The proje froze with the image of Rossie's now normal shift with Agatha shielding students and Rena's gre while h above Akira. Most of the students behind them had grabbed their ons of choice or were about to discharge their [Skills].

  "And then?" Elizabeth said as she gred at Michael, she noticed the simirity between the se in the proje with the current one, like in the projeost of the students had moved behind someone for prote.

  In the proje, they moved behind Agatha. Now? They moved behind Michael, as if he could protect them from her. Laughable.

  "And then...well, Agatha made sure that Rossaline wasn't a dao everyone by making sure she was in trol of herself," Michael said as he moved the picture of Rossie to put it o the ohat had her with that... demon-like shift. "Afterwards after making sure she was in trol of herself, she dueled the rest of the css. They thought she was weaker since her...showing was so spectacur."

  Most of those still around grimaced at that, "They were wrong. Rossie never used mana, whatever that was. It wasn't Mana." Elizabeth said as she thought back to that [Shift], whatever it fueled it, or whatever Rossie used, it wasn't mana.

  Nor had she used her [Soul] as fuel either, that dark sticky energy looked simir to what [Nyctophagia] had used, and whatever he had left in her tai chamber before she mao purify it. But...different, while [Nyctophagia]'s felt more like an all-enpassing [Desire] to [Devour].

  Rossie's felt...muted.

  "Yes, she ed the floor with everyohat got into the arena, the first ones were the luckier ones since she had mana to spare and could knock them up in one go." Michael smirked at that, while more and more people grimaced behind him, "The st ones...not so much, she couldn't pull puhat well by the end so she just straight-up maimed people. We got lucky sieacher Agatha vinced Rena to take care of Akira in the nurse's office."

  Sure, that was the lucky thing on this.

  "I still fail to see why you all react like that, Rossie was on the right here, she didn't ask for a fight against you all. Nor did she ask to be called here. As far as I tell Akira and that fatso were at fault." Elizabeth poio one of the projes.

  She [Willed] her mana to worm into one of them and hijacked the [trol] o rewind bato the image of that mysterious mage.

  "He made Rossie fight against you all. You could have surrehe fight or thrown it away, but since you all wahe extra points you ganged on a lonely and obviously wounded girl." Elizabeth took this ce to record that [Mage]'s appearance, she would use him as a litmus test too.

  She had a caste of [Minions] that could use the testing to see how far they could worm into someone's security.

  "She still killed someone!" A girl screamed from the back, she tried to hide behind other students, but Elizabeth quickly locked onto her. She was dressed with a body armor simir in design to apa had wanted her to use.

  A skin-tight body armor that left nothing to her imagination, the only uncovered part was her head, probably to get her used or because she wasn't expeg attacks to her head, her hair urple with strikes of bck here and there. She robably on the [Hero] course, but she couldn't be sure, and while her mana didn't have any [Taste], she robably either a self-buffer or a space [Skill] user.

  "If, and this is a big [IF] Rossie ever killed someohat person would be either a [Vilin] or a [Rogue Mage]. And that would be justified." Elizabeth started, she wasn't quite sure how they found out about Aurelia, but they shouldn't have evidence since her body was [Devoured] by her shadows and her [Vestige] had been assimited by her [Shadow Haven]. "And that would mean that she was within her rights to do so. We are, after all, students. The authorities 't expect us to have a fine enough trol of our skills..."

  The girl iion seemed to be trying to hide behind everyone, but the students around didn't let her, in the end, she even tried to hide behind Michael. But a well-pced barrier stopped her from doing so.

  "I'm a good example of that, through my first year I could barely tain my [Shadows] from reag to my emotions, and this murder you accuse Rossie of happened.....Whely?" Elizabeth asked as most of the students seemed to eye the door with the love of a little girl that found about dies for the first time.

  "...at the start of the first year..." The girl mumbled, only to look at her with renewed vigor and say again, this time with vi, "At the start of first year Rossaline was living in an apartment alone and one of the students that was supposed to arrive never got here, so she must have murdered that student just to have the apartment to herself!"

  Elizabeth only ughed, first slow and measured, only to start gaining speed and volume, "Oh sorry, but I was the student that shared an apartment with Rossie in the first year, but then again... not a single one remembers me do you?"

  At that revetion, everyone seemed to look at each other, "Oh, are you now w if you judged a pirl at her lowest point wrong? e on, do tell...did you judge someone wrong?" Elizabeth would be lying if she said that she wasn't enjoying this moment, the moment the bunch of hypocrites started doubting themselves.

  "So you say you lived with Rossaline in the first year? Do you have evidence of that cim?" Michael was the first to question, and she couldn't help but feel a that.

  "I have a picture that I uploaded, let me see if Mo...If [Odyssey] left that after asding." Elizabeth summoned her Cellphone from her [Iory] into her hands, and navigated the social site where she had uploaded most of her pictures.

  Of course, half of the data was corrupted and the pictures didn't shht, most of the pictures of her time in [Avalon] were straight-up deleted if not corrupted data in the cloud. "Here, this should be proof enough." Except for the pictures she had taken at the MPI and while on her mid-terms.

  Alice's at was surprisingly popur with some people still sharing the pictures she had taken almost a year ago, most w what had been of the bck-haired girl that took the i by storm.

  "Hmm...it does indeed look like the apartments of the MPI...And that is indeed Rossaline Singh." Michael said as he ehe image and shared it with everyone around.

  "Yes, that is the apartment Rossaline had for herself...So you shared a room with her? And she never did something...shady?" Audent asked with renewed valor. "Nothing...[Vilinous]?"

  This was getting ridiculous, "No. And even if she did, in this school they accept both [Heros] and [Vilins], or did you all suddenly fet how the css got spited in two the first time we came to the arena? Or how the Mid-terms sent people to [Vilin Lairs] as well as [Hero HQs]?"

  It would be hirious how they all said [oooh] in synch, had Elizabeth not been oher side, was this why it was more popur to be a [Vilin]?

  She so much wao murder them all for bullying her adorable Rossie for such a misuanding (in their minds), "So we are the bad guys?" the girl that started all of this said meekly.

  She would be in the [Cute] category, had she not antagonized her lovely Rossie. "Yes, you all ganged up on a sad girl thinking it would be an easy target after seeing her spend so much [Mana]. Then got mad because said girl defeated you all, got a narrative that made her a [Vilin] and acted self-righteously." Elizabeth had no problem eing their numerous crimes of course. "In a nutshell, you all acted like Akira."

  And what was the point of self-tered idiots who didn't think before ag?

  "And were you good for Rossaline?" Someone asked that question surprised Elizabeth.

  Searg the voice that spoke she found a group of four to five girls together at the back of the group, what they had in on (Besides not being in a stao attack or defend) was that they all shared some degree of pink in their hair.

  One of them was the waitress she got in the cafeteria even!

  "I believe that I did my best as a roommate... And I'm trying to do my best to be what Rossie deserves." Was the only answer Elizabeth could give.

  That question was too loaded for her at the moment, previous...no. Elizabeth hadn't been good to Rossie, not because she used her or took advantage of her, but because she hadn't noticed how much Rossie cared for her.

  Not till she saw all their iions when [Merging] in the [Shadow Haven], not after she experienced all that year in a few minutes before Elizabeth's Vestige fused with her.

  "...I'm trying to be better for Rossie right now, and if that means that I must fight you all to prove my point I will." Elizabeth's shadows fanned out once more, this time, however, she took notice to restraio the arena. "So? Who will be first?"

  No oook a step forward, it was Michael the one who seemed to get a that and moved forward saying, "Okay the spectacle is over, if you aren't going to use the arena move along."

  This marked the moment when most of everyoarted leaving the arena, the pink-haired group of girls just nodded in Elizabeth's dire before leaving.

  Elizabeth noticed how that group broke apart following different people and the waiter girl followed after the purple/bck haired girl that had spoken before. She would like to think that she was a friend of the girl...

  But more than likely that wasn't it, she was half tempted to send one of her scouts after them...but...

  "With that out of the way, do you really want to practice?" Asked Michael bringing her back from her musings, "You look more like someone who o rest after all of this."

  He was right of course, she only wao go home, grab her Rossie, and sleep...when was the st time she had just slept for the sake of it?

  Not because it was te, not because she was tired, just because she wao. It felt so long ago when she could get back from school, go to her room put on her pajamas, and just sleep all the afternoon, night, and part of the m.

  "...You didn't show how yht with Rossie went," Elizabeth said notig that the video evidence was missing that part.

  "That would be because I didn't fight her. I'm not suicidal like they all are," Michael said expanding the image proje to show himself.

  He was sitting on the bleachers at the very top, looking at how everythi, so that was why he could see it all and record it that well.

  "And you were scared of Rossie when you noticed she was using aype of energy that wasn't mana," Elizabeth said with a smirk on her face.

  "Smart girl, yes. I noticed, so I didn't want to risk it, besides... Like Rossalihey 't expel me. Really, this is the only good thing about being at the top. Because sharing these spots with Rossaline, Akira, and Rena is pain in itself." Michael sighed dramatically.

  Rude, she could uand that sharing something with Akira and Rena may be hard, mostly because of Akira. But her Rossie did nothing wrong!

  "...Rude, Rossie did nothing wrong as we proved right now," Elizabeth grumbled.

  "Oh no, you proved that you shared an apartment with Rossaline yes, but unless you ged your name, nationality and looked after [Odyssey] and [Framework]'s assion...Then the disappearance of Aurelia Vitelius is a mystery to solve." Michael then summoned an image of the purple-haired girl who was supposed to be the inal owner of that apartment with... Either Rossie or her.

  She wasn't quite sure with whom.

  "Hmm....never saw her in my life, but I do know that Rossie said her number was the oer mihat was how I found she was my roommate," Elizabeth said as she dismissed the image Michael had created.

  "Iing, not only the fact that you didn't bat a the image, but that you casually dismissed the proje of someone else. Just how good is your [Mana Manipution] skill?" Michael smirked at her.

  Was he onto something? Hardly a problem, she already had seeded his shadow with one of her [Minions], so she could deal with him at a moment's notice.

  "You are not a good persoher, so maybe everyone iop rankers are bad," Elizabeth answered banoyed.

  She may as well leave after all, "Hah, you also are a top ranker. So are you bad then?" Asked back, Michael.

  Was she?

  She...hadn't really done anything [Heroic] at any point in her life had her? She never wao be a [Hero] or a [Magical Girl], and the closest to something she had wao do was her time as [The Shadow Empress], but that...hadn't beeirely her either.

  Part of it was the fact that it was her father the ohat made sure she went into the [Vilin] side, the other half of it was how her time as [Alice] was more of a...blur.

  [Alice] had moved by herself after all, she was aware of what she did and even saw her memories when the [Merge] happened, but it was...She robably closer to [Alice] than to former [Elizabeth].

  "I'm not like Akira, nor will I ever be if..." Elizabeth said after p that question, "If I had to guess I think that I'm closer to a [Vilin] than to a [Hero]. But my morals and guide are those of a top [Hero]. I will protect what is important to me and will destroy anything that gets in the way of what I want."

  Her morals were those that her father always spoke of, protect those you love, and defend those you treasure. Don't let those who covet what is yet away with it.

  "Well, as long as you don't it any crime you be a [Hero]...or a [Magical Girl] in your case I guess," Michael said not minding her answer.

  "I will take it under adviot that I am sure if I want to be a [Hero] or [Magical Girl] either, maybe I will just take Rossie and work as a merary or something after graduating," Elizabeth said while eyeing the arena, no one was left.

  No one besides Michael that is.

  "You weren't that bad for being part of Akira's group," Elizabeth said as she focused on her shadons, searg for ohat was in a more deserted location.

  "...I have never spoken nor ied with Akira," Michael said with a knowing smirk on his face, "How I be part of his group? Are you sure you aren't part of roup?"

  "You wish. No, you four were a thing, not anymore. Since Rossie is mine now." Elizabeth answered back, she had gotten firmation from one of her minions that a location en ay, ready to receive her. "I will be seeing you, hope you don't ge... I would hate having to do extra work after dealing with Akira."

  And before Michael could answer her back "[Shadow Step]" Elizabeth invoked her skill and disappeared as the shadows covered her body.

  She found herself on one of the roofs of the school, this one in particur was the roof of the library, she hadn't e here, but k was since her minion transmitted the relevant information as soon as she nded.

  "Now...Rossie, have you finished doing your thing...?" Elizabeth asked aloud while thinking about her girlfriend.

  "[Rep baistress: The Mistress sort is about to finish, if you wish to you send her a message and she may finish her work early.]" Her shadows answered her back.

  So Rossie almost finished huh?

  "Let's text her and wait for firmation, I teleport tht?" Elizabeth asked to her shadow sihey seemed to be paying attention as of te.

  "[Yes, we have ara scout in Mistress sort's Shadow for that same reason. Or you teleport her to you if that is what you wish for too.]" The shadow answered back.

  Iing, so she could teleport Rossie to her? She would remember that.

  But for now..."Voice message option...here it is: Rossieeee ?~" Elizabeth started rec the message "I miss youuuuu?" while spamming some star emotes on the chat.

  "I have finished my things here, tried to kill some time in the arena but left si seemed that everyone wao get on my nerves...I'm waiting at the rooftop of the library, I either teleport you here or teleport to you. Call me when you are ready ?" Elizabeth finished her voice message while leaving some star a emotes too, and after thinking if that was good enough she decided that no. It wasn't good enough yet.

  "Love you ???" She added a st voice message with some extra heart emotes to be sure.

  Yes, that erfect.

  Now she only o wait for her girlfriend to answer... And to think if she wao ask her about that other [Shift]... But that could wait after a 16-hour nap/snuggle. There were priorities to all in this world, and the demonic alter-persona of her girlfriend wasn't at the top, no sir. That spot was for snuggling.