Aya sighed and stared out the window. She was usually an attentive student, but whatever the current lesson was about, Aya had gotten lost near the beginning of class and didn't think she could catch up if she tried. There was too much to think about anyway. Most of the week or so since her strange dream had been spent in bed with a fever and nothing but time, yet Aya still thought there was some deeper meaning to it that was waiting to show itself.
Or maybe Akira was right about it just being the result of her overactive imagination and the beginning of a cold. Well whatever it had been, a half-finished sketch of the cloaked woman lay on the desk in Aya's room, and an intense curiosity had buried itself in her mind. She had also spent more time than she would like to admit researching her mysterious ferret and trying to track down the other girls.
The sound of the lunch bell woke Aya out of her revere. What seemed like less than a second later, Akira was by her side, books in hand, poking her arm and telling her to get ready faster.
"Hurry up Aya, you can stare out the window all you want during class, but lunch is my time and it's valuable," she said, "Plus there's this new café in the park near here I wanna get to. Well it's not really new, but it's newly renovated or something because the old guy who used to own it sold it to a not-as-old guy and now it's opening again. Cool, huh?"
"Uh, sure," replied Aya who hadn't really kept up with the increasingly rapid pace Akira had spoken with, "We should probably go now if we're going to make it there and back before lunch ends though."
"I know, that's why I'm here poking you in the arm telling you to hurry up so we can go. By the way, hurry up already."
Aya couldn't help but crack a smile. She finished gathering up her books and the moment she had everything in her hands Akira literally dragged her out of the classroom by the arm and down the stairs. Aya wondered what was so special about this café. Akira was always in a hurry to get to lunch (especially on the days they got to leave the school), but excitement like this was usually saved for the rare occasions that Aya's mother was home to cook for them.
"So," said Akira, finally letting go of Aya's arm, "We meet at the front doors in one minute."
And with that Akira was off down the hall like a rocket. Aya sighed and walked in the other direction towards her lockers. She switched her shoes, grabbed her backpack, and was at the front doors before Akira. This made her wonder if something had happened, but she knew there was also a chance she had taken one second too long to reach the front doors and Akira had left without her. Aya had learnt from experience that she'd actually do that.
"Sorry I'm late," said Akira, running down the hall towards Aya, "Sato-san and her weird friends were blocking the hallway again. Were you waiting long? Whatever, let's just go."
"I've only been waiting a second," she replied, letting Akira lead her out the doors, "Not that long."
"That still makes me late."
Aya opened her mouth to reply, but thought better of it. Instead she let Akira drag her (literally by this point) towards the park and the café she'd been talking about. It was strange that no one else was headed that way though, usually when a new place opened up they had a steady stream of students to follow all the way there. As they finally reached the café, Aya figured out why.
"You know this is more of a dessert café then a lunch café, right Akira?" she asked, looking at the menu that was bolted to the wall.
"I don't think there's anything wrong with dessert for lunch."
"Well your diabetic best friend does. And it doesn't look open yet anyway."
"But, but, look at this," Akira jabbed a finger at a flyer taped to the café's door, "This says it's supposed to open today."
Aya just stood back and sighed as Akira proceeded to bang her fists against the door and shout demands about being given cake. She was about to start backing away slowly and pretending she had no connection with this crazy girl when a boy who looked just slightly older than they were walked out from behind the building.
"Can I help you with anything?" he asked, a genuine smile on his face, "I work here."
"Yes," replied Akira who had stopped pounding on the door, "I came all the way out here to have cake and then you're not open! I see a big problem there!"
"Right, sorry about that Miss. My brother had to delay the opening due to unforeseen circumstances. If it really means that much to you though, I'm sure he wouldn't mind if I gave you girls a tour and some samples at least. If you wouldn't mind doing a little advertising for us in exchange that is."
"Do I get cake?"
"Yes."
"I'm in!"
The boy took a set of keys out of his pocket and unlocked the café door and barely had time to get out of the way before Akira rushed in. Aya hung back a little as the boy followed Akira into the café. This seemed a bit suspicious to her, but she figured that it would be a good idea to go in to at least keep Akira from doing anything too stupid.
Though that might take a minor miracle since cake was involved.
Regardless, Aya hurried into the building after her friend, flinching as the door swung shut behind her. She adjusted her skirt and weaved through the maze of cloth-covered tables to the back wall where Akira and the boy were standing by a door.
"It's just through here ladies," he gestured towards the door.
"What's through there?" asked a still nervous Aya, chewing at her lip, "And I probably should have asked this sooner, but who exactly are you?"
"My apologies Miharu-san," he flashed an award-winning smile, "I am Nakamura Kohaku and my brother is Nakamura Yoshi who is, as I mentioned earlier, the actual owner of this café. He's someone you'll be meeting very soon."
"How did you know my name Nakamura-san?"
"You're an incredible girl Miharu Aya. I've had to learn a lot about you."
Aya's heart stopped as she recoiled in horror. "You're… one of those psychotic rapists who obsesses over their victims for years and years before finally carrying out their sadistic plan, aren't you?"
Kohaku stared blankly at Aya for a moment before slapping his forehead. "I probably should have thought this through a bit more so it didn't seem like that."
"Then… what do you want me for?"
"What does he want us for, Aya," huffed an indignant Akira, "I am still here you know."
"Please excuse us for ignoring you Akoga-san," Kohaku gave a little bow and gestured towards the door again, "Now if you girls would please follow me?" Seeing Aya hesitate and hold back Akira he added, "Please, this is important. If it will put you at ease, I will make sure this door remains open and never get between you and your escape route."
After wedging the door open with a block of wood, Kohaku headed down the stairs. Akira hurried after him (she probably hadn't already figured out that the cake was a lie) and after Aya made sure she had a clear path to sprint for the front door if the need arose, she followed too.
When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she was greeted by a room that was generally unremarkable save for an impressive looking computer system near the far wall that Kohaku was in the process of booting up. Akira was standing in the middle of the room looking around. Since there wasn't much to see, Aya assumed that she was probably looking for cake.
Kohaku made a triumphant noise and the far wall, which Aya now noticed was actually a large floor to ceiling computer screen, came to life. And started to display a picture of a ferret. Her ferret.
"I think that's the ferret from…" Aya trailed off, not knowing exactly what to call the even that had taken place the previous week.
"It is," confirmed Kohaku who obviously knew what he was talking about, "And it's actually a very specific type of ferret Miharu-san. The endangered Black Footed Ferret. And it's also become an important part of your very DNA. Akira's is the Japanese Crested Ibis." He typed a command into the computer and a picture of a bird Aya also recognized took its place next to the ferret.
"An important part of my very DNA." echoed Aya, realizing just what that would mean. Providing Kohaku was telling the truth of course, which she still highly doubted. After all, she hadn't been feeling very ferrety lately- or ever for that matter- though she had been feeling slightly… off since last week.
"I know I haven't done very well in science this year, but I'm pretty sure that's not possible," Akira pointed out, "Or that the ability to do that would be way out of the league of some guy working in a café basement."
"Let me try explaining this another way," sighed Kohaku, seeing that the modern school system had injected too much logic and common knowledge science into their curriculum for the girls to believe him right away, "Did either of you ever watch the television show 'Tokyo Mew Mew' when you were younger?"
"I did," replied Aya, "But what does… you're not being serious are you? You think you can make us believe that you messed with our DNA like they did in that show? Don't be silly that's just fiction."
"But it isn't," said Kohaku who had suddenly grown more serious, "All the names were fake and the appearances differed from reality, but the show was written by the Mew known as 'Lettuce' to serve as a sort of memoir to their adventures. It was all true."
"I have no idea what either of you are talking about, so I'm just going to smile and pretend I'm interested," Akira said while she moved to get a closer look at the bird on the computer screen.
"But wait," continued Aya, blatantly ignoring Akira, "Does that mean, assuming everything you've told us up to this point is true, that we'll also have to defend the earth from a race of alien invaders?"
"It does," he replied gravely, "And unfortunately we've received word that even so soon after your initial injections, that they're observing all four of you as you go about your daily lives in the city. It seems like they're waiting for an opportunity to attack you girls. Let's see how you react to your first experience with the unknown."
He tossed a small object a both girls and both objects simultaneously ended up on the floor. Akira's because she still had her back to them and Aya's because she could barely catch a baseball let alone something small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. When she reached down and picked the object up she saw that it was the same size and shape as the Mew Pendants from the show, but when she turned it over the markings were black instead of bright pink and definitely different.
When she lifted her head to ask Kohaku about it, the words died on her lips. The edges of his figure seemed to waiver and by the time his ears reached half of what she suspected their final size would be, she realized what was going and bolted for the door. Any doubts she had about the truth of his story died there and then.
