Blossoms of the Dark

CXXXV Selene: Arrivals

Within the League of Villains base, I drink glass of milk after glass after glass after glass.

Most people drink alcohol when they're depressed.

But since I have an aversion to alcohol, I wallow with milk in a wine glass, because wine glasses simply have a different feeling to them.

Just what did I do wrong?

This question has been bothering me since the farewell party. I know I've done so many terrible things, my conscience reminds me of it every hour. But I don't know how I erred when Shouto-kun pushed me back and stared at me with shock. The loss of the warmth of his hands from my face and body against mine was immediate, and I was left feeling dissatisfied. It was only his touch that did not repulse me. He was standing as far as he could and hastened to speak. "Um ... Something came up. It's urgent. Sorry ... Selene-chan, but I have to go." And before I could reply, he turned around and jogged into the forest. I wanted to call out to him, to tell him that he didn't know the way back. I wanted to know why his countenance changed so suddenly. He had given a weak excuse, and he hesitated saying my name. I knew I had done something, but I could not ask. I summoned my courage to tell him a secret, and this was the consequence.

When I returned to the Hanada manor, I had written all about the night in my diary. My surprise at seeing him, my wariness when revealing my lie, my joy at our playfulness, my shyness when he adorned my hair, my panic when my eardrums nearly ruptured, my tranquility when we shared peaceful silence, and - writing about this part made my cheeks flare scarlet - my desire when we danced. I liked being held so tightly against him. I loved how he caressed me with such tenderness. He did not want to let me go, and that possessiveness was so endearing. I read the entry again and again. I have every word memorized by heart. All the romantic fantasies I had read about in my novels transformed into a reality. How could I not revere such a moment? It was magic. But like all magic, it must come to an end. Our lips were barely touching when something shifted in his eyes. Stormy grey and turquoise blue ... the colors of earth and water, but the emotion in them was identical. If only I could put a name to that emotion. Then perhaps I would know why he shoved me.

But he's been giving mixed signals since then. Sometimes he talks to me normally, other times he avoids my gaze completely. I do not know how to broach this subject without straining our relationship any more than it is now.

I'm so lost in my thoughts that when Shigaraki speaks, I almost drop my glass.

"Please tell me that serious face means that you're thinking how to get more villains to join our little club," he says as he sits on the bar stool beside me. "Now that you don't have to slaughter anyone else in England, and I don't have to deal with the damn time difference or tag along with you, you should have plenty of free time to devote to the League."

Right. That is one of our unresolved issues. "We could spread some rumors around. Entice them to join us by pretending we launched a successful attack on a Pro-Hero."

He scoffs, "The public already made up rumors about the League and that douche Stain. A Pro-Hero was killed. We thought that it would bring a mass of villains at our door. But nearly half a year has gone by. NO. SUCCESS. Got any other brilliant ideas?" I frown as he puts a plaster hand to cover his face and retrieves something from his trouser pocket. It is a picture of Midoriya-san from the Sports Festival. "And it's all due to this little twat," he mutters.

I sigh, not willing to fight. "You're more impatient than usual when you don't have liquor in your hands. Kurogiri, please pass me that bottle of wine."

Just as I start to unscrew the bottle cap, the entrance to the bar opens. The unpleasant face of someone who I would rather not see for the remaining years of my life appears. Giran. Once my chauffeur, then a broker who introduced me to the League of Villains. He enters with a smile and a burning cigarette between his teeth. He removes it and speaks. "You've been the talk of the town for days on end. Everybody's buzzing over how something huge is about to happen." The cap pops off and flies, hitting Giran's nose. His glasses tumble to the ground, and he rubs at his now red nose. "Hey! I'm bringing good news, and you thank me with a bruise!"