Morning.

There hadn't even been a nightmare this time. No dreams about Satori, nothing about that day at the lake, nothing. She'd changed - it was small, but noticable. There was a little spring in her step as she rose to her feet, pulling open the curtains and getting ready for another day in Gensouto.

For a moment, she wondered if the entire experience from yesterday had been a dream, some sort of unconscious order to pull her life together. The sight of the eye dangling from her chest served to kill off that theory quickly enough. She ran a finger down one of the tendrils, feeling it as if she was stroking at her own arm. Its form disturbed her for a moment, but she'd had the whole evening to get used to the concept.

Orin - if she wanted to be called that, Koishi would comply - stroked up alongside her leg, looking a lot more relaxed now than she usually did. She noticed the slight boost in Koishi's mood, and it seemed to relax her.

"Alright, you two, eat up. A little extra today won't hurt, right?"

To be honest, it wasn't as harmless as she wanted to admit. There was always enough trouble when it came to paying off rent and all, and things were just barely hanging together with what she had. After the incident, she'd always looked a little off-kilter, and her family had been more than keen to act like she'd passed on. When Satori wanted to move into her own residence and take Koishi with her, there were no complaints.

Her mother had died in childbirth, and her father had only passed away recently. Most of the inheritance went to Satori, the 'capable' daughter as their parents put it, and indeed she was sensible enough with her spendings to keep them afloat. Honestly, Koishi hadn't been that heartbroken by her father's death - she had never been particularly attached to him, instead finding solace in her sister whenever it was needed.

Now that Satori was gone, though, the budget she had to work with was much shorter. It was an effort to pay the rent and keep the pets at the same time, but she knew that it would have broken Satori's heart to see them kicked out, so she looked after them regardless. She'd figure out a way around it. A part-time job, maybe. She could do with some time out of the house.

"Ah, yeah. The dolphin's waiting for me, isn't she?"

The dolphin girl - Sango, had she said her name was? She'd apparently taken the couch to sleep on last night. Curious, Koishi poked her head into the living room to check up on the girl, only to find that the room was empty. Her brow furrowed. Sango had definitely been here last night, or she'd never have noticed this eye on her chest. Where else could she be?

"...Huh. Maybe she's on a morning patrol?"

That made sense. If she was a member of some super-secret agency, it made sense for her to be hyper-competent at what she did. Mere mortals like Koishi only woke up at sensible hours in the morning. She decided to wash her face and take on the day with all the determination she could muster.

The door was ajar as she approached it, Koishi noticed. Strange. She never left doors open. She bit her lip, slightly unnerved by this.

The thought hung in her head until it was entirely overwritten by the sight of a dolphin floating in her bathtub.

"Wha-!"

Koishi jolted back for a moment. Even after last night's incident, she apparently hadn't managed to get fully acclimated to all the madness yet. In her defense, a dolphin in the bathroom was something no sane person should ever need to become used to.

...Sango-san?

The dolphin didn't seem to notice her. In fact, it didn't seem to be responding at all. Its face was submerged in the water, but she could see its blowhole occasionally letting out little bursts of air. It was breathing, that was for sure.

Is she...asleep?

Only one way to find out, Koishi decided. She tiptoed over to the bathtub, towards the slumbering sea mammal. She reached out with a single finger, dipping it into the cold water.

She poked the creature in the side.

The change happened too fast for Koishi's eyes to properly make out. By the time she had finished blinking, there was no longer a dolphin in the bath - now a young girl was pulling her head out of the water, mumbling to herself.

"Initiate Sango Tororetsu, reporting for duty! Service with a smile, or your money back!"

Koishi couldn't find words for her emotions at that moment in time. If there was anything that would make her feel comfortable dealing with a mission to save the world, it was knowing that her bodyguard was competent and reliable.

Sango did not appear to be either of these. Not when she woke up later than the person she was ordered to protect, and especially not when she had to be woken up by them.

"...Uh. Oh, yeah, morning, Koishi-san. Sorry, the couch was too hard to sleep on - couldn't find anywhere comfy to put my fin. You were asleep by then, so..."

She slapped herself in the face to wake herself up properly, before nonchalantly stepping out of the bathtub. Her hair was soaking wet, leaving tiny droplets on Koishi's carpet. They seemed cleaner for it, though, so she paid it no mind.

Maybe she was distracted by the fact that Sango didn't seem to be wearing anything.

"...Please put some clothes on."

"Huh? Oh yeah, you guys get all touchy-feely over being naked, don't you-"

"NOW."

She eventually goaded Sango into getting changed, mainly on the principle that if she wanted to blend in being caught streaking was not a good idea. That, and the dolphin fin was a good giveaway that something was wrong.

Sango insisted on wearing the same clothes she'd worn the day before, a fact that concerned Koishi until she inspected the clothes in question. They were immaculate, as if they'd never been worn before, but they'd simply been left on the radiator overnight.

Sometimes magic seemed to be horribly mundane.

Koishi convinced Sango to wear a jacket over her normal shirt, for the sole purpose of covering up the fin on her back. The dolphin groaned, but finally accepted the burden as part of her duty.

"So, what did I walk in on? You were a dolphin, and then..."

"Yeah, animals can switch between forms at will. We can either look like the animal that most people would recognise, or we take on a more humanoid form for the sake of cross-species conversation and blending in. We call this our youkai form, and obviously we do our best not to show it to humans."

"I was meaning to ask - aren't youkai all those monsters from folklore?"

Sango shrugged.

"Hey, we make mistakes now and then, right? Every legend has a speck of truth in it and all that crap."

Koishi looked back into her room, towards her pets. It made a lot of sense for them to stay like that at feeding time - probably made the food a bit more filling.

"So, I need to head to school. Sorry, I can't take you with me on this one."

She tried not to let the nerves slip into her voice too much as she spoke. Honestly, going back to school still scared her a little - Cirno would be looking out for her, like she always did, and Sango could hardly walk into school unannounced.

"Ah, before you do that..."

Sango ran off into Koishi's room, pulling out the orange jewel from yesterday and also taking something else out of her pocket.

"Keep the Teardrop safe. Also, you're probably gonna need these."

She handed Koishi a pair of glasses. Koishi seemed confused by the gesture, examining them carefully and seeing nothing particularly strange about them.

"Trust me, you'll understand when you head out there."

That really wasn't much help, honestly, but Koishi didn't have time to worry about it. She was probably running late as it was, and if she wanted to try and make a change she was going to have to pick up on her punctuality. A quick peek into Scarlet Bakery for some breakfast, then a good jog across Gensouto to make it in on time. The usual, just with a little more zest than she typically approached it with.

"Alright, see you guys later!"

"Nyaa!"

"Unyu!"

"Look both ways before you cross the street!"

Koishi stared blankly at Sango from the doorway in response to that one, eventually closing the door with an awkward expression. Sango looked up, confused.

"What? That's what they told me when I took the job..."

At Sango's feet, a cat looked up and sighed to itself.

"Anyway, I'd better get ready, too. Can't be late on day one, can I?"

The world seemed a little brighter as she stepped out into it today. Maybe it was because she was looking at it with a little more enthusiasm, or maybe yesterday's experiences had made her see something in the world she didn't see beforehand. Either way, Koishi felt happier being among the living now than she did 24 hours ago, and she made her way over to the Scarlet Bakery with a hint of cheeriness.

It was a small shop, a local one. The owners were foreigners, and thanks to good old xenophobia the shop had never quite gained the reputation it deserved. Koishi would attest that its pastries and sandwiches were delicious, and the prices they were sold for would make the high street weep if they ever reached the public eye. For now, though, she considered it her little secret. She strolled into the shop with a smile for the first time in months.

"Morning!"

"Ah, Koishi-chan! You're looking awfully chirpy today."

Koishi reached down for her purse, looking for the change before even making her purchase. It was the same sandwich she always bought, but she decided that today she'd spoil herself and get a drink to go with it as well.

"Thank you...it's Meiling-san, right?"

"Ah, yes, Hong Meiling. You remembered! That's more than some people in this place can do. Isn't that right, Sakuya?"

The attendant yelled something into the kitchens behind her. There was no response for a moment, until eventually a voice rose up from inside with a tone of absolute calm.

"Just do your job, China."

Meiling flinched visibly at the sight of that one. They seemed to have this sort of relationship, though Koishi had never met this Sakuya in person. She always hung back in the kitchens, and never seemed to step out to do her job. When she finished cooking, her dishes would appear in a stall to the side, but Koishi never managed to catch her putting them there no matter how hard she tried.

"Anyway. You'll be having the usual, I assume?"

"Yeah, and I think I'm gonna have a carton of orange juice to go with that as well."

She didn't know why the colour orange was on her mind. Maybe that Teardrop had done more to her than she thought. She continued to scour through the purse, not looking up until she had the money to offer. She heard Meiling rummaging through the sandwiches that were freshly made, pulling out Koishi's normal order and placing it in front of her along with a carton of juice.

"There ya go. 150 Yen, if you please."

Koishi nodded, counting the coins one last time as she finally raised her head.

"Here. Thank y-"

Koishi's words caught in her throat. The coins dropped out of her hand onto the counter as her body froze. Meiling tilted her head, confused.

"Hm? What's wrong, Koishi-chan?"

The woman looking back at her wasn't the Meiling who had run the counter before. That Meiling had dull brown hair, not the radiant red locks currently running down her back. There was a faint aura stemming off of her, a green field that flowed in and out around her body. She was glowing, ever so slightly...

"Helloooo? Koishi-chan, are you alright?"

Koishi snapped out of it, pulling herself away. Too early in the morning, maybe. The sun was in her eyes and she was seeing things.

"N-Nothing. Sorry. Thanks."

"OK, if you're sure you're fine. Come again!"

Koishi took her meal and literally ran out the door. Meiling was left watching her go, staring awkwardly at the swinging door left in her wake.

"...Is there something on my face?"

The journey to school did nothing to relieve Koishi of her panic. Everything around her looked different, looked strange, looked wrong. People looked at her awkwardly, flaunting their silly hair and threatening auras and not seeming aware of it at all. She was sure a few of the people she passed had wings, little fluttering ones like a fairy's, but none of them ever bothered to fly. The world around her had changed dramatically, but it seemed totally unaware that anything was wrong.

Sango had mentioned this before, hadn't she? That this was the 'real' world, and the world she'd thought was real was a lie. Even so, seeing it - all this colour, all this change - was a bit too much for her to take in. Maybe in a few days after she'd wrapped her head around this, but she wasn't ready for it right now.

Unconsciously, her hand fell to her pocket and gripped at the glasses Sango had given her earlier. They still looked thoroughly unimpressive, but Sango must have been referring to this when she said Koishi would need them. Koishi pulled them on in a hurry, wondering for a moment what she actually looked like in glasses.

The world around retreated into the realms of sanity. The blue and pink hues of hair in the crowd disappeared, returning to the familiar dull shades of brown and black. No wings, no auras; just backpacks and iffy smells.

Koishi breathed a sigh of relief. The world was normal again - or at least, the normal that she was familiar with. She finished the walk to school, no longer worrying about what sort of magical creatures stood between her and her next class. Now she could focus on the real problem - getting in without Cirno catching her.

The back door seemed her safest bet - Cirno would usually hang around the front to pick on kids who were running late. Even if she was earlier than usual, she didn't imagine Cirno would bother to move between both outposts, and went around the back entrance. It was a shady place, with smokers and delinquents sitting around doing nothing in particular, but a quick step and a bowed head got her through without any incidents.

Her plan was an overwhelming success, and Koishi victoriously collapsed on her desk. Even if all she could say was that she hadn't been picked on before first period, it was a little achievement that she hadn't managed yesterday. Now, for a change, she had time to get ready before class began.

First up today was math. Normally that'd be enough to depress Koishi for the rest of the day, but this time around she was willing to try and put a positive spin on it - she was getting the worst subject out of the way now, so she wouldn't have to worry about it later. And there was always Professor Kawashiro to poke fun at: the only woman Koishi knew who could add 2 and 2 to make 5 on a regular basis.

The register was taken. Names were checked. The registration teacher seemed thoroughly surprised when Koishi declared herself present, but he shrugged once and continued the list. When he got to the end, everyone made to sit down again, but he cleared his throat to signify he had another announcement to make.

"Now, everyone, I know it's an unusual time for it, but we have a new transfer student joining the class today."

The class erupted into a wave of oohs and aahs. Koishi raised an eyebrow - the timing of this was a little too convenient for her liking. There was a good chance this girl could be another of these youkai spies, and as the teacher opened the door she glared towards the newcomer with caution.

She slammed her head into her desk the moment she saw the jacket the girl was wearing.

"Everyone, this is Sango Tororetsu. I'd appreciate it if you made her feel welcome here."

Sango offered a wave to the class, watching carefully so that the hood of her jacket didn't come down. She would have given Koishi a wink, but Koishi was too busy making dents in her desk to make eye contact.

How did she...what the...how...?

It would probably be easier not to think about it for now. So she didn't.

"Now, Sango-san, you'll need a seat. You can sit...there, in the back, next to Koishi-san."

Sango nodded, bowing to the teacher in a particularly stilted manner. She must have had to practice this sort of etiquette beforehand, given that it wasn't common outside of human society. For a moment, the teacher's eyes widened as he caught a glimpse of something grey under the hood, but thankfully he turned away to finish his paperwork before his curiosity got the better of him.

Sango took her seat next to Koishi, and immediately slid her desk over to her friend's side. She made an O with her thumb and finger, in what she expected Koishi to recognise as the divers' OK signal. Koishi just blinked at her.

"Sorry about that. Had to get the boss to set some stuff up. Can't leave you alone surrounded by potential Siren candidates, after all."

The words jumped into Koishi's head, but she noticed that Sango's mouth wasn't moving along with them. She vaguely remembered the first time she'd heard Sango speak, back when she was a dolphin.

...You're telepathic?

"Other way around, dummy. You're the telepath. What, you think that eye on your chest was just for show?"

Koishi blinked, doing her best not to let her surprise shift onto her face. She'd always had a strange affinity with animals, hadn't she? It was strange knowing that all those little mysteries she'd always wondered about had an explanation behind them after all. Granted, the explanation was probably stranger still, but that wasn't the point.

"Still, good to see you stayed sane. Guess you know what the glasses are for now?"

Koishi nodded. Needless to say, she was going to keep hold of these whenever circumstances allowed - that trip had just been too unusual for her.

"Heh, Gensouto's a strange place when you see it for real. I honestly think you guys named your city wrong sometimes."

Sango grinned. There was a look of experience on her face, meaning that whatever she was about to say had probably taken a lot of time to come up with. She pulled out a piece of paper and started scribbling on it, eventually producing 元想都, or Gensouto.

"You write it like this, right? The city where ideas are born, or something fancy like that. Well, honestly, you got it pretty damn wrong there. This whole place is a facade, an illusion, a little whirlpool of magic no-one notices. You shoulda just called it this, really..."

She took the piece of paper and rubbed out the first two kanji, replacing them to make the name read as 幻想都. It still read as Gensouto, but the meaning had changed entirely - now it simply meant the city of illusion.

Koishi offered her friend a quiet round of applause at that one.

How long did it take you to come up with that one?

"Pretty much all of last night. Still worth it."

The bell rang for first period as Sango finished up her word play. Professor Kawashiro entered as the registration teacher left, carrying a pile of papers onto her desk. Koishi bit her lip - she'd forgotten that the professor was fond of random pop quizzes.

"Alright, people, you know the drill. Take one, hand them down, don't start until I tell you to. You get half an hour, and anyone who scores over 95 gets a cookie."

Koishi saw Sango's eyes light up at the sound of that, as she eagerly grabbed at her piece of paper. Koishi frowned - even if she hadn't been good at math, at least she'd attended the class. Sango, though, had probably never even heard of calculus, let alone studied it.

The handing out of tests came to an end. Professor Kawashiro pulled out a stopwatch, a look of overpassionate excitement entering her eyes.

"Ready...go!"

Two dozen students opened their test papers at once. Koishi saw Sango open hers with utter confidence, and frowned.

Sango-san, you don't expect to score a 95, do you? Have you even studied math before?

Sango looked over to Koishi, offended.

"Hey! I'll have you know that dolphins are highly intelligent! I can pass your silly human tests no problem!"

The dolphin looked back at her test, examining the paper. Her face looked serious as she read the questions over.

Seven seconds passed. Koishi knew as much, because she sat and counted to see how long it would take.

"Hey, what's the answer to question 1?"

Koishi raised her hand.

"Kawashiro-sensei, I don't feel well. Can I go home, please?"