Two inspectors walked out of the surveillance room while Gierra stared unblinkingly at the girl sitting behind the one-way window. It was a sight she didn't want to believe; the suspect was remarkably reminiscent of Brissia, from her voice to her appearance.
Moments later, four policemen knocked on the main door of Brissia's house. She descended the stairs and peeked through her living room window, but then stunned to see three men and a woman staring at her flatly.
The policewoman then called Brissia, prompting Brissia to pick up her phone.
"We're the police. Are you Brissia Niverte?"
Brissia nodded, causing the two policemen to glance at each other before scattering to another area of her house.
"Someone with your identity started riots. We're obligated to transport you for further investigation. Can we come in?"
Brissia fell silent. She raised and lowered the doorknob which wouldn't open, making the police officers nod at each other.
"Sir, she appears to be locked inside the house. We requested permission to attempt to open the main door," said the policewoman after hanging up her call with Brissia.
Giovarro glanced at the girl in the interrogation room who was arguing with his two inspectors there, then said, "Permission granted."
After one of the police succeeded in disabling the door password and the alarm, the door was successfully opened. Brissia listened to the brief explanation of the police before her, then decided to come with them to the police station.
***
As she walked into a room behind the interrogation room, Brissia found people looking at her in fear, anger, and confusion.
She froze at the sight of her in a blue jacket in the interrogation room, sitting with her wrists in handcuffs. Short after, Gierra came over and hugged her who was still frozen in place.
"I knew it wasn't you, Bris," she said worriedly as soon as she let go of her friend.
"Wait, is that a doppelganger?" Brissia asked in surprise at the police officers around her.
"You can say that. She killed someone by pushing them into the sea," said Giovarro, making Brissia hold her breath.
Brissia approached the one-way window, observing the figure behind the glass who looked so much like her. A policeman walked into the interrogation room, sitting opposite the other Brissia.
"Let me ask you again, miss. Why did you push him?"
The girl snorted. She then looked at Brissia, freezing her.
"Bris, don't look!" Gierra whispered, patting Brissia's shoulder. Realizing her anxiety, Brissia tried to calm her down by slowly dropping her hand from her shoulder.
"'Why', you asked?"
The figure repeated the policeman's question with a wry smile, glaring at unblinking Brissia.
"Because if I didn't push him, that man will die."
Brissia frowned at that. The police officers around her stared at each other, though in the end, neither found a clue.
However, they were surprised when the Brissia-like girl fell to the floor, making the policeman who was interrogating her get up from his seat. Two of Giovarro's colleagues who were standing near Brissia and Gierra rushed to the interrogation room. After touching the other Brissia's pulse, a policeman shook his head slightly toward the one-way window.
Giovarro sighed with an annoyed look on his face. He turned to Brissia, who was silent with a thoughtful expression beside Gierra.
"Miss, who do you think she meant?"
Gierra raised half of her eyebrows hearing her uncle throw that question while looking at Brissia. However, Brissia simply shook her head with a slight bow before eventually left the room without a single word.
"Why did Uncle ask her that?"
Giovarro was silent for a moment before looking at his colleagues who were cleaning up the interrogation room.
"You said she has good instincts, so I intended to test her," Giovarro replied.
Gierra left the police station without finding Brissia anywhere. She had missed her for a long time. But apparently, there was nothing she could do but wait for her to show herself.
A man was leaning against one of the pillars of the police station's terrace. Gierra approached him, saying half excitedly, "Nicho, I swear I saw Brissia today! Brissia who sat with us! Brissia who was absent from that day!"
"Yes, yes. I know."
"Do you believe me, Nicho?"
"When have I not trusted you?" said Nicholas, looking at Gierra with slightly offended look.
"Then why did you look suspicious?"
"I just…"
Nicholas paused. His complicated gaze fell on the white ceramic tile he was standing on. Seconds later, an idea popped into his head.
"...Come with me."
"Huh? Where to?"
Even though she didn't immediately hear the response, Gierra was moved by something to follow the large steps of the man in front of her.
While all that was happening, a girl stopped and turned to look up at the thundering, cloudy sky. She could still vividly recall the Archtier's sky she saw before landing beneath her house's suffocating ceiling. It also brought back the moment she and Harris had fallen from the height.
"Ha... doppelganger?" she snorted while looking cynically at the sky. "What other jokes are you throwing at us, dear universe?"
The sound of an approaching horn made Brissia turn quickly to her left. Just as a car that had lost control sped toward her, someone immediately pulled her the other way until both of them fell to the pavement and the car crashed into a traffic light pole.
Meanwhile, Nicholas led Gierra into a spacious room with a teak interior, ignoring her grumbles.
"…We're not supposed to enter the lecturer's room except on weekdays! If anyone sees us, we're done, Nicho!"
"Shh, calm down! We'll be fine if you keep your mouth shut!" hissed Nicholas as he turned to Gierra. However, the sound of a chunk collapsing in front of Nicholas made the two of them gasp and glare forward.
Nicholas reflexively spread his hands in front of Gierra when he saw a brown-haired man lying on top of the ruins, coughing. His sideways position and his back to them made the two approach very carefully.
"Call an ambulance... no, the police... no, let's just take him to the hospital using your car!" Gierra said, shaking Nicholas's arm.
"What are the two of you doing here?"
Gierra and Nicholas turned around in surprise at the sound of a woman's voice. Mrs. Olivia was standing near the entrance, giving them a straight look before walking past them. The two of them could heard their fast and irregular heartbeats.
"There's no need to be concerned about what you just witnessed. I'll take care of him," Mrs. Olivia said calmly, but not sounding pleased. "When possible, kindly exit this room."
"We… think you've done something to Brissia."
Mrs. Olivia, who was standing in front of the brown-haired man's back, turned a little to Nicholas who said it with a stern gaze.
"What, exactly?" asked Mrs. Olivia. The look on her calm face was intimidating.
"Perhaps cloning her? How can there be two people with identical faces and voices at the same time?" Gierra added, slowly gathering her courage as she saw the black-haired woman walk toward her.
"A 'twin' is a natural thing in this world."
Mrs. Olivia stopped in front of Gierra and Nicholas, smiling slightly at them.
"About when and why they met, it's just a matter of time."
The woman turned toward the ruins. Gierra and Nicholas couldn't hold back their suspicions, realizing the awkwardness of how their lecturer emphasized the word 'time'.
"Prove that you didn't do anything to her."
Nicholas widened his gaze hearing Gierra bluntly challenge Mrs. Olivia, who even looked calm with her bluff.
"I told you to leave when it's possible, didn't I?"
Gierra and Nicholas's gazes fell on Mrs. Olivia who was facing them from her standing position. They got goosebumps as a purple-black light shot out from around her, creeping across the floor quickly toward them.
"Now, it's impossible."
***
A bunch of pedestrians filled the side of the sidewalk near a traffic light pole that was bent after being hit by a car. With the only traffic light out of order, vehicles piled up at the intersection with their horns honking.
Brissia tried to stand up with the help of several of them, no matter how many times she refused. However, as soon as she saw who had saved her, her head felt as if it had been struck by a giant bell.
"Dude, are you sure you don't need us to take you to the hospital?!"
The figure of the teaching assistant shook his head slowly, covering his bleeding temple with one hand. His gaze met Brissia's before he stood up, walking away from there.
"You must be treated!"
He flinched when Brissia suddenly grabbed his wrist, which also stopped his steps. He looked at her, who herself looked surprised, either it was for having called him without formality or for trying to keep him from leaving.
"Leave me alone if you only care about me for your own benefit."
"What does that mean? The one who was caring by saving me was you, Senior! Why does this matter in light of my expectations and your current state?" Brissia snapped, glaring at the teaching assistant.
"Because you are deeply worried in others."
With that sentence, the man in the gray shirt brushed Brissia's hand off of his wrist, leaving Brissia agitated—in between suppressing her feelings and processing what had almost happened, which could have been worse than a dented traffic light pole.