SZ: *Lands in a crater with GT and a snoozing z0*Next chapter is a go! We own nothing aside from original content! GT, start us off before z0 wakes up!
GT: Got it. We don't own anything but OCs that might appear. Also, a big warning for this chapter: There will be lots of fanservice via Makoto due to the situation.
"Mmm…What a night…" Makoto groaned as she got up, stretching her arms a bit as she sat up in her bed, dressed her lazy house wear that consisted of a pair of black gym shorts that hugged her curves and an acorn-yellow sweatshirt with an acorn print of the left breast.
After being offered a week off for helping with the events that transpired on Galvan Prime, she was going to milk this mini-vacation for all it was worth. While she couldn't go with Ben and Rook on a new mission, she was gonna take advantage of chilling and relaxing around the house. Course last night before she headed to bed for an all night marathon on TV, she called up Ester to see if she wanted to spend the day together and hang out, of which she gladly accepted.
"Okay...Now to grab a quick bite, and then off to go see Ester," Makoto beamed as she hopped out of bed, heading straight for her bedroom door and opened it...to the sight of Kajun in full on Science Mode, "?! ...I'm not telling you."
"Mm hmm hmm...Oh Makoto…" Kajun began, an unsettling smile on her face as she held up various tools, "Who says you have a choice right now?"
"Oh, I do," Makoto replied before a plume of smoke covered her, leaving an acorn in her place.
"...Mmm…" Kajun began to fume before looking to the side, seeing Makoto freeze mid-step as she held some clothes in her hand, "..."
"...You can't catch me!" Makoto shouted as she bolted for it, stuffing the clothes in her tail.
"Makoto Nanaya, you get back here!" Kajun shouted as she chased after her.
"NEVAH!"
"What did I just walk into…?" Mai muttered, standing in her doorway as she was dressed in a white-tee underneath a blue vest and a pair of blue jeans.
"Hmm?" Kajun blinked as skidded to a halt, turning to notice the bluenette, "Ah Mai. Perfect ti-"
"FREEDOM!" Makoto shouted as she leapt through the opened window and into the nearest tree, "Whoo...that was close…"
"...Kajun, what are you trying to do to Makoto?" she heard Mai asked.
"Getting information out of her," Kajun's voice answered, "Did you forget what she said back on Galvan Prime? If not for work, I'd have captured her for this information days ago!"
"Nah-nah-nah! Can't catch me!" Makoto taunted from her spot in the tree, 'Seriously though, I gotta get changed. Would be pretty rude if I met up with Ester in my lazy house clothes.' her stomach grumbled, 'That and some food. I think it was Store 17 that has the chestnut Smoothies…'
"She KNEW who has it, and is keeping it secret!" Kajun's voice shouted.
"And I plan to!" Makoto shouted, leaping out of the tree before bolting off, "Later!" 'Okay...find a decent place to change into, grab a bite to eat, and then meet Ester.'
"Ahh...Nothing beats a nice, cool, and nutty drink in the morning," Makoto sighed blissfully, dressed in a pair of jean shorts and a blue tee with a star on the right breast, as she sat outside of a Mr. Smoothies, drinking up on a chestnut-flavored smoothie, "A week off was just what the doctor ordered. ...Even if I can't stay in the house with Kajun there in Science Mode wanting to find out who's got that Grimoire. I mean she'd probably concoct some freaky and outlandish way just to get the info out of me...but oh ho~ no. There is no way she wi-"
"Hey~!"
"Hmm?" Makoto blinked as she looked up, seeing Ester waving at her from the sidewalk, her parka on as always, "...Oh, sweet. Perfect timing," she smiled sipping down the last of her smoothie before tossing it in the garbage can and approached the female Kraaho, "Yo Ester! What took you so long? ...Wait...let me guess...is it a certain old doofus who still causes trouble for everyone?"
"What do you think?" Ester sighed before smirking, "Fortunately, I introduced him to a certain Undertown guardian."
"...You didn't," Makoto grinned.
"Oho, I did!" Ester laughed, "I did not know his face was that malleable…!" she burst into full laughter.
"That is awesome!" Makoto laughed, "Ahh...anyway, what do ya wanna do first? I got a week off from work, and I have quite a bit of energy to burn off!"
"Hmm...Parkour sound good to you?" Ester suggested.
"...Sure that's a good idea?" Makoto smirked as she stretched her back a bit, "I pretty much aced all my gym classes back in school...though given how you gave me a hard time back when we first met...loser has to do what the winner says for our next activity?"
"Ooh...sounds potentially stupid and dangerous...love it!" Ester smiled.
"Cool! Then on your mark…" Makoto began as she got into a running position, "...Get set...G-!" she tensed when Ester stretched her arm towards a light post and stretched over, using the momentum to reach for a nearby fire escape and began to climb up it, "Oh ho! Oh, you cheeky girl!" she laughed as she ran after her, jumping on top of the light post before following after Ester on the fire escape.
"Try and keep up~!" Ester challenged with a laugh, already on the rooftop as she ran off.
"Oh I will…" Makoto grinned, hopping onto the roof and ran after the female Kraaho, 'Got a little trick up my sleeve too…' she mused mentally, jumping across to the next rooftop as she was catching up to Ester, "Oh look at that. I caught up with ya!"
"For now!" she laughed she stretched her legs to increase her reach as she stepped over a building with each step.
"Oh you think you're clever. But wait…" Makoto paused, stopping near a flagpole before using her strength to bend it back, "I have a retort."
"Hmm?" Ester raised a brow at that before a 'sproing' like sound was heard, making her look back before Makoto shot past her, "?!"
"Haha!" Makoto laughed, landing on an I-beam as she ran through an unfinished building within a familiar construction site, "Try and catch up now, Ester!"
"Oh, you did not just challenge me!" Easter laughed, stretching her arms out and grabbed hte edge of the rooftop she was on, moving herself back before she catapulted herself over to the construction site and over Makoto, "Enjoying your words?" she smirked, swinging away with her extending arms as she reached for the top.
"Ahh. Oh no. I'm…" Makoto began with a gasp...before a smirk grew on her face, "Far ahead."
"Hmm?" Ester blinked at that before Makoto suddenly poofed into smoke, an acorn in her place, "What the…?!"
"Oi~!" Ester looked forward to see Makoto far ahead, standing on a rooftop right across from the construction site, "Enjoy that little trick? I like to call that my Asteroid Vision...because you can never tell which is the real me!"
"Oh ho! Sneaky!" Ester laughed as she chased after her. "I like it, but not enough to give ya the win."
"Pretty sure it is given how far I am!" Makoto laughed, hoping across yet another roof top before jumping onto another flagpole, bouncing off it as she leapt over to the side of a building, "I see the arcade...I am close to the f-EEP!" she yelped when she suddenly felt a hand grab her tail, "Okay! Who's the…?!"
"Buh bye~!" Ester laughed as she shot past her, her hand letting go of Makoto's tail as she rolled down the nearby fire escape.
"Oh you did not just touch the tail!" Makoto snapped as she jumped after her
"What's wrong? I thought your friends are allowed to touch your tail!?" Ester countered, jumping down into an alleyway before running back onto the sidewalk.
"Its circumstantial!" Makoto argued, "Noel is the only one who has an all the time pass cause otherwise she'll have emotional freakouts."
"So you have a security blanket stuck to your butt?" Ester smiled.
"Ye-NO!"
"Haa. You almost fell for it!"
"Oh you…!" Makoto seethed, jumping down from the fire escape as she bolted right after Ester, the two neck and neck as they ran down the sidewalk.
"Oh come on. I thought you were the cheeky one?" Ester smirked, "What? You can dish it but can't take it?" she teased, giving Makoto innocent eyes out of a sarcastic bid to try and trick her again.
"...Don't pull that look on me," Makoto deadpanned as the two turned around a corner, "I know that look...I used to use it to get extra chestnuts from my pops."
"Oh? You're a daddy's girl, aren't ya?"
"What?! ...No…" Makoto muttered.
"Pfft...hahaha!" Ester laughed at her response, "You really aren't use to someone as witty as you being your oppnet, huh?"
"...Okay, that I will give ya," Makoto smirked a bit, "Just feeling a little rusty, but I will bounce back, Mrs. Fantastic."
"Really? A Fantastic 4 joke?"
"I work with what you give me," Makoto smiled, "Plus I would've gone with another type of joke, but you don't have a straw hat."
"...I feel like I know what series you're using for that joke, but the name is escaping me at the moment."
"Ha! Makoto bounces back!"
"Heh…wait. I just realized something."
"Hmm?"
"Where exactly are we racing to?"
"The arcade just up ahead!" Makoto pointed.
"Oh...Well you could've just said so," Ester stated.
"Sorry. Just had so much energy to burn," Makoto chuckled.
"Ah...Well let's see how much you have left to burn!" Eter grinned as she ran ahead.
"Oh no you don't!" Makoto shouted as she ran after her, the two neck and neck once more as they were nearing the arcade.
At that, the two ran for the door and jumped to make it through ahead of the other, only for both to roll through at the exact same time. One of the employees sighed, seeing them roll past them while dropping some cash for tokens in front of him.
"Larry, tell the boss the alien girls are back…" he sighed.
"Ah man…"
"Achoo!" Makoto sneezed, "...Huh. Someone must be talking ab-"
=KO!=
"HAH?!" Makoto gawked, looking at the arcade cabinet she and Ester were standing before with her character collapsing onto the ground while Ester's had a fist in the air, "Aw no fair, Ester! I sneezed!"
"So? I saw an opening and took advantage," Ester countered with a smirk.
"Mmm...So we're playing that are we?" Makoto fumed, pondering for a moment before an idea popped into her head, "...Alrighty. I got something good~ We do our previous bet, nut changed up. Everytime one of us loses here at the arcade, the winner -IE you or me- makes the loser do a truth or dare!"
"Oh ho~ You're on!" Ester grinned.
"Sweet! To the Skeeballs!" Makoto declared as she and Ester ran off to the skeeball tables, "Now...first to score the highest points wins this round. Sound fair?"
"Sounds pretty fair," Ester nodded...as she stretched her arm over and plopped a ball into the center hole.
"What the...?! Oi!"
"You never specified if we could use our powers~" Ester smirked.
"Oh-hoh-hoh~! You sneaky, you!" Makoto chuckled in a mix of surprise, annoyance, and amusement, "Okay…I'll play your game…" she smirked, grabbing a ball as she reeled her arm back, taking a deep breath as she threw it...right into one of the barriers as it bounced off and flew back, "Whoops!" she yelped as she ducked and the ball flew over, the sound of it bonking agaisnt something filling the air before it flew back over to her respective table and hit the center, "Oh sweet! That has to be good luck!"
"...Oh this is gonna be fun…" Ester smirked as the two went at it on their respective skeeball tables, scoring point after point as piles of tickets began to build up near them.
"...Oh…" a nearby employee began before the other standing near him lowered his raised finger.
"No, Larry...even you don't deserve to get caught in that," the other shook his head.
"Just think about the prize they must be saving for," Larry noted, looking over at the prize counter.
"...Praying they don't get that prize you've been wanting?"
"...Oh I hope so…" Larry whispered, "...Should we tell them about the girl with the butterfly net?"
"Wait, what girl with a butterfly net?" the other asked.
"The purple-haired one. Don't you s-wait. Where'd she go?" Larry asked.
"...I think cleaning the bathrooms with bleach is getting to you…" the other sweatdropped.
"Okay...one ball left each…" Makoto muttered, juggling the lone skeeball in her hand, "First to hit the center -and no powers involved!- wins the game."
"You're on," Ester smirked.
"Yosh," Makoto smirked, "Okay. And…" she reeled her arm back as Ester did as well, "...Shoot!"
With that, Makoto threw her ball as Ester rolled hers. Makoto's bonked off the barrier between the center ring and the middle ring while Ester's ball rolled into the hole for the middle ring. Neither paid attention to it as they started to follow Makoto's ball as it bounced around. The two workers ducked their heads as it bounced off the wall behind them towards the whack-a-mole game nearby, rapidly hitting each of the 'moles' that popped up and earning a high-score, before shooting off all over. Eventually, it hit something neither saw since as they turned it came between the two girls and landed in the center hole for Makoto's skeeball machine.
"Yes!" Makoto cheered, raising her hands up in victory, "Today's Makoto's day!"
"Well...that was some incredible luck…" Ester noted, "...Fine. I forfeit."
"Yes!" Makoto pumped her fist in victory, "Now...truth or dare~?"
"Dare."
"Oh ho! Gutsy...I like that," Makoto smirked, "Okay...I dare you to keep one arm behind your back the entire time while we play the next game."
"Hmm...okay," Ester shrugged as she did so, "But I get to choose the next game."
"Fair enough. I can probably beat you in that t-"
"That zombie shooter game over there is round 2," Ester grinned, pointing at a nearby cabinet."
"...Shoot…" Makoto whispered, her ears drooping at that.
=When the moon is full and trees are bare - Walk through the Cemetery if you dare. Where skeletons rot and corpses fester - Locate the tomb with the skull of a Jester. Feed him the token all shiny and new - It is then CarnEvil will return for YOU!=
'Okay, Makoto...It's just a shooting game...involving zombies…' Makoto thought.
"What's wrong? Not getting cold feet, are we?" Ester smirked as the game started.
"What? Pfft! No…" Makoto chuckled a bit in denial, "I just need to shoot down more zombies a-" she began as she held up her toy rifle and began to fire…and starting to miss a majority of the zombies on screen, "...Mmm...Why did I have to score worse at the shooting range back at the academy…?"
"And it doesn't help that zombies freak you out," Ester noted.
"Wh-What?! Pfft. No they d…" Makoto began before a chubby zombie rushed out a room in the hallway on the screen, "GYAH! DIE ZOMBIE!" she rapidly pulled the trigger, missing each shot until Ester took it down with a headshot.
"Haha. Guess there is something that the amazing Makoto Nanaya can't do!" Ester laughed, shooting perfect shots each time, "With one hand to boot!"
"Mmm!" Makoto fumed, trying to hit every zombie on screen the best she can...and failing each time, "Oh I will top you and win this, Ester!"
=Help!=
"GYAH!" Makoto freaked, quickly shooting...and killing the polygon busty girl with blond pigtails and a pink tie up shirt and skinny jeans, "..."
"...Need a moment?" Ester quipped with a grin.
"Sh-Shut up…" Makoto mumbled, 'Why is something with such bad graphics so goddamn terrifying?!'
"Oh look at that. We're at the boss," Ester noted.
"Huh?"
=I AM EVIL MARIE!=
"...Is that supposed to be based on Bloody Mary?!" Makoto freaked, her ears and tail shooting up.
"Yup...Oh and first to finish the boss wins this round," Ester smirked.
"Sweet chestnuts!" Makoto yelped, 'Wait...They...Were these developers pervs? She's got boob physics and when her health goes down, she's losing clothing! ...Why do I feel a certain lazy perv I know would kinda e-'
=Player 2 wins!=
"GAH!" Makoto snapped as she tossed her hands up, sending the toy rifle that was linked to the machine into the air.
"Look at that. I win again…" Ester grinned, putting down her toy rifle as she looked at the squirrel girl, "Now...truth or dare?"
"...Dare!"
"...Oh you are not gonna like this one then…"
"...I tell her about it one time…" Makoto muttered, her tail having a green ribbon in it with a pair of cartoon eyes and a mouth painted on it, "Should've kept my big mouth shut…"
"Hahahaha!" Ester laughed, rolling across the ground, "Oh this is amazing…"
"Oh yeah? Well…" Makoto looked around before spotting a nearby racing cabinet labeled Mario Kart Arcade GP 2, "...Let's see you laugh…" she quickly moved over to it and sat down in one of the seats, "Once I beat ya in a race!"
"Ah ha...fine...bring it," Ester panted, catching her breath as she went into the seat next to Makoto's.
"..." the second worker tried to ignore Larry's smug look as Makoto's tail poked out of the hole in the back of the seat, "Alright, alright, Larry. I get it. You calling in your uncle last week to remold the seats for some of cabinets for those aliens with tails was a good call."
"Thank you," Larry grinned.
"Okay...Mario Card's made...Character's picked..now for the course…" Makoto said as she looked through the stages...and a grin soon grew on her face, "Rainbow Coaster…"
"...This is to get back at me for that zombie shooter game, isn't it?" Ester asked.
"Oh what do you think?" Makoto frowned just as the race began, "Okay...three...two...one…"
"GO!" Ester shouted as she pressed down on the gas, letting her character shoot ahead.
"Ahh!" Makoto gasped before stomping down on the gas as well to catch up with her, "Oh no! I ain't losing to ya again!"
"Why not have Ms. Tail be your co-driver?" Ester quipped.
"Oh very funny," Makoto pouted before smirking on what item she got from the powerups, "Not as funny as this, though. Basin, away!"
"Uh oh!" Ester yelped when her character got hit, causing them to swerve out of control as Makoto's character drove past them.
"Ha ha! It's our parkour race all over again!" Makoto laughed triumphantly.
"Of which we tied of course," Ester countered.
"Oh please. If you didn't use your powers, I would've won that easy," Makoto smirked.
"And if you hadn't used your Asteroid Vision, same here," Ester winked.
"Oh what's that? I couldn't hear you over me coming across the line!" Makoto laughed as her character passed by the starting gate, "Whoo!"
"And now you're starting to sound like Ben~" Ester teased.
"Wuzzat?" Makoto blinked at that before her character hit a banana peel that was in the middle of the road, "GAH! Again?!"
"I'm gonna assume you don't get along with monkeys." Ester laughed.
"Oh animal joke, hardy har-har…" Makoto rolled her eyes before hitting another item box, "...Let's see ya joke when I Red Shell ya!"
"Oh no. That would be bad…" Ester began with a gasp...before smirking just as her character brought out a green turtle shell to block the red turtle shell fired by makoto's character, "If I didn't have any defense."
"Oh you are a worthy opponent indeed," Makoto smiled, "However...you fell for my trap!"
"Hmm?" Ester raised a brow before her character was hit by a lock, "Gah! I can't move!"
"And I shoot pass ya!" Makoto laughed as her character passed the line once more, "Last lap, and I'm in first!"
"You sure? I may end up sneaking a win on ya," Ester smirked, finally able to move her character once more as she was in second place.
"Oh please. Like you can get the really powerful power ups in second so easily," Makoto countered before tensing, a spiked blue turtle shell with wings flying above her character's head before crashing down, resulting in a large explosion, "A BLUE SHELL?!"
"Haha!" Ester laughed, her character dashing ahead.
"Wow...that was unbalanced…" Makoto muttered before her character hit an item box, "Wait...HAHA! Star power, baby!"
"Uh oh!" Ester yelped as she drove further ahead, her and Makoto now neck and neck as the squirrel girl's kart was close to hitting hers.
"...Dang. They're really going at it," Larry whispered, resting his head against the broom he was holding as he watched in awe, "...Maybe I should've asked…" he tensed when he heard the sound of someone crashing into the ballpit in the kids part of the arcade.
"DAMN IT, LARRY! I TOLD YOU TO CLEAN THAT BANANA PEEL UP!"
"Ah!" he panicked, falling over at that.
"AH NO!" Ester freaked when Makoto's character hit hers, causing them to bounce a bit on the track as Makoto's character sht past her towards the finish line.
"HAHA! I WIN!" Makoto beamed as she shot up, "At the last second, too!"
"Lucky…" Ester muttered.
"Now Ester...Truth or dare?"
"Hmm...Truth."
"Alrighty...hmm...Have you ever gotten your arms tied up by accident when you're stretching them?" Makoto asked.
"Ah...yes," Ester sghed, "It happened all the time as a kid."
"Oof...Must've been a real pain."
"Oh you have no idea… One more game?"
"Sure. After that, we can hit the indoor pool a few blocks ahead," Makoto suggested, "Thankfully it's heated too, so we can relax."
"Cool...wait. Did you bring swimsuits?"
"Yup. Always prepared for a trip to the beach!" Makoto beamed, 'Would've had my Golden Angle...but Tsubaki had to confiscate it and hide it who knows where at home...'
"Ool...then on to the last game," Ester stated before looking around, "...another fighting game sound good to you?"
"Sure. In fact…" Makoto paused, looking around herself before spotting a fighting game cabinet labeled Marvel Vs Capcom 2, "...Oh~! That one…"
"Hmm...okay," Ester shrugged as the two walked up to the cabinet, "..Oh..oh wow that is a lot of characters to choose from."
'You haven't seen anything yet,' Makoto thought as she began to choose her characters, 'Okay...gotta go with rushdown characters. Chun-Li for one...hm...Rogue. Give Ester a little taste of southern hospitality...and finally...hmm…Felicia..though I gotta wonder what Capcom was thinking when they made her design, because seriously? She's nude since that's all fur. Then again, if I grew fur like that, I'd hope it'd be like that, too. Ah, wait, wait. Focus on the game and think of costumes to make Tsubaki annoyed later.'
"Okay. I'm ready," Ester spoke as she finished picking her characters.
"Alright...begin!" Makoto cheered as they began playing.
Ester didn't seem to say anything, a smirk on her face as her and Makoto's characters went at it, the latter trying to go in for a heavy combo on Ester's character...who, unfortunately for the Beastkin, was Sentinel (the giant robot from X-men...not the Transformer).
"Mmm...should've checked to see who she was choosing…" Makoto muttered before tensing when Chun-Li was knocked out by a heavy kick from Sentinel, "AHH!"
"Should've picked a tanky character to take the blows," Ester smirked.
"Mmm…" Makoto fumed as she was losing ground quickly, "I'm gonna beat him...you can't beat rush down chara…"
"Tag out," Ester said as her character was switched with Psylocke.
"Hoo boy!" Makoto yelped as her character kept blocking blow after blow from Ester's character of choice.
"What's wrong? I thought you liked it up close and persa-" Ester began before Makoto's character punched hers, "?!"
"Chance!" Makoto shouted as her character used a Super, rapidly punching Ester's before sending them flying with one more blow, knocking them out, "Haha! One down!"
"Not bad…" Ester muttered as her first character came back in, "But can ya beat my 'tank'?"
"Oh I can. Rogue is gonna turn your 'tank' into a tin can!" Makoto challenged.
"...What are you doing?" one employee asked as he and Larry watched nearby, the latter whispering draw over and over, "...You want to see a 'cat' fight since they both chose Felicia, don't you?"
"...Can ya blame me? Felicia is pretty hot," Larry argued.
"You say that when there's a literally kemonomimi playing in the arcade right now."
"What?! Where?!" Larry exclaimed as he looked around, earning a facepalm from his co-worker.
"Okay...On our last characters...low health, and full Super Meters…" Makoto muttered, focused heavily on the game as both her and Ester were using different colored versions of Felicia, "I can do this...and no sneezing will distract me!"
"You sure~?" Ester smirked.
"...I know that tone. You're planning something, aren't you?"
"Hmm?"
"I know that tone! I use that tone when I plan something!" Makoto argued, pointing a finger at her, "But you will not…!"
=KO!=
"NO!" Makoto cried, grabbing the machine, "How...why`?!"
"Careful, Makoto. You…" Ester began before Makoto lifted the machine up and tossed it far, "..."
"...oops," Makoto muttered.
"Wow. She's strong," Larry noted.
"It's Manny Armstrong and Pierce Wheels all over again…" one of the coworkers sighed.
"Hey!" the manager shouted.
"Run!" Makoto panicked as she bolted out of there.
"Oh come on!" Ester complained, following after her.
"Don't think of coming back here again you two! I know what you look like!" the manager snapped, shaking his fist at them, "Also Larry, Chris, clean that mess up!"
"Ah man...we gotta clean this…" Larry sighed.
"You gotta. I got a break coming up," Chris walked off.
"Ah geez…"
"This place feels pretty decent," Ester noted, taking off her hat once they were inside the women's changing room.
"Decent for you, a sauna for others," Makoto replied.
"True," Ester nodded as Makoto handed her a simple purple one-piece swimsuit, "Thanks."
"No prob. Saw it and thought it would look cute on you," Makoto replied, "Plus, it's insulated to help keep ya warm and toasty."
"Ahh...well thanks regardless," Ester nodded once the two started to get changed, "...You know I gotta ask something."
"Hmm?" Makoto blinked as she looked at her, her shirt pulled up halfway and exposing the underside of a black lacy bra.
"How big are those...ahem...'melons' of yours anyway?" Ester asked as she took her jacket off, revealing a wool sweater, "I mean it must be killer trying to find the right sized clothes."
"Oh~? Someone jealous?" Makoto teased with a smirk as she took her shirt off, "Well if you must know...last time I got a physical? My girls were labeled an H-Cup."
"Wow," Ester gawked.
"Yep."
"...And those are natural?" Ester asked, pulling her sweater off to reveal a thick long-sleeved shirt.
"Yup. Nanaya family secret on my mom's side," Makoto grinned as she took her pants off next, revealing the black thong underneath, "But yeah. Finding clothes in my size can be kinda hard, especially bras, which is why I tend to go braless most of the time."
"Seriously?" Ester asked, her shirt coming off for a sport's bra.
"Yup. And-oh ho!-trust me...you should've seen this one outfit I used to wear before Tsubaki locked it up somewhere at Plumbers HQ," Makoto chuckled as she began to take her undergarments off.
"Why? Were they that revealing?" Ester asked as she took her boots and pants off to reveal a pink pair of panties.
"Like I told Ben during the first week I came here...two words; under...boob. Didn't help the skirt was a mini-mini skirt."
"Did you stutter at that last bit?" Ester asked.
"Nope. The skirt was that short," Makoto replied, "...And before you complain or something, it was to help me move around faster in battle."
"...You sure th...know what? Nevermind. I feel like I'm delving too deep into this," Ester muttered as she put on the swimsuit Makoto got her.
"My friend Tsubaki said the same thing when I told her about it and showed her it," Makoto giggled, tightening the straps on her black and orange top and bikini bottoms, the artificial lights glinting off the gold ring connecting the two cups of her top and the two gold rings on the sides of the bottoms, "Still...that sucks."
"Hmm?"
"About what happened at the arcade...can't ever go back there again.." Makoto muttered as the two stepped out into the pool area.
"Ahh...well it's no big deal," Ester shrugged, "Besides, we can always continue out little competition here...speaking of...truth or dare?"
"...Know what? I'll go with Truth this time," Makoto answered as she headed up to the pool.
"Hmm...Are you and Ben a couple?"
"Wh-what?!" Makoto exclaimed, stumbling in surprise as she slipped and fell into the pool, resulting in a large splash, "BLURGH?!"
"Yikes," Ester cringed, "Did not mean for that to happen."
"Bah!" Makoto gasped as she surfaced, "Dare! I change it to dare, Ester!"
"Only if you answer."
"Then no! We are NOT a couple!"
"You sure~?"
"Yes I'm sure!" Makoto snapped before muttering, "Besides...seems he likes you more anyway…"
"Jealous?"
"No! And just give me the dare already!" Makoto snapped, practically blushing beat red at this point.
"Fine fine…" Ester chuckled as she pondered a bit...before a smirk grew on her face, "Fine...I dare you to kiss the next person that comes out of the changing room."
"HAH?!"
"On the lips."
"D'oh! I knew I shouldn't have told ya about my bisexuality…" Makoto muttered as she climbed out of the pool, "Fine...Might as well get it over with…"
"Oh don't be like that," Ester noted, "I'm not teasing or trying to make fun of your preferences. Several Kraaho are like that, too."
"I know, but you better believe that when I win the next challenge and you pick dare? It'll be just as uncomfortable for you as this is for me," Makoto warned.
"Perfectly fair," Ester agreed, "And someone's coming out of the women's lockers now."
"Okay then," Makoto nodded as she turned.
Taking a bit of a deep breath, she closed her eyes. As she did, she pursed her lips a bit to prepare to kiss...unaware of a certain bluenette coming out of the changing rooms.
*CHU!*
"MMM!"
"Mmm...hmm?" Makoto mummered in confusion, slowly opening her eyes as she noticed who she was kissing, "MMM?!" she released the kiss and quickly moved back from the bluenette, "M-MAI?! What are you doing here?! ...Wait. Did Kajun send you to spy on me?!"
"Hello…" Mai waved slowly, "So...this again...I still don't give consent..."
"Wh...oh ho no! As much as I enjoyed it kinda, it was a dare!" Makoto exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at Ester, "From her!"
"Hello~" Ester waved.
"Eh heh...Is that so?" Mai asked with a nervous laugh, "Um...excuse me. I...might as well go get changed since I'm here at the pool."
"...Yeah you do that…" Makoto muttered as Mai slipped right back into the changing room, "Oh, that Kajun…I swear that when I get back to the house tonight, I'm chugging an energy drink in her lab!"
"What?" Ester raised a brow.
"Yeah...See, the thing is...Beastkin? We don't do well with energy drinks," Makoto explained as she walked over to her, "Noellie didn't know that and got me an energy drink in a cup once...I don't remember what I did, but the end result was the entire building we were in looked like there was a Category 5 Hurricane's aftermath inside of it and our entire school being banned from the place for the rest of time."
"...wow."
"Yeah...I got put on kitchen duty for a MONTH for that," Makoto added.
"...Well least th-"
"AHH!" Mai screamed as she bolted out of the changing rooms.
"MAI NATSUME, YOU GET BACK HERE!" Kajun shouted as she chased after her, carrying a butterfly net with the net part glowing.
"Why is this happening to me now?! I just wanna go home!" Mai cried.
"You will as soon as I catch you!"
"I NEED AN ADULT!"
"YOU ARE AN ADULT!" Kajun shouted as the two ran out.
"...Was that another of your friends just now?" Ester blinked with Makoto.
"Yup...and I think she's been chasing me all day to get info I know out of me...In retrospect, I probably should have just done it to get her off my tail," Makoto noted, "Though I wish them luck with the knowledge."
"What?"
"Oh, uh, Mai has such a strong sense of taste that anything she tastes? She can learn the 'memories' of," Makoto explained, "It's gotten us through a few mysteries back in school."
"Huh...interesting," Ester noted before looking around, seeing that there was mostly young adult males with a few young adult females there, "Hmm...say, I think I got an interesting challenge."
"Hmm?"
"We both jump into the pool, and whichever of us gets the most attention as we get out wins."
"Oh? You're on!" Makoto grinned.
"Cool. Then on your mark...get set…g-!" Ester began before Makoto shot past her, "?!"
"Haha! Payback for the parkour race!" Makoto shouted as she dove into the pool.
"...Heh. It's like dealing with a female Ben," Ester chuckled before running up to the pool and dove in, the splash getting the attention of everyone there.
First to surface was Ester, who shook her head a bit to get it dry as the light of the sun from the sunroof shined down on her a bit, adding onto her beauty as the light seemed to glisten on her skin. This got quite a few males' attention as she slowly began to step out of the pool, brushing a bit of her hair back as she kept her eyes closed, as if making her beauty all the more mysterious.
"Woah…" one young male whispered.
"Dang she's cute…" another added.
"Think she's single?" one asked, only to be smacked upside the head by the girl next to him, "Ow!"
"Hmm...Let's see you top that, Makoto," Ester whispered, grabbing a nearby towel as she began to dry herself.
After a moment, Makoto finally surfaced as she rose up fully to the surface. However unlike with Ester...ever single male there, even the girls looked on at the squirrel girl's emergence. As she pulled herself up, her impressive bosom bounced. She fully got out and ran a hand through her hair, a content smile on her face with her eyes closed. A lone drop of water fell from her chin and landed just above her chest and slid down into her cleavage, making many of the boys that had followed it gulp.
"...Dayum," was the response of all the males there. Even a few of the girls said it after witnessing that.
"...And I'm starting to regret making this challenge…" Ester whispered as Makoto walked back over to her.
"So...judging by their responses, I'd say I won…" Makoto smirked, grabbing a towel as she wrapped it over her shoulders, "So truth...or dare?"
"...Dare…" Ester sighed, 'Well..might as well take my punishment…'
"...We may need to head to Undertown for this one then," Makoto stated, the smirk never leaving her face.
"You. Are. Evil," Ester hissed...wearing a neon yellow version of her parka with the fluffy parts of it a pale neon green.
"Shouldn't have told me ya hate these two colors especially when mixed together," Makoto replied, "Plus, it's only for ten minutes."
"...I won't say how or when, but I will get back at you," Ester threatened.
"Yeah yeah…" Makoto waved her threat off, "Anyway...what shall we do next? Grab a bite to eat o-"
*CRASH!*
"Gah! Stupid felines! Pakmar told you to wait!"
"...Oh god, that was Pakmar…" Makoto groaned as the two looekd over a corner, seeing a certain trio of Kaka Clan women standing in the middle of a ruined store...surrounded by plushies of Ben and Rath as a fuming Pakmar stood nearby, "..."
"..." Ester slowly blinked, "...Huh. Didn't think he took my suggestion literally."
"Your what?" Makoto deadpanned.
"Ugh...I had a feeling this would happen…" Torakaka sighed as she walked over, giving a disappointed look at the three.
"Grah! Even when in toy form, Ben Tennyson!" Pakmar screamed in frustration as he threw one of the Ben plushies onto the ground and began to jump repeatedly on it.
"NYA! Changing guy~!" the three Kaka women cried out at that.
"Honestly…" Torakaka sighed before noticing who was poking from the nearby corner, "...Ahh, Ester, Furry girl. Hello."
"Why do you get her name, right?" Makoto asked slowly, as if hurt by that as the two stepped out.
"Because it's easy to pronounce," Torakaka explained.
"That and when I tried to correct Tao when I first met her and Tora here, she called me Espurr," Ester added.
"Gah! You as well!" Pakmar snapped, pointing at Makoto.
"Whoa there! I am innocent on whatever is going on!" Makoto argued, holding her hands up in defense.
"No, you are not! Ben Tennyson is not here to take blame, so you take it instead!"
"What the…?! That's total bull!"
"No it isn't! Pakmar thought it would be safe selling cat toys and those Ben Tennyson and Apoplexian dolls...but then those three ruined the stand I had the dolls on!" Pakmar snapped, pointing an accusing finger at the three cat girls, "Pakmar told them to wait to get one for them, but they didn't listen! Gah! Even not here, Ben Tennyson is ruining Pakmar's business!"
"..." Torakaka raised a brow at Makoto.
"I have absolutely no clue how he started blaming me for everything aside from me being around Ben," Makoto shrugged before blinking twice, "Oh wait. He considers me as Ben's handler...oh it's starting to make so much sense now..."
"Well, you sure have a heck of a handle over him," Ester joked, "Where even is he anyway?"
"In space…" Makoto replied, "Something about Upchuck's planet being in danger."
-line break-
"How big is a prison ship even meant to be!?" Kickin Hawk complained, kicking an Incursean in the face, "And why do they keep eating their guns and right shoes!?" he asked as he turned to the Gourmands.
"Because the left shoe always tastes funky," one Murk Gourmand replied.
"And that taste gets stuck on all our tongues for weeks!" a Perk Gourmand added.
"...Okay. THAT I didn't need to know," Kickin Hawk muttered.
-line break-
"I'm sure he's fine. It's Upchuck's world. What's the worst that could happen?" Makoto shrugged.
"...Changing Guy."
"Hmm?" Makoto blinked before tensing, seeing the three Kaka clan women sniffing her, "?!"
"She smells like Changing Guy, nya," one of them noted, her Siamese cat tail swaying a bit.
"What? I do not smell like Ben!" Makoto gawked.
"Don't you live in the same house as him?" Ester argued.
"Well...yes b-EEK!" Makoto yelped when one licked her neck, prompting her to jump back, "Uh...personal space much?!" '...Oh wow. Is that how Mai feels? ...Least it's not Tao being her usual curious self…' "GH?!"
"She's been around Changing Guy a whole lot," another noted, a bushy brown tail swaying as she has her head in Makoto's chest.
"H-hey!" Makoto jumped back and away from them.
"...Is she Changing Guy's mate, nya?" the third asked, her pure black cat tail swaying.
"HAH?!" Makoto gawked at that.
"I apologize for them," Torakaka apologized, bopping all three on the noggin with her tail, "They're some of the more...avid seekers of Ben for letting us have more kittens. In a few months, we'll soon having one hundred and one Kaka thanks to Alikaka finding a mate."
"Oh congrats," Ester noted with a smile, "Though...this is the first I'm hearing about Ben having some avid seekers."
"Nyes! We like Changing Guy and challenge anyone who wants him, nya!" the Siamese tailed one declared.
"We will reveal our faces to him and make him ours, nya!" the bushy-tailed one added.
"He's so cool, nya~!" the pure black-tailed one swooned, "He let us have more kittens and can even turn into a big ol' hunky cat~!"
"Oh, what we wouldn't do for that drink of milk," the bushy-tailed swooned.
"It doesn't help that it's almost time for the annual heat for the Kaka," Torakaka sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"Ah...Let's just stop that talk there," Makoto spoke, holding a hand up, "Please…"
"You know where Changing Guy is!" the bushy-tailed declared as Makoto squeaked when three curved claw-like blades came out of her left 'paw,' snagging on Makoto's top, "Where is he?!"
"He's in space!" she exclaimed quickly, "He's off there dealing with some weird issue with cute little frog aliens that eat anything!"
"She's hiding Changing Guy in space!?" the black-tailed gawked.
"I believe you should run now," Tora advised before pinning the Siamese and black-tailed Kaka women with a single arm.
"Wait, what?" Makoto blinked, "Oh no…" she realized as she began running.
*RIP!*
"...Some sort of trial thing to get her to spill the beans more or less?" Ester asked Tora.
"Usually when a Kaka Clan member feels challenged for a potential mate, they give the 'threat' a series of trials more or less," Tora explained, "...And most of which usually revolve around combat or stealth, nya."
"...and how can Makoto get them off her literal tail?" Ester asked as she waved to Makoto as she barely dodged another swipe of the bushy-tailed Kaka's 'claws' while her tail was covering her chest.
"Declare that she is Ben Tennyson's mate."
"Seriously?" Ester asked.
"The majority of us...are kinda basic that way," Tora admitted.
"...Makoto, y-"
"I HEARD AND NO FREAKIN' WAY!" Makoto exclaimed, dodging another claw swipe as she blushed.
"It's the only way!" Ester argued.
"I'd rather fight than do that!" Makoto snapped.
*SLASH!*
"...Can I ask for a timeout?" Makoto asked, her tail moving to wrap around her lower half with her left arm covering her chest as her right slammed into the Bushy-Tailed Kaka's face, knocking her out, "Thank you."
"Those are sharp claws," Ester noted as Makoto rummaged in her tail while quickly going into a port-a-potty nearby.
"All Kaka tend to get them when we turn thirteen and begin training how to fight," Tora shrugged before holding a 'paw' up and rapidly changed one 'claw' from a curved scythe-like one to a chainsaw to a jagged one and then to a spiral one and then lowered the 'paw,' "The more experience you have with them, the more variety you can add."
"...Makoto, seriously. Tell them you and Ben are mates," Ester stated in a deadpanned tone.
"NEVAH!" Makoto declared before coming out, wearing a pair of black jogging shorts and an fire-pattern tube top.
"Okay, look. I get you don't like the jokes, but if it'll get them off your back and to leave Ben alone it sounds like a win win doesn't it?" Ester argued.
"What...but don't you…"
"Oh no...you're not involving me in this nonsense, girl. Save your own bushy tail," Ester cut her off.
"But...I...you...D'oh!" Makoto groaned before yelping, barely avoiding a slash from the Siamese-tailed Kaka, "Hey, hey, hey! Tora, I thought you had them pinned!"
"Hm?" Tora looked down at where she had them pinned, "...Oh...I used the arm I was pinning them with to show Ester some of my claws. Sorry."
"SORRY?!" Makoto exclaimed before quickly pulling her tail away just as the black-tailed Kaka tried pouncing it, "Hey hey hey! No touchy the tail!"
"NYA!" the two Kaka women hissed with the third shooting back up.
"Don't you three have catnip that needs sniffing...or fish that needs eating?!" Makoto exclaimed as she began to run from the three.
"No touchy Changing Guy!" the black-tailed Kaka snapped back.
"Ugh...In one ear and out the other…" Makoto muttered before jumping over the pouncing trio, "Seriously Ester, help me here!"
"Again, I'm not getting mixed up in this," Ester argued, "Plus only way y-"
"Nuh uh! If I declare it, then EVERYONE in Undertown will hear it, meaning Ben will hear about it next time here's down here!"
"...She does have a point. Gossip down here reaches even the Kaka Village in about ten minutes after it starts," Tora admitted before hearing a ripping sound.
"Aw come on!" Makoto exclaimed, her tail once more covering her chest as she slammed a punch into the face of the bushy-tailed Kaka, sending her crashing onto the black-tailed Kaka, "I just put that on not even three minutes ago!"
"...Let me guess, clothes damang is part of this 'trial'?" Ester asked Tora, who gave a light nod in response, "...Well, hope you have plenty of clothes to change into, Makoto."
"Thankfully I've learned to be prepared for this nonsense...but I can at best do this eight more times!" she snapped, "And I'm charging you for those! Fabric that can fit my proportions is not cheap!"
"The curse of a perfect hourglass figure," Ester smirked.
"Preach it!" Makoto declared, managing to get a white tee on before scrambling out of the way of a kitchen sink, "Did you throw a kitchen sink at me?!"
"Nyo. Nyot me," the bushy-tailed replied before pointing at the black-tailed Kaka, "Kurokaka likes baking and wouldn't dare throw something part of it." she threw several bowling balls at Makoto, "And I, Calikaka, prefer bowling!"
"AHH!" Makoto freaked as she jumped out of the way, "Then who threw that sink?!"
"Easy. Xiankaka."
"Xia…" Makoto began before looking up, "Oh, you gotta be kiddin' me…"
"Banzai!" Xiankaka cackled as she fell from above, a larger kitchen sink held in her 'paws' that she swung like a mallet at Makoto.
"...I...have several questions…" Ester blinked, not sure where Xiankaka got that sink.
"Oh we learn that when we're four to better hide all the food we can get," Tora explained, "Most tend to get it right after six months, but Tao managed to get it in a week by complete accident."
"...Comment retracted."
"Seriously, Ester, some help here pl-" Makoto began before a tearing sound was heard once more when Kurokaka and Calikaka ran past her, "SERIOUSLY?!"
"For Changing Guy~!" the trio declared.
"Alrighty, seven left…" Makoto grumbled as she ran by the two, now wearing a pink tube top with the word 'SWEET' stretched across it, "Come on...Come on...Where's a freakin' laser pointer when ya need one?!" she turned a corner and skidded to a halt on seeing a floating pink alien wearing silver armor resembling a trash can pulling a cart with several bags of catnip, "...Oh, that's almost as good as a laser pointer."
"NYA~!"
"...Tsubaki is gonna be pissed at me for this…" Makoto muttered before running up to the cart, grabbing every bag of catnip she could get.
=What the?!=
"Sorry! Official Plumber business!" Makoto shouted.
=Hey! You…!= the alien began before noticed the three pouncing Kaka clan members =...HELP YOURSELF!= he freaked as he ran off.
"Oh dear," Tora cringed as she quickly pulled out a clothespin and put it on her nose.
"What?" Ester asked.
"That was Jo-N-35," Torakaka explained, "He sells Terran cat and cat-like alien products. One of which…" Makoto threw the bags at the three Kaka, "...is catnip from Appopplexia."
"...And how badly does it affect Kaka clan members?" Ester asked, worry in her voice.
"Well, you saw me put a clothespin on," Tora replied as the three Kaka women slashed through the bags, sending catnip all over and hitting both Ester and Makoto.
"Ack! Ptui! PFFT!" Ester spat and spluttered, "Makoto!"
"Hey! You don't have a very fluffy tail!" Makoto argued, shaking catnip out of her tail.
"Meow~"
"...That meow has me worried. Why does that meow have me worried?" Makoto asked with a gulp.
"Meow~"
"...Tora, what is going on?" Ester asked, unease in her voice as she slowly turned to Tora...only to have no one where Tora had been, "...Oh you did not just…" Xiankaka pouncing her cut her off, "Gah!"
"Mew…" Xiankaka purred, nuzzling against Ester as her tail swayed.
"...Oh I'm already starting to dread th-" Makoto began before both Calikaka and Kurokaka pounced her, "AHH!"
"Mew…" the two mewled, nuzzling against Makoto as their own tails swayed.
"Makoto, what did you do?!" Ester demanded.
"I don't know~!"
*RIP! SHRED! TEAR*
"NYA~!"
"EEK/KYA!"
Kickin' Hawk slammed a fist into an Incursean's face before pausing, "...Huh. I feel like I'm missing the perfect blackmail on Makoto."
"Don't get distracted!" a Perk barked at him before upchucking a blast at another Incursean.
"Sorry. Just a random thought that popped up," Kickin' Hawk replied.
"Then I believe you need to focus on the task at hand!" Rook argued.
"..." Ester refused to stop her glare, her normal parka on as the two sat on top of a building overlooking Undertown.
"...Come on. Please stop it," Makoto mumbled with a heavy blush on her face, wearing an orange top that exposed her shoulders and back that connected to a black thong that poked out of some black short-shorts that had black suspenders on them that she wasn't putting on with long black boots that reached just below the ends of her shorts and shoulder-length black gloves with gold pouches at the ends where they neared her shoulders.
"You are never doing that again," Ester hissed, her cheeks a bright purple.
"I didn't know that would happen!" Makoto argued, "Besides...least those three aren't after us anymore."
"Correction...The moment the catnip wears off, they'll be after you…" Ester corrected.
"...Shoot…" Makoto muttered, "...I'm still not saying it."
"Okay I've had enough of this," Ester groaned as she shot the Beastkin a serious look, "Do you hate Ben or something?"
"Eh?"
"At first, teasing you about him at the arcade and the pool was fun, but now you're being so adamant on not declaring you're his mate just to get those three off your back and tail is starting to ruin that fun," Ester stated, "Plus, there's all the times I've heard you arguing whenever you're in Undertown. Do you two have some sort of love-hate relationship or something?"
"Woah woah woah!" Makoto shouted as she stood up, "We may argue and stuff like that, but I don't hate him!"
"So...then what's wrong with just saying it to get them off your back?" Ester argued, "You do care for him right?"
"Well of course I do…"
"So you don't have to keep good on a promise you made to crazy literal cat ladies then," she pointed out, "Pretty sure even the smarties of their race would understand. But yet here you are, refusing the easy way out to the point it's getting stupid. So...what's up with that?"
"It...It's just...I...I don't know…" Makoto sighed as she sat back down, crossing her arms underneath her breasts as she looked out, "Declaring you're someone's mate like that is just… I know I should be able to just do it and get it out of the way, but…"
"But what?" Ester asked, walking over and sitting in front of her.
"Ugh...but lately after what happened on Galvan Prime, it feels like things feel...different around Ben," Makoto admitted, a light blush growing on her cheeks.
"Different? How?"
"Like...like when I see him, I don't see the hard-headed overconfident guy I first met...I see someone who cares deeply about his friends...someone who fights for the people who can't even defend themselves, no matter what species or race they are...someone who treats them like an equal and doesn't care what they are…" Makoto explained.
"...Yep, you've got a crush," Ester nodded.
"Gh?!" Makoto tensed at that, her blush increasing, "C...crush?! Me?! O-on Ben?!"
"Yup."
"N-No. No way," Makoto denied, "Sure he's pretty fun to hang out with. He introduced me to Mr. Smoothy's and all the ways nuts could go well with other flavors. He's funny with the jokes and quips he can pull. He's...admittedly kinda cute a-" she tensed a little, her blush increasing as Ester's smirk grew, "...Pretend you didn't hear that last one."
"Kinda hard not to when it's the third time you said he was cute."
"Hah?! When did…"
"Once after that street hockey game we played and the other when you were dehydrated back at my home village."
"...Ah geez…" Makoto groaned, covering her face with her hands, "...Wait. Don't you like him?"
"More as a friend than a boyfriend," Ester shrugged, "I get the feeling that it wouldn't work out between us."
"Huh? Why?"
"Well, what can I say? Ben is a great guy, cocky and goofy yeah, but, that's kinda like part of his charm. But...I don't know. Now that I look at it, maybe he and I would work better as friends. I don't like him enough to go into denial like you have clearly. I think in the end, I would want what's best for him and me, and who knows? Maybe that's you." she smiled, "Ah thank god I found this out before I got too interested…" she sighed happily.
"Oh...still, do you really think me and Ben…?" Makoto began in her question.
"Hm...I don't know…" Ester shrugged, "Maybe if you decide one day, when you're ready, to give it a shot. Who knows what the future could hold?" she smiled, "What I do know Makoto, is I think of you as one of the first true best friends I've ever had. So I hope only for the best whatever you decide to do or not to do."
"...Huh...I guess I could try it…" Makoto admitted unchartisticly bashful, "I mean...last few times I've tried to date someone, they...usually ended rather poorly."
"Hmm?"
"This one guy I tried to date...well, I worked with him and thought it would be nice to hang for a bit...and the next thing I knew the next morning? I'm in his bed topless," Makoto explained, "...And before you ask? No. We didn't do the dirty. Oh and the first time I tried dating someone back at the academy my friends and I went to…." a sad sigh escaped her lips, "Promise me you won't tell anyone this...only people who know this is Noel, Mai, Kajun, and Tsubaki...because they were there when it went down."
"...what did he do?" Ester asked with a frown.
"...Ugh. At first he was a pretty nice guy, charming to boot, too," Makoto explained, "We went on a few fun dates, but when Valentines day rolled around...this one girl that was part of three that picked on me during first year...turns out she got him to 'play nice with me' as a cruel prank...even tried to slap a special collar on me to make me their slave…"
"?!" Ester's eyes widened, "Wh-What?!"
"Yeah...Ya see, where I'm from...Beastkin are, well...Ya know how African Americans were treated for years?" Makoto asked.
"Ooh...Oof," Ester cringed.
"Yeah...and those girls I mentioned? It was also part of a little revenge plan of theirs because my friend Tsubaki stood up for me when no one else would," Makoto continued, "...Heh. Speaking of whom, she and the others got to me just in time, along with Jin Kisaragi, one of the head members of the student council. Needless to say, that douchebag that toyed with my heart and those three girls got expelled from the academy...and I locked myself in my room for weeks. Since then...it feels like every guy or-on the rare occasion- gal I've tried to date would end up being lazy, pervy, a complete ass, or worse…"
"Once more...Ooh...Oof," Ester cringed yet again.
"Yeah…" Makoto sighed once more, "...And you really do think I might have a shot with Ben?"
"Of course I do," Ester replied, "Plus, there's a big advantage you have on this compared to previous times."
"Oh yeah?"
"You live with him, for one," Ester noted, "You also work with him and have spent a lot of time with him already." she pointed out, "And in all that time, do you think that loveable goof would ever hurt you like that...on purpose? I can tell he's the kind who forgets a lot of things."
"Like you wouldn't believe...and yeah...you're right," Makoto chuckled, "...Maybe I can give dating another chance...once he's good and ready of course…Thanks, Ester. Ths...this honestly feels like a huge weight was taken off my chest."
"Which to be fair you could do to lighten as is," she joked.
"No chance," Makoto replied.
"All I'm saying is you are gonna regret your perfect genetics one day when the back pain sets in," she teased on.
"Joke's on future me, 'cause I do exercise for my back muscles," Makoto smirked.
"You know you'd make a heck of a parent one day in the distant future," Ester chuckled.
"Excuse you, I'd be a great parent!" Makoto argued as the two girls laughed.
"So...ready to finally end this so we can stop running from crazy cat girls?" Ester sighed.
"Considering I hear them coming around the corner, I might as well," Makoto replied as she stood up, taking a deep breath as she turned around just as a certain trio of catgirls turned the corner, "Stop!"
"Nya?" the three blinked as they skidded to a halt..before they were all tied up by Tora.
"Again, I apologize. It…" Tora began.
"I'll admit it."
"Nya?"
"I'll admit it...Ben Tennyson, or Changing Guy as you and the rest of the Kaka Clan call him by…" Makoto paused, taking a deep breath as she bit the metaphorical bullet, "...Is my mate."
"NYANTO?!" the trio exclaimed in shock.
"Th-that's right!" Makoto snapped, fighting her blush as she pointed at them, "And if any of you or any other Kaka Clan cat tries to claim him from me, I will send your feline asses to the moon! And I can assure you that it is not made of cheese, so no moon mice!"
"Aww~!"
"Behave you three," Tora scolded the trio before looking up, "I will be sure to inform everyone in the village, nya."
"Good! Because I…" she began before a sneeze went off and a blast of flames went over her.
"Sowwy…" Xiankaka apologized, "I ate these peppers this Fire Guy gave me before we went to the store with Shouting Tiny Guy."
"I'm...I'm out of outfits…" Makoto sighed.
"I keep a spare outfit on hand when something like this happens," Tora assured.
"...At this point, I'll take it..." Makoto sighed before looking over at Ester, "So...next week sound good when I got some time off?"
"Sure. Would love to hang out again...as long as there's no crazy cat ladies chasing us involved," Ester replied before looking over at Tora, "No offense."
"Nyan taken," Tora assured.
"At least this doesn't smell like fish…" Makoto muttered, wearing an orange and black Kaka Clan outfit, "Though I wish the shorts were bigger. Seriously, they're hugging a bit too snug." she walked up to the door and swung it open and spotted Mai, Kajun, Noel, and Jenny inside, 'Great...Was hoping no one'd be home.'
"...Uh...Ma…" Mai began.
"Don't ask. Just...Just don't," Makoto sighed, her ears twitching in annoyance.
"He-llo," Makoto looked down to see a child-sized blue and silver robot, "No-el, nice lady?"
'...Oh my god, this is the cutest little robot ever!' Makoto thought, "...Noellie, who is this adorable little robot?"
"Robotboy," Noel answered, "Robotboy, this is Makoto."
"Ahh...He-llo, Ma-ko-to," Robotboy greeted with a smile.
"She's taking care of him for a nice doctor that's following in my mother's footsteps," Jeny explained before Makoto could ask her next question."
"Alright," Makoto replied before tugging at her jacket, "And if you'll excuse me, I need to go get outta this. Also, good news is that Ben no longer has to fear for getting a harem of feline gals," she walked by, patting Robotboy on the head with her tail, "And welcome to our little group, little guy."
Robotboy giggled as he watched the nice squirrel lady walk away, "No-el, she was ve-ry nice squir-rel lady."
"...Wait. What did she mean by that?" Mai asked.
"Ugh...finally today is over with," Makoto groaned as she walked into her room, before walking over and letting herself fall face first into bed, "Hello bed...I missed you…First things first...gotta get out of this thing...seriously the shorts underneath are a bit too snug for my liking," she muttered, sitting up as she pulled down the zipper and let her jacket off, revealing the orange straps holding up the black short-shorts underneath and barely held in her impressive chest, "Ooh...nice cool air."
Just as she was about to get up and find some clothes to change into, her gaze stopped on a picture of herself and the others grouped together..with her and Ben trying to bunny-ear each other as they smiled at the camera. Before Ben left for his mission, the group took a small day off at the mall to hang out for a bit and someone-she couldn't recall at the moment-had suggested for a group photo together, as if to commemorate and celebrate their first big mission together...even if Kajun and Jenny weren't there to help. Honestly after the academy, she never thought she'd be thrown back into the past...and yet now she was part of an organization meant to protect the people of both Earth and beyond the stars, and didn't have to worry about a corrupt world government to oppress anyone with their false sense of justice. But most importantly...she was with her friends...her best friends. The very people who trust her...who treat her like any normal person. Heck the friends she made here in the past were just as important to her...and yet...she had a sense of unease in her heart.
"...If I do find a way back home...I'd have to leave with the others," Makoto whispered, wondering what was more important...her own world...er...timeline? Or the friends she made here? "...Ahh. I'm probably just overthinking it…" she sighed, "I should just forget about those things. I'm doing okay right now...but right now I just wanna relax...I mean tomorrow's another day."
SZ: And the second part of this little 'in the day of' mini-arc with the four girls...and we keep going! Next time is noel and Jenny, and we see how they'll come across Robotboy!
Z0: This will be a slightly more...adventure filled story...with lots and lots of gags thanks to the villian of Robotboy making an appearance. Cause I can't pass that chance up….
SZ: Yup...so stay tuned for that! In fact...*Blows trumpet*ONWARDS!
Z0: Robotboy Action! *Robotboy in battle mode shoots the screen*