There was an open park just down the road from the high school. It didn't have any name or defining features or sights – the place was literally just called 'Park'. And now that Akko thought about it, did their school even have a name? She had been walking to and from the place for a couple days now and she never saw a sign at the front gate or anywhere in the halls or class. Whoever made this world really didn't put a whole lot of thought into it, Akko mused.

Possibly against her better judgment, she had followed her classmate in the spacesuit – Luluco – even though they knew they should be in class right now. Not that it would've made a difference to Akko; she sucked at school regardless of the dimension.

They walked around the brick-covered path for a few minutes until they came to a stop in front of a bench. Luluco pivoted on her feet and spun around toward Akko, her eyes filled with determination.

'Whoa…she looks so serious,' thought Akko, sweating slightly. 'I don't really do well with serious people. Well, maybe Diana, but it's kinda cute when she does it. Wait…maybe she's so serious is because she really is going to make a confession! This kinda thing happens all the time in anime! But I just met her! And I kinda…. Maybe I should run away – no, Akko, stand your ground! If she confesses, you just gotta let her down easy – '

"Are you okay?" asked Luluco curiously; Akko yipped, breaking from her train of thought. "You look like you're thinking really hard about something."

"Me? Thinking? Nah, that would never happen…wait," Akko paused, realizing she had just insulted herself. Brushing it off, she squared her shoulders and stared straight at Luluco. "So, what did you want to talk to me about?"

"There's something I wanted to ask you," said Luluco seriously. "Something that's very important."

'Oh kami, here it comes!' Akko mentally screamed.

"Please…use your magic to send me home!" Luluco shouted urgently.

"…Huh?" Akko said blankly.

TRIGGER QUARTET

Episode Four: Encounter! Classmates

"Send you…back home?" Akko repeated slowly.

"Please!" Luluco pleaded, bowing desperately. "Use your magic to send me and my friends back to our own dimension! I'm begging you!"

"Whoa, whoa, hold on there!" yelped Akko, flailing her hands. "There's no way I could do something like that!"

"But you have to!" Luluco practically shouted. "My life has been weird enough ever since I was forced to join the Space Patrol! My hometown was shoplifted into a black hole, my mom is a space pirate, and I went to a whole bunch of weird planets like the one with that creepy mushroom girl – "

"You know Sucy?" Akko blinked curiously.

"- but getting transported to a whole 'nother dimension?!" Luluco continued her tirade. "I mean, what is this all about?! Why am I going to school in another universe with a bunch of weirdos – "

"Hey!" Akko shouted defensively.

"Is this a joke?! Some kind of prank?! This is too much for me! Please," she rounded to Akko again, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears, "just send me and my friends' home! My universe was weird, but it was normal to me…"

"But…If I had that kind of power, don't you think I would have used it on the first day?" said Akko bluntly.

"…huh?" Luluco said tonelessly as Akko's surprising logic sank in.

Back at the high school, Professor Ursula had gone into a long-winded lecture over the book of some author no one had ever heard of, occasionally asking questions here and there to make sure that they were paying attention. As expected of the Student Council President, Satsuki was taking clear and concise notes that filed up three pages of her pure-white notebook. Everyone else was either trying to be a good student and pay attention like Lotte and Nova, only half-listening and jotting down a couple of notes here and there like Ryuko and Shirou, or outright disregarding the lesson for their own interests like Midori and Amanda.

What surprised everyone, however, was the fact that Diana Cavendish had not even opened her textbook since the lesson started. All of the Luna Nova students had expected her to be as diligent and attentive as she was back at their own universe, so it was truly a rare sight to behold. The blonde heiress was biting down on her thumb, gnawing on her nail with a menacing scowl that urged everyone nearby to move their desks away slowly. Even Professor Ursula could feel the dark aura Diana was radiating, though she tried to pretend otherwise; just like she pretended Diana was glaring at the back of her head….

"Hey, kid, you okay there?" Marie called from behind Diana. "You're…leaking out something…. It's kinda scary…."

"Calm down, princess," Amanda called back. "We were just joking about that love confession. You're getting yourself worked up over nothing."

"Worked up? Me? I'm not worked up?!" said Diana, her voice a noticeable octave higher than usual. "It's not like I care that Akko went off somewhere – alone – with that girl. I am not at all concerned that there may be the slightest, tiniest, most unlikely possibility that girl is possibly confessing personal to feelings right now. And I am most certainly not worried that the two of them might actually form some kind of re…relat…get together. Not at all!"

"Wow, I never took her for the tsundere type," Nonon commented.

"You wouldn't think Lady Satsuki was a siscon either," said Sanageyama.

"Good point," Nonon nodded sagely.

"Don't worry, Diana!" Nina suddenly shouted, jumping out of her seat. "If your feelings for Akko are true, then I'm sure she will understand and come back to you!"

"Nina, please stop getting involved," Michiru groaned.

"M-my feelings for – " Diana stammered, her checks turning brick-red. "I – I don't have- you are just being ridiculous!"

"Um…" Ursula spoke with an awkward hum, calling attention to herself. "You do realize we're still in the middle of a lesson, correct?"

Back at the park named "Park", Akko and Luluco sat quietly on the nearby bench as the birds chirped above their heads. Akko had waited patiently until the Space Patrol officer had calmed down, rubbing her back soothing to relieve any remaining stress. After that, they both started talking about their lives before coming to this new dimension.

Akko learned that Luluco's parents were a Space Patrol office and a space pirate that apparently gets into a lot of fights involving a lot of heavy ordinance – and somehow, they are still married. Then, Luluco somehow managed to turn her dad into a block of ice – which then turned into a brain in an ice cube – and got drafted into the Space Patrol. Then there was some mess involving her mom, a black hole, someone buying an entire city and having it shipped off in a giant mail-order box – honestly, the whole thing sounded like something out of a gag anime.

Luluco learned that Akko wanted to be a witch ever since she saw her childhood idol, Shiny Chariot, perform, but she didn't come from a magical family like her classmates. She stumbled across the Shiny Rod by accident, which is supposedly the most powerful magical artifact in her world. She went on a lot of crazy adventures from there: turning into a merman to save her goldfish teacher, staring down an elderly dragon, riding a self-powered broom across the world, and stopping her best friend's family from being turned into moss people. And throughout her adventures, Akko had been unlocking these "Words" in the Shiny Rod that gave it new and fascinating powers, aiming to unlock all seven to "change the world" as she said.

"…so that's what you meant when you were talking to your friends after lunch," said Luluco understanding. "So you don't actually have that power now."

"Nah, I've only revived five of the Words so far," said Akko, holding up the Shiny Rod as if to prove her point. "I'm still learning about the last two. Ursula-sensei says that whoever revives all seven can unlock the…something or other, and restore the world of magic. Shiny Chariot tried to do it ten years ago, but she never made it past six."

"But if you revived all seven, do you think you could get us back home?" Luluco asked hopefully.

"Hmm…," Akko crossed her arms, looking up thoughtfully. "I don't know…I'm not even sure if the Shiny Rod has the same power in this dimension like it does in mine. What if it's like that sparkly glove that purple raisin guy is always after?"

"Darkseid?" Luluco offered.

"No, his less cool rip-off," said Akko. "Anyway, it's not like I'll figure out the last two words any time soon, so no point in thinking about it."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Luluco sighed, leaning back into the bench and looking up. "I really do want to go home, but I guess if I'm going to be stuck in another universe, I suppose this one isn't bad. Compared to back home, it's very…normal. Heh, it's funny. All I've ever wanted was a normal life, but now I can't imagine my life without being in the space patrol and all our wacky antics. Does that make me a hypocrite?"

"Mmm, I don't think so," Akko hummed. "It just means that you have your own normal. Where I'm from, riding on brooms and turning to animals is pretty normal for me – even if I still can't ride a broom," Akko muttered that last part.

"Hmm…I think I get what you mean," Luluco said thoughtfully. "I guess 'normal' is really what you make of it. For you, it's a world filled with magic and monsters. For me, it's aliens and unexplainable gags."

"Maybe we can make a new 'normal' in this world," Akko suggested positively.

"Yeah, I'd like that," said Luluco, smiling.

The bell finally rang for the end of the school day. Many students let out relieved sighs and groaned from their stiff limbs as they rose from their chairs and gathered their things.

"Finally, I thought today would never end," said Amanda, throwing her school bag casually over her shoulder. She faced the rest of the Luna Nova students and said, "Hey, I found this cool arcade when I was checking out downtown yesterday. Whaddya say we – hey, where'd Diana go?"

The five remaining witches looked back at Diana's desk and realized the blonde Brit had already vanished within seconds of the final bell. They didn't have to wonder where she went before Lotte caught a blur of something shooting past the windows. The girl leaned against the glass and turned their eyes to the sky, spying Diana straddling what looked like a dirty mop and soaring over the rooftops of downtown.

"That girl is totally whipped," Amanda commented amusingly.

"Did she just steal the janitor's mop?" asked Lotte, bewildered.

"Should we go investigate as well," Nova asked Midori. "Since Luluco is with her?"

"Do you actually care?" Midori replied nonchalantly, too busy playing with her phone.

"Not particularly," Nova answered bluntly.

"Just making sure we're on the same page," said Midori.

"I honestly feel bad for Luluco," said Michiru sympathetically.

"Please hold up for a second," Ursula called out as the students started walking to the doors. Everyone paused and looked back at the blue-haired woman. "Just a reminder: tomorrow, after classes, we will be having the talent show. It hasn't been decided who will be performing yet, so everyone, make sure you're ready."

"Excuse me, professor," said Iori, raising his hand, "but why are we having a talent show?"

"Well…," muttered Ursula, scratching her cheek awkwardly. "Because Mikisugi-sensei said…" She pushed up her glasses and did a surprisingly accurate imitation of Mikisugi's voice, "'Wouldn't it be fun?' So…yeah…"

"Geez that exhibitionist perv really loves doing things at his own pace," Ryuko grumbled.

"There's nothing we can do about it now," said Satsuki sagely. "Mikisugi-sensei is the teacher. And good students must follow their teachers."

"This coming from the woman who lorded over the faculty like a dictatorship," said Ryuko.

"What kind of school did you guys go to?" Nazuna sweatdropped.

Back at the park:

"So you like pickled plums, too?" said Luluco positively.

"Yeah, they're the best!" Akko shouted cheerfully. "They've got just the right amount of sour that makes your mouth pucker, but doesn't completely overload your taste buds! No one at Luna Nova appreciates the refined taste of pickled plums."

"I think it's more of a Japanese thing," Luluco giggled. "Like this one time – "

"Akko! Akko!"

The little witch and space patrol officer perked in their seats, looking left and right down either direction of the park walkway. When they didn't find anyone walking their way, Akko had a sneaking suspicion and tilted her head back toward the sky; Luluco saw this and followed her direction. Diana appeared over the tree canopy before gently floating down to land on her feet in front of their bench. Luluco thought the blonde Englishwoman looked relieved when she looked at Akko, but for some reason seemed to give her a nasty glare.

"Diana, what're you doing here?" asked Akko. "And why're you riding a mop?"

"It was all they had," Diana grumbled embarrassingly. She straight her posture and coughed importantly in her fist, saying, "I thought you would like to know that classes have ended for the day, which you completely missed, by the way. Professor Ursula was very disappointed."

"Gurk!" Akko chocked; disappointing Ursula was like kicking a puppy in the face.

"Anyway…," Diana continued, looking away shyly. "Amanda invited everyone to the arcade downtown and I thought you would like to come.

"That sounds awesome! Let's go!" Akko cheered, jumping off the bench. She walked a few paces, then turned back to Luluco and said, "I don't know how we ended up in this world, but it looks like a really fun place, don't you think?"

Luluco hummed thoughtfully for a moment, smiled, and said, "Yeah, it's really fun."

"Bye, Luluco-chan!" Akko waved as she walked down the path. "Let's talk again some time!"

"Bye, Akko-chan!" Luluco replied cheerfully.

Diana watched Akko as the Japanese witch merrily strolled by, humming a happy little song under her breath…. The English witch turned her head sharply toward Luluco, making the Space Patrol office lurch backward in a fright. Diana's face was strangely shadowed and there was a dark, menacing aura around her, like the kind you would see in an anime where the character was absolutely furious. Luluco inched slowly toward the edge of the bench, prepared to take off any second –

"Diana, hurry up, or Amanda will hog all the good games!" Akko called from the park gates.

"Coming, Akko," Diana replied pleasantly, her menacing aura magically vanishing.

Luluco stayed back as she watched the witch leave the park, a slight sweat running down her brow.

'Who knew making friends could be so dangerous?' thought Luluco.

The next school day came almost at the blink of an eye; so fast that Akko and the others honestly couldn't remember what they did last night, or if they did anything at all. Akko didn't really put much thought into the strange phenomenon and just chalked it up to this weird new world. Instead of walking to school with Lotte and Sucy today, Diana had offered to join her instead. It might have been her imagination, but the Japanese witch thought Diana was being a more…clingy ever since she went to the park with Luluco. But that couldn't be right; Diana was nothing but cool and levelheaded. She didn't get jealous…right?

For the past few days since arriving in this world, it had usually been Mikisugi-sensei waiting by the gate to greet the students and catch people when they were late. But today, Professor Ursula was standing in his place. Akko was smiling when she caught sight of the blue-haired witch. Ursula was her favorite teacher back in Luna Nova, so when the others told her that she was teaching classes, Akko almost regretted going with Luluco yesterday.

"Good morning, Ursula-sensei!" Akko shouted cheerfully, waving her hand enthusiastically.

"Good morning, professor," Diana greeted in a calmer fashion.

"Good morning, Akko," Ursula said pleasantly. "Good morning, Diana. You're in a good mood today, Akko."

"Just looking forward to another good day," said Akko cheerfully.

"That's a good attitude to have," said Ursula. "I'll see you both in class today."

The little witches bowed respectfully to Ursula and walked off into the school building. Ursula was pleased by how well Akko was taking this new world. Then again, Akko was always the one who looked forward to the strange and unusual more than most. At least in this school, the other students weren't making fun of her as bad as they had when she first started Luna Nova. It eased the feeling of guilt that weighed on her chest –

A few minutes later, the Space Patrol group showed up at the school gates. Ursula noticed right away that they weren't wearing the space suits they arrived with. Luluco and Midori both wore pleated blue skirts and pink-and-white stripped ribbons that were part of a school uniform, but Luluco wore a beige vest over her shit white while Midori wore a loose sweater. Nova, however, wore a completely white uniform with a fluffed collar and a stylized "A" on his chest.

"Good morning, professor," Luluco greeted positively.

"Good morning, Luluco," said Ursula. "I see you found some new clothes."

"Yeah, Nova-kun found this clothing store downtown yesterday," said Luluco. "Though it's kinda weird how they had the exact same uniform as we did back home."

"No weirder than the rest of this place," Midori remarked.

"That's good to hear," said Ursula. "Well, you'd best be getting off to class." The Space Patrol bowed politely and walked away. "Well, it seems like Luluco has started to calm down. Whatever Akko said yesterday must have gotten through to her. She does seem to have a talent for that. Now….

She looked down the road, raising a curious brow.

"Everyone from Luna Nova and the Space Patrol has already shown up," Ursula hummed, looking at the checklist on the clipboard she was carrying. "As well as most of the Honnoji class and the Beastmen. But there are still four missing: Ryuko Matoi, Satsuki Kiryuin, Michiru Kagemori, and Shirou Ogami. Hmm…it's unusual for a diligent student like Satsuki to be late. I wonder if something happened…."

Ryuko was sprinting full speed down the street, her lungs burning with every step, while Satsuki trailed along behind her without even breaking a sweat. The dark-clothed delinquent checked the time on her watch – only to remember that she wasn't wearing one, nor did she carry a cellphone. Not like checking the time matter at this point, she thought. She already knew she was going to be cutting it close.

"God damn it!" Ryuko cursed. "Why'd you wait so long to wake me up, Sats?!"

"I was planning to," said Satsuki, her facial features betraying no expression, "but then I saw your adorable sleeping face and I couldn't bring myself to awaken such a cute angel."

"The fact that you can say something so disgusting with a straight face is impressive," said Ryuko with a grimace. "Wait, does that mean you were watching me sleep the whole time?!"

"All eight hours," Satsuki admitted without hesitation.

"That is so creepy!" Ryuko snapped. She glared down at her uniform. "Why didn't you say something?"

"Satsuki threatened to cut my seam line if I made a sound," said Senketsu apologetically. "I had no choice…."

"God, my family is full of freaks," Ryuko muttered. "Ugh, it doesn't matter. If we don't hurry up, we'll be late. And I'm still not over my trauma from that No Tardy Day thing. What the hell were you even thinking making something up like that anyway?!" she snapped at Satsuki.

"I had my reasons," Satsuki said plainly.

"Never mind," Ryuko groaned. "Let's speed things up."

"Right," Satsuki nodded.

Ryuko sprinted harder, only slightly increasing her speed, but when Satsuki suddenly zoomed past, the juvenile delinquent grounded her feet to a halt. Ryuko's jaw dropped as she watched Satsuki run down the street so fast, she was leaving afterimages of herself in her wake.

"Has she always been that fast?" asked Senketsu, sweatdropping.

"God damn it, Sats!" Ryuko screeched outrageously. "How the hell are you so much faster than me! That's just ridiculous!"

Ryuko doesn't know how her older sister could have heard her from so far away, but Satsuki stopped in her tracks, pivoted around on her heel, and zipped straight back to Ryuko. The elder sister didn't even stop as she ran past Ryuko, snatching her up around the waist and carrying the delinquent over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Satsuki extended her arm and grasped a utility pole to spin herself around and take off back down the road. Ryuko and Senketsu only blinked at the absurdity of the whole thing.

"Don't worry, little sister, I will carry you to school!" said Satsuki firmly.

"…Okay, this is definitely faster," Ryuko muttered, "but I definitely feel like my pride is taking a huge hit."

"Nonsense! You are wonderful when I pick you up and carry you!" Satsuki stated with solid conviction. "You look like a proud and noble Kiryuin!"

"I don't want the same name as our psychotic mother," said Ryuko, sweatdropping.

"At least we'll be able to make it to school on time," Senketsu noted.

"Yeah, but you don't see any other teenage girls being carried around like luggage," said Ryuko. But when she tilted her head up, her expression turned shocked as she witnessed Shirou carrying Michiru under his arm like a handbag behind them. "I do!"

"Michiru?" Shiro grumbled irritably.

"What?" Michiru said lazily.

"I know we're running late, but isn't this a bit much?" said Shirou.

"This is just the fastest way for us to get to school on time," said Michiru nonchalantly. "We'll get there faster if you carry me than if I run on my own."

"Don't you have the legs of a cheetah?" Shirou questioned, giving her a pointed look. "I specifically remember you having cheetah legs during your baseball stint."

"It's way too early in the morning for weird animal mutations," Michiru excused. "Besides, a man should always be willing to help delicate ladies in need."

"Delicate my ass," Shirou grumbled. "Don't you have any pride?"

"Pride that I'd lose 'cause an angry wolf guy was insulting me?" said Michiru. "Nope!"

"You little…."

But when the Beastmen looked forward and noticed Ryuko staring at them owlishly, they both went silent. Ryuko and Michiru locked eyes, both grimacing awkwardly with nervous sweat on their brows. No matter how one looked at the situation, it was simply too embarrassing….

"…Sats, put me down after all," Ryuko said after a moment's pause.

"All right," said Satsuki strangely.

"Shirou, put me down after all," Michiru said tonelessly.

"I figured as much," grumbled Shirou.

Everyone stopped in their tracks as Satsuki and Shirou set their respective charges on their feet. Ryuko and Michiru grumbled under their breath, not sure what they could say to make the scene any less embarrassing than it already was. But they thankfully – or maybe not – spared of any further awkwardness when they heard the high school's first bell in the distance.

"Oh crap, we're going to be late!" Ryuko and Michiru screamed simultaneously.

Professor Ursula checked her watch, humming. There was less than a minute till the final bell. Almost all the students had been accounted for except the four. She wondered if she should mark them tardy until she heard a bunch of shouting coming from down the road.

The first thing she saw was Satsuki and Shirou sprinting at full speed toward the gate while Ryuko and Michiru were a small distance behind them, the latter pair breathing heavily. Within seconds, Satsuki and Shirou dashed past Ursula beyond the school gates, just in time before the final bell sounded. But the other two….

"Crap, we're not gonna make it!" Ryuko cried.

"Maybe you won't!" said Michiru. The tanuki girl kicked off her sneakers as her legs morphed to resemble those of a cheetah. "Catch ya later!"

"Oh no you don't!" Ryuko snapped.

Before the shapeshifting girl could take off, Ryuko lunged forward and grabbed her by Michiru's bushy tail, pulling her back hard. Michiru squeaked, both from having her tail grabbed, and from being lifted off the ground by Ryuko's ridiculous strength. Michiru was tossed over her shoulder, throwing face down into the sidewalk, and Ryuko broke into one final sprint toward the gate. But when she skidded to a stop in front of Ursula –

"Ryuko Matoi…you're late!" said Ursula. Ryuko dropped to her knees, crying out in defeat. Ursula looked to the left where Michiru was trying to sneak her way over the wall. "Michiru Kagemori, you're late too!"

"Damn it!" Michiru cursed as she fell off the wall.

And that was how Ryuko and Michiru ended up standing outside the classroom, holding a bucket of water in each hand and balancing a third on their heads.

"…You know, I never understood how this was considered a punishment," Ryuko said suddenly.

"Yeah, I mean, they're basically making us skip class," said Michiru. "A real punishment would be to make us stay in class, am I right?"

"True that," said Ryuko, chuckling. "So…your name's Michiru, right?"

"And your Ryuko, yeah?" Michiru replied.

"How'd you do that thing with your legs back there?" asked Ryuko curiously. "Is that something all Beastmen can do?"

"Nah, just something that me and Nazuna have," answered Michiru. "And what about you? That was some freaky strength you had going on back there. I know a lot of strong Beastmen back home, but that was a whole 'nother level. It's almost like you weren't human."

"Well, technically, I'm not completely human," said Ryuko."

"Huh?" Michiru muttered, confused.

At that moment, Ryuko and Michiru set aside their water buckets, completely ignoring the fact they were being punished, and got to talking. They told each other about their lives and what they were doing before they ended up in their current world.

Michiru learned that Ryuko had gone through a literal hell back in Honnoji, what with her father being murdered and being relentlessly targeted by her classmates set upon her by Satsuki. There was also how she discovered Senketsu, a sentient sailor uniform that could amplify Ryuko's natural abilities a hundred-fold. Ryuko went into detail about her battles against Satsuki, the Elite Four, and some "psycho bitch" named Nui Harime. Then came the revelation of her being the daughter of Ragyo Kiryuin, her world's "Big Bad", ultimately making her the younger sister of Satsuki, her long-time-enemy-turned-ally. And if that wasn't enough, it turned out the Senketsu and all of the Life-Fibers were alien parasites planning to swallow their whole world and spread their seeds across the galaxy. Michiru couldn't help thinking Ryuko's lifer sounded like a sci-fi soap opera.

Ryuko had learned a little bit about Michiru's world in return. Humans and Beastmen both lived in her world, but the Beastmen were targeted for blatant racial discrimination and forced to seek settle in Anima City. Michiru herself used to be human until she suddenly transformed into a Beastman completely out of the blue and forced to leave her old life behind. She told Ryuko her theory about how she and Nazuna transformed shortly after an accident they were involved in, but couldn't confirm anything. She met Shirou and all of her friends in Anima City after many harrowing adventures until she was reunited with Nazuna again. Unfortunately, Nazuna had been taken in by a cult and grew to love being idolized as a god, putting a serious strain on their friendship.

"Man, that's gotta be rough," said Ryuko sympathetically. "I can't imagine what it must be like to give up your whole life for something out of your control. I never had the most stable life to begin with, so I never felt bad about leaving."

"You had your own problems," said Michiru understandingly. "I mean, dad dead, enemies at every turn, your biggest rival turns out to be you big sister, you mom is a genocidal lunatic, and, of course, aliens! Seriously, how can you keep up with all that?"

"Sometimes I pinch myself to see if it's just a dream," said Ryuko jokingly. "It never is."

"Excuse me!" Ryuko and Michiru went stiff as Ursula exited the class, giving them a stern look. "You're supposed to be holding those buckets!"

"Sorry, professor!" Ryuko and Michiru apologized together, picking up their discarded buckets.

Satisfied, Ursula walked back into class. Ryuko waited until she was sure the professor couldn't hear them and muttered out of the corner of her mouth, "Hey, wanna get lunch together?"

"Sounds good," Michiru replied.

When the bell rang over the intercom for lunch period, Ryuko and Michiru met up together, much to the confusion of Satsuki and Shirou. They both decided to take their lunch to the roof because 1) it was an anime staple and 2) because they could go up there freely whenever they want unlike a high school.

They both sat cross-legged on the ground with their lunches in hand. Satsuki went out of her way to make Ryuko's lunch for her, but the overbearing had given her a three-tier bento box filled to the brim with food – way too much for an ordinary person to eat. But Ryuko wasn't an ordinary person and Satsuki was a surprisingly good cook, so she didn't complain. By comparison, Michiru looked at her sad excuse for a lunch consisting of melon bread, cup ramen, and a drink from the vending machine. Stupid cheapskate Shirou….

"You noticed that almost everyone seems to have some kind of super power?" said Ryuko. "I mean, there's my group with their Kamui and Goku Uniforms. Then Akko's bunch has their magic and that magic staff thing she's always carrying with her. Your guys are turn into animals while you and Nazuna can practically shapeshift into whatever you want. And Luluco…. Wait, what can they do?"

"Space…stuff…?" said Michiru, shrugging. "But yeah, I know what your saying. No matter how you look at it, from an outsider's perspective, everyone here's a freak."

"But proud freaks," said Ryuko, waving around her chopsticks. "Sure, being half-Life-Fiber is a little weird, but it's the reason why I can talk to Senketsu. I wouldn't trade that for anything in the world."

"And I'm glad I got to meet you, Ryuko," said Senketsu.

"Yeah, I guess there's some positives to being a Beastman," said Michiru, taking a bite of her bread. "I got to meet Shirou, and Jackie, and Nina. And I guess Marie's fine since she saved me the first time, but she's always driving me up for money. I barely have any pocket change left."

"Yeah, not having money is the worst part about Honnoji," said Ryuko, grimacing. "Never having enough to buy real food and instead having to stick with whatever Mrs. Mankanshoku puts in her mystery croquettes. Don't get me wrong, she's an amazing cook, but I'm pretty sure most of her ingredients aren't sanitary. Then again, money has its own problems. I learn that the hard way with that whole Fight Club incident. Still, it was nice to have my own room for a change, even if it was money for a little while. I love the Mankanshokus, but having five people and one dogs sleeping in the same room is enough to drive anyone crazy."

"Yeah, that's really tough," said Michiru, nodding sagely. "Gem and Melissa give me a little allowance every week, but not enough to go crazy with it." Ryuko stiffened, a piece of fried chicken halfway to her mouth. "They probably don't want me to blow it all – not that Marie doesn't try to take it all anyway. But I guess that's okay since they let me sleep in their attic for free." The fried chicken slipped off Ryuko's chopsticks. "And I occasionally help Shirou out on some cases for the mayor. She's been helping me figure out why I've turned into a Beastman. She's pretty nice; even helped me get registered and settled into a new home – "

"Wait," Ryuko muttered suddenly. Michiru looked at her sideways as Ryuko stared back with a hollow look in her eyes. "…What the hell are you talking about?"

"It's…not as great as you think," said Michiru nervously. "I mean, my best friend kinda doesn't like me right now…and there were a lot of dangerous incidents – "

"What the hell?" Ryuko rumbled again, a menacing aura surrounding her.

"I'm just saying it's hard for both of us," said Michiru, slowly backing away.

The dark-haired delinquent cast a shadowed look at the tanuki girl. Michiru started to think it might be a good idea to run away, but before she could make a move, Ryuko suddenly lunged forward. The next thing she knew, Michiru was gasping for breath while Ryuko caught her in a choke hold, her eyes flaring red with anger.

"It's not hard for you at all!" Ryuko snarled. "You got a nice room! You get an allowance! You're buddy-buddy with the mayor and a whole bunch of people! How is that hard?! I have to share a one-room house with five other people in a school where everyone is trying to kill me! I don't even know what I'm eating ninety percent of the time! I've been beaten to death on a daily basis! I was molested and brainwashed by my own mom! And you say that you have it hard, you raccoon bitch!"

"I'm…a…tanuki…," Michiru wheezed.

"Like I give a shit!" Ryuko howled. "DIE!"

And is how the unlikely friendship of Ryuko and Michiru was born and died in less than a day.

I've been in a happy mood recently, which is why I chose to update this story again instead of taking a trip to the edgy-verse (as a friend of mine decidedly dubbed).

When you think about it, Ryuko really has a raw deal out of all the characters. She has to sleep in the slums in a one room house with five other people, her only friend is Mako, and everyone else in the world is out to kill her. Compared to her, Akko, Luluco, and Michiru have it pretty good. At least they have their own rooms.

And on a final note, apparently someone started a trope for Trigger Quartet without telling me. If anyone feels like it, go check it out and maybe even help build it. It's honestly an honor to have two stories on the site.