"Do you ever regret letting me into your life?"

I fire the arrow I've nocked and watch it pierce into the center of the target before glancing over at the redhead. She looks and sounds nonchalant, but I can tell something's bugging her. "Not at all. Why do you ask?"

She twirls a lock of hair around her fingers, her adorable little tic. "Nothing. I've just been thinking...your life is complicated, isn't it? Are you sure you have time for me?"

"Is this your way of saying you're not satisfied with our relationship?" I ask as I walk over and sit down beside her on the bench. All the other archery club members have gone home for the day, so we're free to discuss my vigilantism somewhat openly.

"N-no! I'm just worried that I'm taking you away from all the other stuff you need to be doing."

I do my best to give her a reassuring smile. "I promise you that you are a very welcome addition to my life. These last few weeks may have been some of the busiest, but they've also been the happiest."

She huffs. "If you're sure..."

"It's not like patrols are fun, you know. You really think I'd rather run around the streets at night in a ridiculous costume than spend time with you?"

"No. Well, yes. Er, I don't know!" She shifts her eyes and makes a transparently obvious attempt to change the subject. "Why do you even still have to go on patrols, anyway? Haven't you already cleaned up most of the trouble? Nico-chan's mom said the rumors about the Midnight Angel are spiking up again, apparently you've become quite a presence in the city these last few months."

I chuckle. "If I didn't do these patrols, you would be a mugging victim...and also single."

"Th-that's different!"

"But anyway, you're right. I've been busy recently, so a lot of would-be criminals are too scared to try anything. But if I let up for a few months, they always come crawling back out." I sigh and make my way back to my position in the shooting range. "'The Angel's job is never over...' or so I've been told." I try not to notice the look on Maki's face as she watches me from her seat.

"I need to help out with a few errands at home," she says soon afterwards, "I'll be going on ahead." I can tell she's lying, but I don't stop her. Her footsteps echo in the empty hall. I hear her pause at the door, as if to say something, but she continues walking without saying anything. After that it's quiet in the range, just me and my bow. It's a lot less calming than I remember it being.

It's an uneventful patrol that evening, so my thoughts wander as I move through the shadows of the city. Maki's words float around my head. "Your life is complicated, isn't it?" Indeed, my life has never been something you could call 'simple'. That is impossible for someone born to the Sonoda name. The rule of the household requires the eldest daughter of each generation to take up the mantle of the Midnight Angel, the vigilante that keeps watch over the city. No one living can say when or why it started, but it has lasted throughout the ages, and it is the primary reason that the city's crime rate is relatively low.

My mother hung up the cloak at a young age so that she could focus on her family. She also declared that she would not force the role onto her children. She thought she had eliminated the need for the Midnight Angel, which at the time was a reasonable thought. My grandmother's time as the Angel was what could be described as a golden age, a period of time when the Angel was known and feared more than at any previous time. By the time she passed the role onto my mother, there was barely anything left to do

Being given the opportunity by our mother, my older sister, who was supposed to inherit the position, refused. She sought a life elsewhere, and with the need for the Angel at an all-time low, no one stopped her. But, the golden age couldn't last forever. By the time I was ten years old, the Midnight Angel began to be seen as fiction, a myth. Criminals grew bold once again, and my city began to decline.

So, at ten years old, I announced my intention to take up the mantle of the Midnight Angel. I began training with my grandmother and mother. It was rough, but really, the harder part was keeping it a secret from my classmates and teachers. Mother told me that Angels have always kept one or two close friends as confidantes and occasional allies, so when I was fourteen I finally decided to let my best friends Honoka and Kotori know about my secret life. Keeping them safe while knowing when I had to rely on their help has been difficult, but I have never regretted having them at my side.

But none of that compares to the complications from when Nishikino Maki walked into my life.

She's a clumsy first-year, an awkward girl who gets lost and lonely but is too stubborn to admit when she's either. Really-she's quite troublesome. Yet she talks to me with confidence and assertiveness, like an equal. It's funny when I think back to my first encounter with her. It didn't make sense to me, watching her risk losing her life instead of just handing over something to appease the muggers. But I guess people's first reaction to danger will probably be irrational if they're not used to it...so, in that sense, does it mean that I'm doing my job? I fight to protect the city and its people, to keep them safe, no matter the cost.

Or...maybe not. I'm still young, but I have always felt prepared to give my life for my cause. It's not like I want to die, but if I had to choose, I wouldn't hesitate. At least, I wouldn't have. But Maki would kill me if I did. I still remember our second encounter on the rooftop, when she grabbed my hand and told me that I'm supposed to be happy too. To be honest, it was hard for me to focus on her words in that moment, because all I could focus on was her hold on me. It was rough and clumsy...but also, strong and warm. And even though I was the one in the mask, suddenly I felt like she was the enigma between us. Who was this girl, passionately telling a complete stranger to be more selfish? I needed to know more about her, so against my better judgment, I let her in. Do I regret it? Well, honestly, it scares me a little, putting her at risk like that. But...that just means I have to make sure I keep her safe. And that means keeping myself safe, at least a little.

I snap back into reality as I instinctively sense something is afoot. Two figures, looking particularly shady, skulking around the banks and stores. I feel that they're up to something, but since they're not endangering anyone I can't actually do anything about it. I watch them for a while longer, but they just continue looking through the few stores that are still open. Eventually, I move on with my patrol, taking note of this odd behaviour.

"Oh, Umi-chan, what's up?" came Honoka's voice, muffled by more than just the call quality.

"...Am I interrupting your dinner?"

"No, I'm just snacking on a slice of bread~" she says with complete sincerity.

I'm still not sure how she enjoys eating plain slices of bread so much, but that's besides the point. "Right. Listen, I need to talk to you. I just came back from patrol."

"You found something, then? Need my help?"

"I'm not sure yet, but I'm hoping it's nothing."

"Aww, but Umi-chan, it's been so long since you let me fight bad guys!" I'm about to reprimand her for talking so lightly about our vigilante activities, but she continues rambling. "Oh, don't tell me you rescued another pretty girl. Maki-chan will be devastated! Umi-chan, how could you, you heartless monster?!"

"D-don't just make up baseless accusations!"

"Oh, so you two are doing fine then?"

I fall silent. "Well...that's not exactly true either."

Honoka picks up on my tone. "Hm? What's wrong?" she asks in a serious voice. I know I can rely on her. She may seem easygoing and carefree, but there's a reason I trusted her with my secret. Still...I turn red at what I'm about to ask.

"Am I...a bad girlfriend?"

She takes a moment to respond to that. "What?"

"Today she asked me if I'm sure I really have time for her in my life. She didn't sound upset or anything, but it's not something I want her to be thinking about. I'm worried that I don't do enough to show Maki I care about her."

"She's probably just being insecure herself. It must be frustrating for her, not being able to help if you were to get into trouble." She hums in thought for a moment before continuing, "It's not something that can be easily fixed, but for now...why don't you go on a date?"

I bite my tongue to keep myself from squeaking. "A date?"

"Yeah, a real one, not just her watching archery club practice or you going with her to the music room." She huffs and adds, "and no, going to the library for one of your accursed study dates doesn't count either."

"What's the difference?"

"You're staying in your comfort zones too much! You're used to archery and she's used to the piano, and both of you are huge nerds who spend way too much time studying. That's great and all, but sometimes you gotta do something that you're not used to together. Even if it's just going out for lunch on the weekend, go somewhere new with her! Experience something together."

I decide not to mention that Maki isn't just playing piano when we're in the music room, and we've actually started trying to write songs together. Honoka doesn't need to know about that yet. "That...actually makes sense. Fine, I'll think about it."

"I told you, we didn't have to do this," Maki somehow grumbles despite the smile on her face.

"I know, but I thought it'd be nice." I'm still nervous, but seeing how happy Maki looks has calmed me down a lot. We're sitting in a quaint little cafe on a bright Saturday afternoon. Several days have passed since the night I saw those suspicious figures, and while I've been acting with increased vigilance in the last few days, nothing has happened. I'm not usually wrong when it comes to suspicions, but it's not like I want to have more to deal with, so if it was nothing then that's fine too. More time for me to spend with my loved ones.

I watch as Maki struggles to eat her tomato sandwich while keeping it in one piece. She's failing completely, and it is absolutely adorable. Is this what Honoka meant? Because I could stand to do this more often. Eventually, she gives up and whips out a knife and begins expertly cutting it into small pieces. "So," she casually says, a subtle triumphant glint in her eye after having bested her menacing foe the tomato sandwich, "how are the lyrics going?"

I hum. "They're going, I guess. I'm unsure about what direction I should be taking with these, though. I tried writing some idol-type songs, like the ones Honoka's into, but it just seems to be way out of my forte. That's a world I'm just completely unfamiliar with."

"Yeah, I get it." Maki offers a sympathetic sigh. "It's one thing to play the piano, but trying to compose original pieces...it's something else. But, you know, I think I'm actually almost done one, at least the basic progression for it, so maybe you could listen to that and hopefully it'll inspire you?"

I'm about to voice agreement when there's suddenly a large commotion from outside. The cacophony is hard to decipher, but I can hear cries for help among the chaos. And then I hear gunfire. I stand up and look at Maki. "I need to go."

She stands too. "You don't have your bow. I'm coming with you."

I shake my head immediately. "Out of the question. It's way too dangerous for you. I need you to call Honoka and Kotori for backup." I look around the cafe. Everyone's heading for the doors, either to see what's going on or to straight-up run away. "Follow the crowd and get somewhere safe."

I can tell from the look on her face that she's not happy with this plan, but we can't afford to waste time and she knows that. "Just come back safe, okay?" she pleads quietly.

"Of course." I try to give her a confident smile, then quickly turn around and leave before it can fall apart.

There's a trail of victims down the street, some heavily wounded, while others are just frightened. Whatever the criminals' plan was, something went awry. I click my tongue. That means they'll be easy to catch up to and I won't have to worry about running into a trap, but it also means that they'll be panicking and unpredictable. Part of me tells me to leave it alone, to go back and be safe with Maki. They've caused quite a stir already, the police will be here soon enough. It's not like I can prevent them from causing damage either, they've already run rampant through this street.

Then I hear someone scream, and I remember what my duty is. The Angel doesn't catch criminals, the Angel protects innocents. As long as people are in danger, I have a job to do. I duck into an alley and climb onto a rooftop and start jumping from roof to roof, following the trail of chaos on the ground. This is definitely not how they wanted to get away, and from their panicked reaction, they must be inexperienced. It's easy enough to spot them, the same two figures I noticed the other night, and it only takes me a few minutes to get ahead of them. I descend to a level low enough to safely jump down from, but still out of sight. I wait a moment, and then-

I jump down, landing right on one of them with enough force to instantly take him out. That simplifies things a little. The other one is, understandably, even more bewildered. "Who the hell are you?!" he shrieks. Normally this is where I would wait for him to realize he's looking at the Midnight Angel and he should run, but I remember that right now I'm just Sonoda Umi. "Tch, I don't know who you are, but you better get out of the way!" He pulls out a gun, and I can tell this is going to be harder than I hoped. I look around me at the people taking the chance to flee. I need to keep his attention on me to keep them safe, but that limits the actions I can take. I can't risk a stray bullet hitting a civilian.

I run straight at my target, and he opens fire. He misses most of his shots, but there's a sharp pain in my right shoulder that I try my best to ignore. I tackle him to the ground and wrestle the gun away, but he manages to roll over and turn the situation on me. He pulls a knife out and positions it over my chest. I fight it with everything I have left, but my shoulder starts giving out and he's winning. As he brings the knife down closer and closer, I notice how strangely calm I am. It barely even feels real to me. All that time spent as the Angel, risking my life over and over, only to die as Sonoda Umi. I think that I should be sad about that, but I'm not.

Just come back safe, okay?

I do feel regret, though. Regret at not being able to keep my last promise to her. Regret that she's going to find me lying here in a pool of my own blood, and she'll fall apart. She'll try not to, because she's prideful, but she'll find somewhere no one will see her and she'll start crying. That is my only regret. Meeting Maki-

Clang!

Sparks fill my vision as a knife flies into the one millimeters away from my chest, knocking it away to the distance. "I cannot allow you to go any further," a voice cries, shaky but resolute. I try not to gasp as I look to the side. Maki is standing there, glaring at my opponent with such a fury that she almost doesn't need the dagger in her hand. Recognizing the new and immediate threat, the thug stands up to face her. "Impressive aim you've got there, little lady."

She sneered. "Actually, I was aiming for your ugly face."

"Oh ho, and quite the tongue as well!" He pulls another knife out. "Then, wanna bet which one of us has better aim?"

Maki is putting up an impressive facade, but I can tell she's scared. That was an impressive throw, but now she's lost the element of surprise. I have no idea when she learned to throw a knife like that, but she's not used to an actual fight, and he'd get her before she even got a chance. Despite the pain, I try to stand up. I have to get back in the fight.

Suddenly, I feel weightless. A pair of figures in identical white cloaks, almost the same as my vigilante outfit, pull me back on my feet. One of them gives me a smile, before raising the shinai in her hand. "I think that's enough of that," she says, bringing it down on the thug's head, instantly knocking him out cold. He never even saw it coming.

Maki watches him slump to the ground. She takes a moment to ensure he's really unconscious, and then runs over to us. "I know I'm a bad girlfriend," she starts, and I can see the tears in her eyes that she's trying to hold back, "but you're gonna need to try a lot harder than that if you want to get away from me."

"She called us as soon as you ran off to get that guy," Honoka explains to me. "And then followed after you. Good thing, too, because it looks like he almost had you! Are you alright?"

I nod. "A little shaken up, but I'm fine."

Kotori clicks her tongue. "I doubt that, but you're at least able to stand on your own. I'm gonna go check on the people they hurt as they ran away first in case any of them need attention before the ambulances get here, but just stay here for now, okay?" With that, she runs off, and Honoka follows after her, leaving me alone with Maki.

I give her a gentle smile and opened my arms. "It's just me now. You can go ahead and cry."

She shakes her head as she steps into the embrace. "I won't cry, because you're still here. Just...don't ever do that to me again, okay? I was so worried about you. And don't even give me any of that honour crap, because a dead vigilante-a dead Angel is no good to anyone." She clutches onto me so tightly it hurts, as if she wants to keep me here forever. Strangely, I don't mind that thought.

"You're selfish, you know."

"Someone's got to be, for your sake."

I chuckle. "How troublesome."

"Do you regret letting me into your life, then?" She looks up at me.

I smile at her. "Not a bit."

"By the way, where'd you learn to throw knives like that?"

"...A friend of mine. I'll explain some other time."

I'm horrifically late, but happy birthday Maki! Here's that Midnight Angel sequel I promised last month. Writing this was...an experience. It's quite different from everything else I've written so far, and tbh I was quite nervous writing this!

It's not something I'm used to, and I don't think I made this as good as it could potentially be. But if I wanna get better, I gotta practice, right? I kinda like this AU, so I hope to explore it more in the future and use it to practice things like this. Thanks for reading~