11 April 2010
Tatsuhime Shrine
Morning

"You sure about this?" Izuma asked of Amane as they reposed in the shade. "We can still move you, no problems."

"It's Midori," Amane said again. "I would be more worried about Kaido than her."

"I will still have to report this. We were supposed to be alerted to a move like that, and at the very least someone didn't do the paperwork." The Lieutenant looked around. "How about you? Isn't 'Shrine Maiden' a little close for comfort?"

"There is a difference between summoning demons in a tower and maintaining a shrine with the help of the local businesses."

"I know that, but you do need to get out more."

"Yasoinaba is a small town, there isn't a lot of 'out' to go to."

Izuma laughed at that. "Fair enough. I'll go have a chat with our little Idol, then go back to Tokyo. If there's any issues, let us know."

Komaki Residence
Afternoon

The doorbell rang. "One moment!" Midori called out as she looked up from her homework. Setting down the book of math problems, she walked to the front door. "Who is it?"

"Lt. Izuma," the SDF officer announced from outside. "Can I come in?"

Midori went from a walk to a run in order to open the door faster. "Izuma-chan! Welcome! I have a house!" She stepped back to allow the uniformed woman in. "What brings you here?"

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Midori knew what business brought the older woman to her. But she already made the invitation, and there was no taking that back.

The two of them made their way in silence toward the living room, where Midori cleared the homework off. "Can I get you some tea?" She offered, the polite hostess.

"No, thank you." Izuma made herself comfortable. "Now, we have a problem."

"I WON'T TELL ANYONE! I SWEAR!" Midori bowed as much as she could, offering her sincerest promises to never reveal any secret.

"That's not what I'm here about. I already talked to them, and they have agreed to let it slide." Izuma said to calm down the emotional girl. "Rather, there is something else we need to discuss."

Midori was confused. There was nothing to talk about. And her expression was clear on her face.

"You didn't file your paperwork to let us know you moved," Izmua gently chided.

"Yes I did!" Midori was instantly indignant. "Mitsuru-sempai double checked every last bit of paperwork before I left," she left unsaid her opinion about being watched over like that. "And everything was properly filed!"

"Then why don't we have that record?"

"Slow mail?" It was a feeble excuse, they both knew. But it was just that. Izuma sighed.

"Fine, we'll check things again on our end. No more trouble for you." The officer looked around. "Nice place. So, got a boyfriend yet?"

Evening

Steadying herself, Midori looked at the phone on the wall. There was no way around this, and while she really wanted to put this off thanks to everything that had happened yesterday and today, she knew that she couldn't give up on her friends.

So she picked it up and dialed a number. After a moment, it was picked up, the familiar sounds of being on a speaker on the other end coming to her. "Hello Junpei. Hello Chidori. How are things?"

14 April 2010
Yasogami High School, Class 2-2
Lunchtime

Being introduced to Saki meant getting to know her friends as well, and Midori made sure she was nice and polite to them, making sure that they knew she wasn't really an 'enemy'. That the existence of Junes was so reviled was something she had no experience in, and her normal morality gave her no clues how to proceed, so she defaulted to just being friendly.

And actually making friends her age was still a novel enough concept that she was honestly perky and happy at the experience!

Kanoko's parents worked in some of the greenhouses that were just outside town, while Sawa's family did... something or other. Midori must have missed that point in the conversation, and chalked it up as something to find out through experience later. The four of them quickly settled around their joint tables and were eating and chatting about the school work. The others questioned Midori about her previous School, and for Midori, the differences between Gekkoukan and Yasogami were massive, and she didn't want to insult her new school at all.

So she lied through her teeth.

Conversation was temporarily halted when the door to the classroom was opened with far more force than necessary. The quartet paused as a brown haired boy poked his head in, the shades of some others standing behind him. They pushed him into the class as she locked his eyes on the four. Or rather one in particular.

Midori knew exactly what was coming, and prepared her response. Schooling herself, she put on the mask that the boy wanted to see, and waited for his approach.

Hesitant, he did, ignoring the other three for Midori. He pulled a small envelope out his pocket and bowed as he offered it to Midori. "Please be my girlfriend!" His plea was deep.

"No." Midori replied, not looking at the envelope. "I don't even know your name, so why would I want to go out with you?"

She was harsh, she knew. And she probably channelled a little too much of Mitsuru for her own good. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm trying to have lunch with my friends." She turned away dismissively, and locked her eyes on the windows showing the outside until she heard the boy leave and the door close.

Then she let her head hit her desk. "Oh great, my first admirer." She groaned as she chose to bump her head against the wood grain again and again. "Couldn't they have at least waited until May?"

Saki frowned. "You would think they would put a note in your locker first, or something."

Kanako had to disagree. "I have a boyfriend," the only one of the three who did, "and being up front about it is a good thing. Why did you reject him, Midori?"

"I don't know his name," Midori repeated. "He didn't introduce himself, or anything. Just came up and demanded."

"Asked," Sawa corrected as she blew on her soup a little. "He's... Tawagawa, from 3-1?"

"Oooh! Older men!" Kanako teased Midori, who simply bumped her head again. "Maybe once you've picked one, we can do on a double-date!"

"Sure," Midori finally countered. "I'll do that when you sign up for the Tennis club."

Kanako thought about it. "Still trying to find people for that? You're up to, what... yourself, still?"

Midori nodded. "Need at least five before I can get a teacher adviser, then there's still all the paperwork involved."

"Why don't you join a club instead? Like Lacross?" Kanako was on that team, and bringing in Midori would be a coup amongst her peers there. The new girl was highly sought after.

Unknowing of that, Midori shook her head. "No. I like Tennis, and I'm good at it." That the skills synergized well with Demon and Shadow busting were nice, but not required. "Saki? How about you?"

Called upon, Saki thought. "Maybe. Maybe not."

"You tease!" Midori said back, "Come on! Please!" She clapped her hands together and bowed in mock supplication. "Join the club! With two, we can get three, easy! Then four, then five!"

"Let me think about it." Saki didn't feel like giving in to the pressure of her new friend just yet. "So, are you coming over tonight? Apparently your dad made a good impression with my dad, and he wants you over again for supper, what with your dad out of town."

Midori narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "Are you sure this isn't just so he can use me to help clean up again?"

"May... be?" Saki refused to give an honest answer.

15 April 2010
Samegawa Flood Plain
After School

Midori hopped out of the rain into one of the shelters that lined the long riverbank that lay between her school and her home. There was enough of a wind to cause the rain to slash below her umbrella, even when she held it to act as a good shield to get down to the bottoms of her stockings and her shoes. "Damn, damn, damn!" she muttered to herself as another gust of wind tore through the valley, sending water near-horizontal for a split second. "No one said anything about this!"

She did check the weather reports, honestly! But this was not predicted at all. Turning to face the vague direction of the Central Shopping District and the spirit housed within, she yelled into the storm, "Really? Really? If this is your doing, I hope you're miserable!"

Vaguely satisfied with herself, she set about making sure her bag wasn't too wet, nor the contents. Thankfully, her daddy got her a good solid one, so that wasn't going to be an issue. Finding a dry spot, she began to wring out the hem of her skirt, thankful that tomorrow was laundry day. She would still hang-dry them either in the living room or her work room, but that was a thing for later. Once she got home.

Out of the rain.

"COME ON YUKIKO!" A voice called out from outside the shelter, causing Midori to look up. She could see two figures rushing to the shelter she was in, which wasn't surprising considering the distance between them.

"Over here!" She called out, waving a hand to draw their attention, "It's still dry!"

Two girls burst out of the rain and into the hazy protection offered by the wood and stone. They bent over, catching their breath while Midori watched them carefully. They were both soaked, having gone farther in the rain than she had. "You two alright?"

"Fine, fine..." The girl with the brown hair and the most assuredly not-regulation green jacket looked at her friend in the crimson jacket. "Hey, Yukiko?"

"I'm fine," Yukiko replied. "Just wet."

"Take off your jackets then," Midori commanded, pointing to her own. "Lay them out to dry. You don't want to catch a cold."

"Sure," green-jacket said as she pulled it up over her shoulders. "Man, the lady on TV said nuthin' about this."

"No, she did not," Yukiko agreed as she removed her soaked covering. "But such things do happen."

"Right, right. Hey, thanks for sharing with us...," green-jacket said as she finally turned to face their shelter-friend. "Oh. You. The new girl."

Midori was surprised. "Me? My name is Komaki Midori, not 'new girl'."

"Amagi Yukiko," the other girl said, bowing politely. "This is my friend, Satonaka Chie."

"Right, whatever." It seemed this Chie didn't like Midori on sight for whatever reason, and the older girl simply didn't have the time or inclination to fix that at this moment. "This isn't like we're friends, or anything."

Midori nodded. They were just sharing shelter from the storm, nothing more.

17 April 2010
Central Shopping District
Daytime

"Satonaka?" Saki repeated as she and Midori grabbed a bit to eat.

"Yes. What does she have against me?" Midori had related the tale of her encounter with the two first-years to her friend, hoping for some advice regarding them. Or at least more information.

"Well, those two are pretty close from what I know. The Amagi Inn is pretty popular with out-of-towners, and it's pretty much the only business not being threatened by that place." Saki paused to sort out what she knew and what she had heard in rumours. "They're like sisters."

"Nice to know, but that doesn't explain anything."

"I know," Naoki said – the younger brother sneaking up behind his sister. "You want to know why Chie-chan doesn't like you?" He held out his hand. "It'll cost you."

"Naoki!" Saki angrily turned on her family. "That's not polite!"

"Well, she's rich, she can afford it! I want a meat bowl too." The boy made his demands clear, and Midori gave in. Truth be told, she could afford it. And it wasn't like this was a burden or anything. "Thanks!"

A couple minutes later, he pulled up a third chair to where the two girls were sitting. "So, what do you have for me?" Midori pried as Naoki made a show of cooling his food and preparing his chopsticks. "What's up with her?"

"It's not Chie that's the problem, it's actually her friend, Yukiko."

"What?" Midori was surprised. "She hasn't said or done anything!"

"It's complicated," Naoki took a mouthful, enjoying it. "Alright, Yukiko-san, she's like, the prettiest girl in the school," he took a moment to fend off the vengeful glare from Midori, "well, she would have been except, for, well, you."

"Go on."

"So here Yukiko is, first year in high school, and everyone has expectations of her, you know, appearance, elegance, all that stuff, and all her classmates were ready to make her into, like, the school Princess or something like that."

Midori thought she could see where this is going. "But that doesn't explain Chie's actions."

"That's because Yukiko... well... she's got the looks, she's got the grades, she's nice and polite to everyone, and honestly, if it was just the two of you, there would be no problems. But Chie, she gets it into her head that because you're here, a grade older, with your hair, and that you've got the King Moron under your heel, everyone is paying attention to you instead."

Midori was surprised. "Why does everyone keep thinking I'm controlling Morooka-sensei?"

"How about you're the only student who calls him that?" Saki threw the jibe at her friend, who caught it with aplomb. "No, seriously, he hates everyone except you. You blackmailing him, or something?"

"WHAT? NO! Stop saying that! I'm just a good student, and yes, I've seen how rough around the edges he is, that still doesn't give me, or anyone the right to insult him like that!" Midori was on the defensive, unfamiliar ground. "Back to Chie and Yukiko, please."

"Right, so it's like this," Naoki said, "Chie's sorta like Yukiko's knight, her social guardian, right? So here you are, threatening what Chie thinks her friend should be, and so she's hostile to you for it."

"Really? That's the reason?" Midori shook her head. "That's stupid. I'm no... Queen." Although, thinking about it, would that be so bad? Back in Tokyo, she had too much baggage from her upbringing to properly socialize. And for her short stay in Gekkoukan, she was overshadowed by Mitsuru and Yukari in her dorm alone, so she hadn't tried to exert herself too much out of her class.

But here? New school, new faces, no end-of-the-world to deal with, why shouldn't she try? Why couldn't she be someone she always wanted to be, but never could be?

"Well," Naoki kept talking, not aware of Midori's internal line of reasoning, "It's not like it's going to be a big thing. She keeps pushing Yukiko to be more proactive, and looking for you to screw up." He shrugged. "But if you want me to spy on those two for you, it'll cost you more food."

"Let me think about that."

16 April 2010
Komaki Household
Daytime

"So, how's lunchtime coming along?" Midori spoke aloud, letting the speakerphone work its technological miracles. She was mutlitasking, working on homework with one thought, keeping Frosty up and around with other thoughts, and chatting with Junpei and Chidori with more thoughts.

"Good," Junpei said. "Your idea worked, but we're still hammering out the details." Midori had suggested the week previously that in the face of Chidori's innocent insistence that she eat her lunch with Junpei, no matter the situation, that they work out some form of schedule where one would go to the other's classroom in alternating measure, and use the front lawn of the school when weather and timing permitted.

"Yukari and the Tin Girl are... helping." Chidori admitted sourly. She had spent a lot of time out of 'normal' cultural circles, and while she knew she wanted to be with Junpei, that there needed to be a moderating influence annoyed her to no end.

"She has a name, Chidori," Junepi said to his girlfriend instead of into the speaker on their end. "It's Aigis."

"The Tin Girl is made of Tin," Chidori repeated. "And the club has accepted that as her nickname. The 'Tin Titan of Tennis'."

Only her conversation the night before with Aigis prevented Midori from jumping on that fact and demanding answers. Now that Aigis was back on the Tennis Club, she was proving her worth a thousand times over. It was not surprising that the combat-spec'd robot would perform better than most humans.

She was only waiting for the conversation where Aigis would start to wonder if she should be so good at Tennis. While she was ready to open that line herself, Midori had decided that Aigis needed to approach her first.

Back to the present. "Don't harass Aigis, Chidori." Midori spoke sternly to her senior. "She needs friends as much as you do."

"I have Junpei." Chidori's reply was the be-all, end-all of her thoughts in that regard. "Now, what would you recommend for a date?"

Junepi sputtered and Midori was shocked enough that Frosty lost cohesion, returning to card form.

"Thanks for that," Midori grumbled as she re-smashed the Card and reset Frosty's existence. "Look, that's something you and Junpei should discuss. I'm not going to tell you what to do, or where to go, but I will listen to your ideas to analyze them." She looked out the window at the overcast sky, "Besides, dates should be a surprise. The joy of discovery and new things being more important that regulating them well ahead of time."

Chidori obviously didn't believe her. "If you say so."

"Of course I say so! I'm the magical girl, remember?"

"No, you're not. You just use that as an excuse to dress up and run around with a club and Frosty."

"Excuse me? And who has more experience with this sort of thing, you know, being the hero? Huh? You or me?"

"That does not deign a response."

In Tatsumi Port Island, Junpei buried his head in his hands. Here they go again.

17 April 2010
Yaogami High School, Front Entrance
Morning

Midori looked up at the school with new eyes. She had made her resolutions seriously, and now was the time to start moving on them. She was no longer the 'new girl'. She was going to have her Tennis Club. She was going to be 'Queen'. She was also going to be great friends with everyone, including Amane.

And nothing was going to stop her.