Eyecatcher B: The swans are playing hide and seek, and can't find Gliese. They run back and forth, then Gliese pops her head out from behind an orange traffic cone.
Being in school was a source of mixed feelings for Miyu. On one hand, she was away from her father, who needed her help, but on the other, school gave her a reprieve. Well, from that at least. Miyu had only been absent a few days after the crash before returning. This had been suspicious to some at school; how had she survived a plane crash and come back to school in the same week? Miyu paid no heed to the rumors, however. Dealing with the hospital and insurance companies was well over her head, but at least she could care for Naoki, now that he was home.
"The others are nearby," Gliese said, from inside Miyu's school bag as she walked through the gates.
"What does that mean?" Miyu replied, discreetly.
"Remember I told you about the other Cygnets who have been sent to Earth? They're here. I wasn't sure at first, but I can definitely sense them today.
"What should we do?"
"Meet them."
"Just waltz up and say 'Let's work hard together!' or something?"
"Or something. It's just important we meet up with them."
Miyu had almost reached the door, but stepped aside from the crowd and pretended to check her phone to give a chance to finish her conversation with Gliese before they entered.
"Will you direct me to them?"
"Of course."
"Let's try for lunch, then. You point them out and leave the rest to Top Idol Miyu!"
"No, are you even listening?" said the girl with straight, brown hair.
"No, that IS what you said!" the girl with curly hair shot back.
From her position around the corner of the cafeteria, Miyu spoke into her bag. "Maybe now isn't the best time."
"Then when? Just go!"
"Ok fine!" Miyu took a breath and stepped out.
"Would you stop it?" said the girl with glasses. "You're so l… ou… d…" The two bickering girls turned to see what the girl with glasses was looking at. They all raised their heads up.
"Hi! My name is Miyu Oshima! We haven't met before, but I hope we can be good friends!"
Even though they were still seated at the table, all three girls could tell that Miyu was easily a head taller than them.
"Let's work hard together!"
Silence surrounded the table for a moment before the girl with straight, brown hair spoke. "Who? Us? What?"
"Why, Gliese and myself, of course!" Miyu said, opening the flap of her bag. A brightly colored head stuck up just enough to peer out. The girl with glasses' bag rustled and a comparably vibrant head burst out from the opening.
"Holy -!" The girl had fast reflexes, but the bird had gotten one word out before her hand sealed its beak shut again. Some nearby students looked over.
"Ha ha ha, my- my Tamagotchi. I guess I forgot to turn… it down… or something," she said nervously, forcing the bird back inside her bag.
The girl with straight, brown hair had placed a hand over her own bag and looked at Miyu cautiously. "We should go somewhere more private."
They quickly packed up their lunches and Miyu followed them to their private location. The top of the stairwell leading to the roof was getting crowded with four people and four birds, but they made do. Sitting a few stairs below the others, Miyu helped Gliese out of her bag.
"Oh!" the yellow swan, who sat on the lap of the girl with the curly hair exclaimed, upon seeing Gliese's wing bandaged to her body. "Gliese, you're injured! May I...?"
"Yes, please, Tau," Gliese said solemnly. Tau left the girl with the curly brown hair and flapped down to the step beside Gliese, then stretched her wings out over Gliese's bandaged one while the others watched. Miyu could feel power, but could not see anything happening. After a few long moments, Tau gasped and sat down hard, looking thoroughly exhausted. The girl with curly hair called Tau's name, worried, and Gliese supported her with her now healed wing. The girl, who had earlier been arguing hotly with the other brown haired girl, gently picked up Tau and cradled her like something precious and fragile.
"Gliese," said the blue swan who had exclaimed earlier in the cafeteria. "Why are you here?" Miyu noticed that the girl wearing glasses had also picked up on the note of sorrow and uncertainty in his voice.
Gliese looked to each other swan in turn; Tau and the blue swan met her eyes, but the green one only looked down. "I didn't think we'd meet again under these conditions," she said. There was a gravity that none of the girls felt they could interrupt.
"My presence here is not a commentary on your skill." As Gliese spoke, she looked at the green swan. "But the situation is such that it is imperative that Earth be defended. Should the Chaos Dragons take Earth, they may be able to generate enough Chaos Energy to overcome our defenses and destroy the Cygnus Kingdom."
This was not new news to Miyu, as she and Gliese had talked at length over the last few weeks, but the other girls showed signs of worry and fear.
"So what do we do?" the blue swan asked.
"I have been tracking the Dragons' movements for some time, mostly in the city, but further south, where Miyu and I met after Ragim shot her plane down."
This revelation surprised the other girls, and the one with straight, brown hair said, "You're the one who walked away from a plane crash?"
"Yes, those rumors are about me," Miyu said, with a half smile. "I'm Miyu Oshima, class 3-3."
"Oh! I knew that name sounded familiar!" said the straight haired girl. "Weren't you the one who wanted to form a School Idol club last year? To take part in some competition?"
Miyu grinned a little more. "Yes, that was also me. It didn't play out, though."
"Ok, let's get back on topic," the blue swan said, impatiently. The girl with glasses put her hand gently on his back, and the others looked at him with varying degrees of surprise or reproach.
"You really haven't changed, Zeta," Gliese said, without anger. "There are some important points to discuss, though. That's why I wanted us to meet up as soon as possible. "The Chaos Dragons have been laying low and installing Chaos Energy collectors to harvest Chaos Energy passively, from the ill will and aggression in the daily lives of those around here. Ragim and the Black Dragon have been planning to go underground to avoid confrontation for a while, and they may have done that now, after we fought Ragim in the forest."
"Is that why it's been so quiet lately? Natsuko and I transformed within days of each other, then Himeya, well, she met Tau a few weeks later, but it's been two months since then," the girl with glasses said, thoughtfully, but before the conversation could continue, the bell rang, signaling the end of the lunch break. Natsuko and Himeya stood, but the girl with glasses remained seated for a moment longer. "Let's meet after school. Back here?" She was looking at Miyu.
"Yeah!" Miyu said, but hesitantly added, "I can't stay too long, though. I have to get home." (To help my dad.)
"Ok?"
"Ok," Natsuko said. Himeya nodded. The girl with glasses rose.
"Alright." The group descended the stairs, Miyu leaving at the third floor.
"See you after school, then!"
The others continued on, but Natsuko put her hand on Teiko's arm to stop her when they reached the landing between the third and second floors. Teiko stopped, and at her side, so did Himeya.
"Hey, is it really ok for her to just show up like that?" Natsuko asked.
"I don't see why not. You don't have to fill out an application or anything," Teiko said. Zeta popped his head out of her bag.
"I'm not going to question Gliese's choice," he said, a little too passionately.
"Yes, Gliese is trustworthy," Tau chimed in.
Natsuko looked at them, uncertainly before saying, "Ok, if you say so."
Miyu sat on the top step of the stairs, waiting for her new friends.
"I don't know, it just feels natural to be around them," she said out loud to herself. She checked the time on her phone, then put it away. Most students were on their way home, so there was little noise to mask the sound of approaching footsteps. Miyu stood and greeted them as they came up the final flight of stairs. "Hiiii! I'm glad you could all make it out tonight to see me!" she said energetically, waving both hands.
"Why do you do that?" Himeya said, speaking for the first time in front of Miyu.
"Well. I want to be an idol! I don't think it's too early to start practicing!"
"Hence the idol club," Natsuko said condescendingly to Himeya, who shot a dirty look back at her, muttered something incomprehensible and turned away.
"Anyway, I want to dance and sing and put smiles on people's faces. Bring them happiness."
"Dance?" Natsuko said, confused. "I didn't think idols did ballet."
"Natsuko is a dancer," the girl with glasses explained.
"That's awesome! Ballet, probably? You're right, idols don't do ballet, but even though we have different styles, I hope we can still be friends!" Miyu said.
Natsuko's mouth hung open, bewildered. "Uh, yeah, ok."
"Can I interject?" came a voice from inside a bag. Zeta forced his way out before continuing. "We have some important points to discuss."
"Zeta! What is the matter? You are being rude!" said the girl with glasses.
Zeta bowed his head a little at the rebuke. "I'm sorry. You're right. But this whole situation really bothers me." The girl removed Zeta from her bag and held him while the other swans were getting out, too.
"This is something to worry about," said Gliese. "We have no idea where the Chaos Dragons are hiding, yet they continue to grow stronger." A silence descended upon the group.
"Gliese said something else about that; the Chaos Dragons are using passive Chaos Energy collectors. Where are those?" said Pai.
"There's a lot we don't know," Zeta added, solemnly.
Gliese looked up to the ceiling. "As you know, I worked with the Cygnus, researching how Chaos Energy works on Earth before coming here. We had only begun to unlock its secrets when I left, so I don't have any answers yet."
"Gliese, you said you were tracking Ragim, and she worked with the Black Dragon. Did you ever met Arbo or Salu?" Pai said.
"No, I did not."
"But it sounded like you were saying they were all going underground together. Do you think they're working together?"
"Undoubtedly. They may bicker, but they're all Chaos Dragons."
"Wait, can you sense the Chaos Energy collectors?" the girl with glasses asked. "You can sense the dragons."
"Maybe the energy they're gathering, but not the devices themselves," Gliese replied. "And the energy they're collecting passively is small enough that it makes it difficult to sense that, too."
"Oh, ok."
"I'm sorry everyone," Miyu said, and the others looked at her while she put her phone away. "I have to go now."
"Already?" said the girl with glasses. "Sorry, I thought we could introduce ourselves, but we got talking about other things."
"It's ok. Maybe we can meet again tomorrow?" Miyu said, standing up.
"I'm ok with that," said the girl with glasses, nodding. She looked at Natsuko and Himeya, who also nodded.
"There's some student council stuff tomorrow, so how about lunch?" Natsuko said.
"I'll see you here, then," Miyu said, then, with her bag over her shoulder, she made a V with her fingers around her eye and winked while kicking up one leg. "Bye bye!"
Miyu walked down the stairs to the ground floor, left the building and the ground and headed west into the setting sun. Her walk was several blocks long, as her house was near the woods, but Miyu liked to use her long stride to speed things up, and she was soon there. Passing through the gate and unlocking the front door, she entered and announced her presence. "I'm home." She walked up the stairs and to her father's room, to find the home nurse sitting in a chair near the bed, reading. The nurse looked up when Miyu entered.
"Oh, welcome home. Your father is sleeping right now. He's doing very well."
"Thank you for your help," Miyu said, bowing. The nurse bowed back.
"Please let me know if there is anything else I can do for you," the nurse said, but Miyu politely refused, knowing that it would be an additional expense if she stayed late. "Then I will be going for today. I will return at seven tomorrow." Miyu thanked her again and let her see herself out, then turned to look at her father. Naoki was sleeping, peacefully, it seemed, so she returned downstairs to cook dinner.
Even with Gliese there, the big house was still lonely, and Miyu felt a bit melancholy while she cooked. When the meal was ready, she brought a tray up to Naoki, who had woken up, as well as one for herself. When she sat down to eat in the chair the nurse had previously occupied, things almost felt normal.
"Thank you for this food," they said, and began eating.
"How was school," Naoki asked.
"Good. I made some new friends," Miyu said, proudly.
"Cool, how did you meet them?"
"Uh, we have a common interest," Miyu said, avoiding the real answer.
"Which is?" her father prompted.
Miyu looked out the door. "Bird watching?"
"Bird watching? I didn't know you liked that."
"Well, it's kind of a new thing. You know, they fly, we fly, all that," she continued to bluff.
"Huh, ok. I don't know much about it, but it sounds like fun."
"What about you? How are you doing?"
"Ugh, the insurance company called, then the hospital and the HR department…"
After the meal, Miyu cleaned the kitchen up and went to her own room. Gliese had made a nest of sorts in a wicker basket Miyu had that just happened to be big enough for her to sit in, which is where she sat there while Miyu did schoolwork. After bathing, making one last check on her father and preparing for sleep, Miyu lay in bed, under a poster of an idol group, staring at the ceiling lit by a multi colored night light.
"This has been a weird experience," she said aloud.
"All in all, you're taking it very well," Gliese said from her basket. "People usually react poorly to bring attacked by dragons."
Miyu smiled. "I think it's just that it's so weird. I mean, it's obviously real, but sometimes it still doesn't feel like it. Like right now. I'm talking to an orange swan, no offence."
"None taken."
"Being an idol... Isn't going to be easy. For someone my size." Memories played back in her head. "But I feel good. Like I can actually do it. Like I'm almost there already." The room went quiet in the darkness. "Gliese?" Miyu whispered.
"Yes?"
"Thank you!"
"You're welcome, though I'm not sure what for."
Miyu smiled and rolled over. "Me neither!"
Lunch came, and Miyu found herself at the top of the stairwell leading to the roof with the other three girls. Miyu had brought a special bento for the birds, and they shared it, off to the side.
"Let's introduce ourselves now," Natsuko said. "I'll go first. I'm Natsuko Akiyama, second year, class 2-4. I'm a dancer; primarily ballet, but I also like to try a little hip hop from time to time," she said, turning pink. (Why did I tell them that?) "Anyway, hi." She looked towards the girl with glasses.
"It's nice to meet you, my name is Teiko Hakuchou. I'm also a second year, in class 2-2. I like to read fantasy books and play video games," Teiko said. She then turned to Himeya.
"I'm Himeya... Matsutaka." She was apparently content to leave it at that, but Teiko made a little gesture indicating she should add something else. "I like cute things," she said softly, looking down.
"Oh, I like cute things, too! It's part of my image. You already know me, but I'm Miyu Oshima, a future idol! I'm currently a third year at Mizuwa middle school, but please come see me when I go pro!" Miyu made a cute gesture for emphasis, then turned to Natsuko. "How long have you been dancing?"
"Since I was little. Four or five, I think."
"Oh wow! So you really like it then? Are you going to be a ballerina when you're older? I mean, you are now, but like as a profession?"
"That's my plan," Natsuko said.
"And Shun, too?" Teiko asked as she and Himeya worked on their bento.
"Yeah." Natsuko stared off into space.
Seeing this, Teiko turned to Miyu to explain. "Shun's her brother; they're twins, actually. They dance together."
"Hey," Natsuko said with mild annoyance at Teiko for telling her story. "I like dancing, but...I can't imagine it without Shun. It wouldn't be the same without him."
"Wow, a twin brother!" Miyu said. "I don't have any brothers or sisters. It's just me and my dad. And I'm lucky to still have him, after the plane crash and all."
Teiko looked around nervously and fidgeted with her chopsticks before seeing them down in her lap. "And your mom?"
Miyu smiled sadly at the question. "She died four years ago. She had pneumonia, then got some kind of infection while she was in the hospital, I forgot what it was called. They couldn't stop it and," she shrugged, "that was it."
"Sorry," Teiko said.
"People always say 'sorry,' but it's ok. Sure I miss her, but I can talk about it now. It's been four years, but it seems like a lot less." The mood had become somber, so Miyu punched her fist into the air. "Let's not be sad! That's not how those who went before us would want us to live!"
The others looked a little uncomfortable, but tried to put the topic behind them.
"When did you get interested in idols?" Natsuko asked.
Miyu chuckled. "About that time, actually. It really hurt when mom died, but one of my friends from back in the country gave me an idol CD for my birthday right before we moved to Mizuwa. I had never heard of the group before, but the songs were all so happy and energetic and stuff. When I listened to them, I felt happy again. Not long after we moved here, I read on their website that they were performing at the theater downtown, so I begged my dad to let me go. Heh heh, he came with me and it was really weird and stuff for him; you should have seen it, it was funny. Anyway. But when I was there watching their performance, I finally realized how much their music had helped me after mom died. I cried so hard at that concert. I'm glad my dad didn't see. He was trying not to pay attention to the show and reading a book. I think he fell asleep. He had earplugs in. But I was so thankful to them. I decided I wanted to do that; I wanted to make people smile and be happy. So I'm going to become an idol and do just that."
"Speaking of birthdays," said Himeya, turning to Teiko. "I heard you talking with your other friends this morning. Your birthday is coming up soon. The 21st."
"That's only four days before Christmas!" Natsuko said. "We're going to throw you a party."
"Oh! I'll help!" Miyu exclaimed, bouncing up and down with her hand in the air.
Teiko raised her hands in protest. "Wha-, no, you don't have to. I have my party alongside the Christmas Eve celebrations anyway.
"No way. I can't let you not have a party." Natsuko had fire in her eyes. Teiko looked to the others, but MIyu, now standing, loomed high above her with an overly excited smile and even Himeya looked determined.
"S, scary…" Teiko could feel a drop of sweat forming on her brow.
The birthday party was decided.
The bell signalling the end of the school day sounded and the students of class 2-2 pushed their chairs back in unison, stood, bowed and began packing up to leave. Once in the hallway, Teiko and Himeya walked together to the main entrance, then out into the courtyard. They were to meet the others at the gate, but before they got there, Teiko stopped Himeya in an uncrowded area.
"I know my birthday's coming up and all," she said, avoiding Himeya's eyes, "but you don't have to get me anything. Because... um... you-"
"I'm giving you a present," Himeya stated firmly.
"Haha, I mean," Teiko started nervously, before being cut off by Himeya again.
"I'm not going to steal it." Himeya's voice had grown cold.
"What? No!" Teiko hastily tried to explain. "That's not- I wasn't, I mean that's not what I was saying! I didn't, I didn't think you were going to steal anything." She sighed. "It's just that, if you have any money, you should use it to buy food or something else you need."
"I'm still giving you something," Himeya responded with a much softened voice.
Teiko smiled. "Ok, sorry."
The two girls stood by the gate, watching as others left in silence.
"I'm sorry, too." Teiko looked over at her companion. "I assumed you were saying something you weren't."
"It's ok, Himeya. I'm not mad." Himeya gave a small smile, but any further discussion was interrupted by the arrival of Natsuko and Miyu.
"Hi everyone! I'm sorry, but I can't stay tonight. I have things I need to do after school most days. But! What I was thinking is why don't I give you my phone number? That way we can text each other when we're not together!" Miyu already had her phone in her hand.
"Ok," Teiko said, taking her own phone out if her bag and flipping it open. When she saw Miyu's phone, she moaned. "Ohhhh, you have one of those," she said, longingly.
"Yeah, I like it. I actually do a lot more with it than I thought I would. It's cool."
"Do you have any games on it?"
"Like one or two, but they're nothing special."
"Oh," Teiko said, halfway between jealousy and disappointment.
"Why, is this the kind you want?" Teiko nodded. "Sorry, I don't think I can swing it for your birthday."
"I didn't expect you to." Teiko rummaged in her bag and brought out her flip phone. "Mine still works. Besides, it'd have to go on my parents' plan and stuff." Teiko navigated to her address book, then looked up at Miyu. "What are you looking at?"
Miyu shook her head and smiled. "Nothing! Here you go." Miyu exchanged numbers with Teiko and Natsuko, but Himeya made no move. "Um, do you have a phone?"
"No. My dad won't let me have one."
"How do we get in touch with you then?"
"You have to call her house twice and let it ring once before hanging up. That's to let her know one of the swans is on their way to deliver a message," Natsuko said, with annoyance in her voice. Himeya glared at her.
"Oh wow, that sounds so cool!" Miyu said. "It's like a secret message! Anyway, here's my number." She wrote it on a piece of paper and handed it to Himeya. The number had little stars where the dashes should be. "Ok, what's your home number, then?" Himeya recited it, and Miyu entered it into her phone. "Ok, I have to go now, sorry!"
"It's no problem," Teiko said. "See you tomorrow."
Miyu waved over her shoulder as she walked away from the group, each waving back to her. The evening's activities were the same as always: Go home; check with the nurse; cook and eat dinner; homework; sleep. Naoki fell asleep early that evening, though, so after finishing her homework, Miyu quietly went downstairs, dressed in workout clothes, turned the CD player on softly and practiced some dances she had been working on. Feeling good after the exercise, Miyu bathed and prepared for bed, then went to sleep.
"Hiiiiii! There you are!" Miyu said, jogging over to where Natsuko stood, next to a pillar at the entrance to the shopping arcade. "I hope you weren't waiting long."
"No, I only got here a few minutes ago. You're five minutes early anyway," Natsuko replied.
"Ok. Shall we go?" Miyu motioned and the two began walking past the rows of shops. "So I wanted to talk about Teiko's party. What would be a good time for you?"
"I've got dance Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays an hour after school, and sometimes I have student council stuff, so after school really isn't good for me. It would probably have to be the weekend."
"Oh yeah, I meant to ask you about dance. So you've been doing ballet since you were four?"
"Yeah. Our parents put Shun in karate at the same time, but after, like, a year or two, I forgot, he wanted to dance with me, so he switched over," Natsuko said.
"Oh, cool. I've only been dancing for four years, like I said. It's pretty hard. Well not hard, but it takes a lot of hard work."
"Yeah. I guess you could say Shun and I don't have much outside of dance. That's not a bad thing. Dancing is what we're really dedicated to."
"Are you two really close?"
Natsuko looked at Miyu for a moment. "Yes. We're best friends. I don't think people who aren't twins can really understand what it's like. Your twin is almost like another you, or a part of you. I can't imagine what it would be like without him."
"Are you afraid?"
Natsuko and Miyu walked in silence for a few seconds before Natsuko replied.
"Not for myself. I, we have the power of Pretty Cure. We can defend ourselves. But what if we lose?"
"Hmm, I know what you're saying. Like how I want to become an idol. I want to have lots of fans, but not for the attention. I want them to come to my concerts and listen to my music and I want it to make them happy. When you say 'what if we lose,' it's because you're worried about letting everyone down. Because you don't want to see them hurt. See, I think you're pretty cool."
Natsuko thought, then nodded. "Thanks. I guess you're pretty cool, too," she said, grinning.
"Thank you!" Miyu responded, giving a sideways V sign above her head. "So anyway, we did come here to talk about Teiko's birthday party. How long have you known her?"
Natsuko tilted her head and did some math, moving her mouth silently. "Almost three months."
Miyu did not try to conceal her surprise. "Only three months? I thought you were old friends! I mean, we haven't been together long, but the two of you seem to go together so well."
"Really? We have been spending a lot of time together since this whole thing started," Natsuko said, thoughtfully.
"Huh. I'm really surprised. So what do you think your new old friend would like? Because I had an idea..."
Eventually, another school day ended and the group found themselves at the top of the stairwell, gathered around Zeta.
"We need to have a meeting. The Chaos Dragons are out there, gathering energy for free and we're here, not doing anything," the blue swan said.
"So what's your plan?" Natsuko asked.
"That's why we're here! To decide on something!" Zeta yelled back. Teiko moved to grab him, but he dished out of the way. "I can't come up with a plan by myself; I'm not the leader."
"Who is the leader?" Miyu asked meekly. When no one answered, she said, "Is there a leader?" Then, "Maybe we should have one." The rest of the group looked at her expectantly. "I nominate Natsuko!"
Natsuko flinched back, surprised, but Teiko quickly agreed.
"I'm ok with that. Natsuko leads her dance class. I'm sure she'll do great "
No one else spoke, but there were several nods of agreement or acceptance.
"Well, that settles it!" said Miyu, looking towards the new leader.
"Um..." Natsuko suddenly felt the pressure of everyone's eyes on her. She cleared her throat before beginning. "Well, let's start by going over what we already know. The Chaos Dragons have gone into hiding, but before they did, they set up Chaos Energy collectors to absorb the everyday Chaos Energy around Mizuwa. We don't know how much Chaos Energy they're able to collect this way, but even if it's just a little, it still means they're getting stronger without actually having to do anything. Um, and there's also four of them now. What else?"
"We don't really know what they're going to do with this energy, do we?" Teiko added.
"And we have no way of finding the collectors," Natsuko added.
"My senses are sharper than most," said Tau. "How much energy are they actually collecting?"
"It's probably a very small amount," Gliese said.
"Hey, that could be a start. What if the Cygnets did some recon? They can fly, so they can cover more ground. Or air, really. What do you say?" The swans looked at each other and nodded at Natsuko's suggestion.
"How will you communicate with each other?" Miyu asked. "Telepathy?"
"What do you think this is, science fiction?" Zeta snapped.
"Zeta," Teiko said in a low voice.
Miyu puffed out her cheeks in indignation. "Well you are magical birds from space."
Natsuko cut in. "The Cygnets can figure that out later. What else can we do?" No one responded. "Anyone? Himeya?"
Teiko rolled her eyes at Natsuko's attempt to embarrass Himeya, but the curly haired girl actually spoke up.
"They may not be hiding where you would expect." The others looked at her, but she avoided their eyes. "I uh, have some experience with hiding." Himeya looked at Teiko. "You know how they say hiding in plain sight? They could be closer than we think."
"Wouldn't we sense them? Especially Tau?" said Pai.
"They can be hard to track," Gliese said. "Ragim was looking for something in the woods to the south, but I don't know what or if it's even there. I knew they were around, but I never sensed the other dragons."
The stairwell went quiet as the girls and birds racked their brains to come up with something that would help, however, as time passed, it became clear that nothing more would come today, so Natsuko moved to end their meeting.
"Do you have anything else, Zeta?" asked Natsuko.
"No, I feel better, though."
"Well why don't we call this meeting for now. We're not getting anywhere."
"Ok," said Miyu. "Let's get food! Oh, then I have to go."
Zeta looked across at Gliese and said to the group, "Why don't we plan a search?" Gliese, looking directly back, nodded, and the other swans joined in. "We'll see you later," he said to the girls, and lead the Cygnets to the roof door. "Um, could someone open this for us?" Teiko chuckled as she did, though the cold blast of air which came in took her breath away and she quickly closed the door again after the birds left.
"Shall we?" Miyu asked of the girls. "I know of a great place!"
Braced against the cold with their jackets (and track pants, for some), the four girls ventured out into the elements and caught a bus to the shopping arcade. The bus took them a little out of their way, but it still resulted in less time outside than walking the entire distance. Miyu then lead them down the street to a diner that was off of an alley. A bell jingled above the door as they entered.
"Welcome! Oh, Miyun!" said a middle-aged man through a serving window in the wall behind the counter.
"Miyun?" Teiko heard Natsuko say softly, from behind her.
"Hiiiiii Mr. Kaminuma!"
"You have friends today?" the man said, disappearing behind the wall. A moment later, a door next to the window opened and he walked out. "Sit at the counter, as usual?"
"I think we'll take the booth in the back there." Miyu pointed to the corner of the room. "Girl talk."
"Ooooh kayyy! I'll be sure to stay away, then!" the man laughed.
Miyu motioned them on, and they went to sit in the corner booth. The diner was dim, having windows on only one wall and a few fluorescent lights in the ceiling. There were two other parties present, but the remainder of the few booths were empty. Miyu slid in first and handed out the menus which were stacked against the wall.
"Who's that? You know him?" Natsuko said from her seat next to Miyu.
"Mr. Kaminuma went to college with my dad, so we come here a lot," Miyu explained.
"How is your dad, by the way?" Teiko asked.
"He's getting better. The doctors say he'll probably be ready to start physical rehabilitation in a week. There's still a long way to go. He had some broken ribs and one punctured his lung, so we're really lucky the paramedics got there when they did. Both his legs were broken, too, but they're pretty much healed now."
"Wow, you talk about that pretty casually," Natsuko said.
"How is it that you didn't get hurt?" asked Teiko.
"It's probably because we're both alive. That's something to be thankful for, so injuries aren't as much of a big deal," Miyu answered Natsuko, before turning to Teiko. "But neither of us would be here if it weren't for Gliese. My hand was broken and also my leg, but when I changed into Pretty Cure, the injuries I had just went away." Miyu noticed that Teiko was staring intently down the row of tables and quickly shifted the topic. "You should see my outfit though. It's this-" Mr. Kaminuma's appearance caused Miyu to cut her story short.
"Recruiting more idols now? You're going to be giving ARB16 a run for their money soon!" he joked.
"Haha, these are just my friends from school. I'm working on them, though!" Miyu joked right back. After they placed their order, Mr. Kaminuma returned to the kitchen to prepare it.
"Anyway, it's this really cute sweet lolita outfit, all purple with some strong accents. Orange and red and yellow. Wait, is that the same thing you have?"
"No, ours are different," Natsuko said, and Teiko nodded. "We haven't seen hers yet, though."
"SO," Teiko said, quickly and a little too loud. "Is lolita fashion one of your interests?"
"Sort of. I kind of just like a bunch of things, you know? As an idol, you have to wear a lot of different styles, so you have to know something about them. Sometimes idols will go through like ten costume changes in a concert."
"Lolita, huh?" Natsuko said.
"Uh huh."
There was a pause before Natsuko said, "Ok."
A serious expression crossed Miyu's face, but it did not stay long, as Mr. Kaminuma appeared with their food.
"Here you go!" he said, passing out the dishes. "Please enjoy!"
All four girls thanked him, and he left them to their meal.
Miyu took a bite from her big sandwich, causing some of its contents to threaten to slide out the other end. Feeling eyes on her, she looked to her side to catch Natsuko quickly turning her attention to her own plate. Without turning away, Miyu finished chewing, swallowed and wiped her mouth on a napkin, then leaned in a bit and said, in a low voice, "What?"
"Nothing, sorry, I wasn't, I didn't mean to stare." Natsuko's face was red.
"No, it's not nothing. It's something. You think I'm eating too much? You were going to say that lolita didn't fit my body type before, weren't you? A big girl like me?" Natsuko kept quiet. "I'm right, aren't I? Tell me the truth and I won't be mad."
Natsuko, staring intently at her own sandwich and looking like she may cry, apologized. "I'm sorry. I, you're right. I didn't mean it to be mean. I'm sorry."
"You don't have to mean for it to be mean," Miyu said, seriously.
"She has that effect on people," Himeya said from across the table. Teiko clicked her tongue, but Miyu just turned her serious gaze to Himeya, who flinched first.
The meal continued, subdued and slightly awkward, but in time grew livelier until they finished, split the bill three ways and left.
Eyecatcher C: Himeya is squatting with her back to Teiko and Natsuko as they walk past. They try to look over her shoulder, but she tries to hide whatever she's doing. Teiko tries to move around to her front and Himeya moves to block her, but overbalances and topples over, revealing that she was reading a frilly shoujo manga.