A.N: Is it weird for me to thank my fabulous reviewers at the start of each chapter? Well, even if it is, cheers to MugetsuPipefox, kisshuismylife and Nikaru12 :3 Somehow seeing reviews makes writing a new chapter even more exciting!
Note on honorifics: since this is primarily in English only Pudding uses 'onee-chan' for the other Mew girls. Oh, and of course, Mint's 'onee-sama' for Zakuro, because that's super cute.
Eventually, the conversation between Lettuce and I drifted to a close and so I explored the library while she finished her book. The books inside ranged from old, dusty tomes to modern fantasy novels, and there was even a small collection of manga. I was about to start reading 'Shingeki no Kyojin' when I heard the large doors opened again. I was behind a bookshelf and couldn't see who it was. I hoped it wasn't Shirogane again.
"Hello, Pudding," I heard Lettuce call out.
"Lettuce onee-chan!" replied a high, energetic voice. Onee-chan – of course, that means older sister. I guess these two must be close, I thought. I stepped out from behind the bookshelf to see the new arrival. I guessed from her food name that she was another potential MEW.
The girl I saw defied any expectations I had. I knew she had to be a similar age to the rest of us like Shirogane had said, but she appeared much younger. She was very short and slender, although the muscles in her limbs were clearly defined. She appeared to be of Asian descent and had mischievous brown eyes and a wide grin. However, her hair and eyebrows had been dyed blonde – well, more like bright yellow. Unlike the other girls I'd met, who had been dressed in dark and modest clothing, Pudding was wearing a bright red playsuit.
Her colourful appearance seemed out of place in the fancy library, but I liked her upon sight.
"Hi," I said cheerfully.
"Ooh, who's this?" she asked, running over to me. She bounced around me in a circle and I swear I heard her sniffing at me. Then she stopped and stood directly in front of me, smiling. She barely came up to my chest. "Hello, new onee-chan! I like you. What's your name?"
She seemed… Quirky. I laughed awkwardly – I wasn't used to having my personal space invaded like this. "I'm Ichigo, nice to meet you. Are you Pudding?" I greeted her in a polite tone.
"That's me! How long have you been here? Usually Shirogane introduces everyone straight away! You know, I was the second one here, but Zakuro's so quiet that I felt lonely! But now I have more onee-chan-tachi to play with! What games do you like?" The words flew out of the short girl's mouth at a rapid pace. Even I, the master of speed-talking, struggled to keep up. This girl reminded me of a squirrel drinking coffee.
"Video games…" I answered, even though I figured that's not the type of game she meant.
"Boring! Can you play jan-ken-pon?"
I knew from Japanese class that jan-ken-pon was the Japanese equivalent of rock paper scissors. I failed to see how that could possibly be any more interesting than video games…
"Yeah, I can." Before I knew it, Pudding grabbed my wrist and starting shaking it.
"JAN! KEN! PON!" she shouted. I made my hand into scissors and Pudding made a fist.
"Damn," I cursed at the loss. Pudding cackled ominously. What had I gotten myself into?
"And now, for the punishment game!" she declared.
"Ichigo, you might want to run for it," Lettuce warned me. I glanced over at her, expecting her to be joking, but her face was gravely serious. I looked back to Pudding, who appeared to have pulled a maid outfit from somewhere and was slowly creeping up on me.
"You'll never take me alive!" I shouted, sprinting away. I weaved between the bookshelves trying to throw her off me tail. She followed me, laughing crazily, and slowly catching up. I joined in with the laughter and soon both of us were giggling hysterically. Pudding was insanely fast, and since I was laughing and couldn't catch a breath, she quickly pounced on me. "No!" I protested.
Five minutes later, I walked out from behind the bookshelf wearing a frilly black and white maid outfit. How did that even happen…
To my immense embarrassment, another girl was standing beside Lettuce, eying Pudding and I disdainfully.
"You're noisy," she said. Her voice was low and commanding, yet strangely sounded somewhat musical all at once. In fact, as I looked at her, I realised that would also be an apt description for her appearance. She was even taller than me – she could have easily passed for a model. Her hair was long, black and silky, her skin was pale, and her eyes were large and blue. Although, this girl also appeared Asian, so I supposed that she was wearing contacts.
The corners of her lips were curved down and her eyes were lidded heavily. Combined with the confident way she carried herself, she emitted an aura of authority. I immediately felt extremely childish in her presence; especially considering I was in a maid outfit and she was dressed elegantly in well-tailored pants and a simple but pretty blouse.
"Uh, Zakuro, this is our new member Ichigo," Lettuce smiled awkwardly. I could tell she too felt the impact of Zakuro's powerful aura.
"Hm," Zakuro sniffed. She looked me up and down, expressionless. Then her lips curved upwards into a slight smile. "Hello, Ichigo. I'm Zakuro." I heaved a sigh of relief. She seems intimidating but hopefully we'll be friends soon.
"Hi," I smiled. I wasn't sure whether or not I should shake her hand or something.
At that moment, Mint burst through the library doors. "Hey! Are you having a meeting without m-" She seemed to freeze when she saw Zakuro. "Onee-sama!" she cried, rushing to Zakuro and practically tackling her into a hug. Zakuro awkwardly petted the cloak which was covering Mint's hair and disentangled herself from the embrace.
"Now everyone's here!" Pudding exclaimed excitedly. Lettuce put her book away and stood up to join us. The five of us stood in a circle, not really knowing what to say.
"It's nice to meet you all," I smiled in an attempt to break the awkward silence. "I was worried there was going to be a bunch of creeps, but you all seem pretty cool!"
"Of course," Mint sniggered.
"Likewise," Lettuce beamed.
"Friends!" Pudding exclaimed.
Zakuro allowed herself a small smile and nodded.
"Still, it seems strange that they're only recruiting people a week before D-day. I wonder why?" Mint wondered aloud.
"D-day?" I repeated nervously.
"The day when the MEW Project really starts," Lettuce explained. "It's six days until we all undergo the operations that will transform us."
"When you say transform–" I began.
"We'll be special!" Pudding interrupted excitedly. "Super strong, super fast, cute ears!"
"Ears…?" I muttered. I had the feeling that nobody was listening to me anymore.
"I'm not so sure about the ears," Mint sighed.
"Mint, I think it would look cute on you," Zakuro said. Mint flushed bright pink and hid her face in her hands like a small child.
"WHAT EARS?" I shouted.
Lettuce looked over to me in surprise. "Shirogane didn't tell you? Part of the operation involves enhancing our senses. Most of that means adapting pre-existing features, but some human features aren't compatible, like the ears."
"We'll be kitties!" Pudding shouted.
"What about noses?" I asked in horror. Were they just going to remove my head and stick a cat's one on instead?
"Only the internal structure. As for eyes, they shall remain primarily human, however the capacity of the pupil to change is increased."
"Simply, our pupils will be able to get bigger and smaller than they can now," Mint translated condescendingly.
"I figured that out," I muttered. She and Shirogane must be in league to make me feel like a complete idiot. I glared at her and she smirked in return.
"And we get claws," Pudding grinned, making her hands into claws and pretending to scratch me.
"That's horrifying," I whined. Shirogane told me that we weren't going to be freaks! I guess I can see how the eyes and claws could come in useful, but cat ears? I mean, looking like an anime character would be really cool, but I couldn't go back to my family looking like that. Or, out in public, unless I had a cloak like Mint's – holy crap that's why she has a cloak. For when we get weird ears. "Surely that is not the most logical way to deal with crappy hearing. What about hearing aids or something?" I suggested.
"I think you're forgetting a key thing here," Zakuro mentioned. "Look at the five of us." I did so. I mean, I already knew everyone now, what was I looking for? A common trait? Well, we were all female, about the age of 18, but we all looked very different and came from different places.
"Shirogane is a creep," Mint explained. "See, the DNA gene we all possess is rare, but with a population of 6 billion worldwide… What are the odds that the only people who have it are young, attractive girls?"
"Oh," I realised.
"Who cares? Kitty ears!" Pudding beamed.
"I guess the idea doesn't seem quite as bad as long as it'll be all five of us," Lettuce said hopefully.
"We'll be weird together," I laughed. "You're right, Lettuce. We'll kick some butt together! Ears or no ears!"
"I like her," Pudding grinned.
"You're all talk," Mint said. I wasn't sure whether she was being funny or mean. Her eyes flickered over to Zakuro's, who nodded. I suddenly got a bad feeling.
"But can you actually 'kick butt'?" Zakuro asked.
"Oh, I get it," Pudding stage-whispered, catching on to whatever they were planning.
"What?" I asked warily.
"Time to see what she can do!" Mint announced cheerfully.
"To the gym!" Pudding giggled.
"Oh no," I groaned.
A.N: All the girls are together! Soon we can start some of the good stuff. But for now, Ichigo, watch out…