The Weight of a First Friend
"Aris, what are you doing?" Frey said, her voice dripping with exasperation. No answer came. A deep sigh escaped her. Her head throbbed, prompting her to press her temples firmly. How on earth did things end up like this? Frey began to retrace the events of the last few minutes.
The weekend. Aris, who possessed the temperament of a textbook shut-in, loved the weekend more than any other time of the week. She didn't have to go outside; she could just lock herself in her room and read to her heart's content. Sleeping in as much as she wanted, waking up to lie face down on her plush bed, munching on snacks while turning pages—this was Aris's idea of pure, simple bliss.
Today had started out no different. It was their very first weekend since entering the Academy. Though the environment had changed to a dormitory, Aris remained entirely unchanged. She lay on her bed in her pajamas, buried in a book. Having borrowed a massive stack from the library, there was no danger of running out of reading material. Her snack supply was equally plentiful: sweet macarons, chocolate cookies, and even some pudding waiting in the mini-fridge. Aris had opened her book with a bright, beaming smile, while Frey watched over her from the depths of their shared mind. As always, their weekend was passing in peaceful silence. At least, it had been until a moment ago.
'W-what should I do? Lucia is here...?'
"Yeah, so answer her already. Otherwise, she's going to think you're not in and leave."
'B-but...'
Aris twiddled her fingers anxiously. It was a habit of hers whenever she was troubled or hesitant. Frey spoke up.
"What is it now?"
'I'm... I'm still in my pajamas...'
"So what?"
'Won't she think it's weird...?'
"You worry too much. You're in your own room, wearing what you want. Who cares?"
Having a visitor on the weekend was an entirely unprecedented event. Aris lacked the social courage, and while Frey could mimic sociability, she chose not to. They were equal personalities—or at least, that was how Aris viewed it. Frey, however, thought differently. The primary personality was Aris, the one who had existed from the very beginning. As a secondary personality born later, Frey believed she shouldn't go around forging relationships on Aris's behalf. It could easily become a burden for her. If Aris was going to make friends, it had to be of her own volition. That was why Frey had refrained from taking control, choosing instead to gently push Aris forward. And for the first time, Aris had made a friend through her own efforts.
Lucia. Aris's first friend. Frey hadn't fully figured out what kind of person she was yet, but based on her actions so far, she was quite likable. She had reached out to Aris when she was in a tight spot and had warmly accepted Aris's gestures of goodwill. Still, it was too early to let their guard down. The world was full of bastards who acted sweet on the outside while being utterly rotten to the core. That woman had been exactly like that. She had played the part of a kind soul at first, only to show her true, hideous colors the moment circumstances changed. Who was to say this Lucia girl wouldn't do the same? Until she was proven absolutely trustworthy, she remained a subject of suspicion.
"H-h-hello... L-Lu-Lucia..." Bolstered by Frey's advice, Aris had summoned her courage and cracked the door open. Just a sliver. Peeking out with only her face visible, Aris had offered an awkward smile. From there, things had actually gone rather well. Lucia's expression had turned a bit strange—perhaps because Aris's pajamas were more revealing or embarrassing than she realized—but it wasn't anything to worry about. Her face had flushed red, all the way to her ears. Well, as Lucia herself had put it, she probably just found Aris cute. Frey nodded in agreement internally. Aris was cute. No one could deny that. And if anyone did, she would bury them alive.
Aris had chatted with Lucia about a book they both read, and Lucia had even asked her for a recommendation. Aris was happier than she had ever been. It made sense, considering this was her very first time sharing a hobby with a friend. When Aris was happy, Frey was naturally happy too. In their inner world, Frey let out a small smile. Not bad, she thought. She's actually keeping Aris company. If she had said anything out of line, I was planning to tear her limb from limb and kick her ass. This girl's supernatural ability is Super Regeneration, right? That means I wouldn't even have to hold back. I could stomp her into a bloody pulp and it wouldn't even leave a mark. Hmm, well, look at that. She's actually decent. Frey had always wanted to try pulling someone's teeth out one by one. If she used her fingers to pry them out, one after another, and kept them in a jar, wouldn't that look pretty neat? It would be even better if she labeled the jar with the owner's name. Maybe she could display their fingernails and hair alongside them. Anyone else would get caught immediately, but with this girl... No, maybe she could do even more than that.
"Maybe I could chop off all her limbs and stuff her in a glass jar... Or maybe just sever her limbs, cauterize them with fire so they can't regenerate, and watch her squirm like a caterpillar... Or hang her on a wall and use her as a dartboard..." Frey let out a dry chuckle. What am I even thinking? I'm getting ahead of myself. Those were measures to be considered only if it became absolutely certain that this girl was the type to exploit Aris. Doing something that extreme ran the risk of Aris finding out, and besides, Frey wasn't actually that depraved. She might talk a big game, but she wasn't the type to actually carry out such atrocities. Humans broke far too easily, after all.
"Aris." Just as Frey was cooling down her overactive imagination, Lucia held out the shopping bag she had brought. "This is a present for you. Please, take it."
"A p-p-present...?"
"It's nothing grand. I went shopping for clothes yesterday and suddenly thought of you. I thought it would look really good on you. I just hope it fits..."
Aris stared back and forth between the shopping bag and Lucia. Her small lips parted and closed without a sound. To an outsider, she looked utterly bewildered by the sudden gift. But the reality was the exact opposite. Inside her mind, a dozen mini-Arises were running around in circles, screaming in pure chaos.
'F-Frey! A p-present? What do I do? What should I do? Why is she giving me this? Is it because she l-likes me? Is that it? Huh? Frey? What do I say? Naturally... Ah, auuu... How do I repay her? N-no, before that, I should accept it first, right? If I refuse, Lucia will be disappointed. B-but...'
"Calm down. Don't stutter in your own thoughts."
'O-okay...'
While calming Aris down, Frey's gaze turned icy. A present? Suddenly? Sure, friends give each other gifts, but they barely even know each other. Is it a bribe? Is she trying to get close? What's her angle? Is she trying to make Aris feel indebted to her? Are you just another leech trying to exploit Aris, just like that woman? Just like that goddamn woman? You're trying to buy her favor. Is it really just because you want to get along with her, or is it... A sharp, grating sound of grinding teeth echoed through their inner world. No, no, no. I don't know yet. It's too early to jump to conclusions. Let's hear what she has to say first.
"Um... is it too much? I guess it has only been two or three days since we became friends, so getting a gift out of nowhere might feel a bit overwhelming. It sounds cliché, but you really don't have to feel pressured. I just wanted to give it to you."
Lucia scratched her cheek, her face flushing as red as a ripe persimmon. "To be honest... I don't have any friends. I've been a loner my entire life. Aris, you're my very first friend. That's why... hehe, I was just so happy. Won't you accept my gift?"
Huh? What is she talking about? First friend? You? Unlike Aris, this girl seemed to know exactly how to socialize, yet she claimed to be a loner? Where did she get off telling such an obvious lie... Frey suddenly stopped her train of thought. She stared intently at the blonde girl's face. It was incredibly red. At a glance, one might think she was suffering from a severe fever. She was embarrassed. Lucia was genuinely embarrassed right now. Did she think she had said something incredibly cheesy? Well, admitting to someone that they were your "first friend" was bound to be a bit awkward.
"It doesn't seem like... she's lying." Though she couldn't be entirely sure, there didn't seem to be any falsehood in those words. Come to think of it, she had made a similar face earlier. When she saw Aris in her pajamas, she couldn't even meet her eyes, and her ears had turned beet red. At the time, Frey had clicked her tongue, wondering why she was overreacting to mere pajamas, thinking she was just like Aris. Wait, is she actually a loner? Did she try to reinvent herself for high school now that she's at the Academy? Now that I think about it, she did seem to eat lunch all by herself...
"...First... friend..." Aris accepted the gift with trembling hands. She was repeating the words like a broken radio, which made Frey a little uneasy. Frey called out to her gently. "Aris? What's wrong?"
"I'm... Lucia's... first... friend...?" Something was off. Frey could feel Aris's emotions. They were churning violently, like a tiny sailboat caught in a massive tempest. Aris didn't answer no matter how many times she was called. Far from calming her down, Frey herself was on the verge of being swept away by the sheer intensity of Aris's feelings. This emotion... it was joy. Ah, I see. Knowing that she was the first friend of her own first friend... knowing they were the same made her incredibly happy. It wasn't just special to her; she was special to the other person too, and that brought her immense joy. If what she said is true... well, yeah. I'm happy too. But that's that, and this is this. Don't let your emotions get the better of you, you dummy! Frey clicked her tongue. She had to wake Aris up first. That girl was still waiting for an answer. Just as Frey was about to take action—
"...?!" Aris vanished. Or rather, she was booted out of the driver's seat of their physical body. For something like this to happen, Aris either had to willingly hand over control, or— "Aris?" —she had to have lost consciousness. Wait, what? Aris? You're kidding, right? You fainted? From just this? Technically speaking, it wasn't exactly fainting. The emotion of joy had been so overwhelming that her consciousness had simply turned to mush. Aris's consciousness had drifted deep into the inner recesses of their mind. It was a parlor trick only possible because of their split personality. But since the end result was the same, it didn't really matter.
"Sigh..." Frey let out a heavy sigh. Her brow furrowed in sheer exasperation at her other self. That brought her back to the present. Finishing her recollection, Frey raised her head. Lucia was staring at her with a thoroughly bewildered expression. She looks so dumb. Don't make a face like that. It makes me want to mess with you. Well, what should she do now? Frey pondered for a moment, and then it struck her that this was actually a perfect opportunity. Aris was asleep. She wouldn't be waking up anytime soon. Which meant that whatever Frey did from this point on, Aris wouldn't find out. Perfect. There was something I wanted to do behind Aris's back anyway. Frey locked her eyes onto Lucia, her gaze resembling that of a cat cornering a helpless chick.