[Tokusatsu Themes, Corruption, Ganguro]

“Alright, girls, class’s over. Don’t hog the room for too long, and if I find that you’re still here by the time the evening bell rings, I’ll cancel our little arrangement. Got it?”

The afternoon sun was currently shining in through the window of one uncharacteristic classroom in Mimoto Highschool, with the few people currently inhabiting it not really listening to the woman that was trying to address them.

“Mmm? Whaaaaaat, you think we won’t leave on time, Sensei? Come on, what do you take us for?” One of the girls that currently sat atop of one of the tables, a girl with deep brown skin and garish makeup, laughed a little as she stretched her legs out as far as they could go. Ah, not having to deal with classes was like a weight lifted off her shoulders.

One of the other two girls, who had the same sort of aesthetic in terms of her face and her skin tone just with hair that was mismatched in terms of colors to make her stand out in her own way, laughed together with her friend. “Mmhm! We’re good girls, Sensei! You know that!” She giggled, nudging the last girl in the side. “Isn’t that right, Nanae?”

“Mmhm. You know us, Alicia-sensei.” The last dark-skinned girl, whose makeup formed a heart across her face complimenting her platinum-shaded hair perfectly, giggled a bit herself. “You just worry about the other students! I bet you’ve got a lot in remedial to watch over, knowing what’s been happening!”

Their teacher, Alicia Heathers, sighed a little as she nodded towards the three. “Just don’t cause any trouble. I don’t want you three to end up with those girls. For their sake.” She said as she walked towards the door, flexing her muscles slightly as they formed an outline against her teacher’s uniform. “Guess I’ll just have to blow my worries off on the crummy students who don’t understand what it means to be good!”

All three of the darker-skinned students laughed as their strong teacher disappeared into the hallway. She always got like this. Caring about them one moment, and wanting to discipline them the next. They were lucky that they hadn’t caused enough trouble to warrant a punishment, because they couldn’t handle it. Not like the bullies and rats.

“So, like, Nanae.” The blonde ganguro amongst the three grinned as she licked her lips, reaching her hands into her companion’s hair and ruffling it without missing a beat. “Why’dya try to hide away those ears of yours?”

Nanae let out a surprised gasp as her feline features, primarily her cute platinum ears and her platinum cat tail, popped out of their respective hiding places. All while bringing a moan out of her lips, considering how tightly she usually tucked her tail away. “Don’t do that, Kumiiii! They’re sensitive, you know thaaaat!” She whined, pouting at her friend’s pseudo-betrayal.

“Yeah, but like, you know it’s not bad to show off, Nanae.” The near-rainbow haired Ganguro amongst the three giggled, wrapping her arms around both of her pals. “Y’just gotta own your style. So what if people start giving ya looks?”

Kumi laughed a bit as she pinched her multi-haired friend’s cheek. “You’re one to talk, Rie. You just walk around with a bucket of paint splattered all over your hair. That’s why people look at you like you’re a freak!” She teased her, tugging a biiiit harder to illicit a whine from the other girl.

“You’re not much better, Kumi. You’re also hiding some of your features. Is it because of all the news lately, or are you just shy?” Nanae was quick to fire the teasing back at the blonde, hoping to take some revenge for her ears being exposed.

The blonde Ganguro huffed a little, causing her bear-like ears to pop out, and for her uniform to grow a little tighter as a result. “W-Well it’s about to be winter, Nanae! You know how me and Ma’ get! Dad’s been running all over town to prepare for the snow to fall, and we’re just getting all… y’know!”

“Hehehehe, maybe you should’ve tried to get those XXXL panties so you wouldn’t snap another pair when you let it all out, Kumiiii.” Rie giggled as she reached over to tug on her cheek as well, her own freed from the finger-based teasing because the blonde lost her concentration from the assault being turned on her.

Kumi let out a whine as she reached into the rainbow-haired Ganguro and yanked on a pair of antennae, revealing her Monster heritage to the others. “Don’t you joke about that, you’re the one who ate the last ones! And those were my favorite ones too!”

The three friends, though clearly upset with one another, didn’t see themselves as anything but friends. As once they all looked at one another, they started laughing and kicking back.

Nanae Harada. Kumi Mirai. Rie Himeito. Three girls that looked like they’d be the worst enemies, considering their similar yet different aesthetics. Considering that they were all Monsters by birth. And yet here they were. A cat, a bear and a moth, all having fun despite their differences.

Surely nothing would break them apart…

---

“I can’t believe she wants me to get all of this done before the weekend! Who does she think she is?!”

Meanwhile, not far from the room where the three Ganguro were more than happy to have fun with one another, a lone blonde was busy having a fit. Because a certain somebody that had previously kicked her ass and thrown her through at least three walls had been so kind as to give her homework. And not the kind of homework that involved just reading a book and answering a couple of questions. No, this was homework that actually required using her brain.

She hated it! Oh, she hated it! Why should she do that when she had all of her maids at her beck and call? That was how she had gotten through all of her previous assignments, through the use of those that had the time to actually study, so they could teach her where she went wrong. Even if she ended up abusing them a bit in the process, but that was part of the contract, they had agreed to weather that storm if it meant that she eventually got out over the other side.

Agatha Anemone. The rich girl who always thought she was right. And by all accounts, the money in her pocket meant that she would get her way. But the morals of those that normally got in her way, whether it was the teacher that held her in detention and remedial classes, or the idiot who kept on smiling despite what she had done, meant that she couldn’t just bribe them. Despite the fact she had very clearly tried!

“I swear, if she thinks I’ll do all of this… I’m going to file a complaint with the principal. No, with the board of teachers! They’ll see how terrible everything’s going, and then they’ll transfer her to a crummy school on the outskirts of reality!” Agatha cried out as she clenched her fist, while keeping all of the important homework held underneath her other arm. Despite her words, she was making sure she didn’t hurt the documents too much…

She quietly looked around as she came to a stop, before shuffling all of the papers into the surprisingly small bag she usually had with her, and then quickly pulled out a list from her pocket. A list full of scribbles, that she could barely read due to how terribly the text itself was written…

“And how come that nameless dog can’t write?! How’d she make it all the way to second year if she can’t write?!” The rich girl very nearly shouted as her anger resonated through the endless hallways, her grip trembling as she was on the verge of crumpling the note up and tossing it out of sheer frustration. But she didn’t.

Because the notes written on the paper were very important, they contained names of certain books that she needed to grab for a certain somebody. Somebody close to her.

“What’s on the list, Agatha?”

“Books for Alyssa. I swear, that club for all the people that’ve been turned into those Jõtaijin things is worthless. Why’d it have to be led by the dog who can’t wri-” Agatha started speaking, only to pause as her expression narrowed from an angry one into an outright displeased one as she slowly turned her head over her shoulder.

Standing right there at her side, unannounced, was the sandy-blonde idiot that she had hounded at least once. And some of that hounding was morally justified. But right now, she had better ways to deal with her. Ones that wouldn’t land her in detention again.

“Mikai. How did you find me, and why did you sneak up on me.” The rich blonde asked, quickly pocketing the paper before she got another look at it. She didn’t want to get her wrapped up in her chores. No way.

The shorter girl, Mikai Fushimi, smiled from ear to ear like usual. “I could hear you yelling from down the hall.” She said, honesty beaming from her lips. “Oh, yeah, do you know where the old 2nd year classroom is? Yumeko asked if I could go check it out. Dunno what she wanted me to find, but it’s gotta be something neat!”

“I wasn’t yelling that loudly! And you didn’t hear a thing, RIGHT?!” Agatha yelled louder than before as her voice made the younger girl’s hair-intakes blow backward from the sheer force of will behind those words.

Mikai blinked a couple of times as she quietly ruffled her hair back to its normal shape. “Uhhhh… Kinda? I dunno, it always just sounds like a bunch of weird stuff when you start yelling.” She replied, tilting her head slightly. “Doesn’t it feel bad to always be so angry, Agatha?”

“If you can’t understand me when I’m yelling THEN HOW DID YOU JUST-” The angry blonde started shouting, before covering her own mouth and violently yet muffledly screaming into it to vent all of her anger. “...I’m fine now.” She muttered, as she started walking away.

The sandy-blonde girl followed behind her, skipping from step to step. “How’d you learn that?” She asked innocuously, taking a brief look at her surroundings to try and see if she could find the classroom that Yumeko had asked her to investigate.

“Charlotta-sensei noticed my issues after detention and asked to see if I could incorporate a few exercises into my routine, to try and temper my anger.” Agatha explained as calmly as she could, her cheeks still bright and red after all that shouting, before she turned towards her ‘friend’. “Why are you following me, anyway.”

Mikai shrugged her shoulders. “I dunno. Seemed like a good idea!” The girl chimed, stretching a little. She was surprised she even got out of bed this morning, because the weekend had been full of fun with her rival-turned-friend. Not that the latter would call it fun considering what they did…

“She also told me to try and note down things that frustrated me.” The blonde said as she pulled out a different piece of paper from her bag, making sure not to pull out all the homework in the process, before quietly writing it down and stuffing the thing back into her bag. “...And yes, my anger is one of the things that frustrates me. Before you ask.”

Her shorter friend let out a gasp and an ‘ooooooh’ as it all clicked, before she continued walking by her friend’s side. “Well, how’s Alyssa? Are you two still tight?” She asked, giggling a little. She remembered the way that the blonde had tried to protect her in her own way. Even if it hadn’t given the best kind of results.

“Tight is underselling it.” Agatha said as she pulled out the crummy note, handing it off to the shorter girl. Better to just play along with her than to try and force her away when she didn’t have an adequate solution to her unending positivity grating on her. “I’ve been picking up homework and books for her. All of them were recommended by the girl who runs the club for Jõtaijin. If you know her.”

Mikai took a few moments to try and scroll through her memory to remember who that was, before her eyes lit up and a bright happy blush colored in her cheeks. “Mumei-chan’s helping her? You’re helping Mumei-chan help Alyssa? Oh, that’s great! I’m so glad they’re both helping each other in their own ways!” She grinned, her pearly whites nearly blinding her bigger and stouter friend in the process.

“What’s so amazing about that!?” The blonde cried out as she shielded her eyes from the light, her anger slowly growing in the process. God, why couldn’t she just relax and stop being so damned happy!? It got really frustrating, seeing her go through life like that. Without a struggle or anything.

The sandy-blonde giggled as she grabbed her friend’s hand, tightly gripping it and nearly digging her nails in from how excited she was. “Because they’ve both been having troubles, you know? Like, big troubles. Huge troubles. Like, Mumei-chan was kinda feeling like an outcast, and you know what Alyssa was like! So it’s great to see them work together, getting over their problems!” She chimed, really happy on their behalf. And because she had helped them too, of course. Seeing friends improve friends was such a good feeling.

Agatha paused a little as she listened to that spiel, looking away. Friends helping friends. Yeah, she helped Alyssa in the end. But… Who helped her? Her maids? Certainly not her parents, they’ve been out of her life for a lot longer than she liked. “...Sounds pretty lame, if you ask me.” She muttered, looking away a bit. “They both got saved by Mimoto too, didn’t they? You sure that’s not a more important factor?”

“Mmhm. Mimoto’s just one thing.” Mikai said, closing her eyes a bit as she put her hand on her heart. “Because without people reaching out to you, there’s no way you’ll move on. You were that to Alyssa, I was that to Mumei-chan, Yumeko was that to me, and it just keeps going like that. I’m sure Mimoto was one to them too, but they had friends first and foremost!”

The blonde looked back at her with a raised eyebrow. “Since when did you know a lot about Mimoto?” She asked, narrowing her eyes a little. “You’re not telling me you’ve been grabbing all that merch I’ve been trying to buy, are you?”

“Wait, there’s merch?” The shorter girl said, blinking a couple of times. “When did… How?”

Agatha sighed as she whipped out her phone, scrolling through a couple of apps before she got to one of the Atlas Corp websites that she had bookmarked for future use. “The big corp’s been selling figurines based on Mimoto’s likeness. All because of the recent partnership with PAWN.” She explained, gritting her teeth a bit. “AND SOMEBODY’S BEEN BUYING THEM ALL!”

‘You see now why you should be careful, Mikai?’ The voice of her mental passenger, Chimera, spoke up inside the short girl’s mind. ‘Allying with her means your image is out there. Even if you were masked. Might want to talk to her about that.’

Mikai nodded softly as the voice of her predatory ally disappeared, prompting her to grab the bigger girl’s phone. “I’ll try and see if I can get you one, okay? To make up for making you mad!”

“...You didn’t need to do that.” Agatha muttered as she slowly blushed all across her face. Striking her where it proverbially hurt the most brought out her sweetest side, before she cleared her throat and pocketed the phone. “Fine. How about this, I’ll help you find that damned classroom, and you pay me back with that figurine, since you clearly won’t let it go if I start saying no.”

The sandy-blonde girl nodded as she shook her friend’s hand. “Deal! Lead the way, Agatha!” She grinned. One more step towards a proper friendship, one where she wouldn’t get punched in the face. Probably. She still didn’t know if she would throw another hook at her if she wasn’t careful.

“Of course!” The stout blonde cried out, grinning herself. Now she wouldn’t be in debt if she got her that gift, AND she was going to get a figurine of her favorite heroine. It was the best plan!

And all she had to do was endure that friendly attitude for another few minutes, hopefully!

---

A silence echoed through the Student Council’s assigned room. The room that usually had plenty of activity, thanks to the way that the President played off her subordinates.

But now? It was dead quiet. Because nobody was present. Nobody except for the President herself, who was currently keeping her head resting on the back of her hands, a silent rage building inside her heart.

Saki Himitsu. President of the Student Council. The girl that many looked up to. The girl who felt weaker and weaker with every passing day, because no matter how much people looked up to her, she couldn’t do anything.

Take the case of the Jõtaijin that were roaming around the city. Roaming inside the school. Causing trouble no matter where they were. No matter who they were.

Her subordinate, Yuuki Shimo, had been one of those Jõtaijin. And though she still remained on the side of good after the fact, she couldn’t deny that she had been the reason why several students ended up suffering from Pawn Syndrome. The phantom after effects of being converted into the latex-covered minions of somebody like her.

She wasn’t the only one that had been converted, of course. There were many others. Most recently the pseudo-delinquent Azami Mizutani, who had taken up a lazy position at the shrine on the city’s border. And while she hadn’t been converting others, the sheer amount of Jõtaijin was becoming a problem.

What could Saki do, when she didn’t have powers of her own to stop them? All she could do, at least on the surface level, was help her fellow students evacuate and hope to guide PAWN, otherwise known as Hiro Fukano-sensei, towards the Jõtaijin to minimize the amount of collateral damage they inflicted. Or, if she saw Mimoto, the lone lion that fought to save them just as much, direct her in the same fashion.

...The latter was no longer an option. Because she had met the true identity of that heroine. A girl that she never would’ve considered, yet made total sense with how she had been improving over the last little while.

Mikai Fushimi. The black sheep of the city, according to the records she had available. Ever since ten years ago, she had been practically unable to feel joy. And just as Mimoto enters the limelight, she regains her emotions and starts bonding with people. Including the President herself…

So of course it made sense that Mikai just happened to be Mimoto. It all clicked in place. The girl who had been trying to help people in her own way after she reawoke to life itself, was the same person as the heroine that fought to help people and reach out.

“Why did it have to be you..!?” Saki shouted as she slammed her fists against the desk, a few tears dripping onto the mahogany as she tried to recompose herself.

If there was one thing that frustrated her above all else… It was the inability she felt, when she couldn’t save her allies or her friends. When she had to just watch as they were turned into either Monsters, or Pawns that would suffer from Pawn Syndrome.

The fact she couldn’t do anything, the fact she would be an active detriment if she tried to stand up and use some sort of force or firearm to fight back, was enough to drive her mad. She hated it. She hated it she hated it she hated it she hated it SHE HATED IT.

In her continued frustration, the girl slammed her fists against the desk and made it audibly crack. And yet she kept her voice and her screams held in, letting the mild sobs be the only sound to accompany the damage she inflicted upon her own property.

Why couldn’t she be the one that had all the power? Why couldn’t she be the one to save them? And why, why did it have to be the girl who once didn’t have anything. Why was it her chance? Why was she the one to get everything handed to her on a silver platter, when she was the one to get this far in life through her hard work and determination..?

“You’re looking awfully conflicted there, President.”

A soft voice graced her ear as she slowly looked up, as a certain spider-themed woman revealed herself with a devious grin on her face. The same spider-themed woman that she had heard about, serving as one of the sources for the Jõtaijin phenomenon.

“...General Spider.” Saki said as she slowly got up from her chair, grabbing ahold of the desk with a frustrated look in her eyes. “Why should I listen to somebody who has nothing but ill will in mind for me and my friends, given what you’ve done to us?” She was very clear. She wasn’t going to be manipulated, not like Yuuki. Not like anybody…

The militant in all black chuckled, brushing a hand through her lavender hair. “I see my reputation precedes me. As expected of the Student Council President, keeping an eye on the people that offer her dear students a chance to be what they want to be most of all.”

“What they want to be? You’ve turned them into Monsters! You’ve turned them against their friends, and you act like that’s a good thing?!” The blue-haired girl shouted as she couldn’t hold back her frustration any longer, using all of her strength to toss the desk straight upward…

Only for it to be carved in eight pieces, thanks to the lavender woman’s hair turning as sharp as blades. “Of course I act like it’s a good thing!” The General shouted as her hair relaxed once more, with her body slowly descending towards the floor. “With the help of the Jõtai that we give them, they get a taste of the Golden Freedom that we have. And that’s what drive them to go overboard, because they’ve never had a taste of what it’s like to be truly comfortable with your inner wants and needs.”

“Golden Freedom… Is that what you call yourself..?” Saki asked as she looked closely at the woman, her hands held in front of her with both fists closed and clenched. She wasn’t about to let herself get defeated or turned. She wanted to show that people had the power to stand up… She wanted to prove to herself that she had some power..!

Spider nodded, as she slowly brought out another Jõtai, as cracked as the one that wrapped around the local heroine’s waist. “I, King Cobra, Baroness Bat, and our dear Lady D’Or, make up Golden Freedom. Our goal is to liberate everyone from their discomforting lives, so they can be their true selves. Without anybody, especially not a society that beats them into a single role, to tell them what to do.” She explained, as she let go of the Jõtai, letting it hang by a thread.

“And I want to give you that very same Golden Freedom, Saki Himitsu.” The woman in black said, a smile on her lips. A wicked, yet not cruel, smile. “To give you the chance to have the power you want. You were frustrated, seeing that girl transform into Mimoto, weren’t you?”

Saki paused as she listened. “...Why?” Was all that she could ask in return, wondering why somebody as terrible as the General who had corrupted her friend would…

“Because you deserve it just as much as I.” The General said, as she bowed her head slightly. “And if you don’t take it, that’s okay. You’ll understand why you were given the chance.”

Spider smiled a little as her body slowly broke apart, splitting into many little spiders that crawled away in every which direction, leaving the Student President with little time to properly squash any of them if she wanted to try and carry out her anger at the people behind these incidents…

And thus, Saki was stuck with the Jõtai. The thing that caused all of the Jõtaijin to pop up. And at the same time, the thing that would let her become a heroine, if she were like Mikai.

...She reached out…

---

“How hard is it to find a damned classroom in this building anyway!?”

Agatha shouted as the sweat poured down her face. She had been very excited to help her friend, if only to get her off her back slightly and then also get her nice figurine in the process, but… seriously, how hard could it have been to find a classroom that didn’t get used?!

“We passed by a lot of old elementary school rooms a few halls ago, maybe we went too far?” Mikai asked as she rubbed her hand against the back of her head. She had to agree, this was getting a little silly. Not only that, but when she wasn’t directly responsible for the blonde’s rage, it was really sad seeing her get frustrated like this.

The stout girl let out a violent sigh as she slowly came to a stop. “You might be right. Seriously though, who designed this school, and why didn’t they just repurpose the classrooms in the first place?” She muttered in frustration, as she started to turn around.

“Oooooi! Who’s the loud bitch who can’t shut her trap?”

Both of the two blondes looked towards the sound of a rather crude voice, before they noticed a darker skinned girl walking straight towards them.

Standing right there in front of them was a girl with thick blonde hair, an equally thick dark tan, a total disregard for common decency as she wasn’t wearing her uniform, and a skirt that did very little to hide anything down below, to the point where they could both clearly see the leopard print underwear she wore.

“Put some damned clothes on!” Agatha immediately shouted as she glared at the darker-skinned girl. “And wash your face, it’s like you got white paint all over it! Can’t you see through that thick stuff!? AND WHO ARE YOU CALLING A BITCH ANYWAY!?”

Mikai could feel a bit of sweat running down the side of her face as she watched the stout blonde immediately erupt into anger, before looking towards the strange girl. “It’s not that nice to call people bitches, you know! And… wait, can you actually see through that makeup? It really does look super thick.”

“‘course I can. What kind of Ganguro would I be if I couldn’t see through my own makeup?” The blonde and tanned girl said, clicking her tongue slightly in response to the loudmouth. “And calm your tits, girl. Bitch’s affectionate when it’s coming from the heart, especially from one like me.”

Agatha didn’t buy it, choosing to keep her glare laser-focused on the newcomer. “Name one reason why I shouldn’t be returning the favor with an insult.” She said, brushing a hand through her drill-shaped hair to try and calm herself down. Poorly.

“Girl, your hair’s even blonder than mine. I could’ve called you a bimbo, and that’d be even more scathing.” The newcomer said, as she stepped closer and started smiling. “Besides, that plush bit of paddin’ on your bod? Real nice, gotta say. I’d love to get my hands on a gal like you and just squeeze you all day long.”

Mikai watched as her plumper friend started to blush all over, her face deeper than the rest, as she very nearly broke into a sprint from sheer embarrassment. Only to be stopped by the darker-skinned girl as she put her arm around her. “Unhand meee! Stop saying these things, you charlatan!” She cried out, truly and horribly embarrassed by it all.

“Haha, you really are as soft as you look, girl!” The darker-tanned girl said, before she turned her attention towards the sandy-blonde. “What ‘bout you? What’re you doin here with this thickness?”

The shorter girl smiled a little. “Oh, I was just looking for the old 2nd year classroom. You know where it is?” She said everything as simply and as honestly as she could, all while her eyes were still kinda focused on her friend getting near-manhandled by the other girl.

“Aaaaaahhh. That’s a hangout spot for me and my pals. I dunno why you’d want to meet a couple of Ganguros, but we’re happy to have a bit of company!” She grinned from ear to ear as she started draggin the blonde along. “Follow me and the thickness, we’ll show you the way.”

To say that Agatha was displeased with this sudden development wasn’t inappropriate. Nor was it understated. “Mikai, I swear, get me free and I’ll do anything! ANYTHING! JUST GET HER HANDS OFF ME THEY’RE SQUEEZING THE WRONG SPOTS!” She sounded more panicked than ever before, despite the fact that the handsy girl wasn’t really doing all that much. Just tickling her a bit if anything, those hands were too busy being used to guide her along while keeping her close.

Mikai could hear her complain and she did contemplate helping her out. But at the same time, nothing bad was really happening. Sure, she was super duper loud and she made it seem like a bigger deal than it was, but the darker-skinned girl wasn’t causing any problems otherwise. And besides, she swore she could see a couple of tears running down the bigger girl’s cheeks. Not the sad kind, the kind that you’d make when you were being forcibly tickled again and again. So maybe it was alright to just watch it happen.

“DAMNIT MIKAI HELP MEEEEE!” The oversized blonde cried out on repeat as they continued to head down the hall, not realizing that the hands had found their way off her body until a minute or so after she had stopped moving. Once she finally realized what had happened, she crossed her arms and started huffing, her blush having taken up her entire face.

Their guide laughed a little as she pointed up to the sign right outside the classroom they had stopped at. “No wonder you two were lost, the sign’s all busted.” She said, and indeed it was incredibly hard to actually make out the number and letter written on the sign. “We just took the usual route, and so does Alicia-sensei. Guess you two just gotta get used to this.” She chimed, before heading straight in, motioning for them to join her.

Mikai eyed the sign and narrowed her eyes, scratching the back of her head. “Agatha, isn’t there some sort of rule or policy or that kinda stuff that controls what condition signs should be in?”

“You think I know about school policy?” Agatha grit her teeth, before dusting herself off. Making sure that nothing had been left on her outfit, especially none of that crazy girl’s makeup. “We’re leaving. I don’t want to spend another moment with girls like her.” The frustration left her lips as she nearly stomped away…

Only to be stopped by the sandy-blonde, who grabbed her arm. “Come on, Agatha! She just wanted to be nice, in her own way! You don’t try to walk away when I’m being nice, so why should she be any different?” She made a good argument. As good as she could make it sound, anyway.

“For the record, you make me want to leave more than you imagine.” The haughty blonde huffed and sighed. “Fine. But if they keep harassing me, I’ll get one of the teachers. You understand?” She asked, and the younger girl nodded. “Alright. Let’s see what they’re actually up to…”

The unlikely duo stepped into the classroom, and immediately took note of the fact that it looked just like any of the others that were actually in use. The only difference being a slight lack of cleanliness, with a bit of dust and grime hiding in the corners. Not that it mattered much, since the room hadn’t been publicly used for a year or so.

“OoooI! Why’d you wait outside?” The Ganguro that had led them here waved from one of the tables in the back of the class, flanked by her equally garishly dressed and makeup-covered girls. “Come on! Join us, we won’t bite!”

The other two girls sitting at her table, or rather on the same table considering the two were being so tactless that they were using the table itself as a seat, grinned and waved them closer. Whether it was the multi-colored Ganguro or the platinum blonde, both of them were showing great hospitality towards the two newcomers.

“I don’t like them.” Agatha muttered as she came closer. “They look like they don’t understand a thing about fashion, just pouring everything on in excess. Seriously, makeup’s supposed to enhance your existing beauty, not be the only thing you notice!” She very nearly raised her voice to the point where the three could hear her, before clearing her throat so they wouldn’t notice.

Mikai giggled a little as she came closer as well, looking between the three Ganguro. “Hi! I’m Mikai! Mikai Fushimi! Who are you three?” She asked, not at all bothered by the way they were dressed or by the extreme makeup or by anything. They looked like nice people, after all.

“Ehhhh? Fushimi-senpai?” The rainbow-haired girl, seemingly the youngest of the lot, nudged the platinum-blonde. “You didn’t tell us that she was this cute, Nanae! Like, were you hiding her, trying to keep her all to yourself?”

The platinum blonde blushed a little. “I’m just as surprised as you are, Rie. Last I heard, she was catatonic in class. But I guess that’s what happens when you skip class to hang out with you two.” She said, nervously laughing as she let her eye slowly curve towards the sandy-blonde. “Nice to meet you, Mikai. I’m Nanae Harada. I’m a second year, just like you.”

“Rie Himeito!” The girl with all the colors in her hair cried out, waving to both of the blondes without a tan, grinning from ear to ear. “First year, hanging out with my senpais as much as I can!”

Finally, the blonde that had guided them spoke up. “Kumi Mirai. Third year, graduating in Spring.” She said, twirling her finger through her hair. “Glad to be your friends, girls.” With her introduction finished, her smile turned a little malicious as she crept closer to Agatha. “Unless you want to be more than that, A-ne-mo-ne.”

“If you try something, I will throw you through four of those tables before the teacher gets here.” Already feeling overwhelmed by her teasing from earlier, she wasn’t about to let Kumi get close to her and try something else. No way. Not this time.

The Blonde Ganguro laughed, and her friends joined her. “Oh, relax, Anemone! You’re in good hands, trust me!” She didn’t want to come off as too oppressive, as she took a seat on one of the other tables. “Besides, you’ve got a girlfriend of your own, don’t you? The other shut-in, right?”

“Ooooo! Gee, Anemone-senpai! You’re so lucky, you’ve got a girl all to yourself!” Rie giggled, letting a heart pop out from her lips as she practically swooned into her platinum-haired friend’s arms. “Ahhh, what I wouldn’t give for such a senpai that’s as amazing as she is. Wouldn’t you too, Nanae?”

Nanae nodded, enjoying the sight of the thoroughly fuming blonde. Something about teasing a girl like her was endlessly amusing. “I’m sure her girlfriend matters a lot to her too. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have a bag full of homework under her arm.”

“Eh?” Mikai blinked a couple of times as she looked towards the bag that Agatha had brought with her. “Is that what it is, Agatha? Homework? I thought you said it was books?” She asked innocently, trying to get a peek.

Her attempts to get close were met with a hand firmly grasping her face, and an annoyed expression making its way onto the other girl’s face. “Mikai. Not now. Not in the mood.” She said, taking deep breaths to try and concentrate. “Do you three have anything else you want to say besides trying to tease me for being a good friend!?” She turned up the volume, shouting at the three to try and make them take her seriously.

“Teasing’s born from the heart, girl.” Kumi spoke up, crossing one leg over the other. “Really, that’s why we’re here. Because the others couldn’t take us. Isn’t that right, girls?” She said, letting one of her hands brush through the youngest of the three girls’ hair, revealing a set of antennae.

Rie’s cute moth-like antennae twitched as she nodded, shivering as her clothes grew a little tight. “Turns out that if you’re a Monster and really expressive, people kinda get uncomfy!” She chimed. Something about those two girls, especially the sandy-blonde, made her feel safe enough to reveal her heritage.

“Mmhm.” Nanae replied as she let her own features pop out, an adorable set of cat ears. Even her tail sprung out from the gap between her panties and her skirt, making the latter push up a little in the process. “It’s something that I found out when I was just a first year. Then I met Kumi-senpai.” She said, adding that little bit of formality for the occasion.

Which managed to make the oldest of the three Ganguro blush as she slowly ran a finger across her face. “Eehhhh… Don’t call me senpai, Nanae. You’re making me feel older than I really am.” She said, narrowing her eyes as her own features, a cute pair of bear ears and an equally cute tuft of fur above her bottom, popped out. “But yeah. I keep an eye on these two, teach them what I know, and the teachers trust me to make sure they don’t get in trouble. Kind of what you do, Anemone.”

Agatha stared straight ahead at the blonde Ganguro, the gears turning inside her head. “...No wonder you know who I am. You’ve been talking with Alicia-sensei. She’s the one who’s been going here every day to make sure you’re doing good, isn’t she?”

“Oh my. If I could give you a score, I’d give you an A for effort.” Kumi grinned, sarcastically clapping. “Really, she’s just giving us a couple extra lessons. As much as I can teach them, she’s a special case. And since she’s in charge of detention, that means she’s more than ready to deal with us if we ever turned bad. Not that we ever have. Right, Rie?”

Rie nervously laughed as she scratched the back of her head. “Well how could I know those black thingies were bad? Besides, the cold was really comfy. Like, suuuuper comfy…” She tried to excuse her time as a pawn, before getting lightly bonked on top of the head by both of her senpais. And laughing it off, like the ditz that she was.

Mikai watched them all with bright eyes as she took her own seat on top of one of the tables. No wonder Yumeko wanted her to see them! They were great in their own way. And their disagreements weren’t able to tear them apart. Just like her and Agatha, kinda! They still needed to work past the aggressive parts of the other girl’s personality, but surely they could be just like them…

“Great. Juuuust great.” The chubby blonde sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose. “I think I should go. Mikai, you still owe m-”

Unfortunately for the chubster, she wasn’t allowed to leave. Yet again, because the sandy-blonde was too persuasive. “Can’t you wait just a little longer, Agatha? You don’t need to hurry to Alyssa’s, I’m sure she’ll be happy to see you even if you’re a little late!”

“You’re getting me two figures for this, Mikai.” Agatha said, narrowing her eyes as she took her own seat. On a proper chair, compared to all of the simpletons taking a seat on the table. “Why do you want me to stay, anyway? They’re clearly too happy with themselves.”

None of the three Ganguro took offense to her comment, more letting their eyebrows waggle like a wave through the power of their coordination.

“Mmhm! That’s why I want you to stay, so we could try and be like them! You know, to be closer!” Mikai said what she had on her mind. No matter how strange it sounded to anybody listening.

Agatha twitched. “Under no circumstance am I going to look like a blacked out canvas. You’re not getting me to wear that much makeup, no way!”

“Who’s saying you gotta wear makeup, girl?” Kumi chimed, climbing off her table as she grabbed something from the room inside one of the other tables, shaking it up and down before approaching the blonde in a menacing fashion.

Almost immediately, the thickset blonde was raising her dukes. But all that earned her was a spray straight to the face, which thankfully didn’t get in her eyes. “Wh-HEY!” She shouted, throwing out a punch at random to try and stop it.

She swung and she missed, as the other two Ganguro got to work, with Rie grabbing her own spray can and Nanae grabbing a pocket mirror, as the former sprayed extra on top of what had already been applied, and the latter pulled her away to keep her from being hit by a wild swing as she held the mirror close enough to reflect the blonde’s face once she finally opened her eyes.

Agatha rubbed her eyes after thinking she had been blinded, only to notice what had happened to her. She could feel the needle dropping as she noticed how dark her face had gotten, with only the excessive makeup that had been sprayed onto her instant tan making her look any lighter.

In short, thanks to two quick sprays, she had been turned into a Ganguro just like those three. And… well, damnit, she didn’t look half bad. Especially since she already had the hair for the style.

“...Is that really all it takes to be like you three?” She asked, sheepishly so, while grabbing the edge of her skirt and nearly folding it in frustration.

Rie nodded and giggled. “Mmhm! I use it all the time! I don’t have the same kind of delicate fingers as Kumi-senpai, so I just spray a little of this stuff that the big wigs sell, and then presto! Easy Ganguro!” She chimed, casually tossing the makeup spray back into the table she had pilfered it from.

“You can go through more effort if you’d like. I do a lot of my makeup by hand, and get this tan through careful sunbaths.” Nanae said, motioning to the fact that her tan looked rather natural compared to the other two. “As for the hair, you can make it look just as natural by coloring it gradually. From the roots to the tips, little by little.”

Kumi put the spray can down on her own table, before stretching a little. “If you’d like, you can watch us go through the effort of making your friend look just as pretty. We couldn’t get you to sit still, so the easy route was the best route.” She said, before turning her eyes towards Mikai. “How ‘bout it? You wanna look like your friend, or do you wanna admire her for a bit more?”

“...Mikai, if you say anything bad about my face, I swear-”

Just by turning her face towards the sandy-blonde, Agatha’s attempts to sound displeased by her current situation were quelled as she received nothing but a bright smile and equally accepting eyes. “You look pretty, Agatha!” The youthful girl said, before pausing and quickly clarifying. “N-Not like, prettier than normal! But a different kind of pretty!”

“She really does, doesn’t she?” Kumi laughed, prompting another pout from the plump girl, before looking at the sandy-blonde once more. “Right. One more time. You wanna look pretty like her?”

Mikai nodded rapidly. “Mmhm! Give me the whole experience!!” She chimed, as prepared for the experience as she could be. Not that you needed to be too prepared, but she was a complete newbie when it concerned this sort of stuff.

“Right! Nanae, my makeup kit!” The blonde Ganguro chimed, catching the kit as it was tossed her way. “Sit still, girl! You’re going to get the best treatment a girl can get!”

The other Ganguro, and Agatha, watched carefully as the leader went to work. Since she couldn’t just use the spray-tan, she used the next best thing. A little tube of what looked to be lipstick, but after rubbing all over the young girl’s skin, the color sank in and changed her complexion in the process, making her look like she had always been tanned.

“Don’t get to use this too often, but it works like a charm. Just remember, you gotta wash three times to get it all out. Don’t wanna look like you’ve got some sort of skin disease, alright?” Kumi chimed, as she grabbed the next few utensils from the kit and applied them in order.

Next came what seemed small brushes, each of them thicker than what they probably should be. And yet, with a few strokes, they showed just how effective they were. Quickly adding another layer of color, pure white, on top of the browned canvas that was the girl’s face.

To make her stand out in comparison to the other Ganguro, and to give her a flair of her own, the leader decided that it would be best that her design was simpler. So she drew a star. With the tips covering the girl’s eyes, and barely leaving her smile uncovered. It fit her perfectly too, because of the way the stars in her eyes started lighting up whenever she got excited. And why not add a couple more stars circling the main one, just to make her look even more positively beaming.

“...Where’d you buy all this?” Agatha muttered after the older Ganguro finished the star, narrowing her eyes a little. It did look really nice, now that she got the chance to see it applied up.

Kumi giggled as she tossed one of the used brushes to her fellow blonde, showing the hand cupping a globe at the brush’s base. “You know where, girl. Just call me if you need any tips, once you get your own!”

Mikai was doing her best to not look jittery as she waited for her chance to open her eyes. The brushes being applied made her feel all sorts of weird, but at the same time her face felt a lot fresher. Like she hadn’t been this pretty in years. Then again, she never did care about her appearance, so this was a brand new experience!

Now that her face had been decorated, it was time to add the finishing touches. And what better way than a bit of glitter? The kind that was totally safe to wear, drizzled onto the slightly sticky makeup. That way, those beautiful stars painted onto her face would shine ever brightly. And through that, her ‘transformation’ was complete.

“Open up your eyes, girl!” Kumi chimed as she caught the mirror that Rie had picked up, holding it up in front of her canvas’ face to let her soak it all in. It wasn’t every day that you had an experience like this after all.

Mikai blinked. She blinked a lot, noticing that her eyelashes had been curled as well, something she didn’t notice thanks to the soft sensation of the brushes. But now that she got a good look at herself…

She beamed brightly, smiling from ear to ear. “I look so pretty! Sooooo pretty!” She giggled, pushing her hands into her cheeks, quickly pulling them back to check if her fingers were stained, with her smile growing even brighter as she realized that they were completely dry.

Agatha stared at her, and the obnoxiously bright light coming from the girl’s face in the form of her positivity manifesting through her makeup made it impossible for her not to blush. “Y-Yeah. Yeah. You’re really pretty.” She muttered, only to immediately receive a hug from the sandy-blonde girl. “NOT AN INVITATION TO HUG ME, MIKAI!” She shouted, the usual aggression popping to the forefront.

“How romantic! The angry girl and the bubbly girl, like two peas in a pod!” Rie sighed, her eyes slowly rolling towards her platinum-blonde friend, who seemed to be focused on her phone. “Hmmm? What’s the matter, Nanae-senpai? Whatcha looking at?”

Nanae smiled as she pocketed her phone. “Just something I have to deal with. Don’t mind me, I’ll be right back.” And without as much as a word more, she headed straight out of the room, letting the two other Ganguro handle their guests.

Once Mikai let go of Agatha, the latter felt her own phone ringing, narrowing her eyes. There was only one person that would call her at this point, and it wasn’t Alyssa. She didn’t even bother telling the sandy-blonde that she had to go, merely walking out. Not because she wanted to, but because if she didn’t take this…

“Agatha?” The sandy-blonde asked as the girl reached the door, but she couldn’t stop her this time. The door shut, and she was left with the younger and older Ganguro. “Wonder what she’s gotta do…”

Kumi laughed as she pulled the pseudo-ganguro closer to her, ruffling her hair. “Don’t you worry. We gotta take some pictures to commemorate your first moments as a Ganguro. Rie! The camera!”

“Right, Kumi-senpai!” The rainbow-haired girl cried out gleefully as she started digging through the tables, looking for her camera.

Mikai couldn’t help it as she looked out towards the hallway. Something told her that things weren’t going to end well...

---

Agatha looked down at her phone after getting out of the room. She knew exactly who was calling. And she hated that the woman had gotten her number. Probably from one of the maids she had hired to take care of her.

‘MOM was all that the caller ID said. And it was enough to make the plump girl turn off her phone completely. She didn’t want to hear her right now. Not when she was… having some sort of enjoyable experience. It’d just ruin the rest of her day.

“Damnit, mom…” She muttered, before her eyes slowly turned towards the other girl that happened to be in the hallway…

The platinum blonde Ganguro. Nanae, was it? Something like that. What was she doing, dealing with her family too?

“Oi. Aren’t you going to go back inside and have fun with your friends? Since you were clearly enjoying spraying all of that instant tan stuff all over my face.” Agatha said, stomping towards the Ganguro… Who didn’t react to her words. “Oi! Listen to me!”

Nanae blinked a couple of times as she turned to look at the girl, before nodding slightly. “Sorry, sorry. I was just…” She said, chuckling softly. “Just enjoying a couple of good memories. You know how it goes.” She said, as she tried to pocket her own phone. “What about you? Weren’t you enjoying your friend getting the full course?”

“Of course I was. But I got a call from my failure of a mom, and I had to deal with it.” The rich blonde said, scoffing slightly. “What about you? It can’t just be memories.” She asked, before leaning slightly closer. “The least you could do after teasing me so much is be honest with me.”

The platinum blonde Ganguro nodded. “You’ve got a point. Sorry about it all, I just get swept up and enjoy myself too much when I’m with them.” She chimed, before slowly slipping her phone back out, revealing a set of messages from somebody that seemed awfully familiar…

“...M-Mumei. You’re friends with her? Of all people, you and her?” Agatha couldn’t believe it. Primarily because of the divide in aesthetics between the two. Not only that, but the messages were kinda lovey-dovey, as if they were implying some sort of deeper connection between the two.

Nanae nodded. “Ever since she came out as a dog, I’ve been trying to help her back on her feet. Kinda like she did back when I was just starting out, but she eventually slipped into the background back then. Dunno why she didn’t stick around, maybe I just missed her. But, I thought it was time to pay her back, and she’s been really helpful. Really remorseful too!”

“And what does somebody like you need help with, hmm? I thought you were enjoying yourself with your Ganguro friends. Surely you’re not saying you’d just toss them aside for some pup.” The rich blonde narrowed her eyes. She really didn’t like people that abandoned others. And for that reason, Mumei was quickly rising to the top of her shitlist, for doing just that.

The platinum-blonde Ganguro sighed a little, as she grabbed ahold of what seemed to be a seam near the edge of her hairline, slowly tugging down…

Revealing that her tan, and makeup by extension, was little more than a facemask. At the same time, revealing that her spiel about doing her makeup every morning was little more than a white lie that she told her friends.

“It’s really hard to keep up the Ganguro aesthetic, you know?” Nanae said, her pristine white skin serving as such a drastic departure from her earlier look that it was hard to see her as the same girl. “And… I’ve kinda wanted to change. Not because I dislike the two, but… I want to try and be a bit more independant. But if I leave them behind, I’m not sure how they’ll feel…”

Agatha grit her teeth. “Chained down by responsibility. I wish my mom was like you, maybe she wouldn’t have left me with all of my maids if she cared like that.” She sighed, narrowing leaning up against one of the walls as she slowly rubbed her hand through her drills. “Why don’t you just do it? Tell them why you want to change.”

“...I-I can’t just do that…” The platinum-blonde said, letting her head fall ever slightly. “They’ve been everything for me the last year and a half. Even before Rie joined us, she had seen us walking around in the city, and she thought we were so cool. I don’t want that image to be broken, even if I want to leave it behind…”

Just as the blonde was about to interject once more, a laugh echoed around them. A masculine, yet seductive laugh.

“My, my. You have something you need to work out, don’t you?” The laughing voice said, as a boy started to make his way onto the scene, crawling or rather slithering along the ceiling using his chest. “And you’ve even got a friend right there, who’s trying to give you advice. Isn’t that adorable?”

Agatha didn’t like the sound of that voice. In fact, it sounded almost like the voice that had tempted Alyssa. Just with a different kind of… weight? Whatever it was, she didn’t like it! “Don’t you try anything, bastard! She’s not yours to tempt!” She shouted, clenching her fists. She’d protect her, somehow! Just like Mimoto!

“Feisty! Feisty! No wonder Bat warned me about you!” The boy laughed as he descended from the ceiling, his green and garish bodysuit sticking close to his body as he took a slight bow. “But you won’t be getting a climax from me. I’m much more interested in that snack besides you. So why don’t you get out of the way?”

The blonde wasn’t going to take it, dashing straight towards the slippery boy, only for her eyes to suddenly blacken out… And once she opened them again, she was frozen in place, her arms pinned to her sides. “Wh-What?”

“Mmmm, that’s a good girl. A little touch of the Cobra’s paralysis, and you end up just as cute as the rest. I’m sure you’ll make a cute Pawn, once she’s awakened.” The serpentine boy giggled, before turning his attention towards the Ganguro. “Now then… You’ve got a bit of a problem on your hands, don’t you?”

Nanae backed away from the serpentine boy, only to freeze in place herself, her body immediately starting to heat up the more he looked at her. “W-What are you…”

“Just helping you out, so you don’t need to worry about choosing one or the other.” The boy chimed, tipping his crown as he tiptoed his way closer to her. “And you bet I can give you plenty of help!” He giggled, squeezing his thighs together as he reached between them, pulling out one of those accursed Jõtai as it made his shapely lower body jiggle in all the right ways.

Agatha grit her teeth with the little power she had in her body. “Don’t… DON’T!” She shouted, but the golden allure had already taken the girl, as the serpent handed her the accessory.

“Let this be a gift, from Golden Freedom. It will let you find where you belong, and solve the problems you’re dealing with. All in one fell swoop!” The boy giggled, as he slowly stretched and slithered his way onto the ceiling once more…

Just as quickly as he arrived, he disappeared. A slippery bugger, but he had done what he came to do, as Nanae slowly slipped the Jõtai onto her wrist.

If it did what he said it would do, she wouldn’t need to choose between keeping her aesthetic, and going to help out Mumei-chan for everything she had done for her. Yeah. She just had to trust in this thing…

As she slipped it on, she felt a sudden rush of pleasure pierce through her, and her eyes immediately rolled into the back of her head. She wasn't prepared for it, nor was she prepared for the light spreading from the Jõtai as it quickly started to consume her.

Unlike what the other victims had been forced through, the light started to press down on her, removing some of the shapelier parts of her form. Making her a lot more slim, yet keeping her feminine appeal. Almost as if she was turning into a boy...

Indeed she was. The way a bulge formed between her thighs was enough proof, combined with her lack of breasts thanks to the light forcing them down. She, now he, could hardly breathe without feeling the pleasure forced down below...

But once his gender had been forcibly changed by the lust contained within the Jõtai, it was time for his inner feelings to transform him. And what better way to deal with a complicated issue of leaving his friends behind for another friend than to take away part of the issue?

Mud-like makeup started to pour out of her body, quickly consuming his body as he was covered frm head to toe in it. Almost like he was turning into a slime... Only for it to harden ever slightly, preventing him from melting completely.

Once his muddy body had coalesced, makeup started to cover him from top to bottom, making him look like one giant Ganguro canvas. Complete with glitter to make his body look like it had been given the full course and then some. Because what better way to avoid the troubles of 'abandoning a difficult aesthetic' than to permanently becoming that aesthetic?

"Haaaah..." The muddy boy that had once been Nanae giggled as he felt his warm breath reverberate through his entire body, licking his lips as he turned his gaze towards the paralyzed Agatha. His body started to drip as he came closer, pressing his muddy body up against her...

Before he just simply hugged her, splashing his makeup mud all across her body, wrapping her in one big cocoon of makeup. She didn't get much of a chance to struggle against him, because of the love that flushed from his body into hers.

The mud sank into her as it kept her from moving, and her thoughts quickly melted away. Replaced with nothing but smiles and happiness, for the one that had converted her...

For her friend...

---

“You know, Fushimi. Maybe if you stuck around more, we could be good friends. Just you and us three. Like when I took in Nanae, and we took in Rie. Doesn’t that sound nice?”

Meanwhile, inside the abandoned classroom, the two Ganguro girls were still being more than chummy with the girl that had stopped by to say hi to them. After all, she had taken upon their aesthetic like it came natural to her. Why shouldn’t they be friendly?

“It does! It really does!” Mikai cried out, giggling as she swung her legs back and forth. The weird feeling she had earlier, when Agatha left the room, was gone at this point. Now, she could just enjoy herself for a little while, before she’d have to head out and probably tell Yumeko how wonderful her day had been.

Rie, the rainbow-haired Ganguro with Moth traits, giggled as well. “Guess I’d have to call you Mikai-senpai then, wouldn’t I? You’re a year above me, after all!” She chimed, nearly nudging the girl in the side as she got nice and close to her. Having pulled the tables closer together allowed her to do that, while still giving them all plenty of space to themselves.

“Ehhhh? But when we talk about this Ganguro stuff, aren’t you my senpai?” The sandy-blonde with the wonderfully deep and brown tan plus the sparkly white makeup replied, her nature practically beaming off her body the more she spoke.

Kumi, the oldest Ganguro, grinned as she ran her hand through the younger blonde’s hair. “If you want to call her senpai, it’s going to go straight to her head. Trust me, the first time Nanae thanked her for everything she had done by being part of our little group, she was so ecstatic that she couldn’t stop flying around the room. I had to clip her wings, if you catch my drift, before she’d come back down.”

“I remember that!” Rie shouted as she lightly started pummeling her friend’s back, each blow as comically ineffective as possible. “It wasn’t very nice, Kumi-senpai! I was just trying to celebrate, and you yanked me out of the sky! Meanie!”

Laughter flew between the two girls and the newcomer, distracting them completely from the door to the classroom opening with a rather loud shove. And the sound of something dripping onto the ground in a foreboding manner missed their ears as well…

“Ehehehehe… Hey, everyone..! Can I join?”

They didn’t miss the voice, all three girls turning towards the sensual words headed straight for them. Each of their reactions were striking, as the sight of the muddy boy was one that none of them could’ve anticipated.

“Who are you? Why do you sound like you know us?” Kumi asked, gritting her teeth a little. She wasn’t about to let some punk suddenly ruin her fun. Especially if that thing was just like the Monster that the hall monitor had become, the same that had turned her friend into one of those Pawns…

Rie, meanwhile, was doing her best to not drool. Ah, she could feel it. The lingering parts of her time as a Pawn were flaring up. That was definitely a Jõtaijin. That thing could wrap around her and make her cold for all she cared, she’d probably enjoy the experience… But at the same time, something about the muddy boy’s body made her feel weird.

“You… You’re Nanae!” Mikai, despite her usual ditziness, knew when trouble was abound. This was why she had that strange feeling earlier! Because she… She had a Jõtai, or maybe one of those people that gave them were nearby. Either way, she was in trouble now! With these two nearby, she-

“NANAE!?” “Nanae-senpai!?”

Ah. Maybe she shouldn’t have said that out loud. Now her new friends were agitated, and she probably had to cook up a new plan to deal with the situation.

“Mmmhm! It’s your friendly Ganguro, Nanae!” The slimy boy winked as he held up a pair of peace signs, his makeup-clad body trembling as they looked at him. “Though, that doesn’t sound right anymore, does it? Let’s try Mudbath, okay?” He giggled, gasping as his lower body vibrated, biting into his lip as the pleasure pulsated through him…

Kumi didn’t like what she was seeing. Partly because it was a bit too perverted for her tastes. And partly because she damn well didn’t want to see her friend in a situation like this. “Hey! Nanae! You can’t just go and turn into one of those things! Remember what happened to Rie!” The bear-blooded Monster leapt off her table, nearly diving straight at the Jõtaijin in an attempt to talk some sense into him. Foot-first, if she had to!

“Ahahahaha! Of course I remember, Kumiiii!” Mudbath cried out as he spread his arms as far out as he possibly could, taking the foot… As it sank straight into him, making the attack utterly useless as it basically made his body wrap around the girl rather than getting blown back from the force…

The blonde Ganguro couldn’t do much, struggling to pull herself away. But the more she tried, the closer he pulled her, until his arms wrapped around her like any normal bear-hug. “L-Let… let… g… go…” She muttered, as her expression gradually weakened from distaste to quiet bliss, her frown flipping upside down into a bright smile…

“No! Never! Never letting my friend go!” The Jõtaijin cried out vigorously as he slowly pulled her all the way through him, causing his body to shake violently for a few seconds. Once he was done, she emerged from his back, seemingly no worse for wear.

Barring the fact that she was contained within a bodysuit of mud, with her head completely uncovered. That smile was still there, and the look in her eyes that beamed with friendship didn’t fade. She was converted into a Pawn, that much was certain… Just not one that was going to be doing anything beyond just standing there, stuck to the floor, as she watched the one that transformed her.

She wasn’t the only one. Popping out of her back alongside the Ganguro was Agatha, whose brief time inside the Jõtaijin had managed to wash away the spray’s effects. Now, she was just the same twin-tailed rich girl, though with an equally abnormal and wide friendly smile. Another spectator, for sure.

“Agatha!” Mikai cried out, sweat running down her face. Now she was really in trouble. Well, she didn’t have to worry about transforming and her friend realizing who she was in the process, but she had to save her instead. Not only that, but…

Just one look at Rie, and she could see the girl had already climbed off the table. Unlike the oldest of the trio, she didn’t look violently against this situation. If anything, she walked towards the Jõtaijin with open arms.

“Aaahhh! Rie, you’re as cute as always! You’re one of my very best friends!” Mudbath giggled as he took big steps towards her, his arms spread as far apart as he could until the two met one another. “I promise you’ll stay safe with me. Okay? No need to ever abandon one another, I’m sorry for ever thinking that it’d be a good idea!”

The rainbow-haired girl nodded. “I can’t believe you’d think that way, Nanae-senpai… But I can be your friend. Until the very end!” She cried out, her eyes already going empty. It seemed as if her Pawn Syndrome treatment hadn’t been finalized, considering how the Jõtaijin basically pulled her in by existing…

“Rie! Don’t!” Mikai cried out, as she tried to rush over and stop her… Only for a pair of hands to stop her, yanking her back before she got too close.

Mudbath hugged his adorable Ganguro friend as tightly as he could, the girl sinking straight through him in an instant. She immediately popped out the other side, having been reduced to another cocooned friend, watching and smiling like the others. Ah, to be wrapped around eternally by a part of her friend. It felt so nice…

“W-Why…” The sandy-blonde cried out, as the world went dark around her for a second, and a certain Predator appeared behind her, lightly knocking her on the head.

Chimera. Her mental passenger, and the woman that had given her plenty of her powers. “If you got close like that, you would’ve been transformed as well. Don’t overestimate yourself, Mikai.” She said, her voice sounding a lot more stern than usual.

“But Chimera, I can do it!” Mikai cried out, as the darkness violently tore away thanks to the girl’s willpower. She didn’t need to listen to her right now. She had to save her friends! No matter what!

‘You idiot-’ Was all that she heard from the woman before her mind swallowed her once more, letting the girl face against the Jõtaijin that had turned her friends into muddy ‘minions’.

“Aaaahhh… You should be just like them, Mikai!” Mudbath giggled, licking his lips ever slightly. The thought of making his friends eternally wrapped in his mud was enough to drive him into the higher echelons of pleasure, his mouth watering as he started to walk towards her with open arms…

Mikai would’ve loved to hug him, if he wasn’t the way he was right now. Instead, she’d have to face him with all that she had, and since he was all drippy like the last time she fought a boy-shaped Jõtaijin..!

“HENSHIN!”

The power kept within her swirled around her, forming a barrier of wind before it sank into her. And with it, the armor that signified the responsibility she had put on her shoulders took shape. Even the wings that brought her into the skies molded their way onto her body, spreading as she let out a powerful cry. “Jõtaider Mimoto! Blast Eagle!”

“Oooo, you’re the one that’s been doing all sorts of nice things around the school!” Mudbath giggled, stretching his arms slightly. “Then I can’t let you go without a hug, no way!” He grinned, as he suddenly swung his arms towards the doors that led out of the room, massive sticky globs of mud sticking to them and preventing any escape. He wanted to make sure he befriended this nice armored girl!

Mimoto immediately tossed herself away from the muddy figure, letting the power in her armor gather around her arm. The wind swirling at intensities comparable to that of a hurricane. “Wake up, Nanae! This isn’t what you’re supposed to be!” She cried out, before tossing her fist forward. “APEX METEOR!”

A ton of feathers launched off her wings, carried by the powerful wind that she thrust straight ahead, each of them aimed at the Jõtaijin. And though each of them landed and made contact, none of them did anything as they were merely absorbed into his very squishy body…

“Can’t hit me, silly! You’re just gonna get an even bigger hug when I getcha!” Mudbath cried out, shivering as his body thrust itself outward, sending most of the embedded feathers back out as they drifted quietly towards the ground.

Mimoto reared her wings back. If assaulting him with all of these feathers didn’t work, then… maybe she could do what she did against the paint boy, and blow it all off! Surely there was somebody underneath!

“APEX STORM!”

She flapped her wings with as much power as she could muster, sending the power of a hurricane’s gale towards him. Trying to blow his mud off him and render his defenses useless. Maybe if she could get close, then she could just hug him. He seemed nice enough, it was just the Jõtai driving his obsession through the roof!

“Aahhhh! You really know how to get me going!” Mudbath giggled, taking step after step through the wind. Not a single droplet of his mud was flung off him, every step showing just how durable his body was compared to the wind that tried to tear him apart. “Just come closer and let me hug you already!”

Mimoto could feel the pressure piling on as she jumped a bit further back, her body trembling. She wasn’t used to using finishers this fast, and especially not back to back. But still, she needed to do something! She needed to save them!

“CHOU HENSHIN!”

Flames erupted around her armor, cracking it before it exploded completely, immediately replacing itself with the lion-themed armor that she had gotten used to. If she couldn’t blow it off, then she’d just have to melt it off! “Flame Lion!”

Mimoto, not caring too much about the risks of getting close, dashed forth as her hand started to fill up with flames. If she was going to take her out, it would require one of her strongest moves..!

“There! See, that wasn’t so hard, was it?” Mudbath giggled as he started to wrap his arms around the approaching girl, happy to make another friend.

Even if it left him open to a fist sinking into his chest, and the flames intensifying as the girl shouted. “KING’S ERUPTION!”

The flames from her fist grew to the point where they leaked out of the muddy Jõtaijin, erupting into a sphere that consumed both of the combatants, making it hard to tell who had managed to win their little confrontation.

“Ahaha! That tickled! But I guess I gotta make sure you don’t cause problems!”

Mikai’s eyes widened underneath her helmet as Mudbath’s arms, suddenly growing to twice their size, slammed into her sides and caused her armor to crack as a result. She let out a pained cry as her arm was forced out of his body, with the mud barely reacting to the heat that had been poured into him.

With her body in the condition it was in, and her energy completely spent on three powerful finishers in a row, it wasn’t hard for the incredibly tanky Jõtaijin to wrap his arms around her, pulling her as close as he could. She was such a nice friend, if a feisty one, so it’d be adorable to see her smiling too!

“Aaahhh… We’re going to be the best of friends, Mikai!” He giggled, his body trembling as she sank further and further into him…

Until it didn’t. Because his body was partly frozen, her form having silently changed.

“Eh?” He said, before she forced herself free using her claws, causing very few chunks of his mud to chip off from the sudden force. “Ehhhhh? I didn’t know you could do that…”

Mikai staggered backward as she tried to catch her breath, panting as she looked at her body. “N-Neither did I…” She muttered. She was trembling still, and she didn’t feel like she had any power left in her body. So… How did she..?

“You IDIOT!”

The world went dark again, as she heard a few teardrops hit the ground. And she turned around, to face the woman that had saved her. Not once, but twice at this point.

Chimera. Standing right there, with her body half frozen as a result of pouring most of her power into the girl to control her for a brief moment.

“I-I…” Mikai stared at her, helmet shattering as she felt her heart sinking. “I’m… Chimera, I…” She couldn’t say anything coherent. Everything that slipped out of her lips turned into a mush. Because she knew she had screwed up, and she didn’t understand how to apologize.

The Predator stepped closer, tears streaming down her cheeks. Each freezing once they hit her chin, smashing to the ground as she tried to calm her body down and reheat herself… “Are you happy, Mikai?”

“N-No! I’m not happy! I don’t want to see you like this!” The sandy-blonde cried out, the tears quickly streaming down her cheeks too. “B-But why!? Why’d you do it!?” She didn’t understand. This alien feeling, pounding against her chest, was terrible…

Chimera closed her eyes, before putting her incredibly cold hands on her host’s shoulders, sending frigid shocks through her body in the process. “Because I didn’t want to see you corrupted again, Mikai. Even though you keep saying it’ll be fine, you’re getting reckless.” She said, her voice more solemn than ever. “Whether it’s by using people’s attacks to evolve, or mingling with people that hate your guts, or… or doing this.” She muttered, falling onto her knees as their eyes met. “You’d throw yourself violently at an enemy, without thinking, for somebody you’ve barely known…”

“I… But she’s… Chimera, I…” Mikai sniffled, her words still struggling to leave her mouth. “I… I want to save them. I want to be friends with them…” She said, her heart slowly calming as she looked into those bright eyes. With the light inside so familiar, so comforting…

The woman nodded, spreading her own wings. One of the symbols of her power, regained thanks to the girl’s efforts. “...If that’s what you want, then at least listen to me when I worry. Because I want to save you, just as much as you want to save them.” She said, slowly pulling the girl into a hug. “Don’t rush recklessly into a fight, when people care about you…”

“Chimera… Chimera..!” The sandy-blonde cried out as she hugged the older woman tight, sniffling as she rubbed her face into that frozen shoulder. The warmth of her heart laid bare, her mistakes being accepted, and the forgiveness of the one she had bonded with, slowly melting the damage…

A soft chuckle left the Monster’s lips. “Look at me. An Apex Predator from the far past, comforting a little girl I would’ve hunted for sport…” She said, the tears still running down her face. No longer freezing as her chin thawed. “Mikai. Do you understand now?”

“M-Mmhm. K-Kinda…” Mikai replied, wiping her tears away as she looked into the older woman’s eyes. “But what… What do we do? How do we save them..?” She asked, her body still aching from everything she had done…

Chimera closed her eyes, before pulling the girl away ever slightly. Then gently, pointedly, prodding her chest with one of her fingers. “Instead of using the enemy as a conduit… Use your friends. And your will to save them.” She said, smiling as she used her other hand to ruffle her hair. “You can do amazing things when you put your mind to it. You know that, I’m sure of it.”

The darkness slowly faded, returning the girl to reality with those parting words. And Mudbath, having shaken off the cold that caused him to shatter slightly, had resumed his pursuit of the girl.

“Come on, that’s enough of that. Just accept a hug, Mikaaaaai!” The muddy boy who was far too turned on by the idea of hugging his friends cried out, his body trembling. Ah, he was going to give all his friends so many hugs when he finished befriending the heroic girl…

Mikai slowly stood up, wiping away her tears as her helmet remained shattered. “I’ll give you a hug, alright..!” She cried out, tossing her hand forward, clenching it tight as the power in her heart poured through her body. A brand new power...

Born from the warmth that she felt from those three. Born from the generosity of those Ganguro. Born from her pursuit of friendship. The warmth of a bond!

“CHOU HENSHIN!”

The shattered armor flew apart, as the power swelled out from within her. Just like the Jõtaijin, she was covered in mud, but this mud solidified into the form of a new armor. Thicker. Wider. Stronger. One that could take any hit, and keep going. No matter what!

Mimoto clenched her fists as she swung them through the air, the claws forming on the back of her hands looking like a set of bear claws. The rest of her thickened armor took on a similar appearance, especially her helmet which became significantly more ursine, as she roared from the depths of her lungs, the ground cracking underneath her…

“Get ready, Mudbath..!” The transformed heroine cried out, spreading her arms wide. Not for a hug, but for a show of strength as her armored form stood tall and mighty against any attack. “Earth Ursa’ll show you what a real hug’s like!”

Mudbath licked his lips. She had turned into some sort of bear! Just like Kumi! Oh, he was going to pin himself between those two and get all sorts of nice cozy warmth from them. “Ready or not, here I come!” He cried out, rushing towards her with an intent to make her sink in just like the others had.

But she was ready. And the way she dealt with his onslaught this time was simple, as she raised her foot into the air… And stomped down as hard as she could, sending a shockwave straight ahead, knocking him into the air from the sheer force.

“MAJOR!” Mimoto cried out as she leapt into the air, her heavy body not slowing her down for a second. She was going all out, no matter what. And as soon as she wrapped her arms around that airborne mud bomb, she squeezed him as tight as she could, before falling straight down on him. “IMPACT!”

The collision was more intense than either of them could’ve imagined, immediately slamming all of the mud off the boy’s form, leaving him as winded as he could be. But at the same time, it started to writhe its way back onto him. It didn’t seem to want to leave him, no matter what…

At least, not until the massive bear-heroine wrapped her arms around him once more, squeezing as tightly as she could. Forcing all of the energy out of his body, leaving the mud unable to do anything once it crawled back onto him. For all intents and purposes, he had been defeated. Thanks to one powerful grab, and a back-breakingly powerful hug that he no doubt only survived thanks to the mud enhancing his durability…

“I just… I just wanted to make them my friends… Forever…” Mudbath muttered, the thickness of his mud-coated form decreasing as his will to fight and befriend faded. Neutralized in all of the right ways.

Mimoto nodded as she let her brand new armor crack and burst off her, revealing that she was still decked out in the same Ganguro makeup as before. “Your friends care about you too. Just don’t let your feelings overpower theirs. Okay?” She said, talking from experience. Ah, she could still feel the chill from Chimera’s hands on her shoulders, now that the adrenaline was wearing off.

“...You sure?” He asked, as the mud that made up his body slooowly faded. Revealing Nanae’s original form underneath, naked curves and all. “I’m… I’m not sure if they…”

Mikai grinned as she patted the girl, who was now permanently stuck as a Ganguro as a result of her transformation, on the head. “You don’t know that until you ask!” She chimed, getting up and stretching. “I’ll help you, if you need it! Okay, Nanae?”

“...Okay, Mikai. Thank you.” She said, smiling a little herself as she stood up, her kitty ears perking up once more.

Despite the complications, the day had been saved. Even if they now had to wait to try and get all of that mud off the pawned girls, and then get Rie to Charlotta’s…

Ah. This was why she never stuck around to clean up after a mess. But hey, it meant that she could learn more about the girl she had just helped. So that was a plus!

Mikai smiled, closing her eyes as she felt Chimera’s hands on her shoulder. And a single whisper, rushing its way through her ears. Signalling the predator’s approval.

“See? You can do anything…”

---

“...I can’t.”

Saki muttered to herself, as she looked down at the Jõtai, placed on the table in front of her.

There was no way that she could accept the same power that had corrupted her friends. Even if that girl had been powered up by it.

She quietly took it, and put it in her desk’s drawer. Hopefully, she’d never have to look at it again. And if she did need to…

...She hoped she wouldn’t have to use it.

---

“Hiro. I have to ask you something important.”

“Go on, Huanglong.”

“Was it really wise to purchase all of these figurines?”

Hiro Fukano, the public heroine hired by Atlas Corp to defend the city in case of Jõtaijin attacks, looked at the holographic projection of her on-board AI. And her expression, though cold, carried enough emotion to make it clear that she didn’t appreciate a word that left his mouth.

“it’s extremely wise, Huanglong.” She said, as she adjusted the position of the latest figure, making sure that it lined up perfectly with the rest of the Mimoto figures that she had bought.

The short holographic boy narrowed his eyes slightly, before looking towards the only version that wasn’t gathered with the rest of the massive hoard…

One singular copy of Jõtaider Mimoto. Standing side by side with Jõtaider PAWN, and watched over by the higher-quality model kit version of Natura Bleu…

An older heroine, showing her blessings towards the new generation. Almost inspiring, really.

“I’ll let you be then, Hiro.” He said, a slight smile on his face, before he blinked and a stream of data coursed through him. “Oh. Yes, and there’s been a Jötaijin incident. It’s already been suppressed, so let’s assume that Mimoto handled that one.”

Hiro nodded, a slight blush on her cheeks. “R-Right. She did a good job. Now, if you’d please.”

“Of course. Enjoy your dolls, Hiro.” Huanglong said, as he dematerialized.

“THEY’RE NOT DOLLS-” She shouted, but he disappeared before she could get the last word. Smoke quietly fumed from her nose, her frustration building… But only for a few moments, before she looked towards the figurines of her and her ally.

...She adjusted them slightly, putting their fists up as they faced one another, before smiling and sorting away at her figurines once more.

---

"You know, when I heard that you needed help, I didn't expect your kind to be in trouble."

In the vast wilderness, overrun by wild Monsters that still wanted nothing more than to impose themselves upon Humanity, a military squad were now standing face to face with the ones they managed to save.

Standing in front of them were a set of identical soldiers, with both males and females each dressed in full-body black-and-red latex. Each wielding an armament that seemed almost magical in nature, yet each of them were clearly running low. Despite trying to stand side by side in a perfect file, some were struggling to stand straight.

"Ah? You've heard of us? I see Atlas Corp's intelligence is greater than it was in the past." The leader of the bodysuited squad, the only one who hadn't covered up her face, was a woman with black-and-red hair and an eyepatch hidden behind her bangs. "Who am I answering to, this time? We are to be allies for the time being, after all."

The blonde man took off his helmet, handing it off to one of his aides. "Colonel Michael Fushimi. Acting Commander of the Sanctuary Batallion. Judging by your forces, you must be AEGIS."

"Color me even more impressed." The eye-patched woman said, clearing her throat slightly. "Commissar Eclipse, Commander of AEGIS. For the time being, we are in your services." She introduced herself, casting a glance at her soldiers. "SOUND OFF!"

"AWAITING ORDERS, SIR!" Each of the drone-like soldiers cried out, saluting in perfect unison.

Michael felt the sweat pouring down his face. Ahhh... He'd have one hell of a tale to tell his family when he finally came home...