Riina Ivyn, 18 years old, third year student at Saint Iughus Academy, was currently stalking a girl. As she stepped from shadow to shadow, camouflaged herself in crowds and crept forwards, remaining at a distance where she wouldn’t be detected, Riina wondered if she had gone completely insane.
Just what the hell am I doing?
The truth was that Riina herself didn’t know why she was following that girl. She had been on her way home from school, dodging tourists, pedestrians and traffic alike in the way only a native of the City could so expertly do, when she had spotted the girl. Riina had felt bad for her, because her attempts to not stand out only made her more obvious. She wore a black cloak with the hood up, but the cloak was too big, and she had to keep holding the hem of the hood up so she could see where she was going. Because of that, Riina caught sight of the girl’s face, and that was what infatuated her so.
But that still didn’t explain why Riina was following her. When you catch sight of a beautiful stranger, their face might stay in your mind. You might even think about them for hours afterwards. But you would never start trailing them to their destination on a whim. It was as Riina was lost in thought over this that she realised the girl was leaving her behind. Eager to not lose sight of her, Riina picked up the pace, her loafers lightly tapping on wet concrete.
Riina followed her prey (Ugh, my “prey”?) into an apartment building. The automatic sliding door was thankfully silent and didn’t give her away. The girl got into an elevator, leaving Riina alone in the dingy foyer of the building. Although the City seemed like something straight out of the pages of a sci-fi novel - even to its citizens - it was originally an urban rejuvenation project to bring new life into the old town the City was built in and around, and so it was still possible to find run-down buildings of the past like this. Yellow strip lights flickered overhead as Riina wondered what to do next.
“... Shit. How will I know what floor she gets off at? Man… maybe I should just go home…”
She voiced those feelings of doubt, almost letting them sway her, but an even stronger feeling told her she had to see it through. Riina’s eyes widened as a possibility occurred to her.
That girl… could she be planning to jump off the roof?!
A cold weight settled in her chest at the thought. Riina began to climb the stairs, taking them three at a time, heading for the roof.
Riina staggered onto the last step, heaving deep breaths in and out, and bent over with her hands on her knees. She had no time to waste, but she had reached her limit three floors ago. Riina wasn’t overweight, but it would be fair to say she wasn’t in very good shape. A routine of going straight home after school and spending her weekends cooped up in her room had made sure of that. After a moment’s rest, Riina rushed over and pushed open the door to the rooftop.
It was October, and the autumn weather was making itself known. A gust of wind swept through her hair and a light drizzle of rain wetted it as she stepped outside. In front of her was the girl, looking out over the short railing that ran around the edge of the roof. As Riina ran forward, no longer caring if she was detected, her foot hit a puddle and splashed.
At this, the girl turned. Her cloak was now open, revealing a slender figure in a black, skintight bodysuit. The girl’s long, brown hair floated around her face in the breeze. At that moment, all Riina could think was that she had been relentlessly pursuing a heavenly angel, and would surely suffer God’s wrath as punishment for such a transgression.
“Who are you? Why are you following me?”
The girl spoke with a soft but stern voice, and Riina was left speechless. This seemed to annoy the girl, who furrowed her brow.
“Come here. I need to make sure you’re not carrying anything that could kill me.”
For some reason, Riina complied with her demand. She walked closer and closer until-
The girl grabbed her arm, and Riina’s world flipped upside down.
She was dangling in the open air, held up by the girl’s hand and her own hand which desperately clung onto the railing. In a show of strength that Riina thought seemed impossible for a girl of her build, her unnamed opponent had swung her whole body over the railing. Riina was now entirely at her mercy.
“I’ll ask again. Who are you, and why are you following me?”
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“W-wait! Please! I wasn’t going to do anything bad, I swear! I just thought… you were doing such a bad job at not being noticed that I got curious and decided to follow you! That’s all!!”
The girl frowned.
“If you were one of their agents, I’m sure you’d come up with a better cover story than that. Alright.”
In another show of miraculous strength, the girl swung Riina back over the railing. She landed in a heap on the cold and wet concrete of the roof.
Looking up at the girl, Riina was met with a stern expression.
“I don’t think you’re with them, at least. That doesn’t mean I’m letting you go, though.”
“I swear it’s the truth! Look, I accept I’m a weirdo, okay?! On a whim as ridiculous as ‘what a beautiful face’, I decided to follow you to see where you were going. But I promise I have no intention of killing you!”
Riina pleaded, and then spoke from her heart.
“And if there’s someone pursuing you who does intend to cause you harm, I’ll do what I can to help. There’s a police station not far from here, so we can go there and you can report whoever’s chasing you to them!”
At that, the girl’s expression softened. Riina thought she saw a grin appear on the corners of the girl’s mouth.
“The police can’t help me, I’m afraid. But I appreciate your earnestness.”
She suddenly stuck out a hand towards Riina, who gingerly clasped it. The girl pulled Riina to her feet, and then spoke in that same soft voice, but with the cold edge of suspicion removed.
“It was rude of me to demand your name without introducing myself first. I’m Exon Edit Product Number 79. You can call me Exon, if it’s easier.”
Riina was bewildered at the girl’s bizarre name, but was overjoyed at the same time. Her own panicked expression from her near-death experience melted away, and she introduced herself with the sweetest smile she could muster.
“I’m Riina. It’s nice to meet you, Exon!”
The two girls had exchanged pleasantries, but it seemed neither knew where to go from there. Riina picked at a loose thread on her jumper sleeve and awkwardly shuffled her feet, cursing her introverted nature. She had never been one for conversation, even with people she had known for a long time, and this was someone whose circumstances seemed to be entirely out of Riina’s wheelhouse. She truly had no idea what to do or say.
Exon had gone back to staring out over the railing. “Um… what are you looking at?” Riina finally gained the confidence to ask.
“From up here, I can see much more of the surrounding area. Initially I came up to the roof of this building to confront you in an isolated environment, but it’s also useful for surveillance.”
Exon turned and spoke, now with a serious expression.
“Do you think it’s unusual that I can see anything on the streets from up here? How about my strength? Isn’t it odd that someone shorter and thinner than you could throw you around with ease?”
“W-well… I was thinking that, actually…”
“Exactly. I’m something beyond a regular human being. Beyond your level. And so are my enemies.”
Exon seemed to admonish Riina, but she could hear the melancholy in the girl’s words.
“Like I said, I appreciate your earnestness. But neither you, nor the police, nor anyone else can help me. The best thing you can do now is go home and forget you ever saw me. For your sake, and for mine.”
Something about that upset Riina. It wasn’t that Exon was rejecting her - Riina could tell that her harsh words were only meant to save her, to push her away from whatever dangerous world Exon was part of. So it wasn’t that her feelings were hurt. What upset Riina was that the girl who stood before her was someone who had been forced to develop an unbreakable will. She could tell that something had forged Exon into the girl she was, and Riina’s heart despised the fact that such a terrible thing could happen to such a purehearted girl. And what made Riina angry was that this girl felt like she had to push away anyone who tried to get close, for fear of getting them hurt. It was an injustice that she just couldn’t tolerate.
Riina balled her hands into fists, her nails digging into her palms.
“No. I’m sorry, but my answer is no. I won’t accept that I can’t help you.”
Exon looked genuinely shocked.
“…Okay. If you’re really sure, then I don’t mind.”
Now it was Riina’s turn to be shocked. She hadn’t expected that her outburst would get through to Exon. But she was happy. She offered another smile to Exon, who put up a weak one in response.
“Wait. I should’ve done this earlier, but I need to make sure they didn’t plant any kind of tracking device on you. Come over here.”
Riina gladly obliged. Of course, she should have thought of that herself. If she was really serious about helping Exon, she would have to be on the ball about this kind of thing. Exon patted down Riina’s body, still clad in her school uniform. Riina couldn’t help but blush at how close the two were, earning a raised eyebrow from the other girl.
“Okay, your front is all good. Now turn around for a sec, please.”
Riina did so faithfully. Then, there was a cold sensation on the back of her neck. Her vision swam, and her knees buckled. She didn’t even have time to let out a cry of surprise. As her vision faded into darkness, she faintly heard Exon speak.
“You want to help me so badly? This is what happens.”
