Honesty is the Best Policy {Comic Edition}

Chapter 62: Phantom Transactions and Other Unnoteworthy Things

(Originally Published on August 14th, 2023)

"Aren't you worried your Anti will get into trouble if you're not watching her?"

Shadow's question lingered in the air as they exited the club room an hour later.

"What do you mean?" Honest asked. She had her laptop tucked under one arm as they left through the double doors and made their way down the cracked and weathered sidewalk towards their destination. Shadow was worried, as usual, that Honest wasn't being cautious enough about where Hearts was and what she was doing. "She's me. She won't do anything I wouldn't do."

Shadow's concern only deepened. "But therein lies the issue. She's not you; she's the anti-version of you. Aren't you afraid she'll... I dunno... commit a series of crimes whilst disguised as you? Like what Antis are known to do?"

Honest dismissed the worry with a casual wave of her hand. "Pft, that has only happened twice before, with Scourge and Patch. The odds right now are actually against that happening." Triumph glimmered in her eyes, as if she'd bested him with her statement. However, Shadow wasn't giving up so easily.

Shadow pressed on. "Alright then, what is she doing right now?"

Honest responded coolly, "Tying up loose ends, keeping things in check." She glanced at Shadow, an almost challenging look in her eyes. "She might not see it exactly that way, but it doesn't matter whether she does or not."

"You're talking in riddles," Shadow retorted.

Seemingly undeterred, Honest stuck her nose in the air and grinned mischievously. "If you don't believe me, would you like to go with me to meet her? See what she's currently doing? When you see, you'll go 'wow, Honest was so unbelievably right. I should never not trust her about anything ever again.'" Her impression of him sounded like she was on the verge of throwing up.

Shadow winced as if she had done just that, threw up, but instead all she did was clamp her hand around his wrist and jerk him in a drastically different direction than the way that they had been heading originally. They were supposed to be meeting their housemates in front of the building with all the career-centric classes, but now they were heading towards the main building where all the normal clubs had rooms. You know, the clubs that were formed by logical, sound-of-mind people who didn't seek to put the well-being of their club members at risk by making them conduct club business in a dilapidated building that might collapse at any moment with them in it.

Bang, bang, bang, three knocks echoed. "Come in," a voice beckoned, and Honest pushed open the door.

What they saw first was an empty classroom until they looked around and found the room's occupants sitting at a table to their right, around the corner. Infinite was sitting at the side of the table closest to them. He had his back to them and didn't look up as they entered. Infinite sat on one side, engrossed in his own world, while Hearts, perched across from him, met their entrance with half-lidded eyes. "Oh, hey. Are you here for origami lessons?" Hearts' voice was flat and lifeless.

"No," Honest told her, sounding worlds more upbeat. "Actually, I'm just showing Shadow that you're not up to any trouble. He didn't trust my word when I assured him you were trustworthy."

The table was overflowing with tiny origami animals. Honest scrutinized the ones on Infinite's side, noticing their jagged, imperfect forms compared to Hearts' creations. Still, Honest dashed over and picked up a bunny with a torn ear, her eyes filled with admiration. "Incredible job, Infy! Did you make these? They're far better than anything I could create."

Infinite smacked the rabbit out of Honest's hands. It dove head-first onto the ground. Honest just looked down at it rather mournfully.

"Aaaanyway," Honest said, sliding away with a smile on her face, sweating bullets. "See, Shadow? No impersonations, no crimes, no blowing up the moon, no setting the city on fire, no nothin'! Just good, old fashioned paper folding."