Chapter 160| The Green Door

Chapter 160: Chapter 160| The Green Door

Zane barely slept.

He lay on his back most of the night, staring at the strip of lamplight on the ceiling, and every time he started to drift, Nil’s face showed up. The way she’d leaned over the infirmary cot. The way she’d said I don’t joke about things I’d actually like to do. And then, because his brain had no shame, the other thing. Her skirts, and how they hugged that fat ass of hers every time she walked away from him.

He was hard before he’d finished the thought.

’Go to sleep,’ he told himself.

He didn’t because it was definitely harder than it looked.

_ _

At 7:00AM he gave up, sat on the edge of the bed, and checked the time on his communicator.

『 System Note: The host looks happy. 』

’I’m tired.’

『 The host is tired and happy. The system sees no contradiction. 』

He ignored it and went to the wardrobe.

Normally he’d have grabbed his training gear. Today he reached past it and pulled out the school uniform, the one he’d worn maybe three times since he arrived. Pressed shirt, dark trousers, the academy crest stitched over the pocket. He dressed slowly and checked himself in the mirror on the back of the door.

’Not bad,’ he thought.

"Whoa."

Zane turned. Dex had propped himself up on one elbow with his headband crooked and his eyes about half open.

"Is that a uniform?" Dex asked.

"Yeah," Zane said, tugging at the cuff of his sleeve.

"You own a uniform?" Dex’s eyebrows climbed toward his crooked headband.

"It was issued to me."

"I know it was issued to you." Dex pushed himself up on both elbows and stared at him like he’d grown a second head. "I didn’t know you’d ever unwrapped it. Is somebody dying?"

"No." Zane checked the collar in the mirror.

"Is there an inspection?"

"No," Zane said again, brushing a thread off his shoulder.

"Then why are you dressed like a man who’s about to ask for someone’s hand?" Dex’s grin crept out slowly, wide and delighted. "You’re not asking for someone’s hand, are you?"

"Go back to sleep," Zane said, grabbing his bag.

"That’s the plan." Dex yawned into the pillow, flopped over with a groan, and pulled the blanket over his head. "Don’t wake me unless somebody’s on fire."

_ _

Friday went slow.

Zane sat through two lectures without absorbing a word of either. He headed to the cafeteria for lunch, half expecting Sera at the usual corner table, but she didn’t show. He ate alone for once. The clock on the cafeteria wall seemed to be running at half speed, and every time he looked at it, it had moved two minutes.

His communicator buzzed at three.

Maren: Late session tonight in Arena Two. Seven o’clock. Nil bailed on me, she says she has a thing. Come watch? I’d like someone to tell me if my form’s off.

He read it, and his stomach did something unpleasant.

’Seven,’ he thought. ’And Nil said eight.’

『 System Note: The host has an hour of margin. The system recommends using it carefully. 』

’You’re enjoying this.’

『 The system is enjoying a very tidy schedule. 』

He typed: Sure. I’ll be there.

Then he sat for a while with the phone in his hand and felt like a coward.

_ _

Arena Two at seven was almost empty.

The floor lights were on, and a few chairs had been dragged out along the wall. Maren stood in the middle in her dark blue hero suit with the white and blue stripes, a towel round her neck, running burst sequences against a row of floating targets. She didn’t see him come in. He leaned against the doorframe and watched.

She was good. He’d known that for a while, but he’d never watched her work without her knowing someone was there. She moved loose and fast, and when a target flashed she was already turning to meet it. Overdrive in short clean pulses, no wasted motion.

On the fourth run she missed one and swore under her breath.

"Your left foot’s late," Zane said.

Maren spun, then relaxed. "You came."

"You asked."

"I know. I didn’t think you would." She wiped her face on the towel. "Left foot?"

"You put it down just after the burst fires. It throws your balance when you turn."

She tried again. The target flashed. Her left foot came down a fraction earlier, and she cleared it clean and stopped with a surprised little breath.

"Huh."

"Told you."

"You’re annoying when you’re right." She tossed the towel at him. He caught it. "Stay a bit?"

"I can’t. I mean, I can for a bit."

"A bit." Maren cocked her head. "You’re wearing your uniform."

"Yeah."

"You never wear your uniform."

"It was clean."

"That’s the worst excuse I’ve ever heard," Maren said, and her mouth twitched.

She watched him another second longer than she needed to. He kept his face still and his hands loose and gave her nothing.

"You’ve been strange all week," she said finally.

"You keep saying that."

"Because it keeps being true." She picked up a water bottle and drank. "Fine. Don’t tell me."

"There’s nothing to tell."

"Okay."

It wasn’t okay. They both knew it. She turned back to the floor and started another run, and Zane stood there holding her towel and feeling something sour sit under his ribs.

At 7:40 he checked the time.

"I should go," Zane said, shifting his bag onto his good shoulder. "My shoulder’s acting up again."

"Already?" Maren lowered her hands, and for a second she looked like she wanted to say more.

"Doctor’s orders. I promised I’d rest."

"Then go rest." She kept her back to him, retying the strap at her wrist. "Don’t let me keep you."

"I’ll see you tomorrow."

"Zane."

He stopped at the door with his hand on the frame.

"Thanks for coming," Maren said, still talking to the floor. "I mean it. It’s easier to practise when someone’s watching."

He didn’t have a good answer for that. He nodded at her back, which she couldn’t see, and slipped out into the corridor.

_ _

The sun had gone down while he was inside. The lamps along the path had come on, and the air smelled of cut grass and cold stone.

The second-year girls’ dorm sat at the far end of the campus, a long brick building with every window lit. He stopped at the edge of the lawn and looked at it.

’Am I supposed to go in there?’

『 System Note: No. The annex is behind the building. Follow the wall. 』

’Thanks for telling me before I got arrested.’

『 The system is aware that it is very helpful. 』

’By the way,’ Zane thought. ’How do you even know where the annex is?’

『 The system has mapped the campus. It also reads the host’s messages. 』

’That’s a little creepy.’

『 The system prefers "thorough." 』

He followed the wall. A patrol passed on the main path, two bored voices and a flashlight, and he stood very still against the bricks until they moved on. Curfew was ten, so there was no real danger yet. It still felt like there was.

Behind the dorm the lamps thinned out and the grass grew long. A rusted gate. A couple of old sheds. A hedge that had clearly been given up on years ago. Behind it, low and half hidden, a row of narrow doors.

Green. Chipped at the corners.

He counted. One. Two. Three.

A strip of yellow light showed under the third.

He stood in front of it, and it was exactly seven fifty-eight.

’Two minutes,’ he thought.

He straightened his shirt. Brushed down the front of the uniform. Realised he was doing something stupid with his hands and shoved them in his pockets.

『 System Note: The host’s pulse is elevated. 』

’Don’t start.’

『 The system will say nothing. The system is merely observing. 』

’You’re observing very loudly.’

A moth batted against the lamp at the end of the walkway. Somewhere inside the dorm a window slid shut.

At eight o’clock exactly, he knocked twice.

The door opened almost at once.

Nil leaned in the frame in an oversized grey tee that stopped at mid-thigh, hair down, a towel slung around her neck and her skin still faintly pink from a shower. No makeup. Without it she looked younger and a little less like she was performing.