The first thing out of Aika's mouth when she saw Twoearle again was, "Ninety percent, huh? Ninety percent?!" The next thing she did was pull the scientist into a headlock and give her a powerful noogie. "That's the last time I take odds from you!"

"Stop! Stop!" Twoearle kicked and screamed. "You're gonna set my hair on fire!"

"Were you seriously trying to get me killed?!" Aika continued, pitilessly pressing her knuckles against her victim's skull while rubbing it back and forth.

"I would never do that!" Tears were running down her face. "Look, we need to take off before reinforcements arrive!"

With a final harumph, Aika let her go. "Just get us back to the pool house."

"You're such a bully." Twoearle groaned, straightening up and running her fingers through her hair to try and straighten it out. Taking the pilot's chair, she grabbed the control panel and prepared to take off, while continuing her whining. "You promised Souji you wouldn't hurt me anymore!"

"I promised I wouldn't hit you anymore, he said nothing about a good grapple." Aika corrected her, before pausing. "Wait, how did you know about that? That was just between the two of us."

"Oh, Souji told me." Twoearle replied quickly and with obviously feigned casualness.

"No, he didn't." Aika growled. "You listened in our conversation, didn't you?"

A single bead of sweat appeared on Twoearle's face. "What? No, I would never-"

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" Aika exploded, standing up suddenly.

The motion in the corner of her eye made the pilot flinch, and the entire ship jerked suddenly. "I'm driving! You can't hit me while I'm driving!"

"You are just the wooooooorst!" Aika howled, sitting down again. "You freaking pervert! I can never forget just how dangerous you are!"

"I'm dangerous?" Twoearle's voice was utterly disbelieving. "How can you of all people say that about anyone?! Or was that someone's else's pile of corpses I saw just then?"

"They shot at me!" Aika snapped back. "It was fully justified self defence!"

"Yeah, self defence like all those times you nearly killed me? If I was anyone else I would be dead! It's a wonder Souji's survived all these years with you around!"

Aika flinched at that and looked away. "I'd never hurt Souji."

"Yeah, except for all those times you do." Twoearle pointed out. "Good luck to your children growing up!" Her voice turned sarcastic. "Oh dear, Mom got upset and slapped me so hard my face exploded. Hmm, well I guess we all have our scars from childhood!"

"Like you can talk, lolicon!" Aika bitterly spat back. "Aisana says, 'Hello.' I wonder how many other children's lives you've ruined already?"

She expected some kind of reply from Twoearle, only for awkward silence to descend on the bridge. Almost a full minute passed as Aika sat there, waiting for a retort until she glanced across to see the devastated expression on Twoearle's face. Her shoulders were shaking, and she seemed to desperately be holding back sobs.

"Twoearle?" Aika said in disbelief.

"I need a moment." Twoearle announced, jerking the ship upwards to rest outside of Earth's atmosphere. "Just give me a second."

Quiet descended on the bridge following her announcement, before she stood up and walked out of the room. Aika was left sitting there in painful silence, unsure what to do. Bickering with Twoearle was totally normal, but at some point that argument had turned nasty, and Aika wasn't entirely sure which of them had taken it there. It hadn't been her intention to make Twoearle cry, but then maybe it had been after all? Towards the end they'd both been saying things to deliberately hurt each other instead of just trying to win.

Now that she'd calmed down a bit, it seemed pretty clear she needed to try and apologize, though it rankled her pride to do so. It took another few minutes before Aika was able to force herself to stand and head towards Twoearle's room where she found the door closed and locked. Again she hesitated before knocking. "Twoearle? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" A cheerful voice replied, though to Aika's ears it sounded forced.

"Can we talk?"

"Hmm? About what?"

"...About us?"

"What's there to talk about?" Twoearle feigned ignorance.

"Can you at least let me in?" Aika sighed, feeling tired.

"I'm not decent right now!" Twoearle replied. "So, no!"

Heaving a sigh, Aika thought about what to do for a moment. This couldn't go on. Things between her and Twoearle had always been tense due to their rivalry over Souji, but that month in space they'd shared had changed things. Where before they could cooperate with the occasional bickering, Aika was now beginning to discover that maybe the reason they didn't get along had more to do with each other than with a boy. This talk was long overdue, one way or the other.

"I'm coming in!" Aika announced, stepping back to prepare a powerful kick.

"Don't break the door!" Twoearle shouted from the inside.

"Then open it!"

"No!"

"Then I'll open it!" She gave the door a light tap to make good on her threat, though the sound was loud enough you might think she'd swung a hammer at it.

"Alright, alright!" Twoearle grumbled and after a moment, the door slid open to reveal Twoearle standing there in her normal outfit. The only evidence of her previous emotional distress was a faint redness to her eyes.

The sight of her paralyzed Aika for another moment, unsure of what to do with Twoearle when they weren't at odds with each other or allied against Elemerians. "I shouldn't have barged in." She swallowed guiltily and looked away. "I'm sorry I said what I said."

"Sure." Twoearle shrugged, despondently.

"Just take the time you need and when you're ready to talk-"

"I don't want to talk." Twoearle interrupted her. "So let's just go home."

What was Aika supposed to do after that? Hold Twoearle down until she confessed? The rest of the journey to Nyapon was spent in silence. The light of the Spacejump Catapult faded and the of the hanger was visible through the front window, while the silence persisted all the way until they stepped off the ramp and Twoearle closed it behind them with her remote.

"Oh, I just remembered." Aika frowned and held out her arm with the broken Tailgear. "You might need to take a look at my other form, it's been burnt to a crisp."

"I'll take care of it once everybody knows your okay." Twoearle replied. "Speaking of which... Isabella, are you there?" She talked into her own communicator.

There was a long moment's silence before a soft, slightly husky voice answered. "I'm here."

"I found Aika, she's alive."

"What?"

"She's in the secret base-"

"I'm coming now!" Then Isabella hung up.

"Why did you tell her I was alive?" Aika frowned at Twoearle.

"Because we all thought you were dead?" Twoearle answered incredulously. "You know you got hit by a nuke, right?"

"Oh." Her eyes widened. "What about Souji? What about my family?"

"I think he was actually the one who broke the news to them?"

"Oh my god." Aika covered her mouth, in shock. "My parents? Grandpa? My big sister?"
Twoearle shrugged. "Sorry, I was too busy searching for you."

"I gotta go." A feeling of panic welled up in Aika's chest, and she sprinted for the portal as fast as her legs would carry her. Oh no, oh noooo… Of course Souji would tell her family, they deserved to know if she was dead, and if he was telling them that she died, he'd have to tell them how she died! The absolute last thing she wanted her family to know was that she was running around with her chest all but exposed! What meager chest there was at any rate.

Aika exploded out of the elevator into Adolescenza, and found the cafe full of customers, who all looked at her strangely.

"Hi!" She greeted them awkwardly. "Sorry, pardon me." She wove between them and rushed up the stairs to the Mitsuka residence. "Souji!" She called. "Souji!"

His room was empty, and the curtains were drawn shut.

"Oh no…" She groaned, heading back downstairs and bumping into Auntie Miharu who was coming up.

"Oh, you're okay!" The woman smiled happily and pulled her into a warm hug. "What are you wearing?"

"H-hi, Auntie." Aika greeted her and hugged her back after a moment. "I'm really glad to see you too, and I know you've been worried, but I need to stop Souji from telling more people I'm dead!"

"Oh, of course." Miharu let go of her and backed away a step, running a hand under her watery eyes. "Here, use the phone and call him." She directed Aika to the land line.

"Thanks!" She picked up the receiver and dialed in Souji's mobile number, only for him not to answer and for it to go speaker. "Damn it." She dialed again, only to stop when she heard a buzzing sound coming from up the hall. Following the sound to its origin, she found Souji's smartphone rumbling on his bedside desk. "Argh…" She groaned, running her fingers through her hair.

"You better hurry." Miharu warned her from the doorway. "I think I last saw him headed to the doujo."

"Thanks auntie!" Aika yelled, pocketing Souji's phone and hopping out the window over to her own bedroom. She quickly changed from the ill fitting bloody doctors coat into a skirt and bike shorts, along with a tanktop and running shoes. As she ran downstairs, she found the rest of her family going about their normal business, so apparently news of her demise hadn't reached them yet. Her mother tried to ask her about where she was last night, but Aika only had time to give her a hug and a kiss before she was out the door and sprinting across town.

Passersby looked at her with some surprise as she ran faster than most cyclists on their commute. From one end of town to the other, she ran the whole way at her top speed, and even with her impressive stamina she was breathing hard by the time the doujo came into sight. With a final burst of speed, she arrived at the front door to find a normal collection of young students.

"Oh, hello Aika." One of the instructors greeted her. Apparently he didn't there was any reason for not to be there, so she guessed the news hadn't spread this far yet.

"Good afternoon." She barely recognised him, but was careful to be polite. "Have you seen my grandfather?"

"I believe he's in the house."

"Thanks!"

Her grandparent's house was built on the same lot of land as the Doujo, with the driveway snaking up around the larger building blocked by a small gate that Aika easily hopped over. "Grandma?! Grandpa?!" She called out as she knocked loudly on the door, only to pause when she realised her knuckles had left indentations in the wood, and that the door was rattling in in its frame. "Souji, are you there?"

There was a long pause before the door was open from the inside, and there he was.

"Aika?" He said disbelievingly. "You're alive!" Tears rolled down his cheeks as he pulled her into a large hug. "I-I…" Whatever he intended to say he didn't finish, and instead he just pulled her closer.

It took her a moment to realise he was shaking and that she was actually holding up almost his entire body eight. He really thought I was dead. The realisation struck her. "Yeah, I'm okay." Aika soothed him. "I'm right here."

"Aika…" He repeated, hugging her as tightly as he could. "Y-You were-"
"I'm fine, see? I'm fine." That wasn't strictly true, given the state of her other form, but it was the best reassurance she could give him at the moment.

He sniffled loudly right next to her ear, and hugged her even more tightly. "I'm sorry, I just-"

"It's okay, it's okay." Carefully, she rubbed his back, half afraid of hurting him if she squeezed him. Looking over her shoulder, she noticed several curious young faces in the doujo's back window, watching their. "Why don't we take this inside?"

"Okay." He nodded, swallowing and rubbing away a small amount of snot. "I'm sorry."

"There's nothing to be sorry about." She reassured him automatically. "But this is important, Souji. How many people think I'm dead?"

"Just my Mom, your grandparents, and Erina right now."

That wasn't as bad as it could be. "Okay." Aika said, holding his phone out to him. "You need to call Erina right now, and tell her I'm okay, before this gets to anyone else."

"Okay." He nodded, his voice still thick with emotion. "Okay, you're right."

"I need to go talk to my grandparents now, but I'll be right back, I promise."

"Yes." He wiped his eyes once again and raised the phone to his ear.

Inside, Aika found the house empty. The dishes had been left undone, and the usual sound of a radio playing in the background was missing. Her grandparents weren't upstairs, or in the living room, but sitting together on the veranda outside.

"Grandma, grandpa!" She threw open the door and stepped outside. "I'm alive!"
"Oh, Aika." Her grandmother moaned, and buried her wrinkled face in her hands, sobbing loudly.

At the same time her grandfather looked at her with an expression of obvious relief, though after a long moment he schooled it back to careful neutrality. "Welcome back, child." He beckoned Aika over and took her hand in his own, squeezing it gently before placing it on his wife's shoulder. Together they helped calm her down, and after a few minutes to compose herself, Aika's grandmother went inside to make tea.

While she was doing that, Souji came into the backyard. "I reached Erina. She was very relieved to hear you were okay."

"Oh, thank goodness." Aika breathed a sigh of relief, finally feeling like things were back under control. "Okay, I'm gonna head back home and-"

"No, you're not." Kenta interrupted her. "Granddaughter, we have much to discuss."

Oh, no. "Souji, how much did you tell him?"

"He told me about everything, Aika." Kenta gave the boy a disapproving look. "Including his cross dressing habits."

"It's not like that, I swear-"

"I know he's weird, but I promise-

Souji began to defend himself at the same time as Aika rushed to speak.

They were both forestalled by Kenta raising his hand. While they were silent, he continued. "To tell the truth, I thought it was well passed the time for you to grow out of your Twintails." They both flinched at that. "But it seems to have served you well for your current career path."

"Uh, it's not really a career?" Aika pointed out.

Kenta frowned at her. "What is it, then?"

"Uh…" She glanced at Souji and he shrugged back at her. "A hobby?"

His eyes narrowed dangerously. "It appears I have been far too gentle with your training." Reaching out, he flicked her in the forehead, only to pause with surprise when she not only didn't respond but he a bruise begin under his fingernail. "Think, girl." He continued, his lips twitching downwards only slightly. "You're traveling to foreign worlds, and recruiting others to your cause, creating a coalition to protect people from Ultimaguil. Do you understand what you're doing?"

She took her time to think of an answer, but she couldn't quite see what he was getting at.

"I don't get it?" Souji said aloud.

"I'm disappointed." Kenta shook his head, and turned back towards the mountains. "When was my prize student so lacking in awareness? What is it called when two great powers do battle?"

"War?" Souji answered.

"Oh." Aika blinked, realising what he was hinting at. "Oh, no…"
"Yes, boy." The second word was said with vicious irony. "You are waging war."

Souji's eyebrows came together. "Okay, so…?"

"So take this seriously!" Kenta snapped and stood up to his full height, which still wasn't quite up to Souji's nose. "Your enemy has sent word of your resistance to the heart of their empire, and will soon begin amassing forces to deal with you once and for all. Nevermind that this conflict is fought over something as foolish and ephemeral as… twintails, if you lose then Earth, your home will be at the mercy of these invaders! Forget your foolish schooling! Amass the forces and arms that you need to drive them off, and be prepared to commit not just your life, but your future to winning! Abandon all else, and pursue victory at all costs! THIS IS WAR!"

Both Souji and Aika stood there in silence, shamefacedly hanging their heads.

Suddenly feeling weak from the sudden exertion, Kenta sank back into his chair. "Now go." He gave Souji one last glare. "I must speak to my granddaughter."

Souji only paused for long enough to give a respectful bow, before squeezing Aika's shoulder again and hurrying out.

There was a long moment's silence between Kenta and his star pupil. "You seem well, all things considered."

"Thank you, Grandpa."

"...Him?" Kenta grunted. "That's the boy you're in love with?"

"Yes." Aika answered without hesitation.

His face twisted with disgust. "He's weak. And stupid."

"He's not weak." Aika countered without hesitation. "He might seem strange to you, but he's never hesitated to fight for the things precious to him."

"He spends half his time as a little girl."

"I don't care."

Kenta grimaced. "I don't approve, not anymore."

"That's too bad, then." Aika murmured back, voice soft but resolved.

The old man sighed, before waving her off with a disgusted flick of his wrist. "Go."

For the second time that day, Aika walked away from someone she cared about with their issues not resolved.