“…that’s not very helpful…” Though, something the girl said reminded her of her conversation with her brother last night. Clover shuts her eyes tightly. “…what if i already messed up? what if i did something bad in the past, but now, even when i promise to be better, they still look at what happened back then…? do i have to carry that mistake with me forever…?”

“Hmm…” The girl looks up at the ceiling. “Probably. No matter how much we might want to, we can’t erase the past. That’s no reason to feel down, though! The past is what brought you here, to where you are today! If you regret something you did, you just have to try to do so much good that it outweighs whatever bad you did in the past!”

The wolf-girl doesn’t say anything.

“…Think on it a bit. It’ll all make sense at some point down the line!” The white-haired girl stretches, happy with that advice. She rests her arms on the table then lays her head down, looking at the wolf-girl sideways. “Now, moving back a bit, I don’t know anything about suited people, but I heard you mention a murderer! Sounds like that rumor got to you too!”

Clover opens her eyes.

“You wanna know a little secret?” The girl grins. “...I don’t think the killer exists!”

“…h-huh??”

The girl sits up, then leans forward conspiratorially. “Oh, don’t get me wrong, there’s definitely something going on, that’s for sure. Everything seems very peaceful… but! Not all is as it seems! I can feel it, in the air!” The girl’s eyes shine. “There’s a beast, slumbering at the heart of the city!”

“...h-how do you know?”

“Can’t you tell?” The girl spreads her arms wide, gesturing around her. “The air feels stale! The gears of ordinary life spin along too smoothly! Underneath it all… the Witch Queen is pulling all the strings!”

…Clover has no clue what to think of what she’s saying.

The girl brings her arms back down after her dramatic proclamation, crossing her arms smugly. “And hey, our little detective thinks so too. At least, she did the last time I spoke to her, some months ago.” The white-haired girl stands. “Anyway, that was a good chat. I’m gonna go read. Hang in there!” The girl pokes Clover’s forehead, then picks up her book.

>…what do you even say to all of that?