"Where... did you get that?" Her voice mellow and defeated. Eika tried to recall where she heard that voice from before but nothing comes to mind. She leaned in close but, Hikaru held her wrist. One single movement of the curtains they are dead.

"I have my sources," The other snarked. She shoved the recorder back at her pocket and, her lips curled into amus.e.m.e.nt. "You know if you don't help me with this. I can easily have you eliminated. You know the rule, don't you? The no dating ban?"

The girl took a step back and leaned her back by the mirror. She rested her hand at the bars. Her lips quivered to speak, "You can't keep doing this to me," She ground her teeth. The shadow moved closer to her victim and, she patted her head with her delicate fingers and nails painted with crimson.

"Aren't we just trying to be smart? You know, you could easily climb up to the ranks," She said quietly, taking a strand of hair from the girl. "After all, you are Akihabara's dancing champion. Am I right? Noriko?"

Noriko fell on the floor as she was pulled down. Her knees knocked against the floor and she prevented tears from trickling down her face.

Hikaru cringed from the sight. Eika clenched her fist. She gritted her teeth and her blood boiled inside her. Why? Why is there a need for all of this?

"W-what does that have to do with" Noriko hiccuped. "anything? I m-maybe a dancer b-but that doesn't guarantee my place in the top 50," She coughed and slapped the girl's hand away from her hair. She stood up from the floor and fought her way to the girl's pocket. She took the recorder and smashed it on the ground with her feet.

"I have many more of those copies," The girl said plainly, she brushed her hair to the side and kicked the broken pieces away from her sight.

"You b*tch!" Noriko snarled ready to pound on the girl but, she's kicked down on the spot with a whip of the girl's leg. She's knocked down on the floor and, Eika s.h.i.+vered at the two girls.

The door swung open with the girl brus.h.i.+ng the dust off her hands. She rested her arm on the handle. "By tomorrow, I want the girls I mentioned out of the school," She said with a bright smile and Noriko raised her head while she rubbed her swollen leg to ease.

"W-why should I?" Noriko snapped but, her body gave up on her. She slammed her hand on the floor to support herself.

"Well, we don't want your grandpa to... pa.s.s away so early," The girl smirked at Noriko as the door closed behind her with a quiet lock.

Noriko wanted to chase after her but her vision blurred and, soon she saw darkness.

The moment she woke up she saw a loser and a weirdo with her in the infirmary.

That's when she knew at some point. Maybe she was a loser, too.