-Ayako's POV-
"Sorry for intruding so early." Miku apologizes as Tsubasa opens the door.
"It's fine, Ayako told me you were coming last night, she even asked me to wake her up early so she would be up when you got here." She smiles as Miku walks past her into the house. "Would you like some breakfast?"
"Morning Miku." I say tiredly as they both enter the room.
"Morning." She says cheerfully and takes a seat next to me at the table. "Are you ok? You look like you haven't been sleeping again." She asks worriedly.
"She's fine, Tsubasa's been watching her like a hawk since then so you don't have to worry about her getting sleep or not." Kurumi tells her as she fills her plate up with food and starts eating before anyone else.
"She just isn't much of a morning person." Tsubasa explains, putting some pancakes on my plate for me. "If I didn't make sure to wake her up every morning she would never get to school on time."
Miku chuckles and nods her head. "I'm the same way, but I was so excited when Ayako texted me yesterday that when my alarm went off I was wide awake in an instant."
"Speaking of which, why did you invite Miku over, and make sure that I would come for breakfast?" Kurumi asks, then sighs as she watches me sleepily shovel food into my mouth.
"She'll be like this for awhile if I leave her like this, so give me a minute and I'll wake her up." Tsubasa says. She gets up and pulls me after her down the hall into her bedroom where she pushes me up against the shut door and kisses me hard, her tongue dominating my half asleep self almost instantly. Her hands roam down my body, caressing and groping me aggressively, not pulling away until I'm gasping for air. "Are you awake yet?" She asks softly.
I lean forward and hug her. "Yea I'm awake, you didn't have to be so aggressive so early though you know." I pout, but enjoy the lingering taste of Tsubasa and the sweet taste of syrup from my pancakes.
"Good, you got two girls out there waiting to hear what you want with them so early." She tells me, giving me another quick kiss before I open the door to head back out to the dining room, giving a quiet yelp as she smacks my ass playfully.
I cough awkwardly and retake my seat at the table, trying my best to ignore Miku's questioning look, and Kurumi's cheeky grin. I quietly take a few more bites before I down my orange juice and finally look up at the two of them. "Sorry for not being much of a morning person, I should've taken a shower or something to help me wake up before breakfast." I apologize sheepishly.
"No no, I got to see a super cute side to Ayako today so I think today has been successful already." Miku smiles pleasantly.
I clear my throat in hopes to help clear up my own embarrassment before pressing on. "So I got something online yesterday, and I wanted to share it with you two, if you're willing." I glance a little fearfully at Kurumi, who arcs her brow in curiosity.
"Well if I get to hang out with you then I'm down for anything." Miku pipes up.
"Of course you are, but unlike you, I'm not interested in going shopping or anything. Not only that but as far as Ratatoskr is concerned I'm basically a fugitive." Kurumi says and I shrink down a bit in my seat. I hadn't really thought about that…
"That won't be much of an issue I think, they have their hands full with something else currently." Tsubasa cuts in, sipping her coffee slowly. She looks over at me and motions for me to continue.
"Well there is a cool event going on at the amusement park this weekend since it's getting close to Halloween, so I bought the three of us tickets to go. We don't have to go in costumes like other people will, I doubt you guys would wanna get dressed up for a costume contest or anything, but would you like to go with me today?" I ask them hopefully. The three of them stare at me in a stunned silence, as I finish my question, and after several moments of silence I start to squirm uncomfortably. "Never mind, it was a dumb idea anyway." I try to back peddle.
"I would love to go!" Miku bursts out causing me to flinch a little from her outburst. "Sorry, it sounds really fun, I would have a blast." She says again.
I glance over at Kurumi who surprisingly looks back thoughtfully. "You know it could be fun. I haven't been able to just go out and have fun recently, but now that I hear Ratatoskr is busy I wouldn't mind a day out." She answers, much to my surprise.
"That's awesome." I say happily. "I was thinking we could spend a good part of the day there and then come home when we are tired and just relax."
"You know, I'm surprised you invited them to go out." Tsubasa finally speaks up. "Almost as surprised as I am at the fact that you didn't invite me." I stutter and sputter, trying to explain myself but she just shushes me with a chuckle. "I'm not mad, honestly I'm glad you want to go and hang out with the girls. However, you owe me tons of cuddling when you get back."
"Deal." I lean over and hug her, a huge smile on my face. "Alright let's finish breakfast and then I'll take a quick shower and we can head out."
"So we aren't going to be wearing costumes?" Miku asks as I turn back to my food.
"Well you have your idol outfits, so I suppose you can, but I don't have anything prepared, and I doubt Kurumi would want to dress up for the event."
"That's not necessarily the case." Tsubasa speaks up and we all look at her curiously. "I might not have a fix for Miku, but I certainly have a costume for both you and Kurumi." She tells me, much to my surprise.
"What do you mean you have a costume for us?" Kurumi asks, the curiosity also getting the better of her.
"You two remember Ivelli from the amusement park right?" We nod together. "She made most of her money through fashion actually, under an alias, so I just reached out to her and asked her to make some custom costumes for us." Tsubasa pulls her phone out and dials up Ivelli before putting it on speaker phone.
"Hey Tsubasa, what's up?" Ivelli asks after the phone rings for several moments.
"Ivelli are the costumes I asked for made yet? I know it's a bit early, but Ayako and Kurumi are going to an event and they want to wear a costume." Tsubasa replies.
"Oh yea, they're done, but what about you? Your outfit's done as well."
"I'll take it too, but Ayako wanted to go with Kurumi and her friend Miku, a little bit of girl bonding so I'm staying home alone." Ivelli gasps in surprise at the news.
"Wow she asked them to go out? That's surprising coming from her." I make a noise to show my offence.
"About that, do you happen to have another outfit that fits the theme we are going for with our outfits? Ayako invited her friend Miku to come along with them, so I want them to all match." Tsubasa explains finally.
"I got just the thing don't you worry!" Ivelli steps away from the phone for a few minutes, coming back with a heavy exhale. "Alright they are in the usual place, I gave Miku a six of hearts Trumpart outfit to go with the Alice, Cheshire Cat, and Mad Hatter I made for you guys based off the Monster Girl Encyclopedia like you ask."
"You're the best Ivelli, I'll send you the extra money for Miku's outfit as well as a little bonus for the sudden order change." Tsubasa thanks her, opening up a portal and pulls out several clothing bags.
"Just send me a video sometime soon and we'll call it even, you still haven't given me what I asked for before." Ivelli sniggers.
"Alright you got it, I'll talk to you later." With that Tsubasa hangs up and walks into the living room and sets the outfits down on the couches, careful not to wrinkle them.
"What's the Monster Girl Encyclopedia?" Kurumi asks dubiously as Tsubasa starts opening the outfit bags.
I scream in excitement and rush over to her. "Oh my gosh MGE outfits? That's so awesome!" I dance around in excitement as Tsubasa pulls all the outfits out.
"MGE is a popular art series with lore attached to it. Ayako's a huge fan of them so I thought I would surprise her by getting themed costumes based on the Wonderland monsters. I chose the ones that had more… tasteful outfits, and fit us each the best." She snaps her fingers and is suddenly dressed in a green suit and a mushroom-like hat. "I'm the Mad Hatter." She snaps her fingers again and suddenly Kurumi and I are both in our costumes.
"I'm Alice?" I ask questioningly, looking down at the cute blue and white dress.
"It's fitting for you." Tsubasa answers. She leans in close and adds in a whisper. "Since you're such a naughty little girl." I blush hard as she rights herself, smirking. "And Kurumi is Cheshire Cat because she is a playful, deceitful, tricky person who needs to be handled carefully."
"Fair enough." Kurumi agrees. "So what's so special about these?"
"Ivelli's really good at what she does, take a look." Tsubasa encourages. I go back to my room to get a good look and come back, giddy with excitement.
"This is amazing! I got the wings, the horn, and the tail! How did this even happen?" I ask her as Kurumi comes out in her outfit, a tail swishing behind her and her new cat ears twitching.
"No idea, but Ivelli does something special with her clothes that let you take one some of the aspects of what she made, but only for a VERY select few clients." Tsubasa explains rubbing my head and feeling my horns. "You can even feel some sensations through them."
"This is cute, I should wear something like this on stage." Miku comes out in her one piece, white mini dress, the hem barely reaching down to her thighs. "The heart card design is so cool." She stops as she sees me then squeals loudly and rushes me, hugging me tightly to her. "Oh my gosh you look so cute Aya!"
"Of course, I picked the outfit that would fit her the best, and got the best clothing designer in the world to make it." Tsubasa brags, despite doing almost nothing. "Now how about I send you to the park? It should have just opened." We nod and she snaps her fingers, teleporting us to the park entrance. "They looked great in their costumes, even Miku looked very cute." She comments to herself as she cleans the table off.
I walk up to the park entrance and present the three tickets I have to the people at the gate before bringing the other two through the gate with me. "Alright so what do we wanna do first?" I ask them, rocking back and forth excitedly.
"Well you mentioned a costume contest. Tsubasa probably paid a lot for these outfits so we should at least register as a team shouldn't we?" Kurumi asks.
"Kurumi's right, plus with three cute girls like us we're bound to win." Miku agrees eagerly. She spins around and hurries over to a booth that was set up not far from the entrance with a sign overhead saying "costume contest registry".
"She's certainly bubbly." Kurumi comments as we watch Miku sign us up.
"She really brightens my day, since I'm so gloomy. I hope the two of you can get along like we do." I flash her a smile and Kurumi looks away from me as she studies the park.
"Since when did we get along? I just hang out with you because you give me video games to play." She scoffs at me. I giggle and go back to watching Miku, but shift my gaze back to Kurumi as she mutters something else.
"Sorry, I couldn't hear you Kurumi." I tell her, frowning slightly.
"I said, you aren't gloomy, you just don't handle people well." She says a bit louder. She turns back to me and kisses me on the forehead. "But I guess that's what Miku and I are here for, helping you out." I blush hard at the sudden affection which causes Kurumi to regain her signature smirk. "The kiss was from Tsubasa by the way." She tells me and heads over toward Miku.
You can't just go acting all nice like that Kurumi, it isn't fair. I pout to myself while following her to where Miku is waiting for us.
"I got us registered, we are under your name Aya, the competition isn't until later though. They said they would announce it before it started so we can do whatever we like until then." Miku explains as we start to wander the park aimlessly. "So Aya, what do you wanna do first?"
"Me? Why do I have to pick what we do?" I whine.
"It was your idea to come to the amusement park, so you pick what we do." Kurumi agrees with Miku and I growl softly in annoyance.
"I know I brought you both here so we could all bond together, but I don't appreciate being ganged up on." I groan as Miku and Kurumi snicker and chuckle. "You know what, fine then." I turn to them both, a devilish grin on my face. "I wanna do a munch run!" I declare finally, thoroughly enjoying the smile falling from her face.
"Drop ride it is." Kurumi growls. She stalks past me and drags me after her, not giving me any time to argue.
"What's a munch run and why aren't we doing it?" Miku asks, hurrying to catch up.
"It's something that Ayako does apparently, but I've never seen her do it except with me. It's where she goes around and pigs out on any and all snacks and food around here." Kurumi explains, dragging me behind her. "Which is fine I guess, but not before we go on rides, we don't need anyone getting sick."
"Well fine then, what do you wanna do?" I ask Kurumi.
"I told you, we are going on a drop ride." She stops and I look up at a massive metal tower with four arms. On each arm are seven small balls for us to get in. "Come on, it spins us and drops us over and over until the ride ends."
I swallow hard as we step up to the front of the line as our pod stops. Miku climbs in and I slide in after her then Kurumi slips in, securing me between them. I hold my breath as the ride moves us high up into the air as the ride is filled up. "Don't worry Aya, if you're scared you can hold onto me and I'll hold you."
I glare at Miku, who smiles back innocently and I scoff at her. "I'll have you know I love amusement park rides, there isn't a single ride that could freak me out here." I tell her adamantly.
"Especially after the last amusement park we went to." Kurumi added. Miku opens her mouth to ask what she meant, but only a scream comes out as the machine starts spinning and drops before anyone is prepared for it. I throw my hands up and scream in excitement as we drop straight down as the arms spin us, throwing us against one another, squishing me between them, not that I mind at all.
The arms extend us out and we all squeal loudly as it flips us sideways and picks up speed while spinning us around the tower and constantly raising and lowering us quickly through the air along the tower. I laugh loudly as it returns us to our normal position and drops us one more time before letting us off. "Gosh I love those rides, really gets me excited." I say as we step out of the ride area.
"Ok, where did you guys go that a ride like that isn't considered crazy?" Miku asks, looking slightly disheveled from the intense ride.
Kurumi and I glance at each other and smile. "Tsubasa took us to the special event at Ten Tacle Land when they opened their newest ride. She had to carry me and Ayako back to our apartment because we were so dizzy and disoriented." Kurumi explains.
"I've seen videos on that ride! You'd have to be crazy to go on it!" She explains.
"Then I guess we're crazy" I laugh. "Now come on, let's go ride a rollercoaster next." I turn away and make my way through the park, Kurumi follows close behind with Miku taking up the rear, still shaking her head in disbelief.
I squirm in excitement as we get strapped in for the next ride, a large standing roller coaster with several loops and a corkscrew, but what makes this one real fun that the other two don't know is at a certain part it makes the whole ride go backwards. I grin widely as the ride starts and takes us to the top of the first big drop. I'm so glad we got the front of the ride. I think as I stare down at the impending drop. I glance over at Miku, who has a worried look on her face so I reach over and take her hand, which causes her to smile at me. I pivot my head around as I feel Kurumi grab my other hand. I stare at her questioningly but she avoids my gaze, instead focusing on scanning the rest of the park from our height vantage. I smile at her and give her hand a little squeeze as I feel the ride finally lurch forward.
I laugh loudly as we plunge down the steep hill, rushing toward the ground while Miku screams and laughs next to me. The ride doesn't slow down as we hit the bottom, raking a sharp left turn away from the hill we almost instantly hit a loop which causes my stomach to flip flop around inside me as I cry out and holler in excitement. The ride speeds right along through a corkscrew, spinning us around and discombobulating us as it tosses us to and fro as we hit the second corkscrew in a row. The ride rushes ahead, reaching one of my favorite points as we go up into a double loop, a cool portion where we go in one loop, but instead of coming down there is another loop above it. We come out of the loops and climb up the largest hill of the ride, but unbeknownst to most of the passengers, this is the end of our forward motion, and it's time to go do the whole thing backwards. We reach the top of the hill and stop, hanging there for a moment. Miku and Kurumi both cast confused looks at me, only to gasp as the ride lurches backward to begin the second portion of the ride.
I cackle loudly as we step off the ride and I look at the other two, whose legs were a tad wobbly. "I love that ride." I can't help but grin at them as they glare at me.
"Why didn't you warn us that it went backwards?" Kurumi asks accusingly and I just give them a shrug.
"Why ruin all the fun? Honestly I'm more surprised you didn't know about it. You live here and this is one of the most popular rides in the amusement park, how did neither of you know about it?"
"I'm an idol, do you know how hard it is to go out and have some fun without being swarmed by fans?" Miku demands, pouting hard.
"And do you think I would come here by myself?" Kurumi adds.
"Whatever, don't be so annoyed. It was a fun ride and you know it." I turn to Miku. "Alright, your turn to pick a ride."
We wander from ride to ride, taking turns picking which one we go on next, laughing and enjoying ourselves the entire time. Time flies and we take a break to get lunch around 1 o'clock. I head over to one of the stands and stare at the menu while waiting in line and let my thoughts wander. Today has been even more fun than I anticipated. I was worried Kurumi wouldn't have fun or rag on us, but she and Miku seem to get along pretty well, and Miku is enjoying herself even more than I expected. I step up to the front and quickly order three hamburgers with an order of fries, and three frozen lemonade slushies.
I walk back to the table that we've claimed and set the slushies down. "They'll call us when the food is ready, and I don't know about you, but I'm starving." I sit down and take a sip of the deliciously cold and tart beverage in front of me.
"Me too, though it's been awhile since we had breakfast with Tsubasa." Kurumi comments. "Hey Miku, what time did they say the costume contest was?"
"They said they'd make an announcement when everyone should gather, but it should be about an hour and a half before it's time for all the contestants to gather." She answers while eyeing my lemonade. "Hey Aya, my lemonade tastes a bit off, can I try a sip of yours to double check?" I absentmindedly slide my drink over to her as I stare at the food stall. Miku grins and takes a sip. "Thanks for the indirect kiss Aya, it was tasty."
I snap my attention back to her and blush slightly as I snatch my drink back from her. "Geez Miku, why do you have to say embarrassing stuff like that?" I complain. I hear my name get called and I hop up and go collect our food, making sure to get plenty of ketchup for our fries. I hand out the food and dig into my burger with gusto, devouring it before either of the other two get halfway finished with theirs as well as most of my fries.
"Hey Ayako, you got a little something on your cheek." Kurumi points out.
"I do?" I reach over to grab a napkin, but Kurumi leans in and licks my cheek gently, lighting my cheeks up in embarrassment.
"Don't worry, I got it for you." She says with a teasing smirk.
Miku pouts and glares at me. "Awww no fair! I wanna do that to Aya toooooo!" She complains, whining loudly.
"Geez what's gotten into you two… hurry up and eat so we can go play some games before the contest starts." I mumble as I continue eating, refusing to look at either of them until I'm done. We relax for the last little while before the contest, chatting and wandering around looking at some of the games they had, occasionally playing some of them until they announce the start of the contest over the park speaker.
"Ready you two?" Miku asks, Kurumi shrugs but I look at her nervously.
"So I know this was kinda my idea, but is there any way you guys can go up and do this without me?" I ask her hopefully.
Kurumi comes up behind me and laps her hands down on my shoulders, causing me to jolt. "You'll be fine Ayako, we're both here with you so you don't have anything to be nervous about." She assures me softly.
"Exactly! I know you aren't good at getting up in front of people, but we got your back, we're all in this together." Miku agrees with a smile. I let out a heavy sigh but nods. Miku grabs my hand and Kurumi follows suit and we walk up to the stage together.
"What is your group name and what theme are you going with?" The woman at the stage asks as we walk up.
"It's Ayako, and our theme is "A Twisted Time In Wonderland". The woman jots down the name of our group quickly.
"Alright, you are one of four groups to enter the group round, the judging will begin shortly, and as the last group to check in you will be group number four. Please head backstage." She points with her pen before walking away.
We make our way back there and take stock of the other groups in the competition, and Miku points to the nearest group to us. "Who are those scary looking guys over there?" Miku points to a group of 4 scary, but well made outfits.
"Those are some killers from a popular horror game called Dead by Daylight. Looks like they have the Trapper, the Wraith, the Hillbilly, and the Nurse." I tell her. "I used to play it a lot, was pretty good at it too, but it got a bit boring and repetitive."
"We also got those awful outfits." I follow Kurumi's gaze to a group of girls in princess outfits.
"Disney Princesses it looks like, but they don't look nearly as well made as that scary group." Miku comments. "Even theirs aren't as nice as ours though."
"And it looks like the last group are Vocaloid characters. Of course they would be those four." Miku sighs.
"What's Vocaloid?" Kurumi asks curiously.
"They are a group of virtual idols. They boast a quite extensive roster with over 5 official groups, the most known one being Vocaloid2, which they are from. The most notable character is Hatsune Miku, the one with the green pigtails there." Miku turns to me, baffled by my knowledge of them.
"Are you fans of theirs or something Ayako? You seem to know a lot about them." Kurumi asks and I give a shrug.
"Not really, their music is ok, but the reason I know so much about them is actually because I researched the programs they were using for them. Not super advanced stuff but I was still intrigued by it."
"Did you use any of it in your VR that you're making?" Miku asks.
"Naw, it was way too primitive for the project I'm working on, however it was good reference data I suppose."
The host comes backstage and motions us all to gather around so he can explain what's going to happen. "Alright, as you know you each named your group, for the presentation you will have an introduction, that you can either come up with yourself or you can let me come up with something for the introduction, you will come out, do a little walk around to show off your outfit, then strike a pose or something. The audience will then vote at the end and decide who is the winner of the contest. You have five minutes to decide what you're gonna do."
I pull our group aside and take a slip of paper and a pencil and start scribbling on it. "Kurumi, if I come up with a custom intro for us do you think you can get it memorized in time?" I ask her, not looking up from the page.
"It shouldn't be a problem." Kurumi responds with a smirk.
I finish writing and hand it to her. "Then memorize it, and make sure you put some feeling into it." I smile at her slyly before turning away to let her study it.
We patiently wait for our turn as one by one the groups ahead of us head out onto the stage. Much to our surprise the dead by Daylight group gets the loudest cheers as the host introduces them onto the stage, but I just smile, knowing nothing will beat my intro.
"Last but not least, group number four, who have elected to use their own intro!" The host finally calls out.
"There is a land, where fantasy collides with twisted desires. A world so depraved and mad, you won't realise until it's too late that you've already been warped yourself. Welcome to Wonderland, a land of dreams and nightmares, but before you freak out and worry just remember, 'We're all mad here'." Kurumi adds in a depraved cackle at the end.
I shoot Kurumi a thumbs up as she finishes and follow Miku onto the stage. I swallow my fear, riding on the wave of Kurumi's awesome introduction, and make my way to the edge of the stage, grab the fringes of my dress and give a nice little curtsy to the audience, causing them to go wild. Miku struts up next to me, still and militaristically like and gives a solid solute, much like the soldier she is dressed as. Finally Kurumi walks up slowly and sultry like, stopping just next to me. She leans toward the audience and gives them a slow wink and holds a finger up to her lip to shush them while holding bunny ears behind my head.
The crowd roars its approval as we all give one final bow and make our way off stage to thunderous applause. "Alright everyone, we will have people coming out to collect your vote momentarily. Remember one vote per person, no cheating!" The announcer says, making their way back on stage.
"That was awesome Kurumi! You nailed the intro perfectly!" I gush as we get backstage. "And the fact everyone did a pose in character was too perfect! We didn't even plan it."
"Give yourself some credit Ayako, you did write it." Kurumi compliments me as I bounce in excitement. "Though I wasn't sure what to do when I saw you both do your poses. I was gonna do the normal 'cat girl' pose, but that didn't fit the Cheshire Cat."
"Mhm, it was only right to follow your lead when you did the curtsy." Miku adds in with a bright smile.
"Then how did you manage to come up with that teasing playful pose you did?"
"I came up behind you and I couldn't help but wanna mess with you a bit, so I decided to give you bunny ears and tell them all to be quiet about it so you didn't learn what I was doing, apparently they loved it." She says with a shrug.
"Think we won? The crowd sounded way louder when we got off then anyone else. I think we have a good chance." Miku says optimistically.
"Thank you everyone for waiting, we have tallied the votes." The announcer's voice cuts into our conversation and we shush each other, eager to hear the results of the contest. "In third place is the Vocaloid2 group starring Miku, Luca, and the twins Len and Rin!" There was a modest amount of applause as the group makes their way onto the stage. "In second place, with a surprising amount of support from the audience, the Dead by Daylight killer crew!" Much louder applause and cheers sound as they some onto stage, waving to the people gathered. "Finally in first place, by a massive majority of votes is… A Twisted Time in Wonderland!" The audience explodes in blaring cheers.
We make our way back onto the stage, our appearance on stage causing the volume level to increase by a notch or two. We walk over to where the announcer is waiting patiently for us and wave at the crowd. "Congratulations for winning the group costume contest, your costumes and intro were phenomenal. We have two prizes for you as the winners of this contest. First off, is a coupon for you and your friends to an all you can eat buffet! Secondly you get to take the very first trip ever through our newest scraaaary attraction, congratulations on being the first three people to try out our "Insane Asylum Haunted Mansion"!"
We take our prizes from the announcer and they conclude the group division and hope everyone stays for the individual outfit contest as we make our way backstage again, but as we move to leave the stage the woman who signed us up walks up to us. "Congratulations on winning the costume contest you three. Unfortunately the haunted mansion will be open as of tomorrow, so if you girls would like to collect your prize you will have to do it today. I know it isn't terribly well thought out, but unfortunately that's the way it is." She apologizes and walks away.
We head back to the eating area to take a quick break. "That was so much fun, and we totally won!" Miku says, pulling us into a group hug, which Kurumi squirms out of. "So what do we wanna do now?"
"Well how about the haunted mansion? The woman did say that today is the only day we can claim the special prize of being the first people to go through it, so I don't see why we shouldn't." Kurumi agrees and I give a small groan.
"Don't worry Aya, I'll protect you just like last time." Miku assures me.
"Have you two been in a haunted house together before?"
"Yea, at the school festival before I went out of control. Aya and I went on a date and we went through a haunted house, and for some reason everything targeted her and not me, she was a mess, screaming and squealing. It was adorable." Miku says, a creepy smile on her face.
"Shut up Miku, I wasn't screaming." I shoot her a glare and she giggles in return. "I don't care what we do, if you guys wanna go then we can, if not then maybe we just head home and watch some TV with Tsubasa."
"No no, I DEFINITELY want to go to that haunted house with you." Kurumi says quickly, a devious grin on her face. I let out a heavy sigh and nod my head, knowing they will both insist we go.
We make our way to the large, intimidating white building on the outskirts of the amusement park and I can't help but notice the closer we get, the more the area around it looks dead, the fun feelings from the park long behind us as we walk up to a building that is boarded up and tapped off. "Hold on girls, this area is off limits, it's dangerous and we can't let you in." A man in a guard outfit stops us, we hold up our tickets and he takes them then looks at us. "I see, so you are the investigators. Be careful when you enter. This place is haunted, many inmates were executed and even more went insane during their time here. There are stories of other investigators and kids going missing in here, some turning up days later, curled up and unresponsive, and some were never seen again."
I swallow hard and clutch Miku's arm tightly as Kurumi leads the way into the building. Just after entering the building we are confronted by another guard who stops us. "Unfortunately this asylum is very large, as we have to limit investigations into it to limit the number of incidents that happen, therefore we have limited it to three separate locations you may investigate. Over here are the stairs to the basement, according to records this is where the solitary confinement was carried out, as well as where the more unstable inmates were kept. Next is the medical ward where they researched new treatments for the inmates here, unfortunately these treatments were experimental and often dangerous as many test subjects died or suffered irreparable damage. Lastly the final area of exploration is the pediatric ward, where the children incarcerated stayed, and the morgue, where they kept the deceased before removing their bodies for disposal or taking them to the medical ward for dissection. Where would you like to perform your investigation?"
I stare at the guide, horrified by the descriptions of each of these areas. Glancing from Kurumi to Miku and back. "I think I changed my mind… you guys go without me." I turn around to leave but Kurumi claps her hand down on my shoulder, stopping me from feeling and pulling me back to her.
"Ah ah ah Ayako, we won the competition together, so we have to go in together. You don't get to dip out just because you are scared, don't worry we will protect you." Kurumi says soothingly, but the smug mirth on her face said otherwise.
"We will investigate the medical ward this time." Miku tells the guard who nods solemnly.
"Very good, please remember to keep your investigation short." He moves the obstacles blocking our path to the stairs. "I also want to mention, another investigator went down there in the last few days, however no guards have seen them return, and we have done several sweeps and never came across them, so please keep that in mind."
I whimper quietly as Kurumi and Miku each take hold of me and start leading me up the stairs, making sure I can't slip free and make a break for the entrance. The light dims as we make our way up into the interior of the asylum. Due to the medical ward being deep in the middle of the building the natural light vanishes quickly and the hall we find ourselves on is lit by old yellow bulbs that do little to eliminate the dark and terrifying atmosphere of the basement as the yellowish lights illuminate the old cracked and stained walls of the asylum. We slowly make our way down the hall, stopping as we reach the first room along our route.
The walls are cracked and the cheap paint flakes off the walls of this poorly lit room. One dying bulb swings slowly from the ceiling, casting long shadows through the room. On the far side of the room an old examination table stays where it was left, next to it a tray of wicked, rusty looking medical tools, sitting there as abandoned mid examination. We step back from the eerie room and continue down the hall and into the examination rooms.
I gasp as we walk up to the first table we come across, balking as I see what looks like old blood stains on the metal. "C-Can we please just leave?" I whimper. Suddenly a loud crash sounds a few rooms down causing me to scream and try to bolt, only to get stopped by Miku who grabs me and drags me after her down to the next examination room.
We stop at the door and see the large surgery table in the middle of the room has been flipped over, tools scattered about the room. We look around for what could have caused the table to be flipped like this, since it's obvious this was the sound of the loud crash, however the room is frighteningly silent. I lean in to try to peer into the shadows, but scream as soon as I feel something cold drag up my back. I turn and look around wildly, my breathing coming in pants as the other two look at me confused.
"Something touched me! It was cold and clammy and it was touching my back!" I whine.
"I know you're freaked out Aya, but you shouldn't make things like that up." Miku says with a nervous laugh.
"I wasn't! I swear I felt something."
"Come on, let's keep going." Kurumi prompts us. "Don't forget, the longer we're in here, the more things happen to us, that's what the guard said." Almost as if on queue footsteps sound behind us, slow and deliberate.
"Hello? Mr. Guard is that you?" Miku asks hesitantly. The foot falls come closer, but right as the person should appear in the doorway at the end of the hall the sound vanishes. "I guess we were hearing things?" Miku looks at us hopefully, but the look on my pale face says otherwise. She turns to lead the way further in but screams as she comes face to face with something dark, with gleaming eyes. She stumbles backward, but by the time she blinks the vision is gone, leaving her hyperventilating.
"Are you ok Miku?" Kurumi asks, surprised that it was her and not Ayako screaming her head off.
"Y-You didn't see that? The ghost that was right behind us?" She stutters.
"T-There was a ghost?!" I squeak out.
"Y-You didn't see it?" We both shake our heads. "W-Well let's keep going then." A menacing chuckle sounds as we reach the hallway, causing Miku and I to hold onto each other tightly while shaking, even Kurumi seems on edge as we continue deeper in, each room scaring us more than the last.
We reach the last room in this block and peer inside. This operating room is dark, darker than the others as the bulb seems to be dying, glowing only faintly, but occasionally forcing itself to get brighter to briefly illuminate the dark room. Our eyes scan the darkness looking for anything in the room. The light flashes brighter ones, casting deep shadows throughout the room. It flashes again.
"Hey is it just me or is there something curled up over there." I say hesitantly, pointing toward one of the darker shadows as the light fades.
The light flashes again, revealing nothing where I thought I saw something. I let out a sigh of relief but as the light flashes again we see a humanoid figure rushing at us from a dark corner. We all scream and flee, running down the hall as fast as we can, our feet echoing in the empty halls. Finally after what feels like an eternity we burst through a door leading to a common area where another guard is waiting.
"T-There is someone in there! Or something! It chased us!" I gasp. The guard assures us we are safe now and closes the door behind us, promising to send in a patrol as soon as they have the manpower for it.
"I-I have to use the restroom." Miku says as she slowly walks away from the accursed building.
I open my mouth to say the same thing, but Kurumi reaches out and pulls me into a hug, holding me against her. "Sorry, that was a lot scarier than I expected. If I had known I wouldn't have made you go in there, so let me hold you until you're feeling better ok?" She asks, her voice softer than I've ever heard it before. I give a small nod and hug her back, letting her gently hold soothe and calm me down. We stay like this for several minutes, parting before Miku returns from the restroom.
"I think I've had enough for today. How about we head back home?" Kurumi and Miku agree with my statement and we make our way to the park exit, all of us a little drained from our fun filled day. "So want me to call Onee-sama and have her pick us up?"
"Actually I had an idea. How about we pick up food for Onee-sama since she couldn't join?"
"That's actually a pretty good idea Miku, Tsubasa would love the surprise." Kurumi agrees.
"She loves nabe. Why don't we go and get some nabe for everyone, extra noodles for Onee-sama." I tell Miku who smiles happily. We make our way towards my house, stopping briefly along the way to pick up some takeout for us to enjoy at home. Tsubasa greets us at the door, still in her Mad Hatter, with a wide smile and gives me a tight hug as the others bring the food into the house.
"Wow you stopped and got me nabe? Thanks."
"Actually Onee-sama, it was Miku's idea. She felt bad that you didn't get to come with so she wanted to bring you home some of your favorite food." Tsubasa turns to Miku with a look of surprise.
"Did she now? Thank you Miku, that was very considerate of you." Tsubasa thanks her. Miku brushes it off with a little wave of her hand.
"It's nothing really, I just thought it was only fair."
"Still thank you, how about we all eat together and then watch some TV to relax?" She suggests which we all agree to readily.
After a quick meal Tsubasa sits herself down in the middle of the couch and Kurumi and I quickly take the spots on either side of her, leaning into her as she wraps her arms around us. Miku looks around, unsure where to sit for a moment before heading to one of our side chairs.
"Geez Miku, you look like a lost puppy." Tsubasa chuckles. With a swift movement she picks me up and plants me on her lap and pats the seat next to her. "Come on, sit with us." Miku looks at the seat uncertainly before sitting down next to Tsubasa, keeping a respectable distance, until Tsubasa rolls her eyes and loops her arm around Miku's waist and pulls her in closer. "You don't have to be a stranger." Tsubasa smiles down at her. Miku goes rigid for a moment and squirms unsure about what to do. She gives a little sigh and relaxes, leaning against Tsubasa when she realises she isn't going anywhere.
I pick up the remote for Tsubasa, who has her arms occupied and turn on the TV, turning it to one of the reality TV shows we watch to relax before settling back against Tsubasa comfortably. It doesn't take long before the three of us start to doze off after our busy day. Tsubasa smiles softly as Miku and Kurumi snuzzle up and sleep against her shoulders and can't help but chuckle as she notices my head slowly start to nod in tiredness. My head snaps up as I hear my phone go off faintly and I hop off Tsubasa's lap to go grab it.
"Hey Shido, what's up?" I ask him, yawning loudly.
"Sorry to call you so late Ayako, but I need your help, it's an emergency." I shake myself awake at the worry in his voice.
"Give me the details."
"We are dealing with a new Spirit now, Witch. I somehow made her mad at me and now she has been pulling pranks on me. At first she just pretended to be me at school, you weren't there that day so you didn't have to deal with it. After she was found out though she decided to play a game with us. She sent a letter with pictures of our friends saying she was among them, and that I had to figure out who she was impersonating before they all disappeared. All that's left is Kotori, Kaguya, Origami, and Reine. Yuzuru, Yoshino, and Tohka, as well as some of our school friends have been taken. Today is the deadline, please can you come help us?" He pleads.
I stand there speechless for a minute as I let the news sink in. "Why didn't you bring me into this sooner Shido? They're my friends too." I tell him harshly and silently call on my Angel. "I'll be there as soon as I can." I hang up and head back into the living room, where Tsubasa is still pinned by two sleeping girls. "Shido needs help with a new Spirit, I have to go help him to save Tohka and the others."
"Sorry I can't send you. It would look weird if you appeared too quickly. Be careful and I'll keep an eye on what's going on." I give her a kiss goodbye and after getting outside I launch myself into the air and make my way towards Shido's place as fast as I can.
I throw his door open and barge in, marching right up to Shido and jam my finger into his chest. "You idiot! What were you thinking not roping me into this! You know better than anyone that Spirits can be dangerous and yet you didn't bring me in to help try to keep everything under control?"
"It was my call not Shido's." Kotori cuts me off, walking up to us.
I glance at her for a moment. "At least it's not Kotori." I look around the room. "It's not Origami or Kaguya either." I brush Kotori off and turn my attention back to Shido.
"Wait, how do you know that?" Kotori asks, confused by my sudden dismissal of her and everyone else in the room.
"What do you mean, how do I know? It's pretty easy to tell for me. With my Angel and just knowing you guys it's really not hard." I explain simply. "Ratatoskr can scan and monitor Spirits mood and vitals. Zuriel is way smarter than any computer in this world. It can easily tell that you are yourselves."
"Does that mean you can use that to help us narrow down who is who?" Shido asks excitedly, grabbing my shoulders tightly.
"Of course not, they would have to be here with me so I can check them out, but you told me that Natsumi took them all." He backs down, deflating a bit at my logic. "That doesn't mean I won't be helpful dealing with her though." I walk over to the table where they have all the pictures spread out. I gather up the pictures of everyone here and toss them aside.
"My my, so confident that you are eliminating so many options at once?" A broom appears and Natsumi appears in the mirror's reflection as it opens up. "Shido, who's your new friend? You didn't bring some random girl here as a bartering chip did you? She isn't part of the game." The broom tuts shamefully. "Of course not, that's not like you, but you don't think bringing someone else here will really change the outcome of our game do you?"
I ignore her taunts and walk up to the object, a smirk on my face. "So you're the great Natsumi, master of magic and illusions."
"So you've heard of me, but flattery will get you nowhere." She says, but I can hear how pleased she is with herself.
"They discovered that you weren't Shido almost immediately didn't they? How did it feel, being a so-called master of magic and yet failing so miserably?" I grin widely into the silence.
"What did you say you runt?" Her voice is full of anger and disbelief.
"You heard me, you must be an absolute failure at magic to be found out as soon as you are put side by side with the original. Not only that but you then threw a hissyfit over it, honestly as a fellow Spirit I think you're kinda pathetic." I can tell she is seething. "You say you can impersonate anyone perfectly, but you didn't even know who I am, and I'm one of Shido's best friends."
"You sure talk a lot, but I'm still not going to lose! I'll get my revenge on Shido, and then I'll get my revenge on you." She declares and I fail to stifle my laugh.
"Whatever you say, but honestly it makes me wonder, do you really look like that? You claim to be a master of illusions, is that because you're a hag?"
"What did you call me?!" She screeches, and I just smile wider. "I am a master of magic! I hid myself so perfectly that you'd never be able to find me!"
"Wait, you said you hid yourself, not turned into one of them." Shido suddenly pipes up.
"Shut up! I'm talking to your friend." She snaps.
Shido rushes over to the table and picks up a picture. "You're Yoshinon aren't you." Natsumi stops dead. "That comment you made jogged my memory of when I went on my date with Yoshino. I dropped my phone and Yoshinon caught it without Yoshino being able to see it, and when Yoshino vanished, Yoshinon went with her. I've made up my mind, you were Yoshinon!"
The glass cracks as she growls in frustration and in a blinding flash and the missing peoples are deposited on the floor. Shido sighs in relief and walks up to the girl crouching in the corner. "Pfff is that really her? So I was right about her using a disguise?"
She turns around, revealing a young girl in baggy clothes. "Are you Natsumi?" Shido asks in confusion.
"What?" She reaches up and touches her face and her eyes go wide. "Haniel no!" She summons her Angel and returns to her normal adult form, glaring at us furiously. "Damn you you saw! You saw everything! You've seen my secret not once but twice! This is unforgivable and none of you are getting away with this!" She points her broom at us and fires a flash of light. "I hope you enjoy this farewell present, we will meet again and I will have my revenge!" She decreed before vanishing.
"I think we have a problem Shido…" I tell him. He turns around to see all of us Spirits turned into kids.
Riene pours herself a cup of tea as they sit at the table together not long after Natsumi ran off. "Thanks for coming Reine. It's hard to keep up with them all on my own."
"Sure, I'm sorry for having to leave them here with you, but house guests are a lot of work." Riena replies as she watches most of the children Spirits enjoying some cookies.
"So what happened to Natsumi?" Shido inquires but Reine shakes her head.
"I deployed observation devices to find her, but so far they haven't had any luck yet. I'll let you know if that changes."
"I knew I should have built some observation devices and such on my own, but Onee-sama said it's not my job." I growl in frustration as I take a seat at the table, my feet dangling far off the floor. "I should just build a bunch of different gadgets for all circumstances."
"Hey Ayako… How come you didn't regress at all?" Shido asks tentatively.
"What are you talking about? I'm a munchkin of course I regressed!" I shout angrily.
"Well yea, you got smaller, but you don't seem any different besides that. The other girls are more childlike now, like they regressed mentally." He points out.
"How should I know? Maybe it's because I'm a genius? Or perhaps unlike the others I'm still a full powered Spirit. Whatever the case I have to call Onee-sama and let her know I'm not coming home tonight." I tell Shido, who looks at me in confusion.
"Why?"
"Do you wanna be the one to explain this to her? She will be furious." Shido goes pale at my words and I step out into the hall where it's quieter.
After one ring she picks up, her voice hushed. "Is something wrong Ayako?"
"No, I just wanted to let you know that Shido's situation is a bit more complicated than I thought, so it's probably best if I don't come home tonight, we really have to sort this out."
"... Ayako is something wrong? You sound different." I swallow hard and immediately try to soothe her, saying nothing is wrong but after a moment of silence, "I'm coming to pick you up. I'll meet you outside at the end of the street." She hangs up before I can stop her.
I let out a sigh and head back into the room. "Onee-sama wants me home so I'm going to meet her half way. Message me tomorrow or if you get any updates on Natsumi." Wishing them goodnight I head outside and start making my way down the street, only to be suddenly dragged into an alley. "Onee-sama you scared me!" I whine.
"You are so cute!" She squeals, ignoring my complaints completely she picks me up and holds me like a teddy bear, snuggling me close to her. This is why I didn't want to go home… but it's kinda nice.
She begins walking back home, listening as I explain how I got shrunk, being carried like a stuffed animal the whole way. "So that's why I'm a smol right now." I finish explaining.
"Hmm, maybe I should find this Natsumi and thank her for making my cute little sister absolutely adorable!" She squeezes me tight and nuzzles me.
I giggle quitely. "Being small will be a pain though. I mean sure I can squeeze into all those tight spaces I couldn't before, but I couldn't reach any of the top shelves, not like I could before but still. I bet you could twirl me like a baton now and I couldn't say anything against it." I joke. "I just hope I go back to normal soon. Doing anything naughty like this would be a bit ridiculous."
The scene around me shifts and I blink in surprise as I find myself in my room all of a sudden. "It's a good thing it's the weekend, you are too cute to resist and after that comment I can't wait to indulge and spoil you a bit." I shiver as her hot breath brushes over my ear and I swallow hard.
Miku rolls out of bed, unsure of where she is or why she's waking up in an unfamiliar room until she realises she must have fallen asleep watching tv and was put in a guest room for the night. She furrows her brow, trying to remember what had woken her up until she hears the sound again, too faint to make out but very familiar. She slips out of her room to investigate the sound, and as she steps out she immediately hears a lewd moan, bringing a slight blush to her cheeks. She moves quietly to the end of the hall and peeks in through the cracked door and her jaw drops in a silent gasp. She watches as Tsubasa ravishes a small Ayako on the bed. The small girl lets off a constant sting of moans and gasps as she clings to her older sister.
Miku slides her hand into her panties, unable to resist as she watches Tsubasa rut her little sister with a huge dick that she shouldn't have. Miku starts to play with herself, biting her lip to try and keep it down as she quickly soaks her panties. A hand claps over Miku's mouth, silencing her mid moan and causes her to freak out.
"Ara ara, what do we have here?" Miku freezes as Kurumi's delightedly sadistic voice reaches her ears. "A naughty little girl sticking her nose where it doesn't belong hmm?" Kurumi holds Miku from behind and wraps her free and around her and dips them into her panties, bringing back fingers dripping with love juices. Miku whimpers softly but Kurumi shushes her. "Keep your eyes on the show, you don't want to miss anything do you?"
Miku looks back into the room to see another Kurumi appear from the shadows and without a moment's pause joins in teasing and tormenting Ayako, causing her to scream and cry out. "How about we enjoy this together? If you're a good girl I promise you'll enjoy it." Kurumi teases, knowing full well Miku has no choice. As Miku watches the scene she can only describe as her wildest wet dream unfold itself in front of her she sees the real Kurumi lean in and kiss Tsubasa over Ayako. Right after Tsubasa smiles wolfishly and turns right to and locks eyes with Miku for just a moment, letting her know that what she's doing isn't so secret anymore, before returning to her lewd dabatchery, leaving Miku to her own perverse devices.
