you do have an issue with them, it must be expressed with your parents or guardians first. Conversely, you two are making a misconception about myself, let alone the other teachers we have heard you being critical of. None of us are ineffective. There has never been a single complaint about myself from students or parents of this nature, the same for any other staff members in this school. Now go back to class.”

She pointed to the door. With no further words, Alpha and Delta returned to their seats and Nana began her lesson.

Chapter Text

“Miku, would you care to tell us what the hell that was about?” Zorome leaned towards his friend as they walked through the busy corridor. The school day had ended, and all the students were making their way out of the building. At that point in time, the duo was with Futoshi, Goro and Hiro. “I thought you losing it at a teacher was just going to be with Ms. Matsumoto. Why the hell did you have a go at our English teacher?”

“Did you see their grammar and spelling?” He was questioned by his red-haired friend. “They’re supposed to be an English teacher and even they got it wrong.”

“People do make mistakes,” Futoshi reminded her. “No need to get in a flap about it.”

“Well, there is a reason to if they’re an English teacher!” Miku snapped back, making him flinch. “You know how picky the head of the department is.”

“With students,” Hiro noted. “Teachers are one thing; students are another case entirely.”

“Well, Mr. Warrington is blind anyway.” She was being figurative. “He’s so focused on the work of his students that he never checks that of his staff. I’m starting to think those words being spread by Alpha and Delta are true.”

“Miku.”

Just as they were about to exit the building, an instantly recognisable voice stopped them. The group stopped and faced the man standing to the side of the large doorway built for two doors.

“Mr. Kato.” She identified the man with the short dark blue hair.

“I wish to speak to you in private. Follow me to our homeroom.”

“Yes, sir.” She nodded back to him.

“Shall we wait for you?” Zorome asked her.

“We will be some time,” Hachi warned him. This surprised the student with the wild hair, the same for their friends.

With no further words, Hachi walked off with Miku following him. Once they had turned a corner, the friends left the school as the teacher and student shortly located their homeroom. Miku was told to pull up a chair to his desk, where the man in the tracksuit soon sat with the student nearby. He directly faced her once she was seated.

“Do you have any idea why I wished to talk to you?”

She briefly provided eye contact, but her eyes looked down into her lap. Without speaking, it was obvious she knew why she had been requested to have the quiet conversation.

“I have received word from several of your teachers today of uncharacteristic behaviour. You snapped at both your English and maths teachers, you were distracted in geography, and your media studies teacher states that you were not as enthusiastic as you normally are. This is nothing like your usual behaviour. You excel extremely well in English and media, and yet, I am finding myself talking to you right now about a decline in the quality of your work.”

He was never shouting, neither was he downright firm with her, but his tone was still commanding. All the while, she still never faced him.

“What is on your mind, Miku?”

There was a silence that lasted for almost ten seconds. Miku finally decided to speak up.

“My laptop’s broken.” She slowly looked up at her teacher. Her voice was quiet. “It’s had to go in for repairs after my dad accidentally broke it. I have so much stuff on there that’s important to me. I have all my work, both from school and at home, on external devices, but my laptop is so important to me and what I like to do. I can’t live without it.”

Hachi continued staring at her. His usual serious expression never changed. He was clearly analysing what he had been informed.

“Your sadness does make sense,” he noted, “but I refuse to believe it is just the laptop alone that is causing you grief. I am under the impression that the news surrounding Kokoro’s wellbeing has upset you, particularly after what happened to her yesterday. Or there is something else.”

Miku felt defeated. He may have not known the exact answer, but he had figured out that there was a lot more information she had not disclosed. If there was anything that Zero Two had taught her and her friends about mental health, it was best to talk about it.

“There… there is something else.” Like before, her voice was quiet and she once again stopped her eye contact. “It’s Miku’s mother. A few weeks ago… she was diagnosed with breast cancer.”

A silence followed for almost a quarter of a minute. It was clear she was upset and was finding the words to express herself.

“But… but it’s okay.” She gradually faced Hachi again. “The operation will be this Friday.”

“Two days from now,” Hachi noted.

“Plus…” Miku was beginning to force a smile and appear cheerful. “Plus, it’s only tiny as it was caught very early on. M-Miku’s honestly doesn’t get why she’s so upset about it.”

“Miku, you have every reason to be upset.” Hachi’s firm tone came into full effect, making her stop smiling and look intimidated. “It does not matter how soon the cancer was diagnosed, let alone how soon the operation will be, your mother has cancer. There is no denying this fact. I did not notice a change in your behaviour until the Monday following Kokoro’s problem arose. It has peaked today because of how you allowed one small problem of yours to get on your nerves. You have had this on your mind for the past few weeks, so I am going to assume your denial of it means you have not spoken to anyone of your anxiety.”

“It… it never crossed Miku’s mind.” Miku looked devastated. Hachi was right about her and she felt guilty. “Miku really wanted to talk to her parents about how upset she is, but… dad… he has a heart problem, and mum… what if the stress makes it worse?”

There were tears forming in her eyes. It was only slight, but it was still visible to her teacher.

“I am assuming that your father already knows?” he asked her. She nodded back, soon using the tissue he provided for her from the tissue box on his desk to dry her eyes. “I very much doubt this will cause him too much harm. Also, your mother must be aware of how much grief it has caused the both of you even if you haven’t expressed it.”

“So…” Miku sniffed and dried her eyes again. “Miku should speak directly to her?”

“It’s up to you to decide. However, I would not keep this to yourself anymore, even with the conversation we have just had. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, sir.” Opposed to nodding, she chose to verbally respond. He nodded back instead.

“Also, something I have to ask about.” Hachi leaned back on his chair. “Throughout our conversation, you began to speak in third person. I’m assuming you do this when feeling strong emotions?”

“Yes, sir. I tend to do it when I’m very stressed.”

“But especially when you’re upset?”

“Yes, sir.”

There was a silence between the two, with Hachi processing the information he had been given.

“I’m assuming your friends and family are aware of this habit?”

“Yes, sir.”

There was another silence. Hachi briefly looked away from Miku and into his lap before facing her once again.

“You can go now.”

She tossed the tissue in the nearby bin, shortly pushing the chair back to its desk before leaving the classroom. Hachi remained seated at his desk, pondering Miku’s previously unseen behaviour once more, before standing up and tucking his chair in. He left the classroom and began his journey to Frank’s office.

Chapter Text

Just as Hachi had begun his conversation with Miku, Frank received a knock on the door to his office. He had just finished filing papers inside a filing cabinet, so he was on his feet, allowing him to walk over to the door. Once he partially opened it and poked his head out, the bearded man was met by the sight of two third year students; one was familiar to him, while the other he had heard of through the first person.

They were Alpha and Delta.

“Good afternoon.” Frank was still formal despite his surprise. There was a hint of a serious tone in his voice. “I believe you wish to talk to me about something, Hiroshi?”

“Indeed,” Alpha nodded. “As does Delta. Are you busy?”

“Not heavily, no. If anything, I’m glad you have both shown up. I also wish to speak to you, too.”

He opened the door and allowed the duo in. Frank stood in front of his desk and leaned against it, the two students standing before him. There were two seats present, but they did not sit; not because they had not been granted permission to do so, but they preferred to be standing like their superior.

“We wish to query the behaviour of some of your staff,” Delta straightforwardly told Frank. Just like Alpha, there were small smug smiles on their faces. “In the three days we have been here so far, we have experienced issues with Ms. Matsumoto and Mr. Warrington.”

“Which I am fully aware of,” Frank nodded. “Do you really think I am oblivious to the words you have been spreading to other students? You two have been quite vocal about your dislike towards my staff.”

“We are allowed to have an opinion,” noted Alpha.

“As true as that may be, what you do with that opinion is another matter altogether. Remind me—what is it you dislike about these teachers?”

“Ms. Matsumoto is incompetent,” Delta began. “There were two students misbehaving in our maths class. She has repeatedly told them to stop what they were doing and has sent them to stand in the corridor on numerous occasions, both methods of which proved fruitless. It would have been more useful if she moved the two students apart.”

“But should she have to?” Frank raised an eyebrow. “Should she have to resort to that when two students in their final year of education are taking said education for granted? Also, I am fully aware of who those students are, and they have been sent to this office multiple times. It is their own fault, not the staff, who are to blame for their persistence.”

“Also, let’s not forget Mr. Warrington, the head of the English department.” Alpha pointed his finger in a declarative manner. “To be strict is one thing, but his actions can best be described as intrusive, if not obsessive. When he poked his head into our class today, he questioned one of the students why she was talking to one of her peers. When they replied with ‘I’m helping him’, something they were very clearly doing, Warrington’s response was ‘no, he doesn’t need help. I know this class’. How would you describe his behaviour now?”

“Mr. Warrington has high standards,” Frank told him. “Plus, there is a reason as to why he tells your class that he ‘knows’ them. In the previous academic year, he was the teacher of it due to his position of the head of the English department and how you are top set. However, he had only taught them for a term when another English teacher, who was legally contracted to teach their class for that year’s exams, could no longer be in due to unforeseen circumstances. This meant Mr. Warrington had to give up teaching his top set to teach the other class, and in that time, the top set of your group became rowdy in his absence. No such behaviour should be seen from a top set class.”

“Then why doesn’t Mr. Warrington teach top set again?” Delta enquired. “Surely that would resolve this issue.”

“We are still dealing with the consequences of the teacher who left,” Frank noted. “It would not be possible.”

“Regardless, if students are misbehaving, telling them ‘you are in your last year of education and/or are in top set’ does not mean a thing.” Alpha was cold, his smile gone but there was no anger on his face. He was clearly cynical. “Those students are intelligent, so if they pass the exams with good grades, it does not necessarily mean they won’t make worse actions after their education.”

“And yet, despite their intelligence, no one has ever complained before to their families about Mr. Warrington, let alone Ms. Matsumoto, even though a lot of students agree with us about the former.” Delta still possessed the small smile on her lips.

“Then perhaps it is not worth complaining about.” Frank was firm. “Also, I want to give you two a small reminder.” He leaned forward from where he stood, the two students also leaning in to hear his words. “Remember that conversation we had before you moved here. I was extremely vocal that I wanted you to change your ways, especially since that was what got you expelled from APE after the scandal. I have had no complaints so far about that, but I do not expect to hear any more in relation to what we discussed now. Am I clear?”

“Yes, sir.” The duo provided their response in unison.

“Good. You may leave.”

When Alpha opened the door, Hachi was standing before him, his arm outstretched and ready to knock. He stepped aside to allow the students out, and once they had disappeared, he entered the office.

“How did it go?” Frank asked him.

“The talk went fine. She is having issues at home that go beyond a broken appliance. I have advised her that she needs to acknowledge her stress, but whether or not she does follow my words is yet to be determined.”

“I think she will,” Frank nodded. “You have that effect on your students. They always listen to you.”

“To be frank—pun not intended, sir—I am surprised she was not excluded for her actions.”

“We should allow the students to explain themselves. If they rationalise their actions, we can get a greater understanding as to why they act the way they do. If the reason is nonsensical or they fail to cooperate, that is when exclusion or even expulsion should be applied.”

Hachi’s expression never changed from its usual stoic but serious one. He did not even raise an eyebrow.

“There is certainly method to your madness.”

“There most certainly is.” Frank then scratched his chin. “Honestly, I can’t believe how Hiroshi and Eriko are questioning me over the effectiveness of the staff of this school. Other than the ones I heard them complaining about yesterday, they’ve now told me they believe Nana and Jasper are also incompetent.”

“In what way?” Hachi enquired.

“They believe Nana is not good at her job, while Jasper is obsessive.”

“My own relationship with her aside, I don’t see any issues with how Nana teaches,” Hachi observed. “On the other hand, I agree with them about Jasper.”

“What?” Frank was genuinely surprised. His tone was far from raised, but it was certainly not flat.

“I’ve seen Jasper’s behaviour in action before. He seems to possess a one-track mind. I once saw a student make a completely valid point in a calm and civilised manner, of which they were correcting him over a matter, but Jasper seemed to act like what he had been told had never been presented to him in the first place. I may be strict, but I act logically. I don’t think he quite does that.”

“Hmm.” Frank placed a hand to his chin as he thought over what he had been informed of. “Maybe that incident last academic year has affected his mentality. Perhaps I should observe him a bit more myself, and if things seem disconcerting, get HR involved.”

Hachi nodded in agreement to this.

“Also, another matter I wish to discuss,” he began. “I know this is out of our field, let alone our business, but the behaviour I have seen from Kokoro and Mitsuru bothers me. Mitsuru himself seems distant from her and their friends since the discovery of the birth became well-known.”

“Mr. Ichido made the situation worse,” Frank noted, something Hachi nodded to. “If anything, he’s probably made it worse for Kokoro as well. I speculate the whole incident has caused her to develop PTSD, but her trip to the psychiatrist today will provide a conclusive diagnosis.”

“Again, I know I shouldn’t get involved, but I hope Kokoro and Mitsuru get back together. She needs him as much as he needs her.”

“Ha.” Frank smiled. “I had the same thought. And there we were thinking it was just Hiro with Hana and, with what Nana’s told me, Goro with Ichigo. After all, love conquers all.”

Chapter Text

Miku soon returned to her home, being the first person to arrive there that afternoon. Over an hour later, her mother Kibo soon returned from her job as a jeweller and they worked together to prepare the dinner for later that evening. Over another hour later, Miku’s father Hoshi arrived from his office job and they all sat together at the kitchen table to eat. As they conversed to one another about the tasks they accomplished throughout that day, Miku never disclosed her conversation with Hachi, let alone how she lost her temper with two of her teachers. She knew she had to talk about it but had no idea how to.

After dinner, Miku washed and relaxed herself in a deep hot bath, allowing herself to think more clearly. She was the last person to bathe, with her mother doing so before her after her father. She ultimately decided she was going to speak to Kibo about her worries, knowing that the time she would spend in her bedroom to herself reading would be the perfect opportunity to talk to her privately.

Once she was finished in the bathroom, Miku left it with a bathrobe covering her and returned to her own bedroom to dress herself in her pale pink pyjama trousers and button-up shirt. After she was dressed, she sat on her bed and opened the drawer of her wooden desk that was nearby. There were three drawers built into it, with the top one being the one she opened. Inside of it were wires and various technical equipment, as well as a USB stick and an external hard drive. She mulled over how she could not plug either of those into her laptop, which would normally have rested on her desk. She looked up at the wall beside her bed, where a large poster for Strelizia and the Protectors hung. It depicted the character of Argentea, and after gazing at it for a few seconds, she stood up and approached a plastic drawer that was in the corner. Like with her desk, it possessed three drawers, and when she opened the top drawer, it revealed that it was dedicated solely to action figures of Argentea. There were numerous variants of her inside—some of which were just the same mould but repainted—while others possessed different unique designs based upon how she appeared in the series.

Miku shut the drawer and opened the next drawer down, revealing action figures of the rest of the Protectors. There were not as many variants of Strelizia, Delphinium, Chlorophytum or Genista as there were for Argentea, the same for when she opened the drawer below to reveal the action figures of the Virm. After she closed the drawers, she once again sat on her bed and thought about what she was going to do, let alone what she had been reflecting on.

The life of my family has never been easy. Every time there has been something wonderful happen, it was always followed by something terrible or vice versa.

The day I was born I had the cord around my neck. I could have died. My parents have never gone into detail about how horrible it must have been for them, which just shows how terrible things were. I am lucky to be here right now.

When I was five, I saw an advert on the TV for a new programme that was going to start. It was called Strelizia and the Protectors. It is a sci-fi show targeted at young girls, and my mother—who is also a sci-fi fan—thought she would get me interested in that genre with it. When that first episode aired, I absolutely loved it, with my favourite character being Argentea. I soon learned at school that, not just did my friends who were girls watched it, but so did the boys. It was the biggest thing when it first started, and it is still on TV to this day.

A few months after I started watching it, my mother had to go into hospital. All my father said to me was she had to have something removed from her to help her feel better. It was not until after the operation that she told me it was something called a thyroid and, to get rid of it, the only thing they could do was remove her womb.

That Christmas, I received what is perhaps my most treasured possession: the first ever action figure to be made of Argentea. I still have it to this day, and even though I have bought dozens of different versions of her, that one will always be special to me.

The next few years were perfect. Life seemed fine. But then… everything changed for my family when I was eight.

While my mother was out shopping with her friends, I was at home with my father. Everything was so fine until he was clutching at his chest and he collapsed. Not just did he fall unconscious, he would not respond to anything I said to him. I did the right thing and called for an ambulance, but what horrified me was that the call operator wanted me to perform CPR. I was too scared to speak, finding myself pushed into a situation where I knew if I did nothing, I would have lost my own father.

After a minute of resuscitation, he came around just as the ambulance arrived. He was rushed to hospital, and since then, he needs to take regular medication to make sure he does not suffer another heart attack.

A few days later, there was a special assembly at my old elementary school Mistilteinn just for me. Various parents, including my own, were visiting, as were the emergency services. I was rewarded in front of the entire school a framed certificate for my bravery with helping my father, but I broke down crying in front of everyone. They were not happy tears. They were sad ones. I refused to have the certificate, telling the same paramedics who arrived at my home that I did not deserve it because I was scared. I believed that those who worked in emergency services were fearless. As it turned out, I was wrong. They too are also afraid with what they must do, and that is the whole point of bravery. It reminded me of a quote from some crappy British sci-fi series about courage, which went something along the lines of how it is about ‘being afraid and doing what you have to do anyway’. And because of that, I accepted it. It still hangs in our living room.

Over the years, after watching many films, I decided I would make my own. I recorded many private home movies with a video camera I received for my tenth birthday, all of which were about Strelizia but focused a lot on Argentea. They were just myself playing with my toys, but as time went on, I became more technical and tried to be more professional. I edited them on-camera, and for one film only, I decided to edit it on the computer which I shared with my parents.

When I was eleven, I received my laptop for that birthday, and when I spent time on the internet, I found myself watching stop-motion animations. I was not unfamiliar with them, as my mother had also shown me the stop-motion films of a very well-known American filmmaker who was a pioneer of them. I always loved those films and seeing how they could be done at home as well; I began to make my own stop-motions. Just like with digital animation, it took its time to make, both during filming and editing them afterwards.

By the time I was twelve, while I was still far from perfect, I began uploading my animations onto the web under the alias of CODE390. Once I turned thirteen and my quality had yet again improved, I slowly began to grow popular. In fact, I heard my friends talking about CODE390 at school, but that is the thing: they never knew I was CODE390. I had often been picked on for being a film and TV nerd—not by my friends as they too loved the series (not to the extent I do, though)—so that was why I decided to have anonymous fame, which was something that everyone commented on with CODE390. They said how they were “an enigma” whose identity has never been revealed, not even their gender. Only I know who they are, and it shall forever remain a secret.

Like before, everything seemed to be going fine until my mother revealed she had been diagnosed with having breast cancer. All I know is my father cried when he was at the hospital with her, but my mother seems to be taking it fine. I believed I should take it in stride knowing how I was told the cancer was tiny, but the truth was I was in denial about this situation. I buried it away, with my fear becoming worse when not family, but my best friend Kokoro was struck with something we never expected.

Myself and my friends could not believe she had delivered a baby without even knowing she was pregnant. It was a massive shock to all of us, but what made it even more shocking was learning how the father was Mitsuru. When I visited Kokoro in hospital the day after the birth, I could see how upset she was. She is so good at caring for children, with the shock that she was not just pregnant and did not know about it, but how she delivered the baby girl on the toilet showed how upset she really was. It is so obvious she is blaming herself for what has happened, but myself and the rest of our friends are also to blame for not spotting anything out of the ordinary with her. I heard she suffered a panic attack at school after someone picked on her, and knowing how she is now visiting a psychiatrist, I wish her the best.

But that would not be the end of it. The straw that broke the camel’s back was my dad breaking my laptop accidentally. It put me over the edge. It is such a petty thing in comparison to everything else, but it shows how one small thing can make a person snap, which is what I did to two of my teachers. As Mr. Kato has told me, the only thing I can do is to express how I feel about the situation. I am dreading speaking to my mother in case it upsets her too.

With her contemplation ended, Miku gently pushed herself up off the side of her bed and slowly began her walk. Her movements were slow, each step tiny, her actions being the unconscious decision to not immediately seek out her parent. The steps became slower and tinier the closer she drew to her parent’s bedroom, and after almost a quarter of a minute, she was standing before the white door itself.

Her hand slowly raised, she gently pressed down on the handle, the door making a small but audible click. The door itself was made ajar with a distinct creak, the gap Miku had created allowing her to poke her head into the room. She saw Kibo lying on her side of the bed, the thick book with the black hardcover held close to her face as she leaned against the headboard. Her mother possessed the same hair colour she did and, just as she usually did, the thirty-nine-year-old had it tied into a long ponytail.

“Come on, Miku.” The adolescent tried to push herself forward. “You can do this.”

She gently cleared her throat, the first step to her revealing her true feelings.

“Hey, uh… Mum?”

Kibo slowly shifted her eyes away from her book to face her daughter.

“Yes?”

Miku hesitated but was still able to speak.

“Can … can Miku speak to you for a minute?”

“Of course. Just let me finish this chapter. I’m only a page away.”

As Kibo returned her gaze to the page, Miku fully opened the door to enter the room. It was spacious, possessing two large wardrobes with wide built-in drawers—one for each parent—while the room itself was painted a yellow so pale it was almost white. Miku climbed up onto the bed and sat beside her mother, their legs both outstretched atop the duvet.

“What can Miku say?” Miku asked herself in her head. She stared at Kibo as she continued reading. “Where can Miku even begin? Miku’s not even mad at her, just worried. What can Miku say without upsetting her? Miku doesn’t even know what to say or how to say it. Miku really should have practiced this to herself before Miku came in here.”

It was then that Kibo slipped the plastic bookmark into her book and closed it, the tassel of the bookmark dangling over the cover. She gently lowered the book into the small open shelf of her bedside cabinet and then faced her daughter, a small smile on her face.

“What was it you wanted to talk about?”

Miku stared completely wide-eyed at her parent. After hesitating for a few seconds, she tried to speak, but the words barely came out. If anything, when she tried to form them, it sounded more like she was having difficulty breathing and was panting heavily by how she was cutting herself off. As she tried to go on, she drew her legs closer to herself and sat cross-legged, but with both of her legs pointing out in the same direction. Kibo repeated her actions with her own legs, noticing the lack of confidence she possessed. Miku stopped attempting to speak when her mother placed a hand on her shoulder. Even without forming words, she had trailed off and looked away, but the hand on her shoulder brought her back to reality and made her face Kibo.

“I know, sweetheart. I know why you want to speak to me.”

Miku’s eyes became wider, and after staring at her mother’s comforting smile for a few seconds more, she broke. The tears instantly formed and began to descend down her face, and as she cried, she pushed herself towards Kibo and held onto her, her parent holding her back as she consoled her child. She may have cried when she was with Hachi, but her grief was now properly emerging.

“My poor baby,” she cooed. Her voice was low and hushed. “I know you’ve been upset. You should have spoken to me or your dad sooner.”

“Miku didn’t want to upset either of you,” Miku sobbed into Kibo’s chest. “Miku didn’t want to stress dad out and give him another heart attack. Miku didn’t want to stress you out and make the cancer worse. Miku knew he was upset because you told me he cried when you both visited the hospital, but… you’ve been so strong. Not once has Miku seen you upset or cry despite what’s happened to you.”

“I have been upset,” Kibo told her, her head close to Miku’s ear. “And I have cried.”

Miku gently pushed her head up to look at her mother. She almost looked horrified.

“When?” She sniffed. “When did you cry?”

“The same week I was diagnosed. It was at work when I told my friends. I thought I was coping, but… I just broke. It dawned on me what situation I was in. I thought it was no big deal due to how small the lump is, but it was then that it sunk in. I have cancer.”

As if Miku was not already shocked, she was even more shocked than before. Her mother had the same thought process she had been through.

“But the thing is, no matter what, I need to be brave about this, especially for Friday.”

She then released her hold on Miku, who too had released herself, and held her head in her hands.

“And I want you and your father to be, too. If there is anyone in this family who is brave, it’s you, Miku. And we all know why.”

Miku briefly looked down into her lap. As she pondered what she had been told, she yet again looked directly at Kibo.

“Why is it that our family has such a bad life?” she quietly asked her. She wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

“What on earth are you talking about?” Kibo was surprised by what she had been asked.

“Mum, just look at everything that has happened ever since Miku was born. You had a hysterectomy, Dad had his heart attack, and now you have cancer.”

“And you think you’re some sort of omen?” Kibo questioned her. She was tempted to fold her arms to show her disproval but chose to listen to what Miku had to say.

“Yes, Miku does. Mum, the day Miku was born, you almost had a dead baby in your arms!”

“No, I did not!” Kibo raised her voice. She was far from angry, but was surprised with the idea. “Where did you get such a daft idea from?”

“Miku had the cord around my neck.” Miku’s tears were still present. If anything, they seemed to resurface more. “You said it yourself when you told me the first time about Miku’s birth.”

“Miku Tani.” Kibo was almost in hysterics. This caught her daughter off guard, as she never thought her mother would be amused by this story. “You sound exactly like your father was that same day. When he noticed it as you were coming out and panicked about it, the midwife was quick to reassure us that it is very common for babies to be born like that and have no complications at all. In fact, not just did the midwife unloop the cord before you came out, you were screaming the hospital down as soon as you were laying on my chest and in my arms.”

“What?” Miku’s voice was flat and quiet. She could not believe what she had just been told. “So… there was nothing wrong with Miku when Miku was born?”

“Nothing at all!” Kibo once again pulled her daughter into a hug. “You were never a bad omen. You were a good one. You are the best decision your father and I decided to do.”

“Miku feels like an idiot now.” Miku’s mood had changed from sad to a rather light annoyed. Her tears had vanished as well. “Like Zorome.”

“But remember what I said.” Kibo yet again made Miku face her. “I want you to be brave for me on Friday. Be brave like you were for your dad. Do you promise you can do that for me?”

“Miku promises, Mum,” Miku nodded, a smile emerging from her once saddened face. “Miku promises.”

“Also, there’s no bad omen. Everything bad that has happened with not just myself and your father, but Kokoro as well…”

The eyes of the teenager with the pigtails widened upon hearing her friend’s name being mentioned. She was shocked at the deduction.

“Yes, I know you’re worried about her, too,” Kibo told her. “The same with your other friends, like when Hiro lost his grandfather. As I was saying, all these hardships are just a coincidence and a part of life. The important thing is to be optimistic and ignore that they happen. If we focus on the bad things, then what’s the point in living when there are so many good things out there in the world to focus on instead?”

Miku pondered this, focusing on her thoughts for several seconds

“You’re right,” she nodded. “I really have been looking at things the wrong way.”

“Well, why don’t we change that from now on?”

“I certainly think I will.”

Chapter Text

Miku left her parents’ bedroom and returned to her own one, resting her back against the shut door as soon as she was inside and breathed a deep sigh. It was such a hurdle for her to speak to Kibo about her worries, the surprise that her mother also spent time in denial still sticking with her, but she felt relieved. The talk did indeed put her mind at rest, the fact Kibo admitted to being in denial showing that she was not treating the issue as lightly as Miku falsely assumed she had done. The teenager with the pigtails still felt upset by the whole situation, but the conversation lifted a weight off her shoulders that made her feel happier than before.

Knowing that she would need more reassurance and support from her friends, she walked over to her bed and sat on its side, shortly grabbing hold of her mobile phone from her bedside desk. To her surprise, the chatgroup had messages on it from her friends, except for Mitsuru like before, that had just started a minute prior.

Kokoro: Hi, is everyone online? I feel as though I’ve had enough time to myself after my visit to the psychiatrist today. I need to tell you about how things went.

Futoshi: Please do!

Hiro: I hope you’re feeling better.

Ichigo: Here.

Goro: Here.

Zero_Two: Ditto

Naomi: How do you feel?

Zorome: Don’t expect Mitsuru to be here, though. The guy is still being a prick.

Ikuno: Was it what I thought you’d be diagnosed with?

Miku instantly typed her response, the virtual conversation commencing almost immediately after she replied.

I’m here. Sorry I’m late. Just been talking to my mum. :Miku

Kokoro: No worries, Miku.

Kokoro: Ikuno, you were right. It is PTSD.

Zorome: Damn.

Futoshi: We’ll help you through this. I promise I will do as much as I can.

Zero_Two: Remember to keep talking if you ever feel down.

I’m always here for you, Kokoro. Don’t ever forget that. :Miku

Kokoro: The psychiatrist said that the main cause is not the labour or the delivery itself, but the shock to my system when I learned I had been pregnant and given birth, especially with where I did it.

Naomi: At school?

Kokoro: I don’t think I’ve told all of you about where I was, have I?

Zorome: Nope.

Goro: The nurse’s office?

Kokoro: It was in the nurse’s office, but… I was on the toilet.

Kokoro: I thought I had to… you know.

Futoshi: Oh god. That’s terrible.

Zorome: You thought you had to poop?

Kokoro: I didn’t even know I had delivered her until I heard her crying.

Ichigo: No wonder you have PTSD.

Kokoro: But it’s more than just that.

Kokoro: The thing that triggers my PTSD the most is going to the toilet. Whenever I go, I keep remembering the shock and the humiliation of not just myself finding out I had unknowingly been pregnant, but Ms. Yamamoto and Principal Frank finding out, too.

Kokoro: The psychiatrist said them seeing me on the toilet, even though they were helping me due to the circumstances, fuelled that humiliation due to how what should have been a private moment became a public emergency.

Kokoro: Other factors that made me develop the PTSD was how I thought I was going to die due to the post-partum haemorrhage I had, as well as my overall guilt knowing that I’ve physically recovered well from everything that’s happened, even though that little girl hasn’t.

Kokoro: I felt as though I had failed her by not caring for her despite not knowing she was inside me. I told the psychiatrist how I am normally good at caring for children with my babysitting, but he also asked me if I have decided whether I am going to keep her or not.

Zero_Two: Well? Are you?

Kokoro: That’s the other reason I have PTSD.

Kokoro: I’m conflicted.

About what? :Miku

Kokoro: My decision. If I choose to raise her, I will need to drop out of my education, but I am too young to be a mother.

Kokoro: At the same time, I feel as though I don’t deserve it as, like I said before, I’ve failed her.

Kokoro: If I choose to give her up, what if she doesn’t end up getting the proper care she needs? What if the family who adopts her appears nice but are cruel and end up doing worse harm than I ever did?

Hiro: It sounds as though the only thing you need to do is to make your mind up. It might not fix all your problems, but it will be a start.

Kokoro: What do you all reckon I should do?

Zero_Two: Kokoro, this is your decision, not ours. As Darling said the other day, this is nothing to do with us. However, we will support you no matter what.

Kokoro: I honestly don’t know what to do. I appreciate you all helping me, but I wish Mitsuru were back with us. I feel as though he could support me the most.

Goro: I’m amazed he hasn’t come to his senses yet.

Zorome: Your dad certainly scared the shit out of him.

Ichigo: I would advise taking a breather. I imagine you had quite a stressful chat with the psychiatrist and are still recovering from it, so I recommend sleeping on it and making a decision in the next few days.

Kokoro: That would be a good idea. Thank you, Ichigo. I think I’ll do that.

Hey, I don’t want to derail what we’ve been talking about, but can I talk about something that’s been happening with me? :Miku

Kokoro: Of course, you can.

Zorome: Is this to do with you losing your shit today?

Yes. :Miku

I think it’s best I tell you guys too. :Miku

The truth is my mother has breast cancer. :Miku

Hiro: I’m sorry to hear that! Is she going to be okay?

Well, that’s the thing. :Miku

I haven’t been honest the last few weeks. :Miku

Zero_Two: What do you mean?

She was diagnosed a couple of weeks ago, but I was keeping quiet about it knowing the lump was tiny thinking it would all be okay. Her operation will be this Friday. :Miku

Zorome: What the hell?! You had all the time in the world to tell us, and you kept something like that to yourself?

Well, I’m sorry, but I can’t help it if I was in denial. If you were in my shoes, you probably would behave the same way. :Miku

Zero_Two: At least you have a mother, Miku. You could have avoided those outbursts today if you told us about this long ago.

And there I was expecting sympathy. :Miku

Hiro: You do have our sympathy, but Zero Two and Zorome are right. You should have spoken to us sooner.

Kokoro: How is your mother coping though? Is she fine?

She’s mostly been strong, but during the talk we had before this one we’re doing now, she admitted to crying at work. :Miku

Ikuno: Has she still been strong after that?

Yes. She’s even encouraging me to be brave as well on Friday, just like she wishes to be herself. :Miku

Naomi: We know you can do it. Now that we know about this, we’ll make sure you are too.

Elsewhere, another wireless conversation was taking place over the internet as well. Just like with all the members of Squad 13, Alpha was tucked away in his bedroom, seated at his wooden desk in his white pyjamas. Resting before him was his laptop, which he had been typing on. However, what he was typing may have been related to his education, but it was not schoolwork.

Alpha picked up his phone, which was rested beside the laptop. He typed a message that was directly targeted for Delta.

I have finished the recent blog post. I am ready to make the entire thing public. How say you, Delta? :Nine_Alpha

After half a minute later, Delta replied.

Nine_Delta: Do it.

With no further words—verbal or written—Alpha set the blog to be public. He breathed a sigh of relief, glad that his goal had been accomplished, with a sinister smile. After skimming over the blog posts he and Delta had written about the staff of Franxx Academy, which identified more members of staff than Nana, Warrignton, and Frank himself, Alpha decided to open the blog on his phone’s internet application. After copying the URL, he pasted it in a chatgroup that he had set up for himself and the rest of the Nines. Almost instantly did his friends respond to what he had shared.

Nine_Beta: Is this true?

Nine_Gamma: Franxx appears flawed, even if it is not corrupt like APE truly was.

Nine_Epsilon: It would appear as though Principal Frank himself is stubborn.

Nine_Zeta: This Warrington person sounds mentally ill. How has he not been suspended?

Nine_Eta: I find it amazing human resources have not been involved yet for him.

Nine_Theta: I bet Frank kept things quiet, just like ex-Principal Asaka did.

Nine_Delta: I wonder how long it will be until our blog goes viral. I can’t wait!

Patience, my dear Delta. Not everything is an overnight sensation. Sometimes the burn is slow. There are things that cannot be rushed. It is just a waiting game now. The legendary Dr. Franxx has forced our hand. If he and the staff won’t act, we will. :Nine_Alpha

Chapter Text

Yet another school day had passed, with only one more day to go by until the weekend would begin. Zorome disliked Thursdays almost as much as he disliked Mondays, simply because he wished the school week ended there. It felt too dragged out to have an education over five days, but just like with the many other students at Franxx, whether they liked their education or not, he pushed on.

He was surprised to be informed by Nana that she wished to speak to him after the school day had ended. He had never misbehaved in class, but that did not stop him speculating that the possibility she was going to reprimand him for something would be a likely case. Despite the regular lessons he engaged in with her as his maths teacher, Zorome was uncomfortable around her, and she too also felt the same way. The reason for this was simple:

It was in her maths class in the previous academic year that he had his ‘sleeping incident’.

The whole ordeal was embarrassing, and while Nana was obviously not directly involved, the fact she witnessed it had to go on record.

When Zorome arrived at Nana’s classroom, the door was open, and she was speaking to a student. She gestured to him to enter and pointed to one of the desks, signalling he was to seat himself. She continued talking to the lone student—who appeared to be in her good books as they were not being scolded—until they left the room a minute later. She faced Zorome, who was seated in the front row in the centre, his rucksack now on the floor.

“I imagine you are wondering why I called you here?”

“Uh… yes.” He gave a small confused nod, soon realising the lack of formality he had. “Miss. Yes, Miss.”

Without speaking, Nana shut the door, which the student had failed to close for her. She then closed the blinds upon its window before walking over to the large window on the opposite side of the room. She drew the blinds across, blocking out any sunlight and making the classroom almost dark. She yet again walked over to the door, where the light switches were located, and activated the lights. With the room illuminated, she stood before the student. She seemed serious, but not to the point she was angry.

“I want to have a talk with you.”

For once, Zorome was anxious. He was completely oblivious as to why he had been called to speak to her, making him feel tense about what she was going to say to him.

Except actions spoke louder than words. He was aghast when she leaned forward to him, her hands on the sides of his head as she kissed him upon his lips. His face instantly turned red, but not from arousal. It was fear and utter perplexity.

“What?” He could hardly speak, his voice almost a whisper due to the confusion overwhelming him. “What are you doing?”

“Well, isn’t it obvious?” While he had seen Nana being cheerful before—often on a regular basis—she seemed almost playful. “I’m returning your feelings.”

“What?!” Zorome’s voice was raised, but he was still quiet and restrained. If anything, he seemed flustered. “Surely this is illegal!”

“It’ll be our little secret.” A smug, almost relaxed expression grew on the teacher’s face. “Believe me, Zorome. It’s no secret that there are students who like to pine after me just like the other teachers do. I’ve heard their comments about how I’m what your generation describe as ‘thicc’. Even without those comments, I know about this…”

She turned around and slapped her right buttock, which was covered by her skirt.

“As well as these.”

She faced him, her hands pressing up against her breasts through the material of her jacket and the white shirt she wore underneath.

“I bet you’re thinking about them now, aren’t you? Why don’t we have some fun?”

Nana proceeded to move the desk away from where her student sat, and after this, she removed her black suit’s jacket and tossed it aside. She then unbuttoned her white shirt, exposing her black bra which contained her large bust, as she knelt down in front of him.

“I want you to cum all over my tits.”

If his face were not already red, it was redder than before, and if steam could emerge from his ears, it most certainly would have at that point. Just as Nana was about to grab hold of his trousers’ fly, the door to the classroom jolted open with a loud bang. But it was not Frank or another member of staff who interrupted them. It was the same creature Zorome had been encountering in his nightmares.

“THIS IS YOUR OWN FAULT!!” the creature spoke, its bright body lighting up the room even more than before. “THIS IS THE MOST SHAMEFUL THING YOU HAVE EVER DONE!”

And it was then that Zorome woke up. He never jolted up out of bed, instead choosing to lie where he was. As with the previous nightmares, he was covered in sweat, but as a precaution, he checked his pyjamas trousers.

“No jizz,” he whispered to himself. “Good. Not that that’s the biggest problem here.”

He glanced at his bedside clock, which read quarter to one in the early hours of the morning. Amidst the darkness of his room, he gazed up at the ceiling.

“What is that thing?” he pondered in his mind. “Why does it keep appearing? Why do I cry trying to think about the things it said?”

Chapter Text

“Attention. Hiroshi Watanabe and Eriko Ishida are to see me in my office. I repeat, Hiroshi Watanabe and Eriko Ishida are to see me in my office, and by that, I mean immediately.”

Alpha was seated in his homeroom when Frank spoke over the speaker system. As soon as he had been identified by his real name, all his peers and his homeroom teacher simply stared at him. There was a small smile on his face, and he maintained his composure; he was far from nervous, but he knew what his superior wished to speak to him about.

“That would be me.”

He slowly stood up from his desk, his satchel slung over his shoulders as a precaution in case he spent longer than expected. He left the classroom, his pace slow and his hands in his trouser pockets.

After half a minute of navigating the many corridors of Franxx Academy, he found his destination. Delta was standing outside of Frank’s office, having reached it long before her friend had. Her hands were behind her back, a clear sign she was overconfident in herself, just like Alpha was with himself.

“There’s no guessing as to why we have been summoned here,” she told him. “There was never going to be anonymity for us since we spoke to him about our concerns yesterday.”

“It was inevitable,” the taller member of the duo nodded. “Now we need to accept our fate.”

“You can both come in,” a voice called from beyond the door. They both faced it before looking at each other again, with Alpha opening it to allow his female comrade to enter first.

“Good morning, sir,” Delta smugly greeted Frank, who was seated at his desk. Alpha shortly entered the room, shutting the door behind him, just as Delta was about to seat herself.

“Remain standing.” Frank’s voice was abrupt. He did not raise his tone, but it was sudden. Neither Alpha nor Delta flinched, the duo standing in front of his desk with the chairs behind where they stood.

The principal gazed at both of his students. His expression may have not been a scowl, but it was clear he was serious. A long silence was held, indicating Frank was preparing himself for what he was going to speak to the two students about.

“There is indeed ‘no guessing’ as to why I have called you two down to my office this morning.” He then opened a drawer on his desk and pulled out a buttoned plastic wallet which contained printed screenshots of the blog that Alpha and Delta cocreated. “The technicians are tasked with monitoring the social media accounts of the students here to ensure they do not post anything that could harm the credibility of Franxx itself. The exact information documented on this blog were just some of the very things we were discussing only yesterday after school. It has been viewed more than a thousand times since it went public last night.” By that point, Frank was becoming more and more firm. “That may not be ‘viral’ along the lines of millions of views, but the damage has already been done. I have had some phone calls from angry parents who believe what you have alleged. Do you realise the harm you have caused?”

“We were only speaking the truth,” Delta replied.

“That is what you perceive as the ‘truth’.” Frank was stern. “Your perception is different. I know the staff in this school, and I can tell you they are nothing like how you have described them to be. As I have said before, there has never been complaints from students or parents about these claims before, not now or ever.”

“Then the other students and their parents are ignorant,” Alpha coldly noted.

“Well, what about your families?” Frank questioned the duo. “Do they treat your concerns seriously? Have you raised it with them?”

“I have,” Delta replied. “But they think I’m overreacting.”

“The same with mine,” Alpha added. “But I think mine are just being soft since they know you.”

“The reason I allowed two of your ‘Nines’ to join Franxx was because I knew I could help redeem them, just like with Hana.” Frank stood up from where he sat. “I knew having all of you here would just encourage your worst habits. Perhaps I should expel one of you.”

“Why not both of us?” Alpha asked him. “It seems the right thing to do. We both worked on the blog. The blame is divided equally. It would be unfair if only one of us was kicked out while the other gets off scot-free.”

“You would like that, wouldn’t you?” Frank leaned forward. He placed his fingertips on his desk as he scanned his eyes across the students. “You thought that that was what I was going to tell you when I called you here, wasn’t it?”

Yet again, there was silence. For once, neither Alpha nor Delta knew if Frank’s words were a rhetorical question or not.

“Well, I’m not.”

Alpha and Delta’s small smiles disappeared. They were genuinely shocked at the principal, who stood up straight and reached for his walking stick nearby.

“If I were to expel you, both of your parents would be begging that I gave you a second chance, especially after your misdeeds at APE. I may have not heard a single thing in relation to that since your relocation to Franxx, but that does not mean you have my trust, especially after this debacle. As I have said, the damage is already done.”

He then walked away from his desk and faced the large window. As he looked out of it, he continued speaking.

“Let me tell you about something that happened a decade ago here. A student alleged that a teacher had engaged in illicit behaviour with them without prior consent. I did not believe these claims as said teacher had my respect and trust. I knew them very well. I ignored the claim, but one day, I received rather heated words from parents, whose children alleged that same teacher did things to them as well. With the police involved and a trial going ahead, I lost my trust in that teacher. It wasn’t until they were sentenced to life behind bars, where they killed themself on their first day, that the students who accused them of misconduct revealed they lied.”

Frank then turned his head and looked at Alpha and Delta.

“And do you know why they lied? It was because they were unhappy with how that teacher falsely placed some of those students in detention.”

“That’s petty,” Alpha commented.

“It’s petty alright.” Frank rotated the rest of his body and approached the students. “And it was not just me who had regret that time. Those students do as well. In fact, they were all charged for manslaughter. They may have been lying, but that story shows how dangerous actions can be. Imagine if Ms. Matsumoto or Mr. Warrington killed themselves just because of your claims. Is that what you wanted in the long run?”

“Since we came here, we’ve been trying to turn everything around. We had no intention of being malicious.” Delta tried to defend her and Alpha’s actions. “We only wished to name and shame the members of staff we deemed incompetent since no one was taking our concerns seriously.”

“And then what?” Frank questioned her, his tone raised. He even glanced at Alpha. “How would this have benefited you two in the long run? You’ve discredited two respectable individuals, with no foresight on the harm you could’ve caused.”

Like before, neither Alpha nor Delta replied. However, they did process his words and understood the harm they caused. Frank could tell his words had sunk in.

“In fact, your words regarding Mr. Warrington had made me consider contacting HR regarding his behaviour, but now, I’ve heard they’re going to come in anyway because of that blog you created.”

Like before, the two students appeared shocked. If they did not already feel guilty, they most certainly did now.

“Your families will be informed of this. You will attend detention afterschool for an hour, where you are to write one-thousand worded letters of apology for your actions. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, sir.” The duo spoke in unison.

“Leave. We are done here.”

Frank returned to his chair as soon as Alpha and Delta had left his office. A few seconds after he was seated, the phone on his desk rang and he answered it.

“Hello, this is Principal Frank. Who is speaking?”

His face instantly looked mortified when the person identified themselves.

“Yes, Mrs. Ebisu, I am aware of the claims about Mr. Warrington.”

Chapter Text

Throughout the morning, Zorome continued to think back on his nightmares. He was careful not to focus on the words uttered by the glowing being he had frequently encountered in his mind, knowing how it would mystifyingly lead to tears forming in his eyes and a sense of sadness sweeping over him. Prior to the first nightmare, he had no recollection of seeing the elusive being before, whether it was conjured up with his imagination during his childhood or originally depicted in a piece of media he enjoyed consuming.

Anxious but intrigued, he wished to understand why the nightmares occurred and the creature would appear in every dream he had. The only way to try and solve it was to focus on the words it spoke, and he needed to be alone to do this. He did not wish for his friends, let alone peers or even teachers see him in a state he was never normally in; he was by no means macho, but he wished to give the impression he was more masculine than others, also believing crying and sadness were signs of weakness.

The field on Franxx’s site was large, with many students spreading out on the grass to various areas during the break periods. When lunch break rolled around, Zorome ate his lunch in the cafeteria with the rest of Squad 13—with Mitsuru still being absent and nowhere to be seen—before announcing he had work to attend to after he had finished eating. For him to declare that he wished to focus on his schoolwork was not actually an oddity despite his usual lack of studiousness; he knew the significance of homework and how it was best to complete it so it was out of the way, but studying was something he rarely did in great amounts of time in comparison to watching the television or playing video games.

Once his friends believed his lie, he found an area in the field that students very rarely visited. Just like with the rest of the field, it was open, and the students could go to it, but the old spindly trees with their almost bare branches were off-putting. It was a perfect spot for him to isolate himself. If anything, he was surprised Mitsuru was not there.

“Right,” Zorome whispered to himself once he stood before the small trees. “I’m safe here. No one will be able to see me cry.”

Just as he had done before previously that day, he focused on the imagery of the nightmares. The creature destroying all the Protectors, the zoo of headless horrors, the bubbles and the fog, the paper on the floor that acted like quicksand, and Nana making sexual advances on him. Just as any dream was, they were all extremely surreal and made no sense. In retrospect, he did question why he had not searched the internet for interpretations of what he saw, but he knew it would have been extremely open to interpretation and he would have received different answers, with some being genuine while others were deliberately false.

His eyes were still clear and dry, but Zorome knew he was going to have to moisten them with his tears whether he liked it or not.

“Okay,” he told himself in his head. “I need to think about what that thing kept telling me.”

He checked he was alone and was not being watched—looking over his shoulder to do so—before facing the trees again and lowering his head. He placed his hands by his sides and clenched them into fists. Just like with the imagery, he thought back to everything the creature had said to him.

“This is trash!”

“Thank god you’re okay.”

“Since you can’t do it yourself, I’ll make you do it.”

“This is the most shameful thing you have ever done!”

Unrestrained, his tears fell. Like before, he did not know why, but that was what was happening. Even as he focused on each word, trying to analyse them for a meaning, it did not spark anything in his head. Much like the visuals, the words seemed to be random and without explanation.

That was when he made a realisation; the only dream where the being did not speak was the one where they were at the zoo. This forced Zorome to focus on what he remembered seeing in that dream: the headless animals. The one that scared him the most was the headless tanuki, his favourite animal, so there was no wonder he woke up from that nightmare. If anything, his emotional state had shaken him thinking about the creature’s words, so thinking about the tanuki made him cry more. He continued focusing on the animal, pushing himself to figure out why he was experiencing the nightmares and why he cried thinking about them. His mind was strong enough to endure the unpleasant thoughts regardless of how the tears streamed down his face.

Then a name entered his mind, but before he could even think it, he whispered it to himself.

“Miyamoto.”

“Zorome?”

The teenager jumped with fright at the voice that came from his left. He sharply spun to face the person, who was none other than Frank himself. Zorome just stared at him with shocked, wide eyes. He had been caught.

“Is everything alright?” the principal asked him. “I thought I could see you crying before I even walked over.”

Zorome was lost for words. He did not know what to say. He quickly wiped his eyes before attempting a conversation.

“Why…” He cleared his throat, the shock of Frank’s appearance scaring away his sadness. “Why do you still talk to me and my mother?”

“Well, why not?” the older man shrugged.

“I thought you and Mrs. Frank had lost trust in us after what happened at APE.”

“We lost our trust in your father,” Frank reminded him. “Not you or your mother. Plus, you didn’t know about the truth, did you?”

“No.” Zorome shook his head, his voice low. “Not at all. Neither me nor Mum had a hint.”

“Then why should I break off my relations with you and your mother?”

Zorome gave a small shrug, his gaze focusing on his own shoes. He never provided eye contact.

“You know, the whole APE scandal made me reflect on my friendship with your father. Years ago, we were friends with the man who is Hana’s grandfather.”

Zorome knew Frank had relations with Zero Two’s family, as she had mentioned it in passing.

“There was a time many years ago where Mr. Watanabe fell out with us, as he alleged—well, it’s quite a story as to what he claimed, but the gist of it is he was angry with your father, but I refused to believe his claims as I trusted your dad. Over time, I became friends again with Mr. Watanabe, but he was still hostile to your dad and never spoke to him. When the scandal hit, I realised Mr. Watanabe’s words had some truth to them.”

He gave a quick sigh.

“Anyway, that particular fight is water under the bridge, so let’s focus on you.” He walked forward a tiny bit, now properly standing before Zorome. “What are you doing by yourself here? Why were you upset?”

“Well, that’s the thing.” Zorome seemed tired from his small crying session. “I genuinely don’t know why I’m crying.”

“Are you sure about that?” Frank asked him. “You know you can talk to myself, your friends, or your relatives about anything.”

“I know, it’s just… well…” He gave a small, almost frustrated sigh before breathing in deeply. “I’ve been having nightmares. I-I don’t know why, but since Saturday, I keep having different dreams where there is this… thing in it. It’s like this glowy creature. When I am awake and I think about the dreams, what I saw happening in them doesn’t affect me, but thinking about the things the creature said makes me cry every time.”

“What did this thing tell you?”

“Just mean stuff.” His response was apathetic. “Stuff like ‘this is trash’.”

“Hmmm.” Frank was clearly pondering what he had been informed. “I can’t provide an answer off the top of my head with what little I have, but I would guess this has some connection to your father going to prison.”

“How?” Zorome was surprised at the notion.

“It’s the most recent event in your life. Following the APE scandal, of course. However, that is literally the tip of the iceberg. There is more to your problem, I believe.”

“Do you think you could help me?”

“Not myself, but a former student. I can provide you with the contact details of a psychiatrist who can listen to what you’ve told me and a lot more.”

“Is this the same person who helped Kokoro?”

“It is,” Frank nodded. “And they’re a good man. You’ve only presented me with a rough idea as to what your dreams were about. I may have psychoanalytical knowledge, but nowhere to the extent of this person who can help you. I imagine you saw certain images in your dreams as well?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Then he can analyse them for you. Why don’t I contact your mother with the information?”

“My mother?” Zorome’s eyes widened. He hesitated for a second knowing how he had never bothered speaking to her about his dreams, but knew it was best she knew as well. “Okay,” he replied in an unsure tone. “Yeah, that’s fine.”

“Good. I’ll phone her later, but I strongly advise that you inform her of what has been happening to you.”

“I will, sir.”

“Good lad.”

With that, the two walked off in opposite directions.

Chapter Text

In one corner of Franxx Academy’s large field was a giant willow tree. Very few students would socialise under it, yet there was no rule in place that said they could not do this.

During the same lunch break where Zorome lied about having to complete schoolwork, Goro also chose to be by himself to attempt resolving an issue. Despite undertaking it alone, he technically would not be by himself; it involved speaking to another person. The person in question? Mitsuru.

It was under that exact willow tree, hiding behind it and close to the metal fence, that Goro could see his stubborn friend. They had not seen eye-to-eye since the previous Saturday, and there was no guessing as to why Mitsuru was isolating himself.

“For god’s sake, give it up.” Goro stood one side of the willow tree, with Mitsuru still hiding around the other. His back was rested against the tree itself. “I know you’re there.”

“Leave me alone.” Mitsuru’s annoyed response was almost monotone.

“This has gone on for too long. You need to talk to Kokoro.”

“Talk to her?” Mitsuru’s tone was raised, having venomous traits to it. “Yeah, like that’s going to fix everything that’s happened.”

“There’s nothing you can do now about how you got her pregnant.” Goro was firm. “Plus, none of us are mad at you for that. Sure, we were surprised, but what we’re annoyed at is how you abandoned her. She may have all the support from the rest of us, let alone her parents, but she needs you the most.”

“Her old man says otherwise.” Mitsuru folded his arms. His voice was low, indicating his remorse.

“I know that you’ve been shaken by what he said, especially considering you always looked up to him.”

“No, I didn’t,” Mitsuru quickly rebutted him.

“Oh, come on.” Goro rolled his eyes at his friend’s stubbornness. “Sure, we all looked up to Mr. Ichido when we were growing up, but you looked up to him as much as you did to Hiro. You once even said you wanted to become a police officer and be just like him.”

“Just drop it and piss off, four eyes.”

“Your pedestal for him as only been broken by the fact you thought he’d never flare up at you. You’re using that to avoid Kokoro.”

“He’s not going to let me go anywhere near her. I guarantee it.”

“Look, forget about Mr. Ichido!” The taller student snapped. “He’s probably calmed down by now. You have to speak to Kokoro.”

“I know about what happened the other day. I heard about it.”

“I’m not referring to the panic attack. Mitsuru, she has PTSD.”

Goro faintly heard a small gasp emanate from the other side of the tree. A head with slicked back hair poked itself around the tree slowly and peered at him.

“PTSD?” He quietly asked him. Goro nodded. “You mean… post-traumatic stress disorder?”

“That’s what it stands for.”

Mitsuru’s head still poked around the tree, but his gaze switched from Goro and seemed to drift off. He was clearly thinking about the suffering that Kokoro was going through. He was like this for almost ten seconds until Goro approached him and placed his hands on his shoulders, his focus returning to his friend.

“An apology may not do a thing, but she needs you.” His voice was hushed. “You are both in the same situation. She needs to decide whether she wants to keep the baby or put it up for adoption. This is one of the things making her PTSD worse. She feels as though she has failed the baby by not knowing she was carrying her, but if she were to raise her, she would have to give up her own education. And if she chooses to give her up, she fears the baby’s adoptive family might not be nice.”

“I refuse to believe that could happen.”

“I do too, but that’s beside the point.” He removed his hands from his shoulders. “You could help her make her decision. It may be her choice at the end of the day, but your support would make things better for her.”

Like before, Mitsuru seemed lost in thought. He was mulling over what he had to do. Goro could tell he was worried. This time, he was less stern and more sympathetic.

“I know you’re worried about how Mr. Ichido is going to respond to whatever you do next, but he should at least give you a chance. Plus, if he wanted you two apart, he would have enforced a restraining order or something else sooner. If he does retaliate, then he is in the wrong, and a man like him should know.”

Mitsuru nodded again. He was still quiet, but Goro could read him like a book.

“I also know you’re worried about what your mother is going to say. Believe me, we all know what she is like. Like Mr. Ichido, she should give you a chance. If there is anything Kokoro has taught us, it’s that she brings out the best in you.”

“Even though we secretly ran off and—”

“That’s also beside the point. She can see the good in anybody, just like with Mr. Kato.”

“What about those two new students?”

“We’re all anxious.” Goro shook his head. “Even without the anti-LGBT thing Zero Two said they have, they’re a threat to this school. Have you heard about the blog they did?”

“Sadly, yes. My mother even interrogated me as to why I never told her about Mr. Warrington before. Personally, he never bothered me.”

“Same here.”

“My mother even said she was going to speak to Principal Frank about him. If only she had the same viewpoint on Ms. Matsumoto.”

“You only dislike her because she reminds you of your mother.” Goro seemed annoyed. “There’s nothing wrong with her.” He then refocused the conversation. “Look, back on track—talk to Kokoro. This isn’t just her problem. It’s yours too.”

Mitsuru nodded again.

“I’ll definitely do it later. When I know it’ll be just us two.”

Chapter Text

As with the previous days afterschool barring the day before, Kokoro returned to Cerasus South Hospital to visit her baby. As planned, she was accompanied by Futoshi and Zorome, who travelled with her using a bus. They followed her into the hospital itself, the directions to the NICU being too familiar for her by that point.

The incubator was in the same spot as it had been when the small girl was admitted with her birth mother, the sight of the child shocking both Futoshi and Zorome. They were never talking to begin with as they arrived, but the duo was silenced as soon as Kokoro stood before her, their breaths stolen. There was no wondering as to why their friend was as upset as she was by what had happened almost a week prior.

“My god.” Zorome could hardly speak. He peered into the incubator at the almost-naked baby, who was attached to a wire for their heart monitor and had a tube up one of her nostrils. “So, this is her.”

“It is.” Kokoro gave a small nod and smiled, but it was obvious her cheerful nature was hiding her anxiety. “I know what you’re both thinking, but she’s a lot better. She may have a long way to go still, but she is stronger than she was.”

Futoshi also gazed at the child, contemplating how upset Kokoro truly was. If there was anyone who knew her best, next to Miku and let alone Mitsuru, it was him. He genuinely cared for her and loved her, his jealousy for Mitsuru being the one who claimed her having subsided, yet he was still coping with the revelation. If it were not for the sudden arrival of the baby that was lying before him in the transparent box, he would never have learned the truth.

“You know, it’s funny.” Zorome’s voice picked up slightly, making his friends face him. “I just assumed everyone would have stopped visiting the baby after Kokoro was discharged.”

“What for?” Kokoro asked him.

“Well…” He faced her. “We were – well, are doing this to support you and make you feel better, but we don’t even know if we’re ever going to see her again anyway.”

“Would you like to?”

“I don’t know,” he shrugged. “It’d be nice, I guess. I know I’m always gaming and being a show-off—”

“As well as a perve,” Futoshi quietly added. Zorome glared at him before continuing what he was speaking.

“But I do like playing with children. I love playing with my cousin. My aunt and uncle treated him so specially when he first arrived, calling him their ‘rainbow baby’… whatever that means. I’m a lot like you, Kokoro, now that I think about it. Sure, I don’t do all that cleaning, feeding, and changing stuff, but I do care for them, and not just my cousin. I’ve played with the children of my parents’ friends as well.”

Zorome’s words made Kokoro think about the decision she was yet to make. There were so many factors that affected either choice, it was almost painful for her to decide. She looked back at her child once again before facing Zorome and looking at him straight in his eyes.

“In your honest opinion, what do you think I should do?”

Her words made him gasp, the same for Futoshi, who she then looked at as well.

“What would you do if this was your baby?”

“I-I don’t know.” Zorome could hardly speak. It was such a delicate matter; let alone a situation he was extremely unfamiliar with. “Look, Kokoro… I’ll support you no matter what you do. If you keep the baby, I’ll be there for you. If you choose to give her up, I’ll also be there.”

She then faced Futoshi and awaited his response. Her large friend looked back at the baby, once more contemplating the events and reveals of the previous six days. He loved Kokoro, but other than knowing she loved Mitsuru, he knew the best decision for her was going to be a painful one for himself. His fists clenched; he sharply faced her.

“You should keep her.”

Zorome’s movement was sharp as he looked up at him.

“What?” he asked him, raising his voice slightly.

“I said she should keep her.”

“But this is her—”

“Of course this is her decision!” Futoshi snapped back at him. “But she asked for my opinion, and this is it.” He then faced the friend in question. “Kokoro, if there is anyone who is best at caring for children, it’s you. I’ve known you since we were five, and you are easily one of the nicest people I have ever met. You deserve to keep that little girl. I know how you never wish harm on anyone and knowing how you wish to make amends for not knowing you were carrying this baby; no one’s to blame for what’s happened to her, especially you. You should keep her to prove you care. She deserves you as much as you deserve her.”

Kokoro gasped when she felt him grab hold of her hand. It was a firm grip, but far from painful. As he spoke to her, there were tears in his eyes.

“Talk to Mitsuru. Goro said he was going to try seeking him out and try to knock some sense into him. I’m going to guess he might text you since you haven’t mentioned speaking to him today. You need him too.”

Zorome looked back and forth at the two, completely shocked by what Futoshi had to say. Kokoro’s mouth was agape, but her shock subsided.

“You’re right,” she told him, his grip on her hand loosening so that they were no longer together. “I will keep this baby. I absolutely deserve it. There is a good reason I had been recommended to many parents across Cerasus to be the babysitter for their children. If I can take care of someone else’s baby, I can take care of my own. Oh, and by the way…”

Kokoro placed a hand on Futoshi’s shoulder.

“I know how you truly feel about me.”

Futoshi appeared shocked at how she had deduced his feelings for her, but despite his initially surprised appearance, he maintained the same behaviour he had beforehand.

“I’m sorry about all of this—”

“Kokoro, it doesn’t matter—”

He was silenced when she gently pressed her fingers against his mouth.

“I know you’re upset, but it can’t rain all the time. Things will get better for you.”

She kissed him on the cheek, an act which surprised both him and Zorome. Kokoro removed her hand from his shoulder, and after staring at her for a few seconds, he walked out the room and entered the nearby men’s toilets. Zorome was tempted to follow him but chose not to.

“He’s not the only one hurt by that,” Kokoro noted glumly.

“It had to be done,” Zorome replied, the two of them staring at the door. “What you both did was brave. Let’s hope things do get better for both of you. I’ll make sure he cheers up. You worry about your daughter and Mitsuru. If he still doesn’t talk to you, it’s his own fault.”

There was a silence between them, the duo still staring at the door Futoshi had walked out of.

“The rest of our friends…” Kokoro began quietly, slowly facing Zorome. He faced her in return. “They also wanted me to keep her, didn’t they? That wasn’t just Futoshi’s opinion, was it?”

While still facing Kokoro, Zorome’s eyes briefly looked away from her. After gathering enough courage, he focused on her again.

“Pretty much,” he gently replied. “It just wasn’t our business to tell you what to do.” He paused briefly. “But I think that, at the back of your head, you always knew what you wanted to do. You just needed that reassurance and confidence to go ahead with it.”

Kokoro looked away from Zorome, almost appearing embarrassed by his words. Her expression almost appeared saddened.

“You all really know how I’ve been feeling, haven’t you?”

“We’ve all been friends long enough to read each other like a book,” Zorome shrugged. “As Futoshi said, you deserve that baby as much as she deserves you. I think you’d make a great mother.”

She looked back at him and smiled.

“Thank you, Zorome.”

Chapter Text

Long after she had eaten her dinner and showered that evening, Kokoro tucked herself away in her bedroom. It was spacious, possessing a wardrobe and drawers for her clothing, as well as an extra drawer with an attached cabinet dedicated to her sewing equipment. There was also a tall bookshelf with numerous books upon it, the shelves also seating small dolls and plush toys she had created herself.

One of those dolls had been finished being crafted in the previous few days; more precisely, the same day she had suffered her panic attack. It was smaller than her child was, but Kokoro could not help but cradle it as if it was a person. It resembled a small girl with pale skin and brown hair, who wore a red dress with short white sleeves.

Kokoro allowed the time she used to cradle the doll as a chance for her to step away from her small desk. She was not busying herself with schoolwork beforehand—simply because there was not any for her to do—but was hoping she would receive a message from Mitsuru. Previously that evening, she contacted Goro about his conversation with him, and while he was under the impression Mitsuru was going to finally speak to her again, the tall spectacled blonde noted it was hard to read his mind for his true intentions.

It was close to nine o’clock, and yet no text had been sent to her. She placed the doll back on the shelf and sat at her desk, staring at her phone screen for a few minutes more. Knowing how the problem was getting to her mind like her trauma, she decided she was going to leave her device in sleep mode, but as she picked it up, a chime was heard.

It was a notification. From Mitsuru. He had unblocked her. She opened the texting application and read his message.

Mitsuru: Sorry I’ve been a dick to you the past week. I’m sorry about what happened to you as well. As in, both the birth and your PTSD.

She typed a response, a conversation following.

You don’t have to apologise. We’re both responsible for this, not just you. I know you’re upset as well, but we can get through this together. :Kokoro

Have the others said anything about my decision to you? :Kokoro

Mitsuru: What decision?

Mitsuru: Oh right. Whether or not you want to keep the baby.

Mitsuru: What have you decided?

I want to keep her. :Kokoro

Mitsuru: Fine by me.

Mitsuru: I thought you probably would.

Mitsuru: I want to help you since she’s our daughter.

Are you sure about that? :Kokoro

Mitsuru: She’s not just your responsibility. She’s mine too. We both brought her into this world. I want to make up for everything too. I refuse to let you do this alone.

You’re going to make a wonderful father. :Kokoro

Mitsuru: There are two problems, however.

Mitsuru: Firstly, have you told your parents about this decision yet?

Not yet. I was waiting to speak to you. :Kokoro

Also, I know you’re worried about my father because of how stern he was with you, but I would say he’s calmed down by now. :Kokoro

Mitsuru: Let’s hope so.

Mitsuru: Also, I haven’t spoken to my parents yet about it either. I was waiting to hear what you had to say.

Mitsuru: Which is the other problem. Obviously, it’s my mother’s response I am dreading the most.

Why don’t we speak to our parents now and reply in the morning before we make our way to school? :Kokoro

Mitsuru: That’s a good idea.

Mitsuru: Best of luck!

You too! :Kokoro

Mitsuru: I will certainly be needing it.

It was then that Kokoro turned her phone off and made her way down the stairs. Both Jona and Nari were in the living room watching the television, with an episode of an old drama they had seen before airing. Her mother was the first person to notice she had entered the room, which was a cream colour and had a long, large sofa where her parents sat.

“Do you want to talk to us about something?” Nari could read her daughter like a book. She kept her voice low due to her husband trying to listen to the television. Kokoro nodded back, Jona shortly telling her “the adverts will be on in a minute anyway.”

For a minute, Kokoro stood by the door, watching the televised drama end its first half before Nari used the remote to mute the advertisements. They both faced their daughter.

“What was it you wanted to talk about?” she asked her. “Would you like to sit with us?”

“I’m fine here,” Kokoro replied. “I’ve been having a think about what the psychiatrist said, but…” She paused slightly. “I’ve just been talking to Mitsuru on the phone.”

She was dreading how her father was going to respond but was surprised to find his expression never changed when her friend was brought up.

“Okay.” Jona nodded. He seemed calm, and despite their own analyses of his response, neither Kokoro nor Nari traced a hint of anger from him. “What were you talking about?”

“He was apologising for what’s happened, so I forgave him but told him he didn’t need to apologise in the first place. I also told him about the decision I need to make about that little girl. I’ve told him that I’ve made up my mind.”

“So, what do you want to do?” Nari gently asked her.

“I’ve decided I want to keep her, and Mitsuru says he wants to help me since he’s her father.”

Nari let in a tiny gasp, but Jona made no actions of any sort. The mother stood up from the sofa and approached her daughter.

“That is a very noble and mature decision,” she told her, now holding her hand. It was clear she was supportive of her decision. “You must remember that this will be a big responsibility. It will be an even bigger one than your babysitting duties.”

“I understand. I know Mitsuru is unfamiliar with childcare, but I can teach him.”

“In future.”

Jona’s voice was quiet, and yet, it caught the attention of both his wife and daughter. He faced them and slowly stood up.

“When they are out of their education. They’re too young to be parents.”

Both Kokoro and Nari were shocked by his subdued response.

“Jona, this is her decision.” Nari began to defend her daughter. “That’s exactly what she was told. Her decision, not ours.”

“But both she and Mitsuru will have to drop out of their education.” His tone was raised, but he was not shouting. “They only have one more year to accomplish of senior high. Their studies would be going to waste if they do this.”

“But it’s not mandatory anyway!”

“That doesn’t matter! If this had happened during the first year, I would let her do this, but after she has been there more than a year? She’s going to be throwing so much away!”

“This is what she wants to do! You know how mature she is.”

“Does mature mean sneaking off and secretly having sex during a trip to the beach with her friends?”

It was then that Jona realised not just the words he had uttered, but who was present. Kokoro was still in the room, her eyes wide with shock before he had even said those words. She had seen her parents argue before, but nowhere near as bad as this. There were tears in her eyes, something that both of her parents had noticed.

“Kokoro.” Jona had never felt such remorse before. He could feel his heart, let alone his other organs drop, making him feel almost weightless. “Sweetie—”

Before he could even say anything else, she ran out of the living room and into her bedroom. Her door slammed shut, but the force to do so was not out of anger. It was of pure heartbreak and sadness. She assumed her parents were going to be fully accepting of her choice, and yet only one of them was. To make things worse, neither of her parents had ever made such shocking remarks about her beforehand.

Chapter Text

The school day had ended once again, with Squad 13 leaving Franxx’s building together. As normal, they began their walk to their respective homes as the large group that they were. This time, Mitsuru was back with them, and caught up on everything that had happened in his absence.

“You didn’t miss out on much, though,” Zorome sneered as they walked away from the school.

“That’s not entirely true,” Miku noted. “Other than Alpha and Delta moving to here, Alpha revealed he is Zero Two’s older cousin.”

“Really?” Mitsuru asked. He was standing beside Kokoro as they walked. “I’d have never guessed.”

“He’s worse than she used to be, though.” Ikuno adjusted her glasses. “The same for Delta.”

“And that’s not just the homophobia,” Naomi added. “They’re incredibly intelligent and are extremely cynical. I’ve heard rumours that the blog they set up is leading to a possible investigation from HR.”

“Human resources?” Goro was surprised. “I don’t see why. Their complaints don’t make sense. Ms. Matsumoto isn’t a bad teacher, while Mr. Warrington is just a bit strict.”

“There’s a fine line between being strict and being over-opinionated,” Zorome noted. “I don’t have any issues with either Matsumoto or Warrington, but I’ve had and seen teachers that have over-exerted their authority before. Still, I can’t see HR sacking them, especially for Mr. Warrington.”

“Same here,” Hiro nodded.

“It’s a shame neither Alpha nor Delta have been expelled.” Zero Two was cold. She was biting one of her nails with visible anger. “I really could have done without them coming here, especially Alpha.”

“So why didn’t Principal Frank expel them?” Ichigo enquired. “Surely posting malicious information on the internet that could discredit a place or someone, whether what the person says is true or not, is expulsion-worthy?”

“He’s probably giving them a chance knowing APE’s recent reputation and how he knows Zero Two’s family,” Kokoro guessed.

“That seems likely,” Mitsuru nodded, agreeing with her. “Right, we’ll both be off. We have a daughter to check on.”

“Okay then.” Miku nodded back. “See you tomorrow maybe?”

“Why not?” Kokoro beamed.

Mitsuru and Kokoro walked off from the group, who began to grow smaller every half minute. The last person walking was Zorome, who was only ten minutes away from his home. He reached a pedestrian crossing, checked that there was no traffic, and crossed the road to the opposite path. He walked on for a minute more when he heard a voice.

“ZOROME. ZOROME.”

As soon as he heard it, he froze. He recognised the voice. It was too familiar by him at that point. The student with the scruffy hair slowly turned around, fearing what was going to be awaiting him. As soon as he glimpsed it in the corner of his eye, he sharply faced it with wide, worried eyes.

“ZOROME ASAKA!”

It was the glowing creature with the two purple masks upon its body. It had once again appeared before him, and like before, he was terrified.

But then something took over him. He felt rage. Pure rage. He was frustrated with crossing paths with the creature, so he decided to retaliate. There was a stone on the path he stood upon, so Zorome picked it up and threw it at the creature.

To his horror, the stone passed through its body like water in a colander. Zorome’s eyes widened again with this shocking reveal, his fear returning. The fear was fuelled more when the creature began to make a growling sound akin to a tiger.

Knowing there was nothing else he could do, he ran. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him. He briefly looked behind himself to see if he was being pursued, which was very much the case, as the glowing entity was hovering after him. Fortunately, it did not seem to draw closer to him, which gave him the confidence to see if he could outrun it.

Within minutes, he had reached his home.

“MUM!” Zorome screamed. He knew Daitan would have been home that day. “MUM!”

He ran into the living room, but she was not there. He then checked the kitchen, but she was not there either. There was not even a note on the counter stating she was elsewhere. Neither was she in the garden, her bedroom, or even the bathroom.

“Mum?”

He was breathless and anxious. Daitan was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps she was running late from a short trip out with her friends? It was such an oddity. As he stood in the upstairs hallway, Zorome could feel the tears surfacing in his eyes. He felt alone and helpless.

“DON’T EXPECT YOUR MOTHER TO HAVE SYMPATHY FOR YOU.”

Zorome jumped with fright. He faced the doorway to his parents’ bedroom, where the creature was hovering.

“SHE WON’T HELP YOU!”

At last, Zorome awoke from the nightmare. He knew he had been dreaming as soon as the creature first appeared, but his fear overwhelmed him from realising he could wake himself. He also thought fighting the recurring monstrosity would try to resolve his problems, but he had forgotten about how he tried fighting people in his dreams before, only to learn he was much weaker than normal within them.

He slowly sat up in his bed and rubbed his face with his hands. His bedside clock read twenty-past three in the morning. He was too warm, forcing him to remove his pyjama shirt and toss it onto the floor.

“I can’t wait until I have that talk with the psychiatrist after school. I want to get rid of these stupid dreams.”

Chapter Text

She never thought it would come to this. In all her years of existence, Kokoro never thought she would be doing what she was about to do. Her pain was immense, her sadness completely overwhelming her inhibitions, forcing her to believe the actions she was about to take were the only solution.

The little girl she gave birth to was never going to be hers. She did not want to give her up, wanting to atone for not knowing she had carried, let alone conceived her, as well as how she blamed herself for unintentionally making her child ill and being born premature. It did not matter that the harm she caused was accidental; Kokoro could not cope with the fact she was responsible for it and was never going to compensate her own blood.

In the centre of Cerasus stood a tall clock tower. It was not the tallest building in the city, let alone all of Japan, but it was an impressive height of one-hundred metres. Above the clock faces was an archway, revealing the large bell inside of it. It was within that arch that Kokoro stood, looking down at the streets beneath her.

Everything appeared so small to her. The pedestrians on the pavements, the vehicles in the roads, the police forces swarming around the base of the clock tower wanting to stop her—they looked so different from a higher level. The height she was at made her feel dizzy looking down, but she knew what she wanted to do. As much as she loved knowing that she was going to reunite with Mitsuru regardless of whether they kept their child or not, she could not manage being away from her. It was this suffering that made her decide her ultimate path.

She took a few steps back, stopping when she walked backwards into the bell itself.

“Okay,” she whispered to herself. “You can do this. You can do this.”

“Kokoro!”

Jona’s voice suddenly caught her attention. He had climbed his way up to the top of tower, but was not accompanied by the other police officers.

“Sweetie, please… you need to understand why you can’t have her.”

Without even breathing a word in response, she gave herself a running start before she jumped.

Or rather, that was what she fantasised.

It was half-past six in the morning, and Kokoro was sitting up in her bed. It was a relatively easy night’s sleep, her sadness making her fall asleep sooner than normal, but her stress awoke her earlier than when she normally would, even for school. Her phone was in her hand, and when she was not constantly imagining herself ending her life, she was back in reality and rereading the text messages she had received from Mitsuru half an hour after she had the conversation with her parents.

Mitsuru: My parents are fine with the decision. Obviously, they told me how much of a big responsibility it will be to raise her, but I know you can teach me a few things.

Mitsuru: What have yours said?

It was ironic for her that Mitsuru’s own parents were accepting of his decision, especially Mayuko. And yet, there Kokoro was, sitting in her bed early one morning wishing that Jona shared both her and Nari’s positive attitude towards the decision.

The teenager almost jumped at the sound of her bedroom door’s handle being twisted. It was a gentle action, the same for the door being opened slightly. In the narrow slit created between the door and its frame was Jona, who was checking on his daughter. As soon as he saw she was awake, he fully opened it so he could enter her bedroom. Once he shut the door behind him, he sat upon the chair she used for her desk and faced her. He was already dressed, but in casual clothing consisting of a blue jumper with a zip to adjust the collar and cream-coloured trousers; he would dress in his police uniform at the police headquarters.

“I, uh… I see you’re awake.” His voice was low. Other than how he did not want to wake Nari, it was evident he felt shame by his awkward nature. “Look… I’m sorry about what I said last night. It doesn’t matter if you were in the room or not, I shouldn’t have said it.”

There was a long pause. He held his head low before looking up again.

“Were you chatting with your friends?” He gestured to her phone. Kokoro shook her head.

“I was just reading an old text,” she softly replied. Again, Jona hesitated.

“What have Mitsuru’s parents said?”

The question shocked her. Still, she answered him.

“They’re fine with him caring for her.”

Jona inhaled deeply after yet another silence between the two. He looked away from her and instead focused on her bookshelf.

“I’ve been thinking about your decision since last night. You’re always going to be our little girl.” He then faced her again. “But that’s no excuse for me to not let you grow up.”

Kokoro’s eyes widened, and she let in a small gasp. She could tell what he was going to say.

“If there’s anyone who knows a thing about looking after children, it’s you. You know the risks of doing this, so I am not going to repeat them to you.”

While still seated in her bed, she reached over to her father and the two hugged. The damage Jona had created had officially been fixed. The only thing left for her to do was to speak to Mitsuru.

A few hours later, Mitsuru was making his way to Franxx Academy with great anxiety. Kokoro had not replied to his message, making him fear that her parents had reacted negatively to her decision. He already knew she was upset because of the trauma caused by the shock of the baby’s birth, leading to his fearful belief that something had happened to her.

“Zero Two!”

Mitsuru caught eye of the female student with the pink hair, who was walking alongside the fence that surrounded Franxx. She stopped walking and turned around to face him. She folded her arms as he ran up to her.

“Well, look what the cat dragged in.” She was cold. “Have you finally finished being arrogant? No longer keeping to yourself after what happened a week ago? You reacted stupidly by isolating yourself.”

“Well, I’m sorry, but we all know what Mr. Ichido said to me.” Mitsuru was equally stern. “He made it clear I wasn’t supposed to go near Kokoro.”

“He overreacted, and so did you.”

“Zero Two, that’s enough.”

Hiro walked over to where they were, crossing the road to do so, and stood beside his girlfriend. He had noticed the two talking and overheard their exchange. He smiled at Mitsuru to show he was not hostile.

“So, whatever Goro said to you has made an impact?”

“Yes,” he nodded back. “Have either of you heard anything from Kokoro? I texted her last night and told her I want to help raise the baby. I later texted and said my parents are okay with it, but she hasn’t replied at all.”

Both Hiro and Zero Two worriedly looked at each other before facing Mitsuru again.

“I haven’t heard anything from her since she texted us around five yesterday stating she wanted to keep the baby,” Zero Two replied. “I guess you’ll have to see if she’s in your homeroom. It’s a good thing you’ve shown up early today, as you were deliberately arriving late to avoid speaking to her.”

With no further exchanges, the trio walked off and entered the school building. Mitsuru quickly located his homeroom, where Kokoro was present with the rest of their friends who also shared it. Homeroom itself had not started—it was still ten minutes away—and Hachi was yet to arrive.

“Kokoro!” Mitsuru ran up to her. She was sitting at her desk in her wheelchair with Miku standing by. They both noticed how worried and panic-stricken he appeared. “Did you receive my message? Are your parents okay with you keeping her?”

“Oh!” Kokoro covered her mouth with her hand. She was clearly embarrassed. “I was so swept up I forgot to reply. They’re okay with it. At first, my father didn’t want me to, but after an argument with my mother and saying something a bit harsh in front of me, he apologised and changed his mind.”

Mitsuru was shocked, but his surprised expression turned into a small open-mouthed smile and a laugh. He was relieved to hear this. He quickly hugged her, and she hugged back, the two embracing each other as they conversed.

“I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too.”

As they released themselves from the hug, they held each other’s hands, their arms outstretched. Kokoro then turned her head to face Miku who, like the rest of the homeroom class—although not all were present—had been watching them.

“Before I forget, Miku—I wish your mother the best of luck for today.”

The student with the pigtails was taken back but smiled knowing she had support.

“Thanks, Kokoro.”

“What?” Mitsuru was confused. “What’s going on with her?”

“You’ve really been out of the loop.” Kokoro gave a small laugh. “Now that you’re back, we’ll keep you up-to-date.”

Chapter Text

It was just like before the events of the previous Friday. All of Squad 13 were together, happy once again as if the revelations had not occurred at all. They all sat out on the grass of the field close to the metal fence that surrounded Franxx’s site during morning break, as they normally would, gossiping and reacting in numerous ways to what they told each other.

“It’s certainly been a long week,” Mitsuru remarked. “It felt almost longer not being with you or the rest of our group.”

“It felt like a month,” Kokoro nodded in agreement. She was sat next to him and decided to hold his hand.

“Ugh.” Zorome appeared disgusted. “Could you save your lovey-dovey stuff for when the rest of us aren’t around?”

“Oh, come on, Zorome.” Naomi tapped him on the back, albeit playfully. “It’s not like they’re making out.”

“That reminds me.” Zero Two seemed to perk up. She faced Hiro. “Since we’ve been together for over three months now, why don’t we take things a few steps further?”

“Are you suggesting what I think you’re suggesting?” he asked her.

“Why don’t we go to our secret place after school and I give you that hand-job I’ve wanted to give you for ages?”

Futoshi, who was eating a bread roll, almost started choking on his food. Goro thumped him on the back as he leant on the grass on all fours to stop himself from suffocating. Once he was breathing normally, he looked up and faced Zero Two.

“We did not need to hear that!”

As he sat himself back down, Ichigo looked over at Miku.

“Hey Miku, what are you looking at on your phone?”

She was fixated on her phone and was typing something down. Since they had all seated themselves on the field, she never conversed with the rest of her friends.

“Just replying to some comments on the internet,” she replied without looking up from her device, which was a bright bubble-gum pink. “That’s all.”

“You’re very focused on them,” Ikuno observed.

“There’s loads of comments.”

“What website is it?” Zorome enquired.

“A video sharing one.”

“Doesn’t really narrow it down. Could be a porn site for all I know.”

“Well, it isn’t. It’s on a video of a review for an episode of Strelizia.”

“Let me have a look, I like that show.”

“Piss off!” Miku was fast to react, her head shooting up from where her phone was held as she scowled at him. As she did this, she held the phone close to her chest.

“I just want to read the comments!” Zorome snapped back.

“Look them up on your own damn phone!”

“What’s the video called?”

While still scowling, Miku seemed to freeze completely. It was evident she did not know what to say, indicating she was lying about what she had previously spoken about.

“Liar!”

Zorome reached out to grab her phone, forcing Miku to dodge and weave from his hand. He flashed his hand in front of her face, causing her to blink, allowing the distraction for her to grab the phone. The two engaged in a tug-of-war over the device, but after almost ten seconds of yelling and name-calling, Zorome emerged victorious.

“Give that back!” Miku was screeching at the top of her lungs. She pushed herself towards him, but he held her back by pressing his hand against her forehead.

“Let’s see.” Zorome held up the phone and analysed what was on the screen. His eyes were narrowed as he inspected the details. “It’s a video organiser for video uploads. She’s reading the comments on a video she’s made.”

“The Strelizia review was hers?” Kokoro asked him. Zorome never removed his gaze from the phone, but all his friends saw his eyes widen and he appeared shocked. Miku had also noticed this and stopped attempting to fight back knowing she had lost. He directly looked at her.

“That wasn’t a review. It was an animation by CODE390.”

The rest of the group appeared shocked as well. Zorome gently returned the device to Miku, whose face was bright pink from embarrassment.

“CODE390?” Naomi was perplexed. “You mean, that stop-motion animator you guys talk about?”

They all faced Miku, who looked as though she was going to die of embarrassment. There was a long silence.

“You’re CODE390?” Hiro gently asked her, her eyes immensely wide. She gave a small, slow nod.

“That’s so cool!” Futoshi suddenly blurted out. “Your videos are so amazing!”

“Guys.” Ichigo caught the attention of her friends. “There was a reason CODE390 kept their details to themselves. I think this is a secret we need to keep for them.”

Miku breathed a sigh of relief.

“Thanks, Ichigo.” She smiled at her but scowled again at Zorome. “That means you too.”

“I’ll spill the beans when pigs fly,” he shrugged back. “But seriously, I can’t believe that someone I know is secretly a viral sensation. I wish my gaming videos were just as popular.”

“It must take you ages to make those short films,” Zero Two told Miku.

“One time, I was editing the frames of one scene for an entire week because I needed to do the greenscreen.” Miku seemed happy knowing she could trust her friends. “The scene itself lasted less than a minute.”

“That’s animation for you,” Ikuno noted. “When’s the next video going to be? You never even tease any of the upcoming ones.”

“I’ll start making the next project probably a month from now.” Miku gave a small shrug. “Luckily, having a laptop in for repairs means I can check and redraft my pre-production materials. It gives me more time to improve and enhance what I wish to do.”

“Better that something is delayed than released early,” Goro stated. Zorome snickered at this.

“Oh, grow up!” Miku snapped, slapping the student with the messy hair around the back of his head.

Chapter Text

Every Friday at Franxx, the LGBTQ+ club that Ikuno and Naomi had set up would take place during lunch break. Nana allowed the students to use her room for the event, where the students who joined the club would eat their lunches as they talked to one another or played games. The club itself proved to be popular, with numerous students with various sexual orientations and identities joining and feeling safe knowing they could trust one another.

“Do you think Ms. Matsumoto is going to lose her job?” asked a male pansexual student. “I’ve heard a lot of parents have been complaining about her after that blog was set up.”

“There’s been more complaints about Mr. Warrington,” replied a female transgender student. “If you ask me, though, the guy has extreme tunnel vision, which is concerning.”

“I definitely think he’s more likely to go,” added a lesbian student. “How old do you think he is?”

“I think he’s younger than he looks,” Ikuno guessed.

“That seems likely,” Naomi nodded, taking a bite out of her apple.

That was when there was a knock on the classroom door. Many of the club’s members looked over at it, with both Ikuno and Naomi being shocked at who they could see through the window upon it.

It was Alpha.

Both the lesbians glanced at each other, with Ikuno being the one who decided to stand up from the desk she was seated at and approach the door. She slowly opened the door, but potentially blocked Alpha from stepping inside by standing close to the door frame while her outstretched arm held the door itself. She was cautious knowing his reputation.

“Is this the LGBTQ+ club that has been set up?” He pointed into the classroom at the students, who were all watching him. He seemed curious, but not in his usual smug way. He was not smiling at all.

“It is.” Ikuno stood her ground but was quiet. She watched as Alpha glanced back and forth at her and the rest of the club.

“I wish to join it.”

Ikuno’s eyebrows shot up when he spoke. The same happened with Naomi.

“What?” Naomi’s response was flat as she stared at him.

“I… wish to join this club.” His voice was quieter than normal, and he seemed anxious.

“And why’s that?” Naomi slowly stood up from her desk and stood by Ikuno, her arms folded. Like her friend, she was sceptical.

“Well…” Alpha cleared his throat. He seemed hesitant. “I am assuming that since the ‘B’ in LGBTQ+ means bisexual, I would be allowed in here since I am… that.”

“I’m bi,” shouted a female student in the back of the classroom, with a male student following after with “same here.”

“Why the hell are you guys acting so hostile towards him?” asked a gay student. He seemed serious. “Is this to do with his blog that he and his friend made?”

“Ah.” Alpha made a realisation. “That’s right. You’re with Iota. She’s told you about me and Delta when we were back at APE, hasn’t she?”

“What’s he talking about?” asked the male pansexual student. “Who’s Iota?”

“You probably know her as Zero Two,” Alpha replied. “I, uh… I have a lot of explaining to do.”

Like before, Ikuno and Naomi glanced at each other. Without even communicating, Naomi could tell Ikuno was going to give him a chance and allow him inside the classroom. Despite this, they were going to monitor him. Ikuno stood aside and allowed Alpha to walk in.

“There was a reason myself and Delta were expelled from APE,” he began. “With the rest of our group of friends that I formed many years prior called the Nines, we were expelled because of attacks we performed on other students. Said students were part of the LGBTQ+ community, and we deliberately targeted them.”

“But you just said you were bisexual,” noted a male transgender student. “Why were you attacking others?”

Alpha held his head low, indicating he was ashamed. He breathed a small sigh.

“I’ve never been accepting of how I am what I am. I refused to. I was already friends with the Nines before I gave us our nicknames, but when I realised that I was bi at ten years old, I didn’t want it to be true.”

“Why?” asked a lesbian student.

“I’ve seen… what happens to people that aren’t straight. Bullying, being disowned and thrown out, murdered… I didn’t want that to happen to myself, so I lied. I hid away half of my true self by being what I didn’t want to fall victim to: a bully. I even convinced the rest of the Nines that being LGBTQ+ was bad.”

He clenched his fist briefly and held his head up.

“I know now that, since I was expelled from APE, that my father wouldn’t be the type to disown me.”

“So, you’ve come out to him?” Ikuno asked him. He gently shook his head.

“He’s fully accepting of anyone who is LGBTQ+, especially since a work colleague that is a good friend of his is openly gay. He was ashamed to learn that myself and the Nines used APE’s corruption to get away with our crimes.”

“Alpha!”

The door burst open, and Delta burst into the room. She witnessed her friend through the glass of the door and was shocked to see where he was.

“Delta.” He stared at her, his blood running cold. His skin turned paler than before.

“What are you doing here in this club? You know Principal Frank will expel us if we do anything like we used to do back at APE.”

Alpha glanced at Ikuno, Naomi, and then all the members of the club. It hurt him, but he knew he was going to have to explain himself.

“Delta, we need to talk.” His voice was extremely low. Delta stood up straight, amazing him that she could still hear him. “There’s a reason I came to visit this club. The truth is… I’m bisexual.”

Delta’s jaw almost dropped open. She was shocked, but more confused.

“What? Did… did you just say—”

“I’m bisexual? Yes.” Alpha was clearly upset and frustrated. “To tell you what I told all these students before you arrived, I lied to you and the rest of the Nines because I was afraid. I was worried what we did to other people would happen to me if I ever came out.”

By that point, there were tears in his eyes. Years of angst were being released upon each word he spoke.

“And I know what you’re thinking. You’re shocked, you feel betrayed… and you’re questioning if you can trust me. Fair enough. And if you don’t want a lying, manipulative bastard like me as a friend anymore, fine.”

Like before, his head was held low. His fists were clenched tightly, as were his eyelids. He could not even look at Delta knowing how he had used her. Satoru had every reason to be ashamed of him, even though he was yet to learn the whole truth itself.

That was when Alpha felt something. Hands. They were touching the sides of his face, with a thumb wiping away one of his tears. He slowly opened his eyes, and amongst the blurriness, he could see Delta. She was smiling at him.

“We were told to change,” she gently told him. “And if we don’t, then how can we receive our education if we get expelled again?”

Alpha was shocked, but relieved. He quickly hugged Delta and held her tightly, with the student with the green hair holding him in return.

“By having someone who is LGBTQ as a friend, that can help me change for the better.”

“Do you…” Alpha hiccupped. “Do you think the rest of the Nines will be as accepting of me?”

“They should be changing as well,” Delta noted. “Principal Frank might not have scolded them into changing, but if they don’t accept you, then they are in the wrong and should be changing like we said we all would. Even if they might not trust you at first, I can see them accepting it. I forgave you because you know you did wrong.”

“Well done for both of you,” Naomi praised the duo. “Alpha.” She caught his attention; the duo’s hug being released, and Alpha wiped away another tear. “Just like me, you were very self-loathing when you realised you weren’t straight.”

“And you don’t necessarily have to be self-loathing to not be accepting of your sexuality,” Ikuno added. “I wasn’t accepting of my own because, just like you, I worried how others would react. By having good friends and family, you can truly accept who you are.”

“Yeah,” Alpha nodded. “I bet Iota will chastise me at first when she finds out, but since she left the Nines when she discovered what we used to do, I think she will accept it. The other way myself and the Nines wish to change our ways is with our more manipulative side.”

“You mean the side that set up that blog?” asked the male pansexual student.

“We only wished to get a message across,” Delta noted. “It never crossed our minds how, worst case scenario, we might have blood on our hands. We meant to do good, not bad, so our new leaf hasn’t got off to a good start. We’re both ashamed we did that now and wish to atone.”

Chapter Text

Two lessons followed the lunch break, with the school day and week yet again finishing for the tired students. Squad 13 slowly met up with one another as they prepared to leave Franxx, with the last port of call before their walk being Zorome’s locker; this is where he was organising his books and items before he left with his friends.

“I’m not going to be walking with you guys today,” he told his friends. “My mum’s going to be picking me up.”

“Where’s this coming from?” Goro asked him with surprise. “You didn’t mention it earlier at any point today.”

“Well, do I have to tell you everything?” Zorome replied as he shut his locker and slung his rucksack onto his back.

“Well, why is she collecting you?” Futoshi enquired.

“Just a doctor’s appointment,” Zorome shrugged back as they began their walk to leave the school building. “Nothing major.”

“I bet you’re going to get probed,” Miku snorted, her arms folded. Despite her tone, she was amused. “That’s why you don’t want to talk about it. You’re going to get something pushed up your—”

“We get it!” Zorome snapped at her. “Look…” He calmed himself down but was still irritated. “Maybe I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow. See how I feel.”

“You don’t appear ill,” Mitsuru observed.

“That doesn’t mean anything, though,” Ikuno noted.

“Well, it’s a doctor I’m going to, and I know that.” Zorome had folded his arms after Miku had unfolded hers. “Like I said, I’ll probably tell you all tomorrow maybe.”

“Is it a psychiatrist?” Kokoro asked him. “The person I spoke to about my trauma was a psychiatrist, and he—”

“I’ll tell you all tomorrow!” Zorome raised his tone. Kokoro almost winced at his response. “Sorry.” He calmed himself again, this time more than the previous outburst. “I’ve had a lot on my mind recently.”

“It’s to do with APE.” Zero Two made a deduction as they set foot outside of the building and began to walk down the steps to the open gate. “With your old man in jail, it clearly has something to do with how you feel about everything that’s happened.”

“Fine.” Zorome rolled his eyes. “I am seeing a psychiatrist. He was recommended to me by Principal Frank. His name is Kaneko or something like that.”

“That’s the person who helped me,” Kokoro noted. “He’s really good.”

“Hello again.”

Squad 13 had just passed through the gate when they were stopped by Alpha, who was accompanied by Delta. They all stood to aside so the other students who were leaving were not blocked off by the large group.

“What do you want?” Zero Two sneered. “You’ve caused enough trouble with that blog you made.”

“I just wish to thank Ikuno and Naomi for supporting us earlier.”

Zero Two glanced back at her two friends, who were standing beside each other. She then faced her cousin again.

“What did they do?”

“They allowed me to join their club.”

Yet again, Zero Two looked back at Ikuno and Naomi before facing Alpha again.

“And why would they do that to a basher like you?”

“Iota, the truth is I am bisexual.”

Apart from Ikuno, Naomi, and Zero Two, everyone in Squad 13 looked shocked.

“Right.” Zero Two stood her ground. “What’s your next lie?”

“I’m not lying,” he simply replied.

“Yeah, right.” Hiro was cold. “We know about what you used to do at APE.”

“It’s true,” Naomi told him. The other members of Squad 13 sharply faced her before looking back at Alpha, who spoke again.

“And that was because I was refusing to admit who I truly am. I feared I would fall victim to the very thing I turned into.”

“So, you thought it was a good idea to hide behind the image of a hypocritical bully?” Ichigo asked him. She was appalled. Alpha nodded back.

“I do have my regrets, especially with how I made Delta and the rest of the Nines believe my viewpoint on anti-LGBT views. I am lucky I still have her by my side.”

“Ever since we were expelled from APE,” Delta began, “we all decided we were going to turn over a new leaf. We used APE’s corruption to get away with our actions, but knowing how we could easily be expelled at Franxx or in any other place of education, we chose to change for the better. It is not going to be easy, but having Alpha as a friend will help me change my views.”

“No, I’m sorry.” Zero Two rubbed her forehead with visible frustration. “My cousin, the person who has been bashing people for not being straight for countless years, even before he was at APE, is actually the very thing he hated?”

“I’m not asking for your acceptance,” Alpha told her. “You have every reason to be angry with me.”

“Fucking right!” Zero Two stomped her foot. “I’m going to kick you so far up your ass my foot will come out of your mouth!”

“Zero Two.” Hiro rested a hand on her shoulder, catching her attention. “Just give it a rest. Come on. This mustn’t have been easy for him, just like with Ikuno and Naomi.”

“But they were never—”

“Zero Two.” Naomi cut her off. Instead of showing her usual assertive side, Naomi was surprisingly calm. The girl with the pink hair breathed an annoyed sigh and faced Alpha again.

“Satoru is probably going to be pissed when he finds out,” she hissed at him. “Whatever he says to you, you deserve it.”

“I’m not going to tell him,” Alpha told her. “Not yet. He’s already mad about the blog, and is still mad about me being expelled from APE. I’ll give it a couple of weeks.”

“Well done,” Ikuno told him. “You don’t need to race into doing it. There’s a time and a place.”

“Zorome!”

A woman’s voice caught the attention of Squad 13, Alpha, and Delta. Parking by the side of the road was Daitan, who was inside a white car.

“That’s my ride,” Zorome noted. “I’ll talk to you guys tomorrow.”

He approached the car and was about to open one of the back doors, but Daitan gestured to him to sit beside her. He quickly made his way to the front, where he placed his rucksack in the footwell before he sat down, and she drove off.

Mitsuru followed after Kokoro as they navigated their way through the corridors of Cerasus South. There were many emotions and thoughts that were coursing through his mind; excitement at seeing his daughter in the flesh for the first time, but there was a simultaneous fear and dread that accompanied the more positive feeling. He had already been told by his friends how small his child was, as well as how ill she had been. It was not just Kokoro who blamed themselves for the child’s condition, and just like her, he wished to make amends by properly caring for the infant.

“Here she is,” Kokoro softly spoke as they entered the NICU. She pointed at the same incubator she had been visiting the previous week.

They both stood before the transparent box, with Mitsuru in awe at the almost naked baby lying inside of it. He gasped, covering his mouth with both of his hands. Just like with his anticipation on seeing her, countless emotions flooded into him. Joy, knowing he was going to be caring for such a sweet and innocent being, and sorrow, for all the harm he and Kokoro had unintentionally caused for her. He should have considered the possibility she had still conceived despite the measure they took, making him regret his arrogance from that day.

There were tears in his eyes, something that did not go unnoticed by his girlfriend.

“Would you like to hold her hand?” she asked him. He sharply faced her, her voice surprising him. He gave a small nod, signalling for Kokoro to open the small hatch for him.

Once it was open, Mitsuru stuck his hand through and gently stroked the side of the child’s face before placing one of his fingers in her hand. To his surprise, he could feel her grip it, albeit weakly. Kokoro noticed his surprise at this, his eyes having widened.

“She’s getting stronger,” she quietly told him. “Day by day. We can’t hold her yet, but I will be looking forward to when that day comes.”

“So…” Mitsuru could hardly speak. He was in tears and almost snivelling. “So do I.” He then looked at her. “I’ve thought of a name for her. I thought of it this morning.”

Kokoro instantly looked surprised upon hearing this.

“I never thought about that.” She was shocked at her own actions. “What’s your idea?”

“Ai,” he replied. “It means love. It can mean your love for her, wanting to stay by her side after everything that’s happened in this past week.”

Kokoro glanced at the baby and then Mitsuru again. She was processing his idea.

“It won’t be just my love,” she told him, a smile forming on her face. “It will be ours. We both want her to grow up strong. We both want her to know she will be cared for.”

She wrapped an arm around his shoulder and they both looked on at their daughter. They both knew Ai was going to be in good hands and loved. She was their future.

Chapter Text

The building that the psychiatrist’s office was a part of was in fact a large old house, with various rooms being repurposed into the offices of its users. The exterior of the house was a pale blue, but the hallways were yellow. The doors inside were wooden and untouched by paint, something Zorome had noticed when he arrived with Daitan. They visited the reception desk first, which occupied the space that once was a living room, before being redirected upstairs.

There were three chairs beside the entrance to the room they sought, with the mother and her son seating themselves. Zorome glanced at the door, a silver plaque with the name DOCTOR ANZHONG KANEKO engraved upon it in black letters being stuck to it. Once again, Zorome thought back to his dreams, but skirted around triggering his tears like before. He wanted answers to why he cried, his situation becoming more frustrating and worrying for him as time went on.

He then felt Daitan hold his hand comfortingly. He faced her and saw her smile.

“It’s going to be okay,” she told him. “You’re definitely going to be upset when you’re talking to him. There’s nothing wrong with crying.”

He turned away from her, but still held her hand. He was ashamed to have not spoken to her sooner. She never called him out for it but was surprised when Frank told her of what he had been experiencing.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.” His response was quiet. “I was just so confused about this.”

“It doesn’t matter.” Daitan tried to lighten the mood by being cheerful. “We’re going to find out why you’ve been crying when you think back on these dreams, and then you’ll feel better afterwards.”

Zorome simply faced his mother, a slightly nervous expression on his face.

“I’m scared.”

Before Daitan could even respond, the door to the office opened, and a tall man with a dark complexion appeared before the duo. He wore a white shirt with long rolled-up sleeves and a dark blue tie that matched his trousers.

“Zorome Asaka?” the man spoke. His voice was deep and nice to hear. Zorome nodded back to him. “If you would follow me, please.”

He gestured to the door and smiled. Zorome stood up and walked into the office, which was a pale green. While there was a desk in the corner of the room near the window, there were two leather armchairs in the middle of the room with a low wooden table between them that had a tissue box laid upon it and a bin by its side.

“Take a seat.”

Like before, the man gestured, this time to the armchairs. Zorome slowly seated himself on the heavily cushioned seat, instantly feeling at ease as soon as he felt how soft it was. The man claimed his notebook and pen from his desk and swiftly seated himself opposite his client in the opposite armchair.

“Good afternoon, Zorome.” He was a kind man, smiling as he shook Zorome’s hand. There was a hint of enthusiasm and eccentricity in him, but these traits were restrained. “I am Doctor Anzhong Kaneko, and I will be your psychiatrist for today. I take it that the woman outside is your mother?”

“Yes, sir,” he nodded back.

“Right. Well, enough about that. We are here about you. What appears to be the problem?”

“Well,” Zorome began, “since last Saturday, I have started having nightmares. It’s very rare that I have them in the first place, but I have been having them for several nights in a row. But that’s not the weirdest part. When I try to think back later about some of the things that happened… I mean, I hear in them… I start crying. I don’t know why, but it keeps happening.”

Kaneko wrote this down in his notebook.

“That’s interesting,” he nodded. He looked up from his item and faced Zorome again. “Could you tell me what happened in your dreams?”

“Yeah,” Zorome nodded back. “In the first one, I had woken up early and was restless, so I decided to watch an episode of the TV show Strelizia on my phone. It was an episode I had seen before, but things happened differently. This time, a weird glowing creature showed up and killed all the Klaxobots, who are the good guys.”

“I am familiar with the series,” Kaneko noted.

“I could draw the creature if you want.”

Kaneko pondered this idea. He turned a page over in his notebook and handed it over with his pen to his client. Zorome quickly sketched it and passed it back to its owner. The psychiatrist analysed it.

“Interesting,” he noted. “Very abstract.”

“But that’s not all. It then tried to emerge from my phone and into real life, and then I woke up. But…” Zorome hesitated. He no longer gave eye contact. “It said something before it did all those things. Whenever I try to think about it, along with the other things, I cry.”

“It does not matter if you do that here.” Kaneko’s baritone was comforting. “I am here to support you.”

“It…” Zorome stuttered. “It said… ‘trash. This is all trash’.”

He could feel his emotions building up, but not a single tear was shed. He wiped his eyes and looked at his hands, his expression becoming astonished that he was not upset.

“I’m not crying. I guess it’s because I’m not thinking too deeply about it.”

“I shall do that for you. Tell me about the other dreams.”

“Okay.” Zorome sat up straight in his chair. “In the next one, I was visiting the zoo when I found that the meerkats were missing their heads. But it wasn’t like they had been decapitated, if you know what I mean. It was like they had lost a leg or something else. You know how people who have missing body parts have those smoothed-over areas where the body part was?”

Kaneko nodded to this.

“It was like that. What was even weirder was they all seemed to be alive still. I ran around the zoo and found that all the other animals were like that. As I ran, I tripped up, and when I looked up, I saw…”

Zorome’s voice creaked slightly. He cleared his throat.

“I saw a tanuki. It was also missing its head. I love those animals. They’re my favourite. And then… it showed up again… but it never said anything. I get the impression that it was responsible for all the animals, especially that tanuki, missing their heads.”

Kaneko took down more notes upon the story, its details, and Zorome’s behaviour.

“The dream after that, I was walking home from school with my friends when a fog appeared. I lost them and was alone. As I walked on, bubbles started flying towards me. They were small, but there were loads of them. They kept coming and coming. It was like being in a snowstorm. I could barely move or see. I heard someone calling out to me who I thought was holding a torch. I was able to make my way over to them… only to find out it was that thing again. But what confuses me…”

Zorome rubbed his eyes and slowed himself down. He realised he had been speaking quickly.

“It said ‘thank god you’re okay’.”

“So, it wanted to help you in this case?” Kaneko enquired. He was intrigued. Zorome nodded back. “Okay. Out of curiosity, how many nightmares have you had as a whole?”

“Six,” the student with the messy hair replied. “I’ve only told you about half of them. I never had one Tuesday night because I was so tired from studying for a test the next day.”

“Please keep going.”

“In the next one, my homeroom teacher asked me to fetch some paper for him in a storage room. When I was in it, I started sinking down into the floor, which was covered in loads of paper. It was like quicksand. I called for help, only for that creature to show up and said, ‘since you can’t do it yourself, I’ll make you do it’ before pushing me down into the floor.”

“So, it became your enemy again?” Kaneko asked.

“I don’t think it was friendly the previous time anyway,” Zorome shrugged. His eyes were slightly watery, but still no tears had appeared.

“And why do you think that?”

“Well, it tried to hurt me before. It makes sense.”

Kaneko raised his eyebrows before jotting down more notes.

“What about the next dream?”

Zorome’s eyes widened briefly.

“Ah. Oh. Yeah.”

“You seem uncertain,” Kaneko observed.

“I… I kind of know the meanings of this one. Can I tell you after the dream after this one?”

The psychiatrist hesitated but accepted the idea.

“Fine.”

“I was kept behind afterschool by my maths teacher. When we had complete privacy, she started coming on to me. As in, sexually.”

“I understand,” Kaneko replied, not looking up from his notes.

“Just as she was about to unzip my trousers, that creature burst into the room and said ‘this is your own fault. This is the most shameful thing you have ever done’.”

As he spoke, Zorome suddenly drew his legs up onto the armchair and was almost in a foetal position with how he wrapped his arms around them. He seemed disturbed, something Kaneko had noticed and noted down.

“Right,” he nodded. “There was one last dream, I recall.”

“Yeah.” Zorome still did not provide eye contact, his focus being on his own knees. “I was walking home again when the creature showed up. I tried fighting back, but it never worked, so I ran home. I knew my mother would be there, but she wasn’t. I searched the entire house. Then the creature caught up with me and said… ‘don’t expect your mother to have sympathy for you. She won’t help you’.”

Zorome remained seated upright in his armchair, still in his foetal position. It was evident he was upset thinking about what the creature had said to him, but not a single tear had been shed. Other than the words the teenager had spoken, Kaneko noted down his behaviour.

“The dream involving your maths teacher.” He faced Zorome. “You said you were going to explain the meaning of it after this last dream.”

“Oh. Yeah.” It was almost as if he had already forgotten. “I was, wasn’t I?”

“You’re trying to avoid talking about it,” Kaneko observed. “Clearly, it is in relation to or is based upon an event that upset you.”

“Pretty much.” Zorome raised his head up from his focus on his knees. “I fell asleep in maths class because I had had a late night the day before. This was a year ago. Not just did I dream when I was asleep, but… I had a wet one.”

Kaneko wrote the details down in his notebook, his expression blank. All the while, Zorome felt embarrassed referring to the event.

“I used to think about my maths teacher, Ms. Matsumoto, in that way, so when I found out what I did when I was asleep, I was horrified. Heck, the dream was even about her. Everyone knew it had happened because I was pitching a tent. I was embarrassed, but so was Ms. Matsumoto when she found out. I was crying because I was so embarrassed, and she tried to be sympathetic even though she was angry I had fallen asleep. Rumours started going around that I had my fly undone—you can see what that implied—but the worst part was… all the stuff that happened at home afterwards.”

A single tear ran down the side of his face. His emotions were beginning to show.

“I thought I was going to have sympathy from him and Mum, but… my dad was mad, telling me that what happened would not just humiliate myself, but him too. Mum never said anything. And after that, it wasn’t until a couple of weeks after the incident that I could get a hard-on again. I’m not even making this up. I was just like those old people in those blue pill adverts.”

“So, your erectile dysfunction recovered naturally?” Kaneko enquired.

“I used to get off to thinking about Ms. Matsumoto a lot,” Zorome nodded back, revealing a secret he knew would be kept between himself and the psychiatrist. Like the nocturnal emission, he was still embarrassed to confess it. “I haven’t jerked off to her since.”

“Did your parents know of this problem?”

Zorome shook his head to this.

“Okay. Now, thinking back to this creature you saw and what it has been saying to you—by chance, were the words it uttered in the dream with your maths teacher the same ones your father said to you?” Zorome nodded yet again, but the movement was smaller. “I believe I have made a small deduction so far.”

“You have?” Zorome’s eyes widened. He was surprised and relieved. “What is it?”

“Before I reach a definitive conclusion, I need to ask you: what is your relationship like with your father?”

The student was almost taken back by what he had been asked.

“Oh.” He cleared his throat. “As of recent, not good. He’s gone to prison as of Thursday last week.”

“What for?”

“He was the principal of APE Institute. He was corrupt and covered up anything that would make them look bad, even though he was the one that had caused it in the first place. And it wasn’t just him. The old vice principal was also corrupt, same for several other teachers. I couldn’t believe it when the police came to our home and arrested him. He had been the principal of APE before I was born, and I looked up to him. I wanted to be like him. I thought he was a good man, but he never was.”

“Why did you look up to him?” Kaneko asked. “Do you want to become a teacher, let alone a principal?”

“No.” Zorome shook his head. He was calm, but still held back his sadness. “I don’t want to be either, but… I want to be in charge of something one day.”

“And why’s that?”

“I’ve always felt as though people have looked down upon me, especially adults.”

“Just like your parents, possibly your father?”

Zorome stared at him, but never responded to the statement. Another tear fell.

“You want control,” Kaneko noted. “Many people want that, but I am under the assumption there is a greater reason for why you want that.”

“And what’s that?” Zorome asked him. His voice was so quiet it was a croak. Kaneko leaned forward in his armchair and responded quietly, but his tone was slightly louder.

“I believe this creature you have been experiencing in your dreams is a representation of your father. You have been having these dreams since your father was imprisoned, correct?”

“Yes, sir.”

“You were devastated when the APE scandal hit and you learned the truth that your father was not a good man, correct?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Did you feel helpless and unsupported by him when your wet dream incident occurred?”

“Absolutely.”

Kaneko leaned back on his chair and straightened himself.

“Zorome… if my theory is correct that this creature is a representation of your father and knowing how you knew the answer to the dream with your maths teacher, the other dreams you have experienced are allegories for events that have happened in your life.”

Zorome appeared astonished by what he had been told. His mouth was agape, and his eyes were wide.

“What?” His voice was flat and low. “What are allegories?”

“An allegory is something that stands-in for something else. For example, you might have a story about how an artist is not allowed to create their art the way they want in a certain place, with the allegory being in relation to freedom of speech laws in other countries. I think your dreams are events in your life that had your father’s presence in them.”

Zorome broke his eye contact again, shaking his head as the tears suddenly increased.

“No,” he spoke quietly. “No, no, no.” His breath became haggard. He seemed afraid.

“Judging by how you did not immediately disclose what the dream with your maths teacher meant, I can tell another thing about you: you’re in denial.”

Zorome sharply faced him. He was breathing heavily and in a state of panic. His legs were no longer drawn up to his chest and his hands clenched the armrests.

“You know exactly what these dreams mean, but you’ve been denying their truths because of trauma. Perhaps you had amnesia that was induced by it, and the dreams reminded you that they had once occurred?” Once again, Kaneko leaned forward and looked Zorome straight into his eyes. “You have to tell me what they mean, Zorome. You’ve clearly been denying the truth for too long via avoidance.”

It was then that he broke. Zorome properly started crying, sob after sob emerging. After his emotions broke out, he finally began speaking half a minute later.

“Dad hated Strelizia. He could not stand when I watched it. He would always tell me it was for little girls and I should man up. I tried to explain how it was popular, but he would never let me watch it when he was around. Not just did he once tell me it was trash, he on one occasion said it was complete shit. He would never let me buy any of the merchandise. I always wanted an action figure of Argentea.”

Kaneko gently pushed forward the tissue box, but Zorome ignored him as he tearfully explained more of his dreams.

“When I was ten, I got into an argument with a teacher, and I swore at them. Dad was so angry, he forced soap gel into my mouth to ‘wash’ it. I quickly became sick and had to be taken to hospital. I even passed out after throwing up. He forced both me and my mother to keep quiet about what really happened. He lied that I ate it as a dare from a friend. I still remember what he said to me when I was in my hospital bed: ‘Thank god you’re okay’. He didn’t care. He really didn’t.”

More and more details were being unravelled about Zorome’s home life. Kaneko was concerned and sympathetic to him but had to write down his notes.

“That dream with the papers? I can tell you what it means,” Zorome sobbed. “I used to be lazy with my homework. He would always be yelling at me when I had to answer the questions. When I was nine, he even said I was useless and my friend Hiro, who is one of the smartest people I know and everyone calls him a prodigy, would make a better son than I ever would. Dad had such high demands for me, I just could never live up to them.”

He finally grabbed a tissue and wiped his eyes, but more tears followed. He then blew his nose and tossed the paper in the bin.

“The dream where I couldn’t find my mum… there’s barely any allegories in that. She never did anything to stop him. Sometimes, he was controlling towards her as well. She knew what he was like and did nothing. She could have done more.”

Zorome stopped speaking and continued crying. Kaneko simply stared at him, knowing how there was one more dream that required an explanation. He reached his hand out and placed it on his client’s shoulder.

“Zorome,” he softly spoke. “Zorome. There is one more dream you need to explain.”

He noticed how the student was shaking. Years of trauma had finally reached the surface and erupted out like a fizzy drink being opened ages after it had been shaken.

“I understand your pain,” Kaneko told him. Zorome shook his head. He did not want to speak. “But you have to say it. This is not healthy. Whatever it is, it clearly gave you the most trauma.”

He had no choice. Kaneko was right. He had to tell him what the last dream with the zoo meant. Just as he was about to speak after a small intake of breath, he froze. His eyes widened yet again, but this time, it was different. There was complete fear and dread in him. He sobbed again, and if he was not hysterical before, he certainly was then.

“Miyamoto,” he spoke in a whisper. Kaneko barely heard him.

“Sorry?”

“Miyamoto!” He sharply faced the psychiatrist, his voice louder. “Miyamoto! He hurt Miyamoto!”

“He?” Kaneko raised an eyebrow.

“Papa,” Zorome replied hysterically. “Papa hurt him. I think he even killed him.”

“Who’s Miyamoto?” Kaneko asked him. Zorome stood up from his seat slowly, his eyes slowly looking around the room. “Zorome, who is Miyamoto?”

Before a response could even be given, Zorome vomited into the bin. The stress was becoming too much for him to handle. He knelt beside the bin, with Kaneko also crouching beside him and rubbing his back.

“He… he was my best friend.” His response was still tearful but was calmer and more subdued. “And Papa took his head off. He was mad at me for getting into a fight at school when I was seven.”

Kaneko began to piece together what he was being told. He realised Miyamoto was not a living being.

“This Miyamoto… other than your friend, what is he?”

“A tanuki. My plush tanuki I once got from the zoo when I was small. I love him. I’ve always loved tanukis. He’s… he’s at home… in my wardrobe… in an old shoe box. I… I don’t even know if he’s okay.”

It was then that Zorome lowered himself onto the floor and lied down, once again assuming a foetal position as he continued softly crying. Kaneko just stared at the teenager, shocked and saddened by how they had emotionally regressed from their trauma as it was finally revealed.

Chapter Text

As he was lying on the floor, Zorome cried quietly and continued to shake. Kaneko had many clients before who had experienced a complete emotional breakdown during their session with him, so what he had witnessed was barely a new sight for him. That did not prevent him from empathising with the teenager, as he was now concerned for his safety.

“Do you want me to fetch you some water?” the psychiatrist asked him. Zorome shook his head. “Okay. I’m just going to go outside to speak to your mother. Will you be okay if I leave you alone for a little bit?”

Zorome nodded to this, his arms drawn up to his head. Kaneko stood up from where he was crouching and exited his office. Daitan instantly turned to face him as he emerged from the doorway, her expression indicating she was gravely worried about her son.

“Is he okay?” she asked him. “I could hear him crying.”

“Mrs. Asaka.” Kaneko seated himself beside her. “Zorome… he’s regressed from trauma. The dreams… the nightmares he had been having… they were allegories for events in his past. When he was telling me of each nightmare he had, he told me he knew exactly what one of them meant, but he put off explaining it until he told me another he had had. He was deliberately avoiding it. The nightmare itself was based upon an incident a year ago when he fell asleep in his maths class.”

Daitan let out a small, anxious sigh. She could remember it too clearly.

“In the nightmare, as well as the other ones, Zorome encountered a creature that wished to harm him. In the nightmare based upon his sleeping incident, the creature uttered words which his father said to him in relation to said incident. From that, I was able to deduce that the creature is a representation of his father. However, there was never a proper mystery surrounding the meanings of these nightmares—Zorome knew what they meant but refused to accept the truth.”

“Truth?” Daitan was growing more and more anxious. “What truth?”

“These dreams had started when his father was sent to prison in relation to the APE scandal. He was devastated when his father was revealed to be a manipulative liar and not an innocent man.”

“He was devastated,” Daitan noted. “We both were.”

“But it goes further than that,” Kaneko quickly replied. “Zorome knew his father was never good for a very long time in relation to matters away from his place of work. The truth in question was that Mr. Asaka had been emotionally abusing the both of you.”

It was then that Daitan’s heart sank. The truth had indeed been revealed. She was more accepting of Itsuki’s abuse towards them than Zorome was, but never comprehended how badly her son was affected by it.

“He oppressed us,” Daitan quietly noted, a tinge of regret in her tone. “He wanted us to do whatever he preferred, and he always wanted Zorome to grow up to be just like him. Just like the students at APE, he never saw Zorome as a human being.”

“Each nightmare was based upon a certain event in his life where he was abused. One had the creature killing all the characters of the Strelizia TV programme; this represented his father’s bigotry with his own dislike for it, which he took out on Zorome and verbally harassed him.”

“That’s when Itsuki started to change how he treated him,” Daitan nodded sadly. “Something about that TV series really set him off.”

“Another involved a bubble fog and the creature trying to rescue him from it; Zorome was forced to have soap in his mouth for swearing at a teacher and fell ill, leading to Mr. Asaka displaying fake remorse for his actions and then force you to cover it up.”

“It was terrible,” Daitan nodded. She was horrified at everything she was hearing.

“Another involved a room full of papers where he was sinking into the floor like quicksand, only to be pushed down even more by the creature. This represented Mr. Asaka’s controlling nature towards the both of you, but in this case, it was for when he helped Zorome with his homework. He would even belittle him and compare him unfavourably to a friend of his who is considered a prodigy by others.”

“Yes. Hiro.” Daitan named the person.

“Zorome felt as though he could never live up to his father’s expectations.”

“Normally, he would have a superiority complex.” She covered her mouth with her hand. Never did she think her own son would view himself so lowly. “Zorome, I mean.”

“It was a mask for a supressed inferiority one,” Kaneko noted. “The dream about the sleeping incident had ramifications from the lack of emotional support from you and Mr. Asaka to help him recover. Zorome revealed to me he had erectile dysfunction for a while after it happened but has long since recovered.”

The mother appeared even more horrified than before. She was completely in the dark with this information.

“In relation to this, another nightmare had him desperately searching for you to help protect him from the creature, but you were nowhere to be seen. This represents how you never supported him and failed to take proper action to prevent further harm from your husband towards the both of you.”

“Oh god.” Daitan’s words were hushed. Zorome was not the only one being devastated by the truth as it was being revealed. Never had she felt such shame before.

“The last dream he explained the meaning of, which was actually the second one he told me… it is what has led to his regression currently. It is the most damaging one. He had a fight at school when he was seven, leading to his father tearing the head off the toy of his plush tanuki.”

“Miyamoto.” Daitan named the toy. Her voice was still quiet. Kaneko noticed how she never provided eye contact, her focus drifting across the hallway. “Ever since that day, he changed. Something inside Zorome snapped.”

“He’s been in denial,” Kaneko informed her. “He refused to accept his father was a good man and hid behind what I can assume were false memories.”

“He became very fixated on him,” Daitan replied. “He was obsessed with the idea his father was a good person and would never do bad things. He never had an interest in being a teacher, and he started idolising APE as well.”

“He wanted to have power, let alone authority, something his father told him he would never have because he never lived up to his own expectations. This led to the fake superiority complex. Mrs. Asaka, your son is extremely strong minded. I am amazed he believed his own lie for this long. Due to the cork finally being popped on the wine bottle that has been shaken for too long, the consequences of the truth have been damaging for him. He’s been mentally ill for a long time.”

“Does he have a disorder of some sort?” Daitan fearfully asked him.

“It’s actually rather hard to tell due to how long he’s suppressed his trauma,” Kaneko observed. “I would definitely say he has a form of PTSD – post-traumatic stress disorder – and is perhaps somewhere along the bipolar spectrum.”

The mother could barely believe the information she was receiving. Her own son was ill on a psychological level, all due to how her husband had treated him, as well as how she had done nothing to prevent it.

“Will he recover?” Daitan was close to panicking. “What can I do to help him?”

“For a start, support his emotional needs. Other than that, it is too difficult to tell. My best guess is he needs to rest after this ordeal, so if he can sleep soundly, he may recover from his regression overnight. The sadness, however, will take longer.”

“Okay,” she nodded. “Can I see him?”

Kaneko nodded and shortly opened the door to his office. Daitan followed him inside the room, instantly noticing her son lying on the floor.

“Zorome.” She let out a sad gasp. “Zorome.”

She knelt beside him and touched his upper arm, making him roll over to face her before slowly sitting up. He was still in tears but was no longer sobbing. He hyperventilated slightly, and amongst the sadness, there was a trace of anger. She tried to rest a hand on his shoulder, but he gently swiped it away. It was clear he was hostile towards her.

“I want to find Miyamoto,” he quietly spoke. “I need to see if he is okay.”

Chapter Text

Once he had returned to his mother’s car, Zorome refused to remain seated at the front for the journey home. Other than his sadness, it was apparent to Daitan that anger was being generated from that, and not just in relation to what Itsuki had subjected his own son to. Zorome was angry with her.

Daitan occasionally glanced back at him using the rear-view mirror. He never looked at her, his gaze focusing on the sights he saw out of his door’s window. The teenager was staring far out into the distance, his trauma still apparent. He still shook, but his tears had long since subsided. Daitan had pity for him and hoped he would recover. She hated seeing him suffer in the past, the consequences of it causing him more harm than she ever imagined they would.

A short while later, they both arrived home. Zorome was the first person to exit the car and raced to the doorstep.

“Miyamoto.” His voice may have been hushed, but Daitan could perfectly hear him. “Miyamoto.”

He possessed his own house key, which he used to unlock the front door. As soon as he was inside, he quickly removed his shoes and ran up the stairs.

“Miyamoto!” he called. “Miyamoto!”

In a matter of seconds, he was inside his bedroom and stood before his wardrobe. He grabbed hold of the doorknobs on the double doors of the tall wooden box, only to freeze. He was desperate to see the state his beloved toy was in, but he had only just realised it had been a great span of time since he laid eyes on the severely damaged toy. If anything, he had never played with it since the day the damage itself occurred.

He slowly opened the doors, his eyes scanning across the bottom of the wardrobe. He found the shoebox, which was made of brown cardboard and had been crumpled by the clothes which hung above it, even though they were still hanging from hangers. He grabbed hold of the shoebox and gradually pulled it out, transferring it onto his bed with very tiny steps along the way.

His hands shaking, he grabbed hold of the lid, which was separate from the shoebox itself. In a sharp action, he yanked the lid off, his eyes clenched shut as he performed the fast act. He looked down and gently opened his eyes, the sight he saw before him once again reminding him of the day the damage took place. The head was indeed separate from the limp body, with a large chunk of the cotton that filled the body having fallen out. It was in his grief when the toy was beheaded that he initially tried to recover the cotton that fell out of it as if they were internal organs needed to keep it alive. Every piece was still there in the box. Not one was missing.

“Miyamoto.” His tears had returned as wave after wave of traumatic memories returned. “Miyamoto, can you hear me?”

Zorome stood over his bed in silence. He was treating the toy as he did when he was younger, as if it were a person and not an inanimate object.

“Speak to me.”

He covered his mouth with his hand. His eyes darted across the room searching for something that could help him. Noticing his desk had several drawers attached to it, he ran over to them and opened the top drawer. He pulled out a stapler and returned to the bed, where he began to cram the cotton back into Miyamoto’s body and head. Once every piece was in, he quickly stapled the head back on, using more than a dozen staples to do so. He returned the stapler back to the drawer it was originally kept in and pulled the toy out of its makeshift coffin. He lied it against his pillow. He then froze, a shocked expression appearing on his face. Then a smile.

“You’re okay. You’re okay.” He began to laugh from joy. “You’re still alive.” He held its front paws. “How do you feel?” There was a pause, allowing him to imagine the toy speaking. “Good. Really good.”

Zorome picked up the toy and hugged it, crying but in a more restrained manner than when he was speaking to Kaneko.

“I’m so sorry Papa hurt you. He should have hurt me, not you. You didn’t do anything wrong. I’m so sorry I haven’t seen you in ages. It’ll be like old times. Just the two of us taking on the world together. Remember how I said we’d do that?”

“Zorome?”

The regressed teenager sharply faced the direction the voice came from. Daitan was standing in the open doorway to his bedroom, clearly shocked by how he was behaving. Zorome lowered Miyamoto from his shoulders and scowled at his mother, his hostility once again showing through. He placed the toy on the side of his bed.

“I… I see you’ve found Miyamoto.” Daitan was quiet. “You put his head back on.”

“He’s okay,” Zorome told her as she walked into his room. “It’s almost like he was never hurt at all.”

Daitan could only stare at her son in horror. His behaviour was beginning to frighten her. What if his regressed state was potentially his true personality? Would he ever return to the previous one he had?

“I was thinking of making some dinner. You must be hungry.”

“I’m not hungry.” Zorome’s response was fast. “I’m really not in the mood for anything right now. I just want to make sure Miyamoto is okay.”

She had a feeling he would not be interested in eating given the amount of stress he was experiencing. That was when she had an idea.

“What about Miyamoto? Does he want anything to eat?”

Zorome looked over at the toy, almost as if it were alive, but only he could hear what it could say. He then looked back at Daitan.

“He doesn’t want anything to eat.” His response was quiet. “He’s fine too.”

Daitan looked closer at the toy and noticed the hasty staple job it had been subjected to. She hesitated on whether what she was going to say would backfire.

“You used staples,” she observed, her focus still being on the toy.

“It was a quick, but efficient job,” Zorome replied.

“Would you like me to fix him for you?” she asked.

“He’s already fixed.” He appeared stern.

“Are you sure? Does Miyamoto feel uncomfortable having those staples in his neck?”

“He’s fine.” Zorome raised his voice. “Doctors use staples to fix people, so why can’t I use them to fix him?”

“But they use special staples,” she corrected him, speaking to her son as if he was younger. “Same for when they use stitches. But those staples wouldn’t be good for him regardless. What he needs is proper stitching that other plush toys are made of. Plus, look.” She pointed to Miyamoto. A hole was present, with a piece of cotton protruding out. “Those staples aren’t enough for him.” She tried to reach out to the toy. “Why don’t I—”

In an instant, Daitan felt her cheek being hit with great force. Zorome’s palm had slapped across it, creating a loud sound akin to the crack of a whip when flesh hit flesh. One of his nails had also caught her, making a tiny cut on her cheek as well. The cut may have stung a little, but the slap stung even more. Zorome had even knocked her to the floor, but Daitan was not unconscious. She was on her hands and knees; her head slowly being raised so she could face her son. There was complete fury in him.

“Don’t you dare lay a hand on him.” He was trembling with rage, his tears resurfacing once more. Despite his sadness and anger, he suppressed it as he spoke to her through gritted teeth. “It’s because of you that he was hurt in the first place. It’s because of you that that fat bastard abused me. You could have done so much more for me. You knew about all the stuff he did to us, and you did nothing, you useless cow. You are no worse than he is. You should be locked up, just like he is. You would deserve that. Get out.”

By that point, there were tears in Daitan’s eyes. He was right. She had completely failed him as a mother.

“GET OUT!”

His screech made her flinch, and just as she was up on her feet, he pulled the stapler out of his drawer and threw it straight at her. Fortunately, she was not hurt, but as she made her exit from his bedroom, he threw his desk’s chair at the doorway. Daitan had already left the room, running down the stairs into the living room to be by herself. The fact that Zorome had attacked her showed how his anger overwhelmed his inhibitions; he had never physically hurt her, let alone Itsuki, since his birth. This alone showed how broken he had become.

And she had enabled this, to her great shame.

Chapter Text

For the remainder of that day, Zorome and Daitan never saw eye-to-eye with each other. Both were grief-stricken; one was damaged psychologically from the consequences of the abuse they had been subjected to by Itsuki, while the other not just felt disgraced by the lack of support they provided for their child, but were astounded by how said child had physically assaulted them. Daitan ate very little, while Zorome never ate at all. He remained tucked away in his bedroom, speaking to Miyamoto as if it were another living person, leaving his room only to use the bathroom.

That night, Zorome slept in his bed with Miyamoto held closely to his chest. He used to do this long before the toy had been damaged, showing that his regression was still apparent. As he slept, not a single nightmare entered his mind. The stress of the repressed trauma was enough to make him sleep easily; in fact, while he retired to his bed at his usual time on a Friday—ten o’clock—he had fallen asleep by half past the hour, which was earlier than normal.

Morning gradually reared its head, with Zorome slowly stirring himself awake. He glanced at his bedside clock, which read quarter-past-nine. He had never felt so relaxed before. There was complete content for him. He turned onto his back, and as he stared up at his bedroom ceiling, he tried to piece together what had happened the day before. The sadness and anger he had experienced was intoxicating and almost like alcohol; he had almost forgotten the events of the previous day.

His eyes were partially open, his tiredness apparent, only to shoot open fully when he remembered what had happened. He peaked under his duvet, the only sight before him being his body in his pyjamas.

“Miyamoto?”

He was no longer emotionally regressed, but he was puzzled as to where the toy was. He checked the floor beside his bed, only to find the plush tanuki when he turned his head right. He grabbed hold of Miyamoto and sat up in his bed, the toy in his arms like a baby to their parent. The teenager was completely puzzled by how they had behaved the day before around his beloved item.

“What the hell was I like yesterday?” he quietly commented. As he inspected Miyamoto’s neck, he noticed it had changed. He distinctly remembered using a stapler to fix the toy, and yet, he was staring at brown string that had been used to stitch together the head and the body. If anything, the stitching was perfect. Unlike his stapling, there were no holes with cotton poking out. He knew the toy’s head had been torn off by his own father. He distinctly remembered it.

It then dawned on him why Miyamoto was the way it was. There was only one other person in the house. Daitan had repaired it despite her son’s furious demands that she kept her distance.

That was when another detail dawned on Zorome. As he thought through every single part of his emotional breakdown, both at Kaneko’s office and when he had returned home, he remembered the anger he felt towards his mother. And not just that; he hurt her. Not with words, like his father did to him, but with actual physical contact, something Itsuki had never done to her. This made him feel sick to his stomach; he was comparing himself to his father and, in his eyes, he perceived himself as being just as bad, if not worse.

Yet another realisation struck him; Daitan grew cold towards Itsuki following the APE scandal, and it was clear she would never forgive him despite how he never sought it. It was also clear to Zorome with very little guessing that she would not forgive him for the abuse he subjected him to. Perhaps, deep down when she became cold, she used the distance between herself and her disgraced husband as a chance to denounce him for his crimes at home. This all meant one horrible possibility for Zorome: would she forgive her own son for his actions the day before?

His heart sank deeper than it had ever done before. He felt atrocious. Zorome had apologised for previous misdeeds, both with his parents and his friends, but none reached the same level of awfulness as what he had done to his own mother. He had to apologise. Even if she did not accept it, he had to make it clear to her he regretted his past mistake.

Zorome placed Miyamoto on his desk and climbed out of bed. He slowly walked out of his bedroom and entered the hallway, the sound of the television downstairs in the living room being the sign of where Daitan was. Step by step, he made his way down the staircase and entered the living room, his mother seated on the sofa closest to the door. She was watching a morning chat show, which involved two presenters and a guest sitting on a sofa in the studio they were in. Daitan’s head was turned away and facing the television itself, which was close to the large window. She was seated on the end of the sofa that was closer to the end of the room.

Zorome took small steps as he furthered himself inside the living room, slowly lowering himself beside where she sat. He did not even feel as though he deserved to sit next to her, let alone speak to her, but he had to try. He looked up at her but turned himself away and lowered his head in shame. She did not deserve the treatment he subjected her to.

For a few minutes more, the only sound in the living room was from the television. Once an advertising break occurred, Daitan grabbed hold of the remote from the armrest and used it to turn the television off. After placing the remote back on the armrest, she too lowered her head in shame. Just like her son, she knew the best thing to do now was to address the problem itself. She slowly looked over at him, making him raise his head and face her.

“I’m sorry,” he squeaked, tears visible in his eyes.

“I know,” she softly replied. As he began to cry, she tried to reach out and hug him, but he gently pushed her off.

“No,” he quickly replied. He was angry, but nowhere near to the extent he was the day before. “No. I don’t deserve it. Not after what I did yesterday.” The tears rolled down his cheeks as his sadness consumed him, his remorse apparent. “I don’t understand why you even love me. I’m a complete failure, just like Dad said. I’m not smart. Hiro is better than me, and so are all my other friends. I’m a complete moron. And to make things worse…” He snivelled, the words he was going to speak clearly upsetting him the most. “I’m just like Dad.”

“No, you’re not,” Daitan told him. She grabbed hold of his hand, which he did not let go of. “You are nothing like him.”

“Yes, I am,” Zorome sobbed. “He never regretted doing any of the things that he did to us. He never said he was sorry. And now… I’ve hurt you. He never did that to you.”

“But you know you did wrong, which is what sets you apart from your father.” Daitan was firm. “Zorome, you’ve always apologised for anything bad you’ve done. You have more remorse than your father has ever had. Also…” She held his other hand. “While all parents have high expectations of their children, what your father subjected you to was atrocious. He had no right to do that to try and enforce his beliefs on you. Also, you are not a moron. You may be getting Cs at the moment, but I know you can do better. That doesn’t mean I’m going to shout in your face, telling you to do better. I’ll encourage and enforce what I can to help you, but the fearmongering your father did only made things worse.”

After a few seconds of staring at his mother, Zorome hugged her. The two embraced, the teenager crying over his parent’s shoulder. It was evident she forgave him, but he still felt terrible. There was more on his mind than just guilt, however, and it upset him immensely. It pained him, but he knew he had to say it.

“Mum,” he whimpered, their embrace still held. “I love you, and I will still love you no matter what, but… I… I…”

“You’re still angry with me?”

He failed to choke back a sob. He felt horrible, making him bury his face in her shoulder.

“That’s perfectly fine.”

“No!” he wept. “It isn’t. Mum, I hurt you. I should never have done that.”

“Hurting someone like that is only one way of showing you’re angry with someone.” She comfortingly rubbed his back. “It was wrong, and I forgive you for that. But if you’re still angry, it’s fine. You have every right to be. I failed you. I failed the both of us. This wound still needs healing. It’s going to take time, or maybe it won’t heal at all. Let’s see how things go.”

“I would rather forgive you than… than him.”

He lifted his head from her shoulder, his puffy red eyes and runny nose being the first thing she noticed. They removed themselves from the hug and she offered the nearby tissue box, which he used the tissues from to dry his eyes and then blow his nose.

“By the way. Mum.” He looked at her. “Thank you for fixing Miyamoto even though I was an idiot.”

“I just want you to be happy,” she replied. He then reached over and kissed her on the cheek, only to look horrified when he realised where he had kissed her. The worst part was she possessed a visible scar where he had cut her with his nail.

“Your cheek!” he gasped. “Is it okay? Did I just—”

“It’s fine, Zorome,” Daitan laughed. “It doesn’t hurt anymore, and it didn’t hurt when you just kissed me.”

“Oh.” He breathed a sigh of relief, a hand on his heart. “Thank god.” He then smiled. “I think I’m going to have some breakfast. I haven’t eaten since lunch yesterday.”

“How about I cook us some scrambled eggs on toast?” Daitan asked. Zorome seemed to light up at the idea.

“I’d love that.”

“Would Miyamoto like to join us?”

Zorome’s face turned red. He was not angry, but he was certainly embarrassed. Daitan was trying her best not to laugh.

“He used to sit with us at the dinner table.”

“Yeah, well, I’ve grown out of that.” He scratched the back of his head. He then left the room to prepare himself for the day ahead. As Daitan made her way into the kitchen, she breathed a sigh of relief knowing that things were going to get better. Her son had recovered from his emotional regression, and while the road was still long for him to recover from the trauma, she could tell his future would be bright.

Chapter Text

When she returned home the late afternoon of the day before, Miku was still anxious. Kibo was admitted to hospital for her operation before the school day had even begun, with the word of how things occurred not being heard until the evening. To both Miku and her father Hoshi’s relief, the phone call they received revealed the operation had no difficulties and Kibo could return home. After Hoshi collected her, there were tearful reunions all around from the family, except for Kibo herself; she was so happy she did not even need to shed a single tear.

Despite her recovery and good health, she was advised to rest over the weekend and not carry heavy items for the next few months. However, she was not bedridden for this and did not need to be; this did not stop Miku from worrying about her and wishing to tend to her needs. For the morning on the Saturday, she often made tea and prepared food for her mother, and when she was tending to herself, she stayed in her bedroom and browsed the internet on her phone.

There was a sudden knock on the teenager’s bedroom door, which shortly opened and Kibo poked her head in.

“I’ve decided to go for a walk,” she told her daughter. “I’ve done enough reading this morning and want some fresh air.”

“What?” Miku almost looked horrified. “Are you sure?” She shot up from where she was lying on her bed, placing her phone on the duvet as she approached Kibo, who walked into the room. “You could get some fresh air in the garden. It’s large enough and the sun is out. It’s perfect. Would you like another cup of—”

Kibo placed her hands on Miku’s shoulders, silencing her. She smiled comfortingly at her offspring, a trace of amusement in her tone as she spoke.

“Miku, I am perfectly fine. I can’t spend all day indoors and a walk would do me good. If anything, you would benefit from this too.”

Miku gave a defeated sighed, but it was far from being an unhappy one. She realised how possessive she was and comprehended she needed to relax. If Kibo could be confident, she could be too. She nodded back to her parent.

“Yeah. A walk would be good. Can I join you?”

“That’s what I was hoping you would do. Perhaps you could see if your friends are not busy and meet up with them after.”

“Yeah, that’s an idea.”

Miku sat back on her bed and picked up her phone. After a minute of conversations via text, she looked up from her device to face her mother.

“Kokoro said she’s free after her visit to see her baby with Mitsuru.”

“Well, there you go,” Kibo nodded. “Has there been a name for the baby yet?”

“Yeah, she told us last night. Ai. It was Mitsuru’s suggestion. It means love.”

“What a pretty name. Now, come on. I want a walk.”

Miku stood up from her bed again and left her room with Kibo. It may have been an anxious time for them both, and even though Kibo would still have difficulties as a repercussion of being a cancer survivor, they knew the only thing their family had to do was to be positive and life would be more optimistic.

Hiro approached Goro and Futoshi, who were standing near a bench in Jian Park. Futoshi carried the soccer ball they would be playing with, but were waiting for Zorome and Mitsuru to appear.

“Hey,” Hiro spoke. “Any word from the others?”

“Mitsuru’s on his way,” Goro replied. “He texted a minute ago.”

“I haven’t heard a thing from Zorome,” Futoshi noted. “I tried texting him last night, but he never responded. I know he’s been upset because of the whole APE thing, but I thought he would have come to accept it by now.”

“You know what he’s like,” Hiro told him. “He doesn’t like opening up about emotions. As Miku told us a few months ago, he ran off to here just so he could cry when the scandal was revealed.”

“Is this Zorome we’re talking about?”

The trio were too busy talking to notice that Mitsuru had arrived at the park. They all noticed how his physical appearance had changed.

“You’ve had a haircut,” Goro observed.

“It makes you look like your dad,” Futoshi added.

“Yeah.” Mitsuru snorted at this but was amused.

“So, how’s the baby?” Futoshi then asked. “I mean, Ai?”

“She’s just as good as she was when I saw her afterschool yesterday.” He smiled, which was a rare sight. “Hm. To think I won’t be joining you guys here not long from now, let alone I’ll be at school with you. Then again, Ms. Matsumoto probably won’t be there for much longer either hopefully.”

The other three teenagers rolled their eyes at his last sentence. It was then that they all noticed Zorome had arrived at the park and stood by his friends. He appeared anxious and uncertain.

“Zorome.” Futoshi sharply faced him. He was almost as concerned as he was with Kokoro previously. “I didn’t think you were even going to show up. I take it things didn’t go so well at the psychiatrist?”

Zorome glanced at all his male friends, his mind clearly in turmoil. After several seconds of silence, he finally spoke.

“I need to tell you all about something.”

His worried tone instantly made his friends look shocked. Just like Futoshi was, Hiro, Goro, and Mitsuru were concerned, and they could tell that what Zorome had to say was something grave. If anything, they could sense it was more than just the APE scandal that was bothering him.

“You might want to sit down.”

The four friends all looked at each other, all puzzling over how Zorome’s behaviour seemed different. It was almost as if he had shrunken in on himself, his quiet tone being the key characteristic that something had happened. As per his words, they were able to seat themselves on a nearby bench, but Futoshi decided not to; instead, he insisted that Zorome sat down in his place. They did not even exchange words, with the duo simply conversing with facial expressions and gestures.

“What’s happened?” Goro asked as Zorome seated himself. He could see the pain in his friend’s face and the sadness that surrounded it.

“The reason I was going to the psychiatrist was because I started having nightmares,” he began. “Two days after my old man went to prison, I had this dream where this… thing appeared in it. It was large and glowing. And alive. It was a creature of some kind. After that, I kept having nightmares where it would show up and try to hurt or even kill me. Before I would wake up, it would always say something. During the day, when I was awake, if I ever thought back to the dreams and tried to think about what they could mean, I would start crying. That’s why I went to the psychiatrist. To find out why I would cry.”

His friends continued listening to what he had to say. They were shocked by what he had been experiencing and could not believe they had not seen any hints that anything had been amiss with him.

“To keep things as short as I can, the psychiatrist listened to what I had to say. The reason I was having these nightmares was, as Zero Two said, to do with the APE scandal, but…”

He was almost lost for words. He inhaled deeply. He was accepting of the truth, but it still hurt him.

“It went beyond that. It was to do with my dad and my dad alone. He was the glowing creature.” He then faced Hiro, who was seated next to him on his right. His voice was quiet as he asked him “Do you know why I was so obsessed with APE?”

“No,” Hiro shook his head. “None of us knew why.”

Zorome looked away and stared off into the park.

“I was in denial. Not with APE, but my dad. He was never a good person before the scandal even hit.”

He then faced Goro on his left. Zorome was still quiet.

“But this isn’t a case of ‘nobody’s perfect’. He abused me.”

All his friends stared at Zorome with wide eyes. Did he really say what they thought he said? The three words were completely unexpected.

“He abused you?” Futoshi asked him. He was standing behind the bench, directly behind Zorome. “W-What do you mean he abused you? Did he hit you? Did he touch you?”

“It was the emotional kind,” Zorome replied, almost in a whisper. Mitsuru was horrified at hearing this; just like with what his own mother had subjected him to, he had a friend who suffered the same problem. “Well, mostly. Only one time did he do something physical by forcing soap in my mouth for swearing at a teacher. I had to go to hospital because I became so sick from it. He forced me to lie about why I had soap in my mouth in the first place.”

Hiro, Goro, Mitsuru, and Futoshi all looked at each other as Zorome held his head low. They could not believe a single word that was being spoken.

“He always complained about how we liked watching Strelizia even though it was originally for girls. He even swore at me with how bad he thought it was when I was very young. He never let me buy any of the merch because of his own dislike for it. He always used to bully and swear at me when I had to do my homework, but the worst thing he did…”

He may have been upset, but there were no tears in his eyes. He clenched his fingers on the rim of the bench’s seat.

“He took the head off my plush toy tanuki, Miyamoto, for when I got into a fight at school many years ago when I was seven.”

A long silence followed; small gasps being heard beforehand. None of his friends could believe what they had just been told.

“I know what you’re going to say,” Zorome suddenly spoke after almost a quarter of a minute. “I should have told you about all of this and, as Zero Two has told us, we should talk about—”

“Zorome, that’s horrifying.” Hiro was the first person to speak, cutting him off. Zorome’s head bolted up and he faced him. “No wonder why you didn’t want to talk about it. How old were you when it started?”

“Five, I guess, since that’s when Strelizia started.”

“What your dad subjected you to is something that no one should be subjected to, especially at that age.”

“If my parents destroyed my toys when I was that age, I would be needing therapy,” Goro added. “I’m not even joking with that. That is atrocious.”

“Something happened to me that day.” Zorome faced him. “I was so devastated to see the head being separated from the body. I didn’t want to believe that my own father could do something like that, so I denied not just him breaking Miyamoto by hiding him away and pretending I never had him, but I denied my dad was possibly a bad man.”

“Leading to your fixation with him and APE,” Mitsuru deduced, which Zorome nodded to. “Look…” He seemed uncertain. “I think you’ll find we all owe you an apology.”

Hiro, Goro, and Futoshi all nodded to this.

“What?” Zorome was confused. “What for?”

“Some of those things you just told us,” Futoshi pointed out, “such as your dad personally hating Strelizia and how he was strict with you doing your homework… you told us years ago.”

“What?” Zorome’s focused darted back and forth between his four friends. He was in complete shock. “What? Did I really?”

“Yeah,” Hiro nodded. “We just assumed he just wasn’t a fan of Strelizia, and you were not just being lazy with your homework, but he was just a strict parent since he was a principal himself.”

That was when he realised Hiro was right; he had told his friends, and not just the male ones, of his father’s actions. He also realised his mentality about the matter was just the same as theirs. Before they could say anything else in relation to it, he stopped them.

“Look, guys… don’t apologise.” His words shocked them. His anxious tone indicated he was being serious. “I was just like you. I thought he was being strict when, the truth is… he was being too strict and controlling. I didn’t know. I was too young to understand. So were you.”

Another silence followed for almost ten seconds when Mitsuru made a realisation.

“What about your mother? Surely she knew about this.”

Zorome almost felt sick upon hearing his words. He turned away from him and shut his eyes.

“She did,” he quietly replied. “And she did nothing. Yesterday, after the psychiatrist, we had a fight. A bad one. Worse than any others we’ve had. I’m glad she forgave me, but I still feel like crap for causing it, especially since I want to forgive her but I’m still mad.”

Once again, his friends were shocked, but it was Goro who tried to console him. He placed a hand on his shoulder.

“It’s okay,” he told him. “At least you want to forgive her. Do you want a hug?”

Zorome never responded, as he hugged the tall teenager. Goro held him back, the hug lasting for several seconds.

“If you’re upset, it’s okay to cry,” Hiro reminded him. Zorome shook his head.

“I can’t,” he told him. “I genuinely can’t. I cried so much yesterday and this morning that I can’t right now.” His words rang true, as they all noticed how, when he rubbed his eyes, not a tear was in sight. “By the way, Mitsuru…” He faced the named person. “Stop hating on Ms. Matsumoto. You’re only like that because she reminds you of your mum. Take my advice and get away from her when you leave school with Kokoro to raise the baby.”

Mitsuru realised he had just received good advice and nodded to it.

“By the way, she has a name,” he replied gently. “Ai. It means love.”

Zorome smiled, letting out a small laugh. This was the first time he appeared cheerful since he set foot in Jian Park that day.

“That’s a nice name. I hope the rest of us can visit her again sometime.”

“I’m sure we can arrange it.”

“Do you think you’re still up for a game?” Futoshi asked Zorome, who eagerly replied “you bet I am!”

With that, the five friends played their game of soccer together happily as if the prior depressing conversation never happened.

Chapter Text

The next day, Futoshi performed a shopping errand for his parents and walked from his home into the busy city. His father provided him with the money that was needed to buy the goods, although what was needed were a small handful of items.

As he walked, whether it was his journey to the shops or while he was scanning his eyes across the shelves for the products he sought, Futoshi thought back to the events of the prior nine days. It was still hard for him to believe that Kokoro had been pregnant, and yet neither herself nor her friends had suspected it. He chastised himself for not spotting anything out of the ordinary, especially after the shock of the birth led to her experiencing PTSD. It was still surreal that this had occurred, and while he had accepted that she was in love with Mitsuru and let her go because of it, he was still recovering from his heartbreak. There had been no other female classmates he had experienced attraction to, making him wonder if he would ever feel the same way again.

Futoshi left the small shop, a plastic carrier bag being carried in his right hand that contained the small number of items he was tasked with purchasing. As he began his walk home, he heard a voice calling to him.

“Hey! Futoshi!”

He looked across the road to the opposite path, where he saw Zero Two waving to him. She seemed to be accompanied by another person of both the same age and gender; they were shorter than Zero Two and possessed short brown hair that was just above her shoulders in a bob-like haircut. Futoshi used the nearby crossing to reach the duo and shortly stood before them.

“Hey, Zero Two. Is she with you?” He pointed to the unfamiliar person.

“Yep,” the teenager with the pink hair nodded. “Her name’s Mari.”

“Mari?” He faced her.

“That’s me,” said the new person. She stretched out her hand, so Futoshi swapped which hand he used to carry the plastic bag so he could shake hands with her. “Zero Two and I decided to become friends since the APE trial began.”

“You went to APE as well?” He was surprised.

“She was the person I was trying to help,” Zero Two told him. “But then those pricks expelled us to cover up what had happened.”

“I hope you received compensation for it,” Futoshi told Mari.

“I most certainly have.” She seemed joyful. “My parents were already trying to expose APE after our expulsion before they accidentally did it themselves.”

“Pride was their downfall,” Zero Two noted. “Now they’re having to pay for it.” She then looked back at Futoshi. “How’s Zorome? Darling told me about what he told you and the guys yesterday.”

“He seems fine, but I haven’t heard a word from him this morning. I think I’ll text him later.”

“He’s the son of the old principal, isn’t he?” Mari enquired.

“Yeah,” Futoshi nodded. “It’s a bit of a story what he’s going through.”

“Zero Two told me. I feel really sorry for him.”

Futoshi gave a quick but happy sigh.

“Well, I better be off. I have to get these things home to my folks.”

“Yeah, I’ll be seeing you around,” Zero Two beamed. “And perhaps Mari will too. Maybe she can join Squad 13.”

“Does she go to Franxx?”

“Bird Nest High,” Mari shook her head, a smile still on her face.

“Not that that matters,” he added. “The more, the merrier! It was nice meeting you.”

“It was nice meeting you, too.”

Futoshi walked off in the opposite direction the two girls were headed, musing over the unexpected meetup with one of his friends and their new friend. He was completely charmed by Mari and hoped to see her again. He even expressed surprise at how only Zero two had bothered to make friends outside of Franxx in comparison to the rest of their own social group. Having Mari with them would certainly give them the opportunity to do that. Thinking about her seemed to lighten his mood completely, even though he was far from depressed in the first place despite the events that had recently occurred.

Chapter Text

Two weeks had passed since the trial against the corrupt staff of APE had ended. This was going to be the first time the imprisoned former staff would be visited by their families and friends; each prisoner was allocated a booth, where they would be seated and look through the window ahead of them at the person who would be speaking to them, communication itself being carried out via phones that were connected to the booth itself.

Daitan seated herself before Itsuki who, despite his change of attire in the form of a turquoise prison uniform, appeared no different than he normally would. He was of large build, his face still stubbled with facial hair as usual. She held up an envelope and opened it—although it had long since been opened—and presented one of the documents inside of it to him.

“It’s over, as we both agreed.”

Itsuki never flinched. He had long since prepared for the divorce as soon as Daitan announced it when the scandal hit. If anything, he was completely indifferent to the whole situation.

“I take it you’ll be going back to your old name?” he asked her. His voice was gravelly.

“I will be more than happy to be Ms. Murata again.” Daitan was calm, a coldness evident in the way she spoke. “If anything, Zorome will be looking forward to changing his surname too.”

“You’re joking,” Itsuki scoffed, his nose crinkling. Daitan shook her head. “He’s still going to be my son. It’s in his blood.”

“As you perfectly well know, there was another reason as to why I decided we would go our separate ways. The way you treated us the past several years was barbaric and immensely bigoted.”

“You wouldn’t know greatness if you saw it.”

Daitan felt disgusted listening to his words. There was no sign of him having a heart at all.

“Last Friday, I took Zorome to a psychiatrist after he started having nightmares. He had been repressing so much trauma that you caused him, with the worst one being when you tore the head off Miyamoto.”

“You treat it like it’s a living thing.” The former principal remained cynical.

“He emotionally regressed. If you saw how he was, then you probably would realise the harm you’ve caused us. You always wanted him to be strong and, well, he was—he was so strong-minded that he denied everything you did to him.”

Itsuki snorted at this.

“I was only doing to him what my father did to me.”

“And I can see how you turned out.”

“As I said, you wouldn’t know greatness if you saw it.”

Daitan scowled at him, her hand clenching the phone tightly. She decided it was time to leave. She wanted nothing more from him. To her, Itsuki was a lost cause.

“This will be the last time I’ll be visiting you. I don’t care if it was the first time either. I’ll make sure you receive your copy of the documents. Also…” She stared straight at her former husband, her coldness more apparent than before, but Itsuki was not phased. “Zorome wanted to give you a message.”

“By chance, did it mention soap?”

Daitan continued staring at him. Her expression never changed, but he could tell the response she never properly provided would have been a ‘yes’.

“How predictable. It’s a shame he never accidentally met his end the day I put that soap in his mouth.”

Tired of her former husband’s arrogance and sociopathy, Daitan placed her phone back in its holder and left. After she handed over the copy of the divorce papers to a guard, she proceeded to leave the prison. As she made her way to her car, she once again thought about how, even though she and Zorome were now properly free from Itsuki’s tyranny, their recovery would still take some time. Fortunately, both were optimistic that their own relationship would improve and heal quickly.