Roselle and Jess found themselves standing before her mother, Mrs. Magenta. Mrs. Magenta eyed Jess suspi in the doorway. Her gaze swept over Jess’s attire. She raised an eyebrow. “So, Roselle, who is this... girl you’ve brought home?”

  Roselle responded quickly. “Mom, before you ask, Jess doesn’t do any of that stuff you might be thinking. She’s actually a student at my school and—”

  Mrs. Magenta’s eyes widened. “A student? But... look at her. Are you sure she’s not...?”

  “No, Mom!” Roselle cut in. Her face reddened slightly. “Jess is just my friend. She’s been going through a tough time. I invited her to stay here for a bit.”

  Mrs. Magenta looked skeptical. “It’s a bit hard to believe. Why don’t you tell me the story of how you two met?”

  Roselle sighed in relief. . She motioned for Jess to sit down and began reting their meeting,

  After Roselle finished her at, her mother, Mrs. Magenta, sat in stunned silence, processing the overwhelming information. After a moment, her face torted with shod disbelief. She opened her mouth to respond, but first, a scream escaped her lips.

  “What?!” Mrs. Magenta excimed. “Roselle, this is unbelievable!”

  Jess looked at Roselle with . “Are you sure you should have told her EVERYTHING that happeoday?! I mean, is she not gonna flip and kick me out the dht now?”

  Roselle nodded. “My mom is cool with stuff like this. I talk to her about anything and she will listen to me. To me, Mom is like, the secret agent of the Detective’s club!”

  Mrs. Magenta took a deep breath and posed herself. “Alright, alright, Jess stay for now. But first, we o make sure everything’s okay with Michigo, as you mentioned. After that, you both o get some rest. It’s been a rough day, and you deserve a break.”

  Roselle’s shoulders rexed in relief. “See? My mom’s cool. We’ll figure out the Michigo situation and the some rest!”

  Mrs. Magenta took a moment to study Jess, taking in her sultry outfit and her alluring presence. While she wasn’t typically strict she had s.“Jess, I want to make it clear that we’re happy to have you here, but we o maintain a certain level of de in this house. My daughter is very important to me, and I wouldn’t want any distras that might... well, get in the way.”

  Jess nodded. “I pletely get it, Mrs. Magenta. I’ll be respectful and mindful of the enviro here.”

  Roselle looked a bit fused by her mother’s words. “Mom, what do you mean by ‘distras getting in the way’?”

  Mrs. Magenta hesitated for a moment before responding. “Oh, Roselle, it’s nothing to worry about. I was just saying that we want to create a good enviro for Jess while she’s here, that’s all. It’s just... I want you to focus on your work and your future without any unnecessary distras.”

  Roselle hough she khere was something her mother wasn’t saying. She decided not to press the issue further and replied, “I uand, Mom. I’ll make sure to keep up with my studies aive work.”

  After the agreement was made, Roselle showed Jess around the house. They eventually reached a door a few rooms down from Roselle’s own. Roselle opehe door to reveal a ly kept and someacious bedroom.

  “Jess, this is where you’ll be staying,” Roselle said with a solemn look. “It was my father’s room. We’ve kept it just as it was, but I thought it might be a nice pce for you to stay while you’re here.”

  Jess ehe room, taking in the quiet atmosphere before replying. “I uand, Roselle. I’ll make sure to be siderate and take good care of the room. Thank you for lettiay here.”

  Roselle smiled warmly at Jess. “You’re wele, Jess. If you need anything or have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask. My mom and I are here to make your stay as fortable as possible.”

  With that, they left the room.

  Midnight approached and the duo, Roselle and Jess found themselves downstairs i, preparing for a te dinner. Mrs. Magenta had left them to their own devices. Roselle pced two bowls of warm ed soup oable and sat dowuring for Jess to join her. “Sorry it’s not a five-star meal or anything,” Roselle said with a small smile.

  Jess took a seat across from her and stirred her soup. “It’s perfect!”

  Roselle chuckled. “Well, I’m gd you’re not pining. My mom tends to worry about the smallest things when it es to me. Sometimes I think she imagines every little detail in the worst possible way.”

  Jess looked thoughtful as she sipped her soup. “I see that, but it’s clear she cares a lot about you.”

  Roselle nodded. “Yeah, she does. But holy, I think she’s being a bit overprotective. I mean, you’re harmless. I don’t see what she’s so worried about.”

  After filling their stomachs, Roselle went to her room. The walls were painted in a soft pastel pink. On her desk, there was a stack of sketchbooks and drawing supplies. A corkboard dispyed various notes and reminders, while a small potted pnt sat on the windowsill.

  However, what truly stood out in Roselle’s room were the numerous teddy bears. They were of various sizes and colors, and they seemed to occupy every avaible surface. Some sat ly on the bed, others were perched on shelves, and a few even dangled from the ceiling on strings.

  Roselle entered her room and gave a fond smile while looking at her teddy bear colle.

  While Roselle was lost ihoughts about her teddy bears, she heard Jess shout “Hiii”whientarily startled her. She turo see Jess standing in the doorway.

  Jess chuckled while looking around the room. “This is adorable, just like you, Roselle.”

  Roselle smiled. “Thank you, Jess. I’ve had these teddy bears for as long as I remember. They’re like old friends.”

  Roselle moved over to her puter and booted it up. Jess, still standing by the dooreered in with a curious gaze.

  “So, what are we doing?” Jess asked.

  Roselle looked over her shoulder and grinned. “Remember? We o check if KarateSpirit23 is online. I promised Hashta I’d look into it.”

  Jess went in the room and watched Roselle with an ied gaze. “ht, of course. How could I fet?”

  Roselle quickly opehe chat application and logged in using her username, “StarlightSeeker27.” Beside her, Jess watched with curiosity, clearly ied in the unfolding situation.

  Roselle sed the list of online users in the chatroom, hoping to find a familiar alias. While scrolling down, she didn’t see “KarateSpirit23” among the active members.

  “It doesn’t look like she’s online right now,” Roselle sighed.Roselle g the clo her puter s and nodded. “Of course. It’s midnight, so it makes sehat she’s not online right now.”

  Jess, leaning over Roselle’s shoulder, raised an eyebrow. “Is there a way we leave a message for her to see when she does log in?”

  Roselle’s face brightened. “Oh, yeah! We use a few different chat features for that.”

  She poio the s, showihe chat interface. “So, here’s how it works: We have a few options. First, there’s the Private Message. You send a single message to someone in the main chatroom, and they’ll get it when they check the chat.”

  Jess nodded, following along. “Got it. And what’s ?”

  Roselle tinued, “Private Chat is where you have a versation with someone one-o’s useful for more personal or detailed discussions. You send messages bad forth, and it’s not visible to anyone else.”

  “Sounds handy,” Jess ented. “And the st option?”

  Roselle clicked on a different tab and showed Jess the interface. “This is Private Mail. It’s like sending an email through the chat system. You write a message that goes to their mailbox, and they read it whehey log in. It’s good for leaving longer notes or updates.”

  Jess’s eyes lit up. “Perfect. Let’s use Private Mail to leave a message for Michigo. That way, she’ll get it when she checks in ter.”

  Roselle nodded in agreement. “Great idea. I’ll draft a message now.”

  She quickly typed out a message asking Michigo to get back to them as soon as possible. Once she finished, she sent it through Private Mail.

  “There, done,” Roselle said with a smile. “Hopefully, Michigo will see it soon.”

  As Roselle was about to close the chat application, a notification popped up on her s. “KarateSpirit23 wants to Private Chat with you,” it read.

  Roselle’s eyebrows furrowed in surprise. “That’s strange. Michigo wasn’t online just a moment ago, and she’s still not showing up as online now.”

  Jess looked over with curiosity. “Should we open it?”

  Roselle hesitated for a moment before nodding. “Maybe she has something to tell us.”

  She clicked oification, and the Private Chat window opehe s revealed a message from “KarateSpirit23”.

  Roselle read the message as it appeared: “Stay away from me. I don’t want any trouble.”

  Roselle’s eyes widened. “What the...?”

  She typed a response. “Michigo, it’s me, Roselle. I’m just worried about you. What’s going on?”

  Jess leaned in over in an attempt to catch a glimpse of the versation. “Is she responding?”

  Roselle waited anxiously for a reply. After a few moments, another message appeared in the chat: “I ’t expin right now. Just know that it’s dangerous for you to be involved. Please, leave me alone.”

  As Roselle stared at the chat window, another notification popped up: “KarateSpirit23 has blocked you.”

  Roselle’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Blocked? That’s not something Michigo would do. I uand if she ’t talk about it, but blog us? That’s out of character!”

  Jess leaned in. “Weren’t you two close? I always saw you and Michigo together, even though you didn’t see me.”

  Roselle turo Jess with a curiosity piqued. “Wait, were you spying on us before we met?”

  Jess grinned mischievously. “Maybe just a little. Michigo never shut up about you when I took Karate, so it was hard not to notice.”

  Roselle’s eyes widened in disbelief. “You’re not even in the Karate club, though.”

  Jess shrugged. “I dropped out a while ago. Tried a bunch of clubs but couldn’t find ohat stuck. The chess club Risebelle goes to looks fun, though. I’ve dropped by a couple of times.”

  Roselle’s fusion deepened. “So, you’re telling me you were spying ohrough Michigo while you were just visiting clubs?”

  Jess chuckled. “Not spying, just curious. I heard a lot about you from Michigo, and when I saw you a few times, I was like, ‘Hmm, this girl looks iing, and super cute.’”

  Jess leaned in and moved her arms to rub Roselle’s shoulders.” e to think of it, Roselle, I ’t help but notice how cute you lht now. Your i charm is so endearing.”

  Roselle blushed furiously. She stammered, “Uh, th-thank you, Jess. I appreciate the pliment.”

  Jess chuckled softly. She took on a lower, more intimate tone. “Roselle. You’re a rare gem and I was drawn to your sweetness.”

  Roselle looked into Jess’s eyes uneasily and said, “I... I’ve never really had someone e onto me like this...”

  Jess pced a finger gently under Roselle’s and tilted her head up slightly, log eyes with her. “its okay, Roselle. Just be yourself. I’m here to make you feel special, and if at any point you’re unfortable, just let me know.”

  “What do you mean, Jess?” Roselle asked.

  Jess leaned in closer. Her lips were poised to kiss the side of Roselle’s cheek; however, Roselle mao avoid the advance just in time and looked at Jess, perplexed.

  “What are you doing?”

  Jess chuckled. “Oh, Roselle, you’re so i. I was just having a little fun, that’s all. No harm done.”

  With a flirty pose, Jess climbed onto Roselle’s bed and teased, “I think I’ll sleep here tonight.”

  “Oh no, you will not!”

  Roselle’s face turned a shade of red that matched a teddy bear in her colle. She took a deep breath, gathered her posure, and with a swift kick of Jess’ ass, she sent Jess stumbling out of the room, nding on her fa the hallway.

  Jess looked up at Roselle with wide eyes. “Ouch! Okay, okay, I get it. I’ll find another spot in your--”

  Roselle closed and locked the door before Jess could finish. Her cheeks were still flushed. She leaned against the door for a moment, pouting. “Some people just don’t know when to quit.”

  Roselle stared up at the ceiling. “I really don’t know how to handle all that flirting,” she muttered to herself “Jess was so... forward. I’ve never had anyone e onto me like that before.”

  Roselle’s thoughts were a whirlwind. She remembered Jess’s pyful smile, her touch, the way she’d made Roselle feel both flustered and oddly exhirated. “Is this eople meahey talk about being swept off their feet?” Roselle wondered aloud. “Or is this just... fusion?”

  She buried her fa her pillow, trying to drown out the thoughts that swirled in her head. “Maybe it’s just a phase, or something Jess does for fun,” she reasoned. “But what if it’s more? What if... I don’t know, what if there’s somethihere?”

  Roselle sighed deeply. “I’m so not ready for this. I’ve got enough on my pte with everything going on—Risebelle, Michigo, and now this... plicated mess.”

  Jess made her way back to the room she had been assigned for the night.

  Unbeknownst to Jess, Mrs. Magenta was watg from the shadows he end of the corridor. Her face was dark and scrutinizing while Jess’s every move. The light from the hallway barely touched her face, leaving her features obscured.

  “Keep an eye on her,” Mrs. Magenta muttered softly to herself. “Roselle’s safety is my priority.”