"It's not fair," Aida was whining as Asuka arrived at the basketball court. "Toji and Nagisa on the same team? Who weighted this crap?"
"It was random assignment," Kaworu said.
Suzuhara smirked. "Yeah, suffer in ya jocks."
"We're gonna get annihilated," Aida groaned. He dropped his forehead onto Shinji's shoulder. "Nice knowing you, bud."
Shinji sighed. "I'm prepared for the worst."
Asuka snorted. With that attitude, you're inviting it.
Suzuhara must've heard her – he looked round, and spotting her, launched himself at Shinji. "Oh man, the wife's here!" he crowed. "Better lift your game Shin', don' wanna look the loser in front of your missus!"
"Shut up!" yelped Asuka and Shinji together.
Shinji squirmed out from under Suzuhara's arm and shoved him away. "Don't listen to that," he pleaded with Kaworu, who tilted his head.
"Why would I? It's illegal for minors to marry."
Aida had buried his face in his hands. "With Soryu watching, this is gonna be even more humiliating."
"Oh my god," Asuka huffed. "I'm not here to watch your stupid game, I'm here for Kaworu."
Her cousin glanced around. "Hm?"
She shoved a shopping bag at him. "Your costume trial!"
"Ah." He pulled out a bundle of white fabric. "A blanket?"
"A toga, duh—What're you doing?"
His vest was already over his head. "Trying it on."
Shinji's face was fire-engine. "Here? Now?"
"At least keep your damn shorts on!" Asuka implored.
The toga draped down one shoulder, leaving the other bare and a gaping amount of side rib and waist. "It seems correct."
"It's a toga," Asuka grated, "it's adjustable."
Aida sniggered. "Yeah, but then they wouldn't have gotten a free show."
Asuka followed the direction of his pointing finger to see a crowd of students in the stands. Several of them had their phones out, aimed at her exhibitionist cousin.
"You all have terrible taste!" she yelled.
The answering objections were soon traded for cheers, as Kaworu took off the toga, then boos as he replaced his vest.
"You're unbelievable," Asuka scowled at him, and snatched back the costume. "Who raised you?"
"Uncle Keel," he said quizzically. "You know that."
"Well you're shaming his efforts," she snapped, and flounced away. Ugh. What was I even expecting?
Behind her the game commenced, and it didn't take any effort of attention (because of course she wasn't listening or anything) to notice that Aida's predictions were coming true.
"Over here—crud!"
"Sorry, I'll try—damn!"
"Whoa, how did he...?"
"Shit."
Thud from the backboard, swish from the net, Suzuhara's obnoxious whooping—
—and Shinji squawking in alarm and Kaworu's pained "oof".
Asuka's head whipped around. The two boys were on the ground, Kaworu on his back and Shinji above him, hand on Kaworu's chest.
...Seriously?
Even from the next court over, she could see Shinji's blush. Astronauts on the goddamned space station could probably see it. Tch. And to think I was – well, not worried...
"S-sorry, Kaworu! You okay?"
"It's all right Shinji, I'm not hurt." Kaworu raised himself on one elbow, bringing his face closer to the other's, and Shinji's arms visibly wobbled.
Suzuhara grabbed the back of his vest and yanked him away.
"Foul!"
"Nagisa tripped him!" bleated Aida.
"You're full of crap! That was a tackle!"
"Get your eyes fixed!"
"Get your brain fixed!"
To save her own brain, Asuka blocked her ears and resumed walking.
—Only to screech to a halt when a circle of black shadow appeared on the ground before her. She threw her arms up against the incoming ball.
Nothing hit her. Nothing hit anything.
She peered past her arms – up, left, right – nothing.
The black circle stayed where it was, stayed the same size, apparently with nothing causing it.
Asuka blinked. It was very black. Like, solid black. Like, can't-see-the-surface-at-all black.
And then it was gone.
"Huh?"
Asuka rubbed her eyes. Hallucinating? Pathetic! She hadn't even been rehearsing that much – she'd gotten five whole hours of sleep last night, and nearly six the night before.
She started off again cautiously, looking around with wide-open eyes in case—
—There!
She dashed over to the perfectly round, pitch-black shadow. It was the same diameter as before – about the same as a basketball – and every bit as inert.
"What the hell is this?" Asuka muttered.
She did a lap, about a metre away, then summoned her courage to step closer and wave an arm through the air directly above it. Her own shadow disappeared like it had been swallowed, and she shuddered as she belatedly remembered a horror movie she'd seen where the monster could kill people by attacking their shadows.
"You're not a Kagegami, are you?" she asked the circle dubiously.
It vanished.
"Aah!" Frantically, she searched the ground at her feet, searched her shadow on the court surface.
But it wasn't until her scan reached back toward the boys playing under the farthest hoop that she spotted it.
"There you are!"
Embarrassed at her panic, and angry at her embarrassment, she stomped over and addressed the shadow, hands on hips.
"Now listen, you – you – whatever you are! That's no way to behave, just popping in and out like that! You could get someone hurt by tricking them into a stumble. Move properly, with some consideration for others!"
The circle showed no response, no change; still as abyssally inscrutable as ever.
But. Then—
It flickered again, this time reappearing only a few centimetres away. Another flicker, than another, and a fourth, with each movement only incremental, and easily observed.
The flickering paused.
Asuka stared. "You … heard me?"
It flicker-moved again, and Asuka realised they were getting close to the guys' basketball game.
"You … want to watch?"
What the hell am I doing? Talking to a literal shadow?
She realised that the action on the court had stopped, and Kaworu was approaching her, watched by the others.
"Asuka?" said Shinji. "Something the matter?"
Kaworu passed the basketball overhead back to Suzuhara, who caught it without looking.
He walked straight up to the shadow-circle and smiled downwards. "There's no need to be shy."
And in the air above it, at chest height suddenly appeared a black-and-white striped ball.
"Wahck!"
"Whah?"
"Huh?"
In contrast to the dumbasses watching, Asuka kept her cool, only jumping and yelping a little bit even though the thing had popped into existence right next to her.
"How'd you do that, Nagisa?"
"I have been attending meetings with the school club of close-up magic and sleight-of-hand," Asuka's cousin lied like a lying liar. "Watch."
He held out a hand. The stripy ball appeared above it instantly, without seeming to move through the intervening space at all. "Teleportation. Now intangibility..." And he passed the hand directly through the ball like it wasn't even there. "But when I do this—"
Kaworu snapped his fingers, and the ball zoomed at Asuka's chest. She reflexively put both hands up, and it slammed solidly into her palms.
She squeezed. "It's … real?"
"Of course," said Kaworu. "Now – telekinesis."
The ball zoomed back to him.
"How are you doing this?" Aida almost wailed.
"A magician never reveals their secrets," said Kaworu, and as he held up a pointing finger beneath it, the ball spun and vanished.
"Whoa!"
"Where—?"
"How?"
"So cool!"
Shinji looked torn between admiring Kaworu as usual, and snickering – Asuka guessed he must have figured out the 'magic' ball was another of the cryptids.
That thing'll definitely get people's attention – especially Mama's. I'm – I mean, we're going to be so famous!
Aida and Suzuhara eventually gave up on begging the 'magician' secrets from Kaworu, although as everyone was going home, Aida vowed to do his own research and crack them himself.
"Your days of impossible coolness are numbered, Nagisa!" he declared, as he and Suzuhara left.
"Yes, in the thousands," Kaworu called back.
"No, damn it! In the singles!"
"You'd know all about single, wouldn't you Ken," Suzuhara teased, and got tackled through the school gate.
Once Asuka, Kaworu, and Shinji had left through the opposite exit, the shadow flick-flicking across the ground apace with them, Kaworu spoke up, "Well played, Leliel."
The striped ball popped back into existence next to Shinji, who yelped and fell on his butt. Asuka laughed.
"Shut up," Shinji muttered.
As the ball settled on Kaworu's head and he walked on, hands in pockets, Asuka leaned close.
"Fumbled that fall, didn't you."
"Huh?"
"Compared to the one before, during the game. You're so obvious."
"Obvious? What do you mean?"
She clasped her hands against her chin. "Oh Kaworu," she simpered, "I accidentally fell on top of you! And accidentally touched your chest!"
Shinji's face had gone through white and was now purple. "Sh-shut up!" he whisper-screeched, and leapt to his feet.
Laughing, Asuka dodged the hands grabbing for her mouth to muffle it. "And now I'm accidentally pushing your shirt up..."
"That didn't even happen!"
"You were thinking it," she stated, "because you're obvious."
His jaw and fists both clenched. "W-well what about you, Asuka?"
"Hm?"
"You're pretty damn obvious yourself."
"About Mr Kaji? That was ages ago, where've you been?" She shrugged. Swing and a miss.
Shinji's eyes narrowed. He clasped his hands against his chin like Asuka had.
"Oh, Rei," he swooned, and Asuka's spine jolted like lightning, "here's another book especially for you! Let's hold hands while we walk to school. I'm going to kick the asses of anyone who says anything bad about you. I-"
"What the hell do you think you're saying?" Asuka hissed. She could barely hear herself over the rush of blood in her head. "That – that's friendship – we're friends—"
"I still wear the hairclips you got me for my seventh birthday," Shinji sighed dreamily, then squawked as Asuka shoved him into a hedge.
"Shut the hell up forever or I turn your clavicles into drumsticks," she snarled. "Accusing me of being a creep about my friend, how dare you!"
There was a moment's silence, except for Asuka's heaving breath and the crunch-rustle of Shinji clambering out of the hedge.
"Didn't say 'creep'," he muttered, brushing off leaves and twigs. "If I thought you were creeping on my sister I'd – I'd fight you."
"You could try," Asuka sneered. "And you'd fail, because you're an idiot who's too stunted to even recognise friendship when it's right in front of him. Toxic masculinity at its dumbest."
"I know what I know," Shinji argued, "and I can recognise it when it's the same as—" His mouth slammed shut suddenly, cutting off whatever he'd been about to say. "...Never mind. The point is," and he softened, "you don't have to hide, Asuka."
"Did you miss the clavicle chopsticks?" she snapped. "Friendship! Between friends! You're just projecting, that's all. And this conversation is officially finished." She spun away and stomped off.
"Asuka, wait," said Shinji behind her, but she ignored him.
Kaworu turned as she reached and passed him. The stripy ball blinked, its shadow matching. "Finished sniping?" he said pleasantly. "You know Miss Rei doesn't like it when you two argue."
"She can get used to it already, it's only been a decade," said Asuka. See? I wouldn't say stuff like that if I had – if I felt – if I was crushing on her.
"Where are you going, Asuka?" Shinji called as she left them behind.
"To hang out with someone much cooler and smarter than either of you two losers! Myself!"
"'Losers', plural? What did I do this time?" Kaworu wondered.
"Ignore her," Shinji advised him.
Ignore you, Asuka thought vindictively.
She arrived home in record time, and after habitually checking just in case Mama was home and available, threw herself on her bed.
"Stupid Shinji and his stupid ideas about stupid crushes. When he's the one getting all gooey over my stupid cousin."
Her feet kicked restlessly. Something hit her ankle – or was hit by it – and went skittering to the floor. Scowling at the rude object getting in the way, she leaned down to grab it, and froze.
'Studio Ghibli Soundtracks – Sheet Music For Violin'. A present from Rei after Asuka had passed her last performance exam. She smoothed the pages flat, slowly, gently.
"...No. I could never betray Rei like that. She has a hard enough time opening up to people – too many of them don't understand or accept her as she is. Too many people she can't be comfortable around, can't properly relax and be herself. They don't deserve her trust. I couldn't take away one of the few people who do."
She put the book carefully on the bedside table.
That's right. I'm doing the right thing by my friend. This is how it should be.
...The stomachache was probably – definitely – unrelated.