"What's up with her?" The brunette wispered.

"Shh, she'll hear you! Yurika-chan, what happened to you?" the blonde retorted.

"It's so unlike her. Whatever the Loli-Gothic guy said must've hit her hard." The blue-haired girl on the end muttered.

Ran Shibuki, Ichigo Hoshimiya, and Aoi Kiriya hid behind a corner, watching Yurika as she walked by. Her head was hung, and her usual confidence was gone. She hadn't talked to any of them since she came back from Loli-Gothic headquarters. Something was wrong. She looked tired, and she had obviously been thinking hard about something.

Yurika sat on the end of their lunch table that day, trying to avoid talking to her friends. What is this going to mean for me? Father said that my powers will only get stronger. There's nothing I can do about it. How would the girls react? Would they think I had been hiding it from them? Would they hate me? Would they be afraid of me? What would it mean for my carreer? She had so many questions, and so few answers. For perhaps the first time since enrolling in Starlight Academy, she was genuinely terrified for herself and everyone around her. Eventually, it would get too strong and she wouldn't be able to control her impulses. She would probably end up hurting someone.

"Yurika-tan, what's wrong? You look sad. Is there anything Otome can do?" Otome Arisugawa, by far the most hyper of Yurika's friends, asked, genuine concern on her face. It's rare to see her anything other than absolutely ecstatic.

"It... it's nothing. I'm fine. Just a bit tired, is all." she insisted.

"Yurika, we're not stupid. You're never this quiet." Ran jabbed.

"Yurika-chan, what's wrong? You can tell us." Ichigo insisted.

"Whatever this is, we won't let you face it alone. We're in this together." Aoi added.

The questions kept coming, to the point where Yurika couldn't take it anymore.

"Ahhhhhhh...ENOUGH!" she shouted, slamming her hands down on that table and jumping out of her chair. "Nothing's wrong with me! You're over-reacting." She cleared her throat and regained her cool composure. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I must return to my chambers." she said. Swinging her parasol over her shoulder, she turned and walked away.

"Yurika-chan..." Ichigo muttered. She had never seen her this angry.

"Okay, that's it. We're gonna help her, whether she realizes she needs it or not!" Aoi shouted, pumping her fist into the air.

The rest of the girls cheered in unison, pumping their fists into the air to meet Aoi's.