[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/moq2uR2.png[/img][/center]
[center] [color=LightBlue]I-I sure am glad I don’t have to deal with all that stupid school drama. H-Huh? W-What’s that outside?[/color]
[color=888888]-Norika Tsukishima[/color][/center]

As Norika slowly ate what meager lunch her poor constitution would allow, she found her mind thinking back to the previous day’s club meeting. Despite Roche’s assurances that she was all right, the fact that something, or rather, some[i]one[/i], had called into question her worth as a leader had still clearly been gnawing at the rule keeper, even during their nightly patrol together. Even worse, while Norika had done her best to encourage her partner, nothing she’d said really seemed to make any real difference, just as nothing had been able to quell the rage she felt towards Rei for placing Roche in such a state. It had even gotten to the point where Norika, who normally hated being around people, found herself wishing she were able to share lunch with her teammate and offer the troubled track captain her continued support. Instead, all she could do was wait for their next afterschool tutoring session, and later, their Miseria hunt with Rei…  

[color=LightBlue][i]W-We’ll [b]show[/b] that stupid bitch we don’t need her help…[/i][/color]

Suddenly, a flash of movement outside her bedroom window caught the sickly girl’s attention. [color=LightBlue][i]W-What the…?[/i][/color] Normally, there were no arrivals at, or departures from, the house in the middle of the day, so then…? Slowly moving over to the window, she peeked through the blinds just in time to see a strange black truck moving up the driveway. [color=LightBlue][i]A delivery? Did my parents order something?[/i][/color] She had to admit, it would be a rather unexpected development, considering how frugal her parents had been with their spending in the wake of the “mysterious” break in, but perhaps it was a new security system of some sort. Still, for some reason Norika couldn’t quite place, the sight of the truck’s driver when he emerged from the incongruous vehicle sent a shiver of fear down her spine, and that fear only grew more pronounced when the man turned to look directly at her…

Giving voice to a startled gasp, Norika quickly backed away from the window and hugged her trembling body tightly as her heart pounded like a jackhammer. [color=LightBlue][i]W-Who even [b]is[/b] he?![/i][/color] her racing mind wondered. [color=LightBlue][i]A-And why does he make me feel so terrified?![/i][/color] Although she had always been apprehensive around strangers, and people in general, this was something distinctly different. The feelings evoked by this man were suffused with danger, although for the life of her, Norika couldn’t even begin to guess why. All the frail girl could hope for was that he would leave soon, and, far more importantly, that [i]she[/i] wouldn’t encounter him before he did so…