Episode Seven: For My Sister's Sake! Megumi's Worries
Nanami had been waking up earlier than she used to as of late. Her dreams being far more peaceful than they had once been had a great deal to do with that - it wasn't as if the nightmares were gone, but they were far scarcer. The restoration of the Orgel, which laid on her desk, filled with the Rainbow Energy she and Kohaku had gathered so far, combined with her and Kohaku's improving relationship shared a good deal of credit on that front.
And then, thought Nanami as she readied herself for a new day, there were the twins. Those two were strange, but it would be nice to get to know them better in the future.
Of course, Nanami mused as she descended the stairs, all these things didn't negate the dull ache the loss of her mother and little sister, along with her countrymen left. But… she didn't need to dwell on that, especially with how things had been going. She needed to press onwards without faltering until all was resolved. Thus, Nanami made her way into the main area of Shooting Star…
...and was hit by tension thick enough to slice a knife through. Some of it was given off by Kohaku, who looked terribly pensive even as she busied herself making breakfast, Most of it was rolling off Tsubasa, who was cleaning up Shooting Star and looking both very irritated and rather worried every step of the way. Sirius, currently in their humanoid form, was seated at a nearby table with a book and a cup of tea, their ears drooping as they looked from the pensive Kohaku to the irritated Tsubasa and back again.
"Ah, Lady Nanami." Sirius waved a hand the moment they sighted the princess. "You're up unusually early, yes, yes."
"That I am, Siri." Nanami said before glancing concernedly around the room. "Pardon, but… is everything alright, Kohaku, Tsubasa? Did something happen?"
Kohaku jumped once Nanami addressed her, only keeping the omelet she was preparing from splatting on the wall through her lightning-quick reflexes… and a quick burst of magic.
"N-no, nothing's wrong, Nanami!" she said… before shaking her head. "Alright… something is wrong, but now's not the best time to discuss it."
Nanami nodded as she seated herself at the counter, having caught the implicit 'we'll discuss it later' in Kohaku's words. The taller girl was clearly nervous about bringing up whatever was on her mind, but she was trying. That was all Nanami cared about in the end.
"Come to think of it…" Kohaku shot a quick glance in the direction of Tsubasa, who was cleaning the counters with enough force to make one worry about her breaking them. "I have no idea why she's so wound up. Is everything okay, Tsubasa?"
Now it was Tsubasa's turn to jump in alarm. "What ?!" she snapped, right before catching herself. "No, sorry, I just..." She let out a hiss of exasperation as she sat her rag down and pressed a hand to her temple. "Look, this is kind of out of nowhere, but has Meg said anything odd to you guys? Anything at all?"
"Aozora-sensei?" Nanami shot Kohaku an appreciative smile as the taller girl presented her with her breakfast. "Hm… she hasn't said anything to us, but now that I think about it, she has been staring at us quite frequently."
"Oh, so I wasn't imagining it." Kohaku breathed a sigh of relief as she finished serving everyone's breakfasts before sitting down to eat her own, blowing vigorously before taking each bite of eggs. "She looks kind of like she suspects us of something."
"Oh dear, dear…" Sirius' ears flattened against their head . "I was so sure the paperwork I helped you prepare was convincing…"
"Sirius, trust me, I doubt it's any flaw in the paperwork." Tsubasa said as she returned to her cleaning. "It's that I'm looking after you two at all. Meg's been badgering me about you kids from the second she knew you were staying here. She's been especially wound up ever since I asked her if she could help me pay for you guys' phones."
"Oh my…" Nanami said. "Tsubasa, I sincerely apologize for - if this is causing problems, I'm certain we could look for an alternate-"
Tsubasa raised a hand, cutting Nanami off. "It's not your fault that I have a busybody for a sister. She's been like this for years, especially where I'm involved. If you two weren't in the picture, it'd be something else. If she gives you trouble, come to me. I'll sort it out."
"Duly noted." Kohaku said.
"I'm certain you'll be able come to some sort of an understanding." Nanami said. "You two are sisters, after all."
Nanami received little more than a non-committal noise of assent from Tsubasa in return. As she returned to her breakfast, she tried her best to push down the dull ache that any talk of sisters had been summoning in her heart lately. There was no point on dwelling on that, especially given Tsubasa and Kohaku's concerns. No point at all.
And as for Tsubasa, she returned to her cleaning... only to pause at the sight of the object sitting near Kohaku's schoolbag - yet another, slenderer bag, which held her practice rapier.
"Bringing swords to school again, are we?" Tsubasa asked wryly.
"Of course." Kohaku said between bites of her eggs, her tone equally wry. "I could only hold out so long." She shot a small smile in Nanami's direction. "That's half of why I decided to join the fencing team. I felt awkward only holding a sword as Cure Leo."
"Oh, Kohaku. That's just like you, isn't it?" Nanami said affectionately, causing Kohaku to flush a bit.
Things like this didn't take her mind entirely off those other matters, but they helped. Just being able to speak with Kohaku like this did so much for her state of mind.
Misaki and Taeko were engaged in quite the animated conversation once Nanami and Kohaku stepped into 2-B. Nanami couldn't make much sense of it - she caught something about 'co-ords' and 'domains' and 'coding' and 'net idols'... along with another mention of magical girl motorbikes from Taeko. The moment the two sensed the Cures' approach, they quit conversing and proceeded to stare fixedly at the duo.
"Is… everything alright?" Nanami asked.
"Yeah, of course!" Misaki said. "Everything is totally fine... except…" She frowned slightly. "Have you guys seen Yuu? I really want her input on a few aspects of my current project. She did kind of inspire it, so..."
"I haven't seen her or Tsukiko this morning. Sorry." Kohaku motioned towards the doors that led towards the balcony outside the classroom, clearly wishing for Nanami to follow her outside.
"Maybe they were like Yamaguchi-san and went in early?" Nanami said. "I'm certain you'll see her soon, Saegusa-san. Now, if you will excuse me-"
Nanami followed Kohaku to the second-floor balcony outside of 2-B. The smell of ocean air was particularly pronounced here, and the Cures had an excellent view of the many Sorairo students milling about outside, along with the sight of the sparkling ocean some distance away. Not that Kohaku could bring herself to care much about any of that. No, what mattered now was getting that matter off her chest before it ate her from the inside out.
"Listen, Nanami." Kohaku started. "I mean nothing bad by this, and I sincerely apologize in advance for-"
"Nagisa-san? Shishioh-san? You're here too?"
Kohaku fell silent as she and Nanami turned stiffly to find Amane, who was leaning on the balcony's front railing, having clearly been engaged in a bit of people-watching up until now.
"Erm... hello, Yamaguchi-san?" Kohaku said awkwardly.
"I'm sorry if I overheard something I shouldn't have!" Amane sounded more than a bit panicked. "The archery team didn't need my assistance for as long as I thought they would, so I figured I'd come back here to- I can totally leave if you want!"
"It's perfectly alright!" Nanami said. "You were here first, Yamaguchi-san."
"I guess that is true, isn't it?" Despite Amane's attempt at sounding nonchalant, she had to spend a moment scrutinizing Nanami or Kohaku for any signs of disapproval before she finally relaxed. She returned to people-watching for a moment before adding "Hey… Nagisa-san, Shishioh-san… since we're here like this, can I ask you something?"
"Fire away." said Kohaku, who was a bit annoyed at not being able to get that matter off her chest… and simultaneously relieved at not having to face it quite yet, given the subject matter.
"Why did you lie about what happened to me back then?" Amane asked. "I didn't actually pass out, did I? It was… I was like Saegusa-san, right?"
Both Nanami and Kohaku looked momentarily lost for words for a moment.
"Yamaguchi-san…" Nanami said. "That's… I apologize, at the time, I wasn't thinking about-"
Amane shook her head. "I'm really not that mad at you two if you did lie! Really, really! I guess I'm a little... unsettled? But I totally get it! That looked painful, and given my mental state at the time…" She laughed nervously. "I guess I probably would have taken all of that extra hard. But still..." She scrutinized the two keenly. "Are you Pretty Cure?"
Kohaku froze up completely at that one. "Yamaguchi-san?" she sputtered.
"Why would you ask something like that?" Nanami sounded far more composed than Kohaku but still a bit rattled.
Amane threw her hands up defensively. "I didn't mean to freak you out! It's just... I was thinking about what happened at the cherry blossom viewing, and I thought 'there had to be some profound reason they lied' and..." She shook her head. "Now that I said it out loud, it doesn't make any sense, does it?"
"I think it makes perfect sense." Nanami said. "But… what would you do if we were Pretty Cure, Amane?"
Amane looked momentarily stunned at the use of her first name. "I'm… not sure? Probably just support you two from afar, Nanami, and… Kohaku? Is that okay?"
"It's fine." said Kohaku. She wasn't exactly in much of a mood to smile, but she offered Amane a small one anyway.
Amane smiled right back. "I'm glad. I knew you guys were something special from the moment we met, Pretty Cure or not! Not that I'd tell if you were! Friends don't blab friends' secrets!" She nodded firmly before adding "By the way - have you guys seen Tsukiko? There's something I wanted to ask her."
"I don't believe so, unfortunately." said Nanami, quietly grateful that the subject had shifted away from her and Kohaku being Pretty Cure for the time being. "I'm certain she and Yuu will show up eventually. After all, homeroom is far from over."
Yuu and Tsukiko had long since arrived at school, but the two were not in school. No, the twins, who did not care one whit for Earth and its silly rules about where students could and could not go, were perched on top of the roof of Sorairo's classroom building, their expressions perfectly impassive as the wind rustled their hair.
"The sky looks very beautiful today." Yuu said as she watched the clouds drifting by in the beautiful blue vista stretching before her, a far cry from the frozen gray landscape that hung over Illuster.
"But it will fade soon, right?" Tsukiko said as she scanned the crowd below for any particularly bright Roaring Sparks.
"That's right." Yuu kept her eyes on the clouds as she spoke. "And it's fine. In Lady Sardonyx's ideal world, no one will care what anything looks like."
"Of course…" Tsukiko said absently. "That's how it's meant to be."
The twins spent a few moments silently cloud-watching and people-watching before there was a burst of dark orange light and kicked-up soil behind them, followed by Agate materializing.
"There you two are!" he said. "What are you doing all the way up here?"
"I could ask you the same thing." Yuu refused to so much as look in her brother's direction as she spoke. "Shouldn't you be searching for Roaring Sparks right now?"
"Can't a guy take a moment out of his day to check up on his little sisters?" Agate shot back in exasperation. "Anyway, how's the schoolgirl routine going, you two? Any developments?"
"Nothing significant so far." Tsukiko said. "But…" she added with a smile "Pretty Cure doesn't suspect us at all. They really are stupid. And there are plenty of Roaring Sparks here. School is nice, really…"
"I hate it." Yuu said bluntly. "School is pointless. And inconvenient. But…" she added, "there are strategic advantages to infiltrating this place. So, I'll stay."
Right as Yuu spoke, the bell in the school clocktower began to chime.
"I'm guessing that's your cue to get going." Agate said. "Have fun - and don't worry! While you two are tied up with school, this guy will find a good Roaring Spark! Leave everything to your big bro!" He flashed his sisters a peace sign before vanishing.
Yuu rolled her eyes as Agate departed. "As if I require your help." she sniffed. "Even with my movements restricted, I can easily locate optimal Roaring Sparks. Can't I, Selenite?"
"Of course you could, Tourmaline." Tsukiko replied dutifully. "My sister is the best."
"Especially with you by my side." Yuu flashed her sister a smile that was equal parts friendly and malicious. "After all, the two of us are always of one mind."
Both sisters vanished off the roof, leaving an upward gust of wind and a burst of sparkling light in their wake.
As Yuu and Tsukiko made their way back to Classroom 2-B in stony silence they overheard something that sounded a bit like their homeroom teacher's voice around the corner. Both twins looked at one another before edging towards the source of the voice - the teacher's lounge, which had its door open just a crack, allowing them to spy on the two people within.
"I get it - I'm probably being paranoid." Megumi was saying as she paced the room. "But something isn't checking out here. Four transfers in a row is probably a coincidence. I get it. But those two came out of nowhere! They might as well have fallen out of the sky for all I know-"
Yuu and Tsukiko froze up. There was no way someone like her could have possibly known-
"-and every time I ask Tsubasa about Nagisa-san and Shishioh-san, she's all 'Oh, Meg, don't worry about it', 'They're good kids, Meg', 'I can handle this, Meg!' No, she can't."
The twins breathed a collective sigh of relief. So, this was about Pretty Cure after all.
"They haven't caused any problems, have they?" Tamaki, who was idly leaning against the wall of the teacher's lounge, said. "The worst I've had to do was confiscate that note from Shishioh-san. Otherwise, those two have been fine. I really don't see what you're so worried about."
"Yeah, that note…" Megumi said as she removed the note in question from her blazer pocket and unfolded it, scowling as she went back over its contents - or at least attempted to -. "It bothers me. Or the script that it's been written in does. That's clearly not Japanese."
"So, a couple of friends write in secret code." Tamaki deadpanned. "What of it?"
"There's… I don't know, there must be something of it!" Megumi shot back, her tone and body language growing more agitated as she spoke. "It's not normal, and something about those two is! It'soff, and Tsubasa dropped this on me so suddenly, and she won't communicate, and there has to be a reason she's being so cagey, there's always one!" She groaned in exasperation. "I'm sorry, Manabe-san, I'm really not making any sense-"
"No, you're really not." Tamaki replied.
The twins broke away from spying on the two teachers and pressed themselves against the wall nearby. Megumi was making perfect sense. Pretty Cure wasn't normal, after all. But… Megumi's agitation and paranoia would be useful for their cause, judging by how brightly her Roaring Spark was already shining, the two mused as a small smile played on their features. Now, if they could give her a little push…
Megumi exhaled slowly. "Guess I'm the same worrywart little sister I've always been." she said quietly. "But I'm never wrong where Tsubasa is involved. Mark my words, Manabe-san."
Yuu and Tsukiko wasted no time in hurrying off to class the very second they saw Megumi begin to head towards the entrance of the teacher's lounge. It wouldn't do either of them any good to be caught lingering here like this. Not when Pretty Cure were supposed to be the ones Megumi looked at with suspicion.
As the sisters slipped away, Megumi stepped out into the hallway. "That's odd…" She looked down one end of the hallway and then the other, an uneasy frown crossing her features. "I could have sworn I was being watched just now."
It couldn't have been those two. Despite Megumi's worries over their origins, they did seem like good kids. And good kids wouldn't spy on their teacher like that… right?
The mounting feeling of wrongness that had been plaguing Megumi as of late did not go away once she started teaching class in earnest. In fact, it only intensified.
It started in homeroom – the minute she stepped into class, she had felt a sudden chill in the air. At first, she had dismissed it out of mind, but then she had felt a slight breeze hit her where there logically should have been none. The fact that it had come from Nanami and Kohaku's direction logically meant nothing at all, but...
...if it meant nothing, then why did those two look so unsettled?
Homeroom continued as normal, for the most part, save for what sounded like those two whispering amongst themselves. But couldn't have been anything but the product of her own paranoia because they were very clearly not doing anything but staring ahead, and not at her, oh no, these two wouldn't have cause to watch her, and then…
...not long after that, math class rolled around, and things became especially weird.
The note she had snatched in her pocket had seemed to up and float right out of said pocket, as if blown by a stiff breeze, and towards Kohaku, forcing Megumi to abandon her lesson to snatch it out of the air. She kept losing her place in her lesson planner with how the pages seemed to turn on their own. And then…
...she could have sworn she had heard her blackboard shift off the wall for a moment, as if it the screws holding it there had somehow loosened themselves - and judging by the small buzz of anxious chatter in 2-B, that had not been her imagination running away from her. And when she shot a glance over in Nanami's direction, she could have sworn she saw the girl's hands glowing pink for a second.
Not that they were. Not that any of this was their doing. That was patently ridiculous. They were good, normal girls, who probably had perfectly legitimate reasons for being dropped on her sister out of nowhere… weren't they?
Something was terribly wrong. Like Megumi, Nanami had initially written this off as the product of her own worry-burdened mind, but by the time she had been required to use her magic to keep the blackboard from dropping off the wall, she was ready to chalk this up to the work of a malicious presence.
At a few points, Nanami had found herself glancing over at the twins, but the two appeared to be trying their best to pay attention to the lesson that Megumi was at least attempting to teach, with Tsukiko handily solving each equation offered. The two hardly seemed to notice or care about the weirdness around them.
At least Kohaku shared Nanami's unease. By the time break rolled around, she had grown visibly rattled.
"I'm probably imagining things." she said quietly. "But… I don't think the screws in the blackboard were that loose. Or that the air conditioning would be so erratic."
"If you are, so am I." Nanami cast a concerned glance at Megumi, who was busy gathering her things and clearly trying very hard not to stare at her and Kohaku. "Either this classroom is haunted, or-"
"Haunted? What do you mean by that?"
Yuu and Tsukiko were standing near Nanami and Kohaku. The two might as well have teleported, with how silent their approach had been.
"What, you didn't notice the weird stuff that's been happening since homeroom?" Kohaku asked Yuu.
"No." Yuu replied after sharing a glance with her sister, who was stealing the occasional glance at Megumi. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"More importantly," Tsukiko said "could I ask about that guardian you mentioned? We were wondering if we could visit you after school. You did say we should stick together as fellow transfers, right?"
"That is true…" Nanami frowned at Yuu's remarks. There was no way that she and Kohaku could have collectively imagined what was going on, but "Are you familiar with the cafe Shooting Star? It's the home of the best cup of coffee in Seizato."
"So its proprietor claims." Kohaku said. "But then, she has a right to it."
"Anyway," said Nanami, we live with that proprietor - Tsubasa Aozora... Aozora-sensei's sister, as it happens."
"Small world, isn't it?" Kohaku was trying to sound playful, but there was a hint of nervousness in her voice.
"Oh… I've never heard of that place." Tsukiko said. "But I'd love to visit. Living in a cafe sounds fun." She wasn't actually sure if it sounded fun, but this made her sound better, right? "I want to try 'the best cup of coffee in Seizato'. Don't you, Yuu?"
"I don't care." Yuu said bluntly. Her visible eye briefly flitted towards Megumi, who seemed to be deliberately taking her time packing up. "Is it just her and you two there? That sounds rough."
"That's right." Nanami mentally apologized to Sirius as she spoke. "But I don't think it's been too bad? Kohaku and I try to stay out of Tsubasa's way, and she's a pretty tough lady herself. I can't say we've had problems."
"So you say." Yuu replied. "But Nagisa-san, we older sisters love to put on tough fronts for our younger sisters, don't we?"
As Yuu spoke, she and Tsukiko felt Megumi's Roaring Spark shine more intensely. The twins could have jumped for joy at that one, would that not have blown their cover.
"That's true…" Tsukiko said. "If Yuu was in her situation, I know she'd be putting on a brave face. She doesn't like for me to worry." As Megumi pointedly left the room, but not before shooting a lingering glance towards Nanami and Kohaku, she added "Not that it's my business."
Kohaku shifted uncomfortably. "Trust me, it's not that bad."
"If you say so." the twins chorused. As the two moved to slip out of the classroom themselves, they paused.
"So, can we come over after school, then?" Tsukiko asked.
"I don't see why not?" Nanami said. "It's a public building, so you two don't need to ask permission. You will have to wait for us, though. Kohaku and I both have club meetings to attend first. You're welcome to come along if you want?"
"We'll see." the twins said in unison.
And then the sisters were gone, quietly consulting amongst themselves all the while, leaving Nanami and Kohaku alone to marinate in the lingering unease that earlier events had stirred up.
Nanami and Kohaku were stuck eating lunch in the courtyard again, since Amane had been pulled into an emergency club meeting, and the twins had up and vanished on the two before they could ask if they wanted to eat together. Normally, that would be a bit lonely, but all things considered, this was perfectly serendipitous. They had a private matter to discuss, after all.
"So…" Kohaku began a few minutes into the two's lunch. Spitting this out felt like pulling teeth, but after the weirdness from earlier (which had abruptly ended after math class, somehow making it even more unsettling), this was almost a welcome distraction.
"So…" Nanami echoed, before trying to look as reassuring and open as possible. "What's on your mind, Kohaku?"
Kohaku, who was clearly encouraged by the front Nanami was putting on but still more than a bit nervous, took a deep breath before speaking. "It's about Celes."
Nanami stared at Kohaku in confusion. "What do you mean by that?"
"Well…" Kohaku tried her best to push away the mental specter of Alexandria, who was quieter these days but still very much there, as she spoke "...those three can't touch the Orgel without harming themselves. They claim the Orgel was already emptied for them."
"That's right." Nanami said. "Unless they were lying, and Sardonyx could open the Orgel? She doesn't seem to be the same as them."
"I don't think that's right." Kohaku said. She gathered every bit of courage she had before she went further. "Nanami… I mean absolutely nothing against you or the rest of your family by what I am about to say. The notion has been eating at me like acid since it originally occurred to me during our first day at this school. But-"
Nanami reached across the table, gently laying her hand over Kohaku's own. "It's fine." she said. "You can tell me anything at all. We're partners, aren't we?"
Kohaku nodded hesitantly. "Only members of the royal family can even open the Orgel. It has had to be you opening it when we transferred the Rainbow Energy we gathered into it. And…" She had to pause to swallow. "Celes went missing right before everything happened. Even before all of this, she had been acting-"
"Kohaku… I'm sorry, but no." Nanami said firmly. "It's not Celes."
"N-no, I'm sorry!" Kohaku flinched away from Nanami. "You're right, it could have been Sardonyx, it was terribly disrespectful of me to implicate the royal family in-"
Nanami shook her head. "I'm not upset with you." she said gently. "And I'm not objecting because Celes is royalty, I'm objecting because she's my little sister. She knew full well that the Orgel was not a toy. Mother took years before she could handle its magical energies. A child like herself had no chance. The two of us discussed this multiple times."
Kohaku looked down at the table. "I apologize sincerely for-"
Before she could say anything further, Nanami had moved next to her and pulled her into a tight hug.
"We'll resolve it soon, I promise." she said quietly. "No matter who is actually responsible, we will take care of everything together. As partners."
"As partners." Kohaku echoed, leaning into Nanami's hug. That part she could believe wholeheartedly. The part about Celes being innocent, not so much, horrible as that was.
As this went on, the twins watched the duo from their hiding spot behind a tree, Yuu using the wind to carry the pair's rather confounding words towards her and Tsukiko.
"That child from back then? Helping us? How stupid." Yuu sniffed. "As if Lady Sardonyx would ever stoop to needing a child's help."
"But we don't know how the Orgel was opened…" Tsukiko said.
"Does it matter, Selenite?" Yuu shot back. "Quit dwelling on the past. It won't help us. All that matters is securing Lady Sardonyx's ideal future."
Tsukiko cast her eyes downward. "Understood, Tourmaline…"
"That's right." Yuu responded as she continued to observe her rivals. "After all, older sisters know best."
Yuu had no real intention of taking Nanami up on her offer. There was no point in joining any kind of school club. She was here to gather information on Pretty Cure and locate decent Roaring Sparks. To do anything else would be a waste of her precious time, not to mention pointless. After all, this would all vanish soon enough.
Tsukiko really did want to check out the school clubs. Even now, as she and her sister approached the school gate, she was stealing longing glances at the numerous Sorairo students who were heading off to the club building or getting ready for sports practice. They all looked so happy, and reminding herself that it was all fleeting and therefore worthless did not lessen her longing either.
"So..." Tsukiko said as she and her sister lingered by the front gate. "Now what? If we keep standing here like this, we might look suspicious."
"I don't care." said Yuu. She was already looking suspicious, between her emotionless demeanor and the birds crowding around her, two of which had perched on her shoulders. "Unless it's those two, why should others' perceptions matter?"
Tsukiko was tempted to give an honest answer to that one, but something told her it wouldn't be worth it. Instead, she promptly changed the subject.
"Hm... I wonder if our quarry is still in the building. Maybe I could look for her?"
"Excellent idea." Yuu said. "I suppose that would be an efficient-"
Suddenly, the birds Yuu had attracted fluttered away as the sound of footsteps reached her ears. And then a stranger appeared from around the corner. She was a girl of about eleven, with frizzy, shoulder-length red hair and blue eyes hidden behind round, thick glasses that gave her a rather owlish look. She wore an outsize T-shirt, cargo pants, and beat-up looking sneakers, and she was carrying a fencing bag over her shoulder.
The twins stared blankly at the young girl. She stared right back for a few seconds, her face every bit as expressionless as theirs, before dropping her gaze, pulling a pen and a notepad out of one of her pants pockets, and writing on it before showing the message to Yuu.
'Sorry to scare your bird friends away.'
Yuu made a non-committal noise in response. "They won't go too far."
'If you say so' the girl wrote. 'Come with me, please?'
Yuu shot a quizzical glance in Tsukiko's direction, before staring at the girl. "I guess I could do that." she said. "It isn't as if I have anything better to do." A lie if there ever was one. She and Tsukiko had quarry to deal with. Unless this child had a decent Roaring Spark, she was useless to her. "However, I ref-"
And then Yuu glimpsed into the girl's heart, and her words died in her throat. Her Roaring Spark shined with an intensity so bright as to be almost blinding. And yet, although Yuu could see its light, she could not feel it. Her Roaring Spark was encircled by a glassy barrier, and something told her that would make its removal impossible. The sight made her scream internally in frustration, even as she stared fixedly at the young girl, who was fast looking like she wanted to run away from the twins.
'Is that a no' the girl wrote. 'Sorry. I'll go.'
"No." Yuu said. "I can help you." Then, to her sister. "Have fun, Tsukiko."
"Will do, Yuu." Tsukiko flashed her sister a small smile as she took off in the direction of Sorairo's campus, leaving Yuu and the girl with the strange Roaring Spark alonne.
Yuu was quiet for a few moments, listening to the rustling of the wind and taking in the sight of the birds flocking in the nearby cherry trees, which were still raining petals like gentle snow. She would have remained like that indefinitely, had the girl not insistently pulled her sleeve again.
"Okay." she said flatly. "Where to?"
'Fencing hall' the girl wrote. Her legs were shaking slightly, and it was clear as she fell into step with Yuu that she was forcing herself to move, as if she was a soldier marching into enemy territory and not an elementary schooler visiting a junior high school campus. 'Sister forgot her sword at home'.
"Oh, I see." Yuu said. "So, you're a little sister who looks after her big sister? I appreciate that. My own little sister is the same way."
'I guess so?' The girl wasn't making eye contact with Yuu, but she certainly was taking note of the birds that seemed to be drawn towards the other girl's side. Yuu even caught her smiling at them a few times, however thinly. 'Name please?'
"Yuu Hoshikawa." Part of Yuu wondered if she should steal a page from Tsukiko's book and try to sound genuinely nice and friendly. The other part decided that this was pointless, given how unaffected this girl seemed by her usual bluntness. "Call me 'Yuu'. Nice to meet you."
'Irene Asahina' the girl wrote in her notepad. ''Irene' is fine. Nice to meet you too.'
That established, Yuu took off towards the gym building with Irene in tow, her mind spinning with questions and speculation about the other girl all the while.
Tsukiko realized a few moments into her search that she had been lying, both to herself and to her sister. She did want to figure out where Megumi had gotten off to, but she also really was interested in the myriad clubs around the school. There was nothing stopping her from at least looking, right?
So, Tsukiko wandered around Sorairo's campus, trying to ignore how her heart ached at the sight of how much fun everyone was having. The sports teams were especially painful to watch. She had been scouted by several of them, and although she had shot them all down at Yuu's behest, it still stung a bit.
The dreams of being an athlete can be crushed Tsukiko told herself as she watched the track and field team, then the archery team (my, that Yuzuki was an excellent shot) and then the softball team hard at work practicing. The happiness from making a cake or creating a beautiful arrangement will fade away, she told herself as she peeked in on the baking club and then the flower arrangement club. The willpower to improve at an instrument can be daunted, she told herself as she watched the orchestra club play for a bit. And that's why it needs to vanish. Because it's transient. Because transient things are useless. Because Lady Sardonyx said so.
If only she had her sister's sense of conviction!
As Tsukiko idled by the school library, she heard what sounded like Nanami's voice. She felt her breath catch a little as she stepped inside - she didn't know schools had libraries! Just like that Citadel... what a wonderful little discovery, she mused as she took a moment to drink in her surroundings.
There were a small group of girls seated at one of the library desks, Nanami and Amane among their number. The latter was addressing the group
"Anyway, I secured Seizato General's permission for our club to visit, provided we schedule in advance." she said. "The kids are really excited to have us read to them, so let's pick out some good material!"
Moments after Amane spoke, Nanami seemed to sense Tsukiko's approach. "Oh, Tsukiko! Come on in!"
"Oh, were you looking to join?" Amane asked. "I'd love to have you, Tsukiko! We al would!"
Some tiny part of Tsukiko wanted to say 'yes', but the rest of her knew full well that she had no business assenting.
"Oh... I'm sorry, but not today." Tsukiko bowed apologetically. "I was just looking around."
"Of course it is!" Amane was clearly trying to hide her disappointment as she spoke. She wasn't doing the best job of it.
"Alright, then..." Tsukiko said. "Bye-bye, everyone."
"Bye-bye." Nanami waved farewell. "I hope you have fun looking around, Tsukiko."
Fun was the last thing she needed to focus on having, Tsukiko thought as she returned to wandering the halls of Seizato's classroom building. No, she needed to focus on being useful, focus on seeing if she couldn't locate-
-Megumi Aozora, who had nearly crashed into Tsukiko as she rounded a corner. Megumi had a terribly spaced-out look about her, and no wonder, Tsukiko mused as she peeked inside her heart. Her Roaring Spark was shining more brightly than ever.
"Oh, it's Hoshikawa-san." Megumi said. "Do you need help navigating campus? You look a bit lost."
"Oh no, I'm fine." Tsukik tilted her head to the side as she regarded her teacher. "I feel like I should be asking that question. You look troubled, Aozora-sensei. Maybe some coffee would help?"
Megumi blinked in surprise, clearly caught off guard by being asked a question like that by her own student. "It's nothing my students should worry about." she said. "It's... adult matters." She frowned contemplatively. "Coffee is sounding nice right about now."
"That's what I was thinking." Tsukiko said. "Actually, my sister and I were going to head to Shooting Star after Nagisa-san and Shishioh-san's club meetings ended. I heard the owner makes the best cup of coffee in town."
"Oh, Tsubasa?" Megumi's Roaring Spark was shining more intensely as she spoke. "I suppose she does." She moved to leave. "Well, then - see you later, Hoshikawa-san. Maybe we'll run into each other this afternoon?"
"Maybe..." Tsukiko smiled thinly as Megumi walked past her. "I hope you get the AC fixed soon, Aozora-sensei!" she called after her.
Megumi froze mid-step and her Roaring Spark shined just a bit brighter. A malicious smile played on Tsukiko's lips as her teacher departed.
The fencing hall was abuzz with excitement when Yuu and Irene stepped inside. Numerous girls were chattering excitedly as one girl handily defeated each and every challenger she sparred with, as if she had been born with that sword in her hand. It was Kohaku, Yuu realized. With that build and those moves, it couldn't be anyone but Kohaku. Sorairo's fencing practice had turned into Round Two of Who Can Beat Kohaku Shishioh, and once again, the answer seemed to be 'nobody'.
"Shishioh-san is really cool!" Taeko said as she watched Kohaku's swordplay with shining eyes. "She's got the power of ten girls! I love it!"
"I'll say, I-chi." Robin said. "Shame I forgot my sword at home - I'd love to have a go at her!"
That was Yuu's cue to loudly clear her throat. Robin's attention was immediately drawn towards her.
"Aha! Yuu-chi! Ciao!" Robin bounded towards Yuu... only to quickly forget about her once she realized who else was with her. "And Reenie! Didn't expect to see you here! Is everything alright?"
Irene said nothing. She simply handed Robin's sword over before immediately retreatng to Yuu's side. She clearly wanted to leave as soon as possible.
"Thank you kindly, Reenie!" Robin flashed her sister a beaming smile. Irene returned it with the faint ghost of one.
Kohaku approached the group, removing her fencing mask and shaking out her dirty blond hair, which was now a bit damp with sweat. "Oh, hey, Yuu." she said. "Were you here to watch?"
"Obviously not." Yuu gestured towards Irene, who was pressed against the fencing hall exit. "Actually, I was about to leave."
"Alright, then." Kohaku tried not to sound at all annoyed at Yuu's behavior. "Will I still be seeing you this afternoon?"
"Of course." Yuu headed towards the fencing hall exit. That was Irene's cue to leave. "I'll catch up with you once I take Irene home."
"Wait!" Robin called after Yuu.
Yuu froze in her tracks. "Hm?"
"Thanks for keeping Reenie company." Robin said. "She doesn't trust most people, so there must be something special about you, Yuu-chi. You're okay in my book." On the last part, she tipped a wink and a bright smile in Yuu's direction.
"I see." Yuu flashed Robin a half-hearted attempt at a smile before she left, ruminating on the implications of the older girl's words.
Nothing out of the ordinary was happening at Shooting Star. Tsubasa was busy serving a steady stream of customers while Sirius, who had spent the better part of the day hunting for... something or other, napped upstairs. But her mind was still an uncomfortable maelstrom of thoughts, many regarding Megumi.
Megumi, who had been pressuring her about the girls since she had known about them. Megumi, who didn't trust her with anything. Megumi, who thought she was so much better, so much smarter than her, as if she hadn't changed since then. Megumi who... if she tried anything with her charges...
And to top it all off, the man in the snakeskin shirt was seated out the counter again.
"Wait, is this all I get?" he was asking as he stared into his cup of espresso. "Can't I get a full one?"
Tsubasa stared at him, even as she polished a mug with enough agitation to make a few customers fear she was about to break it, judging by the looks they were shooting in her direction. "Um... look, uh-"
"Hisao. Hisao Hoshikawa." He flashed her a peace sign. "Nice to meet you!"
"Charmed." Tsubasa responded. "Anyway, look, Hoshikawa-san, there is a lot caffeine in a full cup of espresso than in a full cup of coffee. Enough to... man, do you care about your blood pressure? Like, at all?"
Hisao responded with a non-committal shrug. That was entirely the wrong answer, judging by Tsubasa's reaction. Not that he cared that much. Just give him his tall espresso.
Thankfully, he was saved from any further protesting by Tsubasa, as Nanami and Kohaku entered Shooting Star, followed close behind by Yuu and Tsukiko.
"Welcome!" As Tsubasa greeted the group, she locked eyes with Yuu. For a moment, Yuu found herself worrying that she recognized her... and then Tsubasa looked away and shook her head in amusement. "Sheesh, I'm meeting some really solemn kids lately."
"That's just how she is." Hisao laughed nonchalantly before waving at the twins. "Yuu, Tsukiko! Good to see you!" Tsukiko returned his greeting with a wave of her own. Yuu shot him a death glare. Hisao didn't seem to care. "Now it's a real party." he said, right before downing his espresso.
"Is that the brother you mentioned, Tsukiko?" Nanami asked.
"That's him, yes." Tsukiko said. "Didn't expect to see you here like this, Hisao."
"That works out marvelously." Tsubasa deadpanned. "Since you two are his little sisters," she informed the twins "maybe you can convince him to give up on the tall espresso." She sighed before adding "Anyway... what can I get you kids today?"
The twins looked at one another, then back to the menu, then back to one another. Truth be told, they hardly knew what anything on here was.
Nanami quickly picked up on how horribly lost the sisters looked and sprang to the rescue. "I know!" she said. "How about some lattes? I'm sure Yuu and Tsukiko would love that latte art you can do, Tsubasa. You know, with the animals?"
"That does sound interesting." Tsukiko said.
Yuu looked completely nonplussed but threw in a half-hearted nod at her sister's urging.
"On it!" Tsubasa said. "You two have anything specific you want?"
"A rabbit might be nice?" Tsukiko said.
Yuu shrugged. "I don't care."
"That's a bit uncalled for." Kohaku said. The blank look Yuu replied with almost made her want to stop bothering. "How about a bird?" she suggested. "You remind me of one."
"Sure?" Yuu tried to ignore how her breath had caught temporarily at that one. As Tsubasa went to work on everyone's orders and Kohaku slipped off, muttering something about securing a table for everyone, Nanami and Tsukiko following her lead, she sidled over to Hisao. "Working hard, huh?" she asked, her voice dripping with acid.
"Am I not allowed to take a break?" Hisao snapped in return, drawing a confused glance from Tsubasa. "Aha, it's... you see! I'm unemployed!" he started, putting a nonchalant hand behind his head as he laughed nervously.
"Oh?" Tsubasa said even as she continued working. "Where's that money coming from, Hoshikawa-san?"
"My sisters and I have a benefactor." Hisao ad-libbed easily enough to genuinely impress Yuu, judging by the approving glance she shot in his direction. "Family friend of ours. She gives us enough to get by on, but..." He sighed heavily, his tone growing more somber. "We lost our parents a while ago, and our benefactor's not really a presence in our lives. I'm the only adult my sisters have. Felt like I could just skate by for the longest time, but I mean, these two, they're just kids." He pointedly ignored the glare from Yuu that earned him. "They deserve better than a burned-out freeter for a big bro, yanno? So, I've been job-hunting. Right now, I'm re-fueling before I get back to it."
"Or so he says." That earned Yuu a reproachful glare from Hisao that she also pointedly ignored.
Tsubasa was silent - mostly because she was hard at work on the lattes but also because she seemed to be deep in thought. Finally, she spoke. "I can really respect that, Hoshikawa-san. Good on you."
Hisao blinked in surprise. "You can?" he said. And here he'd been, messily slapping together a halfway convincing backstory on the fly.
"Yeah?" Tsubasa said. "It's hard climbing out of that pit and working to be a better version of yourself, especially if you've spent a long time down there. Trust me, I two hundred percent get it. But... it's doable. So I'll be cheering for you - and offering help if you need it? I know plenty of people around Seizato - surely there are a few that'll take you on, no matter how unskilled you are."
"Oh, thanks." Hisao shot a quick puzzled glance at Yuu, who simply gave him her best 'I don't know - you're on your own' shrug before heading to the table where her sister and the two Cures were seated. "I'd prefer to look on my own, but I'll definitely hit you up for advice if I need it."
"Sounds like a plan to me." Tsubasa said. "Anyway, if you want to refuel properly for your job hunt, you really don't need to be drinking enough caffeine to make yourself sick, Hoshikawa-san. Can I get you… anything else besides a tall espresso?"
"One of those lattes you're making the girls, maybe?" Hisao said after a thoughtful pause. "I'd love one with a snake, if that's cool with you?"
Tsukiko seemed particularly antsy about something, Nanami mused as she watched the other girl. Every few moments, the younger Hoshikawa twin would anxiously look in the direction of Shooting Star's entrance and as time passed and Yuu joined them at the table, her demeanor seemed to grow even more agitated.
"Is something wrong, Tsukiko?" Nanami asked. "You look a bit stressed out."
"Oh no, I'm fine." Tsukiko internally wondered if Megumi really was going to show up after all. "Perfectly fine."
Right as Tsukiko finished speaking, Tsubasa approached the table, tray in hand. Atop said tray were four lattes in four starry sky-themed mugs for the girls - a dolphin for Nanami, a peacock for Yuu, a lion for Kohaku, and a rabbit for Tsukiko.
Tsubasa presented each girl with her latte. "There we go. Hope you kids enjoy."
"They're lovely as always, Tsubasa." Nanami said. "Thank you."
"How do you always make these look so gorgeous?" Kohaku asked, glancing into her mug… and proceeding to blow on it.
Tsukiko looked genuinely stunned by her drink. "It's so cute!" she said. "You did really well, Aozora-san. It's almost too pretty to drink."
"I guess it looks nice." Yuu said. She spent a moment staring at her latte, as if she didn't know what to do with it, before she realized how everyone else was looking at her, prompting her to sigh heavily and take a sip. The moment she did so, her visible eye widened in surprise. "It… it's good!"
"Glad to hear it." Tsubasa said. "Honestly, reactions like that are half of what makes running this place great." She smiled contentedly, looking around the cafe. "It's hard work managing Shooting Star, you know. Has me ripping my hair out sometimes. But god, it's worth it, meeting the different people who come through Shooting Star and seeing the effect my coffee can have on those people."
As Tsubasa spoke, the four girls looked around the room. There was a wide variety of people in Shooting Star this afternoon - Hisao, who took a moment to fuss over how cute the latte art Tsubasa had created was before drinking his latte, Kei Katsuya, who was busily typing away on her laptop, drinking a cup of coffee all the while, Ayumu Rallis, who was laughing behind his hand as he and a sharp-dressed young man with chocolate brown hair and eyes chatted over cups of tea, two high school girls comforting the third of their number, who was sobbing hard over a breakup, a mother sharing a cup of hot cocoa with her young son…
To Nanami and Kohaku, it was a beautiful mosaic of human experiences, proving that people were the same wherever you went. To the twins, it was a collection of Roaring Sparks laid out in front of their eyes like a miniature galaxy, none of them bright enough to harvest and all of them destined to be snuffed out one day.
"Each person who comes here has a story." Tsubasa said. "They have their own experiences, their own dreams, their own emotional baggage… and sometimes, they've got their own personal hurdles to deal with. And many of them are looking at me to help them."
"So, you give them drinks?" Yuu asked flatly.
"Well, yeah?" Tsubasa replied. "It won't solve anything, but it helps? And for a dumb punk like me, being able to help a little bit feels great."
"What do you mean by that?" Kohaku asked.
Before Tsubasa could give an answer, Shooting Star's front door opened once more. "Oh, welcome!" Her voice lost a tiny bit of enthusiasm once Megumi stepped inside. "Meg? What are you doing here?"
"What, I can't check up on my big sister?" Megumi seated herself at one of the tables near the girls. "Well, my sister and her charges, I suppose." She was trying to sound perfectly blasé. Her slightly rattled tone betrayed the opposite to Nanami and Kohaku, and her increasingly bright Roaring Spark gave her away to the Hoshikawa siblings. "Anyway, the usual, if you please?"
"Of course." Tsubasa was doing a terrible job of sounding blasé herself. "I'm right on it."
"Oh dear…" Tsukiko said. "She sounds a little testy. Is everything okay with your sister, Aozora-sensei?"
Megumi pursed her lips. "I... don't think I should be discussing our personal affairs with my students." Even now, she found her eyes lingering on Nanami and Kohaku, who definitely noticed.
"Is something wrong?" Kohaku asked. "You've been staring at us a lot lately."
"No! No, nothing's wrong!" Megumi said, before looking aside uncomfortably. "I guess I'm a little worried about Tsubasa? It must be a lot of work, just the three of you here."
"Oh no, it's fine." Nanami said. "We have had a few rough patches since she decided to host us, but overall, it's been perfectly-"
Megumi shook her head. "No, I know Tsubasa too well. Something is…" She cut herself off. No matter what, it was not right to involve these kids in it. "I'm a little concerned. She's seemed stressed out lately."
"You sound like Tsukiko." Yuu said. "But that makes sense. It's just like little sisters to worry over their big sisters."
"Meg, I told you, I'm fine." Tsubasa said as she presented Megumi with her coffee. "There's nothing to worry about."
"If you say so." Megumi said. After a sip of coffee, she added "Could I look around later? I'd love to see what you've done with this old place."
"Now's really not the time for that, sorry." Tsubasa said, right before another customer entered, and she hurried to see to them.
Megumi spent the next few moments in awkward silence, keenly watching Tsubasa, who was consulting with Hisao about something or another, in between trying not to look like she was listening in on the girls, who proceeded to chat lightly about clubs and schoolwork. Nanami and Kohaku tried to pretend they weren't worried about Megumi eavesdropping on them, while Yuu and Tsukiko tried to pretend they weren't waiting until Megumi could be dealt with.
Finally, Megumi got up and muttered something about needing to use the washroom. She did not approach said washroom. Rather, she made sure Tsubasa was occupied before slipping upstairs. Neither her older sister nor her charges noticed this… but Hoshikawa siblings certainly did. Not that any of them would have stopped her.
Megumi was no stranger to spying on Tsubasa, not in the slightest. And she was no stranger to Tsubasa giving her reasons to spy. The weird caginess, the lack of information, the stressed-out behavior, it had to signify something, just as it had last time.
Just like before, Megumi's heart was pumping hard in her chest as she slipped into what was now Tsubasa's bedroom. Just like before, her sister wouldn't take her going through her things well. And just like before, it was likely necessary, because the last time Tsubasa had been acting like this, she had been…
"Excuse me? What do you think you're doing, Meg?"
Megumi, then a short-haired high school student, turned slowly from her spot in front of Tsubasa's dresser to find her older sister, her hair bleached blonde and chopped into a ragged bob, and her face a mask of cold fury.
"That's my line." Megumi said coolly, producing the accessories and electronics she had found. "I heard rumors of you shoplifting from Hiromi-chan's workplace, but I didn't want to believe it. And yet, here's everything she reported missing. To the letter." She looked around the room, frowning. "Makes me wonder what else in here might be stolen."
Tsubasa stared at Megumi for a moment, her eyes narrowing, before she lunged for what her sister had taken. "Give those back." she hissed.
"No." Megumi refused to budge. "These aren't yours to begin with." She returned her sister's angry glare with a defiant stare. "It's not enough that you're getting into fights, it's not enough that you took up that smoking habit. Now you're stealing?"
"This is just like you, Meg." Tsubasa sneered. "Just because you're their spoiled little princess, you think you can just… just waltz in here, go through my things, and… and rub how much better you are in my face!"
"That's not what this is about!" Megumi snapped. "If I leave it at this, Tsubasa, what's next? What comes after shoplifting, once that stops being fun?"
Tsubasa did not respond. Instead, she roughly shoved past her sister and fled, leaving Megumi to listen to the sound of her older sister's footsteps thundering down the stairs and the door slamming behind her.
That time had been painful, but it had been necessary, much like this time was, Megumi told herself as she combed through Tsubasa's room. For the most part, it was wholly unremarkable. Even the metal bat by her bed was an understandable possession for a woman who had lived alone for some time. Yes, it was all very normal for Tsubasa…
...except for the dog sleeping soundly on her bed.
"That's odd." Megumi said quietly. "When did she get a dog?"
At first glance, the white akita slumbering before her looked perfectly normal, maybe even a bit charming, with that neck ribbon of theirs. But that star-shaped marking on their forehead was quite unlike anything she'd seen on any dog before. How strange, Megumi mused as she ran her fingers through their fur.
"Huh? Wha…" Sirius muttered groggily as they briefly stirred, before falling back asleep.
Megumi staggered backwards, nearly slamming into the dresser behind her as she clamped her hand over her mouth to stifle a scream. The dog… the dog just… but the dog couldn't have… but the dog clearly did…
...she had to get out of here before she started screaming. Megumi scrambled out of Tsubasa's bedroom before stumbling into Kohaku's.
Kohaku's bedroom was a no-nonsense affair, between its bed, with orange and yellow bedclothes made neatly enough to bounce a yen coin atop of, and her sparse personal possessions arranged neatly in her room, which sported not even a tiny mote of dust. Indeed, it would almost seem to be perfectly unremarkable…
...outside of the notebook which laid open on her desk and was filled with still more of that strange symbol language, and the sword leaning up against the wall near her bed. At first, Megumi thought it was a convincing fake, but no, closer inspection revealed this was an actual sword.
She took a shuddering breath, feeling her chest tighten as her mind spiraled in confusion and anxiety. Just who were these kids? And just what had Tsubasa been hiding from her?
"Say," Hisao said as he polished off his latte. "Where'd that sister of yours get off to?"
"Oh, Meg?" Tsubasa said absently, looking over to confirm that yes, Megumi was indeed gone. "I don't know… I don't remember seeing her leave, so she must be in the bathroom." She froze up, as something seemed to occur to her. Something she didn't want to think about, clearly. "Been in there an awfully long time, if that's the case."
"Guess you'd better check on her then." Hisao said. "It'd be a shame if she was sick."
Tsubasa nodded before abandoning her spot behind the counter and heading towards the washroom. "Hey, uh, Meg?" She knocked on the door. "Are you-"
The door to the washroom swung inwards, revealing that it was very much empty.
Tsubasa stared hollowly into the empty washroom before looking in the direction of Nanami's table. "Say… did you kids happen to see Meg leave?"
"I'm afraid I didn't." Nanami said. Kohaku backed her up with a small shake of the head.
"As far as I know, she never left." Yuu said. Tsukiko backed her up with a nod. "How strange."
"I… I see." Tsubasa said. "Nanami, Kohaku - if anyone comes in in, could you tell them to hold up for a second? There's something I need to take care of."
"Of course." Nanami tried not to betray how unsettled she was by the cold furor rolling off Tsubasa in waves as the owner of Shooting Star marched upstairs.
There weren't any swords in Nanami's room. There was, however, more of that weird handwriting. Intellectually, Megumi knew it wasn't inherently a sign of anything odd - it really could have been a secret code between friends - but right now, her feelings of anxiety were in hyperdrive, and thus, she didn't trust it at all.
The talking dog, the sword, this strange handwriting… and the odd energy the air around her seemed to be buzzing with - what could it all mean? As Megumi puzzled over this, her eyes caught... it appeared to be a normal, if slightly outsize pink and gold music box, but the strange energy seemed to grow more intense the closer Megumi drew to it. And once she attempted to lift its lid-
-she found that it did not budge, no matter how hard she tried to move it. Nanami might as well have superglued it shut. Megumi scowled in frustration as she tried to open it again-
"Excuse me? What do you think you're doing, Meg?"
-and wheeled around to find Tsubasa standing in the doorway. Were Megumi in a better frame of mind, she would have laughed at how history was repeating itself.
"That's my line, Tsubasa." she responded coolly.
Tsubasa simply shook her head. "Meg. Get out of her room. Now."
Megumi obliged, but once the two were out into the hallway, she was back to staring defiantly at her older sister. "You're hiding something, Tsubasa. Between all the weirdness up here, that weirdness at school, and you running yourself ragged to cover for them... something's going on here."
Tsubasa said nothing. She didn't need to. Megumi could clearly sense her agitation.
"Tsubasa, what is going on?" Megumi asked. "Who are they really? What are you hiding from me? And why are you lying again?"
"All this time, and you haven't changed, Meg." Tsubasa said quietly. "You still think you have a right to meddle where you don't belong, all because of your damn ego-"
"It's not ego!" Megumi fired back.
"Right." Tsubasa said. "Why can't you accept that when I say I'm fine, I'm fine?"
"Because last time you said that, you were hiding that from me. What are you hiding this time, Tsubasa?"
"Would you stop?" Tsubasa snapped. "Meg, I am trying. I have been trying to be better for what? Six years now? Sorry that's not good enough for you?" She narrowed her eyes at her sister. "So, what was the purpose of this visit? To prove you still don't trust me? To spy on your own students? Both?"
Megumi looked genuinely shaken, partly because her mind was a mess of anxiety and rattled nerves from everything today and even before that, partly because Tsubasa was right about some of this, and partly because she didn't want to admit that Tsubasa was right. "I… I think it would be best if I left."
"Yeah, I second that." Tsubasa tried to look completely unperturbed as Megumi stormed away from her and down the stairs.
The moment Hisao had seen Megumi descending the stairs and heading towards Shooting Star's entrance, he had gotten up and left, muttering something about 'resuming that job hunt'. Nanami and Kohaku did not notice - the former was busy greeting customers as they came in and calmly explaining the situation with Tsubasa, and the latter was busy trying to pretend that the job Tsubasa had given her was not making her incredibly anxious.
The twins did notice their brother's departure, and although Yuu knew he likely wouldn't notice the death glare she had shot in his direction she gave him one anyway.
Moments later, Tsubasa descended the stairs. She was doing a poor job of not looking angry.
"Sorry about that." she told the customers that had queued up in front of the counter as she took her place behind it. "And thank you, Nanami, Kohaku." she told her charges. "Anyway, who was here-"
And then a piercing scream cut through the air. It sounded like was coming from outside Shooting Star… and sounded as if it belonged to Megumi.
The color drained from Tsubasa's face as she heard the noise. Before anyone could stop her, she had abandoned her post once more and dashed towards the door.
"I'm sorry!" She offered a hasty, apologetic bow to everyone present. "I'll be right back!"
And then Tsubasa bolted straight out of Shooting Star before anyone present could react.
There was no sign of any of those weird Void Clan people when Tsubasa shot out of Shooting Star. There was no sign of any giant monsters either.
No, there were simply… a handful of snakes gathering near Megumi, who was a few yards away. They were acting like perfectly normal snakes, outside of the fact that they were congregating in Megumi's presence. And the fact that they existed at all was enough to make Megumi panic. The young Aozora sister was frozen to the spot and on the edge of hyperventilating at present.
"What are you all doing here?!" Megumi demanded. "Go away!" she said as one snake got just a bit too close to her leg for her liking.
"Meg, for god's sake, don't-" Tsubasa rushed to her sister's side, right as Megumi attempted to kick the offending snake away.
"Excuse me? How would you like it if I kicked you in the head?"
Both Aozora sisters turned to find Agate. He looked genuinely offended as he stared down Megumi, whip in hand. Ah, there was the weird Void Clan person.
"Who are you?" Megumi asked, her voice barely above awhisper.
Agate didn't respond at first. He seemed more concerned with making sure that the snakes in the area, who he signaled to leave (and they just… understood that, Tsubasa marveled), got away from Megumi before she could hurt them. Only when they had dispersed did he bother answering that question.
"Agate, member of the Void Triad and servant to Lady Sardonyx." he deadpanned. "And you-" He snapped his fingers, causing a circle of orange runes to appear at Megumi's feet. "I'll be taking that Roaring Spark of yours."
"Like hell you will!"
Tsubasa didn't spare any time to think about what she was doing as she sprang towards Agate. She didn't care that she didn't have powers and he did. She didn't care that she was putting herself at risk of injury. All that mattered was that her little sister was about to endure the same pain she could not permit that.
Agate immediately aimed a right hook at Tsubasa. She unflinchingly caught his fist in her hands before flipping him over her shoulder and onto the ground as if he weighed nothing at all. Agate was left lying flat on his back. Before he could recover, Tsubasa slammed one sneaker-clad foot onto his chest, drawing a sharp hiss of pain from him.
"I don't care who you are or why you're doing this." Tsubasa was using the same unnervingly calm cadence that Megumi recognized from her older sister's delinquent days. "You do not mess with my little sister." As she unflinchingly stared down Agate, she added "Meg, please run."
"I can't!" Megumi said. Indeed, try as she might, she couldn't leave the circle of runes at her feet. "Tsubasa, please don't do this! Just go!"
Tsubasa did not budge. "I'm not abandoning my little sister."
Agate stared up at Tsubasa with dull bronze eyes. A shame, really, that it had to be like this. She was an interesting woman to talk to, even if she was a bit terrifying. And it seemed they felt similarly about their little sisters. But… he had no choice . Anything else was in violation of Sardonyx's will.
Agate slammed a hand glowing with dark orange energy onto the ground. The resulting small shockwave unbalanced Tsubasa, allowing him to escape from her hold and get back on his feet. She quickly recovered and sprang after him with the fury of a wild animal. Had Agate been a second slower, she would have taken him down again. As it was, he narrowly nailed her with a swift punch, knocking her away a few yards and leaving her to collapse in pain.
"Tsubasa!" Megumi screamed. "Why?" she demanded as Agate advanced on her. "Why are you…"
"It's nothing personal." Agate stared hollowly at Megumi as he prepared to take her Roaring Spark, trying to ignore the dull ache in his chest. "Just what this guy is made to do." He extended his right hand towards Megumi. "Roaring Spark!" he cried as the gem on the back of his hand glowed, and Megumi cried out in pain at the sensation of her Roaring Spark about to be ripped from her chest. "Come... forth!"
Nanami and Kohaku had wasted no time in trying to follow Tsubasa out of Shooting Star the very second the cafe owner had left. Given everything they had been through so far, they could not discount the possibility of Void Clan activity, and thus, they had to follow the woman who had declared herself their big sister, lest she hurt herself. But-
"You're just going to run away?" Yuu asked, as she and her sister got between the Cures and the entrance of Shooting Star. "After she told you to look after them?" Here, she gestured to the throng of customers, many of whom looked… more than a bit annoyed right now.
"That woman…" Tsukiko said. "She's looking after you two right now, right? So, shouldn't you respect her wishes and stay here?"
Nanami bit her lip, looking towards the agitated throng of customers, then to the twins, and then to Kohaku, who looked terribly stressed out now. "I…" Deep breaths. "Listen, Yuu, Tsukiko - it does seem irresponsible of us, yes, but believe us, we have no choice but to leave."
"We're going." Kohaku gently pushed past the twins before leading Nanami past the sisters as well. "That's final."
"Why?" Yuu demanded. "Nagisa-san, this isn't like you!"
"And Shishioh-san… this isn't right." Tsukiko said. "It's inconsiderate, don't you think?"
Kohaku simply shook her head. "Listen, you two... we need to protect our big sister."
"That's right." Nanami said. "I'm sure if you were in our situation, you'd do the same thing. I would like to think any good sibling would do the same."
And then the two Cures were gone, leaving Yuu and Tsukiko to stare after them, the former trembling with cold rage. First Agate went and stole her quarry from her, then these two just up and… if they just knew who they were speaking to so condescendingly-
"If they're keeping the Orgel here... perhaps we could at least-" Yuu said under her breath.
"No." Tsukiko said quietly, giving her sister's hand a firm squeeze. "Not after last time. We wait it out." As she waited for the Utsuroid to be summoned and all these people to finally pass out, she added, more to herself than to Yuu "I want to protect my big sister too."
Nanami and Kohaku arrived on the scene just a few moments too late to do anything for Megumi, who had already been engulfed in that familiar sphere of dark energy, let alone...
"Tsubasa!" Nanami cried in horror at the sight of the cafe owner lying prone nearby. She seemed to be breathing, and she didn't look hurt, but...
"Why?" Kohaku demanded, wheeling on Agate, who was standing near the developing Utsuroid, an unreadable expression on his face. "There was no need to get her involved!"
"Hey, she started it." Agate shrugged nonchalantly. "And I did hold back. This guy is not a guy who hurts bystanders." He smiled thinly as the dark energy surrounding Megumi dissipated. "And since you two aren't bystanders..."
The newly-formed Utsuroid standing before Nanami and Kohaku was a hulking black figure with empty gold eyes and brown hair worn in a short bob. It wore a princess ballgown with dark orange gem inset into the collar area, a tiara, and the same blazer Megumi wore during her day job and wielded an immense mockery of the same pointer stick she used as a teacher.
As negative energy began to emit from the newly-formed Utsuroid, it began to emit from the prone Tsubasa as well - along with every customer at Shooting Star, save for the twins, who watched impassively as everyone else around them collapsed.
Nanami and Kohaku needed no further prompting on what to do next. Both girls nodded at one another before readying their Roaring Compacts.
"Medal, set! Pretty Cure, Roaring Rebirth!"
"Guardian of the ocean that blooms with life! Blossom Knight, Cure Delphinus!"
"Guardian of the wind that sweeps through the plains! Tempest Knight, Cure Leo!"
"The two of us are Pretty Cure!" Cure Delphinus and Cure Leo chorused.
"Those who cruelly meddle with the hearts of others-" Cure Leo said, pointing a finger at Agate.
"We'll put a stop to your actions at once!" Cure Delphinus said, following suit.
The very second the two Cures finished their speech, they were met with the Utsuroid charging towards them. As it charged, it thrust out its pointer stick, leading a stream of test papers with high marks to fire forth from it like razor-sharp discuses. Both Cures wasted no time in jumping out of the way, leaving the projectiles to embed themselves into the ground, only for the Utsuroid to round on them once more and fire in the direction of-
-Shooting Star. If the Cures didn't intercept the incoming salvo, there was a good chance that everyone within could risk being injured.
Leo wasted no time in positioning herself between Shooting Star and the incoming barrage. As the salvo of razor-sharp paper hurtled towards her, she gritted her teeth and thrust her palms out, focusing on the need for a shield. Her hands flashed orange, and a barrier of sparkling lightning formed in front of her, deflecting the hail of projectiles.
That wasn't going to be enough, as Leo's barrier quickly began to flicker under the punishment it was enduring. And then Delphinus grabbed onto her arm and thrust her free hand outward, creating a barrier of pink mist in front of Leo's own shield. The pink Cure made a small noise of exertion as she focused on maintaining it. It wasn't quite as good at eating damage as the orange Cure's shield was, but it let the two hold out just enough until the salvo had ended.
"There we are!" Delphinus said as her shield and Leo's broke apart. "We can protect them together!"
Both Cures nodded at one another before dashing away from Shooting Star. The Utsuroid, which was surprisingly graceful in its heavy ballgown, gave pursuit, thrusting its pointer stick at the duo like a sword. As Delphinus played keep-away, firing blasts of water from a distance and doing her best to shoot any more paper projectiles out of the air, Leo attempted to break through its guard with a flurry of punches and kicks. Once Leo broke through, she targeted the gem on the Utsuroid's collarbone with a leaping slash, only for the Utsuroid to parry with its free hand. Leo was knocked backwards-
-and towards Agate, who had been watching the proceedings with a mixture of detachment and boredom right until now. The second Leo came hurtling towards him, he snapped to attention and flung the orange Cure aside like a ragdoll, leaving her to crash right into Delphinus.
"What is my sister hiding?" the Utsuroid shouted as it advanced on the two Cures. "What is she lying about this time?!"
"Aozora-sensei..." Delphinus said quietly as she helped Leo to her feet.
"I'm supposed to be the good one! I'm supposed to be the responsible one! It's my job to keep her out of trouble!" the Utsuroid yelled as it flailed in agitation. "How can I do that when she doesn't trust me? How can I do that if she's keeping me out of things?"
"Meg..." Tsubasa muttered, an anguished expression surfacing on her face as her sister's words reached her through her haze of unconsciousness.
"What if she gets herself hurt again?!" the Utsuroid shouted. "What if I end up losing her? I can't... I can't... I'm not allowed to do nothing!"
On the last part, it gave a scream of anguish before thrusting its pointer stick towards the Cures, who were more than ready to engage with it.
"So that's what this is about." Delphinus said as she went running in one direction, leaving the Utsuroid to fire off a barrage of razor-sharp paper towards her. The projectiles the pink Cure could not destroy with her powers cut roughly into the ground around her, kicking up small showers of dirt and grass. "All this time, you were just trying to protect your big sister." The light in her eyes faltered on that last part, if only for a moment.
"Delphinus..." Leo shot a look of concern at her partner.
Leo ran in the opposite direction from Delphinus in order to draw the Utsuroid's attention towards her. It worked - the Utsuroid immediately went for her instead. However, Leo had opened herself up to another attack from Agate, who attempted to hit Leo with his whip... only for the orange Cure to expertly block the blow with one of her energy swords before nailing him in the ribs with an electricity-charged backhand. The resulting impact sent Agate skidding backwards, tearing a deep gouge through the ground.
"Oof..." Agate muttered, gritting his teeth in pain as he worked to re-steady himself on his feet. "First her, now you, Miss Knight. This is really not this guy's day, huh?"
"The heart of a worrying little sister... I won't allow anyone to take advantage of it!" Delphinus said as she continued to work to wear down the Utsuroid, who was rapidly becoming disoriented trying to deal with the two Cures attacking it from both sides.
"That's right!" Leo said as she took advantage of the Utsuroid's increasing disorientation to land a salvo of blows on its form. "We'll fight to protect you, Aozora-sensei, just as we're fighting to protect Tsubasa and the others!"
"For their sake... we will not give up!" Delphinus said as she fired a high-pressure ball of water towards the gem on the now thoroughly disoriented and injured Utsuroid.
The Utsuroid was too worn-down and too preoccupied with fending off the pressure Leo was putting on it to intercept Delphinus' attack before it could make contact and crack its gem down the middle, causing the Utsuroid to stagger backwards before hitting the ground. The moment it did so, Delphinus and Leo nodded before joining their hands and readying their finisher.
"Oh water, cascade and flow!" Delphinus cried.
"Oh lightning, sparkle and dance!" Leo cried. "Our radiantly roaring hearts-" she said, extending her free hand outwards as orange lightning energy flowed into her opened palm.
"-shall become the light that pierces the void!" Delphinus said, extending her own free hand outwards as pink water energy flowed into her own opened palm.
"Pretty Cure! Roaring Hurricane!" Delphinus and Leo chorused as their combined finisher fired towards the Utsuroid, cutting a wild path through the ground in the process. Multicolored light enveloped the Utsuroid as the gem on its collar bone shattered.
"So warm…" the Utsuroid said, as it gave off multicolored energy, which flowed towards Delphinus and Leo's Roaring Compacts, before its form resolved into that of an unconscious Megumi, whose Roaring Spark sunk back into her chest as she was deposited on the ground.
"The heart of a worrying little sister, huh." Agate muttered as he clutches his side in pain. He'd heal quickly, thankfully, and this was nothing compared to what Tourmaline had endured, but man, between Tsubasa and Leo, he was going to smart for a bit. "This guy's more worried about older sisters, honestly..."
And then he was gone in a flash of dark orange light, leaving a burst of kicked-up dirt in his wake.
When Megumi came to, she felt the smell of ocean air wafting into her nose. As her eyes slowly fluttered open, she found herself looking into the concerned eyes of her sister, who was accompanied by Nanami, Kohaku, and... that dog from earlier.
"Oh god..." she muttered as she pulled herself into a sitting position and verified, partly in reaction to the memories of everything that had happened prior to her waking up like this and partly in reaction to Sirius's presence. "Is... is he gone?"
Part of Nanami wanted to play at being clueless as to what Megumi was talking about... but as Amane had proven earlier today, it was likely that any lies about what had happened would catch up with her and Kohaku. Besides, hadn't Megumi ended up becoming a target because she suspected she was being lied to?
"He's gone, yes." Nanami said. "Don't worry about it, Aozora-sensei." Then, to Tsubasa "Is it alright if I tell her?"
Tsubasa sighed heavily. "I guess it'd be for the best, all things considered."
"Then I'll take it from here, yes, yes." Sirius said as they yawned and stretched. "It would..." They paused, tilting their head as they took in Megumi's baffled reaction. "Is something wrong?"
"The... the dog really was talking..." Megumi said incredulously.
"That they were, that they were." Sirius seemed completely unmoved by Megumi's unease. "You see-"
And Sirius launched into the best abridged explanation they could, Nanami and Kohaku occasionally jumping in to elaborate on things. It was a bit easier to get through this time, since it wasn't so fresh in their memory this time around. But even then, they didn't feel like they were any more successful in explaining things to the younger Aozora sister than they had been with the elder one.
Indeed, Megumi looked every bit as lost as Tsubasa had once Sirius finished their explanation. "I... don't understand any of this, sorry."
"How do you think I felt?" Tsubasa asked. "Hell, I still don't get it, not really." Doesn't mean it's not happening, though."
"It's hard to argue that point after everything I saw today." Megumi got up, dusted herself off... and dropped into a bow of apology. "Tsubasa... I'm so sorry. Had I known you had gotten caught up in something like this-"
Tsubasa shook her head. "It's fine. I didn't want you meddling and getting yourself hurt, Meg." She laughed dryly. "Fat lot of good that did, huh? Besides... I'm really not the one who deserves an apology from you."
"You're correct." Megumi dropped into yet another apologetic bow, this time directed at Nanami and Kohaku. "You two... I apologize sincerely for my actions. I was so worried about my sister and so convinced I was right that I went poking my nose into your personal affairs without thinking."
"Please don't do it again." Kohaku wasn't mad at Megumi per se (just thoroughly unimpressed, really), but it felt terribly odd, saying this to her teacher.
"I'm not angry at you, Aozora-sensei." Nanami said. "But... Kohaku is right. It doesn't become anyone - especially a teacher to do such things."
"It... really doesn't." Megumi clearly felt as awkward about getting lectured by her students as Kohaku felt telling her off. "Then... you two, if there is anything I can do to help you or Tsubasa in the future, name it. If you really are fighting to save your homeland, I owe that to you. Especially after what I did."
"You could start by helping me check on everyone else?" Tsubasa said as she led the others towards Shooting Star, Megumi leaning on her for support. "Knowing how these things go, I'm sure it's a damn mess in there. Plus, you kind of owe me after all this."
As Tsubasa and the others disappeared into Shooting Star, chatting amiably amongst themselves all the way, Yuu and Tsukiko impassively regarded them from a distance. The wind gently rusting the twins' hair as they watched their rivals and their allies until they had disappeared from view.
"The love between sisters... it really is something." Tsukiko said. "Even after everything, they can make up so easily."
"It is quite remarkable, Selenite." Yuu replied. "But..."
"...it will disappear too, won't it, Tourmaline?" Tsukiko asked.
"That's right." Yuu said as she turned and left, leaving her sister to follow her. "There will be no emotion in Lady Sardonyx's ideal world Even the love we share will vanish. But that is fine. That's how it's meant to be."
"Of course." Tsukiko said as she obediently followed after Yuu. "It's fine like this."
Some part of her didn't think it was fine it at all. But that part of her didn't merit listening to. Older sisters knew best, after all.
