In front of the university campus building, near the crowd gathered around Derek's mutilated head, which hung swaying from a tall tree branch, Noah stood at the back, watching the head swing back and forth in the breeze — feeling a faint sense of comfort and satisfaction.
Then, out of the corner of his eye, Noah caught sight of two familiar figures. One had sky-blue hair that drew the eye, and the other carried a red aura around her, like a blood-stained rose. It was Luo Yan and Livia — a beautiful contrast of colors, yet a striking harmony between them. Both were staring at the hanging head with anxious and tense expressions, seemingly unaware of Noah's presence.
"Livia... and Luo Yan..." Noah thought to himself the moment he saw them, remembering his rooftop conversation with Luo Yan. The words "You're a stranger" echoed faintly in his ears.
"It's better if I stay away. Looks like they've made up. I don't want to ruin it. I'm just a stranger to their friendship... to this whole university... to everyone." The thought came quietly, deeply, as Noah sank into his mind — so much so that he forgot to avert his gaze from Livia and Luo Yan, which led to his eyes meeting Luo Yan's pure, crimson ones.
"Ah—Damn, she noticed me. She probably thinks I'm a creep for staring at them... She's definitely going to hate me more now," he thought, tense and uneasy, especially after seeing her cold glance and how she turned to Livia immediately after.
"Damn it. She really hates me," Noah thought, flustered.
Just then, Luo Yan whispered something in Livia's ear, prompting Livia to glance back at Noah. A strange eye contact followed — Noah felt awkward and embarrassed. Then Livia began walking toward him, Luo Yan following hesitantly behind her with a cold demeanor that made Noah feel like she preferred to stay away.
"W-What do they want?" Noah wondered, his nervousness growing.
"U-Um, Noah... it's been a while," Livia said, clearly tense and uncertain.
"We were together just yesterday. What do you mean a while?" Noah wanted to say it out loud, but his nerves silenced him.
"Yeah... a while..." Noah replied, his voice deliberately calm and distant — but chaos swirled inside him.
An uncomfortable silence fell between the three. No one wanted to speak. No one even knew how to start a conversation. Noah wondered why they had come to him in the first place if they were just going to stand there silently. Even Livia questioned why she had approached him. Then, Livia cleared her throat, grabbing his attention.
"Anyway... about Derek. Do you think the killer did that to him?" Livia asked, curious and confused — relying on Noah's analysis and the "stories" he sees, especially after his performance the previous night.
"Ah... definitely. The killer warned us yesterday with that writing on the wall. He must be targeting us now — and he started with Derek," Noah answered calmly. Despite the steady tone and mask he wore, he was absolutely lying — hiding the truth that it was Sirius who killed Derek.
"I see... but why start with Derek? And why kill him that way? Is he trying to send another message?" Livia asked, visibly unbothered by Derek's death — more intrigued by the killer.
"Derek was an easy target. He was alone most of the time. As for the method... maybe the killer just wanted to get creative — free his anger. After all, we're just 'fools' to him. As for the message... I don't think there is one in such brutality. Just another warning," Noah said, interpreting what he could from the scene. Livia nodded in thoughtful agreement throughout.
"Makes sense... Anyway, are you still investigating with us? I'd understand if you're afraid the killer might come for you too, like he did with Derek," Livia said, sounding almost like she was pleading for Noah to join them.
"I'm... not afraid. I was going to continue investigating even if you hadn't asked," Noah said, lifting his eyes toward Derek's swaying head. For some reason, he felt a stupid urge to laugh.
"Oh, that's great! We can go back together, then—" Livia said excitedly, but Noah interrupted her.
"Actually, I'll work alone," Noah said, gaze shifting to her.
"A-Alone? Why? It'd be safer and more efficient if we worked together," Livia said, her eyes pleading.
"No... I just... don't want to ruin anything else," Noah replied, lifting his gaze to meet Luo Yan's as he said the last part.
"W-What the hell are you saying?" Livia asked, disbelieving and annoyed.
Noah remained silent for a moment, looking at Luo Yan who had turned her gaze away, avoiding eye contact in awkwardness. Then, he sighed.
"Livia... I'm just a stranger. You'll do better without me." He gave her a soft, friendly smile — one that made Luo Yan shiver slightly.
"Stranger?" Livia repeated, confused, before Noah gently patted her shoulder.
"I'll be going now. See you later," Noah said, walking away toward Sirius and Neriah.
Livia and Luo Yan stood there watching him leave. Then, Livia turned to her friend.
"You should've talked to him," she said reproachfully.
"I-I couldn't... It felt strange, like... like a wall had risen between us. Like no matter what I would say, my voice wouldn't reach him," Luo Yan said, looking down in regret.
"What nonsense... You need to apologize. That's what we agreed on yesterday," Livia said with a sigh, recalling the previous day.
———————
Yesterday, After Noah left the university rooftop, after finishing his talk with Luo Yan, Livia had quickly gone up to find her friend curled up and crying silently on the edge.
"Luo Yan..." Livia whispered as she approached hesitantly.
"Livia," Luo Yan sobbed in a broken voice. Livia stayed silent.
"I... I'm really sorry! I ruined everything! The body's gone because of me! The investigation failed because of me! I messed up our friendship because of me! It's all my fault!" she cried, biting her lip hard, turning to Livia with teary eyes pleading for help.
"Please... help me, Livia!" she begged, her voice trembling like she might fall apart any second.
Livia rushed forward and embraced her in a warm, understanding hug.
"It's okay, no one blames you. Calm down. I'm here," Livia said softly, trying to comfort her, though she herself felt the sting of tears.
"But... I messed everything up! I-I should've stayed with the body! Maybe then the killer wouldn't have done this! A-And I ruined our friendship too, just because I couldn't accept m-my feelings! I was so harsh with you! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Luo Yan cried, wiping her tears on Livia's shoulder.
"It's okay, it's okay. Calm down," Livia repeated, stroking her friend's hair.
"I'm sorry! Please forgive me! I didn't mean any of it! I was ungrateful and lost! Please forgive me!"
"...I forgive you. We all do. Just stop crying," Livia said, eyes misting over with sympathy.
Luo Yan cried like a child in Livia's arms. Only after her tears ran dry could they talk normally.
"Don't worry. We'll fix everything," Livia said gently.
Traces of tears still stained Luo Yan's face, her nose clearly affected by her sobbing. She tried to compose herself, but her sniffles betrayed her.
"B-But..." she hesitated, struggling to accept that Livia was sacrificing so much for her.
"Shhh, no buts. Don't worry about it anymore," Livia said, comforting her again. Then she remembered something.
"By the way... what did Noah say to you earlier?"
"I-I said harsh things to him. He was only trying to help me, but I kept blaming him for everything..." Luo Yan said, wiping her eyes.
"I see... Don't worry. He'll probably understand," Livia said, though Noah's expression earlier told her otherwise.
"I-I told him I hated him. That I wish I'd never brought him to this university. I-I think I hurt him," Luo Yan said, regretful.
"It's okay. You can apologize next time you see him, okay?" Livia said, patting her head again. Luo Yan nodded.
"Did you say anything else?" Livia asked, smiling gently.
"I-I told him I loved him too..." Luo Yan admitted. Livia's hand froze, her smile vanishing instantly.
"You did WHAT?!"
———————
Present time, Noah approached Sirius, who was swinging his legs playfully on a garden bench nearby. He looked up and grinned.
"Oh, Noey-kun! You're back," Sirius said, beaming.
"Yeah... where's Neriah?" Noah asked, glancing around.
"He went back to Enel. Said he couldn't stand seeing any more of this and went to tell him," Sirius replied, patting the seat beside him. Noah sat down.
"I see..."
"So... what do you think of my art?" Sirius asked, gesturing to Derek's head and the crowd.
"Art? Hmm... Well, as a piece of work, I guess you put effort in. You severed Derek's head post-mortem — there's a pool of blood from dripping, but no spray, so I doubt he suffered enough for everything he did... As for the aesthetics of it... I don't know. Every time I see Derek's head swinging... I feel like laughing for some reason," Noah said, eyes fixed on the hanging head. A strange tickle teased his throat, compelling him to laugh.
"That's called schadenfreude — pleasure in the misfortunes of others. You went through a lot because of Derek, especially what he did to Enel. Of course, you'd want to laugh and mock his corpse," Sirius explained calmly.
"How do you know what I went through with Derek?" Noah asked, confused.
"Come on, don't forget my skill again. That's twice now. Do you have memory problems or what?" Sirius teased.
"Ah, right... I forgot." Noah nodded blankly.
"Anyway, if you want to laugh — then laugh. I won't judge you. As you can see, I'm worse off than you," Sirius said, gesturing toward Derek.
"...I don't want to laugh around you," Noah replied, embarrassed.
"Seriously, man... fine, I won't push. Wouldn't want 'His Highness the Great' scaring me with his laugh," Sirius joked, lifting his hands in a mock-ghost pose, wiggling his fingers — "Spooky!"
"His Highness? Oh right — I need to research that gospel "the litany of the Psalm". That book in the library, "We Are Not Human", might have answers," Noah thought to himself, suddenly standing.
"Where are you going?" Sirius asked, curious.
"To Sector 2. I'll see you later," Noah said, not waiting for a reply.
"O-Okay...?"
———————
On his way to the northern train station, Noah walked at a steady pace. But that tickle in his throat didn't fade. He couldn't hold it in.
"We're human. We have emotions. Whether it's Sirius's 'schadenfreude,' or the anger I felt toward Derek, or the sorrow when I saw Enel's state — even the comfort when he was healed... all of it proves I'm human. That I'm... alive. So... I shouldn't feel guilty or ashamed or awkward or anxious or confused..." Noah thought, slowing to a stop.
It started as a dry breath — a hitch of air that stumbled into a choked cough, then twisted into something bitter and sharp. Not loud at first — just a low, shaky chuckle. And then, tears welled in his eyes — tears of release and letting go, of finally leaving an old scar behind. And then the laugh grew — uncontrollable, unstoppable — as he cried with joy and delight. It wasn't a human laugh, but something pushed through a scar — the echo of a man laughing at his own funeral.
"This crying... this laughter... this feeling of thrill and euphoria... it proves one thing...
I'm not pretending anymore."