The week continued without incident. I steered clear of the building residents, especially Mrs Himiko. It felt wrong being there knowing that exiled metas filled the halls doing all sorts of dirty work. Shimimura Anju's resentful and sickened face reappeared in my mind, and I wondered how long it would be until they asked me to do something similar.

  At school, I remained in the background. Even Grey hardly noticed me despite having worked with me recently. I would hear conversations of my classmates and other students in passing. Some talked about what one would expect a high schooler to talk about: test anxiety, the various upcoming events, relationship woes. Others, however, caught my attention.

  "I'm telling you, man," one voice resounded. "He was insane! All for some old shopkeep."

  "There's no way, five on one?"

  "That's what I'm saying! It's true, I was there!"

  "Did you hear about that metro pervert?" Another asked as she and her friend passed.

  "The one from Route 2?"

  "Yeah. Yesterday, he just got zapped out of nowhere. Like divine judgement or something!"

  "What do you mean?"

  "I saw him up to his usual tricks. One second, he's pressing up against a girl from a different school, the next he's on the ground, twitching almost like he's dancing."

  It seems like more people are discovering and using their abilities more often. I wonder how fast this will speed up people like Eclipse. I still have nothing on this Sundial Corporation.

  My school days were also uneventful. I painfully kept my distance from Chika and the others knowing what awaited them if they ever remembered me. I would still often find my eyes wandering in their direction, be it during class or when everyone would meet up outside the classroom for lunch.

  Just before the weekend, I came home to a note in my door. No one was around, and even with time frozen I was unable to find anyone waiting for me to read it. I closed myself in my lair and pulled out the note to read.

  Kyu,

  I haven't noticed you around the complex recently, and I was just checking in. I'm having a get-together in my apartment this weekend, if you would like to join. There is no need to bring anything; I'm sure we'll have plenty. Please do not be pressured, I won't raise your rent or anything if you don't come. I would just like a chance to get to speak with you some more.

  Miku

  Miku... she shares a name with Mother...

  P.S. This is Alicia Violet, please give us a chance. I hope we can see you this weekend.

  The handwriting was the same throughout the letter. Violet must have been asked to write it for Mrs Himiko and added the part at the end after the fact. I sat against the wall holding the letter as my arm rested on bended knee. I refused to be anyone's tool, but I reluctantly decided to hear them out.

  * * * * *

  Normal clothes almost felt foreign to me. Despite the weather not calling for it, I had wrapped my scarf around the lower half of my face to hide at least some of my features. I was still wary of interacting with anyone considering I had no idea what would trigger a violent response, but I had told myself that I would at least interact with Mrs Himiko and hear her side of the story.

  After a few knocks, I started to feel a sense of anxiety. Not anything like the still unexplained anxiety I would feel around Kaori, but like a child might feel standing outside their first grade classroom. The feeling was interrupted before I could bail on the entire thing, and a curious face popped out of the door to greet me.

  Alicia Violet was a tall and slender girl. She was adorned in a black crop top with a denim jacket that matched her skirt and dark leggings. Her light blue eyes and shaved-side ashen bob haircut barely even caught my attention; my eyes were drawn to her tasteful gages and nose ring that I had barely noticed before.

  "Kyu!" she smiled. "I'm so glad you decided to come!"

  I nodded and offered the small batch of cookies I could make from scrounging money for enough material. She quickly took them and tossed them onto the table to the side before pulling me in for a hug.

  "You didn't need to bring anything, silly. Come on in."

  Inside the apartment, there were about half a dozen people. Mrs Himiko, Violet, Shimimura, and a couple others that I somewhat recognized. One instantly caught my eyes with his large curved horn. I remembered him from the night before when I saw his yellow eyes and grey skin. He sat on the couch next to a girl almost completely wrapped in clothing.

  "Welcome, Kyu, dear," Mrs Himiko walked up with a smile. "I'm so glad you could make it."

  "Mrs Himiko," Violet whined. "Please put your glasses on. Your eyes are still sensitive, despite it, you know."

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  "Yes, yes, Alicia, dear," she sighed. "I'll look for them."

  "They're right here," Violet handed them over with a smirk. "You're not playing that card again."

  "Worth a shot," Mrs Himiko chuckled.

  I was understandably uneasy when I walked in, but after a few minutes of being dragged around by Alicia — she demanded that I stop calling her Violet because, according to her, we were hardly less than friends — I began to feel comfortable around everyone. Homura and Kalego were the names of the girl under wraps and the large grey man, respectively. Her ability was heating metal she came into contact with while his, according to him, only manifested in the appearance change.

  The six of us shared in the vast array of snacks that everyone had brought as the shadows cast by the window peacefully moved across the floor. They all seemed to get along well, and they often brought me into the conversation. It was nice being a part of a group again, especially after being alone. Once the platters had been emptied and the bottles had run dry, the mood changed a bit.

  "I'm sure you have questions, Kyu, dear," Mrs Himiko began. "You deserve to know as much as anyone else."

  "Um..." I looked around. "I guess I'll start at the beginning. How did you know who I was? I-I mean, I never interacted with you before that night besides waving in passing... which..." I tried to avoid looking at her glasses, but I ended up awkwardly staring right past her face.

  "Kyu!" Alicia jumped in, offended in Mrs Kimura’s stead.

  "It's alright, Alicia, dear," she calmed her down. "I'm sure you've guessed that everyone here has some sort of gift, no? Well, mine is a sort of trade off. I lost my sight in exchange for enhanced other senses and reflexes. My eyes, for whatever reason, still feel pain under almost any light which is why I wear these hideous things," she pointed to her sunglasses.

  "You, dear," she continued. "You were someone brought to my attention some time ago by Mr Damien. He just showed up on my doorstep one night and asked for a place to stay. That was, oh, six months ago now? Yes, about six months, because it was right before that horrible disaster at the sports competition."

  He's been here since then? Where is he now? Why give me this place? What's his game?

  "Then, a few weeks ago, he did the same thing," she went on. "He knocked on my door one rainy night and said that he would be leaving the apartment to his prodigy, which I'm guessing is you since you're the only one that has been in that unit since. He paid well in advance and left just as quickly as he arrived."

  "D-did you or anyone see his face?" I asked. I knew it was a long shot at best, but maybe I could figure out something about him.

  "No, dear, he wore a mask both times, I could tell by how his voice was sort of muffled. He scared me half to death the first time, but I could tell that he held his hands up the whole time and continuously reassured me that he meant no harm. Despite the air around him feeling eerie, that gesture came through over the noise. I never got around to asking him why he wore the mask, but I'm sure he had a good reason. There was something about his voice, though... it's probably nothing."

  Should've known... he's ridiculously cautious and probably knew I would ask even then. Just how far ahead is he?

  "It's alright, ma'am," I smiled. "I do have another question, though. This complex, you, everyone here. Why?"

  Mrs Himiko smiled and everyone else let out a sigh, like they knew we were all in for a long story. Before any of them could weasel their way out, Alicia gave them an almost threatening glare, and the three of them sat back down. Despite her bubbly personality, she seemed to be something of a peacekeeper among the residents, not that the land lady needed one based on how she could fight.

  "Well," she chuckled. "I guess I can give you the short story. As you may know, Cirsam wasn't always this bad. The day of the flare, I was doing my job as a medical researcher when the equipment at the facility went haywire. One moment, I was peering into a microscope, the next, darkness and pain. My husband worked tirelessly while I recovered, but his own consequences caught up to him in the form of a vicious cancer."

  The air was heavy as she told even the abridged version of her story. The others held mixed faces filled with empathic pain and a sort of self-loathing.

  "He left me with a large sum of money and a way to ensure that I would be taken care of: this complex. Apparently, a relative of his had left it to him shortly before his own passing. Over time, tenants came and went, but as the surrounding area became more dangerous, the type of tenant changed. Vagabonds, refugees, truants, survivors of all sorts began to flock to our little home. In time, each shared their secrets with me and I with them. My husband and I never had children, but these wonderful tenants became like my family."

  Alicia smiled and took her hand. Around me, negative emotions were washed away by a sense of warmth.

  "Local thugs have tried to muscle their way in, making us pay protection money and stuff like that, but as you saw, we can handle that ourselves. We usually scuffed them up and sent them away with their tails between their legs. This new group, however, the Suzuki family, they've been the most persistent."

  Suzuki... why does that name sound familiar?

  "They're ruthless," Alicia spoke up. "They sack whole blocks for one missed payment by one singular occupant. And... and I..." she shuddered.

  "It's okay, dear," Mrs Himiko patted her hand. "Like I said, we've managed thus far, and we'll continue to do so. Anyway, enough with the gloom. Who wants more food?"

  The rest of the afternoon was spent eating our fill and trying out the wide variety of games that Alicia could come up with from a single deck of cards. The heavy atmosphere was still there, but it had fallen into the background. Everyone shared light-hearted smiles, and my face hurt from all the laughing. One by one, everyone left until it was only me and Alicia outside Mrs Himiko's door.

  "Well, now wasn't that fun?" she smiled.

  "Yeah, I'm glad I came." A smile worked its way across my face barely covered by the scarf.

  "Me too! What do you say we go grab some ramen and keep the fun going?"

  "Uh, sure," I reluctantly agreed.

  "Alright! Here's the place," she scribbled an address on my hand. "Go grab us a table. I'll grab a couple others and meet you there."

  I smiled and agreed before walking to the station. The restaurant was a short ride away, and I was seated within minutes of arrival; however, minutes turned into hours as I waited for the rest of my party. Passing comments from patrons made my face go red with humiliation. After three hours and an appetizer, I hid my embarrassment as I paid for my food and left.

  I felt a new type of pain as I rode the metro back in silence. My eyes were glued to the pavement as I slowly walked back to my apartment. Whatever I had felt before was washed away, and I was unsure if I should be angry or something else. As I got closer, I saw a glimmer of light reflect from a puddle on the sidewalk. My eyes traced up, and all my senses came back. I smelled the smoke; I felt the residual heat; and I heard the wailing of sirens as my eyes were filled with a scorched mound that replaced my home.