Despite several attempts, Kaito still hadn't talked to Maki.

He'd call her a ninja, if he didn't know the truth wasn't too far off.

It wasn't like it would be a bad conversation though, right? Even if they didn't get together, Kaito and Maki would still be friends.

He was sure of that.

He had to be.

With Maki at school, Kaito was left at the house with nothing to do. The other kids were also gone, and Takashi was at work.

Kaito didn't like being left with time on his hands and nothing to do with it.

Sure, he still wanted to go to space, but a couple talks with that prosecutor had made it clear that wasn't in his immediate future. Until the okay was given, he still wasn't legally alive, and so there wasn't that much he could do to advance towards his goal.

A lot of his days were filled with working out, or going on walks, or napping.

That wasn't really enough, though.

Kaito was walking around the house, as if he'd find something to do hiding around a corner, when he ran into Matsuko.

"Ah! Sorry!"

The family's mom laughed, though Kaito was pretty sure she had still been startled anyway. "It's perfectly fine, Kaito." Then, he saw something light up in her eyes, and she asked, "Would you be okay helping me with something?"

There was only one manly answer to that. "Of course!" he told her, giving a thumbs up along with a grin.

That was how he ended up working with her to do the dishes; her on washing, him on rinsing.

Kaito actually liked stuff like this. It was actually great for making him feel productive. He was fine working in silence, but it seemed like Matsuko didn't agree.

"So...could you tell me more about the, um, the show? That you and Maki were on?" she asked.

He blinked. "Like...what do you know? There's a lot to tell."

"..." It looked like she had to think of how to answer that. "I know that people died on the show. I know you want to be an astronaut. I know Maki is an assassin. I know my...I know she isn't really my daughter anymore. But I haven't talked to her about it past that. I don't really know how."

If Kaito's hands weren't soaking wet, he would have been running one through his hair. "I can't tell you about stuff I don't understand, y'know? So I'll just stick with what happened to me."

Matsuko nodded, looking more determined than he'd seen her before. When she didn't look so, uh, momish, it was pretty obvious to see the resemblance to Maki. Same red eyes, same dark hair, and at that moment the same iron willpower.

Now...where to start? Probably the beginning. "The first memory I have, the first real one anyway, was me waking up in an abandoned school. There were sixteen of us, and we couldn't get out. These robot bears showed up and told us the only way we could leave was killing someone without being caught. But if any of us got to go, the rest died. If we solved the murder, then the killer got executed."

Weirdly enough, she only had one question. "Robot...bears?"

It must have sounded silly to her.

Kaito...envied that, just a little. Robot bears should be silly. But all the dead friends kind of put a hamper on that, whether they were coming back or not.

Whatever, back to the explanation. "Some of us did everything we could to stop the killing, but it didn't work. Me, Maki, and my sidekick became friends, and together we solved every murder that happened." Since Maki wasn't around, Kaito felt okay admitting, "Actually, I didn't do much, it was mostly her and Shuichi.

"Then, this one son of a bitch-" Matsuko flinched at the curse word. "This one, uh, little jerk? He kidnapped me, and Maki poisoned him. I didn't want Maki being a killer, and I was dying anyway, so I helped the little lying scumbag with his suicide plan. That way, I was the culprit, not Maki. My sidekick figured it out, and that was it." He didn't feel the need to repeat the fact that he'd already kicked the bucket. Matsuko knew that.

She didn't say anything right away, so Kaito focused on the dishes. Geez, it was crazy how much a family of five, six if he counted himself, could go through silverware.

After taking a long, shuddering breath, Matsuko finally said something. "Thank you. I don't...I'm not sure what we would have done if Maki had died."

"Me either."

Well, he would have been just as dead, but that wasn't the point. Having to watch Maki get executed...Kaito thought he was a strong man, but he wasn't sure if he was strong enough for that.

"Putting the past aside," Matsuko said, clearly trying her best to put on a cheerier face, "what are you going to do next?"

For a lot of people, that would be a hard question.

But not for Kaito Momota.

"I'm going to go to space." He said it with absolute confidence. Still, there was something he didn't know. "What about Maki?"

It was actually hard for him to not call her Maki Roll, but even Kaito knew that maybe calling her by a pet name to her kinda-sorta mom was a bad move.

Matsuko sighed. "I don't know. Like so many other things, she isn't telling us."

That sounded like Maki to him, but it was pretty obvious that Matsuko wasn't used to it like Kaito was.

More than that, though, she sounded nervous, and Kaito didn't have to think hard to figure out why.

"I don't think she'll go back to being an assassin." That didn't seem to relieve her tension very much. Kaito tried to think of a way to better explain it to her. "I know Maki. The thing is, Maki is Maki. She remembers doing a lot of bad stuff, and she can do it all again. But she won't."

He didn't offer an explanation for why, and that was because he didn't really have one.

Kaito just knew it was true.

That's how he was. It might have pissed Kokichi off to hell and back, but the little liar had never really known how to believe in people.

Matsuko smiled at Kaito, and he wished with all his heart that one day, he'd see Maki look that happy. "I trust you."

"Of course you do!" Kaito said, setting aside the last dish with pride in a chore well done. "I'm Kaito Momota, Luminary of the Stars."

The more Kaede played with the program on Shuichi's laptop, the more indebted she felt towards him.

It could do so much more than he'd thought. Sure, yes, piano stuff, which she loved to...well, death felt kind of macabre considering her recent history.

But more than that, it could replicate other instruments. Cellos, accordions, bagpipes, anything.

Just because Kaede was the Ultimate Pianist, and absolutely in love with them, didn't mean it was the only instrument she enjoyed. She could recreate the sound of Couperin's Tic Toc Choc on a harpsichord, or Bach's Partita No. 2 on a violin.

If that wasn't enough...she could combine them. An entire symphony, in her hands.

It was too much power.

Using a pair of tiny earphones Shuichi had found in his room, probably belonging to Hayashi, Kaede was sitting in Ran's room while the adult of the apartment slept, trying to see if it was possible to recreate Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture.

There was a tapping on Kaede's shoulder, and she turned to look at Ran, who was now up, awake, and annoyed, at the same time she pulled out the earbuds.

"Kid, was that a fucking cannon?"

Judging by Ran's grumbling, Kaede had succeeded a little too well.

Flashing her what Kaede hoped was an apologetic smile, she paused the playback and shut the laptop. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up so early."

Ran raised an eyebrow. "Early?"

"Yeah, earl-"

Kaede looked at the alarm clock sitting on a dresser nearby, and was stunned to see it was already late afternoon.

The last time she'd checked, it was still ten in the morning. Guess it doesn't matter if it's the real thing or not, I'm still the Piano Freak.

Once Ran had her coffee, she was less irritable. "You like music that much?" she asked Kaede over the kitchen table.

"Um...yeah?" Kaede answered, unsure what to really say to that. "I get a bit...lost sometimes."

She was expecting a recrimination for that, it was what she was used to.

Instead, Ran gave her a tired smile. "Good. Being that passionate is wonderful."

She talked about it like it was something she'd had, something she'd lost.

It wasn't something Kaede was going to ask about. She was Ran's guest, and felt indebted to her for that.

"So..." Kaede said, unsure of where her sentence was going. "...how have you and Shuichi been getting along? I mean, since coming back as Shuichi?"

Great one, me. Awesome. Definitely not an awkward subject.

Ran got a faraway look in her eyes as she considered the question.

"It was hard at first. Shuichi was scared about overstepping boundaries with me, and I was distant." She inhaled, and something about the way her voice rattled made Kaede wonder if she used to smoke. "I was distant with Hayashi, so I guess that just kind of rolled over onto Shuichi. We've made it work, though. Shuichi's a good kid."

"He really is." Something about that caught Ran's attention, but Kaede couldn't tell what. More importantly, she decided to share something. "It feels like there's...something. Something Shuichi is hiding from me." Of course, I'm hiding something too.

There was something in Ran's eyes, and it reminded her so sharply of how Shuichi looked when he made a breakthrough in a case. "...yeah. Shuichi hasn't told you something. But it's up to Shuichi to tell you."

Well, at least it doesn't sound bad? She doesn't seem to be, like, appalled by it or anything.

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.

Shuichi opened the door to his room and entered the kitchen, looking from Kaede to his mom and back. A light blush settled on his cheeks, one that spurred something inside Kaede. What would he do if I just walked up and kissed him, right in front of Ran? How much would he squirm? Kaede bit her lip, but managed to keep herself seated.

The same wasn't true of Ran, who rose from the table with her eyes on Shuichi. "It's my night off, so I'm going to go watch a movie or something. You two kids should talk."

There was no subtlety in how she'd said that while staring at her son.

With her gone, it was just Shuichi and Kaede, alone.

There was a strong urge to just stride over, put a tight grip on his waist, and start kissing him.

No, control yourself, me! First talking, then smooches!

"..."

It was weird, how sometimes silence could be deafening.

"Kaede," "Shuichi,"

They'd started talking at the same time.

That actually kind of helped break the tension, as both smiled and Kaede gestured for Shuichi to start.

"So, um, there is something pretty big I haven't really told you about..." Shuichi talked like every word cost him something.

Okay, so, it's making him really nervous, and it's 'something pretty big'. Fantastic news.

Trying to find some way to put him at ease, Kaede shoved her worry away and smiled comfortingly at Shuichi. "Go on, I'm listening."

That...seemed to help? Maybe? Shuichi took a deep breath before finally saying what he'd been holding in since Kaede came back to life.

"I'm not a boy!"

If Kaede had made a list of every possible thing Shuichi had been avoiding with her, 'coming out' wouldn't have even cracked the top 100.

Still, that wasn't a bad thing.

Kaede actually giggled a little before encouraging Shuichi. "Okay. Tell me what you are, then."

Her response stunned Shuichi, and it took a few seconds before she got a reply.

"I...don't really know yet? I'm still figuring that stuff out, with the help of Ms. Kokaki. Right now, I'm using they/them pronouns though, and I think I might be nonbinary?"

They sounded scared, as if Kaede would reject them for this revelation, or be upset at how wishy-washy they were being.

Instead, Kaede approached them and asked, "Hug?"

Shuichi nodded, and she gave them one. It wasn't possessive, or needy, or greedy, it was just her best comforting hug, there to let them know she was there for them.

When she pulled back, she saw Shuichi was tearing up.

Unsure if it would actually help or not, Kaede just couldn't resist planting a little kiss on their forehead.

"I'll always be here for you." The tears started to fall, even as they were smiling. Kaede decided she might as well throw in her own two cents while they were on the issue. "Plus, gender is a fluid construct and I've identified as a nonbinary woman for years now."

Well...that wasn't technically true. After all, I haven't really existed for more than a year.

Those were apparently the last words Shuichi was expecting to hear back. "You are?" Kaede nodded. It wasn't like it was a secret or anything, it just wasn't something that had come up before. "So...what pronouns do you want me to use?"

There was a little fear in their voice, like they'd been caught accidentally misgendering her. "I'm still good with she/her for now, but who knows? Maybe I'll change that someday." Pretending that pronouns were some unchanging part of who she was had never felt right for Kaede.

Reaching up a little, they put their arms on top of Kaede's shoulders, encircling around the back of her neck.

So far, she'd been the one initiating most of the touchy-feely stuff, so Kaede wasn't about to complain.

But before they got to that, Kaede did have one other thing else to say.

Looking into their eyes, Kaede told them, "Shuichi, I want you to know something: you are a brave person. Coming out, and asking people to call you by a different set of pronouns? That takes courage, and you should feel proud of that, and for who you are."

They nodded, though something in their eyes made Kaede doubt that they'd really taken her words to heart.

Which was fine. Well, no, it wasn't fine, but it was understandable.

As much as she wished she could just make their anxieties and self-doubt go away with her words, Kaede knew that wasn't something in her power.

She could be there with support and words of affirmation, but the only one really fighting that battle was Shuichi.

They went into Shuichi's room, and already Kaede could feel a difference with them.

A tension that had been in their frame, a fear in their eyes, wasn't there anymore.

They kissed, and they talked, and they cuddled on Shuichi's bed.

But despite all of that, despite what had happened between them, Kaede didn't do her part.

It would have been a perfect time to talk about what she was hiding.

The problem was, even if Shuichi would never believe it, she just wasn't as brave as they were.

"Tenko, these are my friends. Friends, this is Tenko."

And that was all the introduction Tenko got, from Himiko at least. The various girls Himiko had invited over were (mostly) happy to do that part themselves.

Shimura Sasahara was a chubby girl who had a confidence that could rival Kaito's. She was also gorgeous, with a stylish outfit that would probably have had Tenko seeing hearts if she wasn't so fixated on Himiko.

Bakashiro Aosu was about as strongly built as Tenko had been in her old body. She wore a leather jacket and had her hair shaved on one side in a way that screamed 'tough'. But while her words were a bit, uh, vulgar, she still seemed kind.

Asahiro Minariya was the tallest, probably about as skinny as Tenko had been a week ago, which made Tenko a little worried about her. She wore really cute, frilly clothes, with a choker around her neck, and she flinched a lot whenever people moved too quickly, like she was scared of what they might do.

Miyake Tsunomura was almost as short as Himiko, with a tiger-striped shirt and a roar as loud as a wild animal.

Yuzuki Shikabane wore dour clothes and didn't smile, but for some reason Himiko seemed to really like her, so Tenko was giving her the benefit of the doubt.

There was one other girl, Iya, who was also a member of the group, but hadn't been able to make it.

When her name came up, a look went across Himiko's face, just for a moment, that made Tenko worried.

At first, with all these strange girls around, Tenko was feeling protective of Himiko. She didn't get more than a few feet away from the still-mobility challenged mage, and she did what she could to keep her eyes on all of them.

That didn't escape Himiko's notice, though.

While Himiko's moms were offering their guests snacks, Himiko whispered, "Tenko, these are my friends."

Her eyes were on Tenko's hands, which she hadn't even realized were clenched tightly into fists.

(Calm down, Tenko. This is fine. We're all fine. No one is out to get Himiko, or me, or anyone. We're out of the Killing Game.)

Easy to think, harder to put into practice.

But for Himiko, Tenko would try her best.

Their attention refocused on Tenko and Himiko now that they had some of Yuu's homemade mochi, the girls started trying to get to know their friends' friend.

"So, Tenko, what's your Ultimate ability thing?" Shimura said, something a bit acidic to her tone.

Putting her arms up in a guard position, Tenko was ready to answer that one. "I'm the Ultimate Aikido Master!"

Bakashiro laughed. "Seriously, with those twigs?"

The comment hurt Tenko's pride a little. It was true...despite her efforts, the new body still wasn't close to strong enough to really use Neo Aikido properly. "I kind of got stuck with a weak body," she admitted, before pepping herself back up, and putting on a bit of a smug face. "I've been training though, so just you wait!"

The rough-and-tumble girl grinned. "Oh fuck yeah. When you're back at 100%, we should brawl."

"If you want," Tenko told her, though she felt bad for Bakashiro. Unless she was some master fighter, there wouldn't really be much of a question as to who would win. "I usually try to use Neo Aikido on degenerate males only, but I'll make an exception."

The room went dead quiet.

There was a scattering of facial reactions to what Tenko had just said.

Most of them looked annoyed, or angry. But Asahiro looked...resigned. Like she'd accepted something like that would happen. Yet, her eyes were watering anyway.

(Why...why is she upset? What did I say?!)

A quick glance at Himiko made it worse. She was embarrassed. (Embarrassed of me. Stupid Tenko, always putting her foot in her mouth and making everyone hate her.)

The conversation started up again, but now it was focused on Himiko, like everyone was pointedly ignoring that Tenko was there.

Which...was fine. She was trying to go back over what she'd said.

The offending words weren't hard to pick out...they were ones she threw around, a lot.

But why were they so mad?

It had something to do with Asahiro...

It seemed like Himiko noticed Tenko's conundrum, and surreptitiously showed Tenko her phone screen for just a second. Himiko had typed out, 'Asahiro is transgender'. Then, she asked for one of her moms' help, and left them all to go use the bathroom.

(Oh.)

Tenko's face went red. She was so stupid! How was she so stupid?

Even though she'd never admit it to anyone, that divisive part of her vocabulary was one she often wasn't really happy with...it was just so hard for her not to use it, like something in her brain was forcing her to say it.

But this topped the list. Of course they'd all gotten mad, it must have sounded super transphobic!

Tenko had to make it right.

When there was a lull in the conversation, Tenko jumped in to say, "If you guys didn't know, I invented Neo Aikido."

A lot of the looks she was suddenly getting didn't look like good ones.

"Yeah?" Shimura said, though Tenko could tell she was trying to sound more polite than she wanted to.

"Yep! It's a more aggressive form of Aikido, and its purpose is to protect women." Then, Tenko looked directly at Asahiro and tried to smile as nicely as she could. "All women. If anyone tried to hurt you, Shimura, or you, Yuzuki, or you, Asahiro, I would fight and die to protect you."

The mood shifted again.

Tenko wasn't getting any death glares now, for one thing.

But more importantly, Asahiro was looking at Tenko with a beautiful smile on her face. "Thank you for that Tenko. But please don't die." There was a chorus of murmurs agreeing with that.

(If I wasn't already in love, I think Asahiro could take my heart.)

Miyake slapped Tenko on the back, and loudly proclaimed, "That's rad! I wish you were around the first time we all met up, then you could have put it to good use!"

"What?" Tenko asked.

Shimura addressed the question. "You didn't know? The first time we all met, Himiko was assaulted on her way home. It's why she's in those casts. They still haven't found out who did it, either."

The get-together continued from there, and it was genuinely nice getting to know Himiko's new friends more.

But in the back of Tenko's mind, she couldn't stop wondering.

Why hadn't Himiko told her? All she'd said about the casts was that she'd gotten hurt, but never how or why.

Tenko didn't ask. They spent the rest of that day together, and no matter how much the question ate away at her, Tenko didn't ask Himiko about the attack.

She was too scared it could push her away.

It couldn't last forever, they'd have to talk about it.

Just like they'd have to talk about Tenko's feelings.

Tenko just hoped Himiko didn't reject her too harshly.