Lunchtime, baby!

Yeah, we're skipping past classes, nothing interesting happens in those, this isn't one of those stories. The Ruling Douchebag was still teaching in Heiwa, but Jiei was the unlucky sucker who landed him as a teacher.

The trio sat in a circle behind one of the entrances to the rooftop, right at the one of the corners of the place, where they could stay away from the eyes of the people.

"That was the best nap of my life, let me tell you..." Harui yawned as she stretched her arms. "Science is gonna be so good this year."

"Not if you keep sleeping through it, you slob." Satoru replied, fishing his bento out of his bag. "Kasumi-san, thank you for the godly food once again. May you keep living with us for many years to come."

"How the hell did your sister score a girl like Kasumi-san in the first place..."

"By being overbearing?" Yukie asked. "I believe a wedding was involved."

"And now I eat like this every day, amen! Let's eat!"

And eat they did. Satoru's regal bento carried all the care and love Kasumi put into her cooking for her girlfriend's family, Harui's artsy bento was a testament to the overwhelming amount of free time Izuru had, and Yukie's... Left some things to be desired. She was the one who prepared it.

Jiei did the cooking for a reason.

"You guys heard the rumours?" Satoru asked as he stuffed his face. "We got ourselves a big time champion in the school. In fact, she's in our class."

"Shut up, no way! Tell me more, tell me more!" Harui requested.

"I'd appreciate if you two didn't talk with your mouths full..." Yukie sweatdropped. She leaned closer to Harui to wipe some crumbs off with her handkerchief. "Uekoshi Kikka, Germany champion, lived there for ten years, moved back to Japan last month. She's the redhead at the protagonist seat in class."

"Huh... Why do you- How do you- Where did you learn all of that exactly?" Satoru asked.

"Class formations are made public two week before the school year begins. I simply made the necessary research on the other girls in our class. I'm aware of the effect Harui has on other women."

"Heh, fish fear me, women love me." Harui smirked at her own remark.

"There's a dellusional member on the relationship, that's for sure." Satoru deadpanned. "So that cutie with the red hair's a big shot pro, huh? And she's german on top of that? I like my odds."

"Yeah right, like any sort of european would like some furry moron like you." The white haired girl scoffed. "A pro has to be worth some good points. This bimbo may just be my easy way into the twenty milion tier!"

"Why would some fancy overseas pro waste their time on a tanuki like you?"

"People can be persuaded." Yukie chimmed in as he took a sip of her canned tea.

Satoru and Harui felt a weird sense of dread for some reason.

"The answer's simple. I'm rich, I got ties to big people, and I'm super duper cute to boot. You think some snobby high school prodigy from Europe can resist this pretty face?" Harui asked with a big smile.

"Yes." Satoru gave the blatant answer.

"I'd rather you did not tempt fate." Yukie gave the realistic answer.

"You two lack faith. Just trust me, by the end of the day, I'll be worth so many points that Heiwa will turn into a playground for me."

"Izuru's the rich one, all your ties come from him and I value my neck too much to comment on your appearance. Let's get realistic for a sec, Ibuki. You'd probably need to go through her agent or something, and that'd only pay off if you had some accomplishments under your belt." Satoru explained, removing his sunglasses to clean them.

"Hey, I got accomplishments! There's not a soul in the surrounding vicinity that doesn't know the name of Ibuki Harui!"

"Yeah, because you keep yelling it like a mad person." The boy deadpanned. "Yukie, help me out here."

"Just request a fight from Uekoshi Kikka. Without flirting to do so." Yukie said.

"That's not helping and you know it."

"You're a genius, Yukie! I don't need to go through some schmuck agent if I just ask her directly. Now where could she be..."

"She's right there."

Satoru and Harui looked to the corner of the rooftop opposite to where they were. Yeah, the so called pro has been there the entire time. She only didn't hear Harui's yelling thanks to being with her earphones on.

Convenient.

"Huh. Alright then, I guess we're getting this done before the afternoon classes." Harui shrugged.

"You're begging to get your own ass handed to you by the Vanguard pro transfer student."

"But she won't." Yukie said in an assertive tone. "Afterall, she can't make a fool of herself in front of her girlfriend."

Very reluctantly, maybe a little too much, Satoru went along with Harui and Yukie in their quest to get the former a fight with the redhead. As much as he opposed the entire thing, the "I told you." rights severely outweighed his opposition.

The three surrounded the girl of the moment, who in turn looked up at them and removed her earphones.

Nice going guys, you totally don't look like you're about to lynch someone.

"Can I help you?"

"Uekoshi Kikka, right?" Harui asked wity a big grin.

"Stop that, you look like one of those weirdo old men that keep showing up in ny light novels." Satoru said, briefly gagging as he thought back to all the sweaty old men that got illustrations instead of the cute characters.

"Yeah... You're the racoon girl, aren't you? Some of the girls in the class warned me about you."

"Tanuki, actually. And I'm aware of the effect I have on women."

No you are not.

"No you're not." Satoru chimmed in again, but this time got elbowed on the side by Yukie.

"They said you're some lame loser whose corniness is contagious."

Oof, right to the point, I like this one.

"...my words are not corny, they're charming for those capable of understanding them. Those bimbos are just jealous that their silly little boyfriends aren't as suave and cool as me. Sometimes it takes a real girl to be the best boy. I'm simply built different."

Sometimes it takes just a few moments to think about your words before speaking them.

"But I digress. Is that everything you heard about me, Germany Pro-san?"

"Huh?" Kikka raised a brow. "O-oh, yeah, yeah that's all."

"Good. Then I can have the pleasure of telling you the truth as it is." Harui spread her arms.

Oh boy.

"You may be some top dog fighter in whatever fictional continent you come from, but you're in Heiwa now. This isn't Germany anymore, this is my domain. Being some professional from some cheese country holds little weight here, and you know why? Because..."

Harui smirked.

"I'm the King of Heiwa Academy."

No you are not.

"No you're not." Satoru got hit with an overwhelming sense of dread again. Must be the weather.

Curiously, Yukie was giving him the side eye.

"You're right, I'm not, but on a technically." Harui admitted. "I didn't want to join those losers after beating them up. Simple as that. My Neetama didn't wipe the Shinjuku Royalty in her high school days just for me to not do the same here, you know? Soloing them while being in middle school only made it sweeter."

"Stronger than the King, huh..." Kikka muttered under her breath. "Fight me."

"Huh?" Harui blinked.

"You heard me." The redhead said as she got up to be at Harui's eye level. "I said fight me!"

"Oh, huh, I didn't think you'd be the one making the challenge, I'm a bit caught off guard here..." The pink-eyed girl rubbed the back of her neck.

"Don't tell me you're getting cold feet now." Satoru snickered.

"O-of course not, I'm just surprised! Geez, be supportive for once, you lame furry!" Harui scowled and looked back at Kikka. "You're on, Pro-san! I'll show you how we do it here in Japan!"

And the fight was on!

In one of the tables on the rooftop!

Yeah, the belts went out of commission again, but hey, Mitsuba wasn't to blame for that so there's a positive side.

Harui and Kikka stood on the opposing ends of the table, with Yukie and Satoru watching from the sidelines.

"Ready whenever you are, Pro-san." Harui grinned.

"Yeah, I'm good to- What the...?"

Kikka could have sworn Harui's eyes were pink, yet now the left one was cerulean. Whatever, it probably wasn't relevant.

"Ibuki Harui! Designation: The E! The Excommunicated!"

"Uekoshi Kikka!"

"Oh? Big shot Pro-san doesn't even a designation? Do the german audiences not like you?"

"No, I just don't need some silly title like yours."

"My title's not silly, it's... W-whatever, let's fight, there's only so much time left in our lunchbreak."

"Agreed." Kikka nodded.

The two shared glances. Kikka's resolute eyes met Harui's confident eyes.

"Stand up, Vanguard!"

"Almajestar, Pypus=Mulchie!"

"Stealth Dragon, Madoi!"

"My turn. Draw. Ride! Almajestar, Schwart=Sparda! Turn end."

Kikka
Hand: 5
Damage: 0
OXO
OOO

Harui
Hand: 5
Damage: 0
OXO
OOO

"Sparda... Unica?" Yukie muttered to herself.

"My time to shine. Draw! Ride! Stealth Dragon, Seizui! Madoi's skill, I draw one. Then, Seizui's skill! Since he rode over Madoi, I draw one more. I also get this!"

Harui grabbed the top card of the pile above her damage zone and flipped it over.

"Crest! Demon Stealth Dragon, Shiranui "Oboro"!"

"Crest?" Kikka asked.

"Huh, yeah? Is the product schedule on the west that scuffed? Whatever, I'm not done yet. I call Forktail behind Seizui! Forktail's skill, scry seven and put Katarigitsune into the soul. Forktail boosts, Seizui attacks! (8000>>16000)"

"Sixteen already... No guard!"

"Drive check! (Stealth Dragon, Tenrei) Nothing."

"Damage check. (Kitz Peak Griffin)"

"Turn end. The preparations for my win have already started." Harui said with a smug smile.

Kikka
Hand: 5
Damage: 1
OXO
OOO

Harui
Hand: 7
Damage: 0
OXO
OXO

"Draw. Ride! Almajestar, Turan=Dyna! Sparda's skill, soulcharge two and draw one since a critical was put into the soul. Then..." Kikka looked through her hand and hesitated to pick a card.

"What's got you all fidgety? Am I giving off too much of an intimidating aura?"

"You wish. I'm just... Being thoughtful. I don't want to break you this ear- A-ah!"

Kikka's choice of words lead to a cold shiver go down her spine along with the feeling of dread.

Curiously, Yukie was doing that side eye thing again.

Must be the weather.

"D-dyna attacks... (10000)"

"Hm... No guard."

"Drive check. (Phonograph Operastar) No trigger..."

"(Stealth Dragon, Sekiei)"

"Turn end."

Kikka
Hand: 7
Damage: 1
OXO
OOO

Harui
Hand: 6
Damage: 0
OXO
OXO

"Stand and draw. Throughout Heaven and Earth, he alone is the strongest stealth! Ride the vanguard! World-shaper Stealth Rogue, Shojodoji!"

"Shogoat, Shogoat, Shogoat!" Satoru and Yukie cheered.

"Eheh." Harui gave them a thumbs up. "Shojodoji's skill! Scry five and- Ugh, this isn't very Shogoated... I put Oboro into the soul and call normal Shiranui to the side. I call Tenrei behind Shiranui and use his skill. Since my Crest is Shiranui's, I counterblast to draw. Battle! Shojodoji attacks! (10000>>18000) Stand proud! Stealth Mountain Iron Coffin!"

"No guard!"

"Drive check! (Stealth Beast, Katarigitsune)"

"Damage check. (Almajestar, Astroea=Unica) Dammit..."

"Heh, nice. Tenrei boosts, Shiranui attacks! (13000>>21000)"

"I guard with Clen! (25000)"

"Turn end." Harui stretched her neck. "One turn left until I can go all out."

Kikka
Hand: 6
Damage: 2
OXO
OOO

Harui
Hand: 7
Damage: 1
OXX
OXX

"Stand and draw. Dazzling gems imprisioned across the silent cosmos, shine ever so brightly! I ride! Almajestar, Astroea=Unica!"

"Dyna's skill, I call her and Sparda from my soul. I also call Vilnies Chimaera and Phonograph Operastar! Operastar's skill, counterblast and draw. I call Airam Capricornus behind Unica! Dyna's skill. Counterblast, put Clen and Stem Deviate from my drop into my soul and she gets 5k. (10000>>15000) Sparda's skill, bind Clen face up to give her 10k. (8000>>18000) Battle! Airam boosts, Unica attacks! (13000>21000) Airam's skill! I put Clen from hand into the soul and draw one! Then, Unica's skill! I soulblast three criticals and bind them face up! With three criticals in my bind zone, Unica gets one critical and one drive! (21000>>21000/2) Shiranui retires! Unica's second skill! When she soulblasts a trigger, one of my units gets 5k! It happened three times, so I choose Vilnies, Operastar and Dyna! (8000>>13000) (10000>15000) (15000>20000) Furthermore, Operastar and Vilnies' skills activate! Operestar gets 5k for every two criticals in my bind zone! (15000>>25000) When Vilnies gets chosen by Unica, I soulcharge and he gets another 5k! (13000>18000) Take this! Tri-Star Exodus!"

"No guard! Come at me, Pro-san!"

"Triple drive! (Almajestar, Astroea=Unica) (Malice Repeller Dragon) (Kitz Peak Griffin) No trigger!"

"That's what you get for doing blind soulcharges with Vilnies. Damage check! (Stealth Rogue, Forktail) (Stealth Fiend, Amaviera - Heal) Nice. I heal one and put it all on Shojodoji! (20000)"

"Sparda boosts, Dyna attacks! (20000>>38000)"

"This one's nasty, but Operastar's nastier... Fine, I'll commit two cards. Madowazu and Kataragitsune. (40000)"

"Booosted by Vilnies, Operastar atttacks! (25000>>43000)"

"No guard. (Stealth Dragon, Fuurai)"

"Turn end!"

Kikka
Hand: 7
Damage: 2
XXX
XXX

Harui
Hand: 5
Damage: 3
OXO
OXX

"Eheh, not bad for a big shot professional, Pro-san." Harui admitted, brushing her nose with her thumb. "Too bad for you, I already got you all figured out."

"Oh yeah?" Kikka asked. "You got any proof of that, Excommunicated-san?"

"Oh, she can bite back. Nice, nice! You want proof? I'll give you all the proof you want! Stand and draw! Cursed spirits shackled to dwindling life, light up the night past this glacial squall! All truths will be revealed under the lunar flare! Ride! Demon Stealth Dragon, Shiranui "Oboro"!"

"That unit has an 11k base... No Persona Ride icon too..." The redhead muttered.

"Of course, Oboro came out decades before we were born. Well, the original did, this is the one that came with the sealed product. You can ignore the number printed on him, because my Crest makes his base power 13k regardless of wherever he is! And now-!"

Harui slammed Shiranui into her drop zone with her closed fist.

"Liberating the Generation Zone! Throughout Heaven and Earth, I alone will be the victorious one! Generation Stride! Enma Stealth Dragon, Maguntenbu!"

"Shiranui's skill when used to pay my stride cost, I draw one. And then, stride skill! I dominate Operastar with 4k! (10000>>14000)"

"D-dominate?!" Kikka asked.

"Damn right. Your unit's mine to attack with, and that's not all. In exchange of sealing the dominated unit's abilities, my Crest further buffs it by 5k! (14000>19000) Operastar attacks your vanguard! (19000)"

"An attack from my side against me... I guard with Kitz Peak! With a critical in the bind zone, he gets 5k shield! (23000)"

"Oh bummer." Harui shrugged. "But don't think Operastar's free from me yet. Maguntenbu's skill! Counterblast, turn a G-Unit face up, and dominate Operastar ince again! She attacks your vanguard! (19000)"

"I'll... I'll guard! Riley! She gets 5k shield too! (23000)"

"Hell will turn cold the day a dominated rear hits... As per the rest of Maguntenbu's skill, Operastar gets retired."

"If only the dominated unit had, say, 10k extra power." Satoru whistled.

"Zip it with the Genkai thing, you love Shogoat and you know it." The odd-eyed girl clicked her tongue. "Call! Fuurai, Sekiei! My Crest's final effect kicks in now! In exchange for not having Persona Ride, my front row gets 5k for every face up card in my G Zone! (10000>>15000) (28000>>33000) (10000>>15000) Furthermore, Fuurai gets 5k for every time a dominated unit attacked, so that's another 10k! (15000>>25000) And since my Crest is Shiranui's, I activate Katarigitsune's skill from hand. I discard him to add a copy of Oboro from deck to hand. Battle! Sekiei attacks! (15000)"

"Intercept with Dyna! (18000)"

"Fuurai attacks! (25000)"

"No guard! (Stem Deviate Dragon - Critical) A trigger! I give it all to Unica! (23000)"

"Ugh, damn turn three defensives... Boosted by Forktail, Maguntenbu attacks! (33000>>41000) At this moment, Fuurai and Sekiei's skills activate! Since a dominated unit has attacked this turn, I soulblast a total of two to restand them! Kick her ass, Maguntenbu! War To Lies!  Clouds Gone Goodbye!"

"Corny chants, a weird fictation on some grade 2 and attack names that are just words in english she thought were cool meshed together with no real meaning... What's the appeal again, Yukie?" Satoru asked.

"You wouldn't get it." Yukie sighed. She was just happy to see Harui having fun.

"Perfect guard! Repelled Malice Dragon!"

"Triple drive! (Stealth Dragon, Fuurai) (Stealth Fiend, Forktail) (Burning Flail Dragon - Critical) Finally! Geez, I've filtering so much and only sacked one now... I put all the effects on Fuurai! (25000>>35000/2) Boosted by Forktail, Sekiei attacks! (15000>>23000)"

"I... I'll guard with- No, I need this one in hand..." Kikka was hesitating again. "H-here! Gungnram! (28000)"

"Oh yeah, I was right on the money." Harui hit Kikka with another smug smile. "Fuurai attacks! (35000/2)"

"N-no guard! (Almajestar, Astroea=Unica) (Direful Doll, Alexandra - Heal) Yes! I got one! Heal trigger! I heal one! (33000)"

"Turn end." Harui sighed and returned Maguntenbu to her G Zone.

Kikka
Hand: 2
Damage: 4
OXO
XXX

Harui
Hand: 6
Damage: 3
XXX
OXX

"I-it's my turn! Stand and draw! Dazzling gems imprisioned across the silent cosmos, shine once more! Persona Ride! Almajestar, Astroea=Unica!"

"With the effect of Persona Ride, I draw one and my front row gets 10k! (13000>>23000) I call Kitz Peak! (10000>>20000) His skill, I put Stem Deviate and Riley into my soul! His other skill gives him 5k too! (20000>>25000) Sparda's skill, bind Stem Deviate to get 10k! (8000>>18000) And then, call! Cleansweep Dragon! (10000>>20000)"

"Holy-! I knew it! I totally called it!" Harui laughed to herself.

"S-shut it!" Kikka exclaimed with a small blush. "Cleansweep's skill! I counterblast one to force Fuurai, Sekiei and Tenrei into your soul! Then, he gets 5k for each card he put into the soul! (20000>>35000) Battle! I'll end this right here and now! Airam boosts, Unica attacks! (23000>>31000) Airam's skill! I put Riley from drop into soul! Then, Unica's skill! Soulblast three to get a drive, a critical and retire Forktail! (31000>>31000/2) Since I soulblasted two triggers, Unica activates twice! I choose Vilnies and Kitz Peak! (8000>>13000) (25000>>30000) Vilnies' skill too! (13000>>18000) Take this! Tri-Star Exodus!"

"Three damage, three drives, two crits. All would cower in fear at these odds and hold on to dear life, for just the slightest brush from Lady Luck's warm hands may ring the bells of their demise... But I am the exception!" Harui exclaimed. "Get excited, Uekoshi Kikka! No guard!"

"Moron." Satoru deadpanned.

"Triple drive! (Direful Doll, Alexandra - Heal) Heal trigger! I give the power to Cleansweep and heal one! (35000>>45000) (Rouse Wildmaster, Riley - Draw) Draw trigger! I give the power to Cleansweep again and draw one! (45000>>55000) (Airam Capricornus) No trigger!"

"Damage check! (Demon Stealth Dragon, Shiranui "Oboro") (Flare Veil Dragon - Draw) Easy draw! Power to Shiranui! (23000)"

"Vilnies boosts, Cleansweep attacks! (55000>>73000) Clinch it, Cleansweep!"

"Not in a million years! Utsuroi, perfect guard!"

"Wha-?! Dammit! Boosted by Sparda, Kitz Peak attacks! (30000>>48000)"

"Shinkintan, Burning Flail, guard! (53000)"

"How... Dammit, I was so close..." Kikka muttered, dejected. "Turn end..."

Kikka
Hand: 5
Damage: 3
XXX
XXX

Harui
Hand: 3
Damage: 5
OXO
OOO

"Like I said, I got you all figured out, Pro-san. Hell, I got you figured out and then some, dare I say. I'll end this swiftly and expose you for the fraud you are! Stand and draw! Shiranui's skill, Riley gets revived but retires at the end of the turn!"

"I call it over Vilnies."

"Time to kick it into overdrive! Let's rock!"

Kikka's eyes widened.

(Media - Chair)

She couldn't believe what she was seeing.

Forget Harui's left eye changing colours, it had outright bloomed into cerulean lily!

Her bewilderment left her speechless. Her brain didn't even register that Satoru and Yukie had no reaction to what was unfolding right in front of them.

"Limiters removed! At the cost of my own vanguard, I'll surpass even the limits of stride! Liberating the Generation Zone!"

Harui tossed Oboro into her drop zone.

"Be it kings, gods, or even planets, until I'm the one sitting on the chair of victory, I'll never stop carving my legend throughout Heaven and Earth! Generation Stride! All-revealing cerulean moon, pull back the veil of illusions cast upon this domain! Blade cast in the lunar flare, cut down all the lies! The final act, on stage! Evil-Eye Hades Emperor, Shiranui "Mukuro"!"

"Stride skill! Kitz Peak gets dominated and attacks the vanguard! (10000>>19000)"

"G-guard! Riley! (23000)"

"Call, Tenrei! Skill, counterblast, draw! Call Fuurai next! Now, leave no stone unturned, no word unspoken, no lie unrevealed! Shiranui's skill! Cerulean Underveiling! Soulblast, dominate Kitz Peak and attack! (19000)"

"Airam! Intercept with Cleansweep! (23000)"

"Not yet! At the end of the battle the rear Shiranui dominated attacked, a new unit gets dominated! Stand for me, Unica! (13000>>18000)"

"M-my vanguard?!"

"Unica attacks Kitz Peak! (18000) Take this! Tri-Star Exodus!"

"Dammit... Dammit, dammit, dammit! No guard!"

"Twin drive! (Stealth Dragon, Fuurai) (Stealth Dragon, Madowazu - Critical) All on Fuurai! (10000>>20000/2) When a dominated attack hits, Tenrei bounces back and I call him again! Once more, draw! Now call! Forktail, Fuurai, Katarigitsune! Forktail's skill, put Tenrei into soul! Fuurai's skills! (20000>>35000) (10000>>25000) Crest! (35000>>45000) (28000>>38000) (25000>>35000) Battle! Fuurai attacks! (35000)"

"No guard! (Steam Battler, Gungnram)"

"The other Fuurai attacks! (45000/2)"

"Repelled Malice! Perfect guard!"

"Forktail boosts, Shiranui attacks! (38000>>46000) Fuurai one and two! Soulblast twice to restand both! War To Lies! Cerulean Bujin Goodnight!"

"N-no... No guard..." Kikka held her head down.

"Triple drive! (Stealth Dragon, Sekiei) (Bracing Angel Ladder) (Stealth Dragon, Madowazu - Critical) Critical! All on Shiranui! (46000>>56000/2) Stand proud, Uekoshi Kikka! You were strong!"

"Damage check... (Gratias Gradale) (Cleansweep Dragon) I lost..."

"Hell yeah you did. And now I'm going to tell the truth as it is, Pro-san. Or should I say..."

Kikka looked up at Harui. Her eye was back to the usual pink colour.

"Probie-san!"

"Huh?" Kikka blinked twice.

"You're not some pro, you're as much of a beginner as it gets. It all makes sense. I had my suspicions when I saw you ride Sparda over Ominacrowg, so I got to testing."

"That's the appeal, Satoru." Yukie said with a small smile. "She's not just strong and beautiful, she's also gentle, kind, sympathetic, smart and observant."

"I observe the lack of some of those qualities." Satoru rolled his eyes.

"Do you mind, Satoru? I'm exposing the faker I fought here." Harui deadpanned. "Anyway, here's some bullet points on how I saw through you. The first was your hesitation to make any commitment to an early game despite playing a deck with an early vastly better than mine. The second was on your first Unica turn, when you retired Shiranui. That alone told me you weren't all that aware of my deck. No self-respecting pro goes around not knowing crap about Shiranui. If you were a real pro, you'd retire Tenrei since I'd have to call over Shuiranui or move him back. The rest was some of your deck choices and other plays. Vilnies? Funny but not optimal. Same with Cleansweep. You had Gungnram in hand but never called it. With all of that, this is my verdict: you're a faker!"

"Y-you're right..." Kikka quietly admitted. "I'm a beginner, not a-"

"You're not a real and proper pro, you're only pro because of crit sacking!"

"Pro... I-i'm sorry?"

"Smart and observant, right?" Satoru asked.

"You're too narrow minded to not understand the appeal." Yukie sighed. "It's not that she became a pro thanks to luck, Harui. She was never a pro in the first place. The real Uekoshi Kikka doesn't play Unica, she plays Ominagruzio."

"...oh. Ooooooh..." Harui scratched the back of her head. "So... Who is this chick then...?"

"Uekoshi Kikka... That's my name." Kikka said, brushing her hair away from her eyes. "It's true that there's a japanese-born pro with the same age as me that lived in Germany for the same time I did and it's true we look somewhat alike... But she's still there. And her name isn't Uekoshi Kikka. Her name is Uekoshi... Kika."

"...is that like a kanji thing or?"

"Wait, are you Kikka with two Ks while she's Kika with one?" Satoru asked.

"...y-yes." The redhead nodded.

Big mistake.

Harui bursted out laughing, to the point she leaned forward and had to held her sides. She laughed so much tears started coming out of her eyes.

"Forget being a faker, this is way funnier! Ahahahaha, you got mixed with a pro because of just a letter! A K! You really put the K in faker! Hahahahaha!"

"You really think you got any grounds to call her a faker? You're as much of a faker as she is, you never beat the Royalty." Satoru snitched, pure and simple.

"Well yeah, but I know I'm better than those losers by a mile, so- Huh?"

As Harui looked up, she was met with Kikka's pouting face and eyes ready to explode with tears.

And explode she did.

"YOU LIAR!"

Crying, Kikka grabbed Harui's collar and began violently shaking her, all while yelling some much needed truths.

"LIAR! MEANIE! EVIL! YOU'RE A TANUKI, IBUKI HARUI! AN EVIL AND TREACHEROUS TANUKI! HOW CAN YOU CALL ME A FAKER WHILE BEING A FAKER TOO?! FAKER! FAKER! FAKEEEEEEER!"

"A-a-ah Yukie help! Help me, Yukieeeeeeee!" Harui begged.

"You need to take responsability for your actions, Harui." Yukie chuckled. "Besides, she is only touching your clothes, not your skin."

"Th-th-th-then TAKE THIS!"

Harui fought fire with fire.

As in she pinched Kikka's cheeks and started pulling on them to fight her on the same playing field or something.

"F-FAKER! FAKIKKA!"

"T-TANUKI! TANIBUKI!"

"Tanibuki, that's a good one." Satoru hummed, rubbing his chin. "But four syllables really don't roll as well as three. What do you think, Yu- Yukie?"

The one pouting now was Yukie. She was seeing the consequences of her actions unfold. Taking responsability didn't mean touching some other girl's face.

"Let Harui make it up to you, Uekoshi-san." Yukie cut in.

"Huh?" Harui and Kikka stopped their fighting to look at her.

"Come with us after school. We know a great restaurant, all you can eat and all will be paid by Harui."

"H-huh?! I didn't agree to that!" Harui exclaimed.

"Sold!" Kikka smiled, or at least smiled as much as Harui holding her cheeks allowed her too.

"No, not sold! Why do I have to pay?!"

"'Cause you're loaded. You said it yourself before challenging the german pro, riiiiiiiiiiiiight?" Satoru teased her with his own smug grin.

Any and all scenarios Kikka made in her head about the all-paid fancy dinning experience she was going to have after school died the moment she got a single look at the place.

Or rather, at its door.

Sure, they took her to Golden Gai instead of Roppongi like she thought they would, but she still had some reasonable expectations.

Until she saw all the dinosaur stickers on the door.

She looked up and squinted her eyes at the board with the joint's name that was above the door.

"Me... Mesozoic... Mahapadma? What's that supposed to mean?" Kikka asked.

The other three shrugged. Regular clients as they may be, they had no clue either.

"Who cares about the name, what matters is Nozomi cooks good." Harui said. "His food's better than whatever you can get at Heiwa, not that the bar's high. Come on, we know the guy running the joint."

Harui slid the door open and walked with Yukie in hand, the other two following behind. The group was greeted by the owner of the Mahapadma, the blonde ex-teacher and wandering cardfighting hobo turned chef and business owner, the dinosaur and Vanguard-addicted legend, Nozomi Anjou.

He was sitting on a stoll behind the counter, with a small book in his hands.

He also should have been the protagonist, it would have saved us all from mandatory Izuru appearances.

"Hey old man, how's the arthritis?" Harui asked as she walked past the counter.

"I wouldn't say arthritis, but I'm definitely getting shuffler's wrist." Nozomi replied, looking at his hand. "That or carpal tunnel..."

"I, I was kidding... I'll give you my physical therapist's info, she may be able to help with that..." She sweatdropped.

The Mahapadma was a one man thing. The place wasn't big enough to warrant more employees, but not small enough that it made people bump into each other. The L-shaped counter separating the kitchen from the rest of the place took most of the space, but it still left room for two tables across the longer side, plus three more on the rest of the interior by the windows, with even four stolls behind the shorter side of the counter.

The usual table for the group was the one in the left corner, closest to the window. Harui and Yukie always sat next to each other, so Kikka and Satoru took the other side, with the former sitting across the pink-eyed girl.

"Holy crap, you actually made a new friend? And one day into the year too? I thought it was impossible." Nozomi said.

"Oh quit it, I'm taking responsability for being awesome." Harui scoffed.

"More like for lying through your teeth." Kikka deadpanned. "Hi there! I'm Uekoshi Kikka, nice to meet you!"

"Anjou Nozomi, but just call me Nozomi. A friend of that tanuki pain in the ass is a friend of mine."

"Uekoshi here's actually a big shot, Nozomi." Satoru chuckled. "Pro fighter all the way from Germany. Doesn't that make your motor run?"

"What? No she's not." Nozomi replied.

"Huh? How do you know, Nozomi-san?" Yukie asked.

"She's Kikka with two Ks, the one you're thinking is Uekoshi Kika with one." He explained.

"How the hell do you know that's the difference between them? Did you met Not-Probie when being a hobo or something?!" Harui questioned.

"Yeah, I know the Kika from Germany. This Kikka is just Kikka, that's a japanese name. The other's is a short form of Francesca, she's half italian. I've met alot of peole in my journey, you know? Uekoshi, Yagami, Katagiri, Rokuhira, Midorin, the list is long. Also, this one has red hair. The other's hair is just brown."

"So they have an actual visible difference?" Satoru looked over at Yukie, who was visibly blushing. "I thought you had, I don't know, made some basic research on said Uekoshi?"

"There's a... A very small chance the two just got mixed in my mind during the day." Yukie admitted. She followed it with a small, very clearly fake, cough to regain her composure. "All girls besides Harui start to look the same after a while."

"You heard her. It's a very valid reason, if I say so myself." Harui threw her arms around Yukie with a victorious smirk.

"How the hell did she get a girlfriend in the first place...?" Kikka asked, sweatdropped.

"Believe it or not, Yukie liked her first." Satoru replied.

"No shot, piss off!"

"Umu umu, that's right. You two just have skill issues when it comes to romance. Hey old man, bring us the usual! What food do you like, Probie-san?"

"Oh, huhhhhhhh, mushrooms I guess? Mushrooms and chicken is my favourite combo."

"You heard her."

"On it." Nozomi replied, setting his book to the side to go prepare the food.

"By the way, I've been meaning to ask, what does 'probie' mean, exactly?" Kikka asked. "You've been saying it ever since we fought but never explained."

"It's slang for new recruits in firehouses, mostly overseas. It essentially means 'new guy'." The chef chimmed in.

"You really got around, Nozomi-san." Yukie said.

"You're probie, Yukie's best girl, I'm awesome, Satoru's furry and Nozomi's old man. Super easy to remember, right?"

"Twenty six by the way." The chef chimmed in again.

"If I ever change decks, you'll run out of jokes. Even a little kid's more creative than you when it comes to dissing someone." Satoru hummed.

"Try me, I'm as original as it gets."

"You play a furry deck, Satoru?" Kikka asked, looking at the boy next to her.

"No, I play a deck with a boss unit who's an athromorphonic wolf in noble clothing, every other card in the deck is either a plant or a fairy. That's more tree hugger than furry."

"Tree hugging furry, boom."

"Most cards in your deck are dragons, you're more likely to be a scalie than I am of being a furry."

"Yeah, but allow me this counterpoint: I have an actual girlfriend, you have your right hand."

"She got you there." Yukie chuckled.

Nozomi interupted the conversation to set down their orders. Harui, Yukie and Satoru had their usual, soba, oyakodon and beef udon respectively, while Kikka got fried rice with chicken and mushrooms.

"Enjoy your food, and yell less. You'll drive away my other regulars if you keep shouting like a mad woman." The blonde said as he returned to his stoll behind the counter.

"Yeah, yeah, your usuals won't be here for another hour, relax." Harui shrugged it off.

"She thinks she's slick because I play Granfia, but before this format became the main deal, she was the one playing Great Nature. I played Neo Nectar. Guess which clan has animals in thigh highs." Satoru said, bowl and chopsticks in hand. "Thanks for the food."

"Oh bugger off! I didn't play Polaris because I was a Great Nature main, I played Polaris because he was jank! If it was jank and cheap, I'd play it! I'm talking Enigman Storm turbo, I'm talking Cocytus Reverse, hell, I'm even talking Witches! I'd kick ass with any of those!"

"It's almost impressive you went from a jank-obssessed middle schooler to such a tryhard high schooler." Satoru said.

"Hey I liked Shiranui already, from back when he was a jank V deck. It's a coincedence he ended up being so good in this format. Not that I'm complaining, it made me worth a bunch of points. Not that I wouldn't have gotten this far without it. I'm simply built like that."

"You're dellusional."

"What's all this format talk? And what's up with that points and title thing?" Kikka asked.

"Oh yeah, I guess you wouldn't know much about it." The boy hummed. "You tell her, tryhard."

"I hope you bite your tongue, furry. The short version is that Vanguard has three big formats and three eras, the format we play is D, which is also the era we're in. This era's recent as hell, and the dust of its inception is still settling. Things such as who are the best players or teams it whatever are things that are still being decided to this day. Worldwide communication's faster and stronger than ever too, so people online will give players with fame to their name titles and give them worth in the form of points according to their feats and stuff." Harui explained. "There's this big forum online where you can see who is worth how much. For example, I'm worth seventeen million!"

"S-seventeen million?!"

"Points begin at one million." Satoru added. "I'm worth nine million."

"That's still alot... What's your title, Satoru?" The redhead asked.

"I haven't gotten around to getting any fancy titles like these two. The audience is the audience, what can you do? You usually get given a title after crossing the ten million line. But I don't really care. As far as I'm concerned, I'm the U, The Untitled. And that's cool as hell."

"Some people are lucky to get their own titles stick with the audiences, but most of the time, they reflect an aspect of its wielder. For example, I'm The Excommunicated because I'm too good to be in a team."

"She actually has a track record for getting kicked out of clubs or teams over being too much of a tryhard. No one lets her in anymore because of it. Hence, The Excommunicated."

"I see..." Kikka sweatdropped. "What about you, Kiba-san?"

"The Lycoris, sixteen million." Yukie answered.

"Pretty... Are you also on this, Nozomi-san?" Kikka asked.

"You bet. I wouldn't miss something like this in a lifetime."

"Nozomi's worth five billion." Harui said.

Kikka choked at her rice and started violently coughing into her arm.

"F-five billion?!"

"That's right. That means our favourite chef over here's one of the best fighters in the entire country. Not alot of people reach the billion tier." Satoru laughed. "We got what, five billion tiers? Six?"

"Let's see... Nozomi's The Dinosaur King, then we have The Witch King, that new The Eternal Ruler guy, The Muramasa from Hokkaido, The Edens Zero, The Akina Phantom, The Zephyr, then... Ten maybe? I don't know from the top of my mind, it's somewhere between five and ten." Harui sighed.

"So if people are given points that represent their strength and feats... Who's worth the most points?"

Harui grinned.

"The A. The Abundant Life. Their worth? Heh... Ten billion points."

"Jesus, that's twice Nozomi-san's... And I'm a probie with no win to my name..." Kikka muttered. "Wait, did you say 'their'?"

"Yeah. The forum I mentioned is backed up by Mikazuchi & Co., who enforces a private information policy that wipes that forum and others clean of most names once they get a title. There's other ways to remove your name though. Some simply ask for it, others just never use them. It's a cool way to protect one's privacy, but when you get big enough, it really does nothing. The Abundant Life takes it a step forward. No name, face or gender, no one has even heard their true voice. A complete and total mystery. A figure like that ends up making urban legends by just existing."

"The Hundred Demons Parade Night..." Satoru cackled.

"Yeah. A single night, a hundred consecutive victories. But the kicker? They didn't happen in a city or prefecture. They happened all around the country."

"With tales like that, no wonder they're more like an urban myth than a real person." Nozomi chuckled. "I never fought them."

"The scale really is...Overwhelming, t-to say the least..." Kikka chuckled.

After listening to such a tale about a figure like that, the only thing that ensued as they ate was silence, only broken by the occasional bickering between Harui and Satoru over something stupid, even if just for a moment. They order seconds, but Satoru and Yukie prepared to leave after finishing those.

"Leaving so soon?" Harui asked.

"Yeah, I gotta go 'help my sister' as she puts it." Satoru sighed and tossed his bag over his shoulder. "More like I got roped into her crap because her friends are busy..."

"I want to start studying some of the  subjects we got introduded to today." Yukie answered, hand in Harui's shoulder.

"Awwww, why do you gotta be studious this early?"

"Think of it as an early investment for you, Ibuki Harui-san. I study now, then when you need help studying, I'll be your personal tutor. Like the sound of that?" She asked, leaning down to kiss Harui.

"More like love the sound of that." Harui giggled like an idiot. "When can I calll you?"

"I'll finish at seven."

"I'll be starring at the clock until then."

"I know you will."

Harui wasn't lying.

Yukie and Satoru bid their friends farewell and stepped out of the restaurant. Harui and Kikka stayed a while longer.

"So..." Kikka began. "You and Yukie. What's the story? If you don't mind me asking."

"Oh? You curious in knowing our legendary love story?" Harui asked with a small cackle.

"I mean, with how lovey dovey you two are all day along, it's kinda hard not to. You two are like lobsters."

"Because they mate for life?"

"Because you're stuck to each other like barnacles."

"...n-no we're not." Harui cossed her arms. "So, what do you wanna know? We're pretty open about it, you can ask away."

"Oh, I don't know. Where it began, for example."

"Where it began? Hm, that's tough... Second ye- No, first year! I didn't attend Heiwa Middle until my second year of middle school, but I knew Yukie during my first year. Kinda."

Harui went on to tell Kikka the entire prologue. That's right, the prologue was Harui telling Kikka her story with Yukie all along!

...realistic retelling of her near death experience included.

"Trust, huh..." Kikka muttered, tucking her hair behind her right ear. "No wonder Kiba-san barely spoke a word with a stranger like me here..."

"Nah, Yukie's just naturally quiet around new people." Harui brushed it off with a shrug. "If she didn't like you, she wouldn't have invinted you to come to the Mahapadma with us. Just give her some time, she'll start talking more after a while."

"O-oh, okay then." The redhead said, smiling briefly.

"You know what I'm in mood for? Some hot food. Hey Nozomi, bring me some of that mapo tofu you make! The one with that korean pepper thingy!"

"You got it. Want anything, Kikka?" Nozomi asked.

"Another tea, I'm pretty full at the moment."

"Roger roger."

"By the way, when Yukie said I'm pretty observant, she wasn't lying. What's on your mind?" Harui asked.

"Huh? O-oh, it's nothing important!" Kikka blushed.

"Wait, I know that face... Satoru made that exact same face when we started dating! You wanna know what came first, the Yukie or the girls, don't you?"

"W-well... It's not like I need to know... But I am a bit curious... B-but you don't have to tell me if you don't want to, I swear!"

"Oh relax, it's not a big deal." Harui laughed it off. "It's true that you'd think I liked Yukie and she just happened to be a girl after hearing our story, but after we started dating, I did some introspection. It's true I never really thought about having a partner until I fell for Yukie, but after giving it some thought, I figured it out. Whenever I spent time with Neetama and Izuru's friends, even before meeting Yukie, I never thought about how cool or handsome the guys were, I thought about all the good things the girls had. Yumi-san was nice and sweet, Minami-san was down to earth and serious, Aimi-san had her clumsy glutton appeal and Chika-san... Chika-san was really hot. So to answer your question, I've been gay for aslong as I remember."

"Wow... Did anyone ever tell you you share too much at times?" Kikka asked.

"You bet."

"Make room, extra spicy mapo tofu is on the way." Nozomi interjected, stopping by the table to set down the extremely steamy plate in front of Harui. He also brought Kikka her tea. "Be careful, it's piping hot."

"Just how I like it." Harui rubbed her hands. "I'm about to ruin this mapo tofu's whole career, you can count on- Ah crap, the steam got in the eye!" She yelped, rubbing her left eye.

"Huh? Everything okay, Harui?" Kikka asked.

"I forgot, steam makes the receptor slippery...!"

"Huh, Harui?" Nozomi spoke up.

Harui rubbed her eye.

Then she rubbed some more.

Then her left eye popped out of its socket.

It fell on the table.

It rolled all the way until it touched Kikka's hand.

"Oh boy." The blonde facepalmed.

"Oh, right, small detail, I lost my eye on the accident. I was actually wearing an eyepatch for a big chunk of that story. You mind? I kinda need that." Harui picked up her eye and slid it back into its socket, blinking a bit to adjust it. "There we go. You okay, Kikka? Oh, curious about the eye? It's some super new tech Mikazuchi and Co. came up with in February. It's still not out for the public, but Ryuzaki and me are tight. The eye's basically a camera that sends the image feedback into this receptor thing I got in the back of my eye socket. The receptor then sends what the eye sees to my nerves or something and it makes me see through it. It's some sciencey techhy crap, not my strong suit. It usually stays attached to the receptor until I take it out but steam makes the connection get a bit loosey goosey. I can't cook pasta out of fear for mechanic eye-flavoured seasoning."

Kikka took a deep breath.

"You... THAT'S THE SORT OF THING YOU SHOULDN'T FORGET TO INCLUDE, IDIOT TANUKIIIIIIIIIIII!"

"Huh... Eh... Oopsie?" Harui stuck out her tongue innocently.

"It all makes sense now... Your eye changed colour when we fought!"

"Yeah, the pupil can change between pink and cerulean whenever I want to."

"A-a-and the flower eyepatch thing!"

"A solid vision hologram. That's the type of stuff they use for the thousands of holographic fighting systems Vanguard has, though the eye only projects the Lunar Drop. It's a lily, since that is my favourite flower, and cerulean, since that is Yukie's favourite colour. It's like... My Vanguard style, you know? Satoru got his shades, Nozomi has his hobo jackets, and I got my eyepatch. I look cool as hell with it, don't I?"

"I thought I was going insane and seing things! Why didn't you explain it back then?!"

"'Cuz you didn't ask, duh."

"It's not something I should ask, it's something you should explain before someone gets super confused and starts questioning their own mental well-being!"

"Agree to disagree then." Harui declared with a pout. As she ate some her deliciously spicy mapo tofu, she spoke again. "If you're done asking about stuff, can I be the one asking?"

"Sure, I own you that much." Kikka answered after sighing at Harui's antics.

"What's your deal? Actually, scratch that, that has some aggressive subtext. What's your story? How does some girl who's been living in Germany for two thirds of her life suddenly end up in back in Japan?"

"Oh... My parents are divoreced, and that could be it, honestly..." Kikka looked down at the cup in her hands. "My mother was a deadbeat, so Papa won the custody battle with a leg behind his back. Full custody. I was set to never see that woman again. Papa worked at a car factory and got relocated to Germany soon after the custody battle ended. At first we lived with my grandparents who already lived there, but later moved into our own place after he met the woman who raised me for most of my life. They never got married, but she was and will always be my Mama... They got into an ugly fight in December. It messed up Papa pretty bad... He got into an accident at work and got pretty banged up. My grandpa restarted the custody battle because of the accident. He said Papa was not in a good place mentality to raise me, and now he was unable to work too, and since grandpa couldn't take care of me because of his age, I ended up at my mother's care again... In the ten years since then, she got her life fixed and became a lawyer, so grandpa thought she was the best option until I turned eighteen..."

"Bad parents, huh... No wonder Yukie took a liking to you, you're almost a me with red hair!" Harui tried to laugh the heavy mood away, but it didn't work. "My bad... What happened to your Mama? Couldn't she have taken you in?"

"It's..." Kikka quietly sobbed and looked down. "N-nozomi, did you let people smoke here?"

"Open the window and blow the smoke out of it, I'll turn on the fan."

"T-thanks..."

Now standing by the open window with the pack of Seven Star brand cigarettes and lighter she grabbed from her bag, Kikka put one of the remaining two cigarettes left inside in her mouth and quickly lit it, sighing as she did so.

Nozomi had moved to sit next to Harui, since he had nothing better to do and wanted to eat something before dinner rush began.

"Seven Star? That's the type of stuff Kiri cried about not being able to afford on his high schooler allowance back in the day." Nozomi hummed.

"Back in the day? Sheesh, you really are an old man." Harui sighed.

"I'm willingly destroying my lungs, might aswell get the bang for my buck..."

Kikka took a drag from her cigarette and exhaled the smoke. With the small stick hanging between her fingers, she rested her arms on the window sill and looked down again.

"Mama... W-was killed. She left the house the night they fought... Got shot by some guy who tried to rob her... We..."

Kikka took a deep breath, or at least tried to until another sob got in the way. Then another. And another. She tried to bring her cigarette up to her mouth, but her trembling hand didn't allow her.

"...hey, Kikka?" Harui spoke up. "What's the best dog species? The old man here thinks huskies are the best, but I say the great pyrenees is infinitely better. What's your take?"

Kikka chuckled and brushed way her tears.

"I'm more of a kitty cat gal... But the great pyreness for sure. Bigger and fluffier is always better."

"You should totally stop by sometime then! We got this big blubby ball of lard of a pyrenees called Bachi back home, he's like a weighted blanket on legs!"

"Pyrenees are too big for even themselves to handle. Huskies are slick and cool and are basically dog-shaped dinosaurs." Nozomi argued.

No they are not.

"You really have bad taste, old well."

Harui's eyes let up with joy.

Nozomi's eyes darkened with despair.

Harui poked Nozomi's cheek.

Nozomi looked down in defeat.

Harui bursted out laughing.

Nozomi groaned loudly.

"OLD WELL, OLD WELL, OLD WELL!"

"I'm moving to Gunma..."

Kikka couldn't help but to crack a small laugh at those two. Without even noticing it, her hand stopped shaking and she got back to finishing her smoke.

"So Kikka, where are you living now?" Harui asked.

"My mother has an apartment in this new building complex in Nakano, I think it's named after some old samurai guy or whatever. I'm stuck there for the next three years. You?"

"Ikebukuro. Same with Satoru. I wish I could say the same for Yukie but her family's been living in Minato since always. Nozomi over here lives around these parts."

"Of course I do, I have my business here." The blonde replied, leaving the table. "You must live near Ruler's Dogma then. The only new living complex in Nakano was built near it."

"I wouldn't know, I'm new to the city. Is that a card shop?"

"You bet. Go there every weekend."

"How do you even keep this place afloat with that giant card game addiction of yours?" Harui asked.

"I got paid well in my teacher days."

"You were a teacher, Nozomi-san?" Kikka asked.

"Yeah, I teached history at GEN Academy for three years. Left the place five years ago to travel the world and hone my skills."

"I see. That's- Wait... Three plus five is eight, twenty six minus eight is... Y-you became a teacher after finishing high school?!"

"Well, I was actually just faking it the entire time. One of the teachers there hired me to keep an eye on this student he was mentoring." Nozomi explained.

"And you sucked at the job." Harui teased with a smug smile.

"Did you?"

"You bet. First time I saw the guy was what, a day or two before summer break? By that time, most of the information Ryuzaki gave me was outdated as hell. He said his student was the loser king of all losers but the guy was saying cool shit about being the rebellion and only needing a card with 0 shield, it was awesome. We're still friends to this day."

Nozomi sat on his stoll behind the counter and picked up his book.

"The cool bits and the mother thing aside, he and Harui are very alike. Even down to the jank decks."

"Like hell we are! Only I can make jank look cool! That bootleg Bastion deck in Pale Moon? Only I can do it. Weasels? No one did it like me. Claret with some bottom of the barrel shit like Lughaid? I'd top events with that, old man!"

Nozomi shivered.

Being called an old man was usual.

Being called an old man with those two special cards in his mind brought some very old memories.

Nozomi slowly looked up from his book.

It was like he was there.

The blonde hair, the claret shades, the uniform of the school on an island.

He could see the Claret Sword Dragon on the center of the board being rested.

He could even hear his exact words.

"Let's rock. Nihil Bloodriver for game, old man."

Nozomi facepalmed.

"I'm twenty six..." He groaned.

But while that shameless cameo marked the end of the visit to the Mahapadma, as Harui and Kikka soon left and kept talking all the way to the nearest train station, the day was far from over.

After a long day of university and of putting up with the idiots that she got stuck doing group projects with, Harui's sister finally arrived home.

Best girl Ibuki was on the scene.

"I'm home..." She sighed, kicking her shoes away. "I'm going to commit a felony one of these days..."

Oh and Izuru was there too, to greet her with a bow.

"Welcome home, great and beautiful matriarch! Thank you for another hard day furthering your studies and contributing to society! And for not ending up as a murder case in my dad's desk! Very cool of you!"

"You're so lame."

"But we're still together, so it all balances out."

"Is Harui-chan home yet?"

"Yeah, she got here half a hour ago... But she's that thing again." Izuru sweatdropped.

"You mean... That thing?" Ibuki asked.

"That thing exactly."

Izuru and Ibuki poked their heads into the living room, where Harui and the big blubby ball of lard called Bachi were, both sitting side by side on the couch in silence, both starring at the clock above the television.

"Hi, Harui-chan."

"Hey Neetama, welcome home. How was your day?" Harui asked, not deviating her eyes.

"Same as usual. How was school?"

"Boring. Heiwa's still the same as ever, just with Airi at the helm instead of Endo. But we made a new friend so now Satoru has a thirdwheeling buddy. It balances out."

"I'm glad to hear it." Ibuki giggled. "I'm gonna go take a bath, I'm-"

The clocked striked seven.

Harui calmly got up from the couch.

"WOHOOOOOOO, IT'S SEVEN, LET'S GOOOOOOOO!"

And then yelled like a mad person.

"Borf!"

"That's right! Good boy, good boy!" Harui exclaimed, madly patting Bachi's head. "Good boys get all the pats! Come on, let's go say hi to your other mom!"

Izuru and Ibuki watched as the two power walked their way into Harui's room and sweatdropped. They were at that age at some point too.

With her hold eyepatch around her forehead, Harui sat down on one of the bean bags in her room, with Bachi taking the other one for himself. She got out her phone and clicked on one of the apps in the home screen.

The icon was a cerulean lily.

The name was Lunar Drop.

The app was just a menu with two names, Mukuro Unit and Rinne Unit. Mukuro was white, Rinne was black, but all of that changed when she tapped the latter.

Her vision on her prosthetic eye turned black.

All that was left to do was to call Yukie and pull her eyepatch down to cover her right eye.

Her vision returned seconds before Yukie answered her call.

She could see her at her desk. She was looking back at her.

The truth was that the Mukuro Unit was the eye she used all the time. The Rinne Unit was the one she gave to Yukie so that she could look at her whenever they wanted to.

Because video calling was too lame or something.

"You're one minute late." Yukie said, adjusting the small ring box where the Rinne Unit was kept to give Harui the best angle. "Is that good?"

"Any angle of you is good. And I'll have you know I'm only late because you don't let me call five minutes ahead anymore. I'm not alone, by the way."

"Borf."

"Hi Bachi." Yukie chuckled. "Has your mom fed you yet, sweetie?"

"Borf!"

"Liar! Your bowl's still full, feeding you doesn't mean giving you an entire bag of treats!"

"Borf borf!"

"You apologize this second, mister! I'm not a bad parent!"

"Borf."

"Don't 'hmph!' me! Do you see what I have to put up with, Yukie? Where did I go wrong for this child to never respect me?"

"Bachi, be nice to your mom."

"Borf."

"Thank you. I don't know what I'd do without you, Yukie. The single mother life just isn't for me."

"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere." Yukie chuckled. "Did you have fun at the Mahapadma?"

"You bet. Me and Kikka got to know each other better and bullied Nozomi some more. I can see why you took a liking to her. Always had that sixth sense for troubled people, didn't you?"

"Like moths to a flame. It couldn't hurt to have one more friend, right? Satoru was in need of a thirdwheeling buddy anyway, and Kikka-san looked like she needed a friend too. It's not easy to move to a new place where you don't know anyone."

"And you said I was the observant and sympathetic one." Harui softly laughed. "Are you free this weekend?"

"That depends. Could it be you're asking me on a date, Ibuki Harui?"

"Only if you say yes, Kiba Yukie. Izuru and Neetama are going to their yearly hot springs weekend thingy, so only me and Bachi will be here. School ends on friday, we come home, have dinner, go on a date on saturday. What do you say?"

"Do you really need an answer?" Yukie asked with a small chuckle.

"I'll swap into the comfy sheets you like before friday."

"It's a deal then. I'll pack my best clothes for our weekend date."

"Yeah, like you don't drive me nuts no matter what you wear." Harui rolled her eyes. The ones in her head, not the one in Yukie's desk.

"It's a challenge then." Yukie smiled. "I'm going to take a shower and have dinner. Talk to you later?"

"Absolutely."

"Great. I'll see you soon then, Harui. Love you."

Yukie closed the ring box where the Rinne Unit was kept, plunging Harui's vision into darkness.

But the call went on for a few more moments.

"Love you too, Yukie."