tears of mercury | beastars

chapter 24. RESONANCE WITH THE OUTSIDE WORLD

𖤣𖥧.𖤣𖥧𓆏𖡼.𖤣𖥧𖡼.𖤣𖥧
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The dormitory room was quiet except for the soft murmur of the radio resting atop her dresser, its voice blending into the faint rustling of magazine pages as (Name) lazily flipped through them from the sofa near the window. Warm lamplight spilled across the room, catching against glossy photographs of expensive fabrics, polished jewelry, and carefully perfected smiles that all felt strangely artificial beneath prolonged attention. She skimmed through the pages without interest, more focused on filling the silence than actually reading.

Outside, evening had already begun settling over the city below Cherryton Academy, painting the distant skyline in muted gold and deepening blue.

"This morning in Zebuth Town on Igni Street," the radio announcer reported steadily, "a Thomson's Gazelle identified as Irina, twenty-two, was found dead on the sidewalk with multiple bite wounds. Authorities suspect the attack involved a group of carnivores. According to witnesses, four carnivores deliberately cornered the victim prior to the attack. The suspects remain at large as police continue their investigation. We are now joined by Detective Chief Amamiya regarding the current status of the case—"

The page between her fingers stopped turning.

Slowly, (Name) lowered the magazine onto her lap as her father's voice replaced the announcer's. Calm. Controlled. Professional in the way it always was whenever he addressed the public. There was no hesitation in his tone despite the brutality of the case being discussed, no visible exhaustion beneath another violent incident added onto the countless others already resting beneath his authority.

To the city, his voice probably sounded reassuring.

To her, it only sounded distant.

Without expression, she rose from the sofa and crossed the room toward the dresser. The radio continued speaking in front of her—details about investigations, suspects, increased patrols within the district—but before the report could continue further, she switched it off.

The silence afterward settled heavily across the room.

For a moment, she remained standing there, staring faintly at her own reflection against the darkened surface of the radio before turning away. The curtains near the window stirred gently beneath the evening breeze, and she moved toward them instinctively, pulling the glass shut until the distant sounds of the city softened into something barely audible.

Today, there was no Drama Club meeting.

Only the second-years had been instructed to attend preparation discussions on the upcoming Meteor Festival under Louis' direction, leaving the upperclassmen unexpectedly free for the evening. The absence of responsibility left the room feeling emptier than usual, as though too much stillness had gathered in one place.

Resting one hand lightly against the cool windowpane, (Name) looked out over the city below.

Because the academy sat high upon the hill, everything beneath it appeared softened by distance. Streets blurred together beneath layers of artificial light while buildings glimmered faintly against the darkening sky. Traffic lights blinked rhythmically between crowded intersections, apartment windows glowed warm gold against the night, and scattered neon signs painted fragments of color across streets too far away to distinguish clearly.

From here, the city looked beautiful.

Bright enough to create the illusion that everything below remained peaceful. Balanced. Safe.

As though violence only existed inside newspapers and police reports rather than within the shadows hidden between those lights.

Her reflection faintly overlapped the skyline against the glass.

Human.

Still.

Separate.

Somewhere beneath that sea of illumination, police sirens were likely still echoing through crowded streets. Somewhere, another family was grieving. Somewhere, fear continued moving quietly through the city no matter how desperately society tried to suppress it.

And yet from this distance, none of that could be seen.

And yet from this distance, the city concealed its ugliness well.

The lights swallowed everything beneath them—the violence, the fear, the grief—until all that remained visible was something almost beautiful.

For a moment, it became easy to understand why every species preferred illusions over the truth.

✅ EDITED