>>50263708
...Inside, things are even worse than you feared. Even on her best days, Marisa's place had never really been what one could call "tidy", with magical knicknacks, baubles and trinkets littering just about every surface, heavy tomes haphazardly stacked on one another, and odd, unidentifiable reagents lining the shelves, but even then, there was a certain method to the madness. It always seemed like she knew exactly where to find whatever she was looking for, even in this chaos. Now, though...it looked like someone had come through and ransacked the place. Shelves knocked over with their contents littered across the floor, broken specimen bottles, books ripped open, loose pages laying about, unwashed dishes piled high, and an odd, acrid smell permeating the room. Noticing your astonishment, Marisa lets out a dry, mirthless laugh. "S-sorry about the, uh, mess, h-heh. I, um, know I should probably clean up, but it's...been kinda tough to...get myself to do much of anything, these days, haha...", she says, casting her gaze downwards. "A-anyway, let's just go to my room!". She suddenly grips your hand, dragging you upstairs. ...She sits on the edge of her bed, her legs dangling aimlessly. You take a seat in her desk chair, brushing aside a pile of dirty clothes. She clears her throat loudly. "So! What, uh,...what did you want to tell me?", she says, with a mock cheerfulness that does nothing to hide the trembling in her voice. Steeling yourself, you stare directly into her eyes and give her the most sincere apology you could possibly muster. You tell her you're sorry for never noticing how she felt, sorry for hurting her, sorry for leaving her alone when she obviously needed help...and most of all, sorry that, even now, you can't give her the answer she wants. You care for her deeply, as a close friend, and would absolutely never want to see her hurt, but telling her what she wants to hear simply so she'll feel better would be a betrayal of both your own principles and her trust in you. The fact that you want to help her will never change, no matter what happens. As you speak, her nervous excitement deflates and her eyes go wide with disbelief. Once you finish, she stares at you, mouth agape.

"What...the fuck...are you saying...?"

"You came all the way here...just to say that? You...you made me like this...and you think you can just fucking shrug and say you're sorry...?"