Chapter 3 The Strain of School

"Hikaru, you really don't have to do this," Saaya said. She was shocked when Hikaru responded to her with a smile.

"Why not? If I'm going to be stuck in an alternate universe for a while, I might as well have some fun."

"Funny," Homare said with a snicker. "Most people wouldn't consider school to be fun."

Hikaru giggled. To be fair, she didn't view school as her favorite place to be either. It wasn't her least favorite, far from it, but under normal circumstances, going there wouldn't be her first choice. Of course, this wasn't a normal circumstance, was it? Who knows? Maybe attending school in an alternate reality would be really cool. Dare I say, "Kirayaba."

"Really? You consider the girl from another universe to be 'most people?'"

Homare and Saaya, despite themselves, let out some chuckles.

"That's fair," Saaya said. "You know, you and Hana are a lot alike."

"They are, aren't they?" Homare asked. Their faces slowly fell and their laughter died. It suddenly occurred to Hikaru how devastating this must be for them. Like the members of her Precure team, the members of Hugtto Precure were close friends.

"Don't worry," Hikaru told the two girls. "We'll get her back."

Saaya and Homare gave Hikaru some grateful smiles. That was when Ruru and Emiru entered the room, and they were accompanied by two men. One was young, handsome, and redheaded; the other was older and had a top hat on his head.

"Here she is," Ruru said as she gestured to Hikaru.

"She is a Precure too, I say!" Emiru announced. The redheaded man smiled as he approached Cure Star..

"Well. If that's the case, I see no reason to keep secrets." A cloud of smoke enveloped him, and when it cleared a small hamster stood in his place. The hamster had a tuft of hair on his head that was the same color as the man's. Hikaru gasped in astonishment.

"No way!" she said. The hamster laughed.

"I am Harry!" he said in a high pitched voice. He got on all fours and made his fur stick out in spikes. "Harriham Harry. I accompanied Hugtan as she escaped into the past as Cure Tomorrow!"

"Kirayaba!" Hikaru exclaimed as her eyes sparkled. The other, older man chuckled and approached her as well.

"You are quite the character, aren't you?" he asked. Hikaru stared at him in excitement.

"Are you gonna turn into a hamster, too?" Now the man let out a loud, strong laugh. It carried around the Beauty Harry store, and Hikaru couldn't help but noticed that Ruru looked slightly peeved by this display.

"No. I'm afraid that I, in all my genius, still have yet to build a device that allows me to do that." He swept his hat off his head and bowed. "I am Ruru's father, Dr. Traum."

"You're Ruru's father?" Hikaru asked. This was strange; her parents had no clue about her status as a Precure. Ruru nodded at Hikaru.

"He is the man who built me." Now Hikaru wasn't just surprised, she was confused.

"Built?" she asked. Emiru stepped forward.

"Ruru is an android," she explained. "She was built by Dr. Traum to be a servant of Criasu. She eventually joined the Precure though, and Dr. Traum was quick to follow."

"Well, I wouldn't say 'quick,'" Traum said. "These girls had to persuade me." He looked at Ruru and winked.

"Wait a minute," Hikaru said. Her excitement was growing as she went up and stood before Ruru. "So you're a robot?"

"I'm an android," Ruru corrected her. "A technically advanced robot who was modeled after a human, both physically and emotionally."

"Kirayaba!" Hikaru squealed. "Can you say 'I am a robot?'"

Ruru's eyes narrowed and she stared at Hikaru.

"No."

"What?" Hikaru asked as her face fell. "Why not?"

"Do you humans walk around everywhere announcing 'I am a human?'" Hikaru laughed.

"That's fair," she said. A cloud of smoke filled the room, and when Hikaru turned she could see Harry in his human form again.

"I hate to break up this thrilling conversation," he said, "but don't you four need to get going?"

"Oh right!" Saaya exclaimed. "I almost forgot, thanks Harry."

"And actually, it's the five of us," Homare said. "Hikaru is coming too."

"Oh?" Harry said in surprise. He examined Hikaru from head to toe. "But she doesn't have a uniform."

"Well that's easily remedied," Dr. Traum said cheerily. "Doesn't your friend Cure Yell have some spare uniforms? She can just wear those!"

There was an uncomfortable silence. It was then Dr. Traum realized what he was suggesting, and he instantly became apologetic.

"Oh my goodness! I am so sorry, I didn't mean…"

"No, it's okay," Saaya reassured him. She smiled at Hikaru, the same smile she gave her when she first woke up. "I think she would fit into Hana's uniforms perfectly, actually."

"You're tense."

"You don't say lun."

Lala was sitting at her desk and drumming her pencil on the surface. The classroom didn't feel right; it felt spacious, empty. The visual of Hikaru's empty desk didn't do much to help.

"You're worried about her, aren't you prunce?"

Lala looked down at her bookbag, where Prunce was hiding.

"Of course I am. How can I not be?"

"Hagoromo san?" the teacher at the front said. "Who are you talking to?" Lala chuckled nervously.

"Oh, no one lun," she said. One of the girls turned around so that she was facing Lala.

"Is everything okay, Lun chan?"

"Yes," she reassured the girl. "Everything's…" Lala looked up at the clock on the front wall. There were still two hours until school was out. Could she wait that long? No she couldn't, she decided. Whatever topic the teacher was covering, it wasn't nearly as important as getting Hikaru back.

"May I be excused?" Lala asked the teacher. "I think I'm coming down with something lun."

The teacher looked at Lala with concern before she slowly nodded.

"Sure," she said. "Are you sick?"

Yes, sick of waiting, Lala thought. She didn't say that, though. Instead, she just said "you could say that." Now that she had gotten her teacher's permission, Lala slung her Prunce filled bookbag over her shoulder and exited the classroom. Once in the hall, she began to run.

"What are you doing?" Prunce asked.

Lala didn't say anything, nor did she stop. She had to get Hikaru back, she just had to. Without Cure Star, the Star Twinkle Precure team wouldn't be complete. It was Hikaru had brought them together, after all. It wouldn't be right for her to not be here.