.Test

Reno looked at Shiho, he knew that she is on the verge to collapse, all that was left is a little push and she will be reborn as a new person.

"Okay Shiho, now to the next question, why do they keep calling you princess, and why do they praise you all the time?"

Shiho who was dazed didn't care anymore, so she didn't hesitate to ask the question to her friends, she asked. the question in a monotone voice, like a dull devoid of all life.

"Because you love being praised, and whenever we did praise you, you told everyone that the drinks and drugs are on you, it was a mean to get what we want from you, in other words, praising you is the key to exploit you" answered the two women, they didn't dare to lie at all.

"So that's what it is huh...hehe....hehehe" said Shiho and suddenly she started laughing.

Reno looked at her and he saw that even though she was laughing, tears were flowing from her eyes, it was a rare sight when someone is laughing and crying at the same time.

"Well, that will be your third lesson Shiho" said Reno, gaining the full attention of Shiho, at first she was too tense and frightened to fully absorb what Reno called lessons, but now she somehow realized that he was trying to tell her something important, and even tho the methods he used were extreme, she can sense that there is a goal behind them.

Reno who saw that Shiho was listening carefully continued.

"There is someone who loves the sweet things, whether be it a cake, candy or ice cream.., he loved everything that tastes sweet, but as the time goes he caught diabetes, he went to a doctor and the doctor forbid him from eating sweets, and he gave him medicine.

The medicine taste sour and bitter, he disliked the taste of the medicine, it was so bad that he was disgusted and even was on the verge to vomit whenever he took it, he hated it.

So he threw away that medicine and went back to eat the sweet things, he enjoyed the sweetness and even cursed the doctor because he forbid him from such a pleasure and gave him a disgusting thing instead" Reno stopped and looked at her: "What do you think happened to that person Shiho?"

Shiho who was listening to every word carefully pondered for a moment before replying.

"He died" said Shiho.

"that's right" said Reno as he clapped his hands.

Shiho didn't understand the meaning of the story, and couldn't help but asked: " what are you trying to tell me ?"

"Well it's simple, people love to embrace the sweet things even if that led them to their demise, and they hate bitter things even if that led them to prosper, think of the sweet and bitter as the lies and truth, lies are sweet and make you comfortable, on the other end, truth is bitter and makes you disgusted, but remember this" Reno paused and looked at Shiho seriously, then he continued: "no matter how sweet the lies are, they are a disease, and no matter how bitter the truth is, it's the cure, now it's all about your choice, you can choose the sweet lies and live comfortably for a while until you fall deep in the abyss, or you can choose the bitter truth and live in disgust for a while until you are fully healed and start shining in your life".

Reno stopped talking and he just relaxed on the sofa, he gave Shiho the time to digest his words.

Shiho pondered his words, she completely forgot about the situation they were in and was in deep thoughts.

The two women noticed that Reno didn't look their way and didn't tell Shiho to ask anymore questions, being mentally exhausted and wanting to get out of here, one of them mustered her courage and spoke to Reno.

"If you are done with us.. please keep your promise and don't harm us... lets us go.. please"

"Don't worry I won't hurt you, I'm a man of my word since I told you I won't kill you then rest assured" replied Reno nonchalantly.

Hearing his words, both women heaved a sigh of relief but what Reno said next made them perplexed.

"I said I won't kill you but I never said I will let you out of here"

both women trembled, this was too much for them to handle, the mixture of emotions from joy to horror to despair to hope to despair again took a toll on their minds.

"But there is a way for you to get out of here" Reno said, and the lost hope came back again.

"We already did what you told us ..if..there is anything else... please tell us and let us go already" begged the two women.

"Well, you don't have to do anything I will let Shiho decide your faith.

"Huh!!" exclaimed Shiho and the women.

Reno looked at Shiho and said "You know Shiho, after every lesson, there is a test, and now that your class is over it's time to test you and see what you learned.

Shiho suddenly felt a lot of pressure, but Reno didn't care and he continued in a nonchalant voice.

"The test is very simple, to pass it you have to apply what you learned today on them, or chose to set your friends free and you will fail the test"

Shiho felt a heavy burden, it was like a mountain was put on her shoulders, she had a bad feeling that if she doesn't pass the test Reno will disappear from her life, even if he didn't say anything like this, it was her intuition who told her that, and at the same time she wanted to free her friends, she found herself in a difficult position.

When the women heard him, they surprisingly relaxed, letting their fate be decided by Shiho was a thousand times better than letting it in Reno's hands.

"What are you waiting for Shiho, hurry up and set us free already, I'm tired of this place"

"Yes, why are standing there doing nothing, if I knew all this Shit will happen, I wouldn't come here to congratulate you, is this how you treat your supporting friends, hurry up and untie us" the two women screamed at Shiho, their tone was more like ordering than demanding.

Shiho gritted her teeth and looked at Reno from the side of her eyes, but she found him closing his eyes and relaxing on the sofa, it was like all this mess had nothing to do with him.

Shiho clinched her hands and started walking toward her friends, on the way she couldn't help but think ' if I set them free I will fail the test, but if I want to pass the test then I have to apply the lessons, that means I have to not tolerate disrespect, I have to speak everything in my heart honestly without caring about what will they think, and finally I have to accept the bitter truth and free myself from all the lies my friends made me live on'.

Shiho was going through torture, she didn't know what to choose, and found herself standing in front of her friends.

"What are you standing there for, hurry up and untie me" screamed one of the women, frustrated by the whole situation.

"I... I will f-"

"what are blabbering you bitch, hurry up and untie me, I want to get out of here now, I feeling sick, enough of your bullshit" screamed the woman, cutting Shiho's words, irritated by her hesitation.

Shiho extended her hand to free her, but her hand was trembling and moved slowly Wich irritated the woman more.

"HURRY THE FUCK UP" the woman snapped, she was afraid, terrorized, disgusted, she smelled like piss and vomit, at first she despaired seeing her friends die, but now there was hope, her stupid friend Shiho was her hope and she clung to that hope tightly, she was 100% sure that she will free her, seeing her hesitating pissed her off.

Shiho's hand stopped, and she looked at her friend with teary eyes, she was facing a difficult situation, but her friend didn't care, she didn't feel the hardship she was going through.

Suddenly Shiho's vision of the whole situation changed, it was like she now saw the world clearly, she saw a woman tied in a chair, this woman was below her and she looked at her from above, this woman lied to her and exploited her many times, and yet she doesn't even feel shame, she has the audacity to even scream at her while she was at her mercy, she couldn't help but think that this woman is too much, in other words, she was a piece of garbage.

"Shut up...bitch" muttered Shiho.

"Huh!! what did you just say" the woman asked again, she didn't believe what she heard.

"I said SHUT UP BITCH, AND LISTEN TO ME" screamed Shiho.

the woman was surprised at first but then a vein popped up on her forehead, she looked at Shiho with rage.

"Who do you think you are to scream at me like that, just yesterday you were bootlicking me and now you dare to scream at me, from now on we are not friends anymore, free me and we won't ever meet again".

Shiho who heard her trembled slightly but then she calmed, her eyes were lifeless, she just looked at her and muttered "lesson number two, If I have something to say, I have to say it, if someone wants to shut me up, all I have to do is silence him forever "

The woman heard Shiho and she noticed the change in her demeanor, and a bad feeling started to form within her.

"Hey Shiho what are you blabber-"

"Shut up you piece of garbage" Shiho screamed, she didn't let the woman finish her words, her nails started growing until they were shining like blades, and she stabbed her friend in her throat.

*cough* the woman coughed blood and looked at Shiho in disbelief, her blood splashed on Shiho's face and clothes, but Shiho didn't care, she retrieved her hand and stabbed her again, and again and again.

"AAAA...haaaa..haaaa.." Shiho kept screaming and stabbing the woman, she lost control over herself and she didn't notice that the woman in front of her had already died and turned into minced meat.

"aaaaaaahhhhh" the other woman screamed, her scream pulled back Shiho to reality.

Shiho looked at the minced meat in front of her, the sight was gruesome and she vomited on the spot.

After she finished vomiting Shiho felt sick, but she didn't go anywhere, instead, she turned her attention to her last living friend.

the last woman was terrified seeing Shiho's current situation, Shiho's face was tainted red, blood was dripping from her sharp nails, and her eyes were lifeless, like the eyes of a doll.

"What... did.. you do...Shiho....no .. please...leave me alone.." the woman said and she looked down, she didn't dare to face Shiho's gaze, and tears started to run down from her eyes, just a moment ago she was sure to be free, but now her hope played a cruel joke on them.

"I have something to say" said Shiho in a nonchalant voice, and the woman didn't dare to cut her.

"I always thought you were my good friends, I treat you good, everything I did for you was out of love, when you abandoned me, I was so upset, but even so I forgave you, I brought you to my new house and we had a fun night, I just wanted to enjoy with my friends, I think I didn't ask for something big, it wasn't a crazy which, but all I gain was a stab in the back... hehehe how ironic " Shiho laughed like a crazy woman, but it was a sad laughter.

Shiho looked at the woman " now you can talk"

"I'm...sorry" said the woman with teary eyes.

Shiho's eyes fluctuated and her body trembled for a moment, but then her eyes went back to being dull, and she calmed down, and with a swift movement of her hand, she decapitated her head.