It wasn't long before another meeting was called, with all of us gathering in the woods by the cave where the Crimson Squad lived. (Yeah, they lived in a cave, because they were in exile or something. Apparently they used to be Hebijo students too, but they got kicked out because they weren't evil enough for evil school.) (Apparently Murasaki and company were evil enough for evil school though, which didn't make sense to me.) Maybe it was just me, but such a big group seemed... excessive? Like, yeah, deciding on a next step was important. We couldn't just wait around. But did it really take this many of us, making all of ourselves a target?

"I know. It really is excessive. Too many cooks spoil the soup, or whatever it is. We do need to pare it down for next time."

I didn't appreciate having my head broken into this much, even though I was being agreed with. But maybe she ought to tell them that, because they wouldn't listen to me, no matter how I tried to convey it.

"I'll try."

Well, thanks.

As soon as everyone gathered in the forest clearing, I just kinda went to stand around behind Zelda, hoping she'd take charge of the whatever. But apparently that Haruka girl had other ideas. She strode up to us, but, uh, only looked at me when she was talking.

"So, cutie, did you give any thought to my suggestion about gathering intel?"

I nodded.

"That would be quite useful, but how do you propose we do that?" Zelda asked. "Sneak into Hebijo itself?"

But Haruka still kept only addressing me.

"I'm glad my advice was able to be of use, then. So, do you agree we should sneak into Hebijo? The Crimson Squad used to be students there, so we should come along. We'll know how to get around inside the school grounds. Plus, we still have our old uniforms from when we went there, so whoever's coming can put them on and we'll blend in perfectly."

I nodded, as did Zelda.

"Yes, that's quite clever."

"All right, then," Haruka said. "We can plan that."

In the meantime, Hibari had darted over to us.

"Ooh, Mistress Haruka, can I come too?"

Yagyuu had followed Hibari over. She gave her a look.

"This is an espionage mission. Too many people isn't good for espionage."

I seemed to remember Hibari mentioning Haruka before... and then it hit me. That was the time Yagyuu got all salty about it, which made it pretty clear to me that Yagyuu had a thing for Hibari, and was jealous of Haruka for getting in the way. Which meant that, if Haruka kept acting all like she was hitting on me, I'd be dragged into that mire of drama. Great.

Tris had come over as well, obviously eager to give her opinion.

"Well, I don't know if you know this, but we already kinda made friends with some of the girls from Hebijo. Before we knew who they were. Yeah..."

"I know, and I'm not going to judge you for it," Zelda said, nodding.

"Yeah, but I mean, I'm thinking we should use that to our advantage to get some help from the inside?"

I bit my lip. That seemed like it could be a good idea, but it could also be... more trouble than it was worth.

"That's an idea," Zelda said. "But we think it's more trouble than it's worth."

"We? What do you mean, we?" Tris asked.

"Oh. Yes. Your sister and I are connected by fate, so I can communicate with her telepathically," Zelda said, matter of factly.

"What?!" Tris looked like she was about to explode like one of her remote bomb weapons.

"What do you mean?"

I sighed, feeling like I knew where this was going to go. And I was right.

"Up until this point, I was the one telling everyone what my selectively mute twin sister is thinking, and now you just come in and start reading her mind, and telling everyone exactly what she wants to say, and it's like I'm pointless now. Besides, did you ever think there are things in her mind she doesn't want to share with you?"

"Well, she definitely has undiagnosed ADHD. She oversleeps constantly, loses things, is constantly bouncing and squirming like some kind of idle animation, and—well, I know part of her is actually listening right now, but another part is wondering why pineapples are called pineapples. And then there are about a dozen other parts."

"That bad, huh?"

"I feel like I'm trying to stick mail into a mailbox that's already stuffed with other mail, children's craft projects, and literal garbage."

My brain is not full of literal garbage, thank you very much. Some of the stuff I think about is extremely valid. And, I mean, they're not related to pine, or to apples, so why... ?

"In any case, we don't think it's a good idea to let anyone inside of Hebijo know that we're planning to sneak in there. It's more trouble than it's worth, and also makes things a greater risk, since the more people who know about a secret plan, the more people there are that can say something that renders it not a secret anymore."

"I guess," Tris snapped, in a way that let me know she was still pissed about not being the one person who knew me the best anymore. But, in my opinion, she should be grateful. If she didn't have to be the one to look out for me and communicate on my behalf all the time now, then she was free to spend more time with Ryona... doing... whatever she did with Ryona, that I didn't want to think about. "Besides, do you really think any of the Hebijo girls are trustworthy?" I looked up to see Yumi had strode up and started giving her opinion. "I'm not even sure if I trust the so-called Crimson Squad. I mean, once evil, always evil, I say."

"We know what you say, in that regard." Zelda sounded a bit more short than I expected her to. "But something tells me that Crimson Squad and even Hebijo's ideas of evil are really quite mild compared to the sorts of things Linkle and I have dealt with in the past. I mean, not that I'm trying to one-up you or anything, or invalidate the battles you've fought, but... the Hebijo students probably don't even realize what kind of evil power they have in their midst right now."

"Hmph." Yumi looked indignant.

"We are letting you use our training grounds for your mission, so you should at least be grateful," Haruka said, having strutted back over to us and was now standing way, way too close to me. Personal space bubble, please. "Like, it's fine if you don't trust us, but do you have to talk crap about us on our own turf?" She shook her head, before turning back toward me. "Anyway, cutie, have you decided who's going on your mission with you? That way I know how many Hebijo uniforms to get."

"Well," Zelda said, "We were thinking that she and I go, because we can communicate telepathically, so if we have to split up then we'll each go a separate way and still be able to know what the other group is doing. That, and since you seem to have a good head on your shoulders, you should definitely be coming along with us. So, the three of us, and one more from Crimson Squad. Who would you suggest?"

"I was asking this cutie, not you, but you make a fair point." There was venom in Haruka's tone, that made it clear she saw Zelda as some kind of threat standing between her and whatever she wanted to do to me.

"Well, that... um... cutie... can't exactly use her words, now, can she?"

"True." Haruka shrugged, accidentally-but-probably-actually-on-purpose elbowing me in the side when she did. "Maybe we take Yomi?"

The blonde girl in the tracksuit came over when called upon, a sweet smile plastered across her face as she looked us over.

"I'd be extremely happy to help miss Linkle in her efforts to help keep this town safe," she said. "I'm just a bit concerned since I often find it difficult to work with... princesses."

"I'm not a princess this time," Zelda said, sighing a little.

"But you might as well be." Yomi's tone was cutting, even though she was still faking that serene smile. "It's a shame that someone so down-to-earth and knowledgeable about how the common people live, is forced to rely on the wealthy for help." Ugh. Can't we all just get along against a common enemy, damn it? Why did everyone have to bicker so much?

"We're going to have to get along if we're going to succeed on this mission together." Thank you, Zelda, for voicing my concerns, when no one else would.

"We'll get along, all right," Haruka said, putting her arm around my shoulder and squeezing me into her. "We'll do whatever it takes to get along, because we don't want to upset this poor cutie here."

"Yes, that's right." Yomi gave a tiny polite bow in my direction.

Ugh. Was I the reason everyone was bickering?

"Here, let me get the uniforms," Haruka said. "I'll be right back." And she disappeared... somewhere up the mountain, returning minutes later with several of the black and red school uniforms we'd seen Ryobi, Ryona, and Murasaki wear before. These uniforms were, for some reason, shorter and tighter looking than those we had to wear at Hanzo... and also than what Zelda had to wear at Gessen. I guess more evil equals more provocative, for some reason?

"You'd best try these on, the two of you, to make sure they fit." Haruka handed one to me, and kept her gaze fixed on me at the same time, grinning like a cat who'd caught a mouse. With me as the mouse, obviously. Really?

I sighed and nodded, before grabbing the uniform and scurrying off to stand behind a tree. I tried to change as quickly as I could, before someone like Haruka came to take a peek. But, damn it, this uniform really was tighter and shorter. The top had been literally cut short, like with a knife or something, so it barely covered my chest, and the skirt was just as useless at covering my butt. You'd think a school would be against straight up cutting up the uniform to make it skimpier, but I guess when your students are being taught how to kill for money, propriety is not a concern. Whose was this, I wondered?

"I gave you Hikage's uniform because I thought it'd fit you the best," Haruka said, still looking at me with a smirk like she wanted to eat me. And now that I was so uncovered, it kind of took on a different meaning. "Looks like I was right." And she straight up licked her lips, sending a shiver down my spine. Please no. She grabbed the tie and yanked on it, causing me to squeak. "You're so cute in this."

Zelda had also changed into the Hebijo uniform she'd been given, to try it on as well. She seemed to be having the same damn problem I was, with the skirt barely covering anything, although at least the top half of hers hadn't been sliced up to shreds. It covered her chest, but exposed about an inch of her midriff. Instead of, you know, the bottom of my boobs and my entire midriff. Ugh.

"Hikage's old uniform really does suit you," Yomi said, giggling at me all daintily while she blushed.

"I'll say!"

Shit. I'd gathered a small group around me, of all the girls Zelda had pointed out as possible admirers of me before. Yumi was eyeing me up in a way where it was like she was trying to pretend she was disappointed in me for putting on a Hebijo uniform, but it was clear what that look really was. And Kat...

Kat had reached her hands right up the short little top and was groping my boobs again. I was glad I wore a good bra, that would prevent her from being able to feel right through the fabric. I felt my face get all hot and red, and squealed as I tried to fight Kat off. Haruka was standing there, watching the whole thing, giggling. Even Yomi and Yumi looked amused at my predicament.

Can you make them stop? I pleaded with Zelda from inside my head.

"Do you really have to treat our hero with such a level of disrespect?" she said, softly, on my behalf, but not really helping anything.

"It's not disrespect," Kat insisted, still groping. She'd pushed me to the ground and was now straddling me so I couldn't even get up. "This is what I do to people I care about!"

I nodded meekly. Zelda just raised an eyebrow.

"You grope your friends?"

"Yeah, I do. It's how I express affection." Kat had finally gotten up off of me, allowing me to get back on my feet. I promptly folded my arms over all the parts of me the cut top was showing. "So I'm kinda glad this whole thing is happening, since it means I get to meet even more new allies I get to be friends with." I started to see where this was going. "I mean, I do need to get to know you better..."

And, yeah, what I knew was going to happen... was what happened. Kat charged at Zelda, grabby hands at the ready. Zelda dodged expertly, being particularly nimble at stuff like that apparently. Kat almost fell face first into the ground, but regained her balance just in time, and began her pursuit again. Zelda was holding her arm up in front of her boobs in a defensive stance. I shook my head at her.

Just let it happen, I thought to her. It makes her happy, and it, uh, feels kinda nice?

She sighed and stopped trying to dodge or block Kat's advances. And before long, she was getting the treatment us Hanzo students knew all too well. Kat gripped intently at the grey fabric of the Gessen school uniform top, pressing her fingers deep into what was underneath that fabric, squeezing gleefully. Zelda just stood there, her mouth in a straight line.

"I can't believe I'm letting this happen," she thought to me.

"You get used to it," I thought back. "It happens to me all the time."

She shook her head and sighed as Kat finally let up. Kat nodded in approval.

"I like you," she said. "You've got good boobs."

"That's your qualification for liking people?" Zelda asked.

"Not the only one, but it's a bonus."

"Can we plan what we need to do?"

"Yes, yes, let's plan," Haruka said, striding back over. "We'll go three days from now, if that's all right. Yomi and I will lead the way, since we used to go there. We'll know what gate to use, when the guards change shifts, and all that sort of thing. We'll have to operate under the assumption that nothing big has changed since we were Hebijo students, though..." She sighed.

"Knowing what it used to be is better than not knowing anything at all," Yomi said.

"Exactly. So, with that said, if we do need to split up, we need to split up properly. After all, Yomi and I know the school. And like you said before, the two of you have a telepathic connection, so you can communicate with each other even if you're separated. That way, if Yomi and I go one way and you two go another, that's no good. So, it has to be like this: Zelda follows Yomi, and Linkle follows me. Sound like a plan?"

I swallowed. I didn't exactly like the idea of being alone with Haruka, the way she kept looking at me and all that. And Yomi... as soon as Zelda was mentioned, Yomi started glaring at her. She seemed to hate her for some reason that I couldn't even guess. Maybe it would be better if it was me and Yomi, with Haruka and Zelda, instead?

"It could go both ways, couldn't it?" Yomi was the one suggesting it. "I mean, as long as we have one former Hebijo student in each group, then it could also be me with Linkle, and you with Zelda."

I nodded enthusiastically.

"But then we have to think too hard, in a moment where every second counts," Haruka said. "It's easier if we stick to one form of the buddy system, so we don't have to think too hard about who we're following. Zelda follows Yomi, and Linkle follows me."

"That does make sense," Zelda said, causing me to petulantly grind my foot into the dirt. You're supposed to advocate for me, damn it, not leave me alone with creepy girl. "That will be the plan. What's our ultimate destination within Hebijo grounds, then?"

"The elite students have their classrooms at the top of a tower," Yomi said. "We'll get to a place where we can see into those classrooms, and use that vantage point to spy on the girl you two are worried about. You can gather all the information we can, and then we'll show you how to escape without being caught."

"That works." Zelda nodded. "This is happening three days from now, then. It just feels so... I don't know. Like I'm not ready."

We have to do this, I told her in my head, puffing out my cheeks in a huff as I did. The longer we wait, the more time she has to do something horrible. Yeah, we don't have a perfect plan. We're just kind of cobbling it together as we go. But waiting around isn't going to make it any easier.

"Well, I suppose I'm as ready as I'm going to be."

Ha. At least someone around here listens to me.

"Can we go home now then?" Tris asked. Until now, she'd had her face buried in her phone. "There's no cell service out here, and I'm trying to text a... friend."

That "friend" was Ryona, wasn't it? I sighed.

"Yes, let's disperse," Haruka said. "It is a little risky for all of us to be gathered here in the woods this way. See you in three days, then, cutie?"

I nodded, and went to walk away. But as I did, she smacked my butt. Just lightly, teasingly, but enough to... I don't know. Whatever. Enough to make me really uncomfortable, that's whatever. I bit down on my lip. I could deal with that part of everything when the important stuff was dealt with. I followed Tris home, quiet as usual, as she kept stopping every few feet to try to text, and see if it went through.

Speaking of texting...

Later that evening, my phone went off, and I looked at it to discover it was a message from Murasaki.

"i don't think you guys should be doing the thing where you're gonna sneak into hebijo. sounds way too risky. but something tells me you're not gonna stop just because i say so, so good luck i guess. don't get killed please. i like you too much."

Well, shit. Looked like Tris already told them about our plan, even though everyone literally told Tris not to tell them. But when does she ever listen? Then again, Murasaki had a point. I tend not to listen either...

I wasn't even going to go into how weird it made me feel, having her say she liked me too much. After what I still decided to count as a friendship kiss even though it probably wasn't? I didn't feel like dealing with the whole girls-having-crushes-on-me thing. Because I can deal with trying to protect the power of the Triforce from evil, or I can deal with girls. But dealing with both at once is a bit too much.