Far East Branch Headquarters - Sakaki's Office
After Shio's safe return to the Den, the First Unit set to work getting back to a semi-normal routine. Following the disaster that came to be known as the Wardrobe Malfunction, the ladies commissioned Licca to help them design an outfit that would avoid irritating the Aragami's sensitive skin. Supplies needed gathering, which were collected by members of their squadron. Even Lenka joined in on the material gathering, albeit unknowingly.
With time, their efforts paid off to a well-earned reward as Shio's outfit was finally completed… and all but one of the First Unit members gathered to celebrate the event. Even Neo made time to attend, after spending nearly an hour in another room with Alisa. Since Neo's date and Shio's reveal had fallen the same day, the First Unit's ladies worked together to divide and conquer, with Alisa aiding their New Type and Sakuya aiding their Aragami.
"Oh, I'm so excited! I can't wait!"
"You're always excited, Fujiki."
"Aw come on, don't be a party-pooper, Soma. You didn't even show up to the last one. The least you can do is not complain…"
"I told you I had no interest in your shindig. And this isn't a party. We're only here to -"
Soma 's retort was interrupted when their Russian New Type made her way into the room, looking slightly winded.
"We… we're finished…"
Kota stared at her with a slight bit of concern.
"Uh… you okay, Alisa?"
"Yeah. I was just… helping Neo."
Her explanation didn't really pan out to him. She looked both physically and emotionally drained. Could stylizing Neo really have taken so much effort? Just what had she done to her in there?
"Helping her do what? You look exhausted. Is everything… whoa."
True to her word, Alisa had found an outfit to match Neo's style. With the help with three of the Den's ladies, they had transformed their disheveled New Type into a woman that anyone would be proud to have on their arm.
Her blue denim skirt wrapped firmly around her waist, the color matching beautifully with her flowing scarf. The length rode a bit high, rising to the very edge of her thighs, but hidden beneath the fluffy folds were a pair of shorts. With Neo's wild nature, it was simply unrealistic to trust her with a full skirt, so they had instead met her halfway and gone with a skort. Her fitted black top hugged her curves, resting over the top of her skirt for a layered look.
Beneath them her legs lay teasingly exposed before vanishing again beneath a pair of black thigh-high stockings. At her sides rested her arms, wrapped in stylish fingerless gloves, trailing up her forearm. And on her feet were a pair of mid-level heels to accentuate her legs which thankfully, with a great deal of practice, she had gotten much better at moving around in.
Her messy hair had been brought under control, with a great deal of work on Alisa's part. Straightened, it fell to her shoulders with a vibrant purple sheen. Her lips shimmered with a light coating of moisture-resistant gloss, to help with Neo's incessant habit of licking at it. But the most striking feature by far was her eyes. She was wearing her covering today, but Alisa had carefully angled her liner and mascara to enhance the shape, showing off its presence without drawing too much attention to her missing eye.
She looked absolutely stunning in the fascinating way that only Neo could.
"Holy… Neo?!"
Kota lost it, his excitement boiling over as he tried to make sense of what he was looking at. She looked very much like herself, but somehow completely different. It was though someone had replaced her with a more mature, intensified version of the person he had come to know. Or maybe that wasn't the case at all. It was more like this was the first time that Kota had ever truly viewed Neo as a woman. Alisa had promised that she would makeover their New Type and she did not disappoint.
"Guys, Shio's just about… oh my… Neo, wow!"
Sakuya exited the bedroom, pausing as she looked over her friend's beautified state. It seemed that their grueling work had all been worth it. She was definitely ready to hit the town… or wherever it was that they were going.
Neo shrunk slightly, growing flustered under their evaluating expressions. Having spent most of her life being ignored, she wasn't used to being the center of attention. It was starting to make her slightly uncomfortable.
"It's… not that big of a deal…"
Kota of course, disagreed.
"Are you kidding? You look amazing! I always knew there was a hottie hiding under that tough exterior! Soma, what do ya think? Nice, right?"
"Guys… come on. Please stop…"
As Neo nervously fidgeted with the hem of her skort, her eye drifted just a moment to their veteran God Eater. While she still wasn't keen on talking to him, she was curious about his reaction. After all, he was the only one so far who hadn't made a single comment.
And he never did. Utterly speechless, Soma simply stared. Behind his blank expression, his mind was running at maximum speed as he tried to process the image standing before him. Having known her since they were children, he had always viewed her through a slightly tinted lens. Her antics and endless shenanigans didn't help, only serving to highlight her troublesome tendencies. Even her height made it difficult to remember sometimes that she was an adult. But in her heightened state, with a curvaceous figure and feminine features, he was forced to face the reality that Neo was very much a woman… and that had never been clearer until that moment.
"Uh… Soma? Soooma. Soma!"
"Huh?"
"Geeze. We kind of lost you there for a second. You okay, buddy?"
"Shut it, Fujiki."
"Aaaand, he's back. Never mind, he's fine."
Irritated, he turned away, allowing the folds of his blue hood to shield him. He thanked his mother for his darker complexion, masking the color tinting his face. She was gorgeous… but he wasn't about to admit it.
"Enough! I came to see Shio, so can we please get on with it…?"
Sakuya smiled at the blushing New Type, watching as her feet shuffled nervously against the carpet. Neo, formerly Reaper, the rampaging, lethal living weapon, was actually embarrassed by a little attention… and it was the most precious thing she had ever seen.
"Right! Okay, everybody ready? And, ta-daaaa!"
Sakuya opened the sliding door, revealing the guest of honor. Stepping forward, Shio smiled at everyone, giggling at their startled faces. She was as adorable as Neo was beautiful. Taking a similar design, a pair of white shorts covered her bottom half. Moving upward, a long matching flowing top adorned her upper portion, opening at the naval with tails falling to her legs. It was adorned with ribbons and a golden rose sitting atop her chest. Much like Neo's outfit, her arms were also accessorized, a pair of white bands wrapped around her upper arms. The entire piece was tied together with lace at the back with a frilly white blow bringing it all together.
All remained still as the members of the First Unit took in her new look. Then after a moment of silence, much like Kota before her, Alisa exploded.
"Oh my god, it's like the cutest thing I have ever seen ever!"
"Heh, I thought so! Just like a little girl, huh?"
Shio giggled happily at Sakuya and Alisa's excited reactions.
"Huh? Do I? Huh. Hehehehe!"
Kota smiled, admiring the adorable child.
"That's really something else. Looks amazing, right Soma?"
"Yeah, I guess it's cute…"
Every pair of eyes turned, gaping as he muttered his quiet response. Had Soma just given someone a compliment? Alisa and Sakuya were speechless, far too surprised to say anything. Neo raised an eyebrow, rather surprised to hear a word of praise coming from the cranky veteran's mouth. Truthfully, she was astounded by his reaction, as he had said nothing to acknowledge her change in appearance. But she wasn't really bothered by it. If anything, she was relieved to finally have everyone's attention focused somewhere else. Kota of course, couldn't contain his astonishment.
"Honesty? From Soma? Are you all right?"
Even Shio was caught off guard by Soma's praise. She beamed around the room, basking in the praise of her newfound friends.
"I feel like… really so good!"
Overwhelmed with joy, she began to sing. The room fell silent. There was something strange about watching an Aragami produce a melody… but it was calming and sweet. Soma's eyes widened as he listened to the tune. He recognized that song. Why on earth was she singing now?
Beside him, Neo simply stared. Her expression changed slightly as a wave of conflicting emotions began to wash over her. It seemed that every day, Shio gained a new attribute or learned a new skill. The first time the two of them had met, she was a pitiful child, with the vocabulary of an infant and motor skills that could make even a wobbling toddler look expertly trained. Now, she fit seamlessly into the group of friends as though she had always been there… and something about that bothered her.
Finishing her song, Shio smiled joyfully.
"Hehe! Did you guys ever hear that? It's called a song. It's pretty."
"Ah…"
"Oh my…"
As Soma and Alisa muttered quietly, Sakuya nearly jumped with joy.
"That was incredible, Shio!"
"It was? Was it… a good job? Hehehe! I did a good job… Hehe! And now I can't stop smiling…"
"Where did you learn that? It was so beautiful."
"Huh? Soma and I heard it together!"
"You did what?"
At Kota's exclamation, every pair of eyes turned to the veteran, who's eyes bulged even further.
"Well then, my, my, my, Soma…"
Sakuya smirked playfully, quickly joined by Alisa in her prodding.
"Oh, you heard it together, hm? Is that right?"
"That's… I just… Uh…"
"When did you two find the time to get all buddy-buddy, eh, buddy?"
"Damn it… Stupid song… Can't believe this…"
Soma's complexion could no longer hide his embarrassment as his face turned a bright red beneath his brown skin. And as he crumbled under their teasing gaze, nearly all of the room poked fun at him, adding to his sheepishness.
Neo remained silent, observing the display from the side of the doorway. Shio had learned to sing… with Soma. A man whom she had once called her friend. The same man who barely a month ago had called her a monster. He would dare to call her monstrous, but enjoy music with Shio, an actual Aragami? Her eye narrowed as anger burned in her heart.
Slowly, she turned, contemplating leaving the room. Everyone was completely distracted at the moment. It would be so easy to slip way, vanishing from sight without alerting a single person in the room. Perhaps it would be best if she did.
But before she could take a step, the door slid open. Stepping in from the hallway, Ichiro hurried into the room, looking a bit worn. Whether it was from spring all of the way to the office or remaining trapped in a cell, she didn't know. She didn't get the chance to ask either. Entering the office, he walked through the doorway… and right past her.
"Sorry I'm late. The Major took her time opening my cell. Wow, Shio!"
The child bounced happily on the balls of her feet at their new arrival.
"Ichiro! You came back!"
"Of course I did."
Silently, Neo watched the two of them with a widened eye. He had finally returned to her. And then he had walked right by her as though she weren't even in the room. Had he really not noticed her…? It was true that she was standing slightly off to the side. He also looked a bit tired. Maybe he just wasn't paying attention.
"Hm? Hey, where's Neo? I didn't think she'd want to miss this…"
"Uh… she's right behind you, dude."
Confused, Ichiro turned around at Kota's response. And standing not far from Soma, was the woman that he had been searching for. Indeed, he truly hadn't noticed her at all. Or more accurately, he hadn't recognized her. Having spent so many years at her side, he had highly grown accustomed to her lackadaisical appearance. In all of the time that he had known her, he had never once seen her in any way dressed up or otherwise nicely put together. Even her hair had been tamed, falling gently down the sides of her face where her lined eye watched him with curious interest. The woman before him looked nothing like the Neo he had come to know… and his brain was having a difficult time processing it.
It wasn't that he had never thought of her as potential partner. Ichiro had always seen her as such, growing to care for her over time… but now he could truly see her… and that affection only amplified. So much so that he became still, gaping silently at her. Whereas Soma's mind had gone into overtime, working furiously to make sense of her new look… Ichiro's had stopped functioning entirely.
"Good job, Alisa. You broke him."
"Wha - I did no such thing!"
As the Kota and the New Type started bickering amongst themselves, Neo became increasingly self-conscious under his focused gaze.
"Ichi…? What's wrong?"
At the sound of her meek voice, his systems came back online, reminding him that he had been standing there staring like an absolute idiot.
"Wh… N-Neo?"
"…Yeah."
A light coloring started to surface beneath her eyes as she nervously poked at her skirt. Now embarrassed, the bashful expression on her face only served to make her look adorable… and that only made him worse.
"I… you… uh… what?"
"See? He's broken."
"Oh, be quiet!"
As Kota and Alisa resumed their debate, Ichiro slowly returned to some form of functionality.
"What's… I don't… I have no idea what's happening."
"Wh-What do you mean?"
"I mean… how… it's… why do you look like that?"
"Because I… I-Is… is it bad?"
"Wha - no! You're stunning… I'm just not used to… I mean, it's… Not that you're not always - it's just - I'm - Ugh…"
Kota was right. Alisa had completely broken him. Unable to formulate a coherent sentence, he was falling apart. Snickering, she interrupted his ramblings to save him from himself.
"Neo has a date, so she wanted to look nice. Honestly, I'm surprised you haven't heard…"
"Date? What -"
Gunter.
As some form of operation returned to his mind, he remembered his discussion with him in his underground cell. It seemed he had made good on his promise, which didn't really surprise him.
What did surprise him was Neo's attire. He hadn't thought that she would go to so much trouble. She didn't actually like him… did she?
"Yeah… right. Yeah, I heard. I just… didn't realize it was today."
Shio looked around the room, watching the various members of the First Unit going about their activities. Kota and Alisa were arguing over something regarding Neo's clothing change. Ichiro was watching Neo, with a look of minor annoyance. Soma had moved a few paces away from her and looked completely annoyed, although she noticed his attention drifting occasionally to the New Type. Sakuya just stood at the desk, chortling at all of them.
After a few moments, Ichiro sighed and retreated a nearby couch, resigning himself to silence for the time being. He hoped that placing some distance between them would help to calm his nerves. Skipping towards her flustered friend, Shio clapped her hands together, offering an elated smile.
"You are pretty!"
"Wha… I - well, thank you, Shio. You look pretty as well."
With her embarrassment temporarily forgotten, Neo was more than happy for the distraction.
"You are going on a date?"
"It would seem so."
"Dates are… um… dates are delicious, right?"
"I guess they can be. I'm not sure how Gunter would taste, to be honest."
"I asked Soma if he taste good."
"Well, I guess we'd have to try him to find out, right?"
"Right! Neo… Do you want to try Soma?"
"I'd be willing to taste him, sure."
Neo shrugged, nonchalantly at the Aragami child, earning a smile in return. The New Type returned the gesture, shaking her head as Shio giggled.
But as she listened to the pleasant ring of her laughter, it suddenly occurred to her just how quiet the room around them had become. At some point during their conversation, the other members had begun to listen and the entire atmosphere had changed as a result. In contrast to a few minutes ago, Soma's entire face was now a brilliant red. Alisa and Kota had averted their eyes slightly and Sakuya simply stared. From the couch, Ichiro remained perfectly still, a hint of irritation laced within his tired expression.
"Neo, how many times… you shouldn't say things like that."
"Why?"
"Because people will -"
"Do you taste good, Ichiro?"
"Eh?"
Shifting her attention, Shio questioned Neo's guardian, disrupting his train of thought and getting a confused utterance in response. She truly did have a habit of saying whatever came to mind. Unfortunately, the New Type shared a similar practice and within moments, voiced her own thoughts on the matter.
"Probably."
"Wha?!"
Shio smiled, bouncing joyfully beside Neo with zero regard for the expression on their companion's face.
"Really?"
"Yeah. I think he would taste sweet."
"Is sweet… good?"
"It's delicious."
Alisa looked between the three of them, a look of bewilderment on her face.
"O-Oh my… W-Well, this is…"
Sighing, Neo's companion shook his head, which was now several shades of crimson.
"Neo, for the love of…"
"What's wrong, Ichi? You don't want me to taste you?"
Ichiro looked ready to burst into flames as he stumbled over his words.
"I - that's - of course, I - wait a minute! Ugh…"
"Ichi?"
"Enough! Please. Just go sit down or something…"
"Okay."
Shrugging her shoulders, Neo happily crossed the room to her companion's couch, excited to be reunited with him at last. As was customary for the New Type, she had little understanding of personal space and seated herself comfortably on his lap. This had been a common occurrence for a long as either one of them could remember… but unlike the countless times before, Ichiro's reaction was very different.
"Neo!"
"Eep!"
Neo startled as her companion lost his composure, pulling her from his lap a bit more forcefully than he had intended. She bounced on the cushion beside him, her eyes wide with confusion at his rather explosive reaction. Having no idea what had gotten him, her glossy lips pulled into a frown as she pouted on the couch beside him.
"Sp-Space… Please."
Despite doing this dance so many times before, his reaction had been nothing like himself. Of course, Neo also looked nothing like herself, and her blunt inflection certainly wasn't helping him any. Between her alluring attire and the highly unusual direction of their conversation, he was at the very limit of his patience and self-control.
While Neo huffed beside him, Ichiro sighed and placed his hand against his head in exasperation. He could feel the heat radiating into his palm as he tried to regain some semblance of calmness. It couldn't possibly be healthy to have a temperature this high. From the other side of the room, Shio approached the pair, tilting her head curiously as she observed the two flustered God Eaters.
Having observed their entire exchange, she was considering her next course of action. As a kindred spirit, the child looked up to Neo as a sibling of sorts. As such, she would often mimic her behavioral patterns and look to her for guidance in various situations… which wasn't always a good thing. Shio followed her lead, hopping onto his lap as well, earning an even more frustrated sigh from Hamasaki.
"Seriously…?"
Why did everyone want to sit on him today? Did no one understand the concept of boundaries, or was it simply those two?
"Geeze, look at you, Ichi. Getting all the ladies, huh? I'm jealous."
"Shut up, Kota…"
"This… is this a good job?" Shio twisted around, watching him carefully. Her legs swung off to the side as she regarded him curiously. Her golden eyes evaluated him, uncertain if she had made the right decision. Having lost the will to argue, Ichiro finally caved. Defeated, he just shook his head. She really was just like a little kid. A little kid that unfortunately, had chosen his problematic New Type as a role model.
"Yeah, sure. Good job, Shio."
"Heheh!"
Shio giggled happily as he gently patted her head. With the pale-skinned child sitting comfortably on his legs, the two of them looked the very picture of a pair of siblings. Kota erupted with laughter as Sakuya and Alisa smiled adoringly at the heartwarming scene. Soma just shook his head at the two of them, offering a sympathetic frown. To be honest, he actually felt bad for the guy. Having one Neo to deal with was aggravating… having two of them must have been utterly maddening.
As the First Unit resumed their merrymaking, Neo remained perfectly still. Her hair masked her darkened expression as she hung her head. She spoke no words, sitting frozen as her mind reeled. He never allowed her to sit on his lap, often scolding her attempts at close physical contact. Yet, Shio was free to sit wherever she pleased. He had even praised her for it. Shio had been accepted, while she had been rejected. First by Soma, and now by Ichiro.
Her blank expression belied the raging storm beneath the surface. She was devastated.
I see… so that's how it is.
Silently, Neo rose from her seat and headed towards the door. Noticing her departure, Sakuya called after her with a reminder.
"Have fun! Don't forget, don't run in those!"
Turning, Neo smiled and waved at her.
"I won't." Turning, she offered the same joyful grin towards her other New Type. "Alisa, I'll return these to two later, all right?"
"No problem!"
Soma's eyes narrowed slightly as Neo disappeared through the door, off to find Gunter who was undoubtedly waiting for her. While her exit hadn't seemed anything out of the ordinary, there was a disturbing detail that the others seemed to have ignored. Following her departure, the First Unit returned to their gathering. Kota and the girls talked with Shio, who was still seated happily on top of Ichiro's legs. Shifting his eyes from the door, Soma frowned as he observed the other veteran's change in demeanor. After her unusual comment, he had grown eerily still, with his eyes gazing blankly forward. Something wasn't right.
On the couch, Hamasaki was lost in thought as he replayed Neo's exit in his mind, picking apart each and every detail. As the others mistook her jovial exit for excitement, Ichiro knew better. There was venom in her gaze and ice in her smile. If that hadn't been indication enough, her parting words most certainly had been. Although the New Type didn't seem privy to the problem herself, he had noticed the change in her speech pattern immediately. She had used Alisa's full name; a subtle, but dangerous detail. Neo was very upset.
What he couldn't figure out was why. As he replayed the events over and over again, he tried to pinpoint the exact moment of her behavioral shift and trace it back to the source. And as he looked down at the child giggling happily on his lap he began wonder. The answer was literally right in front of him, but it only raised more questions than it answered. Could it be? Was it possible?
Was Neo… jealous?
. . .
Storming down the hallway, she forced back the fluid beading at the corners of her eye. She didn't want to ruin the beautiful liner that Alisa had so meticulously placed and going back to replace it at that point would be impossible. Drawing on years of experience, she breathed deeply as she stopped at the lift. Her walls began to raise, drawing her quivering lips into a flat line and her eyes into a blank stare.
In truth, Neo was jealous, extremely so. But it wasn't because of the Aragami child. She held no ill will for her pale-skinned friend. She envied what she had become. Since her arrival, she had watched Shio learn, grow, and develop, changing and adapting with each and every interaction. With every passing day she became more like the others, becoming nearly indistinguishable from any other person in the Den. And now, inevitably… she was even more human than she was.
As the doors opened, Neo stepped inside, her face a mask of neutrality to hide her sadness. She would not shed tears, nor would she lash out in anger. She would suffer in silence, as she always had. She would expel her pain, letting her woes and worries spill from her body in the form of movement. She would let the rhythm take her away and drown out the screaming her head. She would dance the night away.
And she couldn't have picked a better night for it.
. . .
The First Unit had continued socializing, enjoying each other's company and conversing with Shio for some time after Neo left. Ichiro had remained with them, as he had little else to do at the moment with the New Type gone and Sakaki currently preoccupied. Their gathering lasted for a few hours before the team finally went their separate ways.
Ichiro wandered down the empty hall toward his bedroom, running through possible scenarios in his head. Neo should have returned by now and he had been anticipating her arrival to speak to her. She had been in a quite a mood when she left, and surely she would be waiting for him either to ream him out or swipe at him. Steeling himself for a claw to face, he slid open the door and stepped inside. But as he entered the room, he was surprised to find it empty. Neo wasn't there.
Alarmed, he quickly made his way down the hallway toward the lower floor. Despite his hours of calculation, her absence was the one scenario that he didn't plan for. He had never needed to. He considered the possibilities as he rode the lift downward, trying to place where Neo might be.
He didn't know enough about the German God Eater to determine his threat to their New Type. He didn't seem like the type ever harm a woman, so it was unlikely that she was in any danger. He was a bit of a playboy, but that was about it. Of course, with her strength Gunter would actually be in far more danger than she was, so it was a moot point. She could have gotten bored and wandered off into the night, leaving him to retrieve her, much to his irritation. If they had separated, there was high probability that she was simply lost, wandering around with little sense of direction. Then… there was another possibility, one that Ichiro didn't even want to consider.
Reaching Neo's floor, he quickly made his way towards her bedroom. Perhaps she was in there. Nervousness bubbled in the pit of his stomach as he approached her doorway. It had been hours since she had left and he knew Neo well enough to know that she wouldn't last very long in heels. There was no way that she would be willing to remain in them for extended periods of time. They would hurt her feet and leave her irritable, choosing to retreat for respite. Under the assumption that she had returned to the Den, then she should be resting in her room. And if she wasn't…
…it was possible that she was in his.
Reaching his destination, he sighed with relief. Her disappearance had worried him far more than he realized. But his relaxation was short-lived. Neo was most certainly in her room, that much was certain… because the door was locked. Both of those facts concerned him, as she rarely slept in her own room and never locked her door. It was unlikely that Gunter was inside with her, as Neo never allowed anyone to enter into any place that she would call home, as evidenced by what he heard she had tried to do Utsugi.
This left only one option. She had simply locked herself in her room, shutting herself off from the rest of the world.
Neo was truly upset.