Chapter 68 – The Strange Girl's Mystery Power
Jun's POV
*LATER THAT NIGHT…*
"…And THAT'S what brought me here."
"W-Wow…o-okay, hold on." Lala said with a confused-as-hell look after I told her my situation. "S-So, you have a friend who lived in Paris but moved to Japan…and was feeling homesick…"
"Yep."
"…And two other friends who wanted to have romantic dates with their lovers…who are French…"
"Yep."
"…And then while you were trying to cheer up your friend from Paris, another one of your friends shows up out of nowhere by using a box that travels through Space and Time…"
"Actually, it's just called Space-Time. But go on."
"…And so, all of you decided to travel to Paris through this "Space-Time Box"…but through a rare and random chance, it sent you, and only you, here. To Los Angeles. Did I get everything right?"
"Yep. On the nose."
"Geez…what kind of stuff have you been getting into over the years?"
"Stuff that normal people would find questionable…" I replied with a huge sweatdrop.
"I see…well…sucks that all of that happened to you, Jun. it's a good thing that we ended up running into each other. Or else you would've been screwed."
"Yeah…tell me about it."
"Here you go, ladies. Two deluxe donburi and ramen combos ready to eat." A waiter said as he brought us each our dinner (that Lala had to pay for because I didn't have American money).
"Thank you, sir!" I cheered before grabbing mg chopsticks and snarking some of the food down. "Mmm~! So, good~! I've been craving this stuff all day!"
"*giggle* You know…seeing you like this, Jun, is bringing back some memories." Lala said. "You were always a huge glutton when we were little."
"Hmph! Well, EXCUSE me if I love to eat. It's the whole reason as to why I got these tig 'ol bitties of mine."
"Yeah, I highly doubt that…" Lala gained a sweatdrop.
The next few minutes were spent with us eating our surprisingly accurate Japanese cuisine. Katsudon and pork ramen…tempura and okonomiyaki…we even have some melonpan on the side. FREAKING MELONPAN! It's insane that I'm eating genuine Japanese food in an entirely different country! Definitely one of the only highlights of this mess of a trip.
"*sigh* That was…that was delicious." I said.
"Ka…Kashikoma…" Lala was also in heaven from eating all of that food. Even having drool drip from her mouth.
And yet, she teased me about eating so much…
"So…we ate good food and we got a place to stay. But what do we do about tomorrow?" I asked.
"Huh? O-Oh, right! Well, after letting my phone charged a bit, I called my friend Nao. They made it back to the hotel we're staying and the teachers already know about me being here. Someone will come get me tomorrow."
"I see. Well, I gotta wait for the friend with the Space-Time Box. Apparently, she had to charge the thing after we used it the first time."
"Ch-Charge…a box? How do you even do that?"
"As if I freaking know, Lala." I said with a sweatdrop.
"W-Well…whatever. From the sound of things, we can't do anything until tomorrow. So, let's just head for the hotel and call it a night."
"Yeah, sure thing. After the meal we just had, I'm ready for a GOOD night sleep!"
"Just don't sleep talk while doing it like back when we were kids."
"Tch! I-I don't do that anymore!" I yelled with a blush of embarrassment on my face.
That's a lie. It still happens sometimes…
The next day came and the two of us were on the move again. Soon after we woke up, Lala's friend called and said that they'd meet us at the last place they visited before ending their day 1 tours.
Which was, ironically enough, Santa Monica Pier.
How did we not see each other then?
So, as we made our way there, we decided to talk about what we've been doing with our lives in the 9 years we've been separated. And while mine's wasn't all that out-of-the-ordinary, Lala's was…
"W-Wait, really?! You're an idol?!"
"Yep. I started back in the 6th grade. Started out as a dare, honestly."
"A dare?"
"There was an amateur idol show in town one day. A couple friends of mine dared me to audition for it…since I'm known to have a loud-ass voice, apparently…and I ended up winning. I got a contract to start my idol career, sang a concerts, won competitions…and soon enough, I even joined an idol group. A 6-person group known as the Pretty All-Stars."
"Petty Superstars?"
"Pretty All-Stars!" Lala gained an agitated look.
"Right, right…"
I think the other name's better…
"We each go to different schools…in fact, I'm tied for being the youngest in the group. But when we get together, we make the best music out there! And have a lot of fun doing it, too!"
"Wow…that's impressive. Never would've thought you would become an idol, Lala. And you makes three. Maybe there's some kind of idol boom going on…"
"Three? You know others?"
"Huh? Oh…guess I said that out loud, didn't I? Well, yeah. I do know a few. Close friends, actually. One of them I found out was Lyrica and the other…well, she's actually my senpai…she recently debuted as Melody. Although, she said that it was all on a whim and…"
"W-Wait, hold up! Y-You're FRIENDS with Lyrica and Melody?!" Lala shouted in total shock.
"Yeah…"
"Jun! That's big! HUGE, even! Lyrica with her #1 hit Kimi ga Yume wa Tsuretekita…Melody's debut song Kiratto Start being an instant fan-favorite…Those two are some of the biggest idols out there!"
"Even bigger than the Petty Superstars?"
"Stop saying our name wrong, damnit!" I think at this point Lala knew I was purposely screwing up her idol group's name.
That doesn't mean I'm going to stop, though…
"Aw, man…I can't believe that you're so close to those two. To meet them would be such a dream come true…"
"Well…maybe once we get back to Japan, I could convince them to do a small meet-up with you. I'm sure they wouldn't mind once they hear you're an idol, too."
"Y-You'll do that?!"
"Sure. Anything for my childhood friend."
"YES! Thank you so much, Jun! this will be the BEST thing you've ever done for me! I can't wait until we get home!"
"*giggle* It's all good, Lala. Just like I said, let's get home first before any of that can happen."
"Kashikoma!" Lala cheered with her signature pose.
We soon ended up at the pier and the first thing we noticed was that it was just as crowded as yesterday. Makes sense since it's a popular spot for both locals and tourists. But it was going to make finding Lala's teacher harder than we intended it to be.
Despite all of the people here, the sight was still a sight to behold. The beach still had that amazing view. And all of the attractions, stands, and balloons made this place festive all the time.
It's like a 24-hour cultural festival!
"Wow~…the setting here is amazing!" Lala cheered. "I never got to fully appreciate this place because we were moving so fast."
"Yeah, totally. Such a nice view." I replied before going silent for a minute. Remembering an event from yesterday. "You know, now that I think about it…this exact conversation is how I met this strange girl yesterday."
"Strange girl?"
"She appeared out of nowhere talking about the place not being viewed as a party spot, gave me a couple of lollipops, and got chased away by the cops. She had a pretty relaxed personality through it all, too."
"Huh…this girl sounds like a real ataoka."
"Yeah…kinda got that vibe from her, too." I gained a sweatdrop.
"Ataoka? Heh…that's definitely a new one."
…
…
…
We then looked like…right under the railing we were leaning over to see the EXACT girl I was just talking about. Wearing the same clothes as yesterday…hanging from a metal rod with only one foot.
And I can totally see her underwear…
"H-How long have you've been there?" I asked in shock.
"Hmm~…a while. Was going to let go when I recognized your voice from yesterday. So, I stuck around and listened."
"I see…"
She lasted THAT long?!
"So, uh…do you want some help up?"
"Well…I was going for a personal best. But I guess it can wait until later. Grab my hand."
I reached out for the girl's hand and pulled her up. She then proceeded to do a handstand on the railing, launched from it, twirled in the air, and landed on both of her feet. Ending the little stunt with a Sonic the Hedgehog pose.
"Wow…" Lala said.
"Phew! That was a workout."
"So, do you normally do all of that stuff or was it just a random thing?" I asked.
"It's a mix of both. Sometimes it's for fun…other times I'm doing it to outrun those damn persistent cops. But it's all the same, really."
"J-Jun…" Lala said with a huge sweatdrop.
"Y-Yeah, I know." I replied with a sweatdrop of my own. "She's a real ataoka."
"Ataoka…what does that even mean?" The girl asked.
"It's Japanese slang for crazy."
"Oh~! *giggle* Yeah, that's definitely a new one. I've been called a lot of different names throughout my life."
"Like what?"
"Well, there's…Hey, Girl, Weirdo, Crazy Girl, Nutjob, Nutcase…"
It seems like other people have the same opinion of this girl…
"…Troublemaker, Rambunctious Brat, Unwanted Nuisance, God's Mistake…"
W-Wait, what? What's with this turn of utter hatred?
"…Bitch, Stupid Bitch, Ugly Bitch, Worthless Bitch, Blonde Bitch…"
Th-The hell?! Why are people so mean to her?!
"…Freak of Nature, Alien, Experiment Gone Wrong, Mutant, Object…a bunch of racial and sexist slurs that I don't feel comfortable saying… "
"O-Okay, we get it! Stop!" I yelled. Not wanting to hear these cruel names anymore. "Do you at least have a nice normal-sounding name?"
"Oh, yeah. I do, actually. It's Avery. *sigh* Been a while since I've able to say that…"
"Huh?"
"N-Nothing. Hehhehhehheh…"
Avery, huh? Well, it's a nice name. A lot nicer than those other ones…
"Anyway!" The girl, now known as Avery, changed the subject. "You mention something about Japanese earlier, right? Is that where you two are from?"
"Yeah, actually. My name's Jun Suzuki."
"And I'm Lala Manaka." Lala added.
"Wow…I'm meeting with ACTUAL foreigners. And you got pretty good English, too. So, what brought you down here? A school trip or something?"
"W-Well…Lala's on a school trip. My reason is a bit…complicated."
"Complicated?"
"Y-You see…" I then proceeded to explain to Avery what happened to me before and what I've been doing since.
And she got a good 5-minute laugh from it all.
"*intense laughing* W-Wait, wait…so, you're telling me that you were traveling through a "Space-Time Box" and were supposed to go to Paris…but it brought you to Los Angeles instead?! Did you hit your head somewhere or something?! *intense laughter continues*"
"I-I'm serious! That's exactly what happened!"
"*giggle* Yeah, okay, Jun. We'll go with that story of yours. Pfft! Hahahaha!"
"*agitated groan* I'm freaking telling the truth!"
"Isn't there a way to prove it to her?" Lala asked.
"Ugh…how to do that…AHA! I got it!" I then dug into my pocket and brought out my phone. Opening up an app that, for better or worse, has made my life interesting lately. "Hey, Avery. Ever heard of FanFiction?"
"FanFiction?"
"It's this site where people create stories based on our lives and post them online for others to see. And this one story in particular has been pretty accurate on how these events have played out. Here, see for yourself."
I then gave Avery my phone and she began looking through the story in question.
"The New Band Mate…okay. Weird name for a story, but I guess it still works. Now, let's see…"
Avery scrolled through the story.
"…W-Wow, your upperclassman has a half-sister whose French? How does that work when she's Japanese?"
"We don't know. Neither one of them has told us anything." I said.
"Huh…"
She then scrolled some more.
"What? Her father died? And they went inside this "Dream World" place to talk to his resting soul?!"
"Yeah…we've been getting little supernatural lately."
"THAT'S a little to you?" Lala asked with a sweatdrop.
Avery then scrolled a greater amount than before.
"Ew~! What the hell?! Another upperclassman of yours has had romantic incestuous feelings for her own younger sister?! And it was actually reversed just a year prior?!"
"That one was actually kept a secret from us for a while." I explained. "They both have girlfriends of their own and it wasn't until they needed to tell their parents that they were gay was when they told everything."
"Wow…homosexuality must be rough in Japan."
"You guys definitely have it easier here…" I gained a sweatdrop.
Especially since I'm still questioning MY homosexuality…
Avery then skimmed all the way to the more recent events. The trip to Paris for the 3rd years…Azusa, Ui, Zoé, and I agreeing to go to Paris through Sakurako's Space-time Box…
…
…And me ending up here in Los Angeles. Reuniting with Lala, meeting Avery, and showing her the existence of FanFiction.
"W-Woah…I-I'm even in this story! This FanFiction site is accurate as hell!"
"Yeah…that's what's scary about it." I gained a sweatdrop.
"Okay…so, you really weren't kidding about that "Space-Time Box" thing." Avery said as she gave me back my phone. "I'm just confused as to how something like that can even exists."
"It's best that you don't think about it. Nobody really understands."
"Huh…*giggle* Man! Foreigners are freaking exciting! If only you guys were around when I was younger."
"What?" We both asked.
"O-Oh, nothing! Just speaking nonsense again! Hehhehhehheh."
Avery's definitely hiding some parts of her life. I know I shouldn't really care since I just met her and will most likely never see her again…but I just can't put it out of my mind…
"Hey! There she is! Get her!"
"*sigh* Can't I have just ONE day of not running?" Avery mumbled to herself again as we noticed three police officers charging in our direction. "Welp. It was nice meeting you girls. Good luck getting home, Jun. See ya!"
"Huh?! W-Wait a minute! Why are the police after you?!" I asked.
"Are you some kind of criminal?!" Lala asked.
"No, I'm not a criminal! I-It's just…"
"HANDS! HANDS! PUT YOUR FUCKING HANDS UP NOW!"
"*shriek* Th-They have guns!" Lala screamed in fear as she hid behind me.
"Avery!" I yelled at her.
"Ugh! Geez…fine! I'll tell you! But not now! Just follow me!" Avery then jumped onto the pier's railing and started running down with ease. And with American police armed with guns quickly heading our way, Lala and I didn't have much of a choice but to get on and follow her.
"Group of 3 running on the railing!"
"Tch! So, she has accomplices!"
"Shoot them all down! Any friends of her are enemies of the STC Foundation!"
Sh-Shoot them down?! Are they insane?! Since when was it okay to SHOOT people for running?!
"Avery, what the hell is going on?!" I yelled in a panic. "Are those even police officers?!"
"Long story short…no. They're not. But they're WAY worse."
"W-Worse?!"
"Just keep running! I'll get them off our backs!"
"H-How?! They're charging at us with freaking guns!"
"Easy. Like this!"
Avery then jumped over our heads and landed on one hand in front of Lala. Separating the two of us from the "police" officers still violently chasing us.
And then, with her free hand, she…
"Fozu Beyja!"
*SNAP*
…Did that.
Then a yellow hexagonal-shaped hole appeared in front of her. Forcing the three officers to fall through it and disappear. With the hole closing shortly after.
"W-Woah…" We both said in disbelief.
And then without missing a beat, Avery did another flip over us, landed on the other side, grabbed both of us with one hand…
And with the other…
"Fozu Quulk!"
*SNAP*
*POOF*
…We teleported. Reappearing in an alleyway that was secluded from the rest of the pier.
…
Wh-What…just…happen?
"*pant* *pant* Th-There. Th-That should *TWITCH*…Th-That should *TWITCH*…Th-That should *TWITCH* *TWITCH* *TWITCH* Gaaah…"
"A-Avery?! H-Hey! Wh-What's with you?!" Lala yelled once Avery had dropped to the floor hard. Looking like she was glitching in and out of reality.
"D-Dum…Dum…*TWITCH*"
"We're trying to help you and you call us dumb dumbs?! Well, screw you too, then!"
"Dum Dum…" I mumbled to myself. "…W-Wait a second, Lala! That's not what she means!" I then turned to Avery. "You mean that lollipop from earlier, right?!"
"Ye *TWITCH*…Y-Yes. *TWITCH*"
"It's a lollipop?" Lala asked.
"Weird name, I know. Just help me look for some! Where do you keep them, Avery?!"
"M-My…h-hat *TWITCH*. Ch-Check my *TWITCH*…h-hat."
We check Avery's hat to reveal a bag full of these Dum Dum lollipops resting on her blonde head. We weren't sure what flavor would fix her. So, I grabbed a random one, unwrapped it, and shoved it in her mouth. Hoping for the best.
Come on…please work!
"*pant* *pant*…phew. That should do it. Thanks a bunch, you two."
"*sigh* Thank God…" We both said as we fell to the ground ourselves.
"So, for saving my life just now…I guess I could finally tell you a bit of my backstory, right?"
"Uh, yeah. Totally." I said. "You're definitely the weirdest girl I've ever met, Avery."
"Hahaha. Yeah…well…I'm not even sure if I am a girl."
"W-Wait, what?! The hell does that mean?!"
"Are you a boy dressed as a girl or something?" Lala asked.
"N-No, not like that! I'm definitely a girl physically! I've got the breasts, vagina, everything! I can even show you as proof!"
"PL-PLEASE, DON'T!" Lala and I both shouted in a huge panic as Avery was really about to show us her naked body.
I may be questioning my homosexuality…but I don't want THAT to be the deciding factor!
"*sigh* Fine. What I mean is…I don't know what I am as a person."
"I…still don't get it." Lala said.
"I mean…*sigh* this weird power I have, this nonsensical language I speak in order for it to work, the fact that I need these lollipops in order to stay alive…it's obvious that I'm not fully human. And I'm pretty sure those STC cops know it, too. Which is why they come after me every single day."
"STC…" I said to myself. "…I remember those guys mentioning it earlier. Are they some kind of secret group or something?"
"Heh. That's what I wanted to know, you get me? So one night, I followed those cop guys back to their HQ. And found out some info on what really are."
"Ooh~! Espionage!" Lala cheered as her eyes sparkled in excitement. "This is just like my favorite TV drama!"
"Focus, you." I retorted as I gave her a light bonk on her head.
"So, apparently…STC stands for the Space-Time Containment Foundation. And it's mostly a group of shady scientists doing some shady stuff involving Space, Time, and even Dreams."
"What? That sounds like a bunch of nonsense."
"Hell, I didn't believe it, either. Until…that very same night…I saw THIS." Avery then brought out her phone (surprised she had one, honestly) and showed us this video she managed to take while spying on this STC group.
And what we saw was…unbelievable.
"W-Woah…wh-what are they…" Lala said.
"I-It's…It's a giant portal." I added.
It really was a giant portal. A bright blue star-shaped portal about the size of the entire building. It had an eerie light-blue glow around it, it was pulsing as if it was a heart…
And the creepiest thing about it was…
"W-Wait…wh-what the hell?! Something's coming out of it!" We heard Avery's voice in the video.
"Hey! Who's there?!"
"Crap! They noticed me!"
"It's that girl from the pier! Don't let her escape!"
"Crap, crap, crap, crap, CRAAAAAP!"
The video ended with Avery trying to escape from wherever this STC place was. I still had chills from seeing…SOMETHING trying to get out of that portal. It was all black and bloody…I'm glad it was only just a hand.
I would've peed myself if I saw the whole thing…
"A-Avery…wh-what WAS that?! What are they even doing?!" Lala asked. Still having the same amount of fear I had (maybe even more).
"*sigh* I…I-I don't know, honestly. But whatever it is, they don't want the public to know. So, they've been chasing me day after day trying to get this video. And to probably keep me quiet about what I saw. Permanently."
"W-Woah…"
"Damn…so, you're basically on the run." I said.
"Yeah, pretty much."
"And you're doing this alone?" Lala asked. "What about your family?"
…
…
…
Avery went dead silent for a while as she gained a sad depressed look on her face.
"I…d-don't have one."
"Wh-What?!" Lala and I said in shock.
"I don't have a family. No mom, no dad…no siblings or cousins of any kind…I've been out on the streets for as long as I can remember. Going around stealing food in order to survive…finding new shelter every night to keep those cops off my back…"
"Wh-What about bathing?" Lala asked.
"I bathe in the ocean early in the morning. Let me tell you, salt water is NOT good for the skin. Learned that the hard way recently."
"Oh…"
That sounds gross as hell…
"Point is…I've been out on my own for so long that I'm pretty much used to it. I mean…it's part of the life I barely know anything about. Might as well make full use of it, you know."
"Avery…that sounds like hell."
"Yeah…it is hell, honestly." Avery then gained a mixed look of determination and sadness. "But…But I can't just give up on it all. There's no doubt in my mind that those STC bastards know something about my true identity. And how that and the portal are connected somehow. Point is…I'm gonna keep on at it until I find out the truth. No matter how long it takes."
"Wow…" The two of us were amazed.
So, that's what it is, huh? She feels like this STC Foundation is responsible for the life she knows nearly nothing about but is currently stuck with. And she's risking it every day to find out the true connection between it and the shady stuff she caught them doing.
…
It all sounds like something straight out of a sci-fi anime…but it's even crazier that she's doing this all on her own.
*RINGTONE CHIME*
"Oh, sorry. That's me." Lala said before answering her phone. "Hello?"
"Lala! Where are you?! The teachers have been looking for you for the past 10 minutes!"
"Crap! I forgot! Nao! Tell them that I'm on my way!"
"*moan* I can't keep saving your ass like this, Lala."
"Please~! I'll treat you once we get back home!"
…
"*sigh* Fine. But if you're not here in 5 minutes, you're on your own."
"Thanks, Nao! You're the best!"
"Yeah, yeah…"
Lala ended the phone call and joined back with us with a semi-panicked look on her face.
"S-Sorry, guys. I gotta get back. My teacher's gonna kill me if I don't."
"Oh, yeah. We have been out here for a while." I said. "And it's gonna take us the same exact amount to get back to where we were."
"I can just warp us back." Avery said. "Easy no problem."
"A-Are you sure? What about your power acting up?"
"I'll be fine. As long as I got my Dum Dums, I won't be glitching out of reality as if I'm a video game character."
I still don't understand how that works…
"And besides…it's the least I can do after I got you guys chased by sussy police and saved my life earlier. It's what…you know…those people who are close to each other. What were they called? Uhhh…"
"Friends?" I asked.
"Yeah! That's it! Friends! Man, I've been trying to understand that word for the longest time. Kinda foreign to me, you know."
"W-Wow…"
"Th-That's…interesting, Avery." Lala added.
D-Does…Does Avery not have any friends?
Avery soon did what she said and warped us back to the pier. There, Lala reunited with her classmate and teacher and said that she'd keep in touch once she returned to Japan.
As for my situation…
"So, when is that box thing supposed to show up?" Avery asked.
"Well, Sakurako said that she had to charge the damn thing. For it to take a whole day still sounds freaking nonsensical."
"Well, charging a reality-warping box is a lot harder than it sounds, Jun."
"GAH! St-Stop doing that!" I shouted in anger after being scared by Sakurako popping out of the box again.
How the hell did I fall for that TWICE?!
"Woah…so, this is the Space-Time Box in the flesh." Avery said. "If I didn't know better, I would've mistaken it for a wash-up box on the beach. Pretty freaky."
"Uh…who's this girl?" Sakurako asked.
"Her name's Avery." I said. "I met her while walking around the place. She's been helping me out and such."
"Oh…so, you're like a local, huh?" She then asked Avery.
"Sure. I guess."
She doesn't even know THAT?
"Well, anyway…" Sakurako continued. "…The Space-Time Box is charged up and ready to go! Just jump inside, Jun, and we'll be warping to Paris in a heartbeat!"
"To PARIS? Screw that. I wanna go home."
"Y-Yeah…sorry. I can't. Yamanaka-sensei made me promise to bring you back to Paris. She was was one button press away from calling my parents…" She said that last part with mild fear.
"Ugh! You are KIDDING ME!"
I didn't even want to go! Why am I still being punished?!
"*giggle* Well, it looks like your trip ain't over yet." Avery said. "Good luck, Jun. It was fun knowing both you and Lala. Even if it didn't last long. See ya!"
As Avery was about to head off, I grabbed her arm and held it tight. Making sure she didn't fight her way free.
"H-Hey, what's up? You are going, right?"
"Yeah, I am. But…" I then took a deep breath before continuing. "…Avery, you should come with us."
"To Paris?"
"Well, yeah. There's that. But what I mean is…come with us to Japan."
"T-To Japan? What brough this up?"
"Well, you said it yourself. You have no family, no home, you're constantly on the run from those STD freaks…"
"I-It's "STC", Jun…" Avery gained a sweatdrop.
"Whatever! The point is…your life sucks here! And I may not be able to promise that it'll be significantly better in Japan…but at least you'll have people to rely on over there."
"P-People to…r-rely on? Jun, you're saying that I can rely on you?"
"Of course, I am. I mean…we're friends, aren't we?"
"Fr-Friends?!" Avery then went silent again as a full blush came onto her face. "W-Wow…m-my face is burning up. Wh-What's going on with me?"
"You're just happy that you've gained a special friend for the first time." Sakurako said. "Trust me…I've had my fair share of those."
She ain't wrong about that…
"W-Wow…o-okay…" Avery went silent once more. This time while her blush was slowly fading away. "…A…A-Alright, Jun. I'll come with you. To Paris and then Japan. Let's travel through Space & Time, new best buddy!"
"*giggle* Sure thing. New best buddy." I replied with a smile.
"Alright, then!" Sakurako cheered as she opened her Space-Time Box. "That's three people heading to Paris, France! LET'S GO, BITCHES! WHOOOOOOO!" She then jumped feet first into the box. Just as excited as she was back in Japan.
Sometimes it's hard to tell that she's dealing with emotional issues…
"Welp…ready to start your new life?" I asked Avery.
"Yep. Sure am. Lead the way, new friend."
"*giggle* Alright, then. Here. We. GOOO!"
I jumped into the box and soon Avery followed suit. Both of us warping through Time & Space to begin a new chapter in our lives as best friends.
Man, I can't WAIT to tell Lala this!
Author's Note: Jun continues her unexpected "vacation" in Los Angeles by officially meeting the strange girl from earlier. Now known as Avery. And after learning of her struggles in a life she questions due to some shady organization, Jun offers to help Avery start a new one.
In Japan. Eventually.
Not much new stuff to say here. Just wanted to upload this because that new side-story I mentioned last chapter contains stuff that wasn't mentioned here yet. So, I wanted to fix that.
Thanks for reading. Later.