Author's Note: At long last, the third chapter is here! I must apologize for it taking so long, since I got rather caught up in various life things- but hopefully the space between the next updates won't be quite so long! Please kindly feel free to leave a review, feedback makes the world go round after all!
Selfish Heart
Episode Three
Abundant Love, Cure Heart!
"Don't worry ~sharu! Because I'm sure this girl is the second Precure!"
The Jikochuu might have still been rampaging in the distance, but for Mana, it was like all of the sound in the world had been sucked out of it at once. For a brief moment, the magenta haired girl simply couldn't process anything, the gears in her head grinding to a halt. And then-
"EEEEEEEEEEHHHHH?"
"Wait a second, Cheryl, are you sure?! You can't just decide on something like that so quickly!" Makoto found herself blurting out. To find the second Precure this easily... was that really possible? And this timing too! Was she just saying this because the timing was bad? Just because she couldn't transform right now, didn't mean just anyone could become a Precure!
"I'm sure ~sharu!" The pink rabbit-like fairy gave a firm nod of her head, beaming towards Mana. "This girl is definitely it! I can feel it ~sharu!"
"Eh, me a Precure?" Mana asked, finally seeming to recall how to talk. Her head was frankly still spinning from all of this honestly- first she had finally gotten a chance to meet her idol, Makopi in person, and then there was some kind of strange rabbit telling her that she could become a Precure? "You mean I could be like Cure Sword? Fighting the Jikochuu and protecting everyone?"
"Yes ~sharu!" Cheryl nodded her head again, the confidence she had in her own words was unmistakable. "I'm a Precure fairy, so I know this ~sharu. Mana, please become my partner!"
"Wait a second, Cheryl, this is a little too sudden for anyone to take in!" Makoto protested again, though it was clear that she was rather antsy herself, being able to hear the Jikochuu's cries not far off from here. To be so close and not be able to do anything was so frustrating! What was she doing, wasting her time here?
But Davie wasn't here, so it wasn't like she had much of a choice to begin with- she should have considered something like this as a possibility! Right now, her fairy partner would have been in human form, and she would have had no way to sense the birth of a Jikochuu- this was a serious pinch! Even if she called, how long would it take Davie to get out here?
"It's fine." Mana said, a note of determination appearing in her voice. Her thoughts might have not gotten themselves quite in order again, but there were two things she did know- that people were in danger, and that there was apparently something that she could do about it. "I'll do it! Please teach me how to become a Precure, Cheryl!"
"Are you sure about this?" Makoto couldn't help but ask. Although she had said that she was resolved to allowing someone uninvolved in the Trump Kingdom's problems help, now that the person in question had appeared before her, she couldn't help but retract her earlier words somewhat. After all, Mana- no, no one in Oogai had anything to do with the Selfish invasion! And what's more, the fact that right now, she couldn't transform even if she wanted to...
It was frustrating! This was the Trump Kingdom's battle, so it was only right that the person to fight should be one of the Trump Kingdom's knights! How could she possibly leave it to someone else like this?
"Of course I'm sure!"
The girl's words were so overflowing with sincerely that Makoto almost thought she had been mistaken for a moment. Once she realized that the magenta haired girl was serious however, she locked eyes with her. "Are you really sure?" Makoto found herself repeating her earlier question, unable to help herself. "This isn't your fight, after all."
"It is now!" Mana said simply, giving the other girl a bright smile. "After all, they're the ones threatening my hometown and everyone in it. If I'm given the chance to help, I just can't turn a blind eye. You don't need a reason to help someone, right?"
Makoto opened her mouth to voice another protest- but instead she quickly shut it, closing her eyes and nodding her head. She had already resolved to go through with this, hadn't she? She just couldn't go back on her words here, especially in this situation. The longer they waited, the more the Jikochuu would rampage. And they would have to wait even longer for Davie to arrive in order for Makoto to transform herself. There wasn't any other choice.
"Alright. Then, I'll entrust everything to you, Aida-san."
"Mana is fine." Mana said, before she looked towards Cheryl again. "Then, Cheryl, please teach me how to become a Precure!"
"Yes ~sharu!" Cheryl nodded her head, before in a poof of pink smoke, she transformed into a Lovely Commune. Although she blinked a little in surprise at first, Mana quickly took the item in her hands. "Now, shout out Precure Love Link!"
Nodding her head, Mana took a deep breath, closing her eyes for just a moment. And then-
"Precure Love Link!"
"Ah why is it now of all times that she's choosing not to pick up her phone!?" Ira couldn't help but twitch as he glowered down at the cellphone in his hands, which was currently rather unhelpfully playing out Mana's rather cheerful voicemail prompt. To think that something like a Jikochuu would appear right after she ran away with that super idol- what was with today anyways!?
At least they were a safe distance away from the site of the attack now. Letting out a breath, Ira closed his cellphone for a moment, carefully placing the unconscious girl that he had been holding in his arms on the ground. His golden eyes narrowed a little as they fell on her unusually pale face, and he reached out once again, to double check that she was really still alive.
He hadn't really been thinking straight when that Selfish girl suddenly appeared, and summoned the Jikochuu, but he had ended up taking the girl it was created from with him. As he pulled his fingers back from her neck, satisfied that she still had a pulse, his gaze turned back in the direction he had come from.
That was the first time he had seen a Jikochuu be created up close. Of course, he'd seen the monsters before- it was kind of hard not to, considering they'd been attacking Oogai for about a year now. But it was different- just seeing them on television, or from a distance, he couldn't really get any kind of strong impression from them, other than one of a great darkness.
Glancing back for a moment at the unconscious girl, Ira found a hand straying up to his own chest, as he glanced down towards hers. When he had seen that thing burst forward from the girl's chest, he had a vague idea of what had happened, but it seemed like his suspicions were true.
The girl didn't have a heart anymore.
She wasn't missing her real heart of course, that was obviously working just fine. Rather, it was her second heart- the one that was more akin to a soul. Normally, this wouldn't be something that other people could see, but ever since he could remember, Ira could see this mysterious second heart within people- but no matter who he asked, they couldn't tell him what it was. It didn't seem like there was anyone else who could see them either. If anything, those he did asked wrote him off as a liar, or a weirdo, and eventually, he had stopped asking altogether.
But that Selfish girl- she had painted the girl's pink heart a pitch black color, and had then pulled it out to summon that monster- that Jikochuu. If that was the case, didn't it mean that she could see them as well?
It wasn't a question that rested easily in his mind, and for the moment, it was one he decided to dismiss. Pulling out his cellphone again, he once more attempted to dial Mana's number, wondering where she could have gone during this chaos.
And what was someone like Makopi doing here anyways?
"Jikochuu!"
As the monster manifested itself, the crowd of students, disappointed that their student council president had taken Makopi away from them, quickly transformed itself into a panicked mob. As people began to bump into each other, none of them seeming to be able to get away fast enough for their satisfaction, Furia couldn't help but feel a smile grace her lips.
"That's right! Just continue like that, Jikochuu! Rampage to your heart's content!" She commanded it, as the monster let out a roar of agreement. "There's no reason to hold back!"
The Jikochuu, which appeared to have taken on the form of an electronic fan, stomped forward, a powerful gust of wind kicking up as it started up it's motors. Those who hadn't managed to escape yet let out a scream, as the gust of wind knocked them off their feet, slamming them into each other. Combined with powerful steps that shook the ground as it walked, it made it very difficult for the bystanders to get out of the way with any amount of ease.
"That's right, Jikochuu! Let it all out!" Furia commanded it once more, floating in the air above it, out of the range of it's powerful winds. Glancing about, she wondered where that troublesome Cure Sword was- she wouldn't manage to defeat today's Jikochuu so easily.
"Hold it! Your rampage ends now!" The commanding tone of the girl's voice was more than enough to give both Furia and the Jikochuu pause- it wasn't Cure Sword's voice, though, the Selfish girl realized that even as she turned towards the source of it. "Your evil deeds are over for today!"
Pink clothes, blonde hair. Deep pink eyes that were currently locked in their direction. An unfamiliar face, but a familiar style of dress. Furia's eyes narrowed as she studied the girl, the gears quickly whirring to work in her head. In the last battle, something seemed to have been distracting Cure Sword, and her fairy- the tiny purple fairy had said that she had sensed something, hadn't she?
Furia had assumed that something had something to do with the Princess at first, but looking at the girl in front of her, and the brilliant light that her Psyche gave off, she understood.
A new Precure had been born.
"And you are?" Furia asked, folding her arms in front of her chest. "I wasn't aware that Cure Sword had allies."
"Starting today, she does!" The blonde girl triumphantly declared, staring up at Furia from her perch on a lamppost. Honestly, she almost couldn't believe it herself- but Mana had no time to dwell on the fact that she'd just gained an incredible power. She could all but feel it course through her veins- she felt stronger and lighter, felt like she could take anything anyone could throw at her right now.
"A newborn Precure, then?" Furia asked, her eyes searching, before they fell on the device resting on the pink clad girl's hips. She could sense the presence of a fairy from it- so this was what Cure Sword's fairy had meant by sensing something. The birth of a new fairy would surely mean the birth of a new Precure- and that was something that was not within her plans.
This was a setback that she hadn't calculated for within her plans- she had no reason to believe that anymore Precure existed, or that anymore would be created. After all, with the Trump Kingdom fallen, there was no way that new fairies could have been born.
Unless... had the princess calculated this as well? To think that the princess of the Trump Kingdom might have anticipated things to this extent, allowing for the birth of new Precure just when Cure Sword was starting to struggle on her own-
Interesting. Without a doubt, this was interesting.
"That's right!" Mana, who no longer was really Mana in a way, proudly declared, raising her hand in front of her. She had gotten a basic rundown from Cheryl and Makopi on her way here, and she more or less got the gist of what she had to do- if not the exact way to do it. But, she would surely figure something out!
"I've come here to put a stop to your evil deeds, Furia! I won't let you create chaos in this town anymore! Not as long as my name is..." She trailed off there, her boast hanging in the air, blinking rapidly to herself.
Ah.
That was right- what was her name right now anyways? She hadn't thought of one!
"Your name?" Furia asked, quirking an eyebrow. Had she not thought of a name yet? This must have certainly been a newly created Precure indeed, if she hadn't even managed to do something as simple as that yet. But, in the end, it wasn't like her name was even relevant to the Selfish girl. If possible, she would defeat her here, eliminating the error to her plans before she could throw a genuine wrench into them. "Well, your name isn't important anyways. I'll save you the trouble of thinking of one by defeating you right now. Jikochuu!"
At Furia's command, the Jikochuu quickly sprung into action, starting up it's motors again, creating a powerful gust of wind. Not quite prepared for the quick shift into action, the newly created Precure found herself letting out a yelp as she was caught in the gust, finding herself easily blown off of the lamppost.
But even with that, hitting the ground didn't hurt? Blinking a little as she got to her feet, she didn't have too much time to dwell on it as the Jikochuu was already on it's way to her, raising up a fist. Jumping out of the way to avoid it, she found her movements light and easy, as if she weighed almost nothing.
So this was the power of a Precure?
Narrowing her eyes, the pink clad Precure clenched her fists, turning her gaze towards the Jikochuu, and towards the one who had summoned it. Honestly, the public didn't know too much about the Jikochuu and their summoners- not what they were here for, where they had come from, or who they really were. What information they had gathered was overheard during their battles with Cure Sword, and the purple Precure herself had deigned to go into too much detail about the monsters, or about herself, avoiding interviews and reporters alike.
"You have to purify the Jikochuu ~sharu!"
Cheryl's voice broke Mana from her thoughts, and she glanced down at the device on her waist. It had been rather surprising when the rabbit fairy had suddenly transformed into this smartphone like device, but when she thought about it, didn't Cure Sword have something like this as well? Realizing her thoughts were straying from the battle at hand, Mana quickly refocused her thoughts. She couldn't afford to get distracted here!
"Yes!" Mana nodded her head, pink eyes turning towards the fan monster. "I won't let you continue your rampage, Jikochuu! I will put an end to here!"
"You just said that." Furia noted dryly, rubbing her forehead. "Well, it doesn't matter. A rookie Precure like you is no match for my Jikochuu. Go!"
The Jikochuu rushed forward once more, this time raising up a fist and swinging it down towards the pink clad Precure. Panicking, Mana threw up her hands, managing to catch the monster's punch, feeling the ground crack underneath her feet from the sheer momentum of it. Gritting her teeth, she struggled underneath the weight of the fist, trying to figure out what to do next. Cheryl had told her that she needed to purify the monster, but how exactly did she do that?
But, she had to do what she had to do! She didn't know the details too well, but these monsters couldn't be let run amuck!
Finding a surge of strength within herself, Mana pushed forward, managing to force the Jikochuu to stumble back. Seeing her chance for an opening, she quickly rushed forward, depending on her newfound strength as a Precure as she launched herself at the Jikochuu, all but slamming her entire body into it. With a crash, the Jikochuu fell to the ground, struggling to get back up again.
"That's good, ~sharu! Now you need to purify it, ~sharu!" Cheryl's voice called from within the Commune.
"Even you say that, exactly how do I do that?" Mana asked, pink eyes darting down as she looked at her fairy partner.
"You should already know, ~sharu! The words should be resonating within your heart ~sharu!" Cheryl reassured her.
"My heart...?" Mana blinked, before her expression turned serious, her attention turning back towards the monster, which was slowly beginning to get back to it's feet. She wasn't certain she entirely understood what the fairy was trying to get at- but she had to try it! While she wasted time here, the monster would only recover, and start to rampage more! "Okay, I got it. I'll try it!"
Placing a hand over her chest, Mana closed her eyes. Taking in and letting out a deep breath, she felt something welling up inside of her- was this the power that Cheryl had been talking about? Concentrating for a moment, her eyes snapped open after a second, an overwhelming feeling of knowledge surging through her.
So that was it!
Placing her hands over the heart emblem on her uniform, she turned towards the Jikochuu, which was now on it's feet again, beginning to shake off the effects from her last attack. "Let my feelings reach you! My Sweet Heart!"
The beam of glittering light that was produced from the heart emblem was almost blinding to Furia, the Selfish covering her eyes in response to it. Even as she did that, she could feel the Jikochuu that she was in control of fading away, returning to it's original form as a Psyche, the black taint she had painted on it fading away into it's normal pure pink color. Gritting her teeth, she clenched her fists, turning her sharp gaze towards the new Precure as the Psyche flew back towards it's original owner.
So this rookie Precure had some power after all- she had underestimated her. Without a mistake, this was Furia's own fault. But, she wouldn't make the same mistake twice.
"I can see your power is nothing to be sneezed at after all." Furia stated, her tone as icy as her eyes. "But make no mistake, Precure. This is the last time I will underestimate you. If you intend to continue this battle, you had better prepare yourself!"
Turning on her heel, Furia vanished from sight. Whatever the case, she had to inform her mother and father of this new development. With a new Precure in the works, they might have to change their plans.
He sensed it's return before he even saw it. Almost as if it was still pulsating with the pure light that had purified it earlier, Ira found the returning heart difficult to look at- though it wasn't nearly as bright as that of that girl's. As it entered the girl's chest again, he dimly wondered if other people could see it when it was out like this, or if this was a form that only he could see still.
Well, him and that Selfish girl, apparently. There was no reason to believe that she couldn't see them if she was manipulating them, and turning them into monsters. His golden eyes narrowed a little at the thought, wondering exactly what that meant for the person who had their heart stolen- and just as this thought entered his mind, the unconscious girl began to stir somewhat, her eyes fluttering open.
"...what?" She got up, placing a hand on her head, taking a moment to steady herself.
"Ah, you woke up?" For the moment, Ira put his worries aside, turning his attention towards the somewhat dazed girl. "You passed out when the Jikochuu attacked. I carried you out here so you wouldn't get hurt."
Well, there was no need to tell her that the Jikochuu had been created with her own heart.
"Are you alright?" He asked, offering her a hand up, which she took after a moment, giving him a grateful smile as she got to her feet.
"Is that what happened? That would explain the strange dream I had." The girl frowned a little, seeming better now that she was standing. "Thank you. You're Hishikawa-san, right? The student council president's aide?"
"Ah, yes." Ira nodded his head, blinking rapidly. Of course, he knew that the student body knew about Mana quite well, but he wasn't really aware that they ever paid any attention to him. "I'm glad that you're alright, I was worried."
"Don't worry about me, I'm fine." The girl was quick to reassure him. "I'm a little upset about missing Makopi though. She was there, right? That wasn't part of my dream, right?"
"She was there, though I didn't get a good look at her myself either." Ira told her, before suddenly remembering how Mana had run off with her right before the Jikochuu had appeared. "Well, if you're fine, I should be going. I should probably look for Mana."
Excusing himself, Ira pulled out his cellphone again, once more attempting to dial Mana's number. He hadn't been able to connect with her earlier, but perhaps now that the chaos had calmed down, he'd be able to get a connection. At any rate, it was best to head back towards the school- if Mana had separated from Makoto at any point, she would have probably headed back towards the campus. Someone as proud of being the student council president like Mana wouldn't dare miss school, after all.
As the Jikochuu was purified, Makoto felt herself letting out a deep breath. Placing a hand over her heart in relief, she could only smile as the newly minted Precure quickly approached her hiding place, a bright smile on the blonde girl's face. For all of her worries, Mana had managed well enough. Honestly, she was still a little surprised that they had managed to find the first new Precure that easily, but given the situation, Makoto wasn't exactly complaining.
"I did it!" Mana proclaimed, beaming widely as she put her hands on her hips. "But I'm surprised- I kind of feel like a whole different person! Like there's a whole of power surging through me right now, it's amazing!"
"I'm glad that you're alright. But you should transform back to normal before anyone sees you." Makoto quickly advised her, eyes already beginning to wander, looking around for any signs of people returning to the area now that the monster was gone.
"Okay!" Mana nodded her head, beaming broadly- before she seemingly froze in place, as if some kind of error had occurred in her brain. Before Makoto could even ask, the pink Precure voiced her question. "So? How do I that?"
Makoto could only blink for a moment, before she heaved a deep sigh. Well, maybe it was too much to ask for to have Mana become an expert Precure right away, even if she had done well during her first battle. "You think about it. Will yourself back to your normal form."
"Oh, that's easy!" Closing her eyes, she took in and let out a deep breath, her transformation coming undone, leaving the pink clad Precure as just plain Mana Aida again. Cheryl's transformation came undone as well, the rabbit fairy turning back into her original form, hovering slightly beside Mana.
"But I'm surprised! Makopi, I never would have guessed that you had something to do with the Precure." Mana said as she double checked herself, making sure she really had gone completely back to normal. As cute as those clothes she was wearing had been, they weren't exactly school approved, and it wouldn't do for the student council president to get coded for a uniform violation! She had to set an example for the other students after all!
But more importantly for now, she just had to ask the idol the question that had been burning in the back of her mind for awhile now. "Do you know Cure Sword, by any chance?"
"Eh?" The purple haired blinked for a moment, opening up her mouth to supply the fact that of course she did, she was Cure Sword, before her comment got cut off by the sound of someone's ringtone- wait a second, wasn't that one of her songs?
"Ah, my phone!" Mana pulled it out of her school bag, flipping it open, seemingly oblivious to the fact that it might have been somewhat awkward for the idol in front of her to hear one of her own songs being used as the girl's ringtone. "Oh, Ira! Where have you been? You didn't get in trouble with the Jikochuu, did you?"
"I didn't." The voice on the other side of the phone, and even Makoto could manage to hear the young boy's exasperated sigh. "What about you? You ran off with Makopi in a hurry- you didn't get involved with the Jikochuu either, did you?"
"Well, about that-!" Mana began. Sensing that the girl was about to blow her new secret, Makoto panicked, reaching out to grab her arm. Shaking her head, she put her fingers to her lips, indicating for her to be quiet. "Eh, hold on a second Ira, Makopi wants to tell me something!"
Ira's comment of 'you're still with her?!' fell on deaf ears as Mana lowered the phone, looking at the idol in curiosity. "What is it? I was just going to tell Ira about becoming a Precure!"
"You can't! It's a secret!" Makoto hissed, keeping her voice low. "You can't tell anyone about being a Precure, not even your friends or family. If they knew, it would only bring them trouble!"
"Eh, is that so?" Mana blinked, apparently having never considered this option. Honestly, the idea that being a Precure would have to be something she would need to keep secret had never crossed her mind at all. What's more, she wasn't very good at lying- but Makopi was telling her that she had to lie to her family and friends to keep them safe?
Well, if Makopi said so, then it must have been with good reason, so she didn't have any reason to doubt her, but...
Could she really pull that off?
"I got it!" Mana nodded her head after a moment, steeling herself. It was true that she wasn't the type to tell lies in general, but it couldn't be that hard, right? Picking her phone back up, she took a deep breath, ready to open her mouth-
"I heard that entire conversation, you know." Ira's dry reply sounded a bit strange to her ears, and Mana couldn't really place why until he rounded the corner, golden eyes already locked on to the pink haired girl's face. Closing his cellphone, he tucked it back into his pocket, before folding his arms in front of his chest. "What's this about you becoming a Precure, Mana?"
"W-well, that's..." Mana trailed off, eyes darting back over towards Makoto, breaking out in a cold sweat. Cheryl had already apparently ducked behind her back, the small fairy hiding. She didn't realize that he had been so close! After Makoto's stern words, she already blew her secret before she even had a chance to lie! "Um, Makopi, what exactly do we do in a situation like this... eh, Makopi, you alright?"
For whatever reason, Makoto's eyes were fixated on her friend, the color of her face draining. She seemed to swallow, clenching her fists for a second- before she relaxed, letting out her breath, tension washing out of her body.
The golden eyed boy- that's right, he had been walking with Mana before, hadn't he? Seeing his eyes up close, she couldn't help but be reminded of those of Marmo and Bel all the more- those golden eyes that were burned into her memory. But, she'd already decided it was a coincidence, right? There was no reason at all to suspect that this boy was a Selfish, just because of something simple like that.
Maybe she was traumatized by the loss of the Trump Kingdom than she had expected, if she was jumping at shadows like this.
"It's nothing." Shaking her head, Makoto put on her best smile, quick to reassure the girl. "Sorry for making you worry, I was just a little surprised. Your friend? He walks really quietly."
"Yes! Let me introduce you!" Mana beamed, standing next to the brown haired boy. "This is my childhood friend, Hishikawa Ira. He leaves just down the street from me, and his mother and my mother are friends, so we've known each other since we were little kids."
"Ah, pleased to meet you." Ira said, nodding his head. "More importantly, Mana, what's this about becoming a Precure? Is that even a thing you can do?"
"It's true!" Mana protested, huffing a little. Now that he already knew, there was no use denying it- probably doing so might cause Ira to feel bad. "I became a proper Precure and everything! Ah, although come to think of it, I still haven't thought of a name for myself yet."
"And, since Makopi is here, I assume that you've got something to do with this as well, right?" Ira said, glancing over towards the idol. His eyes narrowed again, the pure light of her heart threatening to blind him again for a second- but this time he was prepared for it, and managed to tune it out somewhat. But, now that he thought about, it finally made sense to him- was the idol's pure heart due to the fact that she had something to do with the Precure?
No, rather...
"You're Cure Sword, aren't you?" He asked, quirking an eyebrow. Now that he thought back on it, Makopi and Cure Sword had more or less started to appear around the same time.
Makoto heaved a sigh, resisting the urge to rub her forehead. Maybe Davie was right- perhaps it would have been better if she had left finding the new Precure to her. Otherwise, she wouldn't be in this situation. "I am." She said after a moment. "But I implore you to not spread this information around."
"EH!?" Mana blurted out, looking quickly between Ira and Makoto. "Makopi, you're Cure Sword?"
"I am." She gave the girl a soft smile, for a moment wondering if Mana was perhaps a bit dense. Or rather, she seemed a bit lacking in common sense, was one way to put it- although perhaps that was a bit rude. "I couldn't transform today because I didn't have my fairy partner, Davie, with me. You really saved me today, Aida-san- or rather, it's Mana, wasn't it?"
"Ah, well, I was just doing the right thing, you know!" Mana stammered, feeling a little flustered. To think that she was being praised by her idol- she couldn't feel her heart soar! And even though she had personally told her to call her by her name, somehow it made her heart beat fast to hear Makoto refer to her as 'Mana'- super exciting! "There was no way I could let a Jikochuu just rampage around like that! But I'm glad that you're safe, Ira."
"Yeah, I ran away." Ira nodded his head, leaving out the part where he had brought the girl whose heart had been used to create the monster, his gaze briefly flickering over towards Makoto. Honestly, part of him wanted to bring up the way the Jikochuu were created- but at the same time, he almost felt afraid to. The way that she had looked at him, even if it had only been for a moment... what had that been about? He had decided not to say anything about it out loud, but honestly, it bothered him.
There seemed to be a lot of things bothering him today. And to think that it was still morning...
"That's good." Mana heaved a sigh, placing a hand over her heart. Honestly, she had been worried- she hadn't noticed him around when she had arrived, so she was hoping that he had gotten away safely. Still...
She wasn't as sensitive to other people's feelings as Ira was, given that she couldn't read hearts like he could, but- something seemed to be troubling him, didn't it? She would have to remember to ask about it later, it probably wasn't a good idea to do it with Makopi around.
"Yeah. And don't worry," Ira looked up at Makoto, giving her a small smile. "I won't tell anyone about anything. Not about you being Cure Sword, or Mana being a Precure- or about that pink thing that's still hiding behind her, and hasn't even bothered introducing itself to me. I won't mention that either."
Realizing that she had been noticed, Cheryl flinched, peeking slowly out from behind Mana. "I'm sorry. I just nervous when you appeared so suddenly ~sharu." She said, floating all the way out from behind Mana, deciding to perch herself on the girl's shoulder. "I'm Cheryl, Mana's fairy partner ~sharu."
"Fairy partner, huh?" Ira rubbed the back of his head, heaving a sigh. "Maybe it would be best to sit down somewhere and talk about all of this. It looks kind of like Makopi over there has things she wants to say as well."
Makoto blinked a little at that, somewhat startled. Was she really that easy to read? Honestly, she had been wanting to explain everything better now that things were calm- and she still had to work out what to do about someone uninvolved discovering their secret so easily.
"That's right. There's a lot that I have to tell Mana about being a Precure." Makoto said, before frowning a little. "But it's nice that you're promising to keep what you know a secret and everything, Hishikawa-san, but I don't think it would be right to involve you any further."
Because as much as she hated to admit it, there was something about this boy that was still giving her a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. Raquel and Lance had hidden themselves away the second he had appeared as well, as had Cheryl- and while it was just because they were startled, she couldn't help but wonder if there was something more.
No, she was probably just over thinking things.
"Well, that's to be expected." Ira folded his hands in front of his chest, nodding his head. Honestly, he had been hoping that if he stuck around, he might pick up some answers about the Jikochuu, but if he protested too much, wouldn't he just look suspicious? "But I'm willing to help if you need me, at least. I can at least provide distractions."
"Oh, that's my friend! I knew that I could count on you, Ira!" Mana beamed, patting him on the back, causing the golden eyed boy to glare at her, something she brushed off rather easily. "Ah, but, even if you want to talk to me right now Makopi, I have school to get too. They're probably getting everything in order now that the attack is over. Can you make time after school?"
"I should be able to." Makoto said quickly, though she winced internally as soon as she promised that. Honestly, Davie was already covering for her today, so she didn't really know if she would get a break from work once she returned. "Well, I can try to at least. With the concert coming up, I don't know how much free time I have- why don't we just exchange phone numbers for now?"
"Exchanging phone numbers with Makopi~? Lucky!" Mana couldn't help but sparkle at the mere idea of this, eagerly pulling out her cellphone again. "Let's do it!"
"Hey, about your name."
"Hm?" Mana blinked, glancing down at Ira as they walked. They had parted ways with Makoto for the moment, although Cheryl had decided to stick around. She was currently resting in Mana's school bag, a bit tired from her first transformation, apparently. "What about my name? Is something wrong with it?"
"Your Precure name." Ira said bluntly, keeping his voice low enough so nobody else could hear him. "You still haven't figured one out yet, have you?"
"No, I'm still working on that." Mana shook her head. "I was thinking pink or something, because my clothes are pink!"
"No, that's stupid." Ira said shortly, a deadpan expression on his face as he all but quickly rejected the suggestion. "Rather than that, how about Cure Heart? I mean, after all you-" He quickly realized what he was about to say, and cut himself off, shaking his head. "I mean, it just seems to suit you, right?"
"Oh, you're right!" Mana beamed, nodding her head. "Cure Heart... I like the sound of it! I'll use it next time, Ira, thank you!"
"No problem." Ira couldn't help but grin a little, before his expression dropped somewhat. Honestly, his own thoughts were still in turmoil, but when it came down to it, there was one thing that worried him more than anything else. "You'll stay safe, won't you? Fighting those monsters... it's dangerous, you know that right? You need to promise me that you won't do anything reckless and get yourself hurt."
"Ira..." Mana blinked, a little bit taken back by the concern his voice, before she nodded her head. "I'll be careful, I promise. After all, I'll be fighting alongside Makopi, right? I won't be going it alone or anything like that. So you don't have to worry about me, Ira. I won't let myself get hurt that easily. After all, who do you think I am?"
"Annoying." He answered, the wry grin on his face making it clear that he wasn't being serious. "But if you ever need my help with anything, feel free to give me a call, Mana. I'll rush right over."
"I know." Mana said, her gaze turning forward. "I'll be sure to. But just you wait, Ira! Before you know it, you'll hear the name Cure Heart everywhere! I'll teach those Selfish people a thing or two about causing chaos in my hometown!"
"I'm sure you will. You've always been that way, after all." Ira said, glancing up at her. "A busybody like you is perfect to be a Precure."
"Who's a busybody?!" Mana huffed, before quickly grinning back at him. "But I'll do my best!"
At that time, there was no way that either of them could have realized exactly how much their fates had begun to change that day. But what had begun couldn't be taken back- there was no stopping the wheels of fate that had finally begun to move forward.