Yuzuki nervously darts around her dorm, taking out garbage, spraying and cleaning every surface, vacuuming, making her bed, even pushing the furniture around– all in preparation for Toi’s arrival that they had arranged. A window broken in the riots threatened to spoil the whole thing regardless, but she swept up all the glass and thoroughly covered it with garbage bags and cardboard.  

The tea came last, put on exactly so it would be ready and hot when Toi arrived. Yuzuki frowned at the leaves she had available– since she hadn’t been living here since the Balancers arrived, they had slipped close to the expiry date and there wasn’t anywhere to buy something so trivial right now. It would have to do.

Though the knock was exactly on time, Yuzuki still jumped, rushing to the door. 

Yuzuki: T-Toi, you made it! 

Toi: (she looks up somewhat guiltily, with a slight smile) Hey… Sorry, there aren’t exactly any gift stores open, so…

Yuzuki: Ha ha, I couldn’t really pick up a lot of the stuff I needed either… come in! Here. I’ll get the tea. (She shows Toi to a table in the kitchen area of the dorm room) 

Toi: Yuzuki, maybe we ought to get to the point. We’ve been keeping you out of the loop for long enough already.

Yuzuki: I-I know the Hierarchy probably forbade you from talking to me, I understand… 

Toi: I haven’t heard from the Hierarchy in weeks. An—Apparently, they’ve essentially left us to our own devices and don’t care about torturing me anymore.

Yuzuki: (With barely concealed rage in her voice) Wow, they really don’t take any responsibility for anything, do they.

Toi: They have no concept of accountability, Yuzuki. They… You need to justify yourself before them, but they don’t hold themselves to the same standards.  It’s a trite metaphor, but we’re just chess pieces to them. It’s best not to think about it too hard, lest you want to get depressed. (she sighs) But the fact they’ve lost interest in us… I suppose that gives us the opportunity to forge our own fate. (she shakes her head) God, sorry — you have no idea what I’m even talking about, right?

Yuzuki: No, this is what I’ve been waiting for for years! I mean, I always hoped either they’d see reason or I’d find some way to do something about them, but… you’re free now. Right? 

Toi: I… (she shakes her head) I don’t know, Yuzuki. I don’t know.

Yuzuki: Did they send you out to chase after Anisa again? She’s broken out again, from what I can tell. Because of course.

Toi: They… oh, God. Yuzuki, they didn’t send me out to chase Anisa down. When I… When your friend Yui defeated Anisa, that was only because I helped her. But by doing so, I violated the Hierarchy’s covenants. 

Yuzuki: I know all that, I just thought…

Toi: They didn’t care why I did it… so, they gave me the same punishment as they gave Anisa. We were brought back to life, but… on their terms.

Yuzuki: Wh– they let Anisa out on purpose? Have they– do they really have no sanity at all!? 

Toi: They didn’t let the Anisa you know out. They punished the Anisa I know.

Yuzuki: (Still fuming, she furrows her brow trying to understand) What– what do you mean? 

Toi: You remember her too, Yuzuki. Anisa used to be my friend… She still is.

Yuzuki: Toi… (She takes off her glasses, rubbing her eyes) Your heart’s too big for her. That child’s not who she is anymore… You don’t know everything she did after she… after she murdered you. 

Toi: Except I did. I put an end to it. That’s why I ended up pissing off the Hierarchy… But I just couldn’t bear seeing a monster puppeteer my friend around.

Yuzuki: … (Seemingly, she senses they won’t reach an agreement on the nature of Anisa, and leaves it) How long have you been back for, then? Since the Bureau thing started? 

Toi: … Yeah. (she cast her gaze downwards, finally sitting down on the chair Yuzuki offered her)

Yuzuki: (She goes to fetch the tea, silencing the whistling kettle) I’m surprised we didn’t meet at all… I guess I wasn’t too involved there.

Toi: I was the… err, liaison for the secondary schoolers. Anisa handled the university students.

Yuzuki: Too bad I never showed Sasaki-san and them a picture of you. (slightly jokingly, as she pours the tea) Your cover would have been blown! 

Toi: Not the Halloween one with the cat ears, I hope.

Yuzuki: (She sets the tea down in front of their places) That’s a good picture! It’s– (Yuzuki starts to laugh, then sniffles and wipes her eye) Whoa, e-excuse me. Sorry. Th-that reminds me, w-we should talk to Emiri. Uh, I hope it doesn’t put you in a bad position that I already told her. She’s studying botany in Hokkaido…

Toi: I… I know. I haven’t spoken to her yet, though. I… I assumed she’s trying to move on from all this, so… I dunno if it’s such a good idea to tell her. (she sighs) I know what you’re going to say — She deserves to know, but…

Yuzuki: Well, uh, I already told her you were back… I didn’t want to just hide it. I didn’t even think about that before I told her.

Toi: W-What…? You want her to come back to Mitakihara? W-What did she say?

Yuzuki: Well, at first she just thought I was talking about your ghost, like you used to do. I told her it wasn’t that, but I couldn’t really explain it well ‘cause I didn’t know what was going on, and that I’d ask you. 

Toi: Oh God… That’s… uncharacteristically rash of you. Guess I’d better start looking into flights to Hokkaido, then. Ugh, why’d it have to be during winter, too…

Yuzuki: Hey, I was excited! O-of course I’d be excited. Geeze, one high school career as stuco president and everyone expects me to be an ice queen…

Toi: Oh don’t worry, you had that reputation long before high school. (she chuckles) 

Yuzuki: Sheesh! Come on, let’s write a text to Emiri or something. I can be heartfelt! 

Toi: (she sighs) Alright, then…