She was scared. Scared that her secret would be snatched away.

Scared that, even before she realized it, she had been peeled layer by layer, and it was only a matter of time before all her rottenness would be exposed.

And of course, we—Selene and I—knew exactly how to expose it: Mytheia, a magical object in the shape of a transparent crystal ball.

Without much ado, Selene immediately raised the object and displayed it, as if showing off her new toy to her prey.

Azalea, looking increasingly panicked, reacted immediately with a flushed face. She tried to snatch Mytheia from Selene’s hand.

"Give it to me!"

Selene, with the reflexes of a manipulation expert, pulled her hand back before it could be touched.

"Ohh? So you don’t want that secret revealed so badly, my dear junior~?" Her voice was drawn out, mocking, teasing.

And that’s when, with full awareness, I realized one thing:

Azalea had just officially had her hopes extinguished.

Like a mouse caught in a trap, she was too slow to realize.

And I—who had been through this before—could only watch with a bitter taste.

This is how I used to do it.

This is how I used to do... extortion.

Blackmailing.

* * *

I thought it was just a joke at first.

Kairi and Senior Selene... well, their interactions have always been like that.

Sometimes it’s as if they want to kill each other, but then again, they’re too close to be called enemies. Like rivals who know all of each other’s sensitive buttons and love to press them.

But today... this was different.

This was more than just a verbal spat or typical sarcastic remarks.

There was a strange tension in the air.

Something... stinging.

I could only stand frozen, watching Senior Selene start to flirt with me in front of Kairi with her hip movements that...

Oh my god, please. That’s not something I should be seeing first thing in the morning.

And Kairi... instead of immediately scolding her or leaving, she responded to her antics in an equally crazy way. Both of them...

"They’re both... insane," I murmured softly, almost unconsciously.

When I saw Selene getting more seductive and throwing out compliments, I instinctively raised a hand and facepalmed.

I couldn’t take it.

My brain was genuinely screaming for help.

What am I doing... worshipping her like this?

Seriously. I used to admire Senior Selene—her appearance, her assertiveness, her intelligence, her charisma, everything.

I even always made a prayer in my private shrine just to worship her in secrecy.

And yes, by ’private shrine,’ I mean the corner of my closet where I’d meticulously arranged a few of her old exam papers—which, let’s be honest, felt like sacred texts—and a particularly flattering photo from the school festival. But the true centerpiece, the most hallowed relic?

It was a slightly crumpled, forgotten handkerchief she’d clumsily dropped after a drama club meeting one day.

It smelled exactly like her—a faint, sophisticated scent that I probably couldn’t even name, but oh, I knew it. I’d light a tiny, unscented candle—don’t want to alert Mom— then offer a silent plea for academic wisdom or perhaps just the courage to speak to her without dissolving into a puddle of awkwardness, and promise myself I’d be just like her one day.

Then I’d emerge, blinking in the normal light, ready to tackle calculus, feeling spiritually uplifted.

Now, looking at her wiggling her hips like that, I swear that little candle in my closet just spontaneously combusted in protest, and I bet that handkerchief is currently plotting its escape.

But now, seeing her flirting like this and proposing... a pervert trio with a proud expression? I thought important people hid their crazy sides.

Turns out they don’t.

Sometimes they just let it explode right in front of their innocent and naive student’s eyes.

Who, unfortunately, now had to process all of this and still look normal.

...Well, to be honest, I’m not that innocent either. But still.

This was too out of proportion to handle.

"Calm down, Azalea," I whispered to myself. "They’re just kidding. You can handle this."

However, what truly made me want to vanish from this place was when Kairi—the real villain behind all this chaos—joined in attacking my purity.

"Yeah, I guess you’ll have to get used to it. Because your holier-than-thou Senior Selene is actually like this."

And with that one sentence, my image shattered.

All my visions of Senior Selene as an exalted role model instantly crumbled into pieces. Like a stained-glass window in a sacred temple suddenly hit by a bazooka.

Instead of denying it, Selene just giggled playfully, feigning shyness like a cheap telenovela heroine.

"Oh my, I just got caught~"

"This is so embarrassing..."

I knew Kairi clearly knew that Senior Selene enjoyed all of this.

And I knew it too.

But I preferred to pretend I didn’t know, for my own mental health.

And for my own sanity upon witnessing all of these, obviously.

Because if I got too deeply involved... Well. I was already nearly drowning.

And before I could retreat, they shifted their attention to me. Suddenly I was the target.

I, Azalea Lovecraft, the next victim in the crazy show of two psychopaths playing their own game.

Okay.

Okay, Azalea.

Take a breath, let it out.

I’ve faced oral exams before, I can handle this too.

Even if... this doesn’t involve the seductive hip movements of a woman who, technically—and ethically—shouldn’t be drawing my attention this intensely.

Why do I have to have a moral compass? Why can’t I be a normal girl who can scream ’Kyaaa!’ and run with pink cheeks like in those dramas performed by her?

And why did Senior Selene have to say "my dear junior" in such a crazy tone?!

Oh, God. Seriously, this is a test.

Kairi just stayed silent. But I knew. I knew she was judging me from er half-closed eyes. Surely, in her heart, she was saying: "Yep, I knew this kid would give in too." And the most annoying part? She was right.

Okay, okay. I can still escape. I can still avoid it. I can still—

Then Mytheia appeared in Selene’s hand. A transparent crystal ball.

I knew that object. Too well. But I didn’t know how exactly it worked.

At this point, I just wanted that thing to fade away. Disappear from my sight.

"Stop!" I cried out in panic. "Give it to me! I don’t want that secret spread!"

But of course, who cared? Senior Selene just smirked cunningly, and Kairi remained standing there, watching like a loyal spectator at a horror circus.

"So you don’t want your secret exposed, my dear junior~?"

I... was trapped. There was no other word.

I knew this method. This wasn’t just a game. This was blackmail.

And I realized, I had just walked into the game of two puppet masters who loved to toy with people—and this time, the puppet was me.

Damn it.