Late September, last year
Tokiwadai Middle School was everything I'd dreamed of.
Unlike the myriad of outsiders who clawed and scrambled to merely spend a day within Academy City's gates, I had been born and raised a true native, within this city of the world's desire. My parents had successfully immigrated to the city, having graduated from two of the finest of Academy City's universities, and had seen the value in each other at one of the City's famed medical symposiums. They had watched with awe as the true potential of the human mind had awoken, when the scientific revolution of esper theory was realised. They served with distinction as medical doctors, using or improving on some of the most advanced equipment and knowledge known to man, and they had been eager to bring a child into the world when they realised what possibilities that could be offered.
As I grew and learned under their watchful eyes, they had inspired that same fascination in me. Few children would ever have had the opportunities I did; they educated me, they did not coddle me, and I flourished. The moment I first saw a frog's beating heart, understood the wonders that lay beneath the world my human eyes could see, was a moment that would never leave me.
Perhaps it was inevitable, then, that my powers would allow me to pierce through the barriers of the world both physically and metaphorically. The ability that the Power Curriculum Program revealed within me was the capacity to phase through objects, generating phased arrays that some might call 'portals'. Within those spaces, I could manipulate their properties to exert forces of my choice, as I passed through the altered dimensions. Proteins and carbon compounds inhibited me, unfortunately… though I couldn't say whether that was a biological limit, or simply a subconscious preference for scalpels and forceps when I wanted to look inside something interesting.
I adored my ability, and the institutions that had offered it to me. This city was a monument to human progress, and I revered it. Within the City, then, Tokiwadai Middle School was the place I'd dreamed of attending. I truly believed that it would be best for letting me enact my own will on the world, in the name of contributing to that all-important progress. Now, I was a subject; one day, if I worked hard enough, I'd be someone who'd have subjects of their own. Those with true potential were never at the bottom for long, after all.
I had needed to put everything I had into getting here, obviously. Despite my best efforts at progressing my ability further, I remained a mere Level 3 esper on the Power Curriculum Program; the competition was fierce to get into Tokiwadai even for Level 4s, who would in turn be looking in envy at the ease by which a Level 5 might enter the school. The only one who had ever managed that was an undeserving ditz- known as Shokuhou Misaki, the Doll of Tokiwadai. Perhaps even she may have been rejected, if her standards for herself had not been high enough.
But she was only one of the Level 5s that attended, which meant that the presence of a second Level 5 in the school all the more impressive, and had easily vindicated my schooling choices. The other one, Misaka Mikoto, was perhaps the prototypical fine young lady one would expect in an establishment such as Tokiwadai, a refined individual who distanced herself gracefully from clique politics, instead of using it as an excuse to play house like the other one did. Some called her Tokiwadai's Ace.
Neither of them were truly willing to play for the grand prizes that Tokiwadai Middle School offered, though- neither of them wanted the status that could be offered by those of the highest levels of influence within their school.
There were certain seats or titles, open to those only with the force of personality to grasp them. The Queen of Tokiwadai, the Tokiwadai School President… These were not merely the childish titles that might have been considered a point of pride in other schools. Within such a prestigious institute as this, they held real, valid meaning, both here and in the greater world beyond.
For example, it was said that she who held the status of Queen for a year, and then graduated- 'Queen' being the owner of the largest school faction, an official social club within the Tokiwadai hierarchy- would be granted a seat on the Board of Directors when they left school. There was no direct evidence of this being true. Every woman who'd ever been on the Board of Directors was an old biddy, who'd been born before the school or the Power Curriculum Program even existed. But neither was there any evidence it was false. And at least one of the Board had direct links to the school, so the rumour might have even been planted by her personally- very few Directors had families, and it was inevitable that some of them would want to groom an heir, was it not?
As a meagre Level 3 student of Tokiwadai, the competition for any of those titles would be harsh. Incredibly so. But I was going to make sure that the world remembered my name… If I was to be at all taken seriously by the people around me, then doing my utmost within the halls of Tokiwadai? That would be an excellent start.
And that meant I needed a faction. I was a mere freshman, this year. But next year, there would be a bounty of freshmen to reap for my own purposes, as well as the scraps of the major cliques whose leaders had graduated. There was opportunity here, and I refused to let that opportunity pass me by- one way or another, the name 'Tatsuki Mirei' would be recognised, and I needed to start planning now.
Thus, the two of us sat atop the monkey bars together. Onizuka's legs swang idly, while I kept my own legs still, in a more dignified manner. My ally had a lot to learn about the proper way to act, as usual.
"We both know that I need a plan of action if we want my faction to be successful," I informed her, frowning. "But I'll only have one chance at a first impression. Who among us first years have already made a start on building a faction?"
"There's the doll," said Onizuka softly.
"The doll?" I asked, and laughed. "Hah! You can't be serious," I added, facetiously. "I've never even seen her in a school club, let alone a faction. And it's plain to me that those injuries of hers-" Despite being a Level 5, she'd only gone and gotten herself some rather unfortunate wounds on a notable portion of her lower body, and I estimated it to have been from some excessively hot object landing on her. "-aren't slowing her down any more. She's definitely been running recently, and more than usual, and yet she hasn't even joined the running club. What on Earth could she be making a faction for?"
"One of the upper years is supporting her," said Onizuka. "Hokaze Junko. They knew each other in advance; she's trying to coax Miss Shokuhou into-"
"I know that, idiot," I said, crossing my arms in annoyance. "But what would a Level 5 have to do with some washed-up electromaster? I hear she used to be one of the city's most promising individuals, but she's too busy smiling at people to even make an effort at living up to it; and two other electromasters reached Level 5 while she dawdled! If I were her family, I'd be ashamed of her."
"...Miss Hokaze must have a plan, though," pointed out Onizuka, somewhat conspiratorially.
She was a woman of few words, but I listened to those words more than most. "...You're right," I admitted. "I apologise."
Onizuka was my secretary and confidant. Among the morons I'd been surrounded in for my last school, only she had dared to approach me. She'd profited from the relationship, obviously. While our previous elementary school had been held in some esteem, only those with both exemplary grades and exceptional remarks on their conduct could make it through to a place such as Tokiwadai. She had been the only one among those short-sighted fools who'd seen the potential of her own intellect, and of her regenerative ability, Rewind Burst.
That she had trouble properly holding a conversation was the only thing they cared about; not the immense knowledge of human biology her ability required, and not her willingness to go above and beyond in her role as a subject. When I hadn't rejected her out of hand, deigning to let her sit at my table where all others would deny her, she had similarly observed my keen intellect and my ambition. Where everyone else- her teachers, her peers- weren't willing to allow herself to be pushed, my parents had taught me vision. So when she had requested advice on how to push herself to Level 3, I'd been the only one willing to offer something useable.
My parents had been the only ones who'd been proud of our initiative; when the schoolteachers found the topical anaesthetic I'd obtained and stashed in the science lab, having put sweat and tears into getting a hold of it without my parents' coddling, they'd scorned me. Told me I was 'abusing my friendship'. Hah! In a city like this, where our Level affords us our futures, they were telling me I was the cruel one?! It was plainly obvious to me and my assistant that we'd never make anything of ourselves, that we would be stuck in dollhouse schools that made us feel nothing but pretty, if we bound ourselves up in niceties like that. And I'd do well to make sure I gave Onizuka the respect she deserved, because of that.
"Moving on… Despite Miss Hokaze's… unfortunate eccentricities, her grades are excellent," I observed. "She's not an idiot, as strange as she is. Her behaviour must serve some purpose… but what? Nobody starts a faction just to make friends."
"Miss Hokaze is the fastest student in Tokiwadai, on foot," Onizuka mentioned. "That means she would be recorded in the Daihaseisai. We could learn her strategies?"
"That's… an excellent idea," I agreed. "Well done, Miss Onizuka. I knew you were someone I could rely on. Perhaps we could review it on my home computer…? Come," I said. "Let's go."
She pushed herself off the bars, and I activated my ability; I fell through the bars, as did the purely cotton-based and leather-based clothing I was wearing. She dusted herself off daintily, while I simply stood up from the crouch I'd landed in.
I caught some moronic individuals in the corner of my eye, starting to approach. They weren't familiar to me; I'd have to look them up. "You there," I said, turning towards the frontmost of them. "Do you think you can use these just because we're leaving?"
Onizuka pouted; she thought I was wasting my time by establishing my authority. That was blatantly untrue! Everyone knew that an effective boss was one that would be listened to at all times. My parents had told me as much, and they gushed about the woman who led their research group. Their confidentiality agreements prevented them from learning the name of this incredible woman, but they'd told me about how she removed any individual that doubted her authority, ensuring that the workplace was one-hundred-percent dedicated towards scientific progress. Authority was important.
The interlopers were four boys, probably a year below me, two years for the youngest. They seemed shocked that I was interfering; clearly, nobody had told them the rules around here. "...Yeah!" demanded the one at the front, puffing himself up like a blowfish in an attempt to look intimidating. "And if you try to do anything about it, I'll punch you in the face, you big bully! How do you like that?!"
"Bully? I'm in charge around here," I said, tilting my head upwards righteously. "And that means you have to listen to me... Go ahead, try to hit me- if you dare!"
"I will!" he replied, and looked to his subordinates for morale support. "Come on- Fury Squad, go! Aaaaaaaargh!" And then he and his little prepubescent idiots charged at me.
If I relied on only my ability, they might have even been a little scary.
None of them knew how to fight. The one at the front was pulling his arm backwards like he was pitching a ball, rather than throwing a punch. The three at the back were at least smart enough to fan out, rather than running straight at me and stalling when they realised their leader was in front of us; they could learn that much in tag or play-fighting.
Their leader moved his hand to throw, and a burst of pressurised air whooshed through the space where my head had been. I'd used my power, generating a circular phasing array on the floor below me; thus, I'd fallen, and caused their attack to miss.
I carefully lessened the array near my feet, changing my direction as the solid matter began to push me back out. It sent me rushing back upwards to bring my fist right into his jaw.
Their leader was sent to the ground, and by the feel of the contact he'd bitten his tongue in the process. The boy next to me yelled, and tried to grab me in a bear-hug when my feet touched the ground again. "Pathetic!" I announced, stepping to the side, and using my ability to phase through his cheap plastic shoe as I stomped on his nearest foot- he tripped and fell, starting to cry like the other one after he landed.
The other two weren't willful enough to fight me. "S-she's a really strong esper!" the youngest one said, scared. I laughed.
Then a voice came from behind me. "And what's all this, Miss Tatsuki?" said the voice of my tormentor.
"...Darn," I muttered, and turned around. "...Konori-senpai."
Konori Mii… The bane of my existence. With her visually-focused Clairvoyance ability, combined with significantly greater athleticism and the ability to call in the support of her kohais, she was able to scupper my ability usage even without her status as a Judgment officer. I had tried to evade her once before, and had quickly been caught by that bratty little teleporter that clung to Misaka Mikoto like a limpet. She sighed at me. "I've told you before, you can't pick fights just because you don't want other people to use the monkey bars," she said. "Has nobody ever taught you that 'sharing is caring'?"
I sniffed. "Of course they have," I replied. "But why should I care for morons like these? I'm sure their brains must be at least fifty percent small than that of the average human. Or perhaps they've been swallowed up by the parts of the brains that run their calculations, and they've become too dumb to remember how to use them-?"
"Miss Tatsuki!" she repeated, sternly. "You're going to have to come back to the office with me. Miss Onizuka, you as well."
"...Yes, senpai…" I agreed. One day, I wouldn't be weighed down by such petty concerns. One day…!
__________
I shouldered my schoolbag, and stepped through into the lobby of the apartment complex. The familiar hum of the privacy-ensuring electric field generators greeted me. Onizuka followed a moment behind me, as she often did, access to my family's apartment in the early afternoon (before the dorms curfew came) being a perk of her association with me.
This was the sort of place that people like us, people who contributed to the City's advancement, deserved to live- clean, spacious, with sparkling windows equipped with the latest anti-scratch and anti-grime technology. My head was held high, despite my latest run-in with Miss Konori. While we were supposedly being provocative, instead of defending our rights, she determined that she could not lay her blame entirely on us. So she and I had been let off with another warning, which we would give the same regard as usual, of course.
The elevator arrived smoothly and efficiently, as it always did, and I pressed the buttons by rote. It arrived at our intended floor smoothly and efficiently, too. If I wanted to, I could have used my power to skip up through the stair levels- but unfortunately both Onizuka and my bag's contents were impossible to take with me, so we had to travel the mundane way.
"I'm home!" I announced, as normal, as I slid my keycard through the door. Onizuka did not announce her presence, which was also normal.
Mother was in the kitchen, browsing her laptop. "Ah, welcome home, dear!" she said, smiling. "How's my favourite little scientist and her favourite assistant?"
"Excellent, the both of us," I replied. "I showed a group of younger boys why they shouldn't interfere with us. Unfortunately we had another run-in with that Judgment clairvoyant, but she didn't take too much of our time."
She tutted. "You really should know better than to get caught out like that," she said. "Well done on standing your ground, though, sweetheart."
I squished the seed of guilt that her scolding brought on; it was inefficient. "Thank you, Mother," I replied. "I'll do better next time. May I use the family computer?"
"Your father's in a remote meeting with work," Mother replied. "You'll have to use your tablet. Make sure you don't bother him!"
"Of course, Mother!" I replied. "Come on, Onizuka, let's go."
She nodded, and trailed along behind me. Mother called out after us, "Your dinner's in the fridge!"
"Thank you, Mother!" I called back, and we headed to my room.
When we entered, I opened up my backpack- I'd purchased a new poster on the way back from school, and I needed to find a spot to hang it up. "Would you help me with this, Onizuka?" I asked.
She nodded, with her usual smile.
"Excellent," I replied. The corners would fasten without extraneous adhesives or pins, so it was mostly a matter of making sure that the poster fit into my current collection; one wall was entirely covered in them, on the wall behind my bed's headboard. On the opposite side of the room was my orchid collection, my well-managed plants resting in the sunlight from the afternoon sun as it shone through the window. "Which do you think should be replaced?"
Onizuka looked over the wall thoughtfully. After a moment, she decided, "The pink brain diagram; it's old, and it would clash."
I considered her opinion. It being illustrated, rather than diagrammatical, made it somewhat childish compared to my other posters. "Agreed," I said, and pulled the footstool over to remove the redundant poster. "Hold the other end?"
We took it down and rolled it up carefully, in case I wanted to refer to it. The new poster went up easily in the space that now needed to be filled- a diagram showing the neurons and nervous system of a green tree frog, from one of the latest studies. When we were done, I nodded, satisfied. "Much better," I said. "Thank you. Now… Hokaze Junko, was it?"
As we looked through the available footage of the violet-haired girl, from both the recent Daihaseisai and last year's, I wondered exactly what would be firing if I stuck some electrodes into this girl's skull.
Now that I was paying attention, it was increasingly clear that she didn't have her grades by being a savant. Behind her blissfully-ignorant behaviour, I was starting to get an idea of what sort of person she was; her body language was smooth and purposeful regardless of the situation, or the absurdities that some of the Daihaseisai's competitions- such as the two-person balloon race- required. Her reflexes were uncanny- power-boosted?- and while she often deferred to other minds, she was both tactically-keen and incredibly decisive when she did take the initiative herself.
What I didn't understand was why she deferred so frequently... I'd seen the same behaviour in the doll, now I thought about it. Clearly, their last school had been teaching them the wrong life lessons, given it was well-known that they were senpai and kohai.
But one thing which stuck out was that she excelled when it came to group work. In isolation, she didn't seem to push herself; when others were working in concert with her, though, the potential she seemed to ignore had a chance to shine through. It was the glint of a diamond in the rough, buried purposefully for reasons I just couldn't fathom.
Dinner came and went as I built up my analysis, Onizuka having to remind me when dinnertime came. We ate our reheated curry-and-rice as we reviewed what we'd learned of her, and how it fit into her current behaviour.
"...She's a figurehead," Onizuka said, as I rechecked my notes.
"Pardon?"
"People like Hokaze, but she doesn't lead," Onizuka commented. "And Miss Shokuhou is weird, but her level makes her popular. Hokaze is her senpai, so if Hokaze asks her, she'll do it. That means that Hokaze can build up a team she can work with, like in the festival."
"...She's using the Level 5 to sow the conditions she needs," I followed. "That it's her faction, or Shokuhou's faction, is irrelevant, as long as she..."
I paused.
"...You know, Miss Shokuhou is generally… very accommodating, when you ask things of her," I pointed out. "And while it pains me to admit it, she's superior to me in her neurology grades, at the very least. Perhaps… we could make use of her?"
"She trains people with their powers for free," Onizuka agreed. "But instead of selling it when demand outstripped supply, she restricted it to her clique, unless she asks."
"And the first sessions with her are often the most helpful, from what I hear… If we could provide something similar, using our collective scientific knowledge, but with stronger leadership…" The idea was starting to flower in my mind. "Do you think we could get a headstart in setting up our own faction, if we infiltrated theirs?" Like a parasitoid wasp; something stronger bursting forth from something weak.
"She's a mind-reader," pointed out Onizuka. "What if she says no? Would we look bad?"
I scoffed. "Of course she won't say no!" I replied. "Not for long, anyway- that senpai of hers seems like she'd be very disappointed if anyone were turned away. I expect she'll refuse us, but the moment that friend drags her down…"
__________
Her faction room was empty; we'd arrived at break time after checking for her in the school yard, and it was common knowledge that the Doll of Tokiwadai often stayed in her clique room during breaks. She stared blankly up at us. "This is the Shokuhou Clique headquarters, yes? Well, Miss Shokuhou- we'd like to join your faction," I said, smiling at her.
Shokuhou Misaki was an odd little girl. As with all the Level 5s save for the Ace, information on her life history was severely restricted, so I couldn't investigate her as much as I'd have liked to. The information on such a successful subject was often proprietary, after all. And however she'd gotten that ridiculous injury, it had left her out of the Daihaseisai- there really wasn't much to go on for our research, but I could make a few assumptions.
First, that she'd be reading my mind, and that she'd refuse us because of it.
Second, that she would-
"Sure," she replied, a tiny smirk on her face.
"...I beg your pardon?" I asked, briefly flummoxed. I could sense Onizuka's similar confusion behind me.
The Doll of Tokiwadai stared back at us. I hadn't spoken to her like this before; my only interactions with her had been frustratedly glaring at the back of her head whenever she proved her superior grade in my favoured subject. But while I'd expected her to be the quiet little girl everyone knew her as… There was something slightly more intense than I'd expected, beneath those doll-like lashes of hers. "Sure," she repeated placidly. "You can join."
…Was she messing with me? What sort of air-headed moron would-?
Her lips twitched as the thought went through my head- they twitched again when my eyes narrowed. She was definitely responding to my thoughts, though how much detail she had was impossible to tell. "How long are you expecting to stay for? You seem like the type that would rather have their own faction," she said. I blinked at her. "It's just a social club," she said. "You don't have to stay forever, you know."
Was this…? What sort of plan was this supposed to be? I sniffed. "Perhaps I'll need to teach you some self-respect while I stay," I declared. "It's no wonder they call this place the Dollhouse!"
She let out a noise that was half-giggle, half-huff. "Ah, I don't really mind," said Shokuhou, not quite smiling, as she spoke in that high-pitched, somewhat melodic voice of hers. "I'm not really aiming for anything big with this, y'know? If I really wanted a big clique, I would've waited until next year; I would have made a much better impression with a proper advertising campaign."
"Oh, Lady Shokuhou," I said sarcastically; she made that huffing noise again. She was known to get annoyed when treated too formally, but this time she seemed to find it funny for some reason. "Are you offering us lowly low-level peasants some charitable advice?"
That twitch of her lips became a slight smirk; I could detect just a hint of amusement behind the odd star-like structures on her cornea. Would they still be visible if I dissected those eyes of hers, I wondered…? "Advice is free," she commented. "It doesn't cost me anything. If my luck's good, I even profit from it!" She tucked her legs underneath her chair as she leaned back pleasedly, her feet skimming the floor. "Would you like to take a seat? I'm sure we can come to an arrangement."
…So she was just a naive idiot that thought she could break my convictions… She and that Hokaze girl were exactly as unproductive when it came to their social relationships. Suddenly things made sense again. "I'd be happy to," I replied, grinning pleasedly. After all, I'd be the only one benefitting, in the end- that was just what happened when the smart went against the dull.
That smirk of hers got ever-so-slightly wider. She thought she was smart, did she…? I'd show her. "I'm sure you've done your research, so you understand what you're getting out of joining a faction," she said. "Hokaze- you know who Miss Hokaze is, of course?- prepared some convenient leaflets… She really does like leaflets… but I don't think you'll find what you're looking for there."
"Of course not," I replied. "I'm nothing like her."
"That's what I was thinking, indeed," she replied, with that overly-placid expression back on her face again. "So I guess we'll just have to talk it out. If you're joining one of the smaller factions like mine, you're looking for a bigger control of the budget than you'd get in a larger clique, I'd guess?"
"Honestly, I expect you're going to spend it on tea and cakes for this break room of yours," I said with a smirk. Their room was rather small- compared to the grand forty-person rooms that other factions had, the Shokuhou Clique made its home in a hovel, or perhaps a closet. There wasn't room for more than a single table and some drawers by the sides. "What sort of funding are you getting if this room is the best you can do?"
She shrugged, her scruffy ponytail bouncing on her shoulders. "Do we really need more room than this?" she asked. "It's only really me and Hokaze's friends… We only get people by word of mouth, after all, and we haven't got a reputation for anything yet."
"Hmph! If we're really doing this 'trading advice' thing? It's not about how much space you need," I stated, "it's about presentation."
"So… we're a clique," she said, the rhythm of the sentence slightly off as she said it, "but not a super one…?"
…What did that even mean? "I… suppose you could say that, yes," I told her. "You won't get any additional members if this is all you can offer."
Her lips twitched. "I've already had at least two people ask to join," she said neutrally. It was technically even true, if you completely ignored all the facts that every single person in this room already knew.
"And you won't get any more if you don't have more to offer than this!" I told her bluntly.
Onizuka backed me up. "It's not much," she said.
Shokuhou Misaki nodded. "True," I said, "but I don't really like unnecessary pomp. So if you'd like to join, I'd have to offer something more practical. Actually…" she said. "If you make sure to follow ethical guidelines, perhaps I can get you some research experience?"
"Ethical guidelines?" I asked incredulously. Did she know nothing about how research was supposed to work in the City? Stripping away useless red tape was the whole reason the city had been founded! "Where have those ever gotten scientific progress? Or is this just some way to say you want us to be all buddy-buddy if we're using your money?"
She paused, and met my eyes- and for a brief moment her gaze was not only focused, but… piercing. Then the moment passed, and she was wearing that neutral little smile again. "No, I don't expect that we'll be making friends any time soon," she said, in her standard, politely-friendly, annoyingly-placid tone of voice. "Don't worry about your relationships with the rest of the clique; I'm aware you're looking for something more utilitarian."
Had I touched a nerve? Did the Doll of Tokiwadai even have nerves? It was probably the fact I'd mentioned 'money', now I thought about it; she had a reputation for being ridiculously thrifty for a girl of her station. That made sense. Either way, she didn't really seem to care, giving me no indication that she'd given it any further thought.
"I'm just of the opinion that the science is better, that way," she said. "It's easier to reproduce experiments with a consistent set of conditions, for one; it helps cut back any arrogance that might lead to experimental deviations or number-fudging, for another. I believe in science that's done repeatably and reliably; it's not very scientific to do otherwise, after all."
I narrowed my eyes at her. "You're underselling the importance that great individuals have towards scientific progress," I informed her. "Would Marie Curie have made such great contributions to the study of radioactivity if she'd been more careful? Would a team of lesser minds have been able to match the genius of Archimedes, and save his city as the Archimedes Steam Cannon did? Would not the world have known more if Darwin published his books in spite of all resistance, as Galileo did?"
"I could argue against all of those," said Shokuhou, shrugging again, knitting her fingers together in her palms. Her voice was still neutral, perhaps even bored. "I'll start collecting some papers on the matter to send you, instead; there's no use in following rules that nobody's bothered to explain." She had a few brain cells rattling around, at least, unlike the other idiots who'd tried to confine me. "But that's what I can offer- you get more money and opportunities than you would otherwise, even if you can't do anything you want, right? If you want to advertise yourself as a science clique, it'll look good if you have some semi-formal experience first."
She really must have been desperate for members if she'd try to make such a soft sell. I snorted; I could tolerate one more idiot telling me what to do if it got me one step closer to carving my name on the world. "I think I'll accept your gracious offer," I said. "Why, thank you, Lady Shokuhou- while you should probably save yourself the time and energy on such useless papers, I appreciate the scientific spirit of it."
Shokuhou Misaki smiled at me. "I insist- I like having an opportunity to ramble about such things," she replied. "Who knows... Maybe you'll even stick around."
I snorted. If she thought I'd be here in the next month, let alone in the next semester… Aah, she and that Hokaze girl were going to be eaten alive in the real world, weren't they? I smiled back. "I doubt it," I said, and that was the truth.
She made that huffing half-giggle again. "Ah... you're probably right," she said. "If you do split back off once you've finished your trial run with us, I'm certainly not going to lose any sleep over it- but it's not like I'll lose anything by making the attempt, y'know?"
I rolled my eyes, and said, "If you say so, Lady Shokuhou." I extended a hand for her to shake. "We're agreed on the terms, then?"
Her dainty little hand took mine, and she met my eyes. "Indeed," she replied. We shook on it.
I couldn't help but feel I was getting the better deal out of this.
