Lady Misfortune: Daddy, I'll Be A Righteous Villainess!

In the first place, Hartigan isn't entirely sure about the cause behind Lady and Sarah's controversial feud. 

There's not many of a time that he's there when they cause an uproar. He only ever heard of the worst instances from those who were present at the scene. That's why he's not certain just how bad their relationship is. He even doubts that they truly hate each other at all. 

Seeing how they are interacting with each other right now, though, it seems to him that they can be on the same page after all.

"H-Hey, you're putting too much!" Sarah exclaimed.

"You need to eat! You're too skinny!" Lady yelled.

"That's more than enough! I can't finish all of these!" 

"Sure, you can! Here! Get some more!" 

"Wait, aren't these veggies?! You're just giving me your-"

"EAT!!! EAT!!!" 

Maybe not completely on the same page. Still, they are getting there.

"Would you like some drinks, you two…?" Hartigan suddenly offered, piquing both Lady and Sarah's attention.

"My treat. I'll go and buy for us."

They just stare at him for a couple of seconds. He rises on his feet, leaving his lunch box at the side, and takes a step down the stairs. They're graced with a dazzling smile when he faces them again.

Sarah blushes while Lady beams. 

"You don't have to do that-"

"I want choco-coffee, Hearty!"

They both ended up speaking at the same time. He chuckles. 

"No need to be shy, Ms. Gracelyn. Really, what do you want?" 

"I appreciate the offer, but I already received more than enough."

"Come on. There's cappuccino, mocha... Oh, and caramel too. If you don't pick anything, I'll just get everything on the menu."

Her cheeks flush brighter then. Damn rich people.

"M-Mocha…" Sarah finally said, relenting.

"Just the small one-"

"Large mocha and large choco-coffee, then…" Hartigan cut in, turning around.

"Wait here for me, okay? I'll be quick."

"Oh, wow…" Lady breathed in surprise.

"He's being exceptionally generous today-"

And then, she froze, a thought striking her. 

She whips her head in Sarah's direction, eyes as wide as that of an owl. Then, she looks back to where Hartigan has walked off to, and from that point on, she repeats the cycle. 

'Of course! Hearty's trying to impress Sarah…!' she thought, enlightenment dawning on her flabbergasted expression. 

'My, my, my, that sly boy~ I would have made way had he only asked me to.' 

Unbeknownst to her, Sarah thinks otherwise. In fact, all she thinks about is how she can make use of this opportunity that Hartigan gave to her. He must have realized that she wanted to talk with Lady alone, which, unbeknownst to her, was not the case at all. 

At any rate, now that the two of them are all by themselves, she can finally pounce on the chance to tell her everything she's been feeling since yesterday.

"Hey, listen…" Sarah began with a solemn look.

"I have a lot of questions to ask you, actually, but before that, I want to express my gratitude – for defending me back there, and for what you did for me at the coffee shop. To be honest, I was confused. We were just arguing a moment ago, and then you started acting like that all of the sudden. I can't tell what you're thinking at all."

"Well, it's as clear as day that you're uncomfortable, and I felt uncomfortable just by looking at you…" Lady confessed sheepishly, facing away.

"I don't like it when other people do bad things to you. I'm the only one who's supposed to do that."   

"You're such a weirdo, you know that? Just say that you don't really mean to be mean to me."

"Huh?! O-Of course, I mean to be mean!"

"To tell you the truth, I noticed it a long time ago. You're just acting like you hate me. In reality, you really don't. I'm pretty sure your friends can also tell it."

Lady can't say anything against that for some reason. She's too bewildered to even register what Sarah just disclosed.

All this time, she thought that her acting was top-notch. She didn't want to give up on that happily ever after she prepared for the heroine, so she continued to take up the role of the villainess. Even when it troubled everyone around her, she refused to back down. Then again, this was all that she could do at this point –

The story's plot is gradually derailing, and that happy ending is certainly drifting.

'I'm no longer in control. I know that…' Lady brooded, feeling defeated.

'Ever since the time I realized that neither Regina nor Sarah were acting in character, I felt that none of what I was doing had been useful – that it's all meaningless in the end. Still, this is not my story. I couldn't take it away from Regina and Sarah just because they didn't turn out to be the kind of people I expected. Unfortunately, it seemed that my acting had dulled the moment I acknowledged that.'

The reason why Sarah noticed was likely because Lady was truly not into it.

She acts high and mighty when it's only the two of them. When others try to take her place, though, she forgets about everything else all of the sudden. She can't stand watching her in pain or discomfort. 

In the end, all that Lady truly wants is for Sarah to be happy.

"Honestly speaking, you peeve me sometimes, and knowing that you probably don't mean what you say and do, it peeves me more…" Sarah continued.

"I don't really loathe you as a person, though. You seem like the type who doesn't hold any grudges. I just find it hard to understand you, and I kinda give up on it because I don't think I can ever get close enough to do so."

And with that, Sarah focuses on her food again. Despite her initial complaint, she eats all the veggies with ease. Lady, on the other hand, remains silent. She just holds down her gaze, still taking everything in. 

"Oh, and by the way, you're the one behind the love column, aren't you?"

That yanks her out of her stupefied state.

Lady quickly turns to her, shaking her head firmly. Sarah lifts an inquisitive brow, arms crossed against her puffed chest.

"Yeah, yeah. Keep denying it."

"But it isn't really me!"

"Why do you have to hide it, anyway?"

"I'm telling you! That's not me!"

Both of them stop at the sound of footsteps climbing up the stairs.

They decide to cease the exchange for a moment, thinking that Hartigan has returned. But something's amiss. Sarah notices a familiar scent in the air that somehow tells her it's someone else. It's faint, but it's there. Lady doesn't appear to be picking up on anything odd. With that, she just dismisses it.

Not even a moment later, though, Sarah would regret doing so.

--- 

"Good job, guys!" Belle cheered, feeling very proud of Weiss and Fallon.

The interview with the student council has just ended, and the two of them have claimed triumph in the confrontation. There's no way the opposing party could further any utterance, especially after all the evidence that they unveiled. The overall detail of their penalty will be discussed later with the faculty staff, so they can still celebrate their success in the meantime. 

"Ten minutes before lunch ends. We can still join Lady and Hartigan," she told them as she hurriedly escorted the crowd out of the broadcasting room.

Fallon quietly ponders on that. Weiss also seems to be contemplating. 

"What's wrong? Did we forget something?" Belle asked, slightly concerned.

"Just wondering if we should check on the other SES members first," Weiss answered with a thoughtful expression. 

"More particularly, those who were directly involved in the incident," Fallon added, scanning the crowd.

She has always known them to be the cautious and perfectionist type. They would not stop until they were sure that everything was handled. It's not like she has any complaint against that. She just hopes they're not pushing themselves too much. 

None of them have eaten lunch yet, after all.

"Well, alright. Let's go to the high school building, then," she conceded nevertheless. 

The three of them quickly make their way to the SES headquarters. Those who attended the interview would have gone to the cafeteria, so they're expecting to find only those they've been wishing to see since earlier. The first on their hunting list is the most concerning of all the members.   

Once they got there, they realized they made the right choice to go.

"Mr. Valentin? Oh, he went off to see Ms. Gracelyn," said one of Glenn's classmates.

For some reason, all three of them suddenly had a bad feeling.

---

"There you are."

Sarah and Lady went frozen still the moment Glenn appeared.

One senses a dark, portentous vibe coming from him. The other shudders at the memory of a certain discovery.

"What are you doing here?" Sarah muttered through gritted teeth, not bothering to hide just how unpleasant it was to see Glenn at that moment.