Takemichi got home late. He had wandered the streets trying to organize his thoughts. Having Mikey on his tail wasn't exactly what he wanted, but it was useful—and extremely dangerous. His mom, of course, freaked out the second she saw the state he was in.
"That girl is gonna kill you one day, son. Stop hanging around with that delinquent!" she exclaimed, wiping down the dinner table, her face red with anger.
"But Mom…" the blond started, but he was cut off by a hard look from her that made him swallow hard.
"Don't defend her! That bad attitude, the teachers are always complaining, she gets into fights… She made a scene just because they switched her doctor for Dr. Gonzales!" She started listing off complaints, her face turning almost purple, fists clenched.
"Mom… you know about her past. She doesn't like strange men around," the blond said, his voice quieter. It wasn't a topic he liked getting into.
"It's been six years, Takemichi! She's just playing the victim! He didn't even really touch her. If it even happened in the first place…" She spat venom with every word.
Takemichi swallowed hard at the sheer malice. He headed to his room. As he passed his sister's door, he paused, thinking about going in, but if he did, she'd scream at him. He went into his own room and crashed without even showering.
The next morning in the Hanagaki house, the day started cold. Cassandra was still asleep on the floor; the effects of the meds finally wearing off. But she stayed in her room until she was sure her dad had left with her stepmom—without even mentioning the stabbing pain in her inflamed knee!
"Cassy, come have breakfast," Takemichi knocked on the door.
"Coming," she grumbled, holding back a scream. She got up slowly, putting her weight on her good leg and the cane, grabbed three more pain pills, and went downstairs. The smell of coffee with milk and bread made her stomach growl.
"Morning, Cassy. Sleep well?" Takemichi asked, pouring her a cup, noticing the purple bruise on her cheek and the claw-like marks on her arms… big ones. He looked away.
"Too early for dumb questions…" she replied dryly, rolling her eyes. "I slept… sort of. And you? Dream about your boyfriends?" she asked after, burning her tongue on the coffee.
"I dreamed… Hey, cut it out," Takemichi fumbled, annoyed but laughing. "I still can't believe you stabbed the vice principal. What are you even taking?" he started, getting nervous.
"You looked like you were gonna die! Hinata was white as paper, and they looked like… I don't know… like they were gonna burn the school down with us inside?" Cassandra shrugged, dipping her bread in the coffee.
"The school called Mom… She's furious!" Takemichi warned, shrugging as he remembered her words.
"I know, crybaby… I didn't get these bruises from falling on the floor… Wait… this one was," she pointed to a red mark on her good knee.
"This isn't funny, Cassandra! I hate this! You didn't do anything that bad!" Takemichi replied seriously, almost crying.
"I stabbed your two-meter-tall girlfriend! I threatened that gremlin!" she shot back, laughing.
"Just to make light of this shit…" the blond whispered, stirring his own coffee.
"What's the point of crying? I'm not giving them the satisfaction of seeing me broken," she said seriously.
Takemichi noticed the tremor in her hands. He watched her head out to the garage to wash the car. Taking the chance, he slipped into her room. The bed untouched, the rug messed up… "She slept on the floor again? That's wrecking her knee!"
He searched the drawers for the meds. Takemichi was sure she was overdoing it again.
Nothing. So he went to her bathroom, opened the cabinets, and found four empty bottles: muscle relaxants, Zolpidem, and one he'd never heard of… all nearly finished. He'd bought them just last week for her… Shit!
He left the room quickly. He knew confronting her during a flare-up would only make things worse. He decided to wait until she calmed down, while he figured out what to do about Mikey and the gang. This was already his fourth time loop… and he still had no idea what to do.
In the garage, Cassandra washed the car. The music blasted "Highway to Hell" (AC/DC), trying to drown out her latest dream: Draken stabbed… slowly bleeding out, Mikey right there, powerless… just watching… Cut to Takemichi and Hinata on a walk… a truck slamming into them on purpose… flames… screams…
"Why the hell am I dreaming this crap?" she muttered under her breath, as if keeping it in her head hurt. But the worst was the feeling… her chest aching more than any of her attacks. And worse still: Mikey's laugh in the alley behind her in the dream… It was him. She was sure! "These damn meds are screwing with my head… I'm gonna have to double the dose so I don't dream anymore," she finished, turning off the hose. She ignored the sharp twinge in her leg. A shiver almost made her drop the hose when she remembered him. "Shit, Cassandra! Stop being a coward! He's just an idiot with a god complex!"
She took two deep breaths, trying not to throw up her breakfast. It was gonna be a long day… worse: a long weekend!
The next afternoon at the Hanagaki house, Takemichi and Cassandra spent the day playing games and eating brigadeiro. The sun was already setting when Takemichi's phone rang. Cassandra watched her brother go pale when he saw the name on the screen… Mikey.
"H-hello, Mikey?" Takemichi took a deep breath, waiting.
"Hey, crybaby. Meeting now, old textile factory warehouse… don't be late, Takemichi… or I'm gonna get really pissed at you," Mikey said and hung up without waiting for an answer.
"Breathe, Takemichi!" Cassandra shook him lightly. "Shit, how am I supposed to go to this meeting when I'm grounded for the whole weekend? My parents will kill me if I go… Mikey will kill me if I don't…" he whimpered, trembling, scratching his head.
At the same time, Cassandra got a message on her phone:
Docks …tonight at 9, no excuses. Got news. Come to the "parade." R