The sunlight reflected through the windows of our living room, brightening up the atmosphere. It was an especially beautiful day; the sensation of light on my skin was gentle, and seeing the smiles of my classmates somehow lifted my spirits. 

"Our next class is history, right? Rose, are you good at history? I saw you were terrible at subjects like chemistry or physics, but history is easy for you, isn't it?" That voice, which until recently had been arrogant enough to fill the room with enmity, now asked me questions without trying to feel superior. That was the new Melissa Schut, after her heart had been purified; she truly seemed to have become a better person...

"I can learn history well; I like the way the teacher explains it too." I replied. Now, instead of sitting next to Hanna and Ariel as always, it seemed that the other three had joined in, and thus the atmosphere of the class became much more friendly. Of course, it was impossible to erase the complicated situations between other students, but without a doubt Melissa's and the others' idea of trying to feel superior and ignore everyone who didn't agree with them was what caused the most conflict over the years.

"Rose is quite smart with what she likes, it's quite interesting. Last time I was playing League of Hamhams with Ariel, she made some impressive moves," Hanna said. After years of friendship at school, it was normal for us to play together in our free time, but Melissa's confused face seemed not to understand a word that had come out of my artist friend's mouth.

"League of... What? I really can't understand what you guys are saying sometimes."

"It's called League of Hamhams. It's a MOBA game; you choose one of the hamsters, and they fight each other to protect their base. Rose usually plays with the mage hamsters, which are easy to kill but have a lot of mana. If you know how to play with them, especially the ones in the meta, the team has a lot of advantage," Ariel explained, trying to clarify even though she didn't expect the others to understand.

"Kyaaa, they're so cute!" Annabeth exclaimed. "I've played a bit of that with my cousin; they're so adorable, Melissa! We could arrange to play together sometime!"

"Teaching normies to play League of Hamhams... Sounds like a nightmare..."

"Oh, it's not that bad, Ariel; we can have fun. I was looking for someone who could play support with me, since you two rarely play like that."

"If you want it so much, I can try... It doesn't seem that difficult," Alexandra said. Now that everyone was talking again, it seemed like she wasn't even trying to hide that she liked Hanna.

"You can do whatever you want, but you won't find me dead mixing with-" Annabeth showed the image of one of the characters, a small hamster in pink clothes holding a giant hammer. "She... Is too cute!"

"Hehe, it's easy to convince Melissa when you know her," the girl with yellow hair, Annabeth Dunneous, said with a victorious smile on her face.

"It's true... We didn't have enough contact with Melissa to understand how her mind works; it's quite simple, actually," Hanna agreed.

"Are you guys making fun of me?! I just like cute things, it's normal for a girl, isn't it?!"

Yes... That pleasant atmosphere... It hadn't existed in that room for so long... I didn't usually think much about it, but it was something I missed...

Even if it cost me all the remaining peace I had.

For the past few weeks, almost every day, there had been some activity from the Liebesherrscher... Not necessarily inside the school, but throughout the entire city.

Several people, some of whom I didn't even know, had turned into uncontrollable monsters with strange powers, all as a result of various forms of anger and hatred... Things I had to experience firsthand.

After all, I had decided... I wouldn't break hearts anymore...

I had already killed Carter's soul; there was no turning back, and even though he was trying to take Hazel away from me...

I didn't want to be a murderer.

And I was.

That's something that, if the girls at the table knew, or if even Miss Hazel knew, they wouldn't forgive me...

I can't retrieve the heart I broke, but... I can at least try not to break others.

Even if it made me have darker circles under my eyes than I've ever had in my entire life. Even if it made me have to meet people who were betrayed, had loved ones murdered, even if they had lost something important to them, and I had to experience each part of it because of what Anima called "empathy exercise" before purifying the hearts...

"But, did you hear? It seems there won't be math class until they find a substitute teacher," Alex said, changing the subject.

"The teacher seemed really devastated since the last time she showed up here. Something definitely happened," Ariel added.

"I heard she's going through a very complicated divorce... Couples should get married to be happier! It must break her heart to say goodbye to the man she vowed to love for the rest of her life..." And Annabeth, who could only see romance, commented.

That teacher, Mrs. Camille, had also been a victim of the Liebesherrscher. Yes... She was so angry that she was about to kill her husband who always traveled to cheat on her, but that day he had brought his lover to their house... That feeling of betrayal... Of exhaustion... That pain in the chest...

Everything had been passed on to me, as Heartbreaker Magenta.

But at least we have a divorced math teacher, not a murderer.

Wasn't that good? Like this...

Like this, everyone could be a little more at peace...

Even if those feelings still lived in my body...

It was for everyone’s sake...

"That teacher... She really tried to make everyone understand the subject; I hope she'll be okay... Separations can be complicated."

"I know, my parents are divorced..." Melissa spoke, that girl who hated being vulnerable was talking about her problems?! The long-term effects of purifying those hearts were really impressive. "My mom didn't handle the divorce well... I hope the teacher doesn't go through that too."

"I... I never knew you went through that, Melissa..." Alex seemed surprised.

"Me neither! And we've been together since you started school! Something must have happened for Melissa, who I've known for so many years, to start talking about these things! Did you meet a boy or someone who made you want to open up more?!"

"No, of course not, Annabeth! Rose... Just helped me."

"Come to think of it, we became friends for the first time because of Rose, didn't we?"

"Eh? Because of me? What do you mean, Hanna?"

"Don't you remember? That infernal boy who bothered you when you entered school, the one who kept threatening you over the documents," Ariel said.

Ah... That story...

Come to think of it, it was what really brought us together at the end of middle school.

The school we attended wasn't just any school. It had always been known as the elite school of the city, both for its education and for always saying it protected the students, that's why my parents chose it.

When I entered school, my hair was already quite long, and I could already take all the medication I needed to feel good about my body. In the last school I was in, I had a lot of trouble being accepted by my classmates because of my identity.

I was born in a body I couldn't identify with.

No matter how hard I tried, I hated having to be a "boy".

It didn't make sense to me, it didn't make sense with who I was inside, how I wanted to dress, how I wanted to be called, how I wanted to be seen... Or how I saw myself.

I was very lucky; when I talked to my parents, they understood and tried to help me as much as they could, and so I could become who I am.

Rose Ophelia.

That name, my hair tied with bows in pigtails, and my whole life since then, all of that was what I really wanted to be, it was what made me feel good, like I could unlock all that I loved but had to hide.

Upon entering that school, I thought I could start a new life, make friends, and live a life without other people asking me unpleasant questions or being invasive, but...

That's not exactly what happened.

I had entered the school while still in the process of sorting out my documents, but my parents assured me that I didn't need to worry, that they would help me complete this process as quickly as possible. However...

During my first week of class, I started receiving mysterious notes in my locker from someone claiming to know who I "really was" and that they would expose it to the rest of the school.

And that's how I learned that most of the students at that school didn't care as much about others as the advertisements said, and that the support for students was nothing but a lie.

But...

When I received a note that made me cry in secret, that black-haired girl with parts dyed blue, Hanna Bovary, was by my side. She and Ariel had been the first girls to approach me; we were becoming friends during that week... And in my desperation, I told her everything, including about the notes.

She got so angry that her face turned red, and she promised me that we would resolve this situation. The next day, I was surprised by the alliance between Hanna and Melissa, two opposite sides of the classroom, joining forces to confront a boy from the neighboring class.

The boy who had been threatening me all this time.

Hanna, Ariel, Alex, Melissa, and Annabeth made the whole class find out that he had been threatening me, and even though they didn't know the specifics, everyone was condemning the boy for doing something so awful.

It was painful to experience all of that.

But that's how I felt embraced...

That's how we became the "model class" for the next two years of school, and the six of us remained together as almost inseparable friends for those two years, before things started to unravel...

I really got to live as myself because of them...

Yes...

Those girls who stood by my side, helped me, and protected me when I didn't have enough strength, were smiling by my side again, like the friends we had been for so long.

It was also for those smiles that I fought... As Heartbreaker Magenta...

"That time was complicated; I didn't imagine we would really succeed, but I'm glad that boy was expelled. The school should do something about these parasites," Alex concluded.

"That boy was an idiot. Good for him to have been expelled; maybe he'll learn to become a decent person instead of going around threatening others," Ariel said.

"Ended up being this problem that brought us together first, and now Rose brought us together again. Even with your nerdiness, I'm glad we can talk again," Melissa said.

"You say that, but we stopped talking before because you started dating that older guy and started acting like you were better than everyone else..." Ariel said, focusing on the game on one of her handheld consoles.

"I know... And I apologized for that. I was really stupid in these last few years."

"That's in the past; the most important thing is that we're friends again!" Annabeth said.

Everyone was smiling, but... Something seemed wrong...

I looked to the corner of the room, and there she was, Hazel Eyre, almost motionless, lonely... I couldn't tell if she was sad or just observing her surroundings, with her thoughts far away from what was happening.

I got up and went to Hazel, even if it caught the attention of the other girls, this was more important.

Hazel was always more important.

"Good morning, Miss Hazel! Are you okay?"

"...Yes." Her reply was curt, but it was expected. It would take much more than that to make me stop talking to Miss Hazel!

"I noticed that you're a bit alone over there... If you want, you can sit with us, okay? I don't want to bother you, but if it's alright, I'd like to be able to get closer to you, Miss Hazel."

"I'm not interested in being in a group, thank you."

"I understand, but..."

"You!" Melissa jumped out of her chair and started berating Hazel. She could be nice when she wanted, but this wasn't the time to be flashy... "Rose is trying to be friendly with you, and you're going to keep treating her like that, with your weird coldness?!"

"...Do you still want to tell me how to act or not?"

Melissa seemed hurt, but she understood what Hazel meant. After all, they had been friends for a few years too, even though that blonde girl was still using her mask of superiority.

"...Sorry," she said, hurt. "I still don't like you, but I know what I did wasn't right. Sorry, Hazel."

"It's okay. I forgive you." She said, without prolonging it. Melissa returned to her chair, distancing herself from me and the dark-haired girl. Miss Hazel really didn't seem to want to talk to her.

"Melissa can be a bit hot-headed sometimes, but she's a good person, really! I know you guys had complicated moments, but..."

"Rose Ophelia." She said, looking at me directly. It was the first time I felt the penetrating gaze of those icy blue eyes; she was serious, but it was almost as if she could see into my soul with how much she pierced me with her eyes. "Are you... happy now?"

"....What?"

"The 'you' now... Is happy?"

"I'm happier when I'm talking to you, Miss Hazel." I smiled, and she hid her face. Was she embarrassed? No, that was impossible, the Hazel Eyre I had always seen over all these years wouldn't be embarrassed just because of that.

"You... Are too kind." She said, her voice slightly muffled.

"What? I can't hear you properly with your face hidden."

“You're too nice! Dummy!” Hazel had spoken loud enough for me to hear, but the sound of the bell rang, so the other students began to prepare for the next class, paying no attention to what we were doing in the corner of the room.

It's always better that way.

If I can be the only one to see a cute, embarrassed Hazel like this, I want to get closer to her more and more.

♡