[Tokusatsu Themes, Transformation, Corruption]
“Eh? What do you mean I can’t keep coming here?”
A young lady’s voice echoed through the trees as the golden leaves slowly fell from their branches, her gaze focused on a young black-haired boy that was so much shorter than her.
“I told you that several dozen times, Mizutani. I admire your persistence, but that doesn’t qualify you for working at this shrine. Give up and go home.” The young man said, his gaze so sharp that a single leaf was cut in half once it drifted past his face.
The girl, a golden-blonde with a hefty tan and fashion that could best be described as gyaru-esque with how everything fit a little less than desired on top of how garish the colors of her outfit was, huffed as she crossed her arms. “But you can’t just do all of this on your own, Yu-senpai! You gotta let me help you!”
“Go home, Mizutani.” The boy, Yu, barely reached up to the girl’s stomach despite the positive gap between them agewise. He turned around and walked towards the shrine without giving her as much as a second glance. The shrine that he had tended to since he was a child, keeping it clean and tidy in case the gods that once lived there ever desired to return.
Mizutani, or more accurately Azami Mizutani, was practically steaming. How could he do this? She hadn’t messed up that badly, she just wanted to make him happy. Make him see that there was more to life than just being a shrine tender! And even then, she wanted to try and commune with the gods too, even if they didn’t want to listen!
“Why does he have to be so strict?” The tanned girl bit her plump lip as she stomped her feet into the ground, walking towards the shrine just like her ‘senpai’ did. Even if she wasn’t allowed inside, she could at least try to get ahold of one of those gods and hope that they’d listen.
Azami took a deep breath as she put her hands together, just like she had seen Yu do. She closed her eyes and kneeled as far down as she possibly could, almost putting her forehead against the ground as she held her hands up. “I don’t know if anybody’s listening, especially not a god, but if you could just give me one chance to make Yu-Senpai happy, then..!”
“Ufufufufu!”
A snickering laughter echoed around her, as the wind started to pick up. It nearly tore her skirt off, forcing her to brace herself while getting up as a figure appeared atop of the shrine’s gate. A figure illuminated by the morning sun above her.
“Your prayers have been answered, mortal! I can bring you the happiness that you seek, and the chance to make your beloved happy as well!”
Azami looked up at the figure, her expression filled with hope… Only for it to melt as she noticed the various features on the figure, prompting her to cross her arms and huff, the wind not bothering her as much when her emotions were boiling over. “You’re not the god of this shrine! Yu-senpai said the god was a fox!”
The figure flinched as she leapt down from the gate, a silky string breaking her fall and letting her land safely. Standing before the tanned blonde was a woman wearing a militant’s uniform, with a single spider serving as the emblem on the front of her cap.
“For a girl who looks like she should be spending all of her time in the inner city getting busy with all sorts of guys, you’re real clever.” The woman muttered, brushing a hand through her long lavender-colored hair. “But I wasn’t kidding when I said that I could help you get what you wanted. I just wanted to see if you were easy to trick.”
Azami shook her head, turning that frown into a bit of a confident and self-satisfied grin. “Yu-senpai taught me everything he knew about Youkai and the like, trying to trick people into giving away their souls. I bet you’re one of those too, you won’t get his soul!” She cried out, putting her dukes up in the most unrefined fashion she could muster. She was just a normal high school student without any formal training after all.
The militant rolled her eyes as she adjusted her uniform slightly. “Why couldn’t Bat have dealt with her? I don’t like dealing with the crazy types…” She muttered under her breath, before turning her attention back towards the tanned blonde. “Let’s say that I don’t want anything except to give you this chance. What would you say?”
“Iiiii…” The gyaru paused as she dropped her stance, her grin turning into a smile. “I’d want to hear more! You might be tricking me even more, and I want to make sure that I’m agreeing to the right thing!”
That was all that the strange woman needed to hear, as she performed a bit of sleight of hand to produce a golden bracelet. “Using this, you can make your heart’s desires come true. You can make him as proud as you’d like, and you won’t have to worry about anything else. Doesn’t that sound good?”
Azami took the bracelet, squeezing it between her fingers. It was tough. Really tough. And it didn’t seem like it was made of some sort of tech that could do bad things to her. So if it was magical like she implied, then it might actually give her what she wanted.
“Just so you know, I still don’t trust you!” The wannabe miko cried out as she slipped the bracelet on, her gaze firmly focused on the spider-themed woman in front of her to make sure she didn’t try anything funny
Only to feel a shock rushing through her body, a sharp moan echoing through the trees as a golden glow quickly pulsed across her form. She didn’t understand what was happening, but it felt kinda good. Which was the worst part, mysterious things weren’t supposed to feel good!
“It’s fine that you don’t trust me, I only wanted to give you the means to be what you wanted. Just give the Jõtai a bit to adjust, and you’ll be ready!” The militant laughed as she stepped back, not wanting to get caught in any sort of blast zone. She knew better from previous attempts at converting people.
Azami let out moan after moan as her body grew outward. Strength coursed through her as her physique adjusted to contain it all, her skin turning a deep shade of red in the process. With every second that passed, she grew bigger, to the point where she probably couldn’t fit into the shrine by the time everything was done.
Her clothes were tearing, but the same power that was changing her attempted to patch them together into something more appropriate for her desires. Turning her tight top and short skirt into something more like the outfit that her senpai wore, just a lot looser to allow for her form being a little thicker than his stick-like physique.
As the outfit fitted itself onto her, she let out a mild groan. Her forehead was throbbing, as if something was threatening to burst its way out. With every passing moment, the pain intensified until she instinctively smashed her enlarged palm up against the bulge that had formed in the middle of her forehead.
The extra blunt force was just what her body needed, as the bulge popped in and two horns popped out around her palm, nearly drawing blood with how sharp they looked. Two powerful red horns, indicating what she had become. Combined with her physique, her red skin, and her hair having silently turned long white and rough…
She was an Oni. That was what the bracelet thought she should be, as it took on the form of a magatama embedded into her chest. Like she was cursed with this form…
“There you have it. A form fit for your dear Senpai. A form you can use to release your frustrations and aggression, a form that you can do anything with!” The militant laughed, as she started walking away. She had much to tend to, now that she had converted yet another human into her proper self…
She didn’t get far before the ground shook and she was forced to turn around, her confident expression melting into pure confusion as she saw the enormous Oni taking a seat in front of the shrine. Instead of going inside, she was content to just sit there.
“Oi. You can’t just do that, you have to go make people understand your frustrations.” The lavender-haired woman said, crossing her arms. “Isn’t that what the Jõtai is telling you? To go and let your heart be free?”
Azami nodded and grinned with her much sharper teeth. “And I wanna be right here with Senpai. I’ll wait until he comes out, and then I’ll do whatever he tells me I need to do to help him out with the shrine!”
“You can’t just do that! You can’t just have a plain wish like that! I, General Spider, don’t pick plain targets that just want a happy life! Come on, do something!” Spider was getting furious as she stomped towards the oversized loaf, her fists clenched and ready to toss a punch.
Not that she got close enough, the Oni’s fist barely missing her after being thrown out. “If you keep complaining, I’ll show you what he’s taught me! You won’t like it!”
“You… YOU!” The black-clad militant let out a shriek of frustration as she spun around, whipping herself towards the shrine gate after sending a long string of silk towards the top, letting her escape.
She wasn’t going to suffer this humiliation. Jõtaijins were supposed to aid in their efforts to transform the populace into their proper selves, into forms that couldn’t be manipulated by anything else…
To hell with what D’Or wanted! She was going to bring this idiot back to a normal state, even if she had to resort to dirty tactics. And she knew just the way…
---
There were few things in life that Hiro Fukano were not ready for at this point. Ten years of working for Atlas Corp had hardened her heart in that sense. Whether it was the inner workings of the company turning out to be much worse than she ever could’ve imagined, or the monsters that tried to tear it down from the outside, she couldn’t be phazed.
“You’re going on mandatory vacation, Hiro.”
Keyword being few things. This type of forced free time was one of the few things that she couldn’t have seen coming, especially with the order coming directly from the small-sized boss’ lips.
“Pardon?” Hiro said, her hands kept behind her back as she gazed upon the white-clad youth behind the desk. “Am I not to be on permanent alert in case of Jõtaijin attacks? What happened to the further field-testing that we need to conduct on the PAWN System, to iron out its flaws?”
The boss himself, Atlas Grimwald, rested his chin on the back of his hands. “What part of mandatory vacation don’t you get, Hiro?” He said, leaning his head onto its side as he gazed towards her eyes. “I may have been the case of your workaholic nature, but that gives me the very same right to cut you off. Especially given your current state.”
“I-” The black-and-white haired woman paused. She didn’t have a good argument. “...Why?” So instead, she pressed towards the reasoning. If she was going to spend time twiddling her thumbs, she at least wanted an explanation.
The soft sound of heels clicking against the floor behind her would serve as her answer, as a familiar hand found its way onto her shoulder. “It was due to my recommendation, Hiro.” The warm voice of Doctor Charlotta echoed through her ear, as the brunette took up a position besides the boss’ desk.
“You can’t blame me for the Doctor’s orders, Hiro.” Atlas said, stretching a little as he sat up properly in his chair. “Besides, if you were to be injured further before you’ve fully recovered from being turned into a Pawn, the PAWN system would be without a user. And without a user, we have no way to keep the region safe.”
Hiro closed her eyes. Ah. Her mistake came back to bite her. Of course. At least the spot in her mind that was previously devoted to the Jõtaijin that had converted her was now firmly scrubbed clean. So she could stuff every other problematic emotion in there instead.
“Then, Doctor. What would you recommend I do, should I want to return to work as quickly as possible?” The black-white asked. All while she clenched her hand around her wrist, nails nearly digging into the fabric that covered it.
Charlotta gave off a nervous chuckle as she slipped a small looking list out of her sleeve, only to open it and let the paper roll all the way down to the floor, where it then continued to roll towards the other woman’s feet. “If I were to rattle off a suggestion based on all the discussions we’ve had over the last few weeks as well as during your de-pawning sessions, I’d be here all day. And I still wouldn’t be done.”
Hiro understood, taking a deep breath as she opened her eyes. “So you’re saying to do whatever I think might be relaxing. Something to keep my mind off my duties?”
“Precisely. Anything to keep you busy, yet not stressed. Whatever you can do to find that balance, I highly recommend it.” The doctor chimed, quickly crumpling up the entire list as she tossed it into the tiny trash bin located on the corner of the short boss’ desk.
Atlas narrowed his eyes a little as he looked between the two. “I know I assigned you two to this task, but you’ve been getting chummier than I expected. What’ve you done to get through her emotional barrier, Doctor?”
“Sir. I don’t have one of those.”
“I just talked to her about my honest opinion regarding the current situation, Sir.” Charlotta explained, chuckling a little herself. “I won’t lie, it has been difficult. But if you kept at it, maybe she’d be just as loose lipped around you as she is around me.”
“Doctor, I don’t tell stories nearly as engaging as you’re implying with that!”
Atlas laughed as his direct subordinate’s expression turned from mostly composed into desperately trying not to crack under the pressure of two-pronged teasing. A far cry from how she had been for the last year or so. “Whatever you’re doing, Doctor, do keep it up. Seeing her like this is far more entertaining than the alternative.”
“Of course, Sir. As long as Hiro keeps up the good work, I’ll do what I can to help her heal from her wounds. No matter how long that takes.” Charlotta replied, chuckling as she covered her lips slightly with the tips of her fingers.
Hiro admitted defeat in the presence of the two devils as she slowly turned around. “I’ll… I’ll go take my mandated break. Call me if you need me.” She muttered as she entered the elevator that served as the sole entrance and exit to the young lad’s penthouse.
Once the elevator departed, the white-haired boy stretched a little and got up from his chair, approaching the many windows that looked down upon the city of Mimoto. “Doctor, I have a question for you. It revolves around what you’ve been doing.”
“Go on, Sir? What’s on your mind?” Charlotta remained as far away from the boy as possible, now that the two were done keeping up appearances.
Atlas put his hand on the glass pane, tapping his pointer finger against it. “Do you need to rehabilitate the Monsters that end up causing so much trouble?” He asked, as that tapping slowed down and got stronger. “It’d be much simpler to just dispose of them. As punishment for lashing out in a fit of rage.”
“...Because they deserve a chance just as much as anybody else, even if they’ve caused havoc. They’re just trying to find their place in the world, and the ones that have given them the chance preyed upon that.” The Doctor explained, turning away from the boy as she walked towards the exit just like the white-and-black haired woman had.
His laugh echoed through the penthouse. “A chance? They squandered it when they tried to cause trouble.” The boy mocked her belief, before lowering his hand slightly. “I suppose I can’t do anything about it. You’ve both earned enough autonomy to approach this task with your own eyes. Just don’t cause more trouble. I wouldn’t want to have to clean up after you two.”
“Of course. If you excuse me, Sir, I have another therapy session to tend to. If you need me, I’ll be on my cell.”
With that, Charlotta departed the penthouse, leaving Atlas all by his lonesome, barely lit by the sun shining down on him through the window.
...It was time for him to make a call.
---
The midday sun was shining down on the streets of Mimoto. The city was bustling, as it was the weekend. Kids and adults of all ages were busy having the time of their life, something that they’d have to put on hold in only a few months as the autumn cold would truly kick in. Better to take advantage of the warmth while it was still there.
Hiro, however? She had different things on her mind. She couldn’t just stay still. Not after everything that had been done for her. But at the same time, Charlotta was right. If she got hurt during this period where she was still getting reaccustomed to everything, she’d be in even worse trouble.
So there was only one thing she could do. One thing that had been lingering on her mind ever since she had made that ‘promise’. She could go visit a certain somebody and… and…
“Oh, Fukano-sensei. Why’re you all the way out here?”
Standing in the middle of the street, seemingly as if she had been waiting for the black-and-white-haired woman to arrive, was Yumeko Watanabe. The girl that was closest to the girl that Hiro was currently hunting for.
“Watanabe.” The white-clad woman said, raising an eyebrow as she came closer. “Are you on your way to Fushimi’s house?”
Yumeko nodded, smiling from ear to ear. “I didn’t think I’d see you actively trying to go to her place. Have you turned a new leaf?” She chimed, the black-haired girl outright pleased with this development. “...Or are you trying to do something to her when she’d least expect it? I won’t forgive you if that’s the case.” Her expression suddenly turned dire, her emotions able to flip on a dime.
“I wanted to talk to her about something. Don’t raise your guard just because I’m acting out of character.” Hiro replied, shaking her head. Every single person around the sandy blonde girl had their own quirks, and each of them were equally able to give her a splitting headache. She wondered how in the world the girl could keep them straight like this…
The black-haired girl returned to her normal smile, nodding. “As long as you understand. She might not be the sharpest tool in the box, but that doesn’t mean I’ll allow you to sneak up on her and incapacitate her. She did save me from those Monsters, after all.”
“I see.” The white-and-black haired woman muttered, following behind the younger girl as the two made their way down the street. She had to admit, she was smiling a little. Seeing somebody else this fiercely devoted to somebody they cared about…
“Hiro-sensei!”
Hiro winced, covering her face for a moment. Just the thought of that devotion reawoke memories within her. That face. That adorable face. It hadn’t been long since that face stopped appearing in front of her. And still it haunted her.
...As long as she remained focused on her task, she wouldn’t be haunted. She could do everything to save those that were in danger…
“Fukano-sensei, can I ask something?” Yumeko looked over her shoulder, smiling a little as the two continued down the road. “What are you feeling when you and Mikai fight together?”
Hiro didn’t answer. She just clenched her fist, before speeding right past the black-haired girl. She didn’t want to dwell on this. Not for any longer than necessary.
It wouldn’t be long before they reached Mikai’s house either, something that the white-clad woman only noticed as her black-clad companion grabbed her by the shoulder and turned her towards one of the many unassuming houses lined up side by side.
“You should knock on the door, Fukano-sensei. I’m sure she’ll be excited to hear that you stopped by.” Yumeko chimed, pushing the older woman towards the house as she waited on the side of the road, waving towards her with confidence.
Hiro winced a little as she was pushed, looking over her elbow to glare towards the younger girl. Despite appearances, she had a bit of a rude streak to her. Something she had to mentally note down for later.
The white-clad woman took a deep breath as she knocked on the door, and waited for a response…. And then knocked again after a minute or so, assuming the inhabitants didn’t hear her the first time.
Sounds of shuffling echoed from behind the door, only for it to finally open as a black-haired woman appeared in the doorway, a bit of sweat running down her face. “Sorry about that, I was a bit busy with-”
Hiro blinked as she looked the woman over a couple of times. Despite her neatly braided hair, her choice of attire made her look much ‘younger’ than her body would imply. What woman in her age would wear a shirt depicting two video game characters exchanging smug remarks..?
The woman blinked a couple of times as she looked at the black-and-white haired woman’s confused expression, only to realize where her eyes were pointed. “Ahaha… Never seen a gamer before? Don’t worry, I’ve still got it, even after a decade!” She grinned from ear to ear, in such a familiar fashion.
“...I’ll believe you, but I’m not here to talk to you about that.” The white-clad woman muttered, clearing her throat a little. “Is this Mikai Fushimi’s residence?” She asked, keeping her mood and her emotions as calm as she possibly could.
The owner of the house had her eyes lit up as soon as she heard that name. “Of course! Hold on just a moment!” She chimed, whipping around as she started shouting. “MIKAI! DO YOU HAVE AN OLDER GIRLFRIEND WEARING ALL WHITE? SHE DOESN’T LOOK LIKE ONE OF YOUR TEACHERS, SO I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE!”
“ALL WHITE?” A voice echoed from the floor above, prompting the owner to speed down and head straight for the door. “No, I don’t have a girlfriend, but if it’s-”
There she was. Mikai Fushimi. In all of her sandy blonde glory. Staring straight towards the white-clad woman who was now currently filling her cheeks with reddened embarrassment.
“Oh! That’s Hiro, she’s a heroine that hangs out at my school until all those baddies that’ve been popping up are dealt with!” Mikai chimed, giggling a little. “I think she wants me for something, so is it okay if I go talk to her for a while, Mom?”
Her mother, Kaoru, nodded. “Of course sweetheart. If you need me, you know how to get ahold of me.” She patted her little daughter on the head, turning towards her fellow woman with a smile. “Please take good care of Mikai, okay? And be back before dinner, in case you two get busy.”
“Ma’am, I-” Hiro didn’t get to say anything before the door closed and Mikai was left outside the door, with the white-clad woman still blushing from ear to ear due to the reaction the younger girl’s mother had towards her…
Mikai chuckled a little, patting the white-suited woman on the back. “It’s fine, she’s just happy that I have people to spend time with.” She reassured her partner, before throwing her hands behind her head. “So why’re you here, Hiro? It’s the weekend, and it’s not like there’s any Jõtaijin around, soooooo… why?”
“...I was forced to take the week off.” The black-and-white haired woman slowly replied, still trying to compose herself. Was this her punishment for letting the young girl into her life proper? Dwelling on it for too long probably wasn’t worth it, but it still did shake her a bit…
The sandy-blonde nodded a bit, before tapping her finger against her chin to try and look smart. “Sooooo… Why’d you come to me? Don’t you have anything you could do all on your own? Something that you’d have fun with?”
“I’m sacrificing my own fun, so that the two of us can hope to work alongside one another with greater efficiency. I wouldn’t want us to butt heads more than necessary.” Hiro explained, taking a deep breath as she looked at the shorter girl. “Are you done asking unnecessary questions?”
Mikai pouted a bit, before nodding. “Don’t say it like you’re not going to have fun, though! If there’s no baddies, then we won’t have any problems!” She chimed, trying to stay positive.
“She’s right, Fukano-sensei. There’s no reason to be upset. Especially not when Mikai’s trying her best to be nice to you.” Yumeko spoke up, having finally approached the two after seeing that little spectacle unfold.
The sandy-blonde gasped, shaking her friend a little. “Yumeko! I’m not trying, I am being nice! Because Hiro’s nice!” She nearly shouted, trying to set the record straight. “I’d never try that kinda stuff, because it doesn’t sound nice to try and be nice. You just gotta be nice!”
“Your simple mind is giving me a headache.” Hiro muttered from the back as she started walking towards the street, sighing. Already, this plan was starting to fall apart. There was no way that she was going to be able to handle Mikai’s energy for more than a few minutes…
She didn’t get far, the sandy-blonde quickly dashing over as she grabbed her hand. “Well if it’s giving you a headache, we’ll have to get you something to help. Don’t you know anywhere we could go?”
“Actually, that’s a good point. Fukano-sensei, if you lead the way, we could go to places that can calm your nerves even with Mikai present. Then she won’t have to try.” Yumeko piped up, coming closer as she grabbed onto her shorter friend’s hand.
…That was a better plan than she expected out of the two of them. “As long as you both don’t complain.” Hiro said, tightening her own grip on Mikai’s hand. “Got it?”
Both of the younger girls nodded. “Got it!” They said in unison.
She might regret this decision. But at least she controlled the pace of their little excursion...
---
“Whoaaaaaa. There’s so many different toys here!”
Mikai’s eyes were filled with sparkles as she darted from shelf to shelf, her hands doing their best not to touch everything. She had already been slapped silly by Hiro for trying to touch the merchandise, and she didn’t want to risk it being repeated.
“I didn’t know that this was here…” Yumeko muttered, smiling a little as she browsed the aisles, slowly going through the inventory to see if she could find something that aligned with her personal interests.
Hiro followed closely behind the sandy-blonde, a small smile on her face. “This place belongs to one of the biggest fans of a lot of the media that Atlas Corp has a hand in producing. As a result, we’ve been able to partner up with her and use her as a retailer, since she wants to spread the love for the various franchises. As a bonus, she gets the first print runs on a lot of this merch, using her keen eye to point out the problems with them before they get mass produced.” She prattled on and on, despite the fact that she knew that the younger girl would ignore it completely-
“Problems?” Mikai asked as she looked towards the older woman, head tilting slightly. “There’s problems with figures?”
The black-and-white haired woman blinked a little, before nodding. “Depending on the range of articulation desired as well as the accuracy, there may be flaws. Notoriously, the early production run of the Shining Aces toy line would have a tendency to flake when the paint started to degrade. And that’s not mentioning the golden paint that made some of Shining Ace’s most intimate and important parts completely crumple upon repeated use.”
“Huh. I might wanna ask Alyssa about her figures, see if she has any idea about this place. Since she’s got so many figures, maybe she’d want more…” The sandy-blonde mumbled as she looked towards the shelves again, humming as she traversed down the aisle.
...She was interested entirely because of one of her friends. To think that a girl like her, who tried to fight for people that she didn’t even know, would pick up on what other people liked and try to get into it as a result.
“Don’t you like it, Hiro-sensei? It’s such a cute figure, but it’s missing your trademark scowl…”
Hiro shook her head as she tried to make the voice that ran through her ears go away. A voice that sounded so much like Mikai’s voice that it was getting difficult to disassociate the two. If this kept up, there was no way that she’d be able to tell them apart if just kept on happening…
“Oh! They have Natura figures!”
Mikai cried out from a little further down the aisle, having picked up a Natura Bleu figure as she ran back to the white-clad woman with her find under her arm. “Ehehehe, Tsubasa’s going to be so hyped when he sees what I bought him for his birthday!”
“...I’m sure he’d appreciate a different figure.” Hiro muttered, quietly snatching the box out from underneath the girl’s arm as she approached the shelf where she took it from and slowly slid it back into its place.
The sandy-blonde blinked a few times before following behind her older partner. “But he’s obsessed with her! How come you think she’s not the best pick?” She pouted. And here she thought she had been learning. Especially after he poured all of that stuff about the cool heroines down her ear.
“Because, as important as she might be to him, it’d be awful if he didn’t have a matching figure to go with her. The relationship between Bleu and her teammates is just as integral to her character as her abilities and her stern but caring nature.” The older woman explained, as she grabbed another figurine off the shelf, one depicting the short and grumpy Natura Vert. “Vert seems to be a fan favorite, try giving this to him.”
Mikai let all of that knowledge soak into her brain, only for a bit of smoke to rise from her head. It was always difficult trying to decipher everything these nerds told her about their favorite shows. “You really know a lot about this stuff, did you help work on the shows?”
“In a sense. Now, run along. We still have plenty of places we need to visit.” Hiro replied dismissively as she turned away, only to see Yumeko having managed to sneak up behind her at the same time as the sandy-blonde departing to buy the figurine.
The black-haired girl smiled as she picked up one of the Bleu figurines, tilting it to look at all of the writing on the bottom. “Oh? What’s this? Portrayed in part by Fu-”
“Not a word to her.” Hiro grabbed the figurine from the black-haired girl’s hands and put it back on the shelf, before hurrying out of the store. She didn’t want to risk the sandy-blonde getting more excited than she had any right to be.
Yumeko giggled. Ah, the sight of the older woman’s emotions peeking their way out. It was something that was always entertaining…
Now, to go help Mikai before she ended up spending all of her allowance on a silly figure.
---
“Are you sure you can carry all of that, Watanabe?”
Hours had passed after they first arrived at the shops in the midst of the city, and they had been through store after store to try and see if Hiro could keep her mood balanced both through reckless spending and just generally emoting through the products. And in that time, a majority of the products had ended up in the arms of the black-haired youth.
“Of course. I’m stronger than I look, Fukano-sensei.” Yumeko chimed, ignoring the way that her arms were threatening to snap off right then and there thanks to the dozens of bags that she wore along them. “I’m juuuuuuust fine.” She said again, with her cheeks turning red from over exertion…
Mikai narrowed her eyes a bit as she looked at her friend. “You’re not very good at lying, Yumeko…” She muttered, as she reached for a couple of those bags to try and help her out.
“Ah-ah.” The black-haired girl chimed, moving her arms away from her friend to keep the bags out of her reach. “I’m doing the mule work today. You two just enjoy yourselves, its supposed to be your day out, isn’t it?”
Hiro nodded. It was. And it was nice not to carry around everything. Even when she was used to it due to the various tasks she had done for Atlas Corp.
“But Hiro, you can’t just carry all of those…”
The voice propped up again, and she shook her head. That familiar face kept badgering her. The voice that wanted to help her, to show her appreciation. All it was doing for her right now was adding grief onto everything…
“Come on, Yumeko! Let me help!” Mikai cried out, trying to reach towards the bags despite the distance being put between them and her thanks to deft movement on the black-haired girl’s part.
Yumeko was the epitome of slippery, considering how easily she was able to trick the girl into following her moves before pivoting away from her and keeping the bags safe and secure…
“Mikai. If she wants to do it all on her own, let her. It’s her choice.” Hiro spoke up, before realizing something… “Hold on… Have you even picked out something for yourself? You were on and on about gifts that the others would like, but not once did I see you pick out something yourself.”
The younger girl looked towards her older partner and tilted her head. “Is there a problem with that?” She asked. She honestly didn’t see anything wrong with focusing on her friends over herself.
“...You know what, no, that’s fine.” The white-clad woman muttered, as she reached into her pocket and started typing on the phone she kept on her at all times. “I’m going to go do something for a moment. Watanabe, can you make sure that you two make it to the place I just sent you?”
Yumeko nodded, her body still shaking. “Mikai just needs to give me the phone and I can make it over there. Take the time you need, Fukano-sensei!” She chimed, as the two younger girls started leaving the older one alone.
Once they had left, Hiro turned straight around, heading back towards one of the shops they had skipped. Just to tie up a loose end…
---
Mikai slowly sipped on the milkshake that she had ordered, slooooowly enjoying the nice milky drink as she waited for the older woman to return. “What do you think she needed to do?” She asked her friend, who was currently busy nearly dying in her seat considering how sweaty she was.
“You’ll see soon enough…” Yumeko replied, partly because she didn’t have the energy for a good response, and partly because she knew that the older woman wouldn’t want the surprise spoilt.
The younger girl slowly nodded as she continued sipping from her straw. Just so that she could pass the time. She had to admit, she didn’t expect this nice drink to be as tasty as it was, but it really helped!
After a little while, the white-clad woman made her entrance, grabbing and paying for a bottle of soda as she made her way over to the table where the two were. Just a simple outdoor table where they could enjoy the warm sun overhead. “Sorry about that. I didn’t want to keep you pained for too long, Watanabe.”
“It’s okaaaay…” Yumeko muttered, smiling a little as she sank further into her chair. At least the chill breeze helped the aching in her arms…
Mikai tilted her head slightly as she sipped more milkshake from her cup. “What did you need to do, Hiro?” She asked, before blowing a few bubbles into the cup just to see what it’d do.
The answer she got back was a box landing on the table. A small, fragile looking box, with a cup displayed on the outside. A plain, yet effective cup meant for several beverages including tea and all the sweet substances that the young girl no doubt adored.
“A gift.” Hiro said, pushing the boxed cup towards her partner as she smiled ever gently. “And… A confession. If you’re willing to hear me out.”
Mikai nodded as she took the cup, immediately popping the straw out of her mouth as she unpacked it and poured the rest of her milkshake into said cup. “What do you have to confess?”
“...Every time I’ve looked at you. Every single time, somebody’s popped up in my mind. A subordinate of mine, that…” She paused, biting her lip. It was hard just thinking about her. Just trying to say something about her was difficult. What if she desecrated her memory? Was if she said something that she’d regret? It was hard. Way harder than she ever wanted it to be…
And the young girl just sat there, waiting patiently. She could see the look of pain on her fellow heroine’s face. She didn’t know the details, so she waited. Until she’d say something. Only then could she give her thoughts. But if that girl was as important as she sounded, then she really was near and dear to the older woman’s heart.
“...Your hope, your approach to everything, it reminds me of her. And it just hurts. It hurts to think about. It’s part of why I…” Hiro bit into her lip harder, the blood slowly running down her chin. “...I’m sorry. For mistaking you for her.”
Mikai slowly finished her milkshake, before putting the cup back in its box for now. And then smiled as she reached out with her hand. “I’m not her, but… Maybe she’d think it would be okay for you to be friends with others, even if they’re like her?”
“You can’t know that.” The older woman said, before sighing. The gesture plus the shaky attempt to encourage her was what she needed in the end. It wasn’t much, but it was something. “Thanks for listening, Mikai.”
The young girl smiled from ear to ear. “You’re welcome! I’m always happy to help!” She giggled, while still sticking her hand out insistently. She really wanted her to take it…
Hiro let out a bit of a laugh seeing her be so insistent about it, getting up from her chair as she slowly patted the younger girl on the head. And though her mind immediately started to associate her with the young girl that had once been her subordinate…
It didn’t last, the older woman closing her eyes to shake it away. It would take time before she’d completely leave her mind. But for now, she could handle it. That much was certain.
“Watanabe, are you ready to go, or do you need a little more time?” The older woman turned to the proverbially melted girl, trying to see if she could shake some life out of her…
Only to notice that Yumeko currently had her face glued to her phone, letting out quite the suspenseful noises. “Aaahh… It’s about this time, mmhm…” She muttered for a moment, slowly getting back up despite every bone in her body telling her to stay down. “Fukano-sensei, do you mind if I pick our final stop for the day?”
“What do you have in mind?” Hiro replied, Mikai getting up from her chair to help her black-haired friend onto her feet to ease up on the pain running through her.
“You’ll see when we get there…”
---
If there was one thing Hiro appreciated, it was the ability to get ahold of other Atlas Corp workers that could deal with the heavy load. Leveraging her abilities and her status, she made them carry all of the bags and presents that they had piled up and drop them off at Mikai’s home, leaving the three to walk out to the outskirts of the city. Specifically, the hill that was rumored to house a god in the far past…
Though she didn’t anticipate seeing anybody else heading up that very same hill, nor did she expect the three that she met on the way there.
Saki Himitsu, the student council president. Yuuki Shimo, formerly known as Passion Punisher and the girl that had lit the spark that eventually grew into the friendship between the older woman and her younger rival. And finally, Saeko Suikumo, the youngest member of the council and the mousiest of the three by far.
“Fukano-sensei. It’s a pleasure to see you, I didn’t know you worked on weekends.” Saki said, bowing respectfully to the older woman. “I trust that your presence here means that we may be in danger?”
Hiro shook her head. “I’m off duty. As much as I’d like to be.” The older woman briefly explained, all while crossing her arms. “Watanabe wanted to visit the shrine, and asked me to accompany her. That’s all.”
“That’s not how it wen-” Mikai tried piping up, only for the older woman to quickly cover her mouth, leading to the sandy-blonde to squirm underneath her grip.
Yuuki laughed at the expense of the rapidly shaking girl that had defeated her in the past. “Ah, the PASSION of youth. I’m glad to see that Mikai’s still got that feisty spirit!” The icy-haired Yukionna grinned, the very air around her growing cold.
“Please don’t yell, Yuuki-senpai…” Saeko muttered as she hid behind her leader, covering her ear partly thanks to the loud and boisterous nature of her fellow council member.
Yumeko joined in on the laughter. “I must say, seeing you all together like this just reminds me what a strange bunch you are, Himitsu-senpai. What with your dedication to the rules, Shimo-senpai’s spirited way of approaching her role, and Suikumo’s timid nature.”
“I’m not sure if I should be thankful or depressed that you got my honorifics correct…” The lavender-haired girl muttered quietly, sighing…
Hiro quietly let go of Mikai after she stopped struggling, before she focused on the blue-haired leader. “So, why are you all here, Himitsu? It’s not often that I see the three of you side by side.”
Saki nodded, as she wrapped her arm around her loyal subordinate and pulled her close. “As part of her duties, Saeko’s been taking care of one of our fellow students that’s medically impaired. She wanted to go pray to the gods that once lived at the shrine at the top of these stairs, so that she can be blessed with a happy life despite her deficiencies. Isn’t that right?”
“Little Saeko is always looking out for others, despite being a pipsqueak herself! Impressive display of PASSION!” Yuuki laughed, her heart lit aflame with joy. Just being near her friends was enough to make her feel satisfied, despite the fact that she had been causing trouble just weeks prior.
Saeko muttered a weak defense as she buried her face in her blue-haired leader’s shoulder. That simultaneously served to prove the oldest of the three girls right. “Can we just go…”
“That’s super cool, Saeko-senpai!” Mikai giggled as she very nearly hugged the girl that was about the same age as her, despite how much discomfort she was currently in. It’d only cause problems.
Yumeko nodded, carefully grabbing her friend’s collar to make sure she didn’t get too handsy. “It’s admirable, Suikumo. You shouldn’t feel shame for doing something that people would find genuinely inspiring.”
“I think you’re all smothering her a bit too much…” Hiro tried to break through the cloud of friendliness, only to be stonewalled by laughter and youthful praise. She shook her head and silent started ascending the stairs, hoping that the others would follow her shortly.
‘Mikai. Earth to Mikai.’
The young sandy blonde blinked a couple of times as the black mental space started pulsing out around her, giving her some breathing room inside her mind. “Mmm? What’s up, Chimera?”
Her permanent guest and older sister figure, the Apex Predator Chimera, appeared in a gust of wind courtesy of the brand new majestic wings that hung off her back. The wings of an eagle, ready to call upon the storms should the need arise.
She took a deep breath… and then spread those wings out as wide as she could, just to show off her wingspan and the beautiful brown feathers that made up the majority of those new limbs. “This is what happened after you stabbed yourself last time. Now, what does that make me?”
“An Eagle!” Mikai immediately cried out. “That’s why I felt that name come to me when I transformed! Because you became an eagle!” She chimed, grinning from ear to ear.
Chimera pouted slightly, sighing. “You know, I expected you to play dumb like before and say ‘A feather’, but I guess it’s a good thing that you can tell those two things apart.” She said, before stretching slightly. “Are you doing okay though, Mikai? You sure she’s still a good person?”
“What, are you still worried about Hiro?” The sandy-blonde replied, before pausing. “Hey! I’m not that dumb!” She pouted, puffing her cheeks full of air.
The elder predator laughed. There was the girl that she had come to care for. That cheeky and almost childish innocence that characterized her perfectly. “I just want to make sure that you don’t regret your decision. She did attack those two girls violently when she wasn’t holding back.”
“Yeah, and then I talked to them after, and they were good. Don’t worry about it, Chimera. I promise that I’ll be fine. As long as we work together, both you and I as well as me and Hiro, we’ll be unstoppable.” Mikai chimed, before putting her hand to her heart and closing her eyes. “And, you know, she opened up and told me about that girl she had worked with. I’d be a bad person if I didn’t try to help her and reach out after she told me all that.”
Chimera slowly nodded. “As long as you’re sure. Now, if you excuse me…” The predator grinned from ear to ear as she started flapping her wings, before taking off into the deepest and darkest reaches of the young girl’s mind. She was going to have a lot of fun with her new ability to traverse the sky.
The blackness faded as the young girl’s expression returned to normal, prompting her to look up towards the shrine… And then up at the sun, realizing that it was getting pretty dark. “Hey! Shouldn’t we go pray before night strikes? Mom wanted me to be home before dinner, and…”
“Ah! Respecting your Mother’s wishes! Of course, Mikai!” Yuuki grabbed ahold of her two companions, as the ground underneath her started freezing over. “Hold on tight, we’re heading straight up!”
Saki nodded and held on tight, while Saeko yelped a little as she was suddenly lifted up and did her best to keep her hands on the boisterous girl’s arm before she’d end up falling off, as the natural borne Yukionna put all of her powers to use in the ascent.
“We should go as well, Mikai. Can’t leave Hiro all alone on the day she’s supposed to be having fun.” Yumeko chimed, taking her friend’s hand instead of keeping her hand on her collar, ascending the stairs alongside her.
Only, they didn’t get far before they all heard a scream, and saw their white-suited companion waiting for them a little further up the stairs.
“Was that you, Hiro?” Mikai said as she ran up towards the black-and-white-haired woman, wondering what that sound was…
Hiro shook her head. “I wouldn’t scream like that. You’d know if it was me.” The older woman mused, looking up towards the shrine gate at the top of the stairs. “If I had to guess, it’d be those three. We’re dealing with something.”
She brought up her gauntlet, only for the sandy-blonde to stop her. “...I thought you’d jump at the chance to save them, miss ‘I reach out to help people’.” The older woman muttered, as she slowly lowered her arm.
“I would, but we don’t know what it is. And besides, you’re supposed to be relaxing, you can’t just go at it. I gotta watch out for you, just like you watch out for me. That was what we promised, remember?” Mikai argued, as she let go of that arm.
Hiro sighed and nodded. “I’m starting to regret making that promise a little. But you’re right.” She muttered, taking the first heavy step up the stairs to get to the point. Whatever was up there, they both needed to deal with.
Yumeko followed close behind the two, smiling a little. It was nice seeing the two get along. Even before they transformed. And with the two working together, whatever was causing problems would no doubt fall in short order.
As they all made it to the top of the stairs, they immediately saw what the issue was. And the issue was big. Bigger than any of them could’ve anticipated, and bigger than any of them were probably equipped to deal with…
Sitting in front of the shrine building was one massive Oni, nearly as big as the whole shrine. It wasn’t the first time that the city had been assaulted by a big monster, but this was a new one. And not only that, she seemed less angry and murderous and more annoyed with the situation unfolding in front of her.
“Get out of the way!” Yuuki shouted, putting her foot into the oversized Monster’s thigh, gritting her teeth a little. “You made Saeko scream, and you’re going to pay for that!” The icy-cold fire-hearted girl was furious. It didn’t matter that the monster was bigger than her, she was going to make her pay!
Saeko had nearly fainted in her leader’s arms, her body twitching after seeing that massive Monster. “H-Himitsu-senpai… W-What do we do? W-We can’t pray with that big thing here…” The lavender-haired girl muttered, her sweat running down her face, fearful of the mighty thing blocking their path.
“Breathe easy, Saeko.” Saki reassured her, letting her hand run through the younger girl’s hair and slowly caress her in an attempt to calm her down. “I just hope that Yuuki doesn’t-”
As she started vocalizing her worries, she heard the sounds of footsteps behind her, turning her head to notice Hiro and the others. “Oh, good, you made it. Fukano-sensei, can you deal with this?”
“I wish. I might be able to talk her out of whatever she might be doing, but I can’t guarantee anything. How’s Suikumo?” Hiro spoke up, approaching the two girls with Mikai and Yumeko following right behind her.
Saeko took a deep breath as she tried to get up, only for her legs to give way. “N-No good. The shock’s still too much.” The lavender-haired girl muttered, slowly leaning closer to the blue-haired girl. Her grip made her feel so safe. So warm. So wanted. It was something she loved…
“Mikai, could you help her? I don’t want you to get caught up in this. Helping out back then was one thing, but this is an actual Monster. Not another student trying to handle her own issues.” Saki said, turning her head towards the sandy-blonde. “I want to try and help out Yuuki, just in ca-”
Before she finished and before the young girl had the chance to accept, they each heard another scream echo from close to the shrine, as they saw the icy-haired girl get grabbed by the large red Oni.
“Let GO! LET GO OF ME!” Yuuki shouted as she thrashed around violently, trying to break out of that strong grip. She even started using her Monster Ability to try and freeze that palm, to make it easier to slip out.
The Oni laughed at the soft and cold tickling, before she grabbed a gourd that she had fashioned from the donation box that had once sat in front of the shrine. “Yeah yeah, you just yell as much as you want. You’re not getting in! Have a drink to calm those nerves!”
Before the fire-hearted girl had a chance to stop her, a torrent of alcohol was poured atop of her, slowly sinking into her. It wasn’t regular alcohol. It wasn’t even really alcohol, it was the liquid influence of the Monster that blocked the shrine’s entrance…
“YUUKI!” Saki shouted, her feet refusing to move despite seeing her friend get dunked in such thick and viscous liquid. She wanted to stop it. But she didn’t know if she could.
Stuck with an inability to do anything, she was forced to watch as the liquid seeped into the icy student’s body, only for it to freeze over as the hand finally released her. But it wasn’t a good thing, far from it….
“Ahhhh…” Yuuki let out a sigh as that ice sank back into her, causing her to quickly shift from a normal skin tone into one that matched her heart. A deep light blue, as cold as the ice itself. Not only that, but her uniform had changed into the kind of stereotypical kimono that the Yukionna of legend usually wore. “My my, feels so good to go back to my roots…”
Mikai was quick to pick up on the true nature of what just happened, shooting a look towards her partner. The look she received back was telling… That Oni wasn’t a normal Monster. She was a Jõtaijin. Which meant that they had to transform, but since Hiro was currently unable to do so without a potential risk, and the girl didn’t want to reveal her identity…
“Give her back… GIVE HER BACK!” Saki shouted, despite her body being unable to move. Her powerlessness was keeping her from doing anything… She just wanted to see her friends safe. And this was what life dealt her!? THIS WAS WHAT SHE GOT!?”
Yuuki laughed at the scream coming from her friend, as she brought her palm up to her lips. “You’re disturbing my dearest’ desires. I have to make you all calm down, cool your heads…” She muttered, before blowing snow straight off her palm.
The cold wind that left her lips quickly swept over the others, causing them all to be frozen in place. While the yukionna’s powers were normally strong as seen when she was converted into a Jõtaijin, this was on a completely different level. Just what kind of desire ran loose inside of that girl..!?
“Let’s see here… Who do I start with?” The yukionna chimed, stepping closer yet closer, with her intent clear in her eyes. She was going to turn them all into Monsters like her. Even if she was merely just an extremely exaggerated Pawn at this point.
Saeko shivered as she slowly struggled. The ice was stopping them from making bigger movements, but if she could just heat all the way up, then… then..!
“Ah, yes!” Yuuki giggled, sliding across the frozen ground as she grabbed ahold of the shorter lavender-haired girl, giggling as she swept her into her arms. “Dearest little Saeko. The girl who wants to show everyone what a good girl she is. You’re just perfect…”
She didn’t get a chance. The older Pawn’s lips met the younger girl’s, letting her get a taste of the alcohol that had taken hold of her. And that kiss spread its influence, causing her to convulse bit by bit.
And to make matters so much worse, Saki was still standing there. Frozen, but forced to watch another one of her closest friends slowly but surely transform into a twisted form. One that she could do nothing to save her from. One that she was powerless to stop..! It frustrated her to no end!
Saeko’s body was quick to transform, just like the yukionna’s had. But her transformation was different. Instead of turning into an icy seductress that wanted to drain all the heat from a human, her form grew bigger, accommodating for a growth starting from her waist…
A spider’s abdomen formed, letting her elevate herself as she turned into an Arachne. Or, given the oriental nature of both the culprit behind her transformation and everything else… Probably a Jorogumo…
The now transformed girl licked her lips, relishing in the power that she now had. And relishing in her servitude, once her uniform transformed into a kimono not unlike the one that the iced girl wore. “Thank you so much, Yuuki…” She smiled from ear to ear, turning towards the other four captives. “Shall we share our gift with them?”
No. No! NO! She wasn’t going to see them all get turned into monsters! She’d rather die than see that. But if she couldn’t do anything, how was she going to have any choice in the matter!? What could she possibly do-
“HENSHIN!”
“Jouchaku.”
A loud shout and a cold phrase echoed from her side, as the ice that held them shattered thanks to the power exerted from the two girls that had fought many people like the two in front of them…
Saki could only look towards them with shock in her eyes. She understood what Hiro was. Jõtaider PAWN, the one that served as their public defender. And she knew who the armored girl was. Jõtaider Mimoto, the one that had fought against the bat-themed woman that had transformed Winters…
But she was also Mikai. She didn’t realize it then, and only when push came to shove did this revelation fall onto the table. The girl that had been so silent, so distant, was able to come back from the brink due to power she just happened to acquire..?
“Yumeko!” Mikai shouted from under her helmet, her body keeping her heat up as she entered a combat stance. “Get Saki-senpai away from here! We’ll rescue Saeko-senpai and Yuuki-senpai!”
The black-haired girl nodded as she grabbed the blue-haired girl, lifting her up with a surprising amount of strength. “Apologies, Himitsu-senpai. She didn’t want you to know. But you have to trust her for now.”
“...Fushimi…” Saki muttered silently as she was hastily carried down the stairs, the last thing she saw before her mind shut down thanks to a mixture of anger and adrenaline running out, leaving her passed out in her junior’s arms.
Mikai took a deep breath as she turned towards the threat at hand. Three monsters. Two of them strong enough to cause problems, and the last seemingly not bothering to fight. Even if they managed to take out Yuuki and Saeko, what were the chances of them still having a lot of energy left for the Oni?
...Ah, she didn’t need to think too hard about this kind of stuff. If she did, she’d just end up hurting her brain. She just needed to focus on getting them free instead of worrying about what could happen. “Hiro! Remember to count on me if you need a hand!” She shouted, her flames roaring to life.
“Noted.” Hiro said, her own energy coursing through her body. “Can you handle Shimo? I’ll take on the Spider.”
Their opponents giggled as the two heroines exchanged glances and words, both of them weaving their hands together as they mixed their powers together. “Since when did you two think you’d get the benefit of being picky?”
Webbing suddenly shot out from the Jorogumo’s rear, with the ice freezing the thread as it was spread across the shrine grounds. There was no escape in sight, even as the two heroines took off into the air with their increased jump capabilities…
“Hiro? You’re not supposed to be using your suit at the moment.” Huanglong, the onboard AI for the PAWN System, spoke through the heroine’s ears as she landed on one of the threads that threatened to snap right then and there from her weight. Only the frozen reinforcement kept it from cracking and tearing apart.
Saeko giggled as she used her deft legs to climb onto the web, licking her lips as she crept closer. “Come on, come on… It’ll be fun if you have a taste. Just a little one, so you can join us…”
“I’ll be fine, Huanglong. Just give me the stats I need.” Hiro muttered as she adjusted her gauntlet, as a blue energy started rushing through her. Her gauntlet’s extra modes were active, as it cried out with a mechanical voice.
“SAINT ON - GENBU”
With the Saint System on hand to augment her abilities by changing their element, she should be able to get through this fight without a problem. Even with an opponent that had the mobility advantage.
Meanwhile, Mikai was facing down the same girl she had fought before, with her armor flaring bright red thanks to the flames rushing through her. Even though she knew it wouldn’t be enough.
“Come now, you can do better than that.” Yuuki giggled as the air around her froze, every step bringing her closer to the girl that tried to fight against her. “You may have beaten me once, but with this nice and warm feeling inside me, I won’t be beaten again…” The matured girl said, slowly bringing her hand up to her face.
The heroine quickly reacted as she threw herself further away, flames gathering in her hand. “King’s Eruption!” She cried out, smashing her hand into the ground and calling up a sustained explosion around her, protecting her from any cold winds.
Or so she thought, as those very same flames started to freeze and crack as the kimono-clad girl put her foot up against that shell. “You can’t just use fire against ice. The cold will smother your heat and keep you nice and cozy. Just give in.” She giggled, licking her lips as seductively as possible…
‘Why are they not covered in that shiny stuff? That cant be normal!’ Mikai thought to herself as she snapped into a pose, letting the flames on her body crack as they transformed into ice. “Chou Henshin!” She cried out, transforming from her Flame Lion form to her Frost Wolf form to try and combat cold with cold…
The thought remained on her mind as Hiro was busy right above her, dashing through the air thanks to a trail of water dripping from her feet. All while the spider continued to pursue her, leaving her with little room to breathe.
“Come now, come now. You can’t run forever. Eventually, you’ll be in my arms. Then we’ll share in that taste that’s still on my lips…” Saeko giggled, navigating the frozen strings without tripping or sliding even once. Despite the ice, she had full control…
If the armored heroine did as much as step wrong once, she’d slip and fall off. And if she didn’t fall through the cracks and land in the path of the yukionna, the jorogumo would pick up the slack and wrap her in those frozen threads.
“You better have something for me, Huanglong.” Hiro muttered as she continued dodging. If she had to stay out of danger, she would continue this path of avoidance.
All that she got in return was a humming sound, and the spider was closing in. If she wanted to get out of the way, she had to do something. Anything to close the distance…
“Finally, come into my arms!” Saeko giggled as she jumped forward, attempting to pin the girl beneath her legs in the process.
However, when she landed on her web, there wasn’t a person pinned beneath her. Instead, all she could see was her web trembling. And if she looked further down…
There Hiro was, using the water-like energy produced by her suit to cling to the underside of the web. “You won’t be catching me any time soon.” The heroine said, before running along the string to try and spread the distance between the two.
Saeko immediately went back on the offensive, dashing after the woman and poking holes in the iced string to try and stop her from trying that same trick again. She’d tear this net to shreds if it meant that she got her into her loving arms!
“I have a report, Hiro.” Huanglong said as statistics started popping up on her visor. “It seems that they’re not exactly transformed into Pawns, and more… They’re drunk. Corruptedly drunk, but drunk nonetheless.”
Hiro grabbed ahold of the string that still wasn’t fully shredded, using the water on her hand to swing onto the top of the web once more. “So we need to knock them sober. That’s better at least.” She muttered, darting in a different direction after that adjustment.
Just as she started rushing down one path, she caught a glimpse of danger out of the corner of her eye. Mikai having run into more trouble, as she couldn’t keep her distance due to the overwhelming power of the yukionna…
“...Desperado.” She muttered, as the power inside her fist started to overclock. “Huanglong, I apologize. I have to help her.”
He didn’t say a thing. He just improved the efficiency in her gauntlet and enabled the internal crosshairs in her visor, giving her just the aim that she needed.
“You won’t get away now. You can’t get away. Just sit still and let me give you a kiss…” Yuuki giggled, every step causing the area around her to get more and more frozen…
Mikai grit her teeth. Her body couldn’t move. The parts of her armor that were channeling her power were frozen, and that meant that even transforming to try and crack it wasn’t an option. But still, she had to stay strong. Because that’s what it meant to keep her promise.
“Let me drag you close-”
“CHECKMATE!”
Right as the icy Pawn tried to make a move, she found herself with a fist smashing against her face, launching her into the trees and removing her from the equation. All while that very same fist crumpled against the ground, disabled thanks to the Desperado routine that just went through.
“You better be grateful, Mikai!” Hiro cried out as the energy in her body turned bright red, shifting her Saint System from Genbu to Suzaku to heat up the area around her and free the girl in the process.
Mikai grinned underneath her helmet. “Thanks a lot, Hiro!” She cried out, before her armor blew apart and she shifted from Frost Wolf to Blast Eagle. “With her out of the way, I can use my powers more! So, what’s the plan?”
“Keep the spider off me, and I can fix them both. Then you deal with the Oni!” The armored heroine shouted as she started pouring energy into her legs, visor turning black to try and focus on nothing but her strategy. If she focused on anything else, then she’d just end up ruining their entire plan.
The eagle-themed girl nodded as she launched into the air, keeping herself afloat using her wings. “Hey! Saeko-senpai! Up here!” She shouted, thrusting her talon-adorned hands forward as she started blasting wind down at the spider.
Saeko avoided every blast as she giggled. “The bird wants to play? Don’t worry, I can get all the way up there…” She chimed, quickly spinning herself another web atop of the original one. Both to reinforce it after she had torn into it prior, and to give it the elasticity that it so desperately needed.
By using the wind to make it all shake, she leapt into the air and came crashing down on the net with just enough force not to tear it apart, leading her to be launched back up with her legs ready to jab their way into the green-colored eagle heroine.
Only, that was exactly what Mikai had anticipated, as she preemptively grabbed the spider and wrapped her arms around her. All while spinning around using the power of her wind and her wings.
Saeko’s attempts to stab into her were rendered pointless and futile as she couldn’t get a grip, both due to the heavy and intense winds as well as the speed at which she spun. “S-Stooooopppp!” She cried out, her cheeks starting to grow a little green…
“APEX CRASH!” The heroine cried out as she suddenly flapped her wings so hard that she flipped upside down, culminating in her and the spider descending towards the ground at breakneck speeds. And accelerating even faster, thanks to the existing spin.
The sound of the two crashing into the ground echoed behind Hiro, as she continued to focus on what was important. The energy pumping into her legs. If she succeeded at this maneuver, she’d be able to knock the drunken corrupt energy out of both of the Monsters, and return them to normal at the same time. If she didn’t…
“Huanglong. This plan of mine. How comparable is it to the Desperado routine?” She asked her on-board AI as the energy started sparking through her feet, her body starting to convulse a bit.
The statistics popped up on the visor. Showing the extensive damage that would happen to her suit. “I recommend not going through with this procedure, if I have to be honest. You might just end up doing more damage than you can handle. And the doctor had already given you an order to stay down low.”
“I know. But they need help. And we’re the only one that can do that.” She replied with her visor almost cracking from the pressure of her power. “Just give me the signal. Then I’ll do it.”
Her vision started to flicker as a terrible cold started to overwhelm her, courtesy of a certain somebody that had managed to make her way back to the fight with a terribly delighted grin on her face.
“Trying to play hard to get, you two… How naughty, how absolutely naughty. I’ll have to punish you roughly for doing that…” Yuuki mused, putting herself close to the visored heroine.
Hiro didn’t have much she could do. If she unleashed her energy now, the trump card would be gone, and she’d be out of a transformation. If she didn’t, she’d be turned just as corruptively drunk as the other two Pawns. What could she do-
“APEX METEOR!”
As she dwelled on that question, a powerful gust of wind blew towards the two, and a barrage of feathers flew straight into the yukionna. Sending her flying into one of the trees as every one of those feathers felt like a punch with intense force packed behind it…
“You don’t… you don’t get to touch her!” Mikai cried out, part of her wing broken thanks to the impact from her last finisher, her ability to stand still a bit shaky after all of that…
Hiro looked towards the battered heroine… and in her place, she saw the girl that had once worked under her. The girl that had done so much to impress her…
The girl that had once stood in front of her with a murderous look in her eyes, twisted due to everything that led up to the creation of the PAWN System. And that very same image…
Shattered. Thanks to what Mikai had done. And a smile slowly crept onto the older woman’s face, as she grit her teeth and let the energy pulse through her-
“JUST WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING, HIRO!?”
A loud and shrill voice echoed over the communications in her suit, with a visual appearing on the cracked visor showing a certain grey-haired grumpy kitty. A sight for sore eyes.
“Helping people, Byakko. Can the scolding wait?” The black-clad heroine muttered as the energy died down in her legs. She knew that the reason why her systems had just shut down was because of that very same grumpy kitten.
The delightfully displeased image of the grey-haired kitty was enough to make the heroine smile. “IT CAN, BUT ONLY BECAUSE I’M SENDING YOU SOMETHING THAT MIGHT BE WORTH A DAMN. BE GLAD I FINISHED THEM JUST IN TIME, OTHERWISE YOU’D BE IN BIG TROUBLE.”
As if on cue, a set of parts flew through the air, circling around in the air above as they waited for the moment they’d be equipped.
“Those look like the big arms you used back then! Are you gonna do that promotion thing?” Mikai chimed, if you could see her face underneath the helmet you’d probably see the excited grin on her face.
Hiro nodded, channeling a bit of power into her suit’s legs to leap into the air, a field of energy forming around her as the Promotion System kicked into gear.
“Jouchaku Change! PAWN to KNIGHT!”
Her shattered knuckle regenerated due to the energy coursing through her, as the parts floating in the air started to snap onto her body. These were meant to go onto her legs, thickening her lower body up and at the same time sleeking it down. With these, her speed would increase tremendously…
And they weren’t the only thing she received, as a single pistol flew into her hand and a helmet landed on her head. Both were shaped like equines’ heads, completing the look of this alternative state.
Mikai grinned, though not for long as she felt a set of threads wrapping around her, followed by a chilling freeze filling her body. Both of the Monsters were still up and about…
“You two just keep on hurting us, it’s not fair. But we’ll keep going, until the warmth inside us runs out…” Saeko giggled, pulling the bound heroine closer to her, while Yuuki approached her and kept the temperature as low as she could. This time, they wouldn’t be caught off guard.
Or so they though, as the yukionna felt a barrel pointed against the back of her head. “How did you get past the ice? And do you really think you can make it out before you free-”
She didn’t get to finish that sentence, as the power of the KNIGHT Blaster’s firepower smacked straight into the back of her head, knocking her out with one simple click of the trigger.
“Yuuki, you weren’t supposed to pass ouuuuutt…” Saeko huffed, slowly wrapping Mikai into her arms. “You wouldn’t shoot her, would you? You can’t get behind me like you did to her, the webbing’s in the way.”
Hiro, or rather KNIGHT as she was called in this form, just aimed her firearm squarely on the spider as she held the victim in front of her. “Checkmate.”
She squeezed the trigger, and where one bullet fired, several more appeared. All forming a single massive ring around the target, each pointed directly at her with no chance of clashing against one another. Any attempt to dodge would be rendered null and void thanks to the area that they covered…
That was the level that her speed attained. In one trigger pull, she could fire that many, as if she had circled around her in that same moment. And knowing the tech that went into the PAWN System, she probably did.
Saeko let out a scream of shock as the bullets hit her, not directly injuring her as they were merely constructs created by the Blaster, but it was enough to knock her out. Just as the heroine wanted, leaving her ready to recover from the effects of the corruptive booze inside her.
With that, Hiro holstered her firearm into a compartment that opened on her thigh, before cancelling her transformation and breathing a sigh of relief. They had managed to save the two…
“Yeaaaah! Wooo! We did it! We really did it!” Mikai giggled, transforming back to normal and immediately hugging the white-suited woman as tightly as she could. There was cause to celebrate! They had worked together as a team and they had done what they didn’t think was possible!
The older woman chuckled a little. “Ease up on the tight stuff, Mikai. Don’t give the Doctor another excuse to keep me off duty.” She said, petting the young girl on the head…
“Right, sorry!” The sandy blonde said as she let go of her, giggling a little as she turned towards the big red Oni that was still in the back, rubbing the back of her head. “Sooo… How do we deal with the big girl?”
Hiro shook her head, slowly approaching the enormous red woman and clearing her throat. “Excuse me! Can you please move? You’re blocking the entrance to the shrine, and we would like to offer a prayer to the gods!”
“I’m not blockin’ nothin! Yu-senpai said it was fine for me to stay here!” The oni said, stretching a little as she rubbed her belly. “I just protected the shrine from that girl who wanted to kick me. Guess she thought you guys were all super dangerous, dunno why.”
...She clearly hadn’t been paying attention to the entire fight, but at the same time… “Wait… You didn’t transform her because… You’re a Jõtaijin though, aren’t you supposed to-”
“Nope, she’s not!” Mikai chimed as she dashed over to the older woman’s side. “Alyssa was friendly too, so maybe it was just Yuuki’s fault this time?”
Hiro was at a loss for words, slowly putting her hand onto her face. So she had gone through all of that when they could’ve just told the icy girl to knock it off..? ...She really needed a drink, and she didn’t even drink.
“...Promise me something, Mikai.” The black-and-white-haired woman muttered, doing her best not to punch herself for going through all of this...
Mikai turned towards her, blinking a little as she spoke. “Yeah, Hiro?”
“We’re not talking about this. Ever.” Hiro asserted, as she turned away from the oni and started walking back down the stairs. She really needed to clear her head after all of that.
The sandy-blonde nodded. “Okay!” She chimed, dashing after her partner so the two could get the rest that they needed.
And with that, the two departed, taking the fainted girls home with them while waving goodbye to the surprisingly friendly oni…
“...Hey, Yu-senpai? Was it just me, or did the smaller of those two girls feel kinda… Empty?”
But the Oni wasn’t done, as she looked into the shrine after she turned over onto her side, with her eye staring straight at the young man that was currently drinking tea in one of the innermost rooms.
“Yes, Mizutani. I felt it too.” The youth said, slowly taking a sip from his tea. “And for the record, I didn’t approve of turning that girl into a Monster. You’re not getting any training for the next week.”
The Oni, Azami herself, cried out in pain from that remark, tears slowly running down her cheeks. This was kinda what she deserved after causing trouble.
Still, hopefully that feeling was just a fluke…
---
“Everything seems to be in order, Minami. Despite the issues with your legs.”
Meanwhile, in a quieter part of the city, the good Doctor Charlotta was busy with Minami Kazumi, a girl that no doubt desperately needed her, considering the fact she was bound to a wheelchair…
“... I have a question, Doctor.” The white-haired girl muttered, as she slowly flicked through a couple of pictures on her phone. “...You work with Atlas Corp, I know that. Do you know who worked with my Mom?”
Charlotta paused for a moment, before shaking her head. “Unfortunately, I only managed to work my way through the bottom ranks around the same time that the major attacks started happening. Could you give me a name? I might be able to search through the records and find what you want to know.”
“Rena Kazumi. She once worked with the science division, if that helps any. That’s what she told me whenever she came home.” Minami explained, her grip on her phone growing tighter as she let that name slip off her lips.
The Doctor nodded, before placing a hand on the girl’s head. “I’ll let you know if I find anything. You just try and get more rest. Until we find the reason for your legs refusing to listen to your brain’s signals, I’ll stay by your side. You have my word.”
Minami nodded, smiling. She’d get the answers she wanted sooner or later…
And then, she’d be able to find out why her Mother had to disappear.