The next day, nobody talked to Sakuragi, and she talked to nobody. She didn’t participate in gym or English.

For lunch, Sakuragi decided to head to the main campus. Normally End Class students weren’t allowed there unless there was an assembly, but since Sakuragi’s grades were that of a top A Class student, she was still allowed.

As she was walking around inside the building, she spotted an orange haired male she knew well. “Asano!” Sakuragi called. He turned around. 

A polite smile graced his features. “Sakuragi-san.”

Sakuragi plastered a fake smile on her face. “Mind eating lunch with me today?”

“No, not at all.” Sakuragi fell in step with Gakushu.

“Needs to be a quiet place to talk.” Sakuragi said in a low voice. Gakushu nodded slightly.

A few minutes later, Gakushu and Sakuragi were sitting under the shade of a nearby tree, eating lunch.

“Where’s my thank you?” Gakushu smirked. “I got you a main campus lunch and am sitting here with you, an End Class student, despite the fact that there will most likely be rumors about us dating.”

“Since when is the prodigy principal’s son afraid of rumors?” Sakuragi said. Gakushu shrugged. “What did you want to talk about, Hanako?”

“Frankly, you were right.” Sakuragi said bluntly.

“I am about a lot of matters, but what in particular?” Gakushu said haughtily.

“I don’t need your attitude, Gakushu.” Sakuragi’s eyes glistened with unshed tears. 

Gakushu looked taken aback. “Hanako?”

“When my friends found out about my real personality, they all hated me.” Sakuragi’s voice shook. 

“...” Wordlessly, Gakushu put an arm around Sakuragi and pulled her closer, letting her head rest on his shoulder.

“G-Gakushu! What are you doing?” Sakuragi blushed.

“I’m sorry.” Gakushu’s ears were pink as he responded. “Ren told me this was what I was supposed to do when a girl is sad.”

“So you only did this because Ren told you to?”

“I never said that.” 

“Gakushu?”

“Yes?”

“You should let go. People are staring, they’ll think we’re dating."

“Whatever. Everyone already knows we’re just friends anyways.”

Sakuragi shrugged off his arm and stood up. “I got to go. See you, Shuu.”

“Goodbye Hanako.”

…

When Sakuragi went back, an annoyed Karma greeted her at the door. “Where were you?”

“Does it matter?” She spit back, good mood gone.

“You could’ve been plotting to kill us with your assassination friends.”

“Don’t have any of those,” Sakuragi said as she passed him. “For your information, I was eating lunch with my friend.”

Karma let out a sneer. “Really? Who’s the unlucky person?”

“Gakushu Asano,” She said shortly as she opened her book. Karma’s eyes widened.

“Asano?”

“Yeah. Got a problem with that?” She locked eyes with Karma. “I no longer care about what happened to you and the others with Gakushu, he cares about me.”

Karma wasn’t sure, but he thought Sakuragi mumbled under her breath sadly, “It’s not like anyone else ever did.”

Karma felt a stab of guilt he didn’t want to feel. Then he realized something. “You said you no longer care. Does that mean you used to?”

Sakuragi froze. A flash of fear went across her face. “Never mind, Akabane.” She whispered, and started to read her book, the conversation over. 

Karma stared at the floor, feelings arising that he couldn’t put a name on.

I never thought finding the truth would hurt so much.

…

Nagisa watched the pair’s interaction. At first he wanted to ignore Sakuragi as much as everyone else, but as his anger died, he realized just how much Sakuragi had done for him.

Saved me from bullies many times.

Comforted me when my mom had one of her worse days.

Made me smile.

When I went to class E, she was the only outsider to actually see me.

She didn’t have to do any of that.

She wasn’t on a mission, she said she was retired.

I...I’ll talk to her after school.

…

“Sakuragi.” Sakuragi looked up. 

“Shiota..” She said quietly. Nagisa felt a pang in his heart. She called me by my last name.

“Can...can we talk?”

“Sure….” Sakuragi stood up. “Where?”

“Outside is fine.” Sakuragi followed Nagisa outside to a tree they both stood under.

“What did you want to talk about?” Sakuragi’s cold personality was back.

“I...I’m sorry!” Nagisa blurted out. Sakuragi looked startled. “Huh?”

“I was so angry when I found out you lied to us. But I remembered that you’re really a kind person, and you probably had a good reason to lie.”

“I don’t know what delusion you’re living in, but I’m not a kind person. I lied for selfish reasons.” Sakuragi shifted uncomfortably.

“That’s not true! You didn’t have to be nice to me and save me from bullies like you did, even though I was an E Class student. And you’re right that you couldn’t just tell someone you were a retired assassin.”

“Shiota, I....that doesn’t change anything.” Sakuragi said coldly. “Gakushu can only be around so much. Otherwise, I’m alone.”

“The thing is, you’re not. I’m here. I heard that you used to know Koro-sensei, so you have him too.” Then Nagisa said softly with a bright smile:

“It’s okay to rely on others and let them know the real you.”

Then Sakuragi just broke.

Tears started dripping down her face. Sakuragi started rubbing her eyes frantically. “I-I don’t g-get it. Why am I c-crying?”

Hesitantly, Nagisa walked over to Sakuragi and wrapped his arms around her in a gentle embrace.

“N-Nagisa?” Sakuragi stammered.

“I’m here.” Nagisa murmured in her ear. 

Sakuragi stood still for a moment. Then she hugged Nagisa back tightly, sobbing harder. “I’m so sorry! Please don’t leave me!”

“I’ll always be here when you need me, just like you were for me.” Nagisa replied, the pair sinking down to the grass.

The two sat together for a while until Sakuragi was finished crying, then headed back inside.

“Thank you, Shiota,” Sakuragi mumbled.

“Please call me Nagisa like you used to, I feel like we’re not friends if you call me by my last name.”

“Friends?” The word seemed foreign to Sakuragi. “ I don’t deserve friends. Twilight murdered so many people, and hurt so many more.”

“You’re not Twilight anymore, you’re Hanako Sakuragi, one of my best friends. You’re you, and that’s all that matters.”

“...I guess.” Sakuragi offered Nagisa a shy smile.

“Do you want to sleep over at my house tonight?” Nagisa asked.

Sakuragi flushed. “I’m sorry?”

Nagisa turned red too. “N-not together! I remembered that you said that you stay on the mountain since you don’t have a home.”

“Oh...thank you. I guess I can.” They grabbed their bags and started walking down the mountainside. 

Right before they arrived at Nagisa’s house, Nagisa murmured, “Um...My mom hasn’t seen you in a while, so I don’t know how she is going to react. You remember how she treated you.” 

Sakuragi nodded. Nagisa’s mom had a rather strange fixation on femininity so she was disappointed when she had Nagisa, however she dressed him up and made him grow his hair long. 

When Sakuragi found out, she started going to Nagisa’s house as often as possible without it seeming weird. His mom loved her, and dressed her up. Sakuragi hated it, but she hated more the look on Nagisa’s face when his mom gave him a hair bow or princess tiara for his birthday.

“Is that why I saw a girl’s uniform in your bag? Because she misses dressing me up? She usually leaves you alone with everything but the ponytails when you’re out and about.” Sakuragi looked guilty.

“It’s not your fault,” Nagisa said, opening the door. “Wait, when have you been looking in my bag?”

Sakuragi fell silent. Nagisa sighed, and called, “Mom, I’m home! And I brought a friend.”

“Welcome, sweetie, who’d you bring?” Nagisa’s mom stepped out from the living room. Her eyes went wide. “Hanako-chan!” 

Nagisa noticed that Sakuragi’s emotional mask was back on. “Hello Okaa-san!” She said brightly.

Now that I see her mask again like this, I’m not sure how I didn’t know it wasn’t real. Her genuine emotions are so much richer. Maybe I shouldn’t have brought her here.

“I can’t wait to see how the new dress I bought Nagisa looks on you!” Mrs. Shiota pulled Sakuragi to her room. Nagisa sighed and followed.

…

“You look so beautiful!” Sakuragi stared into the mirror, eyebrow twitching while keeping a plastered smile to her face. This woman…

Sakuragi turned to Nagisa. “What do you think?” She asked shyly, suddenly a little self-conscious now that Nagisa was staring at her.

“C-cute,” Nagisa blushed, causing Sakuragi to turn pink as well.

Sakuragi was wearing a purple party dress that reached down to her knees, and dark blue leggings. Her hair was in a braid down her back and there were light blue jewels on her cheeks. Purple lipstick and sparkly eyeliner was the only makeup she was wearing.

“This was the kind of outfit I wanted to have when I was younger. But my parents didn’t let me look feminine.” Mrs. Shiota said wistfully. “This look suits you so well, Hanako-chan.”

“Thank you,” Sakuragi said with a polite smile.

Fake. Nagisa thought, frowning.

“Now I’ll leave you two to talk for now, I’ll call you when dinner is ready.” Mrs. Shiota smiled, then left.

Once his mother was gone, Nagisa asked, “Is everything okay?”

Sakuragi nodded and sighed. “I just hate that she still does this to you. I feel bad that I haven’t been able to stop it.”

“It’s not your fault. My mom’s just set in her ways. So don’t worry, Sakuragi.”

“Hanako.”

“Huh?”

“Call me Hanako.” Cheeks pink, Sakuragi grinned at Nagisa. He blushed. “O-okay…Hanako.”

Her real smile is so cute.

“Could you help me get this dress off, Nagisa? I swear, your mom deliberately makes these dresses hard to take off to put us in weird situations.”

Nagisa nodded, already used to this routine. He unbuttoned the back of the dress for Sakuragi so she could get the dress off, then turned away so she could finish changing, then he helped remove the makeup and jewels.

They sat together, worked on homework for a while and talked.

Later that night, the two friends fell asleep together while watching a movie.