Chihiro carries on with the tarp.

(chapter originally by Misayaka on writing.com)

It was cover. Wet paint or not, it was better than doing away with it and being caught with nothing.

She tried to acclimate herself to the cold feeling of the paint-caked tarp as she hugged it around her shoulders, but didn't have much luck. Chihiro felt a shiver go through her.

She had a plan, though. With some actual cover, she could go to the pool and head straight for the showers. If someone saw her, well, she had just left the studio and was covering herself up because she was cold.

No one would ever know she was naked.

Chihiro felt a lot more confident with a clear plan in mind.

She left the art room with a relaxed stride for the first time in a long while, her bare feet resolved in taking her straight to the pool.

There was just one little problem. Before she could reach the alternate route to the pool...