Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The Shinonome Laboratories resembled a matte painting. The watercolor world’s front doorstep invited the audience into a house where anything could happen. The sun was shining brightly, the camera was in focus, and a chorus of voices waited just off the edge of the page for the most important person of the evening to arrive. The stillness, heavy with anticipation, broke, as the voices rang out.

\Akkari~n!/

A middle school girl, her bright red hair tied into rounded shapes on the side of her head, popped up from the bottom of the camera’s line of vision. “Hey!” she said enthusiastically, a faint ennui detectable underneath, “‘Akari’s Ordinary Life’ is now starting!” She looked behind her, noticing the scenery was different than usual.

“Wait, this isn’t our clubhouse!” Akari said. “Can we try that again?” The camera nodded, and the picture started to fade to black. Akari could be heard clearing her throat behind the darkness, getting herself into position. The lights turned back on.

\Mai-chan!/

The scenery hadn’t changed at all. A girl with long, black hair, glasses and a godlike poker face, stood up before Akari, completely obscuring her. “Hey. ‘Akari’s Ordinary Life’ is about to begin,” she held up a Buddha statue to the camera, waiting for the first chapter to begin.

“My name’s in the title this time! I deserve to be acknowledged!” Akari protested. She could already hear the music starting to play. She would have to take her complaints to the main program.

Chapter Text

The train pulled into the Tokisadame Station, bringing with it a large group of middle school girls. They were the last out of the car, waiting for the rest of the crowd to disperse. Leading the group was a girl with blonde hair and a large red ribbon. A manga was in her hand, the title Magical Mirakurun printed across the white strip in bold pink letters. She flipped through the pages, turning to the author’s notes in the back.

“We made it!” said the blonde girl, “Tokisadame, the birthplace of Mirakurun! The author grew up here. All of Mirakurun’s most famous battles took place here. I’ve always wanted to go on a pilgrimage.”

A girl with short purple hair stepped out behind her, grabbing her by the shoulder. “Kyoko, calm down. Tokisadame is a peaceful town. The people don’t need someone like you barging in and asking to have your picture taken.”

“Oh, that’s okay. China’s the one who’s going to be getting her picture taken,” said Kyoko, giving a thumbs up and winking at a girl with bushy pink hair. Chinatsu clung to the purple haired girl’s arm, trying to issue the girl to attack Kyoko like a watchdog.

“Yui,” said Chinatsu. “I thought this was a field trip.”

“But field trips are about doing things together,” said Kyoko.

“I know. That’s why I’m going to go sightseeing with Yui,” said Chinatsu, giving a devilish smile in Kyoko’s direction.

The train doors were about to close. That same red haired girl from the title call was stuck in between them, struggling to pull herself and her luggage out into the train platform. She pushed open the doors with her right hand and her left foot, struggling and panting. Beads of sweat rolled down her forehead. For a brief moment, she had a space large enough to squeeze through, and joined the group.

“Akari,” said Chinatsu, looking at the girl, who was now sprawled out across the ground. “Were you still sleeping?”

Akari stood up, catching her breath. Her eye twitched. “I would’ve gone to the next station! How come nobody told me we made it?”

“Sorry, Akari,” said Kyoko, “I didn’t notice you in the car.”

Akari’s face turned into an expressionless canvas. She could feel her body vanishing before the eyes of her friends. Akari stomped her foot on the ground and regained her presence. “Calm down, Akari. You’re in another city. Nobody here knows you. If I’m the star of this fanfic, I have to live up to that reputation. I’ll try my best!”

The rest of the Amusement Club had vanished into the crowds. Akari was left standing in the station, the weight of her bag weighing on her shoulders. The wind blew through the station, causing a copy of that day’s newspaper to blow past Akari’s face. She heard the clang of the train departing, and collapsed to the polished floor.

As she lay in the orz position, her mission ended before it even started, she head the sound of footsteps in the distance. A small white and brown dog approached her. Akari looked up, wiping the tears pooling in her eyes. The dog never once opened his mouth. He sniffed around Akari’s hair and extended his paw outward, placing it across her lowered shoulder. Akari felt his warm paw recharge her with energy.

“That’s right,” Akari said to herself, “There are people in this world who care about me! Kyoko, Yui, Chinatsu, wait for me!” Akari’s bag brushed past a plant outside the train station as she released herself into the streets of Tokisadame. A pair of leaves caught themselves on the bag’s zipper, fluttering in the wind.

“...and then I said, ‘Oatmeal, are you crazy?’. Hey, Mio, why aren’t you laughing?” asked a desperate girl. Her short brown hair was an untidy punchline. Every Sunday morning, Yuuko Aioi attempted to come up with a gag that could be weaponized, one that her friends would finally respect her for. She was starting to run out of material.

“You were saying something, Yukko?” asked Mio Naganohara. She was on her way to the art supply store, looking to restock her manga drawing supplies. She’d put up a flier on the school bulletin board seeking assistants, but nobody had called yet. Mio checked her hair quickly to make sure her wood block ties were keeping her blue hair in place.

“Never mind,” said Yuuko. Her eyes flashed with the genesis of another bright idea. “Hey, Mio, why do you draw manga anyway?” Yuuko had found out only recently. At the end of that sentence, she felt phantom hands jabbing into the sides of her body, recalling Mio’s run in with the law a few weeks ago.

“Sasahara,” said Mio casually.

“I know he stars in your manga, but why do you draw it?” asked Yuuko, leaning over Mio’s shoulder. Mio could feel her breathing on her neck. She walked a little faster, her face shadowed and blushing bright red at the same time.

“Sasa... culture...” whispered Mio. “You know, Yuuko, if you’re so intent on questioning me, perhaps, maybe, as friends,” her voice was winding up, becoming tenser every moment, as if someone was turning a key in her back, “you could tell me what your dream is.”

Yuuko put her hand to her chin and started thinking. She had penned a poem while working on her English homework, but that was something born of boredom, there’s no way she could make a career out of that. The fliers for the Igo-Soccer Club came to mind. Unlike Mio, she could actually play sports, but was Igo-Soccer a real game? Yuuko was so scatterbrained trying to get her life to function correctly she had never considered a career.

She had been trailing behind Mio the whole time, following her into the art supply store until she was right in the middle of the paints section. She snapped back to reality and gave Mio her answer.

“Comedy!” she shouted. Yuuko looked around, noticing Mio one aisle over. She was talking with someone a head shorter than her. Several someones, in fact.

“Mio!” Yuuko shouted.

“Hey, Yukko,” said Mio, holding a new sketchpad under her arms, “I finally met someone else who draws manga. Kyoko, Yui, Chinatsu, this is Yukko. She’s an idiot.”

“I can relate,” said Yui, “Kyoko’s an idiot too.”

“She is,” said Chinatsu, clinging to Yui’s arm. Yui was ignoring her, instead keeping her hand firmly over Kyoko’s bag. Kyoko was trying to unzip it and show Mio her drawings, despite meeting her a minute ago.

“What about my dream?” asked Yuuko, slack-jawed.

“Don’t be silly, we’re still young. Carpe diem,” said Mio, waving her hands about.

Yuuko stood in the aisle, absorbing the scents of fresh paper into her nose. She saw the girl called Kyoko hand off the book she was holding under her arm to Mio. A childlike smile crossed Mio’s face as she flipped through the pages, stopping on a scene of a girl clad in what looked like a school uniform blowing up a fleet of aliens.

She lowered the book, matching up the expression of the magical girl with Chinatsu. There was a hint of malice in Chinatsu’s eyes that the warrior of love and justice Mirakurun eternally lacked, but the resemblance was uncanny. Artists often drew the people that they knew. Nervously, Mio asked of Kyoko a question she was certain she’d heard many times before.

“Did you draw this?” Mio asked.

“Oh, no, I’m just a fan. We’re here because the author grew up in Tokisadame,” said Kyoko, “but I am a doujin artist. Did you see my booth at Comuket last summer? It was the one with the cosplay.”

“Co-co-Comuket?” asked Mio. Inside her head, her voice exploded. “How did a middle school girl get to Comuket?”

“What kind of stuff do you draw?” asked Kyoko.

Yuuko walked in between Kyoko and Chinatsu. The pink haired girl used this oppurtunity to hightail it out of the store. As she left, she called out to Yui. “I’m going to find Akari! Meet me back at the station!”

Yuuko wrapped one of her arms around Mio’s shoulder, cleared her throat, and announced the contents of Mio’s bag with great pride. “Mio is an excellent artist. She specializes in drawing men in sens-” Yuuko never finished her sentence because Mio, faster than a breath, had hit Yuuko over the head with a corkboard.

“Yukko, please don’t continue any further,” said Mio, “Come on. I got the supplies I was looking for. So, how would you like a tour of the city? Nothing exciting happens here, so I don’t know how much I could show you.”

“That’ll be fine,” said Yui.

“Yukko, come on!” said Mio.

Yuuko had a stream of tears running down her eyes and a large bump on her forehead. She slunk behind the group with a slow pace. Her energy instantly returned when she remembered that she was also a local. There was nobody in this city who had seen more of what it had to offer than her; and nobody who was believed less than her.

“Toshino, Funami,” said Yuuko, walking beside the middle school girls, “Nano and Mai would love to meet you. Where’s the fourth member of your group again?”

Yui and Kyoko continued walking until they were out of the store. Then until they reached the street corner. It was at that point the two gave each other a surprised look. An innocent laugh and a pair of red balls of hair appeared in their minds’ eye.

“AKARI!” they said simultaneously.

Akari Akaza was running. Running to the point where her vision of the world was becoming blurrier and sketchier, her very form disintegrating into the basic shapes that made it up. Akari gripped the edge of her skirt, trying to keep her presence from fading away. She held out her foot and skidded to a stop. She was feeling hungry after the train ride. The smell of food was blowing through the air.

A stand called the Daifuku Fair was set up before her. It looked like an ordinary stand, complete with mascot. Said mascot was a person of indeterminate age. All Akari was sure of it was that it was a man. His head was encased in a large, ovoid white helmet. Akari, unsure of how to approach this mystery, pointed to the daifuku stand.

The man in the costume pointed back to the stand. Akari grabbed one of the daifuku off the stand, feeling the sticky rice coat her fingertips. She left a coin on the stand, consumed the treat in front of the man with the daifuku head, wondering if it was a good idea. She started walking away from the stand.

The daifuku-headed man, and another like him, took out a jump rope and began twirling it around. Thwip. Thwip. Thwip. Who were they waiting for? Akari was partway up the street when she realized she was heading back towards the station. She turned around and kneeled to the ground.

“Wait for me,” Akari though, taking off like a sprinter.

She ran down the street, her feet tripping on the jump rope. Her left leg was now far in front of her right one, and her speed accelerated far beyond what she had planned. Her bag swung in front of her, pulling her along by her arms through sheer gravitational force. The world became a blur once again.

Akari was little more than a colored mess of red hair to the people she passed. She blew past a girl with short blonde hair, ruffling her skirt. An older man, observing her from behind a bench, was captivated at her messed up look.

Akari’s bag caught on the edge of a fence, bringing her to a halt. Akari slammed her head into the wooden panel, and collapsed onto the sidewalk, her arm restrained by her bag. She grabbed onto the fence and forced her shaking legs up. She peeked around the corner, and felt a strong sense of deja vu wash over her.

It was an old building, one that reminded her of the Amusement Club’s building. There was a large sign on the roof.

Shinonome Laboratory

Shinonome. She had seen that name a lot around this city.

“It’s that place from the title call!” Akari said.

Nobody answered her but the wind. Akari carefully stepped onto the walkway, asking if anyone was there. “Is there someone who can help me find my friends?” Akari asked. She head a voice respond back to her. It was her own echo. There was a second voice among those. It sounded deep and mature, yet low to the ground.

“There must be a drunkard in there!” Akari shouted.

She pushed on the door to the labs, tumbling in through the front door and landing face down on the floor. She brushed herself off and went look for the source of the voice. It sounded like it was coming from within the living room.

“The kid must’ve left the door unlocked. I’ll make sure to inform the girl when she gets back,” said the voice.

Akari walked into the living room. Half-finished snacks were lying around, and a daruma with sunglasses drawn on was positioned on a high shelf. Akari had no idea what it was doing there. She called out once again. “Hello, sir? I’m here,” Akari said, “I really don’t stand out. Whenever I do get page time, it’s never to help me.”

“How can you not stand out? You’re the only person here,” said the voice. Akari looked down and saw a black cat with a red scarf around his neck. “You’re not from around here, are you? Something about you smells different.”

“The cat’s talking?” Akari thought. She bent down to her knees. “I’m Akari Akaza. I got separated from my group. Who are you?”

“Mister Sakamoto,” answered the cat.

“That’s so cute,” Akari said, grabbing him and holding him in her arms. “Wait a second,” she thought, “talking cats are usually associated with magical girls. No wonder Mirakurun was drawn here.” She held Sakamoto to her eye level, her own eyes sparkling like the night sky, and smiled widely. “Have I been chosen to be a magical girl?”

“Miss, I’m only talking because you’re out of town. Nobody would believe you if you told them about me. Do try to keep this confidential. The girl wouldn’t like it,” said Sakamoto.

Akari was still smiling, but a single tear dropped from each of her eyes, rolling down her cheeks and onto the floor. “Okay,” said Akari, halfway between joy and despair. Her lack of presence had backfired once again.

Chapter Text

Chinatsu was confused when it came to Akari. She tolerated Kyoko, and Yui was the greatest, most important person in the world. Every action she took made the world a better place, especially when it involved fending off the demon woman with the red bow. Akari inspired neither love nor hate. She didn’t inspire anything.

Yet on that day, when Comuket was going on, Chinatsu had practiced kissing on Akari. She thought it was normal for middle school students to experiment, even moreso when they attended a girls’ school. Her lips locked and her eyes crossed with Akari’s, and she saw the nothingness in the something. It was like kissing the warm air coming off a heater. There was something there, but it had no form.

Since that day, Chinatsu had been keeping close to Akari, wondering if she was still alive. Her eyes had gone blank after that kiss. Chinatsu wondered if that blankness had truly disappeared, or was still hiding somewhere in Akari’s heart. So she set off into Tokisadame, faintly aware of her presence.

Chinatsu turned the street corners, ignoring the heat beating down on her back. The sounds of the river altered her to someone wading in the stream, gazing up at the clouds with her straw hat. Chinatsu made a sharp turn down the hillside. The edge of the water pushed up against her shoes, covering them with dirt.

The woman in the river turned around. She had long, black hair and glasses, and an expression that Chinatsu could not decipher. Chinatsu reached into her bag and scribbbled something down on the back of a napkin. Maybe if she showed a picture of Akari to this girl, she’d be able to help.

“What did Akari look like again?” Chinatsu thought.

She presented the drawing to the girl. Mai, the girl form the title call, looked deep into the napkin. It was a swirling black mass of nothing. The white spaces left in between the scribbles formed a faint silhouette with two unbalanced balls of hair on the side of its head. Mai turned her head to the left and tried it from another angle.

“Black hole?” she asked.

“Wha-NO!” Chinatsu said, “Have you seen this person?”

Mai shook her head from side to side, and lifted one arm towards the riverbank. Chinatsu followed Mai’s arm upward, and saw it pointing towards a person with blonde hair and a red ribbon on top of her head. This was pretty far out of the way. Maybe Kyoko had already found Akari, and was coming to inform her? Should she be happy to see Kyoko at all?

Haruna Annaka was enjoying her Sunday, taking in the scenery of the town. She was on her way to a photography meetup when she saw Mai Minakami and a girl with pink hair wading in the river.

Mai snatched the napkin out of Chinatsu’s hands before Chinatsu realized what she’d done. She walked out of the river and met with Annaka.

“Minakami. How’s it going?” asked Annaka.

“Have you seen this person?” asked Mai, flashing the napkin before Annaka’s eyes.

From where Annaka stood, the ink of the napkin was almost seeping off the thin paper, emanating an aura of incomprehensibility. It wasn’t abstract art. It was barely art. If there was supposed to be a picture of someone within this reflection of antimatter captured in a napkin, it was beyond her brain’s comprehension.

“EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEH?” shouted Annaka.

Her scream could be heard down the road, startling Kojiro the Goat.

Chapter Text

Mihoshi Tachibana was swinging her wooden sword about. Today was a rare day. Yoshino Naganohara, the kendo prodigy, had actually showed up to class. She wasn’t doing anything, but her presence alone motivated Mihoshi to try harder. Her older sister wasn’t naturally inclined towards the sword. Mihoshi wished she had someone to teach her, but for now, she could do something that only she could do.

That assistant instructor was giving Mihoshi problems again. She’d already been swinging her sword 50 times. Sweat was dripping down her body, coming close to her eyes. She wiped her sleeve across her arm, trying to regain focus on the dojo. Yoshino said that practicing made her weaker. If she wasn’t here to practice, then what was she doing?

Yoshino reached into her bag. Sprinkled amongst her wooden sword was an entire board’s worth of shogi tiles. She searched through the lockers, looking for Mihoshi’s shoes. The younger Tachibana was such an excitable kid. She reminded Yoshino of her own little sister. Mio had only taken one kendo class.

Sports were never Mio’s strong suit. She didn’t listen to the rules, and would hit people with her sword in places that were illegal in most forms of kendo and society. She had amazing raw power, but no way to control it. Not that her interest in kendo had held. She was captivated by that boy, Kojiro Sasahara, and started blushing profusely. Yoshino saw her sister take up an interest in manga drawing shortly after that, and she stopped attending.

Playing pranks on Mio at home was fun, but she needed new targets. So she had taken her tiles and prepared to place them in Mihoshi’s shoes. It was all good-natured mischief, she’d understand. Yoshino went searching for Mihoshi’s deodorant when she heard a knock at the door of the dojo.

The door slid open, letting the sunlight filter in. A girl, about Yoshino’s age and height, was standing before her. She had long red hair and a pair of underpants on her head. Yoshino was uncertain if the sweat stains drying on her face were her own. Her eyes opened wide, and she went over and gave Yoshino a quick hug.

“Akkane~n!” said Yoshino.

“Yoshino. I should’ve known you wouldn’t be in school. You haven’t changed at all,” said Akane.

“I see you’re still wearing your sister’s panties on your head,” said Yoshino. “What are you doing all the way out here?”

Akane Akaza was Yoshino’s roommate in college. She had come from out of town, and Yoshino was the first person she had met. A clerical error made Akane a boy in the school’s database for the first half of the school year, so when she got her room assignment, she was wondering how her roommate would take to her true gender. Yoshino had greeted her warmly.

Akane was bold in her displays of affection for her sister, something Yoshino didn’t bat an eye at. She hadn’t seen a person with so many doujinshi before. Akane took Yoshino to Comuket, where she bought plenty more, this time letting Yoshino choose ones that looked interesting. Their friendship had been affirmed from that day on.

When Yoshino returned from college and started lounging around her home, Mio was taken aback when her older sister assumed the doujinshi she was drawing had to be incest-related.

“I’d love to meet your little sister, but I need your help first,” said Akane. “Have you seen Akari anywhere?”

“You have a little sister?” asked Yoshino, making a “silly me” gesture.

“Yoshino, after all the time we spent together...” said Akane, slumping up against the shoe lockers.

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding,” said Yoshino. “Akari’s here?”

“She and her friends came for a school trip, and I can’t find her. I wanted to photogra- give her back her underwear,” said Akane.

“Who doesn’t pack underwear for a trip?” asked Yoshino, casually placing a shogi tile in Mihoshi Tachibana’s shoes.

“Help me!” shouted Akane, distorting the animation of the room.

“Okay. You’re a friend. Say, how’d you like to meet Mio?” said Yoshino, swapping out Mihoshi’s water bottle for another shogi tile, drinking all the water down in one gulp, and filling it with bitter tea from a canteen she had brought in her purse.

“Would I?” asked Akane.

Yoshino bent down and reached into her bag, taking out a long wooden sword. She brandished the blade above Akane’s head, and pointed towards the front door of the dojo. “Let’s go!”

Akane asked, “What do you need the sword for?”

Chapter Text

Yumi was hiding behind the light pole, watching Takashi walk down the street. The entire class knew that she loved him, but Takashi himself remained oblivious. It was a warm autumn day, but for some reason, Yumi could feel a cold chill running down her back. She thought it might be her nerves.

She looked to the side of the light pole, and saw a long shadow being casted across the street. It was triangular in shape, ending in a curved scythe. Yumi turned around and saw the Grim Reaper, shaking in his cloak even more than she was. Yumi’s expression of nervousness collapsed, replaced by pure confusion.

“Huh?” she asked.

“Miss, you’re in my way, and I need to do my job. So could you... please.. move?” asked the Grim Reaper nervously.

Yumi looked further behind her shoulder, and saw that the Grim Reaper had gotten the end of his scythe impaled in the fence.

Chapter Text

The Amusement Club weren’t the only ones in Tokisadame. The Student Council had arrived a day before to see if the high school was worth attending. President Rise had insisted that the rest of the council come along. Or that’s what Dr. Nishigaki had told them, at least. The group had split up in the early afternoon once they heard the Amusement Club was here, leaving Ayano alone with the Ikeda sisters.

“Kyoko Toshino!” Ayano shouted, “Where are you?”

Right behind her, Chitose took off her glasses. In the pink, bubble-filled recesses of her mind, a new scene was starting to play out.

Ayano and Kyoko reunited in the middle of the road, wrapping their arms around each other. Their faces were in close proximity to each other. So close that it looked like they could kiss at any moment.

“Kyoko Toshino. I’ve missed you. It doesn’t matter where we are. I always want you by my side,” she whispered.

“Ayano,” said Kyoko, “You look radiant.”

Chitose felt the warm sensation of blood surging out of her nose, spilling down onto her cheeks. “Oh, my,” Chitose laughed, putting her glasses back on. “Ayano, you’re being so dishonest with yourself.”

“I-it’s nothing like that!” Ayano said, handing Chitose a handkerchief from her bag.

Chizuru Ikeda removed her glasses. The sound of chimes blowing in the wind echoed in her head as a saucy scene came to mind.

Ayano finished wiping the blood off Chitose’s mouth. She leaned in close to check that all of it was gone. Her lips came close to Chitose’s cheeks, making brief contact before Ayano pulled back.

“Chitose, where would I be without you?” asked Ayano.

“Do it a little stronger,” said Chitose.

Chizuru’s mouth hung open. Drool was sliding down her cheeks and staining the collar of her shirt. She held her sleeve to her mouth, absorbing most of it before putting her glasses back on. Her face returned to its stoic look. She accelerated her pace, getting ahead of her older twin sister and the president, taking the lead as they walked into the suburbs.

“If they’re sightseeing, they’re probably at the shrine near the center of the city,” said Chizuru. “We don’t have time to waste.”

“If Kyoko Toshino starts running loose out there, we’re all going to have to pay a fine Irvine,” said Kyoko. “Why do I care about you so much, Kyoko Toshino? She really...”

“Gets your goat?” asked Chitose.

“It’s not like I hate her or anything,” said Ayano, crossing her arms and pouting.

“No, that poor man up ahead,” said Chitose, “Someone needs to get his goat!”

Kojiro the Goat had been startled by a loud scream from down the river. The man with a frilly ascot and glasses, also named Kojiro, had started running after him. Chizuru, her expression changing to fierce determination, grabbed onto the goat’s collar as it ran past her. The creature’s hooves kicked up against the dirt, bringing it to a halt.

The man in an ascot stopped in front of them, standing politely. “The Sasahara family thanks you, fair maidens. I am its eldest son, Kojiro. Is there anything that can be done to repay your kindness?”

Ayano and Chitose were left silent in disbelief. The goat, now idly munching on some grass, was not just any goat. He was a royal goat. Stories of meeting people from the upper class were only supposed to happen in fairy tales.

His butler, dressed in an old fashioned powdered wig, came to his side and helped him get situated on Kojiro the Goat. The two Kojiros turned around. Sasahara pointed his finger towards the suburbs, and with his other hand gestured for Ayano and the twins to follow him into the war zone.

This is because a large explosion, visible and audible even from this distance, had appeared on the grounds of a nearby shrine.

“Art is an explosion, isn’t it? Thus, is not an explosion the purest expression of art?” asked Sasahara, speaking with great profundity as everyone except Chitose walked behind him with a blank stare. “To have this moment captured before our eyes does great justice to our town’s name.

“Do you know how it’s spelled, fair maidens? Toki! Sadame! The Law of Time! It extends further back than the human mind can comprehend, and it extends further into the future than we can imagine, as far as the distant reaches of the universe itself. Time can spend an eternity building itself up, and yet, in a moment, it can tear it all down, like that magnificent combustion of gunpowder and nitroglycerin we see of in the distance.

“The moment has passed, but of the things I have seen, it is but the minimum. Now, cast off your glasses,” he did so, “and come with me as I show you around. I can promise it will be better than anything you can imagine.”

Chitose, bleeding profusely from her nose, doubted that.

Chapter Text

Akari grabbed the leaves off her bag and stepped out onto the back porch of the Shinonome Labs. The sun was shining brightly, and the smell of detergent flew through the air as the laundry waved in the wind.

She made sure Sakamoto was within range. Those who are chosen to become magical girls often draw upon their childhood dreams. Akari knew precisely what moment to draw from. She placed the leaves on her eyes and struck a ridiculous pose, calling out across the city.

“Change! Leaf Mask!”

Nothing happened.

Akari stepped forward, slipping on a spare lab coat that had been left by the back door. The leaves fell off her eyes and onto the ground. Akari tumbled backwards, bonking her head against the wall. A piece of paper floated down from a nearby shelf and into her hands. It looked like a haiku.

Whoever obtains
The weapons’ two keys - Woodcube
Mogami River

Akari had no idea what that meant. Sakamoto walked over and sat on her back. He remembered where it had come from, but this was an opportunity. This Akari girl was desperate enough to listen to him and actually consider what he had to say. Sakamoto brushed his tail across Akari’s forehead.

Akari bent down and looked at the ground. The dropped leaves were being carried off by an ant each. Despite their size relative to the leaves, the ants were carrying it like it was nothing. Akari had always admired them for that. Nobody ever ignored an ant.

Perhaps I need to become an ant.

Chapter Text

“Things we think are cool!” shouted Kyoko, grabbing Yui by the arm, hoisting it up into the air. Yui had a dull expression on her face. Her other hand was open, ready to grab Kyoko’s arm and force it down.

“Kyoko, stop stealing our host’s shticks,” said Yui.

“Oh, no, you can do it,” said Mio, nervously flipping through the pages of Kyoko’s girls’ love Mirakurun doujin. “This art quality is really top notch for a middle schooler.”

“Has anyone seen Mai?” asked Yuuko, looking inside every storefront.

“Yui, let’s try this one more time,” she said, raising her arm to the sky. Yui went along with it, holding her arm limply.

“Things we think are cool!” shouted the two, Yui much less enthusiastically.

On a nearby TV, a promotion for the latest Mirakurun DVD started to play. The magical girl was seen throwing attacks out of her wand, blowing up the alien invaders with a sparkly flare. On a shadowy precipice, Rivalun, her baggy pants just sultry enough for an early morning TV slot, held a similar wand.

She leaped toward Mirakurun, and the two’s wands clashed in combat. Sparks flew around them, turning into a crystalline backdrop. The frame froze as the commercial ended. Kyoko posited her and Yui in front of the big screen TV.

“Oh, Mirakurun!” said Kyoko.

“Clap clap clap,” said Yuuko, slowly applauding, “Not bad for a newbie. You’re a little too early if you think you can steal my limelight. Mio?”

“Not now, reading,” Mio said, flicking Yuuko on the forehead. Yuuko felt a large bump appear on her face, and a small stream of tears rolled down her eyes.

“So, what do you want to see next?” asked Yuuko.

“Whatever you want. This place is awesome!” said Kyoko.

The two high schoolers and the two middle schoolers pressed onward towards the shrine. Yuuko was taking them towards a different shrine, because the last one she had visited was under construction for some time. She hoped nobody would bring that up in the course of their journey.

“Nano, Nano!” said the Professor, “Let’s go to the aquarium!” Her lab coat was too big for her young frame, and her untidy orange hair was being blown about in the wind. She had a bag of snacks, recently bought from the shopping district, tucked underneath her arms.

“I don’t know if we have enough money for that,” said Nano. Nano Shinonome was, in most respects, an ordinary girl. Her hair was soft to the touch and her skin was warm and flexible. The only thing setting her apart was the large screw on her back.

“But I want to go to the aquarium! They have sharks there! Robot sharks! Maybe you’d appreciate the coolness of sharks more if you saw one that was like you!” said the Professor.

“I’m trying not to let anyone know that,” said Nano, putting her hand behind her head.

Trailing behind Nano was a teacher from Tokisadame High. She had chosen to wear her lab coat in public today, having heard that they were trendy off in Akiba. It might help her blend in with the crowds. Kana Nakamura wanted to figure out how Nano functioned. Her interest had only increased since she learned an eight year old created her.

She was holding a bottle of water in her hand. “Robots aren’t good with water, right? I’ve never seen Shinonome go out to swim. Maybe that’s her weakness.” She squeezed her water bottle tightly in anticipation, spilling a bit of it on her coat.

Nakamura walked between the storefronts, trailing the scientist and her creation. She was so focused on looking ahead that she forgot to look to the side, and bumped into a woman her age, dressed very similarly. She had brownish-gray hair that covered one of her eyes, and was wearing a low cut top in addition to her labcoat. The two recognized each other instantly.

“I thought you were thrown out!” the two said at the same time.

At Tokyo University, Nana Nishigaki and Kana Nakamura were in different classes. They had seen each other in the Dean of the Science Department’s office several times for illicit activities. Each had only heard rumors about the other and, when they graduated, barely on time, they never heard from each other again.

“I got a job teaching,” they said at the same time.

“I’m in the middle of an experiment,” said Nakamura, “One of my students is a robot, and I need to find her so I can....”

Nishigaki leaned in to Nakamura’s ear and whispered something lewd. Nakamura’s face turned bright red. “What sort of person do you think I am?” she said.

“I was here with the Student Council. Their president Rise... one of my favorite students... is looking at high school applications, and we thought we’d try this place out. She told me she had something she wanted to see. Who knew I’d meet another scientist here?” said Nishigaki.

“You may have a degree, but that doesn’t give you free reign,” said Nakamura, “I’m not going to let you get your hands on Nano. She’s too important a scientific touchstone for you to randomly blow up!”

“I’d study her before I blow her up,” said Nishigaki, tracing out a female outline with her hands. “At least I’m upfront about it. Everyone heard the stories of Nana the killer. How many students have you tranquilized? Ten? Twenty?”

“It’s not that many,” said Nakamura. “I need to work on my traps more.”

“Now who’s the unethical one?” said Nishigaki playfully.

The Professor could feel the glare of someone from behind the gate that led into the shopping district. She had pale ghostly skin, red eyes, and long, black hair. Yet, she didn’t look scary. The Professor curiously approached her. “Nano!” she called out, “I’m going to play with her new friend!”

“Okay!” shouted Nano, “I’ll be making a brief stop by the shrine. Make sure you’re still here when I get back.”

“Bye-bye!” shouted the Professor.

As Nano walked off into the distance, two older ladies following after her in a not at all suspicious way, the Professor started talking to the girl with the ghostly visage. The silent girl waved to one of the women in lab coats. Her voice was so quiet it was barely audible.

“Do you know her?” asked the Professor.

“...” said the girl.

“Cool!” said the Professor, “The Professor didn’t know there were other scientists here. What’s your name?”

“...” she said.

“Rise Matsumoto. Can I call you Rise?” she nodded in response. “I’m the Professor. I like sharks and Nano and snacks. What do you like?”

“...” said Rise.

“I don’t know what that means,” said the Professor. “Say, do you want to go to the aquarium?”

Rise nodded in return. She bent down and hoisted the young scientist onto her shoulders. The two new friends walked off in the direction of the aquarium, the Professor humming a song from her childhood. Rise joined in, an inaudible chorus that only the two of them could understand.

Nakamura and Nishigaki continued trailing Nano until they neared a shrine. There was a large group of people up ahead. Nano only stuck out because of her screw. Whatever was going on inside the circle, they couldn’t tell. The two scientists went up the steps of the shrine, finding a rocket launcher, still fully loaded, resting idly on the steps.

“Did this come from Shinonome?” asked Nishigaki, picking up the hefty weapon without problem.

“I... wouldn’t know,” said Nakamura, “I’ve never actually gotten a chance to study her. I think that might belong to Tachibana.”

“Why would a student have a rocket launcher? Don’t be silly,” said Nishigaki, “Maybe I can tinker around with this a bit. Shinonome’s not that far from here. We just need to set this missile so it can track her and then subdue her.”

She reached inside the weapon and pried apart one of the shells, adding a few microchips she had been carrying around in her pockets. She did the whole thing with such a casual air that Nakamura was unsure of how to react. Before loading the shells back into the weapon, Nakamura reached for a tiny box in her breast pocket, packed with technology to keep its contents stable.

“What’s that?” asked Nakamura.

“What’s what? Just a little nitroglycerin. I use it in all my experiments,” said Nishigaki. She reloaded the launcher, placed the tracking sight over her eye, and aimed it at the girl with the wind up screw. “Ready... fire!”

Kaboom.

Chapter Text

The aquarium’s lights had painted the concrete gray into a fantastic shade of aquamarine. Rise Matsumoto, holding the Professor by her hand, led her into the shark exhibit. The animals looked huge compared to humans, and even bigger when viewed from underneath. The two of them approached the largest tank in the room.

A robotic shark, its slender body looking like a finned submarine, its teeth clamping down with a muffled metallic sound, swam up to the Professor. Its eyes lit up, acknowledging her presence, before it dashed back towards the surface to participate in that afternoon’s show. As it swam away, the Professor noticed that there was a windup key on the shark’s back.

“...” said Rise.

The Professor only caught the word “shark” from her speech. The robotic one had sent out a signal to the rest of the sharks in the tank. A young one swam down and pressed its nose against the glass. The Professor did the same, her hands appearing white against the pane. Rise bent down and offered to hold the Professor on her shoulders.

The two of them looked upward. Above that young shark was a shiver of sharks of all ages, sizes and species, layered in rings that formed a tower towards the top of the water where the sun was shining. The young shark went off to join them. The Professor’s eyes widened in delight.

Chapter Text

Misato Tachibana had a mission and a rocket launcher. A student in her class said she heard from a student in class Q that Yuuko Aioi had said that Sasahara was going out with Nano. It was well known that Nano was a robot. She probably had a lot of weaponry that could take Misato out before she was aware. If she was going to reclaim Sasahara for herself, there was no other way to go about it but a sneak attack.

Fecchan and Weboshi had bailed on her. This shrine was on the way to Shinonome’s house. Misato had the targeting sight over her eye, waiting for the moment when her love rival passed her by, and she was able to take aim.

“I-it’s not like I care about who he’s seeing,” said Misato to the wind.

Someone came into her line of vision. Misato pressed down on the trigger, but her launcher didn’t fire. There was something blocking the opening. Something round and long and made of wood. She looked up from the sight to see Yoshino Naganohara standing there, casually leaning on the weapon.

“Akane! Is this who you were looking for?” asked Yoshino. “Short, red hair, a bit of a temper. This looks like your sister.”

Another girl with long, red hair and a pair of underpants on her head appeared. She looked down at Misato with a curious glare. Misato felt uncomfortable. The feeling passed, and Akane turned to Yoshino. “This isn’t her. Akari doesn’t need a rocket launcher. She has her hair balls, you know.”

“Ah, my mistake,” said Yoshino, plonking her hand against her head and sticking out her tongue.

Misato felt the recoil from her launcher, knocking her to the ground. She hit her head against a wooden wall, and, as she saw Yoshino and Akane walk away, asked to herself “What did she need to bring the sword for?” When Misato would next wake up, her rocket launcher would mysteriously vanish.

Nano was humming a tune to herself when she passed by the shrine. She saw her friends off in the distance, and called out. The screw on her back started spinning at an increasing rate. Nano tried to hide it with her textbooks, but it was too late.

“Nano. How’s the Professor doing?” asked Mio.

“She met a new friend,” said Nano, trying to dodge the question of the girl grabbing onto her back, “It looks like you did too. Get your hands off that, it’s private,” she said, blushing bright red. “Who are you?”

“Kyoko,” answered the blonde girl, stepping out from behind Nano. “So you’re a robot?”

“It’s impolite to ask that on the first meeting,” said Yui, walking up to the group.

“I bet one of your prototypes was the inspiration for Ganbo,” said Kyoko, flipping to a certain page of her volume. “If they can be made as humanoid as you in such a short amount of time, the science in this place must be amazing.”

“It really isn’t,” said Nano. “Aioi!”

Yuuko, who had been lagging behind, caught up with the rest of the group. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. The shadows of two adults were discussing something on the steps of the shrine, and mechanical sounds could be heard coming from the foliage. How did Yuuko mention this to everyone without coming off as crazy?

“I know!” said Yuuko, an idea coming to mind. She cleared her throat and made a V-sign, flashing it in front of the girls. “Have you ever heard the story about the raunchy launcher lunch?” asked Yuuko.

“The what?” asked Mio.

“Look out!” said Nano, her screw spinning in the opposite direction. She jumped in front of the girls. An electric shield rose up around her, blocking off the highly explosive missile that was heading their way. The shrine’s gate had been half blown away. The ground was littered with rubble and dead grass.

Standing in the middle of the smoke, blowing it away with her straw hat, was Mai. Chinatsu ran up to the group. “I heard the explosion,” she said, “What’s going on over here? Are you all unhurt?”

“Nano saved us,” said Kyoko, popping out from behind Nano’s shoulder. Her hair had been frazzled by the shield starting up. “She’s a robot.”

“I’m not a robot!” said Nano, feeling a sigh of relief as Kyoko started winding her screw back into its proper position.

“Mai, what are you doing here?” asked Yuuko.

“Oh. Kyoko, Yui, I should introduce you. This is Mai. Nobody understands anything about how she works,” said Mio.

“Sounds like your kind of company,” said Chinatsu to Kyoko.

“Thanks!” said Kyoko, placing her fist against her chest.

“I wasn’t complimenting you!” said Chinatsu.

“Is it always like this?” asked Yui.

“Oh, no,” said Nano, checking the contents of her bag to make sure soot hadn’t fallen in, “Sometimes I cause the explosions.” She checked the watch in her arm. A portion of her shell on her forearm slid away, revealing a digital watch embedded in her wrist. “I need to go pick up the Professor from the aquarium. It’s been nice meeting you all.”

Chinatsu ran up to Nano and grabbed her by the arm. “Don’t leave. I don’t want to be stuck here with that monster Kyoko. You look elegant and cool, Nano.” Chinatsu gave a quick glare in Kyoko’s direction.

“Where’d the explosion come from?” asked Yui.

Mai reached into her bag. She showed Chinatsu’s drawing of a black hole with eyes to the rest of the group. Kyoko and Yui shot a glance in Chinatsu’s direction, while Mio and Yuuko titled their head in confusion.

“Wrong picture,” said Mai. “This is the cause.”

Mai produced a lavishly drawn page. The details were still being filled in, but the basics could be made out. A lithe man with glasses and a muscular older man were wrapping their arms around each other, and neither of them was wearing shirts. The speech bubble above the second man’s head named the first man as Sasaha-

Mio raced in to grab the image. “They don’t need to see that,” she said with a low fury, “put the drawing away, Mai. Right now.”

Mai moved the drawing above her head. Mio jumped up, but Mai kept moving it. Mio wasn’t used to dealing with a moving target. She knew she had let Mai work with her on her manga before, but to think Mai would steal a page of it? For blackmail? No thoughts crossed her mind. There was only ire.

Himawari and Sakurako had gotten separated from the rest of the group. They stopped at a crepe stand in the middle of the city. Sakurako’s messy hair blew in the wind coming off the explosion in the distance, while Himawari retained her calm demeanor in spite of it all. They were next in line for their food. Someone could be heard gossipping behind them.

“Hey, Fecchan,” said the green haired girl with the ponytail, “I think that girl has bigger boobs than you.”

“She’s bigger than you too,” said Fecchan. “Just talk to her already. She’s looking at us.”

“Excuse me!” said Weboshi, “Fecchan would like to talk to you.”

“She’s throwing me under the bus,” thought Fecchan, “I can do it.” She spoke aloud, “How old are you?” she said nervously.

Himawari brushed her hair back and turned around. Her sizable chest jiggled, much to Sakurako’s impotent fury. “Himawari Furutani. First year middle school,” she said in a dignified manner.

“Middle school?” said Fecchan and Weboshi. They bowed their heads down to her. “Please teach us your secrets.”

“See?” sneered Himawari to Sakurako, “They’re better at listening to me than you are, with your snippy way of speaking and empty head.”

“At least most of my energy’s going to my head and not to my boobs!” said Sakurako. “They’re not allowed to be around you! I’m the only one who should outdo you. That’s how it’s always been!”

“We didn’t know something like that was going on,” said Fecchan.

Himawari turned around. “I’ll be ordering crepes for all for of you, is that okay?”

“Yes!” said Fecchan and Weboshi.

“No!” said Sakurako.

“Four crepes, please,” said Himawari.

“You two look like you’re a lot more fun to be around than Misato,” said Weboshi, “She focuses her tsuntsun on us. You two just focus it on each other.”

“Misato?” said Himawari, taking the group over to a nearby table.

“She’s got this short red hair and all these weapons. She’s got a lot of presence at our school,” said Fecchan.

“She told us not to come on her mission to get Shinonome. It’s a good thing we met you guys,” said Weboshi, taking a bite of her crepe.

Sakurako was chewing on a bite of her crepe when an idea popped into her head. “Red hair... helpful... your Misato reminds me of Akari. She’s a far better person than the boobs alien over here,” Himawari hit Sakurako on the forehead. Sakurako ignored the bump that appeared and continued telling her story. “Akari’s the kind of person...”

Ayano, the Ikeda sisters and Sasahara approached the shrine. Sasahara adjusted his glasses, looking at the carnage that had ensued. Mio was clutching a piece of paper in her hand, a guilty smile crossing her face.

“Kyoko Toshino!” shouted Ayano, “Did you cause this?”

“No. But Nano’s a robot! Isn’t that cool?” asked Kyoko. “Come on, let’s go make a wish together.”

“To-together?” asked Ayano.

Mai held out her hand, and spoke in English. “Wait,” she said, reverting to Japanese. “You look cute.” She walked over to Chinatsu. She had come to understand Chinatsu in those few hours they’d been together. She was someone with definite goals. This made her an easy target. Mai’s favorite kind.

Mai moved closer to Chinatsu, opening her lips and leaning down towards Chinatsu’s mouth. The air became thick between the two girls. Chinatsu closed her eyes and hoped it would be over soon, apologizing to Yui under her breath. There was a disturbance, something cutting through the air. A silhouette leaped out from behind the shrine and knocked Chinatsu out of the way, taking the impact of Mai’s lips on her own.

The air started to warp, as the figure came into view. Short, red hair and wild eyes, someone who had been in this scene the entire time, her lack of presence unaccounted for. A single tear rolled down Akari Akaza’s cheek as her eyes blanked out. She stood as still as the statues. Mai pulled away.

“Oh my,” said Sasahara.

Chitose and Chizuzu removed their glasses. Saliva splattered over the sidewalk, and blood dripped onto the collar of Chitose’s clothes. The sisters helped each other put their own glasses back on as their brief fantasies of Mai whispering sweet nothings in Akari’s ear faded away, the pink bubbles remaining over their head for a moment or so longer.

Akari looked into Mio’s eyes. She turned her gaze upward. Holding Mio’s blue hair in place were two blocks of wood. Akari’s energy returned. She pointed her finger at Mio and shouted to the heavens.

“Mogami River!” she said.

“I haven’t done a haiku in a while,” said Yuuko.

“Hand it over,” said Akari, walking in front of Sasahara.

With Sasahara’s strong front at her back, and his strong back at her front in Mio’s manga page, Mio came to the only conclusion possible. “So, another red hair is after Sasahara? I don’t know what you’re planning Akaza, but I’m not handing it over.”

“I need it!” Akari said, “This is ‘Akari’s’ Ordinary Life. That means me, Akari Akaza. I wasn’t even in this chapter until this page! I’ll do whatever it takes for presence. Even if the world is destroyed!”

“A gold digger too?” said Mio, her anger boiling. Mai silently watched the fireworks. The Student Council and the Amusement Club whispered amongst themselves. Akari had finally snapped.

“My presence!”

“Sasahara!”

Akari and Mio spoke at the same time. A feeling like a shock wave spread through the shrine grounds. Nishigaki had discovered Misato’s ammo reserves, and was ready to fire the rocket launcher into the sky once more, not caring what she hit. It was enough to turn the page.

Those in service to the Fey Kingdom were high above the clouds, as they had been for years. Their blimp majestically circled the greater Tokyo area, searching for the signals of the Woodcubes. There had been no sign now for weeks. Number 8 was walking down the hallways, contemplating getting a new job. He leaned out the window and saw a missile come blazing by, exploding in dangerously close proximity to the airship.

“We’re under attack!” he called out, signaling the rest of the crew. “The Princess! The Princess! Help!”

“She’s safely within the inner chamber,” reported Number 11.

“Save us from the Princess!” said Number 8, “To think that we would allow such a thing to happen. The retribution to us will be worse.”

The Woodcubes were keys. The ancient weapon had a perfectly square slot for them to slide into, powering it up with the magical energy inherent in the cubes. If someone were to wear them, however, they would become a destroyer. Even the royalty of the Fey Kingdom had to be authorized to use their great power.

“She’s back!” said Number 42.

“The Princess?” asked Number 11.

“No!” said Number 13, shaking, “Her...”

The girl with blue hair, the Woodcubes’ current master. Number 8 recognized his pom-poms and the Cubes themselves. Both had fallen over the edge of the airship many months ago in ignorant moments, and attached themselves to the body of this girl. That she would return to this ship again struck terror into the hearts of the Fey Kingdom soldiers.

She walked through them, pushing them aside. A faint heat could be felt radiating from her hands. The weapon’s power was coursing through her veins, liable to blow at any moment. Her footsteps echoed off the cold metal floor, shaking the airship with every step. She reached the end of the hallway and turned around, staring at the soldiers. Her eyes had hidden themselves behind a veil of shadow.

“Akaza,” she mouthed.

Number 18 felt the air start to vibrate behind him. It took on the shape of a human body, far smaller in frame than he. The girl separated herself from the background, her transparent outline filling in, starting from the dango braids on the top of her head. She then reached out and grabbed the narrator.

“This is my moment!” said Akari, pointing the narrator’s eye in the direction of the Woodcubes atop Mio’s head, “I’m...”

Akari thankfully let go of the narrator as The Advisor, one of the senior members of the Fey Kingdom troops, spoke up. “...the star. The star!” he said.

“That’s right!” said Akari. Her dango turned at an angle so the end of the braid was pointed forward at Mio. Heat was gathering at the barrels of her hair. “I’m the star, Akari Akaza!”

“The star is the only one who can stop the destroyer. It’s written in the ancient texts of the Fey Kingdom,” said The Advisor, “The one whom everyone looks up to! The moral center of everything, with a presence that no one can ignore. That is the star, our hero!”

Akari’s face changed into a confident smile. This Fey Kingdom, one of the few things she didn’t understand, had granted her rule. She pointed her finger forward and shouted across the ship. The soldiers ducked and covered their ears.

“Dango Funnel, LAUNCH!” shouted Akari.

Her hair braids launched off her head, flying through the air. They hummed as they skirted past the soldiers’ heads, heading straight for Mio. The high school girl slid out of the way, creating a shadow image of herself. She clenched her hand into a fist and punched Akari in her solar plexus, sending her flying across the ship.

Akari’s dango approached Mio’s back. One of them fired a powerful beam of heat into Mio’s shoulder. She fell out of her shadow boxing. Mio grabbed her other arm, not noticing the other dango knocking her left Woodcube off her head. Mio felt her power significantly decrease. She reached down to grab the ancient key, only to feel another hand on top of it before her own.

Akari, in stealth mode once more, had obtained the Woodcube. She had also obtained Mio’s entire ponytail. Akari grabbed the cube and the hair it was attached to, sticking it on the right side of her head. Her dango scout docked on her left. Her other scout fell into her left hand. With her right, she reached out across the air, grabbing the other Woodcube off Mio’s head.

Mio showed no reaction.

Akari moved her dango to the back of her head, and affixed the Woodcube onto her opposite side. With both of the ancient weapons, and a decent pair of pom-poms, she could feel the power flowing through her body. A voice, deep and commanding and not the least bit hammy, spoke to Akari from the center of her mind.

“So you are the Woodcube’s new owner,” said the voice, “You are now the ruler of the Fey Kingdom, Akari Akaza. I ask of you, what shall be your first proclamation?”

“To become the protagonist I was always meant to be,” said Akari, to no one in particular, “From this day forward, the Amusement Club’s agenda will be written by my hand! Our first order of business is to...” her eyes went blank, “Give me a minute. I’ve never made decisions that matter before. It’s kinda funny.”

“The Star... the Star has become the destroyer!” said The Advisor.

“Two outsiders have gotten a hold of the Woodcubes,” said Number 8, backed up against the wall, “The Fey Kingdom’s final era is before us. I’m sorry, Your Majesty. It’s been a pleasure to be in service to you all these years.”

Akari placed her hands to her hips and laughed. Her dango rolled out of her hand. Akari opened the window and looked down at the ground. She wasn’t wearing a costume or a cosplay chosen by Kyoko. Yet she felt as if she had changed into someone else. The world was a beautiful place. A place that would always look up at Akari.

Akari felt a faint tugging sensation at the back of her head. Her hands scrambled behind her head, looking for her other dango. She felt someone grabbing her, with one strong arm, by her shoulders, back into the ship. Akari was thrown across the floor, knocking down Number 8. Akari was sitting on his chest, looking around for her attacker.

Mio stood above Akari. Her sky blue hair now had an uncharacteristic shade of red in it. Akari’s dango drones had been attached to the side of Mio’s head. She was infused with Akari’s antipresence. She was overshadowed by the world, and in doing so, became the shadows themselves.

Akari’s weapons of justice had been turned against her.

Mio positioned the dango drones towards Akari. The air was swirling around them, forming a small tornado. Number 8, watching the clouds from the open window, saw the nose of something tube like popping out of the end of the clouds. It was propelling itself towards the ship, not caring what it hit.

“Another attack is headed in our direction! All hands on deck!” shouted Number 8.

More rockets bombarded the ship, sailing in through the window. The alarm in the ship was set off. Iron barricades started closing around anything that led outside. Except for the window Akari had opened. Without the extra layer of protection, another missile created a large hole in it. The soldiers and the girls were covered in a layer of black soot.

Mio finished charging the dangos. Akari’s eyes sparkled with forethought. Mio released the weaponry hidden in her hair, only for it to suddenly shift into the reverse direction, propelling Mio to the back of the ship. She was close to the open window. Mio coughed and walked towards Akari, her hair, scorched and messy, swinging in the decompressed wind.

“Grab the Woodcubes!” shouted one of the soldiers from the back.

“Nobody’s getting these!” said Akari, “I know exactly how to use them, too!”

“That’s impossible!” shouted the Advisor.

Akari crossed her arms. The alarms were blaring around her. She shook her pom-pom like hair, and shouted over the sirens. “Mogami River!”

“That’s not it,” said the deep, imperial voice within Akari’s head.

Mio’s lips curled into a restrained smile. She could be heard chuckling under her breath. “Did you get that from Yukko?” she said, “You’re never going to be the leading role that way. I can’t believe I was fighting you seriously this whole time. Tell you what, Akaza, let’s go get something to eat and...”

With Mio’s emotions untethered, she launched the dango missiles towards Akari. Akari jumped into the air and snatched one of them with her hands. She could feel her evasive abilitis heightening. Akari stepped onto one of the fallen doors, pointing towards the open sky. The dango drone was affixed to the side of her head.

In the heat of the moment, Mio reached out towards Akari’s head, getting her hairstyle half back to normal.

“Give me back my hair!” said Mio.

“I’m not giving this up!” said Akari.

“Neither of you can do anything,” said Number 8, “Presence and antipresence...”

Akari and Mio had their hands on each other’s head, trying to obtain the rest of their hair. They could feel the wind sweeping up. Number 8 raced towards the two, hoping to catch at least one of the Woodcubes. He stretched out his hand. A fourth missile hit, breaking open the recently repaired hole in the floor from Mio’s last visit.

Akari and Mio fell to earth, grappling all the way down.

They barely noticed they were descending. The freefalling world became enveloped in a swirl of sound and color. Not even gravity entered their minds.

Akari and Mio, their hair having swapped back to normal in mid-drop, landed on the center of the shrine, sending out a wave of dust and noise, shaking the ground for miles around.

Yuuko, reclining against a tree, woke up. She looked around. Akari and Mio were there, fighting with each other over Sasahara. Yuuko’s eyes widened, and she let out a large scream. She dashed up the steps to the shrine, prostrating herself before the Buddha.

“What’s gotten into her?” asked Mio, taking her hands off Akari.

Chapter Text

Sakurako and Himawari approached the shrine, Fecchan and Weboshi in tow. Sakurako walked up to Akari’s side and embraced her. “You’re awesome, Akaza, you know that?” she said, “Not like Himawari.”

Himawari pouted.

“What did I do?” Akari asked.

Weboshi and Fecchan found Misato on the side of the shrine. She brushed off the blowback from her rocket launcher, and cast a glance upward. Those shadowy figures she had seen at the shrine had vanished. Sasahara was on the grounds of the shrine, in the epicenter of a scene of chaos that she wasn’t responsible for.

“Misato! Misato!” said Fecchan.

“What happened?” asked Weboshi.

“Thi-this has nothing to do with Sasahara!” said Misato.

Ayano looked around. Akari was being tended to by Sakurako and Chitose. She was mentioning something about a talking cat, with Nano looking away nervously and Chinatsu trying to break through the crowds. It was a side of her she’d never seen before.

“Kyoko Toshino!” said Ayano, “What do you think of all this?”

Kyoko grabbed Ayano by her hand led her up the stairs of the shrine. She directed her to look down at the town from here. A flock of crows were seen flying past. “That was awesome!” said Kyoko, smiling.

Though she couldn’t say it, Ayano thought the same.

Chapter Text

The sun began to set over Tokisadame. The Amusement Club and the Student Council boarded the same train car. A spot of blood had already splattered on the window. Chitose caught Kyoko showing Ayano the photographs from the trip, and her imagination went wild.

Nishigaki and Rise were the last to board. Rise looked out the window and called out something to the Professor. Everyone they’d met in Tokisadame had come there to say goodbye, asking them to visit again. Yui stared at everyone, asking them to settle down. Chinatsu asked if they were missing someone.

Akari Akaza, this story’s star, jumped up the steps of the train station. Her bag was under her arm. She’d left it back at the Shinonome Labs. She didn’t want to miss the train, and knowing her luck, there was a very strong possibility she would. The doors closed and the train started to shake, departing just as Akari approached the platform.

She skidded to a halt and gave a heavy sigh. In an instant, there was a heavy feeling on her back. Someone taller than her, with a familiar scent, was hugging her tightly. Akari looked behind her.

“Sis!” she said.

“Yoshino, this is my little sister, Akari,” said Akane. “Looks like she missed the train. Don’t worry. My car’s a short walk from here. How’d you like to ride home with your big sister for the first time in a while?”

Akari could only nod.

“See ya, Akari,” said Yoshino, placing her wooden sword over her shoulder, “There might be something for you in your bag.”

“I heard that Yoshino has a little sister too,” said Akane, “Did you meet her on your journey?”

“You could say that,” said Akari, looking at Mio and Yoshino walking out of the train station together. Mio was giving her older sister doubtful looks.

Akari zipped open her bag. That haiku she’d found at the labs, all of her personal belongings, it didn’t look tampered with. In between her leaves, she found a bishop shogi tile. On the reverse side of the wooden tile was a single word.

“Background.”

Chapter Text

Future memories of the Amusement Club started to play. Kyoko had done something with the box again. Ayano was standing in a compromising position with her. It looked like it involved the club making a MIrakurun doujinshi. Akari’s voice rose up over the lighthearted music.

“This is Akari Akaza, your protagonist, reporting i-”

“Hey there! We’re Akari’s leaves!”

Akari’s clips package was suddenly replaced by a still image of her leaves fluttering to the ground. They sounded like they were voiced by Joji Nakata.

“I’m being overshadowed by my own leaves?” Akari asked.

“Akari may not be a tanuki, but she can use us to transform!” said one of the leaves.

“We hope you enjoyed ‘Akari’s Ordinary Life’. Thanks for reading!” said the other leaf.

“What about me? I’m the star...” said Akari.

The program ended.