Chapter 55: ④⑦

Mei's trembling has only worsened, her face damp with silent tears, and it's more than Sohee can bear. The way Shizuka toys with her, pushing her just to see her break, feels like a dagger twisting in Sohee's chest. She can't let this continue. With a voice firm and steady, Sohee cuts through the tension, her words sharp, meant to slice through Shizuka's careless cruelty.

"Shizuka."

The girl pauses in the middle of applying her eyeliner, her movements deliberate and languid, as if unbothered by the command in Sohee's voice. She glances sideways, her lips curling into a playful, almost mocking smile. "Oh, Sohee, our little white lamb. Why must you stop me from speaking the truth?"