Chapter 4: Fate and Friendship, Part 2
"Compatibility?" Hideki asked.
"Hrmm," Demon Lord Elvis replied, grabbing his chin, "Perhaps we should start at the beginning,"
"Quite," Professor Elvis replied, "Now, everyone knows that monsters from the other worlds appear when someone from this world pulls that monster's "Buddy Rare" card from a pack. That's common knowledge."
"But it's not so simple on the other end," Demon Lord Elvis continued, "When a monster seeks out a human to buddy, they're not given the option of every human on Earth to choose from. Instead, they see maybe a few hundred."
"These are they people with whom they share "Compatibility"," Professor Elvis continued, "That special spark which gives Monsters the ability to come to Earth and become buddies with humans!"
"That makes sense," Hideki replied.
"Naturally," Professor Elvis replied, "But not all Buddy relationships are happy ones."
"Indeed," Demon Lord Elvis continued, "Just because a monster and a human share Compatibility does not necessarily mean they would make good friends. Many Monsters and their Buddies have strained relationships and can't stand one another."
"I know how that feels," Hideki snarked, glancing at Marie, who rolled her eyes.
"That is why we have launched the compatibility experiment," Professor Elvis continued, "We are researching how compatibility works, what properties make compatibility, and if we can overcome it."
"Overcome it?" Hideki asked.
"Yes!" Demon Lord Elvis shouted.
"Think about it!" Professor Elvis chimed, "If we could figure out how to bypass Compatibility, then we could make it possible for monsters and humans to form relationships with anyone they chose!"
"Buddies by choice!" Demon Lord Elvis shouted, striking an odd pose with his left fist in the air.
"Rather than by fate!" Professor Elvis countered, mirroring the pose with his right fist.
"That is the Compatibility Experiment!" The two Elvises declared in unison.
This barrage of exposition left Hideki without much to say. Mulling it over, he admitted that such an idea, while a bit lofty, seemed like a reasonable ambition. He then turned to Marie and Shion.
"So where do you two come in?" Hideki asked.
"Oh, us?" Marie replied, "Well, the professors approached me right before it was time for me to send out my Buddy Rare, so I volunteered for the program. Shion volunteered, too!"
"More like I was coerced," Shion chuckled nervously, "I've known the professors for a long time."
"Aww, Shion," Marie giggled, hugging Shion gently and rubbing her head, "You know they wouldn't have to coerce me to be buddies with you!" Shion let out a nervous laugh in return.
"Marie and Shion were both our research subjects and control experiments at the same time," Professor Elvis said, "Since the two of them lack "Compatibility", we could measure them against ourselves. Thanks to them, we have at least created a machine that can detect it."
At this, Demon Lord Elvis whisked a sheet off of another machine. This one was more simple, roughly six feet long with a pair of discs, one with a card-shaped impression, and the other with an image of a handprint. A longer panel with a series of digital channels and wires embedded in it connected the two.
"But, Professor, how does is work, you ask?" Professor Elvis continued, "Elvis, if you please."
Demon Lord Elvis nodded, took a deep breath and then punched his large fists together. He vanished into a trail of yellow light that flowed to the Professor's waiting hand, rebuilding itself into a card.
"Now then, we just place the Buddy Rare card here," The Professor said, putting the card into the card-shaped slot, "And a person places their hand here," The Professor placed his hand on the handprint mark. In response, the various channel and wires in the machine suddenly illuminated in a brilliant show of light and color, all of them leading back to the card. "As you can see, Demon Lord Elvis and I are compatible." Professor Elvis removed his hand from the disc, "Now, if you would, Miss Shion," He motioned to the girl.
Shion lightly pulled herself from Marie's grip, and then stepped over to the machine. However, when she placed her hand on the disc, there was no reaction.
"As you can see, nothing happens," Professor Elvis replied.
Demon Lord Elvis then popped back into existence from his card form, "We developed this machine as a way of testing Compatibility without actually touching the cards, as that contact is what sets off a Buddy Rare's transportation effect."
"We figured there might be a way of bypassing the compatibility issue if a human and Buddy Monster formed a relationship, so we have had Shion and Marie interact for a long time,"
"That's what the ring over there is for," Shion gestured to the large ring placed in the center of the lab, "It lets us communicate with Monsters in the other worlds."
"Really? That's what we were talking through?" Marie asked, "I was just kinda using my mirror back at the palace," She rubbed the back of her head.
"Yeah, about that," Hideki said, " "Princess"?"
"Hmm?" Marie replied quizzically, "Oh, yes! I'm Princess Marie Aquarios the 4th of the highest ruling family in Aqua World." She then struck a smug expression, "Perhaps you should be more grateful about being in my regal presence," She said with obvious sarcasm, setting her hand under her mouth in a haughty gesture.
Hideki grumbled at the prospect.
"If I may continue," Professor Elvis remarked, clearing his throat, "The fact that you have stumbled into this does create a bit of a problem for us, as now we will have to search for another inactive Buddy Rare card."
"Is that bad?" Hideki asked.
"No," Professor Elvis replied, "It would probably take us a few weeks,"
"Or a few months," Demon Lord Elvis said with a hint of fury.
"Or a few years," Professor Elvis fumed.
"Hey, this isn't my fault!" Hideki yelled.
"That's true, for the most part," Professor Elvis replied, "We never thought someone would go after this project so aggressively, or that Shion would run into you."
"I mean, "Become buddies with any monster you want"?" Demon Lord Elvis continued, "Of course we feared it would be targeted; it's why we're working so closely with the Buddy Police. Without a doubt, things are definitely going to change."
"Indeed," Professor Elvis replied, "Which is why," he continued, walking up to Hideki and grabbing his shoulder, "I will have to test your resolve,"
"Pardon?" Hideki stammered.
"I want you to Buddyfight against me," The Professor said.
"What? But why?!" Hideki asked, "Isn't once enough?"
"I'm afraid you have no choice in the matter." The professor replied.
This sudden tone caused Hideki to be taken aback. He couldn't help but notice that there seemed to be some emotion roiling beneath the surface of the Professor's face. However, this soon faded as the Professor's face changed to a more jovial one.
"Ha ha!" The Professor laughed, "Relax, this isn't going to be a life or death match like you had before. Consider it practice!" He again turned to Shion, "Shion, can you activate the portable arena for me?"
"Yes, sir," Shion turned and pushed a switch on a nearby wall. Hideki stumbled as the very floor let out the unmistakable hum of a large generator firing up. Marie also let out a shudder.
"Woah," she said, "That feels weird. It's like I'm invigorated somehow,"
The two Elvises chuckled. "I see you neither of you have experienced a Buddyfight in a proper arena yet," The Professor said, "You may have had a Buddyfight against that character in the mask, but normally a Buddyfight must happen within the confines of a proper field, and even then, even an ultracompact generator such as ours requires basically an entire room below it in order to function."
"It would be interesting to find out how these mysterious fighters are able to instigate a Buddyfight without the required arena," Demon Lord Elvis remarked.
"It would," Professor Elvis replied, as he turned and began walking towards a series of hexagonal panels at one end of the lab, "But that's not really our field of study, is it?"
"I guess not," Demon Lord Elvis laughed. Upon reaching the rear Hexagon, the two turned and faced Hideki, "Well?" The professor asked, "We're waiting."
Hideki looked down at his feet. Indeed before him was a similar set of Hexagons.
"Do we have to?" he asked, looking up at Marie.
"I dunno about you," Marie said, jostling from one foot to the other, "But the feeling I get in this arena's got me all fired up!"
Hideki sighed. Might as well get this over with. Hideki stepped into the panel that mirrored the one Professor Elvis was in.
"Very good," Professor Elvis replied, "Now then," He lifted his deck case, one in a professional silver and white trim with a purple gem in the center, which he pressed against his head. With a flash, the case transformed itself into an astoundingly high-tech visor with a band of green glass covering the Professor's eyes, streams of data passing across it, "Give us the power to proceed," he said, "Forbidden Knowledge deck, luminize!" With a gesture from his head down to the front of him, the first six cards of his deck appeared before him, along with two to his gauge.
"Let's do it, Hideki!" Marie said.
"Right," Hideki said, drawing the Deck Case from his pocket. Placing it at his left wrist, the Duel Disc he had made appeared once more, "Aqua World Basic Deck, Version 1, Luminize!" The same pattern of lights appeared before him.
Shion watched passively.
"We fight for Magic World," Demon Lord Elvis declared, a flag made of magical energy appeared behind them, a magical glyph marked by a staff and a wand emblazoning it.
"And we fight for Aqua World!" Marie replied, the flag of fishes again appearing behind them.
"You are also going first," Professor Elvis said.
"Eh?" Hideki startled, "Um, okay." Again, the "Douse" card was in his hand, though he still had no idea what the card meant, "Charge and draw!" He said as he drew a fresh card from the deck.
"I cast Key of Solomon, First Volume!" Professor Elvis remarked, casting a card from his hand and increasing his gauge to four.
"Wait," Hideki said, a bit stunned, "Isn't it my turn?"
"Well, yes," The professor replied, "But Key of Solomon, First Volume can be cast at any time." There was a bit of an awkward pause, "Oh, I'm finished. Please continue," The professor said, waving his hand.
Hideki sighed, then finally looked down at his hand. It had a fair share of familiar cards. Since he only got one attack, he figured he might as well make it count, "I call Swinging Anchor Mermaid to the Center!" With a flash, the pirate shark mermaid appeared before Hideki, wielding its
"Hold on," Marie said.
"What is it now?" Hideki griped.
"The way he suddenly played that card." Marie replied, "He's got to be up to something, building his gauge like that!"
"But it's not even his turn!" Hideki protested.
"Either way, just be careful," Marie remarked.
"Fine," Hideki said. He was getting a little sick of people telling him how to play the game, "I'll be careful," He reached for the cards in his hand, "I also call Stinging Coral Mermaid to the Left! And now, Swinging Anchor Mermaid attacks the Fighter!" The sultry lass hefted her anchor in the air and darted towards the Professor.
It was then that Hideki noticed the sinister glint in the Professor's eyes, "I cast!" he declared, causing
"I told you he was up to something!" Marie shouted.
"Quick Summon!" The Professor continued, "By paying its call cost, I can summon a monster from my hand to intercept the attack! I pay three gauge!"
"Three?!" Hideki thought to himself, "What kind of monster costs three gauge?!"
"And call Demon Programmer Marbas to the center!" The Professor finished. The energy from the Quick Summon card let out a light that rapidly etched a glyph into the air above the center zone. Out from the glyph stepped a bespectacled man…woman? It was kind of impossible to tell at first sight! Either way, the sight was enough to stop everyone in their tracks.
A tall, thin figure in white pants and a cloak with a lion's head for a sleeve, the paws wrapping around the front of its body. What had looked like a pair of large horns coming out of its head were in fact some strange accoutrements on a pair of headphones, the lion's head on his shoulder wearing a similar pair for some reason. In one hand, the figure held what was obviously a laptop computer, its other hand poised over the keyboard, ready to operate the machine at any moment. Marbas turned to the ones that had summoned it.
"Oh, hello, Professors" it said in a soft, masculine voice, "It's good to see you two again."
"It's good to see you again, too, Marbas," the Professor replied, "I'm afraid we'll be needing your services again."
"Certainly," Marbas replied. He then turned to his opponent, "Swinging Anchor Mermaid, is it?" He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, then began typing, "If that's the case, then the weak point should be…"
The Anchor Mermaid quickly startled to realization. Trying to deny Marbas the chance to look her up on his computer, she rushed forward and hefted her anchor into the air. With a yell, she brought it hurtling towards the typist.
"…Right about here," Marbas brought his typing hand up from his keyboard and, with a single finger, managed to stop the huge anchor in its tracks, the force of the impact whipping his hair and the mane of his lion coat around, but not jostling his body in the slightest. From the point where Marbas had stopped the anchor, bands of teal energy, forming angular shapes radiated outwards. They covered the anchor and continued down onto Anchor Mermaid's body. Once her body was completely engulfed in the lines, with a slight yelp, Anchor Mermaid's body burst apart into a flutter of cards.
For Hideki and Marie, it was a jaw-dropping sight.
"Demon Programmer Marbas," Professor Elvis continued, "He may not look like much, but he's a Size 3 monster and is not to be taken lightly."
"I appreciate the sentiment, Professor," Marbas chuckled sarcastically, correcting his glasses again.
"My turn!" The Professor said, "Draw! Charge and Draw!" Bringing his hand back up to four and his gauge to two, The Professor continued, "First, I cast the spell "Nice One". By paying one gauge, I draw two cards!" This brought his hand up to five, "Then, I'll pay another gauge in order to play Gunrod Bechstein!"
What appeared in the Professor's hand was definitely not a piano, as the name would suggest, but was instead an intricate, angular weapon of gilded wood, which certainly had the look of its "Gunrod" namesake. The weapon resembled a bulky sort of rifle, a glowing blue energy contained within the center.
"Now," The Professor said, readying the weapon, "I attack!"
"Wait, you can't attack with a monster in the center!" Hideki shouted.
"That's what makes Gunrods special," The professor replied sternly. Aiming the gunrod upwards, the Professor fired the weapon, a blue ball of energy arcing over the still-smiling Marbas and clean into Hideki, dropping his life to nine, "And now, Marbas, Attack the fighter!
"Understood," Marbas said, reaching for his keyboard again.
"Not so fast!" Hideki yelled, "I cast Fluid Tactics and, using one gauge, I move Stinging Coral Mermaid to the center!" A quick flash caused the inattentive mermaid to warp from the Left into the Center. Hideki had at least made some preparations for a counter-attack, it seemed.
"Oh, but will that be enough?" The Professor chided.
Making a quick recalculation, Marbas made a confident smirk, "There are no defenses in this world I cannot breach," With a decisive tap on his keyboard, the screen on Marbas's Laptop let out an intense glow. Hideki recoiled a bit as Marbas literally reached into his computer screen. When he drew it out, it was wreathed in spiraling lines of computer code, far more extensive than a human programmer could have entered in this short time. Marbas drew his arm back, "Run Program, Defense Breach Lion!" Thrusting his arm forward, the code enveloping his had converged together into the crude, blue, polygonal form of a charging lion, the letters "DPM" emblazoned across its forehead.
The poor coral mermaid barely had time to look up before the lion-shaped program was upon her, enveloping both of them in a cloud of smoke. However, once the smoke cleared, Hideki realized that the lion program had sunk its teeth into his shoulder. His blocker was gone, and his life had dropped to 6. The program then vanished, leaving no wounds, but instead the usual marks which quickly vanished.
"W-what?" he said, surprised.
"I told you, there's nothing I can't get through," Marbas said with a slightly more sinister tone. He then recomposed himself, returning to his upright posture.
"Marbas has the Penetrate ability," The Professor said, "That means that the damage he deals gets through as long as he defeats his opponent."
"I know that!" Hideki yelled, "I'll draw, then I'll call Ocean Dragon Aquiladon to the left, and-"
"You forgot to charge and draw again," Marie remarked.
"Whatever!" Hideki said, "Now I'll Buddy Call Marie to the center!"
Marie pouted as she jumped into the center area as Aquiladon appeared at her left. She was just being used as a shield again.
"We can do that, too!" Hideki declared, "Now, Aquiladon, Attack Marbas!"
Aquiladon reared back its head and unleashed a shrieking torrent of water towards an unmoved Marbas.
"I cast!" The Professor retorted, "Solomon's Shield!" Casting out his hand, a glyph appeared between Marbas and Aquiladon, the spray of water washing over it like it was an unbreakable sheet of glass.
"You didn't think I'd let it be that simple!" The Professor replied, "Unless Marie wants to hurl herself at Marbas, it's my turn. I draw!" The professor drew a new card, "Charge and draw!" He cupped his hand onto his chin as he looked at his hand.
"Hrmm," He muttered, "I imagine you have Marie in the center because, even though Marbas is stronger, his penetrate doesn't work because Marie would not be destroyed. You would be correct."
Hideki swallowed hard. Marie tapped her foot impatiently.
"However," The Professor continued, "There are other ways around such defenses," He picked a card in his hand, his other hand becoming shrouded in a new glyph, "I cast Magical Goodbye!"
The professor flung the spell like a frisbee towards Marie. Marie braced herself, but after the spell struck her dead-on she found herself caught in an orb of magical energy, the small size of the sphere causing her body to be curled up.
"Hey, hey, wait a minute!" She yelled. The orb then bolted for the cards in Hideki's hand, shrinking down and adding itself to the cards still there.
"M..Marie?" Hideki said nervously. Marie had not reappeared at his side, and seemed to have gotten stuck in the cards in his hand. A slightly sinister chuckle refocused Hideki's gaze back towards Professor Elvis, as well as the wide-open path left behind by Marie's departure.
"You still have a lot to learn about Buddyfighting," The Professor remarked, raising his Gunrod again and using it to remove the life point that Hideki had regained from Marie's Buddy Gift, "Now, Marbas, Attack the fighter!"
Marbas began preparing his attack program once more.
"I know, I'll cast Freeze! That will buy me some time!" Hideki thought. However a quick glance to his left revealed a troubling sight: His lack of Gauge had come back to bite him, and now he had no cards in his hand that could stop Marbas! Hideki reeled as the lion-shaped attack program struck once more, halving his remaining life points.
Still, he had three life points left. Surely Hideki could find a way to turn this around next turn when.
"Final Phase!" The Professor interrupted Hideki's train of thought.
"Final what?" He asked.
"I cast Key of Solomon, First Volume!" The Professor declared, bringing his gauge back up to three, "And now, Cast!" The Professor held up a horizontal card, which glowed with a brighter energy that any of the cards had before.
Hideki took a step back at the sight.
In response to the call, Marbas raised his hand into the air, the three gauge at the Professor's Left disappearing and congealing into a sphere of pure energy above his raised finger, a slight laugh escaping his mouth.
"Impact!" The Professor yelled as he leapt into the air, arm outstretched, "Diabolical Hardcore!" The Professor spiked the sphere of energy like it was a volleyball. The high-velocity attack deformed in the air at its high speed as it headed towards Hideki. Despite not doing any real damage, the impact was still enough to knock Hideki down. His life points had been dropped to zero by that surprising attack.
"Ugh!" Hideki said as he righted himself, covering his hand with his face, "Was that really necessary?"
"Yes, it was!" The Professor replied sharply, "There are many Buddyfighters out there who are far more skilled than me, and your association with this project, however incidental, means that others may come after you. I'm just making sure you understand what you're up against."
Hideki scowled under his hand. There was no doubt that the Professor also wanted to vent some steam for some reason.
"Whatever the reasons may be," Marbas chimed in, "I'm sorry to see that your research has hit a roadblock. Be sure to get in contact with the real me as soon as possible."
"The 'real' you?" Hideki deadpanned. Wasn't the "real" Marbas right in front of him?
"Oh, pardon me," Marbas said politely, turning around, "You see, unless you possess the buddy rare card for a monster, those who appear in battle are little more than mere avatars, though I've managed to take things a step further with mine," Marbas typed something into his laptop, "I've made a note to expect your call," He made one, final decisive tap on his keyboard, "Ciao," And with a blip, he vanished, taking all of the effects of the finished battle with him.
Except for Marie's card. The light containing her exploded outwards, Marie leaping out of it and exhaling loudly as though she had been holding her breath.
"Man, I HATE that!" She yelled, dusting off the front of her dress, "Am I gonna get cramped up like that every time that happens?" She grumbled something as she reached for one of four jeweled pins kept in her hair behind her gold comb. With a flick, the bristles of a more traditional comb sprang out and Marie got to fixing the hair that had been moved out of place due to the uncomfortable effects of Magical Goodbye as she turned to Hideki, "Judging by the fact that you're sitting on the floor, I'm guessing the Professor kicked your butt while I was away."
"Yeah," Hideki said.
"Figures," Marie replied. Hideki could only growl in response. Enough was implied by Marie's voice that she didn't need to go into detail how she felt.
It was then that a nearby television screen flickered to life, the crystal-clear image of Commander I filling the screen.
"Ah, good, you're still here," The monitor buzzed, "After some time, we have finally come to a decision regarding how to handle this situation." Commander I gave the people in the lab the time to appropriately gather. The two Elvises stood side-by-side and Marie and Hideki stood opposite to them, Shion slowly approaching the two.
"After intense deliberation," Commander I continued, "Ms Shion Wakamichi, we have decided to revoke your provisional Buddy Contract?"
A visible twinge of shock ran down Shion's face, but it paled in comparison to Marie's reaction.
"What?!" Marie yelled, stomping her foot, "But why?!"
"You must understand that this is a peculiar case," Commander I replied, "Under any other circumstances, I would have allowed you to stay with Shion but, since the two of you are being targeted by someone, I felt it would be best if you remained with the one with whom you can luminize a deck and utilize the Buddy Skill. I'll see to it that Shion receives a proper escort home at night."
"But…but…" Marie said. She then turned to Shion, "Shion, say something!"
"Huh?" Shion said. She seemed to have been in a daze before Marie had addressed her, "Oh, um. I'm with it, actually. It… makes sense to me, too." She glanced around nervously a bit.
Marie was shocked by Shion's response. Clenching her fists, she turned again and voiced her objections to Commander I's decision. As she did so and the others became embroiled in the debate, Hideki could see Shion quietly slinking away out the laboratory door.
Seeing as nobody had any interest in his opinion on the matter, Hideki decided it would be best to leave the bickering. Following Shion out the door, he saw that Shion had stepped outside for some fresh air on a nearby balcony. She was leaning against a railing, her head cupped in her hand, looking up at the night sky. She took a deep sigh.
Shion was startled when Hideki opened the door to the balcony, looking up at him with wide eyes.
"Um…hey," he said, still halfway through the door. Shion shrank away from him. For a while, there was merely the sounds of outside, some cars moving about, an air conditioner running, and the general hum of a nighttime metropolis; echoing from the distance, like everything was so far away.
The moment only grew more awkward by the second. Shion remained stock still and Hideki, still halfway through the door, was quickly pacing through his mind, trying to find a way to break the silence. Sadly, Marie had been right about his lack of imagination.
"So," Hideki said finally, "This whole Buddyfighting thing is a whole lot harder than I thought it was," he said.
Dang. Not the best choice.
"Oh," Shion replied, "It is, isn't it?" She said, "I've played against the Professors many times in the past,"
"Really?" Hideki said, a bit relieved that Shion was willing to go along with it, "There was that card he played, the one that increased his gauge?"
"Key Solomon, First Volume?" Shion asked.
"Yeah, that one," Hideki replied, "Does this deck have anything like that in here?" He motioned to the Core Gadget that was still attached to his wrist.
"Um, I'm not sure, really," Shion replied, "I know that the version of that card for Aqua World is called "Summer Rain". If there aren't any in there, they might not be a bad idea to add."
"I guess so," Hideki replied, "What about that Diabolical Hardcore thing?"
"Oh, I know the deck doesn't have any Impacts in it, yet. I haven't been able to find any," Shion replied.
"I see," Hideki said, "And what about that 'Magical Goodbye' spell?"
"Oh, I don't think there is," Shion said, "Aqua World prefers to move monsters or freeze them in place rather than removing them." She chuckled, "Then again, I don't really collect that many cards." Her giggling grows a bit stronger, "The way Marie reacted to getting all bunched up like that, it's kinda funny now that I think about it."
Hideki found himself recalling the incident the same way, Marie's frightened expression, once alarming, now seemed just plain silly, especially since no harm befell her. Hideki found himself laughing as well.
"Still, I'm kinda jealous," He said.
"Jealous?" Shion questioned.
"Yeah, I mean, you and Marie get along so well together. Looking at us now, I don't think the two of us will ever get along." Hideki said.
"Jealous…" Shion said. Hideki turned to Shion. The jovial expression she had worn mere moments ago had once again turned expressionless.
"Sh…Shion?" Hideki asked nervously.
"The jealous one…" Shion said, "Is me!" Like someone had turned a nozzle on a faucet, Shion unleashed every ounce of emotion she had. Tears streamed down her face, her glasses fogging up slightly from the moisture, everything she had been holding back all this time bursting forth all at once. Hideki couldn't help but take a step back, "Marie…Marie was the first real friend I've ever had!" she continued, "We were supposed to be buddies! Be best friends! Spend all of our time together! We've been preparing for this for months!" Shion raised her hands to her face, her glasses being forced upwards as she fell to her knees, "When Marie came out of the card because of you, I just couldn't take it! And now we're going to be apart again!"
Hideki was frozen to the spot. He had absolutely no idea how to handle this situation as Shion's emotional outburst continued. As basically the source of her distress, Hideki felt powerless to do anything for the poor girl.
"Shion?" Hideki turned at the sound of the voice. He discovered that Marie had joined them on the balcony, having come partway through the door, "Oh, Shion," she said. She walked up to her friend and knelt down, embracing Shion, "I'm so sorry, Shion," she said, "I know it seems like things are going to change, but one thing hasn't," She nestled herself closer to Shion, "I may be Hideki's Buddy Monster for the time being, but you're still my best friend in the whole world; that hasn't changed one bit."
Shion finally removed her hands from her face and looked up at Marie. Marie returned with a reassuring smile. Shion abruptly returned Marie's embrace, still bawling loudly. Marie brought her hand around and gently stroked Shion on her head to comfort her.
Hideki finally exhaled. This was the second time tonight Marie had saved him from his own mistakes. Still, watching the two, Hideki couldn't help but feel a little guilty. After all, the accident that night would force the two apart soon.
"Hey, Marie," He said gently, ""Ya know, if it really means that much to you, we can come see her any time."
Marie turned to him and her eyes lit up like diamonds, "You promise?"
"Promise," Hideki replied.
Marie's eyes could light a room, "Yay! Did you hear that, Shion?!" She said jubilantly, crushing Shion in a tight hug, "I can come see you any time I want! Isn't that great?!" The now crushed Shion could only try to strain a response.
Hideki felt a lot better about the situation now. He knew he had gotten himself into a difficult scenario, but for now, the grander scheme of things didn't matter to him. It was awfully late though, and he was sure his parents were-
Marie and Shion were suddenly shocked to attention as Hideki let out a loud scream, grabbing his head with his hands.
"Wha…what was that for?" Marie asked.
Hideki had a simple reply for that.
"I forgot the milk!"