The white walls of the painting room reflected a cozy atmosphere that day, a Monday after the weekend where everyone seemed to be even more focused than usual. The art teacher was a kinder woman than most of the teachers at the school, besides being the daughter of Japanese immigrants, Professor Chloe Suzuki was also someone important in the local art world. She always seemed to be doing something, but in this class, she only said she wanted to see paintings of what we thought was beautiful and fun to paint, and she watched as each of us worked with our materials, some goofing off as usual, others taking the class a bit more seriously.

I was trying to disguise my desire to paint Miss Hazel... So I chose to paint a lake in a forest full of flowers. An irony with my last name, somewhat morbid? Maybe. But it ended up being the first choice of someone like me, with the name of a woman who drowned herself in a lake at an old theater play.

The class was the last thing that really mattered in my head, after what happened last week there was no way to simply paint as if it were just another normal day, right?! That bunny fairy too... Even though she disappeared sometimes, the necklace she had given me... It almost made me feel like I was with her all the time.

Yes. Now I wasn't just a normal girl, living a normal high school life. I was a "Destroyer", if that meant anything.

That little fairy, Anima, was shocked when I destroyed Carter Fullmer's crystallized heart, I can still remember the feeling of breaking that glass sculpture with my hands... But after I talked to Miss Hazel, even in that weird form, it didn't seem like anything else mattered anymore...

That power was mine now, the power to protect Hazel, the power to love Hazel, the power to destroy anyone who hurt Hazel... That was mine. No one could take that away from me.

"Well, Miss Bovary, what a beautiful painting! Have you finished it all now?" Professor Chloe seemed genuinely impressed with Hanna's painting, who sat next to me, but until then, I hadn't stopped to think about looking at what she was painting...

"Is that... Alexandra?!"

"What's wrong, Rose? Are you surprised?" Hanna asked me, laughing at my astonished face. Alexandra also took that class with us, even if she wanted to make a joke about one of the girls she claimed to detest, she could do it at least in a class we didn't attend together.

Besides, the painting was really beautiful. There was no way Alex could say that Hanna didn't do justice to her beauty. Or maybe even made her more beautiful.

"Alexandra is beautiful enough to make me want to paint her, that's all."

"W-what is this?! I don't remember giving you permission to paint me!" And here comes the subject.

Alexandra’s cheeks were red with embarrassment, it wasn't common for students to paint their ex friends in art class so I don't blame her.

"I didn't know I needed copyright in an art class, I'll ask next time." Hanna didn't seem to pay much attention to what Alexandra was saying, but when she seemed to crumple the paper with the drawing of the girl, she held her hand on impulse.

"Don't throw it away! Sorry... Just... If you're going to do it like this, let me know beforehand, okay?"

"Heh, you really are terrible at being honest, aren't you?"

"What's with the tension... It seems like you've become an artist's muse, haven't you, Alexandra?"

"Shut up Rose, You only talk nonsense!"

"But... This painting has a lot of potential, Miss Bovary!" The teacher interrupted. "I don't usually talk much about this to high school students because competing with older people is a bit scary, but... There's a painting contest happening in town where you can exhibit your paintings! It will go through a jury where I know some people, and I believe you really have the potential to enter!"

"Really, Professor Suzuki?! That's amazing!"

"C-Can Hanna really become an amazing artist like this?!" Alexandra asked, astonished.

"Anyone can be an artist, but Miss Bovary really has a very good technique! I believe all my students have potential if they work hard, so it's important to pay attention to bright students like her!"

"W-well, I wouldn't mind serving as a model if you asked, okay, Hanna? If you want to enter a competition like this, I want to help in any way I can!" She didn't seem to be trying to hide how embarrassed she was, but it was good that she and Hanna were talking again.

After the first year, the atmosphere between the two had always been a bit tense.

"If you say you'll help me, I can really consider doing this seriously... Thank you, Alexandra." Hanna gave a genuine smile.

"...You can call me Alex. You always used to call me that..."

It was good to see the two being friendly with each other again; this kind of thing was quite rare to see in our school, especially among the girls who hung out with Melissa and the others. But what really interested me was a little further away...

The jovial girl with long dark hair and eyes as cold as snow, Hazel Eyre, who painted in silence, a little distant from everyone else, but not necessarily standing out as isolated... She had always been beautiful, but her slightly smiling face as she brushed strokes on the paper was something impossible to tire of.

As much as I thought I shouldn't, I approached her, I know I shouldn't but... Her smile was so rare to appear, and at the same time so mesmerizing that it was impressive how I was the only one noticing her that afternoon, sometimes I looked at some irrelevant boys throwing their nasty looks at her, but even with so many unwanted creatures around, Hazel didn't seem to mind, she just kept watching everything with her beautiful cold gaze.

"Hi Miss Hazel! Am I bothering you?"

"...It's okay, you're not a bother."

"What a beautiful painting! You're very talented!" I said, trying to praise her without caring much about the surroundings, but as soon as I saw... On Hazel's paper was illustrated a little girl with pink hair and clothes, holding two guns in her hands, and an almost sinister smile...

"Who is this, by any chance?"

"A peculiar girl I met the other day." She replied and smiled, going back to adding the finishing touches to her painting.

Could Miss Hazel have fallen in love? With Heartbreaker Magenta? For starters, that name wasn't even that cool, I made it up while I was in the euphoria of having so much power and being able to break Carter's face! I mean, it wouldn't be bad if she fell in love with Magenta, after all, that was also me, but if she only looked a little at the Rose Ophelia who was in front of her...

But

Wait a minute

When she was with Carter, she said something important...

'I have no interest in men, let alone men like you. And my heart... Already belongs to someone else.'

Miss Hazel already had someone in her heart.

But she treated everyone the same!

Who knew... Who knew who Miss Hazel liked?!

I couldn't ask her directly, she would know that I'm Heartbreaker Magenta and that I was spying on her while she was talking to Carter! I'll look like a stalker! That won't do!

TRIIIIMMM

The bell rang as I sank into those confusing thoughts, and with it, Melissa imposing herself in front of everyone in the room as soon as Professor Chloe left was something I couldn't ignore.

Especially when her hands came to rest directly on Hazel's blouse collar.

"What did you do to Carter, you psycho?!" She spoke as she began to shout. Hysterical Melissa seemed like a new thing to everyone, even to Alexandra and Annabeth, even though the three of them had been inseparable since the first year.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You do know, you madwoman! Since he talked to you on Friday, Carter has no more will to do anything! It's like he turned into a zombie!"

"I just rejected him. As I was going to do from the beginning."

Wait... That Carter Fullmer? Acting like a zombie?

You destroyed his heart. It's not an uncommon reaction to see.

Anima?! Are you there?!

"Why did you reject him, by the way?! Are you a lesbian or something?! He's one of the hottest guys in the whole school, and now he can barely talk to a woman properly!"

"You could just apologize to him, Hazel... He might even give you another chance!" Annabeth finally spoke, although she was still hiding behind Melissa like a scared animal.

"Why would I do that? I have no interest in that guy."

"You think you're too good, don't you?! People only started to find you cute after you started hanging out with me! Put yourself in your place, or you'll go back to being just a lonely loser with those nerd glasses of yours!"

"Hazel's glasses are beautiful!" I blurted out without thinking much, making Melissa's enraged gaze turn to me.

"...Who invited you to this conversation, Ophelia?"

"It's not about that, Melissa." I approached, standing between Melissa and Hazel. "You're trying to attack Miss Hazel in front of everyone! And you're trying to force her choices! If you think you're so great, then don't do this to people, nobody likes an annoying friend who dictates what others have to do!"

"So I'm the witch here?! Is that how you see me, Hazel?"

"Pretty much." She replied without a second thought. "You trying to drag people I'm not interested in and trying to control my life in here is pretty annoying."

"So, since I'm the witch ruining your life, then go back to walking alone like the ghost nobody cares about, as you should be!"

She left just as she came in. Furious and taking loud steps, accompanied by Annabeth, who dragged Alex along, leaving the rest of the class quite confused, but my eyes only turned to Hazel, who, no matter how much she tried to hide it, seemed to tremble a bit...

"Are you okay, Miss Hazel? You look kinda pale..."

"I'm fine... I've been wanting her off my back for a while..."

"But... Weren't you friends? You spent a whole year with the three of them, right?"

"I was... Waiting for something..."

She tried to avoid my gaze and left, even though I wanted to stop her, I felt like I shouldn't...

Young hearts are really complicated... With so many emotions on the surface, it's no wonder they're caught up in the Liebesherrscher effect...

Anima, where are you?! I need to ask you questions!

You still have a lot to learn, don't you, Rose Ophelia? Come to the school park during break, I will answer the questions you so want to ask.

♡