Whatever. [Michi]

[Hana]

The last bright image of the passing day appeared by the time I entered this place who-knows-what. It's nighttime now. I'm not lost, just roaming around. Tad simple.

My name is Hana. Behind the Japanese name, it means "flower". My family name Itsuki means "tree". Heck, I am not even addicted to flowers nor trees. I don't know why I am called Hana Itsuki when I don't even have a deep attachment to nature. I am thirteen years old; I have an Alice. Even this Academy is seriously enormous, alive and bewitchingly mysterious. Yeah, mysterious in some way. I knew the sky quite well. I knew its deep azure by day, and the white-breasted, half silvery, half golden clouds slowly floating by. Only that I don't know the stars in nights very well, since I sleep dead early.

Though, I remembered only one star -- the green, bright and very attentive star that rises in the pale sky just before you go to bed and that seemed to be the only star so large in the whole sky. But best of all, I knew the earth in the yards, in the streets and in the gardens, with all its inexhaustible wealth of stones, of velvety grass, of hot sand and of that wonderfully varied, mysterious and delightful dust which grown people did not notice at all from the height of their enormous size. I just don't understand why I am not the type who cares and loves nature when I have known them well. Whatever, I feel so bored and tired now.

I went to a bench and sat there. So much for being stupidly blank. Well anyway, I'm just sitting down and I don't care if someone might talk to me. At least I will have something to do when I communicate.

[michi]

Third night in the academy... It felt more and more comfortable. In three days, Mi-chi got used to in the academy's surroundings. She haven't been to most part of the academy but she felt like home.

It was her second time in the freedom space and she could still remember her bloody experience. She had never seen that much blood in her entire life. Just thinking about it made her body tremble. She shook her head to get that nasty feeling out of her mind.

"Yush~! Smiling would make my night great..." She whispered to the air while walking in her pajamas. She came out to look at the moon. It was indeed beautiful.

"Hello Mr. moon~! You're shinning so well tonight~!" She shouted at the moon with a wide smile on her face. Then, she stretched her arm at the side and gently fell down on the ground. From a distance, she saw a girl. Excited, she got up and went nearer.

"Konbanwa~! I'm Tanaka, Mitsuki~! Pleased to meet you~!" she told her in a chirping-like voice. Then, she bowed in respect.

[Hana]

Oh, yeah. I just can't stop thinking that this Academy is so immense and some of its buildings seems infinitely tall. To me, this seems better than my town. The people there behaved so foolishly and asked such absurd, dull questions about things that everybody knew, that it was necessary for me also to make believe that I was foolish.

Of course, I know some difficult things, but I often don't understand on every word people say in there. I had to lisp and give nonsensical answers; and, of course, I felt like walking away from them as soon as possible.

Though, when I pass by a group of people in here, I can hear their conversations from afar and I instantaneously know what they are talking about. People from here are just easy to understand.

'Konbanwa~! I'm Tanaka, Mitsuki~! Pleased to meet you~!'

"Konbanwa. I'm Hana Itsuki. Nice to meet you too."

I stated and nearly jumped when this girl just popped out from nowhere. It was a good thing I didn't. Look, I'm not invariably inimical, okay? So, it means that I won't spill insults at her. So then, should she do the job to start a conversation or should she just leave?

[michi]

"Konbanwa. I'm Hana Itsuki. Nice to meet you too."

"The moon is really beautiful tonight, ne?" Mi-chi told Hana as she looked up in the sky. It really was. The moon shone to its fullest bloom. She remembered the moments she had with her whole family. It painted a smile on her lips.

"So what's your alice?" Mi-chi looked back at the girl and smiled. It was a little awkward since she doesn't know what to say. She just wanted a company. She hated to be alone.

After letting out a gentle sigh, she sat down on the ground with crossed legs and her arms on her bench. She placed her head on her arms that served as a pillow.

She was waiting for the other girl to speak for her to listen. She observed everything about her girl. She looked into her eyes, to her nose and to the way she opened her mouth. 'She seems so nice... Yush~! Another friend!', Mi-chi thought.

[Hana]

'The moon is really beautiful tonight, ne?'

I only nodded in agreement. After that, I looked at the stern, bracelet that was wrapping around my wrist. As what I've heard, it's called a restrictor. Bop me on the head if I'm wrong, though. Great! I couldn't use my Alice on people. Yay and boo at the same time. Before there will be more silent, onrushing moments, Michi asked a question -- regarding about my Alice. Do I need to tell her? My Alice is scarier than stern parents! I still didn't stare at her direction.

"My Alice is Gore. But with this restrictor, I can't use it."

I told her bluntly and calmly -- and awkwardly. I feel so awkward to share a little bit of my Alice. Let's just hope that she won't get affright. And I wasn't sure if I entirely enjoyed this moment -- in the arbour which was thickly surrounded with wild grapes and everything that concerns plants as well -- maintaining silence. On the look of my face, you can't tell if I am happy or not. Right now, I am in an inexplicable indifference, but it was nice talking to people I don't know.

[michi]

"My Alice is Gore. But with this restrictor, I can't use it."

Mi-chi gave off a sour look. "Aaawww.... that's too bad. Is it that dangerous? Huh? Huh?! What, what can your alice do?" Her expression suddenly changed. It became more alive and enthusiastic. She leaned on the bench and got align with Hana's eyes.

She wanted to learn more about other people's alice. She got somewhat interested about it. There were lots of alice users in this world but each of them has unique personality. Some of them were sweet as an ice cream like her first friend, Saint... Others can be as dark as the shadows --for the rude stranger... and there were also the quiet types who seemed to be carefree and less open.

[Hana]

Aw, snap it! Now, this girl is getting even more curious about my Alice. Even enthusiasm arrived in such numbers and there was such a variety of them, as if they had fallen straight from the sky. Or maybe this girl is just having an enthusiastic personality, I don't know. The linden trees swayed when our faces were in contact now. Right now, I have to be pensive to tell this Michi the explanation. Well, it's not too hard to explain, let's just hope she won't cringe.

Abruptly, some memories of my past haunted me with perfect clarity in my head. All of them were the encounters of my Alice. Unfortunately too, I did not have the confidence to be open about my contrasting personality. My inner self consist the naive and caring one, I just don't want to show it. Wouldn’t people be even disgusted when they learned of my dual personalities? Thus, I have to hold my temper, but there are some people that you can’t just keep under wraps forever.

So I use my Alice as a substitute for my anger, but the restrictor was still bringing benefits. Thus, being around someone for much of ones time guaranteed that you learn something of them.

"When I stare or glare at a person, blood will seep from his or her body part my eyes stared at. I don't know. It's either the person will die or will be healed after a long time."

[michi]

"When I stare or glare at a person, blood will seep from his or her body part my eyes stared at. I don't know. It's either the person will die or will be healed after a long time."

Upon hearing this, made Mi-chi a little scared. She looked away from the girls eyes and sat beside her. She felt her body sweating and her heart pounding.

"Y-You won't...u-use that alice...o-on me, right?" Mi-chi told her.

She wasn't afraid to die. It was just, she was really scared at blood. That phobia started when, her alice activated. It was the night when her father died and she and her mother were molested by two jail-breakers. Just thinking about it made her heart throb.

[Hana]

'Y-You won't...u-use that alice...o-on me, right?'

"No."

Tch. Of course not! Unless if you try to do some stupidity on me that much. Beware of my Alice, but I guess Michi should thank about the restrictor too. Then again, I don't blame her as well. Fear is a random feeling, I know. Though, I had never been afraid about something for a very, very long time.

It had felt like years, years of solitude, years of growth. Ah, I was just being like an emo queen though. It hadn’t been that long. Well, yeah, I can be frightened too but I just conceal it.

I pulled my shining blond hair back, peeling the sweat soaked strands from my skin. It's damn hot. I always thought that nights can be cold. My skirt had long since ridden up my thighs, revealing as much as modestly possible.

"So, what's yours?"