Over the next hour, Mato and Yuu explained the nature of the Otherselves and how they came to be in a different world. The three people who remained in the room shared looks of worry and sorrow after listening to the tale.
"So your world was destroyed?" Sid asked.
"Possibly." Mato answered as Doctor Medusa finished wrapping bandages around her hand. "It's also possible it merged with the Otherworld."
"The Otherworld being a place of continuous fighting?" Medusa asked, looking up.
"Yeah, without the care of the Otherselves, humanity would have no chance of survival." Mato replied.
"Are these Otherselves really that dangerous?" Akane asked.
"Everyone we've met seems to think so." Yuu said from her spot next to Mato. "Although I'm not sure why."
"Well, they're faster, stronger, heavily armed, can endure wounds that would kill a human, only extreme amounts of pain even slow them…" Mato listed, until she noticed everyone staring at her.
"Well, I see two choices." Sid said finally. "We can either arrest you for firing a deadly weapon in the middle of a public area without DWMA approval."
"Not a good idea." Yuu said, shaking her head.
"Or." Sid continued. "You can join the Academy, you'd have to start in the N.O.T class due to your inexperience with our world." He shrugged. "But it would give you guys a place to sleep, you said you were homeless?"
The girls nodded.
"But we're not weapons and we don't really need to pair up with anybody." Yuu said.
"I'm sure we can figure something out, perhaps we can find someone you can team up with for their behalf." Akane suggested.
"So, like tutoring?" Yuu asked. "We'd be assigned a weapon to help them learn?"
"Kind of, you wouldn't be assigned anyone. It's more based on compatibility and your souls." Akane explained.
Mato flopped backwards on the bed and groaned.
"I'm too old to be dating." She said.
"It's not quite dating." Akane smiled coolly. "It's more like finding a trusted friend."
Mato groaned again.
Akane lead them to the dormitories where they were going to be living.
"Akane?" Mato asked. "The girl who I shot, what's her name?"
"I believe she's Eternal Feather." The tall man replied. "It's a stage name, many of our students choose to be called different names during their time here."
"Why?" Yuu asked.
"I don't know, they all have their own reasons." Akane said.
"Can we go see her first?" Mato asked. "I'm worried about her, and I wanted to apologise."
"Well…" The older student hesitated. "Okay, but only a short visit."
They followed him through Death City, stopping outside a two-storey concrete building which had what looked like large stitching over it.
"Before we go in, I need to warn you about Doctor Stein." Akane said pushing up his glasses. "He's a little different."
"How so?" Yuu asked.
Akane sighed.
"You'll see." He said.
Inside, there were three girls waiting patiently on a bench outside a set of double doors.
"Oh, I didn't realise you three were here as well." Akane said politely.
"Akane!" Gasped one of them.
She had shoulder length black hair tied up into spiky pigtails and wore a black sailor uniform with a white tie stylised like many of the skulls in Death City.
Doesn't her hair look like Black Rock Shooter's? Mato signed to Yuu.
It does a bit. Yuu grinned.
"Harudori." Akane smiled. "It's nice to see you."
"What is she doing here?" A blonde girl demanded, pointing at Mato.
"They've come to see Eternal Feather, they were worried about her." Akane said.
"Worried? She shot her!" The girl said incredulously. Her piercing blue eyes bored into Mato, before widening slightly as she noticed the other's own eyes.
"I used low velocity rounds." Mato said quickly before the blonde could speak again. "Not deadly but would've caused some damage."
"Your eyes." The girl muttered. "Your face."
Mato closed her eyes and turned away, hiding her scars with a hand.
"Anya, if Mato hadn't acted there, is a high probability Eternal Feather wouldn't be here." Akane said gently
"I remember you three." Yuu said, changing the subject. "You always go to Deathbucks."
"I thought you looked familiar!" Hadudori squealed as Anya glared at her.
"I think introductions are in order." Akane smiled. "Mato, Yuu, this is Tsugumi Harudori, Anya Hepburn and Meme Tatane." He said, walking over to the three.
"And this is Mato Kuroi and Yuu Koutari." He continued. "They're going to be joining us in the N.O.T class"
"Absolutely not, I will not be in the same class as these ruffians!" Anya declared, straightening her long, pale yellow blazer and crossing her arms.
"Ruffians?" Mato asked, turning to face Yuu.
"Eh, we've been called worse." Yuu laughed.
Just then one of the double doors slid open and a tall, silver haired man wearing a lab coat and large round glasses stood in shadow.
"I thought I heard talking." He said.
"Doctor Stein." Akane greeted him. "How is she?"
"The girl?" Stein asked.
Everyone nodded.
"It's too early to say, she has certainly broken some ribs, there may also be some bruising on her lung." Stein said calmly.
"Is she going to be alright?" Tsugumi pleaded.
"Oh yes, she'll be fine. It may be a while before she can leave however, there is going to be some pain." Stein answered.
Mato closed her eyes and silently cursed herself.
"Thank you Doctor." Akane said as Stein slowly closed the door while staring at them.
Anya, Meme and Tsugumi breathed a sigh of relief as Akane stood over them.
"You three will need to stay here for a little while." He said kindly. "Sid will want to ask you some questions about Eternal Feather.
They nodded sadly.
He looked over at Mato and Yuu.
"Come on, lets show you your new home." Akane smiled.
"Here we are." The taller student said, coming to a stop at the main gates. The building looked like huge mansion built out of stone and brick with a well-kept garden in front.
"Fancy place, I'm so looking forward to sleeping in a proper bed and not some ship bunk." Yuu smiled, stretching in anticipation.
"Oh, hell yeah." Mato grinned. "And not waking up to being yelled at."
"One of the students will show you around." Akane said. "They should be here shortly."
As he spoke, a young girl ran up to them. She had long brown hair tied into a bun and wore a smart uniform.
"You must be the late starters." She said. "I'm Jacqueline."
Mato and Yuu introduced themselves.
"Well then, I'll be off." Akane smiled, walking away. "Jackie, look after them."
Jacqueline tilted her head slightly.
"Have we met before?" She asked. "I feel like I've seen you before, recognise those eyes."
Mato shook her head.
Yuu was about to speak when Strength interrupted her.
She was there when we arrived.
"You were there when we arrived." Yuu repeated.
"When you arrived?" Jacqueline asked. "What do you…" She trailed off as her brown eyes widened in realisation.
"It's you!" She said, startled. "You came from that ball in the sky!"
"Yeah, portal from another reality." Yuu grinned.
"I-I." The brown-haired girl stammered. "Really?" She finally managed to say.
"Yeah." Mato said, turning her white ringed eyes towards her. "That makes you and that pink girl who helped me, the first people to greet us in this world."
"I'm sorry about Kim." Jacqueline said sheepishly.
"It's okay, we've encountered worse." Yuu smiled. "Now, wasn't there talk about a big comfy bed with my name on it?"
"Oh, of course!" The E.A.T student said. "Follow me."
"You didn't seem angry or surprised to discover that Kim was…" Jacqueline hesitated a moment. "What she is."
"Our home reality had a hidden world of witches and wizards living among regular people for centuries." Yuu explained as she and Mato were led around the large building. "After it got revealed, it quickly became a normal thing within a few years."
"There wasn't any hatred towards them? Even despite their evil nature?" Jacqueline asked.
"Woah, who said anything about evil?" Mato said.
"They're witches, everyone knows they're inherently destructive." Their guide said.
"This is sounding a lot like dogma." Mato replied. "Is Kim evil?"
"N-no!" Jacqueline said loudly.
"How long has this world known about them?" Yuu asked.
"We've always known about witches." The girl said shakily.
"And you've always been at each others throats?" Yuu asked.
"Uh-huh." Jacqueline nodded.
"Persecution leads to extremism, you two have been fighting each other for so long that all that's left is anger." Yuu told her.
"Sorry, we didn't mean to grill you." Yuu apologised after a moment. "This world is still so new to us and then to hear someone say a group is evil." She lowered her voice. "Even though one of her friends is one is very confusing."
"Yuu." Mato sighed. "You're not helping." She gently pushed her friend away and turned to Jacqueline.
"Yuu is very big on equality and rightly so, but sometimes she can come off a little strong." She said shooting Yuu a glance.
"So tell us about yourself and Kim." She asked. "Are you in the N.O.T class too?"
"Ahhh, bed!" Yuu cried as she flopped down onto the pristine sheets in her and Mato's new room.
"You could at least take off your shoes first." Mato groaned.
"Nah, this is good." Yuu smiled, fanning her arms out, she suddenly sat up and looked at Mato.
"Thanks, for earlier." She said.
Mato took off her jacket and started unzipping the lower half as she sat on her own bed.
"Don't worry about it, you get passionate about equality." She smiled. "It's a really good thing."
"I just forgot to listen to Strength when she told me Jackie was getting upset." Yuu muttered.
"And it's fine, she accepted our apology and even started to warm up to us near the end." Mato reassured her, putting on her shortened jacket and standing up.
"How do you know that?" Yuu asked.
Mato grabbed a pillow, strolled over to the shorter girl and smacked her with it.
"We have Otherselves you fool." Mato grinned.
"Ahhh!" Yuu cried, rolling off the bed. She sat up and looked at Mato over the edge.
"You going somewhere?" She asked.
"Shopping." Mato replied.
"Shopping?" Yuu echoed.
"Look, if you think I'm going to spend my time here in a bikini, shorts and boots then you're very much mistaken." Mato huffed, zipping herself up.
"I guess you're right, nobody wants to see that." Yuu giggled, getting up.
"Hey!" Mato cried as she followed Yuu out the door.
Hours later, the pair stumbled back into their room, arms full of bags.
"Good thing we only spent what we needed from Deathbucks." Yuu muttered dropping her shopping on her bed.
"Feels weird though." Mato said doing the same. "When did work and shopping become such a bizarre concept?"
"Well for me." Yuu said as she unpacked her new clothing. "I think it was around the time we first stepped foot on Halo."
"Oh-five?" Mato asked, pulling out a blue toothbrush from a bag.
"Yeah, our first trip out of the solar system." Yuu nodded.
"It's so surreal, like it was a dream." Mato stated.
"Nearly five years, that's one hell of a nap." Yuu grinned.
Mato laughed in agreement as she changed into a pair of blue jeans and a white t-shirt with a blue star on the front, she moved around the room uncertainly.
"What's wrong?" Yuu asked.
"It's odd." Mato commented. "I guess I'm not used to wearing something this tight on my legs."
"They're jeans, not even skinny jeans, how are they tight?" Yuu asked.
"Well I've either been wearing shorts or battle dress and armour. This is strange." Mato replied as she walked.
Yuu shook her head in amusement as she put away the rest of her stuff and also got changed.
"Now what?" She asked.
"Dunno about you, but I really want noodles." Mato said.
"I could do noodles." Yuu agreed. "Let's go!"
The next day, Mato and Yuu were rushing through the Academy attempting to find their class.
"Shit!" Yuu cried. "We're late!" Yuu cried as the bell rung.
"It's our first day, and nobody really told us where we needed to go." Mato said, hurrying beside her.
They saw an older student running from the opposite direction, as they passed each other they quickly asked each other for directions.
Finally they found their class, they stepped into the large semicircular room and were about to find their seats when Sid was suddenly looming over them.
"Where have you two been? This lesson started ten minutes ago!" The large man said sternly.
"Sorry." Mato bowed. "We got lost."
"Hmph, well make sure it doesn't happen again." Sid told them.
They made their way up the steps of the amphitheatre-esque room and found two free spots next to each other.
"Nice of them to supply textbooks in our room." Mato whispered opening her bag.
"Pretty cool, not like most schools." Yuu agreed quietly.
"Alright." Sid said loudly to everyone. "Now that that distraction is over, we can continue our lesson on wavelength control."
"Mato, Yuu. Could you stay behind a minute." Sid said as the bell rang.
The pair walked over to him as the rest of the students left the room, only when the door finally closed did he say anything.
"Pretty bewildering?"
"Yeah." Yuu chuckled. "All this stuff about wavelengths and soul resonances is just…" She mimed her head exploding.
"It's really weird being back in school as well." Mato added. "It's been many, many years."
"That's right, I remember." Sid said. "You mentioned your bodies changed to be younger."
"It's fucking bizarre." Mato replied. "The mind and experience of a forty year-old woman in a teenagers body with all the rampant hormones that go with it."
"Yeah." Yuu agreed. "It's sometimes like being drunk, it's such a weird feeling."
"I'll bet." Sid smiled. "I'll ask you to tone down the language while you're here as well, remember, we do have younger students."
"Right." Mato said nodding. "Sorry."
"The reason I wanted to talk to you, was about your weapon partners." Sid said. "Most of the N.O.T students have already paired up, so we are a little short. It may be some time before one becomes available."
"That's not a problem, like we said we don't really need one." Mato said.
"Well, just wanted to let you know, meisters and weapons are pretty integral to the DWMA. It's rare that a person isn't partnered up." Sid told them.
"We'll be okay Sid, but thanks for looking out for us." Yuu smiled.
"Okay then." The large man smiled. "You guys better get to the cafeteria before the place sells out."
Mato and Yuu nodded then left.
"He's cute." Yuu said as they walked down the corridor.
"Who Sid?" Mato asked.
Yuu nodded.
"Yeah, I suppose he is." Mato agreed.
"And those arms!" Yuu moaned. "I'd let him throw me around anyday!"
"Yuu!" Mato cried in despair. "Do I need to follow you around with a mop and bucket?"
Yuu looked at Mato for a moment, then it slowly dawned on her.
"That's disgusting!" She giggled.
"Oh that's disgusting? My sweet, innocent Yuu, you'd never make it as a soldier." Mato grinned.
A few days later, Mato and Yuu stood with the rest of the N.O.T students in a large sports field, being addressed by Sid and a female teacher, Mira, who the pair had met for the first time a day before.
The teachers assigned the students into groups and supervised them through the vigorous and intensive exercises.
"Next up, hundred metre sprint!" Mira said, looking over her glasses at Mato's group.
A collective groan went up as the students plodded over to the running track, Mato looked around, noticing that Akane and his partner were the only ones unfazed by the command. Mira blew her whistle when the students were finally lined up, immediately Akane and his partner Clay burst out into the lead with Mato running a close third.
"Akane, six point seven eight. Clay, ten point five nine. Mato, ten point eight one." Said a nearby instructor holding a stopwatch.
"Hey, you're pretty… fast." Clay wheezed.
"Thanks." Mato smiled, stretching. "You two are really fast."
"How are… You not… out of breath?" Clay gasped, forcing himself upright.
"I'm used to running with a backpack full of equipment and wearing body armour." Mato shrugged. "Being part Otherself probably has something to do with it as well."
"So you can run quicker?" Akane asked, slowly breathing deeply.
"Nah." Mato said shaking her head. "That's about it, I can't push it any more without injury, I've tried."
Clay ran a hand through his short blonde hair.
"It's easy to forget you're not a typical kid." He said.
"I forget myself sometimes that I'm not fully human, then I see myself in the mirror and realise I've been sixteen for nearly…" Mato trailed off, adding up the time since she had fallen through the tear originally. "Six years."
"That sounds tough." Akane said.
"Can be." Mato admitted.
"So tell me about your Otherself." Akane asked, as the last few stragglers from their group crossed the finish line.
"What do you want to know?" Mato asked, looking at the rest of the students with equal parts sympathy and amusement as they caught their breath.
"What's she like?" Akane asked.
"That's tough." Mato said. "Towards me, she is loving, she treats me with care and respect."
"What about everyone else?" The older student asked.
"Cold, but she'll happily help out with a good cause provided she feels it's justified." Mato smiled to herself. "And I'm always there to give her a nudge as well."
That is not entirely true, is it? Rock said.
It's better than saying you'll help because we've got nothing better to do. Mato replied
I suppose. Rock said.
"How powerful is she?" Clay asked seriously.
"You're assessing me." Mato suddenly realised, taking a step back. "You've heard our story, you're wanting to know how dangerous she is."
"Can you blame us?" The blonde man asked.
"You could just ask, I'm sick of having to do this on every world we go to." Mato stated. "But it's important to remember that she's not going to turn on you, unless you pose a serious risk to my life."
She sighed. "It's probably better if I give you a demo so you can judge for yourself. Do you guys have a training room or sparring area?"
Akane nodded.
"Alright, well, how about after classes I show you?" Mato grumbled. "And then you can tell me why you're lying to everyone about who you are."
"What's wrong?" Yuu asked in the cafeteria. "You've been in a sour mood since PE."
"Akane and Clay." Mato spat. "They quizzed me about Black Rock Shooter."
"How is that a bad thing?" Yuu asked.
"Because they weren't being friendly, they wanted to know how dangerous she was." Mato said sadly into her pudding. "I was liking pretending we were normal and not being treated like dangerous creatures."
"Yeah, me too." Yuu muttered sympathetically. "So what did you tell them?"
"Nothing, I offered to show them." Mato replied, poking the creamy dessert with a fork. "I'm going to put the fear of God into them, so nobody asks about it again."
"Mato." Yuu sighed. "That's a bit extreme, don't you think?"
"Maybe." Mato groaned, leaning back. "But I was frustrated and kinda hurt, I know we wouldn't call each other friends but they seemed too nice to pull this shit."
"Not nice enough to tell why they've been lying though?" Yuu asked.
"You picked up on that as well?" Mato said.
"Yeah, it's not malicious so I let it slide." Yuu said, taking a big bite of cake.
"Well, I told them we know they've been lying." Mato stated. "They reluctantly agreed to tell us if Black Rock Shooter can beat them in a duel."
"Seriously?" Yuu asked, surprised.
"It was Clay, he just blurted it out." Mato said. "I could feel his pride overcome him."
They sat silently, eating their respective desserts.
"So." Yuu said finally. "Is this a private duel or not?"
"Huh?" Mato mumbled with a full mouth.
"Might be able to make some money." Her friend grinned.
A crowd gathered outside the main entrance to the DWMA, mostly students from the N.O.T classes but a few from the E.A.T class. Mato spotted the scythe wielding girl from the Death Bazaar talking to a male with spiky white hair and a bandana.
Yuu was also present, stalking through the crowd quietly placing bets.
"Are we doing this or not?" Clay asked, his voice torn between nervous and impatient.
Mato nodded, then started to remove her t-shirt.
"What are you doing?" Akane asked as Clay disappeared in a white light and morphed into a long black sword with a white edge.
"It's a brand new top and it's also my favourite." Mato said, carefully folding it and placing it on the stone floor. "I don't want to lose it."
She looked up at the pair and shook her head.
"You had the perfect opportunity to catch me off guard there." She chastised, closing her eyes and relaxing.
A collective gasp came from the crowd as Mato's clothes burnt away and were replaced by the Otherself's
A moment later, Black Rock Shooter opened her eyes, looking at Akane briefly then reaching behind her and pulling out the cylindrical handle of her energy sword.
"You know, I've always wondered what that thing was." Akane said, holding Clay out in front of him. "You always carry it with you."
Rock activated the weapon with a flick of her wrist, a long, twin pointed blade of crackling blue energy exploded out of the hilt. She swung it lazily against the ground, the tips cutting and melting through the stone, leaving blackened gouges.
"Err, Akane?" Clay muttered, his voice distorted.
Rock walked towards them slowly, as she came close, Akane swung at her with Clay, she ducked and rolled away. They came in for another attack which she dodged. After minutes of gracefully dancing around the human and weapon, she finally brought up her own sword to parry, the superheated edge collided with the demon weapon and Clay screamed in pain as a small portion of the sword started to melt.
She paused for a moment, leaping backwards and deactivating the energy sword.
"Clay!" Akane shouted. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm good." Clay replied, struggling to speak. "Just really hot, think it burnt me."
"We can end this fight." Akane stated.
"No!" Clay shouted. "I'm good, we got this."
Rock looked into Akane's eyes then replaced the sword handle on her back, clipping it onto her belt
"Looks like she's not using a weapon anymore." Akane said to Clay.
"Maybe she thinks she doesn't need one, this is our chance!" The weapon replied.
Rock tilted her head, watching the two as they had their conversation. She looked around the crowd until she saw Yuu.
Why are they just talking? She signed.
I don't know, they are just kids after all, maybe they're motivating themselves? Yuu signed back.
The Otherself turned back around to see Akane running towards her, she easily ducked and spun under the sword as it cut through the air, landing a punch to the meister's kidneys. After side-stepping a backwards thrust she grabbed the man's wrist and twisted it loosening his grip on his weapon. She gripped the blade firmly and yanked it out of his hand, cutting through her glove and skin at the same time, leaving a blue streak on the edge.
Clay screeched in agony as contact with his meister was lost, Rock dropped the sword in surprise and stepped back allowing Akane to retrieve him.
"What the hell was that?" Akane asked.
"I-I don't know." Clay said shakily. "It felt like my soul was being ripped apart!"
"Are you okay?" Akane said.
"I think so, I-I just need a minute." Clay panted.
Rock watched as the pair slowly got ready to fight again.
"Black Rock Shooter!" Yuu shouted. "Stop teasing them and end it!"
"She's not even trying?" Clay cried.
Rock tilted her head and extended her right arm towards them.
Akane's eyes widened in shock and fear as large chunks of metal materialised in a misty blue glow and clamped around her hand, growing longer until her Rock Cannon was fully formed. She charged the cannon and fired, the energised rock hammered against Clay and exploded, sending them flying backwards.
"Oww." Akane said, rubbing his head.
Standing up, he saw the Otherself relatively distant. He bent over to pick up Clay and felt a rush of air flow over him and a warmth to his neck.
He froze.
Slowly turning his head up, he saw Rock standing over him, her energy sword so close he could feel the heat.
"Clay." He said. "I think we've lost this one."
"Yeah, I think so." Clay replied in a disappointed tone.
He changed back to his human form and rubbed his upper arm. Akane helped him roll up his sleeve and discovered a minor burn on his skin.
"Oh my gosh!" Mato cried as she swapped with Rock. "I'm so sorry! I had no idea her sword would affect you like that!"
"You didn't?" Clay muttered in disbelief.
"I wouldn't have let her use it otherwise, I thought weapons were immune to damage." Mato said sadly.
"Well fortunately, it doesn't look too bad." Akane said. "But it maybe best to get the doctor to look over it."
"Right." Clay muttered, walking off.
The taller man looked down at Mato.
"Have I answered your question about how dangerous we are?" Mato asked, coldly.
"Not even close, but you are certainly more powerful than us and by extension most of the E.A.T class." Akane said. "One on one at least."
"You're E.A.T?" Mato asked. "That's what you were lying about?"
"Hmm, we were placed into N.O.T on a special mission before you joined." Akane said, pushing up his glasses. "I'll ask you to not share this information with anyone."
"Of course." Mato nodded.
Yuu ran over them grinning as the crowd dispersed.
"That was pretty cool." Yuu said. "And we made a fair amount of money."
"You placed bets?" Akane asked.
"Only small ones, five dollars at most." Yuu shrugged. "Ain't gonna rinse these kids of everything, I remember what uni was like."
"Sounds like you knew she was going to win." Akane said.
"Of course." Yuu smiled, handing Mato her t-shirt.
"Well that was something." Sid said behind them. "You newcomers beat the best students in the N.O.T class."
"You mean E.A.T." Mato corrected him, as she tied Rock's jacket around her waist.
"I thought I told you not to share that information with anyone." Akane said angrily.
"Except he already knows, he's your commander." Mato replied. "Isn't he?"
"They're E.A.T students?" Yuu interrupted. "That's it? That's the big secret?"
"Yeah." Mato chuckled.
Yuu grumbled something under her breath and kicked a loose bit of stonework.
"I think she was hoping for something a bit more juicy, love triangle or secret society." Mato smiled to the older teens. "Don't worry, we'll keep it quiet and we're not going to ask about the reason why you and Clay were put in the class. If we ever need to know I'm sure you'll tell us."
"Alright." Sid said, seemingly satisfied. "You two get going, now remember, tomorrow morning's lesson is just for weapons so you don't have to attend."
Mato and Yuu nodded and left.
"'Kay, something weird happened in that fight earlier." Mato said as she and Yuu worked together to make dinner in the dormitories shared kitchen.
"Hmm?" Yuu said, stirring a pot of curry.
"When Black Rock Shooter grabbed Clay he screamed in pain, right?" Mato asked.
"Yeah, that's odd, we've never caused that reaction when we got partnered with a weapon for lessons." Yuu replied.
"That's it though, he only cried out when Akane lost his grip and Black Rock Shooter was touching him." Mato clarified.
Yuu frowned.
"That doesn't seem right, maybe it has something to do with her soul?" She suggested. "This shit about souls and wavelengths gives me a headache sometimes, I prefer it when physics is the law and we're the strangest things in reality."
"Maybe we should talk to Mira?" Mato wondered. "She's a weapon, she might be able to help."
"Good idea." Yuu nodded. "Alright, I'd say this is about done, how's the rice?" She asked.
Mato poked around her pot with a spoon.
"Few more minutes?" She said uncertainly.
Yuu looked over and sighed.
"The water's evaporated and that's burning, pretty sure it's cooked." She told her.
Mato yelped and quickly removed the pot from the stove, together, they plated up the food and sat down at the large dining table to eat.
As they ate, a familiar pink-haired girl entered.
"Hey Kim." Yuu smiled. "How you doing?"
The slender girl pulled down her headphones.
"Huh?" She asked.
"How are you doing?" Yuu repeated.
"I'm fine." Kim said bluntly. "Why?"
"Just being friendly, I've heard it's what people tend to do." Yuu grinned.
"If you say so." Kim said coldly as she made her way to the microwave.
"There's some curry in the pot over there is you want some." Mato said with her mouth full.
"What?" Kim asked.
"Curry, pot, there." Mato pointed with a fork. "Help yourself."
"We managed to save most of the rice." Yuu added. "Mato can't cook for shit."
"Hey!" Mato mumbled.
"I don't want curry." Kim huffed. "Why are you being nice?"
Mato swallowed her food.
"Well, you helped me when we arrived, even though you demanded payment after." She said. "Deny it all you want, but you're a good person."
"Whatever." Kim shrugged.
Mato smirked at Yuu who grinned as she shovelled another loaded fork into her mouth.
After classes had finished, Mato stayed behind to talk to Mira, the stern looking woman glanced up as she put away her things for the day.
"Mato, is there something I can help you with?" The teacher said.
"Maybe." Mato said. "It's from a few days ago when Black Rock Shooter had that fight with Akane and Clay."
"I remember, very impressive if a bit one sided." Mira nodded.
"At one point, Black Rock Shooter was holding Clay as a weapon and it really hurt him." Mato told her. "He said it was like his soul was being pulled apart."
"Interesting, I do recall his shouting. What exactly happened?" Mira asked.
Mato replayed the event from her perspective with Rock informing her of tiny details.
"Hmm, you'd need to talk to somebody with soul perception, but it sounds like your Otherself has some sort of anti-soul wavelength." Mira said. "Which is impossible, nothing like that exists anywhere."
"They're physical manifestations of our darkest emotions and deepest desires, they're not human or technically alive." Mato said.
"Darkest emotions and deepest desires?" Mira repeated. "What does that mean?"
"Someone you care about dies, or your lover cheats on you. Or despite your best efforts somebody is seriously injured, or maybe you're dealing with constant abuse on a daily basis." Mato said. "All the pain that's associated with them, grief, hurt, guilt, sadness, depression.
"A person's Otherself takes them onto themselves to relieve you of them, then they fight and kill others. If an Otherself dies, then those emotions and the memories of what caused them are slowly lost."
"So you just forget them?" Mira asked.
"Not quite, it's like suppressing an embarrassing memory. It's still there but it doesn't affect you as much as it did."
Mira nodded slowly.
"What about the deepest desires?" She asked.
"That's what give Otherselves their strength." Mato said.
"How so?" Mira asked, adjusting her glasses.
"For example, Yuu's wants nothing more than to live a life free of pain, emotional or physical." Mato said.
She held up a hand.
"I'm not going into why, that's for her alone to say, if she wants to."
"Understandable." Mira agreed.
"So Yuu's Otherself is one of the strongest and most heavily armed, I've seen her push tanks around like they were nothing." Mato said.
"And what about you?" Mira asked.
"My deepest desire is for nobody to be hurt, I don't care if I do, as long as everybody else is okay." Mato stated.
Mira raised an eyebrow.
"So, your Otherself…" She started to say.
"Black Rock Shooter." Mato interrupted. "And you can ask Yuu or her Otherself if you don't believe me, is one of the most dangerous and brutal creatures from the Otherworld because of that desire." She said coldly. "But only when she has to, she's not a mindless killer."
Thank you. Rock said.
"That would make sense as to what happened with Clay." Mira said after a long moment. "She might not have a soul and it's possible that his tried to fragment itself to escape from all the negative feelings contained within her."
Mato grinned brightly.
"I think you're the first person I've ever spoken to who understands this." She said happily.
"It's not that complicated." Mira stated.
"Tell that to the superpowered humans, aliens, A.I and genetically engineered super-soldiers who we've met." Mato said.
"I'm going to assume that wasn't a joke." Mira said.
"Nope." Mato smiled. "It's been a rough few years."
Mira's eyes flickered across Mato's face to her faint scars.
"I can see that." She said gently. "Was there anything else?"
"That was it." Mato said, turning her head slightly. "Thank you."
