The night was cold. The wind howled softly through the empty streets as Nyx sat outside, staring up at the darkened sky.

She wanted to go back.

She wanted to undo it all.

Everything.

Every mistake, every failure, every moment that had spiraled into the mess she was in now.

But reality had already settled in.

Fate couldn't be changed.

She knew that.

Still...

She gritted her teeth, pressing her palms against her forehead.

If only she had done something differently. If only she had been stronger-

But she wasn't.

And now she had nothing.

When Nyx finally stood up and walked back inside, the apartment was silent.

Mika and Seia were gone.

She figured as much.

They had probably left while she was outside, deciding there was no point in sticking around any longer.

Not like it mattered.

She was exiled from Trinity.

She had no purpose, no direction.

For the next few days, she drifted-doing nothing.

She barely ate.

She barely slept.

She ignored the worried messages from Sensei, ignored the weight pressing down on her chest every time she woke up to the suffocating silence of her apartment.

This was her life now.

Empty.

Mindless.

At some point, something inside her snapped.

She couldn't keep doing this.

So, one morning, with no clear plan in mind, she pulled on her coat and left.

She found herself standing in front of SCHALE.

Her body felt heavy as she pushed open the door, stepping inside.

Sensei was there, seated at his desk. The moment he saw her, his eyes widened slightly.

"Nyx?" he said, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

She stared at him for a moment before speaking.

"I want to go back to Trinity."

Sensei exhaled, running a hand through his hair. "Nyx, that's-"

"I know it's impossible," she interrupted. "I know I can't just walk back in and expect them to let me stay."

Her fingers curled into fists at her sides.

"But I want to try."

Sensei looked at her carefully.

"...Even if you try, you know what they'll say," he murmured. "Nyx, you were exiled. That isn't something they'll just undo because you asked nicely."

Nyx's expression didn't waver.

"Then I'll find another way."

Sensei sighed. "Nyx-"

"I want to become a member of the Tea Party."

The room went still.

Sensei blinked. "That's absurd."

"I don't care."

"There's no way-"

"There has to be a way," she snapped, her voice tightening.

She wasn't going to just sit around anymore.

She wasn't going to let herself rot away, lost and aimless.

Even if it was impossible.

Even if she failed.

She had to try.

Sensei studied her for a long moment before shaking his head. "Nyx... even if you somehow got into the Tea Party, Nagisa alone couldn't bring you back to Trinity."

"...I know."

"Actions have consequences," he continued, voice quieter now. "You can't erase the past."

Nyx thought about that.

She thought about all the mistakes she had made.

She thought about Mika's words.

She thought about Seia's tears.

And for the first time... she let herself accept it.

If she gave in to the weight of her failures, if she let them consume her completely-

She would be weak.

But maybe...

Maybe sometimes, you had to be weak before you could find the strength to move forward.

She stood up, her mind clear for the first time in days.

"I'm going to Trinity."

Sensei tensed. "Nyx-"

"Tomorrow."

She turned toward the door.

"I'm going to try again."

To fix what she had broken.

To find a way back.

And-

Somehow-

She was going to get Mika back into the Tea Party, too.

...She wasn't really sure how she was going to pull that off.

But she was going to figure it out.

*The Next day*

The sun hung high in the sky, casting sharp shadows on the pristine white walls of Trinity General School. The massive, ornate gates loomed before Nyx as she stood there, hands stuffed in her pockets, staring up at the school she had once called home.

She sighed.

This was going to be hard.

She had two choices:

1. Break in, which would only destroy whatever slim chance she had at forgiveness.

2. Try to get in the normal way.

With a deep breath, she walked straight up to the guards.

"Hey," she said, casual as ever. "Let me in."

The guards stared at her blankly before one of them crossed his arms.

"No."

Nyx sighed. Figures.

"Alright, then," she said. "Can I see Nagisa?"

"No."

Yep. This was going to be hell.

She stood there for a moment, debating her next move. Maybe she could just wait it out, see if Nagisa came outside-

Before she could finish that thought, something soft and sweet was shoved into her mouth.

Her eyes widened in panic as she choked, muffled screams escaping her as she tried to push whatever it was out of her mouth.

She flailed wildly, trying to say, "I'M NOT MIKA, TAKE IT OUT!" but it all came out as garbled nonsense.

The culprit?

Nagisa.

Who just stared at her.

Then, without a word, Nagisa grabbed Nyx by the collar and dragged her through the gates, past the stunned guards, and all the way into Trinity.

Nyx was still coughing and forcefully swallowed the roll cake lodged in her throat by the time they reached the Tea Party meeting room.

She wheezed, leaning over the table.

"What the hell was that for?!"

Nagisa just shrugged.

Nyx glared at her. "Did you think I was Mika or something?!"

Another shrug.

Nyx exhaled sharply, rubbing her temples before finally looking at her seriously.

"I want to come back to Trinity," she said, voice quiet. "And... I'm sorry. For everything."

Nagisa looked at her, expression unreadable.

For a moment, Nyx thought she was about to respond-

Instead, Nagisa suddenly turned, walked straight into the wall, and slammed her forehead against it.

"I DON'T KNOW!" she shouted.

Nyx blinked.

What.

Was this woman on drugs?!

Nagisa groaned, rubbing her forehead before turning back to Nyx.

"Look," she muttered. "You put Seia in danger. And that's not something I can just ignore."

Nyx's stomach twisted, guilt gnawing at her. "...I know."

"But," Nagisa continued, her gaze steady. "There's always a second chance."

Nyx froze.

Did she just-

"You mean-"

"Yeah, yeah," Nagisa sighed, waving her hand dismissively. "You can come back."

Relief flooded through Nyx's chest.

"But," Nagisa added with a smirk, "you get to stay with Seia."

Nyx blinked. "...Wait, what?"

"And," Nagisa continued, "you'll be taking private classes. No normal classes for you."

Nyx narrowed her eyes. "Are these private classes, like..." She made a vague gesture. "Weird? Or-wait, is this one of those stupid kinks where you shove two people in a room alone and expect them to make out?"

Nagisa immediately turned red.

"GO TO SEIA OR SOMETHING!!" she shouted, shoving Nyx toward the door.

Nyx laughed, shaking her head as she made her way out.

"Wait, She just let me in so easily... what in the.. Okay, was this a setup..? Did she do that on purpose?"

Nyx sighed.

"Never mind, now all that's left is to find a way to get Mika back into, wait no she's in Trinity, as long as she does not know I'm here.. I'm okay."