Author's Note
So... Hey guys -cowers in a corner- I'm so sorry. That's all I can say -throws 6k long chapter- Please forgive me -grovels-
Eli and Umi returned to the Special Dorm soon after they cleaned things up. Fortunately, there were hardly any witnesses to the event so there was not much work needed to be done. Umi loaded her account and checked that her reward was transferred while Eli simply waited for her to be done. She didn't care for the reward, after all.
"Welcome back! How was the Errand?" Their close friend Kotori jumped from the couch where she was waiting for their return.
"Same usual. We have three new students the day after tomorrow," Umi replied with a soft smile.
"So it was a recruitment Errand?"
"Not really. It just turned out that way. They were getting into trouble. Speaking of which, why did you stop me, Umi?" Eli turned on the other girl, confused.
They both knew that the purple haired one had kept some of the stolen goods. Eli felt that it was only right that she handed them over but Umi had stopped her. She just didn't understand why, though. Wasn't it the right thing to do?
"I think they had a reason for committing that act in the first place. Why not just help them a little? Anyway, not everyone is as lucky as us."
She wouldn't admit that the reason why she had been so lenient was because Kotori had told her before to not be too strict to others, though.
"Lucky, huh..." Eli snorted a little.
"Anyway, it's good to relax a little. There's no need to follow the rules so strictly all the time, right Eli?" Kotori grinned. "I wish I could join you both, though! Errands seem so exciting."
"You know why you can't, Kotori. Besides, Errands aren't all that fun anyway. It's late now so let's all go to bed," Umi declared.
As they retired to their respective rooms, Eli thought about how bold those three were.
They must have been really desperate to steal from Aoyama. Either that or they're simply ignorant.
The thought of Aoyama brought back other memories and Eli clenched her fists.
I'll definitely expose him one day.
The morning light filtered in through the window, unshielded by Maki's drawn curtains, waking Nozomi up. Her short lived peacefulness was disrupted the moment she recalled the previous night's events. She turned to her right and a small smile grew on her face. Nico and Maki were snuggled together and knowing them, it was completely unintentional.
Those two should just be more honest with themselves, Nozomi thought, shaking her head as she headed to her bathroom to wash up.
It was barely 7 in the morning and Nozomi decided that she still had some time to make a quick trip to somewhere. Within a few minutes, she was heading out of the house after greeting the maids and reminding them to get breakfast ready for three. She just hoped the shop was open this early.
Nico slowly pried her eyes open and her vision was filled with crimson. Last night's events came back to her in fragments and the first thing she remembered was how badly injured Maki was. Frantic, she whipped her head around, only to realise that said girl was in her arms. Nico immediately let go of her and leapt back a little, surprised at their somewhat compromising position.
Did we get that close in our sleep?
Nico blushed a little and leant forward to check on Maki's injuries. Her head still looked swollen and Nico wished it had been her that was hurt instead. At least she couldn't feel much pain because of her super endurance. She gently swept the hair around the bruise and touched the sore spot, heart slightly aching. Maki stirred from the contact and Nico jerked back again.
"M-morning, Maki," Nico greeted, slightly flustered.
Maki replied dazedly, reaching to the back of her head and rubbing it to soothe the ache. Then, she remembered something important.
"Nico, what are we going to do about your brother's fees?"
Nico's shoulders slumped. It had been a constant nagging at the back of her mind whilst going through the whole whirlwind of events, but she refused to think about it. It would mean facing the likely possibility that her brother could die because she couldn't help him.
"I don't know..." Her usual strong demeanour wasn't possible to be kept up at that moment.
Maki sensed the other girl's helplessness and felt the need to comfort her. Friends could comfort each other right? She moved to Nico and awkwardly wrapped her arms around her. Surprised, Nico looked up, only to realise her mistake.
Oh my gosh her face is so near mine, I can see her eyes so clearly. Was violet ever such a beautiful colour?
The duo stared into each others' eyes for a prolonged moment, both subconsciously noticing the tension yet were unable to do anything.
"Maki-chan, are you and your friend up yet?" The door pushed open and Maki's first nanny opened the door.
They jumped apart from each other, faces flushed.
"Y-yeah. Good morning, Nan."
Nico excused herself to get ready while Maki sat there, watching her leave.
Geez, what was that...
"Nozomi-chan and you came back really late last night. We were all worried," Nanny expressed her concern while a few other maids entered Maki's room and made the bed.
"Papa and Mama didn't even know, right?" Maki asked wistfully while combing her hair.
Their silence was all she needed to get her answer.
"Master and Mistress are really busy people, but I'm sure they would be really worried if they had known," one of the maids tried.
Maki gave a half-hearted grateful smile and proceeded to her bathroom to wash up. Of course her parents wouldn't know. They hardly ever do know what's going on with her. She wouldn't be surprised if they didn't know about her and Nozomi transferring out.
She headed down to the dining table to find Nico there waiting for her and took the seat across her.
"Where's Nozomi?" Just as she asked, a voice came out from behind her.
"I'm back. Did I miss breakfast?"
Maki jumped in shock and sparks flew from her. Naturally, Nico collapsed, laughing.
"Geez... Don't just teleport wherever you want. It's creepy."
"That's rich coming from the girl who can control people just by singing," Nozomi teased. "Speaking of which, why didn't it work on Aoyama?"
"Not sure," Maki replied, slightly dejected.
She had always tried to minimise the usage of her other power. It was simply out of her control and she didn't want to cause any accidents. All she knew was that she had to think of what she wanted her target to do while singing and it may work. The specifics were still a complete blur to her, though. It had always been a last resort thing for their pranks, just in case they were in a situation that they couldn't get out of. Last night was the first time she had ever had to use it and it hurt her slightly to know that it couldn't help them last night.
"Hey, relax. I don't think the problem was in your powers. It worked on the other people there right?" Nozomi comforted.
"...Did you just read my mind?"
"You're so easy to read that there's no need for me to even use my powers," Nozomi teased, causing Maki to flush slightly.
Nico watched the interaction between the two, irrational jealousy bubbling in her. She knew that what was between them was purely a sisterly bond but she couldn't help herself. Wasn't it natural to want to be closest to the person you liked?
Wait, what? No way. I just wish I could be as close to them as they are with each other. We're a trio, after all, Nico reasoned in her mind.
"Anyway, Nozomi, you said you had a plan?" She interjected.
Nozomi remembered what she had left the house so early for and reached for her pockets.
"Here, Nico. For your brother," she held her hand out, grasping a thick wad of bills.
The other two stared at the hand in shock, mouths agape, both not comprehending how Nozomi had gotten the money.
"I kept one of the jewels, the one that looked the most precious. I pawned it just a while ago. Unfortunately it's not enough to cover the full bill but it should last for a while and we can think of something else."
Nico leapt into Nozomi's arms and showered her with thanks. Grateful tears streamed down her face and relief coursed through her. Her brother could live. He didn't have to die at such a young age. Nozomi wrapped her arms around the smaller girl and held her while she collapsed in relief. She glanced at Maki, just to check if the other girl was jealous. (She knew, after all. It was so obvious to her.) Maki just looked at her "sister" comforting her dearest friend with a peaceful expression on her face. She was so relieved that everything wasn't hopeless after all.
"We're lucky the blue haired student stopped the blonde one from making me hand it over, though. They definitely knew."
"Why did she, though?" Maki pondered, ever the curious one.
"No idea. What matters is that we have it," Nozomi replied and the other girls nodded in assent.
"Maki-sama, Nozomi-sama. A letter for each of you," Maki's personal butler came and handed them each an envelope.
The girls turned their attention to the letters and saw a huge insignia on the top left corner of the envelope. A foreign looking school emblem was printed on it with the words NOVA PRIVATE ACADEMY printed in bold beside it. The trio exchange a look and Maki turned hers over. A wax seal covered the flap and she peeled it open with ease.
"Dear Ms Nishikino,
We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Nova Private Academy. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary belongings. Uniforms, books and other study materials will be provided upon registration in school. You are free to bring more than listed as long as it adheres to our guidelines.
We await your arrival.
Yours Sincerely,
Minami Haruka
Principal"
They looked through the list and realised that it was actually a boarding school. It simply contained a short list of necessities, nothing more.
"I'm guessing Nico has the exact same letter in her house," Nozomi broke the silence.
"So what, our punishment is to go to a boarding school with such a lame name?" Nico burst out. "I can't go to boarding school, my family needs me!"
"We don't exactly have a choice... They're supposed to pick us up tomorrow at 8," Maki twirled her hair in her fingers, a habit of hers that showed when she was bored or uncomfortable.
"The Chief protector did say that everything would be taken care of, though. I wonder what she meant by that," Nozomi wondered aloud.
"Who knows? We should probably stop by your house, though," Maki said to Nico.
They finished up their breakfast hastily and made their way to the Yazawa residence.
"...And so we have to go to boarding school," Nico finished explaining the situation.
She didn't exactly tell the truth about what happened, though. Just that they were discovered using their powers and said person wanted to capture them, leading to their rescue by some benevolent characters who then decided that it was safer for them to stay in a school just for people with powers. They didn't realise how accurate the story was at the moment, though.
"They also said that we didn't need to worry about school fees and all the administration, so don't worry about the monetary aspect," Nozomi assured Nico's parents.
Nico's family was more concerned about the fact that she would be leaving and seemingly unable to visit till much longer, though. Sensing her need for some family time, Maki and Nozomi told her that they would be outside and to take her time. It was their last day of school, after all, so who cares if they were late?
"Here, money for Koutarou's medical treatment. It's not enough for the full thing yet, but I promise to raise the rest somehow," Nico said as she passed the money to her parents.
"Nico... We're so sorry. If only we were more capable, you wouldn't have to use your powers to raise money and end up getting sent to boarding school," her mother cried regretfully as she hugged Nico.
"You're the best parents I could ask for. I don't regret what happened, only that we weren't more careful."
"Oneechan..." Kokoa and Kokoro came over. "Are you leaving us?"
"Of course not. Not forever, at least. Oneechan just has to go to a new school and learn a lot more so she can save more people. Everyone needs the help of Superhero Nico, after all," Nico assured her sisters.
"Promise you'll come back?" Kokoro pleaded.
"Promise."
The family shared a hug and more moments as Nico wistfully reminded herself that she would miss this warmth for many weeks to come.
Outside, Nozomi and Maki waited in silence, letting their thoughts consume them.
"No matter what happens, you'll always have me," Nozomi answered to Maki's thoughts.
She had been thinking about how Nico was so lucky to have such a warm family, even if they were struggling. They were a classic example of how wealth is not happiness. No matter what kind of hardships they had to face, what mattered was that they had stuck together. They shared a love and bond that Maki and Nozomi had never known.
"S-stop reading my thoughts..." Maki deflected, albeit knowing that Nozomi would never do so.
Nozomi simply gave her a warm smile as she brought Maki into her embrace, sharing a sisterly hug. It took a while for Maki to return it, seemingly reluctantly. They both knew the truth, though.
The girls walked to school together in silence, different from their usual chatty atmosphere with Nico talking about what pranks she would like to do next, Maki considering the finer details and Nozomi trying to play it down a little. All they could think about was their impending departure to a completely new environment. They didn't even know anything about the school. It wasn't as if they couldn't fend for themselves. They knew that all of them were highly capable in using their powers. However, that didn't mean that there wouldn't be others better than them. What if that school had some sort of hierarchy system? Or what if brawls were a daily thing and they could get severely injured? It did seem like a detention school, after all. It could even be like jail.
Deep in thought, they didn't even notice they had passed the school gates till a teacher approached them and told them to go to the Principal's office. Naturally, that had caused a huge commotion. Was The Trio finally getting their punishment? Poor Nozomi, they would think, getting into trouble because of the other two.
Nozomi ignored their thoughts that had filtered into her consciousness. It wasn't as if she wanted to hear them; she just didn't actively block them out so she was used to hearing bits and pieces even when she wasn't paying attention to them. The trio entered the Principal's office and turns out it was simply about their transfer tomorrow. The usual formalities and all. The only thing that surprised them was that all the details had been planned out without them even having to do anything. It seemed too convenient.
The protectors must be really powerful, Nozomi noted.
They returned to their respective classes and carried on as per any other normal school day. Or so they had hoped. Turns out, news spreads really fast and within the first period, everyone in school knew about their impending transfer to Nova Private Academy.
"Toujou-chan, is it true that you're going to NPA?"
"I heard that it's a super prestigious school!"
"Apparently all the students there are handpicked by the school."
"It's supposed to be a school for the most talented and gifted ones!"
"Everyone that goes there is someone really amazing, right?"
"I heard that our Minister of Defence is from that school."
"With your grades and spiritual powers, it's no wonder that you're chosen, Toujou-chan!"
"I wonder how Yazawa got chosen, though..."
Nozomi simply smiled and deflected all questions. She didn't know that NPA was so prestigious. The way they had spoken about it made the school seem to be better than what they had expected.
"People here are gushing about how good the school is," Nozomi informed the other two.
"Same here, only they aren't directing it to me. They're just talking about it amongst themselves," Maki replied.
"I heard what your classmate said, Nozomi! Sheesh, all I'm getting are remarks about how no one can believe that I got in..."
"Of course, it's you we're talking about here," Maki drawled.
"You-!"
"Now now. Anyway, it seems like this school doesn't seem to bad. Maybe we're worrying too much?"
"You always do anyway, Nozomi."
"Shall we have a last prank tonight to commemorate our years of pranking?" Nico suggested.
For once, Nozomi didn't try to make them play it down. What else could the protectors do to them, now that they had been sent away?
Eli entered the Student Council room early in the morning, before all the other students were even in school. For the Student Council Executive Committee (EXCO), it was simply part of their job scope. Despite being the President, though, Eli was always the last amongst the three of them to reach the room. She greeted Umi and Kotori while stifling a yawn.
"Morning, Eli!" Kotori's chipper tone brought some life into her morning.
"Morning. Thanks for your hard work, you two."
"Here's your pile. We're almost done with ours. Sheesh, if you could just wake up earlier..." Umi chided her lightly, tempted to give Eli a full on lecture about her sleeping habits.
It was a well known fact amongst the three of them that despite how serious and responsible Eli was, she loved sleeping in even more than her love for her work. Never a morning person, she had always been the last one to wake up, which explained why the other two often headed off to the Council Room before her. Besides, she could finish the same amount of work thrice as fast as them.
Eli simply brushed off her Vice President's remarks and got down to business. The three worked in silence and it wasn't till they were almost done that Umi spoke up.
"I just received information from the school board. The three that we found last night will be joining our school tomorrow, so we're expected to orientate them."
Umi was basically a walking information database. She could find out anything about anyone as long as she knew their faces. Being the ethical and upright person she was, though, she only used it when need be for private matters. Otherwise, it was a really handy power. She knew of updates the moment someone else she recognised found out about it, hence explaining how she knew about the three troublemakers joining their school and their upcoming duty.
"We already have enough on our plate. Can't the other Councillors do it?" Eli sighed in annoyance.
"They probably have their reasons for making us handle these three. From what I know, they've caused quite a bit of trouble."
"That's interesting. What did they do?" Kotori asked, intrigued.
Umi filled the two in on how the trio had been carrying out pranks since years ago. She told a few stories of what she could find out without expending any energy and the more Eli heard about those stories, the more determined she was to ensure that they didn't continue their acts in school.
Kotori, on the other hand, was thrilled.
"They sound so fun! It's like an adventure every night. I wonder if they'll teach me about how they thought of all those brilliant plans?" Kotori wondered with excitement oozing out from her.
"Why would you want to learn about that?" Eli asked, confused.
It just seemed like a childish game they were playing, after all. Amateurs using their powers for petty stuff like that, not thinking carefully about the consequences.
"It's pretty fun, isn't it? Being able to use your powers just to have fun," Kotori sighed wistfully. "I think it'd be really interesting to see!"
Eli shook her head and returned to her work as Kotori turned to Umi, asking for more stories.
How Kotori ever ended up in the Student Council even with her mother disapproving will always be a mystery to me.
"I know I said that we should end off with a bang, but are we really going to do this?" Nozomi asked the other two doubtfully, although she already knew their answer.
"Of course. We can treat it as a way to make up for causing trouble in the past," Nico reasoned.
"You just want to be a real hero for once. Just be honest already," Maki drawled with her classic twirl of her hair.
"I could say the same for you, Queen of Tsundere," Nico stuck her tongue out.
"Okay, okay, let's finish this quickly and you two can have your lover's banter later on," Nozomi teased, delighting in their flushed faces.
The three of them hid on the rooftop of a building, looking down at the people around them. Nico kept a lookout for people approaching them, just in case, while Nozomi scanned the minds of everyone, sifting out anyone suspicious. Their aim for that night was to prevent as many crimes as possible, regardless of how minor it was. Maki wouldn't have much to do that night, which was good considering her head was still a little sore.
It didn't take long before Nozomi discovered someone.
"Got someone. I can't see his face but he's heading somewhere more secluded. We can follow him."
The others took that as their cue to get closer to Nozomi while she teleported them to where she thought he would be heading. She had seen the image in his mind and it seemed to be some abandoned area.
What a typical creepy place. I wonder what he's doing here.
"Nozomi, are you sure we're supposed to be here?" Maki glanced around uneasily.
They all felt a strange atmosphere from their surroundings. Every fibre of their beings were telling them to get away from the place.
"G-guys! I can sense someone inside that building! I can hardly hear the heartbeat though..."
"Should we check it out?" Maki asked reluctantly.
"I guess it would be good to. Nico, is there anyone else approaching?"
"Not that I can hear of."
With that, the trio headed towards the building, Nico leading the way with Maki's small flames around them for light. As they reached the building, Nico noticed that there was a vehicle approaching them fast.
"There's someone coming. They should be here in about 3 minutes. Should we leave?"
Nozomi was about to reply when she heard something.
Please... Help...
It was a girl, judging by the voice in her head. A girl who sounded so desperate, it brought a sharp pain in Nozomi's chest. The raw desperation of the girl was so vivid that Nozomi could feel it too. There were times when she could feel the emotions that others were experiencing because of her powers. They were uncommon, but they still happened and she knew that they could be this girl's only hope.
"There's a girl in trouble there. She sounds really desperate," Nozomi conveyed her thoughts along with the girl's to the other two.
Upon hearing the girl's weak yet desperate pleas, Nico rushed towards her without second thought, surprising the other two.
"Geez, she could at least tell us where the girl is first..."
"I'll teleport us to Nico."
They teleported safely to Nico, only to be met with a sight that would be seared into their minds for a long time to come.
A girl that was definitely around their age was hung from the ceiling by chains. Her body was limp and if it weren't for Nico's hearing of her barely beating heart or Nozomi's telepathy, they could never tell she was alive. Her whole body seemed to be connected to wires, leading out of the room. Blood stained the floor and walls, clear traces of her prior torture. The girl's hair was matted red from all the blood, although traces of dirty orange could be seen, leading them to conclude that that was her real hair colour. Her eyes were half open and lifeless.
"We need to get her out of here," Maki said in horror.
"Shh. We can never be too careful. How much longer do we have, Nico?"
"Barely a minute till it reaches this place, then maybe another minute for the passengers to check up on this girl."
"Maki, could you burn through the metal chains? I'll try talking to her through telekinesis while Nico can check the wires."
"I could help break through the chains too, after the wires," Nico offered, not wanting Maki to strain herself too much.
They agreed and got down to business. Nico sped off, following the path that the wires led to. Maki took out her lighter and intensified the flames. She brought the white hot fireballs and started slicing the more complex linkages. Meanwhile, Nozomi tried to establish some form of communication with the girl. In the time that had passed so far, she had realised that the only coherent thoughts the girl had were those two words. She had a feeling the girl was simply alive but that was all. There was no life in the girl.
"Can you hear me? Give me some sort of response if you can."
Silence.
"We're going to get you out of here, I promise. Just give me a signal or some sign that you're still conscious," Nozomi thought worriedly.
Please... Help...
"Guys, I think she's connected to some sort of power source... Or rather it looks like a generator? I saw this in Physics class this week," Nico informed.
Nozomi transferred Nico's image over to Maki for further identification.
"Oh gosh. It's a power source that's being charged. It's feeding off this girl somehow to gain energy! Nico, you need to disconnect it. Don't destroy it, it probably contains a lot of energy in it," Maki thought in shock.
"Great, how do I do that? Can I just rip the wires?"
"That should work," Nozomi replied.
"For this girl to be charging the source... Does that mean she has powers too? Some sort of energy generating power?" Maki realised.
"If she really does have powers, that means we're in danger if those people find us."
"This is probably a bad time to say this, but the car is almost here."
True enough, they could make out the faint engine sound that was gradually drawing nearer.
"We need to hurry! Nico, are you done with the wires?"
"Almost! There are just so many..."
Nozomi used her telekinesis to try and get the girl out but the chains were simply too tangled. She couldn't even teleport the girl since she could barely make out her face. Maki was sweating profusely from having expended a lot of energy and it was taking longer to cut through the thick metal. Nico came back the next second, rushing over to try to break the chains. It was definitely faster but Nozomi could hear the footsteps. She quickly picked up whatever was lying around the room with her telekinesis and tried to block the entrance. They could easily teleport out of here once the girl was freed.
If only it was that easy.
Nozomi heard the thoughts of the guy first. He knew that there was something up. Nico and her weren't being very quiet in their desperate attempt to rescue the girl, after all.
"He's running up the stairs!" Nico informed frantically as she tried to quicken her pace.
Then came the earthquake. It literally knocked them all off their feet and the wall that Nozomi had built crumbled.
"...What are you doing to my gold mine?" The suspicious man that Nozomi had picked out from before approached them.
He was evidently an earth element user of some sort. Around him were moving statues made of earth and they terrified Nozomi. If they could break down the hastily built yet strong wall she had made, which mainly consisted of metal, who knew what kind of damage they could do to them. They all froze, not knowing what to do while the man took in the sight of them rescuing the girl.
"You three have powers too? That's wonderful... I'm going to earn so much."
His evil tone sent chills down their spines and deep down, they knew that this may just be worse than last night.
"Nozomi, what now?"
"I... I don't know..."
She really didn't. They were still a good 5 minutes away from freeing the girl and she was sure it would only take the guy 5 second to capture them all. They couldn't ask Maki to sing again, she was too worn out from trying to free the girl. The only had two options. Nozomi was torn between teleporting the three of them out to save them and staying here to confront the guy head on. But she knew that deep down, she couldn't abandon the girl.
The three of them shared a look and knew they had a unanimous decision.
"Nico, could you try taking on those statues? I'll be fine on my own," Maki suggested as she intensified her flames.
"I'll help," Nozomi offered as the guy sent the statues forward.
Nico confronted them head on, speeding around and knocking them to the ground as best she could. However, the guy just reformed them again. Nozomi took this as her chance to help and tried to use her telekinesis to keep the earth apart. It seemed like a good plan: Nico would smash them, breaking them into pieces while Nozomi kept the pieces apart and in her control so the guy couldn't reform them.
If only things worked out as well as in theory.
The guy was obviously experienced in using his powers. He easily controlled the earth even with Nozomi's effort and put the statues back together. Furthermore, they were simply too strong and too abundant for Nico. Even with her endurance, she was feeling the strain and pain whenever she was hit by them. Not only did he manage to keep both Nozomi and Nico busy, he also sent other earth blobs towards Maki and extinguished her flames. It was a simple battle of elements and her flames couldn't last.
It wasn't long before the three were pinned on the ground by the statues and a pile of earth so they couldn't move.
"Nice try, but amateurs can't win against me. Now, what have you done to my power source..."
He approached the girl, lifting her face to him as he laughed darkly.
"Stop acting pitiful. I know you can still charge the source. Do it now!" He commanded her and when she simply fell limply back down when he let go of her, he made more statues and started beating her up.
Nozomi felt the pain the girl experienced. She still maintained a telepathic connection to her and in the midst of the fighting, she had forgotten to sever it. Some part of her felt better knowing that the girl wasn't alone in her pain, though.
The guy turned his attention to the three of them.
"Well, it seems Fire Girl isn't all that strong after all. Maybe you won't be that useful," he sneered as he picked Maki up by her hair, pain searing through her body.
She refused to give him the satisfaction of hearing her scream, though. Giving him her most hateful glare, she looked deep into his eyes, challenging him.
"I really hate that look of yours. Maybe I should get rid of you first?"
Chunks of earth started to bind her nose and mouth and Maki struggled to breathe. She clawed at the dirt but her arms were easily restrained by more earth.
"Maki!" Nico struggled to get out from the statues' grasp but they were simply too strong for her.
Nozomi tried to control the earth but the man was simply too powerful. They were too weak.
So naturally, when all hope seemed lost, there was a bright flash and the earth's hold on them was temporarily loosened. The man cried out in shock more than pain and the trio directed their attention to the source of the flash.
The girl had one hand raised towards the man and her lifeless eyes were staring straight at him. There were sparks around her hand and arm that looked like they had more life than her. Just as sudden as she had attacked, she fell back down, obviously expending the last of her energy. However, her attack had saved Maki as she cleared the dirt covering her face, heavily gasping for air.
"Why, you-" The man charged towards the now unconscious girl when he was suddenly knocked onto the ground.
They all turned their eyes towards the entrance where their new saviour was and discovered it was none other than the blonde student amongst the protectors yesterday. Only this time, she was alone.
Stupid, how can she take him on alone? Maki thought as she watched the blonde regard the man with contempt. The man, on the other hand, looked back at her with fear growing in his eyes.
The blonde looked at the three of them on the floor.
"I thought they said there was only one girl..." She mumbled to herself in annoyance and approached the man.
"Wait... I have money! Information! You're Her, aren't you? I have information!" The man pleaded for mercy as he backed away.
The trio watched in amazement as the incredibly intimidating man from before was reduced to a blubbering pathetic mess in front of the student. They didn't understand why he seemed so afraid of her. Granted, she had a powerful aura around her but she couldn't have been older than them or the other girl in chains.
"You can't possibly have the information I need," Eli replied flatly and watched as the fear in his eyes grew.
In a desperate attempt to survive, he tried to fight back. He sent all the earth that was initially restraining the others towards her, trying to entomb her. Maybe he could be the first to survive an intervention from Her. Unfortunately, he was not a match for Eli at all.
As soon as the earth started flying towards her, it disintegrated into soil particles and scattered around them. The man let out a strangled sound at the sight of his final attack being destroyed so easily. She didn't even move.
With a flick of Eli's wrist, he froze. Literally. He was encased in an ice, becoming one of those statues that he had created, only that it was made of ice instead of earth.
Nico's jaw dropped and the trio stared in awe. Had she just defeated him in less than 5 minutes while they had literally fought for their lives just a while ago? Were they even fighting against the same person?
They got up from their positions on the floor and Nico and Nozomi rushed towards Maki who was on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion. Eli turned towards the three of them and examined them. Her eyes landed on Nozomi and memories from the previous night's Errand came back to her.
"You're the three from yesterday. What are you doing here?" She inquired in a flat tone.
She didn't get a reply from them. They didn't know what to say, after all. It had started out simply as their attempt to do good while still having fun playing pranks and had escalated to them almost getting killed.
"No matter. You're not on my objectives list so I guess you can go."
Eli went towards the girl in chains. She lifted her face, turning it and looking at her for a while before lifting her other hand and waving it slightly. The chains simply fell apart and the girl fell into her arms.
Seriously, what else can she do... Nozomi thought in wonder.
"U-um... Is she going to be okay?" Nozomi asked, surprising them all by voicing out her concern.
"Where are you taking her to?" Nico asked, suspicious.
"Somewhere safe," Eli replied as she turned to face them, girl slung over her shoulder. "She'll be fine."
Upon seeing the relief on their faces, Eli softened a little.
Maybe they aren't just pranksters that only think about having their own fun.
She regarded their battered states and Maki's slumped body.
"Do you need help getting out of here?" Eli asked, still toneless. (Nozomi noticed it wasn't as harsh, though.)
Nozomi shook her head, knowing it was easier for her to just teleport them back. It was probably better to get the girl to the "safe place" faster too. The sooner she received medical treatment, the better.
Eli nodded in acknowledgement.
"Then, see you tomorrow. Don't be late, this is not a good excuse."
She turned, hesitated and glanced back.
"...Thank you for your help with the girl."
With that, she walked out the entrance, ice statue of the man hovering behind her.
"...What was that..." Maki mumbled.
"She said 'see you tomorrow'... Does that mean she's from Nova?" Nico realised.
"Who knows... Anyway, we should get back," Nozomi wearied as she teleported them back to the Nishikino residence.
They ended up in the backyard but considering how worn out they were, none of them commented on the weird location.
"Seriously, years of no major hiccups at all and suddenly we get it twice in a row..." Nico sighed.
They looked at the time and realised it was almost 10pm. They had been out for almost three hours. Had it really been that long?
"I should be getting back to my family," Nico said as she hesitantly regarded Maki. "Will you be alright?"
"Y-yeah... I just need some rest," Maki flushed slightly at the attention Nico was showing her.
Friends can care for each other. Stop blushing.
Nozomi watched in amusement and simply kept quiet. Nico gave Maki one more concerned look.
"T-then, I'll go now. Take care, you two."
Nico sped off, knowing that her family was probably worried about her. This time, at least, she had a real story to tell. (She'd probably omit the part where Eli came and saved them, though.)
"What a long day, huh..." Nozomi pondered aloud as Maki and her walked towards their rooms.
"Why did we even start this..." Maki grumbled as she fell on her bed, exhausted.
Nozomi chuckled as she went to her bathroom to get cleaned up. She contemplated chiding Maki for now washing up first (because seriously, they were just entombed in dirt) but figured she'd have the sense to do so sooner or later. As she freshened up and got ready to rest, she thought about the girl that had saved them twice.
The man was evidently afraid of her. Aoyama called out on her yesterday too. Wonder what she's so known for... I'm thankful that she saved us though. What an interesting person...
Nozomi exited her bathroom, clean and ready for bed. She headed to Maki's room and sure enough, the bed was empty. She flopped onto Maki's bed, figuring she could use some company tonight. Her 'little sister' did just escape death, after all. It would be no surprise than Maki was shaken up and since Nico couldn't stay, she was the next best option.
She decided to sleep first, knowing Maki would simply join her later. The girl did have princess tendencies and took really long showers.
Tomorrow will be interesting. I'm looking forward to meeting her.
A/N
I hope y'all enjoyed that! I'm really sorry for not updating. I'm actually in the midst of my preparations towards a National Exam (it's in 59 days!) so I'll really be quite slow. That being said, I apologise for future slow updates that will most likely happen (like... 99% chance). If you ever crave for more fics/random writings, just go to tagged/eve-writes to see a few short stuff that I write and don't post here ^^ Do feel free to check out many other Tumblr users' mini fics there too! (Like... On Tumblr, not that link cos that's my personal one.) They're all super awesome ^^
~Review Answering Time~ (I love you all)
negative10: I like my choice of ships too heh ^^ Yay, I'm glad you enjoyed it! Don't worry, I won't pull the same thing I did for TTS on this :P I actually have a plan for this one hahaha. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!
lunarsaber12: Hahaha I love me some fluff so... Idk if I'll be shoving it down here :P Hope my lame attempts at action scenes are okay though! Hmm I'd probably be mentioning their powers as time goes by. As of now, the revealed powers are like this:
Nozomi: Mind powers. Can see the future, Telepathy, Teleportation, Telekinesis, Television (jk)
Nico: Superhuman. Basically enhanced strength, senses, speed, endurance etc. Heals super fast too. But she can't fly (yet? Ohoho)
Maki: Fire powers + mind control via singing. Something like the Pheromone Alice from Gakuen Alice? Except instead of the pheromones and all it's her singing.
Eli: I'll keep this a secret for now. Infer what you want from this chapter ^^ (Ice is a given duh)
Umi: Information Database. Explained in this chapter.
Rin: Lightning powers
There may be more powers for each person as time passes. Like I'll reveal more and all ^^ Not everyone has two powers or more. Like Rin would probably only have Lightning powers and Nico would only have her Superhuman powers, but how they use it may make it seem like they have more than one power (this would probably depend on how creative I can get hahaha). Maki has two though.
equastar: Yeaps! I've always wondered what would happen if Maki's parents actually don't really care much for her, just about the hospital and all. BUT IS THAT REALLY WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE OOOOOOH jk I haven't thought that far ahead yet.
Unknown1314: First off, thanks for your PM! It really made me update faster hahaha :P Kotori has quite a big role in this fic so don't worry! Her powers aren't revealed yet, though =v= Thanks so much for your kind words!
Rikka-senpai: Heh thanks! Yeah, I tried to keep the powers interesting yet easy to explain (cos as you can probably tell, I'm not that great with words lel) Hope you understood them heh (especially Umi's since hers is a bit more iffy-ish? And Maki's too D:) And more NicoMaki stuff for you here =v=
Whyevenbother: Omg ikr there are too few NozoEli fics T_T TUMBLR HAS MORE REALLY. Hahaha Nozomi has such a good eye because of her ~spiritual powers~. Such an awesome gaydar too =v=
: That's actually a pretty great idea! I may consider it ^^ Like Rin somehow sharing her power with Maki or something hmm... Thanks for the idea!
Random Anon: "And I love you, random stranger!" (Did you get the reference hahaha). Anyways thanks for the kind words! Yay I'm so glad you're excited heh ^^ YAS NOZOELI IS LYFE
Kajeno Otamegane: Thanks for your kind words! Glad you enjoyed it heh ^^ I'm so relieved that you commented on it being cool cos that probably means I did something right with the 'action' scenes heh :D
Guest: Koutarou will be fine heh. Poor kid can't die so tragically :'( Nozomi can't resist Eli after all, just like how Eli just had to notice everything about Nozomi heh =w=
ihavenoidea: I wonder what the others' powers are too... heh : I Googled it! (Didn't watch the video even though I love Pewdiepie) I may consider using that in some part of the story. Thanks for the suggestion! (Also, Rin's power is actually kinda similar to it O: Even though I planned it out before I saw the neon powers hahaha)
hikarigranger: Yay I'm glad you think the powers fit ^^ Hahaha parents seem to be a trend in their problems, isn't it :P Hint hint? Thanks for supporting me for so long and all, I really appreciate it! -sends love through this post-
Whoa that was long, so sorry for this huge dump of words . Thank you so much to everyone that reviewed, favourited, followed and read this story! (Yes even you who just scrolled past this whole chunk. Honestly I would too hahahaha)
Till next time! (I'll try my best to not make it another 3 weeks)