“What about?”

Cailly and I were walking to the cafeteria. Xe undid hirs ponytail and allowed hirs black hair to flow down naturally.

“I don’t know if I should even be saying this so openly.”

“It’s a sensitive thing, I understand that.”

“I heard you’re the one who helped one of the students in the year 4 classes?”

I nodded.

“Then do you know anything about the NtBM treatments? There’s a lot of contradicting information online, I don’t know which to trust.”

“What’s the problem exactly? The most basic treatment method is to drink blood.”

“I know. But it wouldn’t last, would it?”

“There are two stages..”

Cailly had already ordered hirs food using the menu on hirs OptAR. I, on the other hand, prefered to browse the kiosk. We parted temporarily. I ordered a bowl of curry rice with crickets.

I went to grab the tray with my food at the counter before meeting up again with Cailly who had already found a spot to sit.

“As I was saying. There are two stages to NtBM, the first stage can be solved by drinking a little blood. The second stage requires that the person drinks more blood. The problem, or the reason why so many die during the second stage is because they don’t ingest the needed amount.”

“How much blood? Can my blood do?”

“Yes. But be careful not to get their saliva on you.”

“Okay.”

We began eating. I noticed that Cailly was eating fruit salad.

“Is that even enough?”

“Hm? What do you mean?”

“You’re only eating salad?”

“This? It’s enough, I don’t eat a lot.”

“But you work out a lot don’t you?”

“That is that, this is this. I eat a lot back at home, so I thought I should eat less to lose weight.”

Seriously?

I shook my head and sighed. I proceeded to down my curry.

My mind began processing Cailly’s words.

Xe says that xe isn’t a vampire. Assuming that’s true, then the only other possibility would be that a close relative or family of hirs is a vampire.

Else, it would be that xe has a friend who’s beginning to exhibit symptoms.

“Cailly, who is it exactly?”

“It’s.. my father.”

“Then I think you should just bring him to the hospital.”

“Our family situation isn’t so simple. We can’t bring him to the hospital.”

Cailly Xe’s name was never mentioned in . Even so, I can’t just conclude that xe didn’t become a vampire because xe didn’t join the cult.

“You’re playing with fire.”

“I know.”

“Big bro, can I sit here?”

Lia jumped in the fray. Behind hir, nodding was Tabbie.

“Sure.”

“By the way, xe’s not that girl Novelle is xe?” Lia asked in a whipher.

“No. It’s Cailly.”

“Excuse me.”

Tabbie said, sitting beside Cailly.

“It’s alright.”

“Xe’s Cailly. Cailly, meet Lia, my etler.”

“Nice to meet you. So you’re friends huh?”

“Yup.”

It seems Tabbie and Cailly know each other. Maybe they were from the same club.

Lia began digging into hirs noodle. Seeing that, I realized I should probably finish my curry before it turns cold.

[“Cailly, if it comes down to it, you need to cut yourself and let the blood pour out into a cup before having him drink it. I repeat: be careful not to let your wound come into contact with his saliva or anything like that. I don’t recommend it this method, but it’s a last resort.”]

“Thanks, Avner.”

“What did you write?”

“Something.”

“Let me see.”

“No thank you.”

“Let. Me. See.”

“No.”

Lia punched me with hirs fist.

It didn’t hurt.

===

Class ended, and I was packing my bags to return. I looked towards Cailly. Xe nodded before leaving.

I guess hirs rushing to bring this information back to hirs father. Though, I’m a little bummed out by the fact that xe would be so willing to trust my words. I don’t know what hirs father would think about drinking his irul’s blood. Like, a lot of it.

“Avner.”

“Yes? Oh, see you Pu’er.”

“What did you talk about?”

“About?”

“With Cailly.”

“That. It’s about hirs family.”

Pu’er bit hirs lips.

{YOU HAVE STEPPED ON A MINE}

{WARNING: YOU HAVE STEPPED ON A MINE}

I lurched forward and staggered. Grabbing onto the table to stabilize myself.

“Pu’er, what are you trying to pull?”

“Avner, why aren’t you looking at me?”

Pardon?

“All this time, you’ve been trying to avoid me, haven't you?”

“What? No.”

“Then why? You don’t even look at me anymore.”

What? This is some crazy development.

“What do you even mean by that?”

Hir eyes quivered.

“Pu’er. You’re probably misunderstanding…”

My stomach turned itself inside out. Pu’er fell onto me, I held hirs shoulders.

Then xe pushed me away, causing me to fall back on my seat. A screeching sound was produced as the legs of the chair rubbed against the floor.

All attention was gathered on us.

Pu’er took hir bag and stormed away.

I just sat there, blankly.

What just happened?

===

The week passed with an odd tension in the air. It’s between me and Pu’er, not anyone else.

Exam is next week, and I’m sure what happened that day will continue to gnaw at hir. What’s the best way to resolve the issue anyways? I came up with one solution. It’ll hurt when we get to that point, but I believe it’s also for the best.

I don’t know what Pu’er Julis would think of this. Provided that xe would ever appear again.

“Pu’er.”

“What?”

“I’ll tell you the truth of what happened that night. After the exam, next Friday, there’s still some time left before we are released from school.”

Pu’er fell silent.

We arrived at Cain’s office.