False Paradise.

Chapter 16 - I'm not legally required to do this.

The afternoon glow was beginning to seep in through the library windows, and as I sat alone at a table with a few books sprawled about and overlooking Paradise from the window at my side, I really started to appreciate the sight.

The way the orange light got darker as the seconds passed, covering the pages as I heard the rustle and shuffle of books being read and moved about, and even though the library looked so well kept the air had a light presence of dust, no doubt to add to the aesthetic of the place and make it seem like a much more mystical library than it really was.

As I found myself staring out at the sunset after a whole afternoon's worth of reading, idly rolling a pencil between my fingers for the sake of doing something, I came to the conclusion that I had absolutely nothing to do.

I was at a standstill when it came to Li, unable to get more information lest I wanted to be tortured again. The trap door we found in the forest still filled me with confusion, and I had no ideas on how to trigger any more memories.

Apart from maybe exposing myself to dangerous situations and hoping for the best, but I wasn't that stupid.

Not yet, at least.

Regardless, the fact was that I was spending this day in the library by myself.

...Now that I thought about it, it wasn't such a bad thing.

I still needed to do something, and that something wasn't staying here all night.

I put everything away and went back to 1-A, going through with what I said.

Helping Antoinette wasn't something I thought I'd willingly be doing, so the fact I was even out here still surprised me.

I decided to walk back instead of teleporting, knowing it wouldn't be that long of a trip anyway.

As I walked and felt the cool breeze against my face, I wondered again about Antoinette. Why had I decided to help? It was a thing of moment, I suppose, but there was something else.

What that was, I'm not sure, but it was there.
All I knew was that if she'd be doing this by herself with her own terrible idea, then it would absolutely backfire; we both knew how stupid it was.

Maybe that's why I went the extra mile to figure out a way to actually help her, we were friends and I didn't want her to fail.

I reached that conclusion when I arrived at 1-A ten minutes later.

I wouldn't know until much later that that wasn't the reason why I was doing this.

But for the time being, I entered 1-A to find Antoinette sleeping at the table with a half finished cup of coffee at her side. It was cold.

I would have woken her up then and there, but she looked so peaceful that I decided against it. The apartment was quiet, meaning Kristina and Claire must still be out, and that this silence would be temporary.

With a sigh, I decided to call it a night as well and sleep, but not before covering her with the bedsheet from her own bed, so that she'd at least spend the night without freezing.

The inside of my room was empty and silent. I briefly wondered where Kristina and Claire were, but as I got into bed I realized I didn't really mind. There was something mythical about this silence.

I don't know how much time passed before I started with a jolt, hearing a screech from the other room.

I fell off the bed and ran to the living room, tripping over myself in my haste and from how dark it still was.

When I arrived, I distinguished Antoinette's shadowy silhouette kicking at someone from the floor as she screeched.

"Who's- get out of here, out!" she shouted.