I believe Amu was hoping to have a regular life as a normal middle-school student... and yet her introduction to Arcana Academy involves telekinetically flying in front of the entire student population.
Eh, that's apparently mostly normal for Arcana Academy, where it seems everybody has heard of such things as Chara-Changes and Chara-Transforms even if not all of them can execute the techniques.
No, apparently the thing that makes her the social pariah is having THREE Charas, instead of 1.
That sort of thing apparently makes people jelly.
......Which is also exactly why she's not telling anybody that she really has 4, not just 3.
Utau and Hikaru didn't stay the night. Hikaru because he never did, Utau because... well. They only had the one guest bed, and Miki had taken that one. And Utau had proposed staying in Amu's closet, which had made her parents give Amu a Look and Amu want to sink under the table.
Ami and Ami slept in the same bed, much to Amu's ongoing consternation; she knew Ami looked up to her, but cloning herself because Amu had? That was a bit too much!
So to speak. Second Ami—Akkun—never came down for breakfast that morning. This wasn't another person like Miki. It was... Amu wasn't quite sure, only that Akkun was back inside Ami where she belonged. Ami sort of felt like both of them now, so she thought that was the case, but she also felt precisely like she had two days ago.
Probably.
Hopefully?
She should talk with Ami.
It had been cute. Okay, very cute actually, for how strange it was. More importantly than that though:
Mom and Dad weren't angry at her! Miki had given Amu a stern lecture about going into danger—but they'd had that conversation yesterday, in reverse—and then Dad had suggested maybe it wasn't a good idea for Amu to study today so that she could catch up on sleep properly, and Amu had taken that as her cue to fall asleep on the couch right after breakfast, and...
Someone was plucking at her hair. Repeatedly, gently tugging on the strands until she was forced to stir again, opening one eye in protest against the attention being demanded of her. Ugh! Couldn't she sleep in peace for once? Just for a little while? How come nobody ever let her sleep? Wasn't there someone else who could get up first for once? Why couldn't Miki get up instead of-
...
"Hey," Amu said sleepily, blinking open her eyes to feel Miki flick back the hair that had fallen across her face. The sensation made her shiver.
"Good morning," Miki replied, smiling faintly at Amu's bleary expression. "Or should I say good afternoon?"
The now much larger chara-
Her sister was dressed in a ratty old t-shirt and jeans, the same well-used—tattered—ones that she'd worn yesterday. She'd had on her usual dream-outfit at breakfast, but that was gone now. She'd changed while Amu was asleep.
Amu groaned softly and closed her eyes again, letting herself sink back into the couch cushions... cushions? Pillow? Someone had put a blanket under her. Under her? She must have tossed a little.
She cast an eye at the clock on the wall. Twelve thirty... that didn't count as afternoon yet, did it? Surely not! She could still go back to sleep! There were plenty of hours left before morning came again.
"Come on," Miki urged gently, tugging at Amu's arm this time instead of just playing with her hair. "Shirogane sent a message. It's on your phone."
"Five more minutes," Amu mumbled petulantly, trying to pull free from Miki's grip without opening her eyes or lifting her head off the cushion or moving at all. She didn't want to wake up yet. Her body was still sore from fighting and it needed more sleep before she could even think about getting off the couch.
"Now," Miki insisted, pulling harder on Amu's arm."Kana sent one too."
That got Amu's attention. Her eyes snapped open immediately at the mention of Kana's name and she sat upright quickly, shaking off the last vestiges of sleep. She could feel a faint sense of triumph from Miki's mind at this change in attitude.
"What is it?" Amu asked.
"Don't you want to see yourself?" Miki said in a sing-song fashion.
"Fine," she replied grudgingly, while Miki's smile grew wider. "Where?"
"In the kitchen," Miki answered smugly, releasing her hold on Amu's arm as soon as it became clear Amu wasn't going back to sleep immediately. She patted Amu gently on the shoulder, waited for her to get up so she could grab the phone, and then immediately snatched her spot on the couch.
"Hey!" Amu protested, half in jest.
"Mine now," Miki responded cheerfully. Her smugness radiated outwards; she'd won this round, fair and square. "Go check on your friend, why don't you? And grab me a cup of water!"
Amu shook her head, then stumbled off towards the kitchen. Maybe she should get a cup herself. She didn't feel thirsty, but her mouth tasted like dirt so... it was either water or brush teeth right now and she was too tired for the latter so…
She continued into the kitchen, retrieving the device from where it lay charging beside the toaster oven. She checked the message. Miki had, as expected, already read it. They were sharing one phone between them now; one phone between two people. She'd have to ask Mom to fix that. And as promised: It was from Naoto.
She wandered back to the couch.
It didn't take much pushing before Miki made space for her. It was times like this that made it worth having such a wide piece of furniture. Yeah... for moments when you had to share it with your twin sister.
Amu giggled softly at the thought, then laid down next to Miki, who shifted so they could both get comfortable together. One big piece of furniture for two people to use; one couch; twins who'd been a single person no more than... a year ago? Two years? Three? It was hard to say exactly.
Her life was so weird sometimes.
Most of the time.
She took a look at the phone.
…
'HINAMORI AMU. HI. IS SHIROGANE. I hope this letter finds you well.'
Amu stared in mild disbelief.
'NO# FRM KANA. KANA GOOD. VISIT W/EVER.'
"Miki…" Amu said threateningly, as her sister's muffled giggles threatened to turn into a full-blown laughing fit. Miki grabbed the pillow and buried her face in it. The message continued on into some overly flowery pleasantries, then a description of how Kana was doing ('YES BETTR'), before ending without so much as a GOODBYE.
Miki was laughing outright by then.
"Looks like she's fine," Miki remarked softly, once she'd calmed down. "I'm glad."
Amu nodded absently, staring at the screen. There was an addendum, written by Kana herself using sensible letters. She didn't sound... she didn't sound great, but Amu hadn't expected her to. It was what it was. A decent letter that seemed sincere enough... except for one line that caught Amu's eye right away.
"And... I don't need to visit?" Amu frowned slightly as she read the final paragraph of the message a second time, trying to decide what exactly Kana had in mind. "I'm fine, no need to come see me at all?"
"Well... I mean..." Miki's voice trailed off as she thought over her reply carefully. She wormed back into Amu's side. Her body felt warm and comfortable against her, like a warm blanket against winter chills. After a moment, she continued on hesitantly. "She's probably still upset about..."
"Do you think Shirogane saw this before she sent it?" Amu asked. They blinked at each other. She could feel Ran and Su rebel against the whole idea, and Amu wasn't far behind.
"No," they said together. No way! That couldn't be true! Sure Shirogane was kinda cold, but that was just how she dealt with people, and Kana needed someone to look after her now and—and—and- she couldn't just-
Miki craned her neck to read the text as well, and then sighed softly. "Kana's messed up, sis. She did her best to kill you yesterday. Do you really think she wants to see you now?"
"...no," Amu admitted after a moment's pause. "But still! This doesn't seem right."
"Maybe," Miki agreed reluctantly, shifting so she could hug Amu from the side. Miki draped herself against Amu like a limpet. It was comfortable. "And I never met her. But I think you should give her time. Shirogane-san knows what she's doing... Probably."
Amu grunted softly in frustration. Kana needed help—or at least some show of support! She didn't know why or how Kana thought she didn't deserve Amu's friendship anymore... but she did! Amu wasn't going to just abandon her! "I'll send her a message later," she declared firmly. "At least try to reach out to her again."
"Alright," Miki conceded with a resigned sigh.
She wasn't losing her now.
The hug kept going, though Miki was getting sleepier again. That was comfortable in its own way; Amu thought it'd be fine, for today, to just stay here and take a nap with her sister. 'Bonding time,' one of her mother's books might have called it. Amu remembered that, but though the psychology textbook had been interesting, she didn't really have the knowledge to put it in context. She just knew that—well, Miki was very warm, and as tired as she was, she didn't feel like doing much.
Then Su, or the Su-shaped part of her, brought up a problem with that. Amu shifted to stare at the ceiling.
"How do you feel?" she asked, catching Miki by surprise. Amu could sense the conflicting emotions rolling through Miki's thoughts, and it was hard not to smile at the mix of concern and relief that came through so strongly now. Miki felt more... defined. More present than she had before yesterday, when she'd still been a Chara. Well, in theory. At the same time...
"Sleepy," Miki replied after a moment's hesitation. "Still kind of new at this whole being alive thing."
Amu frowned slightly, raising an eyebrow questioningly as she studied Miki closely. "Just sleepy? And what's wrong with being full-size?"
"Oh my god. Don't get me started," Miki groaned exasperatedly. "Going to the toilet sucks. Using chopsticks sucks." She pouted at Amu. "Everything sucks. Mom had to help me get dressed. But yeah, just sleepy. I'll be okay, Amu-chan. It's already getting easier."
Unspoken was the option she had of not dressing at all. Miki could have kept wearing the semi-illusionary clothes she'd worn as a chara. Instead, she was borrowing Amu's clothing, and looking happy with it. Miki oozed a sort of self-satisfied accomplishment.
Amu giggled softly. "Well... it wasn't like we could just let you sleep forever. Want a nap?"
"...yes, please!" Miki sighed. "I feel like Dia. I wasn't made for this."
"I don't know that you were made at all," Amu teased lightly. She yawned and stretched out lazily, trying to make herself comfortable. In the process she ended up slumping against Miki, who grumbled slightly but didn't push her away or otherwise complain. It felt… right, Amu realised with a start. Miki was someone she could trust absolutely and implicitly, even if she was bound to return to the snark side eventually. They'd been together from the beginning... and besides, it was nice being close to her like this.
"Mmhm," Miki agreed drowsily. "I'm pretty sure I'm made out of dream magic and bedtime stories."
"And yesterday's dinner," Amu added wryly. They both chuckled softly at the joke, then settled into silence, enjoying each other's company. Amu tried, experimentally, to embrace Miki's mind as well.
-or was it Ran who was doing that? With Amu out of action, was she checking on her?
Amu let herself drift off.
Their father found them an hour later, curled up on the couch together; neither he nor Midori had the heart to disturb them, so they quietly laid blankets overtop the two girls and left them undisturbed until they woke up on their own.
She sent Kana a message that evening, and got a reply. It was short, but definitely from Kana. She apologised. And asked for a bit of time, which... well... fine?
Amu still didn't feel great about this. The day after, however, she had her placement exams.
⁂
Friday, October 23rd, 2009
"Got your notes?" Miki asked, an amused smile dancing on her lips. Today she didn't feel tired at all. Oh, time would tell if that lasted—but for right now, she was enjoying life.
She was in Amu's bedroom, where Amu was double-checking her bag to make sure everything was there; books, pencil case... Mom's excessive bento... Okay, yeah, no, Miki was pretty sure Amu had everything, and had had it the last two times she checked it as well.
Amu was wearing her normal Seiyo Academy uniform. Apparently her entire class would be, even though they were going to a different school. They still had one of her spares hanging in the wardrobe, and Miki was wearing the second.
Not for any particular reason. Just because she felt like it. She'd have to take it off later.
"Uh-huh," Amu replied distractedly. "I'm a little scared," she admitted.
Miki stared blankly at her sister for a moment. Amu had spent all of last evening cramming, to say nothing of the week before. In Miki's mind, there was no way she hadn't absorbed enough knowledge to ace those tests—but that might well be the problem right there: Amu was expecting too much from herself.
"Didn't they say these are to test the class as a whole?" Miki asked cautiously. "It's not even measuring how well you do in school. You're basically being screened for dyslexia or something."
"What if I fail?" Amu replied inanely, turning around to—wow, she looked nervous. She looked extremely nervous! Her eyes darted around in random patterns, never resting on one place for long as she paced restlessly from one end of the room to another.
Amu was panicking, nearly hard enough to feel.
Miki took a deep breath and reached out for Amu's hand before she could move out of reach again. Amu settled a little when their fingers intertwined together, but not entirely.
"Amu," Miki said. "You are, in my considered opinion, nuts." She held her in place, raising an eyebrow at her twin's affronted expression. "You're smart enough to do anything you want. If-" She raised a finger. "If you actually stop to think, for once. And we're talking about Sakura Heights, not Seiyo Academy. Their standards aren't the same. And you're a scholarship student."
Miki raised another eyebrow, waggling them at Amu. "Somehow."
Then she squeezed her palm, massaging it. "You'll be fine," Miki reassured her softly. "You're worrying about literally nothing. Okay?"
Amu gulped audibly. "Okay."
"This isn't like our old school," Miki continued. "It's not like nobody knows you. Your whole class will be there. And we aren't nine anymore. I'll be there." She smiled. "In a couple of weeks. When I start going to class."
"I guess so..." Amu murmured, her fingers clenching again. "I can't wait."
Miki gave her a sidelong look. "Your entire class already knows about me, Amu. Mom says I might join next week as an observer. I just won't be officially a student until I officially, um, exist. Legally." Amu's anxiety spiked again at that particular revelation, so Miki spoke quickly to cut off any potential argument Amu might come up with. "Don't worry about me though! I'll be fine!"
Amu grimaced slightly, then nodded in response. "Okay," she reluctantly conceded.
"We'll get everything together in the afternoon," Miki promised reassuringly, giving Amu a quick hug because she could, and that was great, but then letting go again. "You'll come back from school and we'll talk about it over dinner." She smiled brightly at Amu. "Unless you want to come with? The appointment is at three. We could visit Saaya. I think you'll be done with the exams by the time I go to JPs, so..."
Her sister hesitated for a moment, considering the offer seriously.
[ ][JPs] Yes
[ ][JPs] No
= = =
Amu stepped into the near-empty classroom, her heart pounding fiercely in her chest. The familiar sight of rows of desks did little to calm her nerves as she made her way to the front. Only two other students were present: Makoto, the girl she'd seen tear a demon in half, and another girl Amu recognised but couldn't quite name.
As Amu approached, Makoto looked up from her desk. There was a moment of hesitation before she spoke, her voice carrying a mix of uncertainty and determination. "Hey, Hinamori," Makoto said, offering a small nod. "Good to see you're... okay."
"Oh, um, thanks," Amu replied, caught off guard by the unexpected greeting. "You too, Shokuhou-san."
The exchange was brief and somewhat awkward, but Amu could sense an undercurrent of genuine appreciation beneath Makoto's words that left her feeling slightly uncomfortable; it felt as if they'd exchanged a secret handshake without her knowing how or why it happened in the first place. She couldn't tell if Makoto was genuinely happy to see her again. The other girl's emotions were partly hidden, in a way she'd never seen happen before, almost... glitchy?
Like trying to push her hand into a bag of uncooked rice. That was the best way Amu could put it. She didn't especially want to pry, so she didn't push hard enough to make it work; she didn't really mind, but it was still strange all the same.
The second girl turned to face her as well, looking surprised by Makoto's statement; she offered a smile to Amu in greeting. Amu awkwardly smiled back.
A Chara peeked out from the second girl's schoolbag—a fairy-like girl with violet hair and huge blue eyes, wearing a rifle on her back—and frowned disapprovingly at Amu before disappearing inside the bag once more.
Okay.
She took a second glance at the girl. Black hair, with a streak of blue. No obvious distinguishing features. Was she the one from the manga club? Her name was, was…
"Please sit down," the teacher said. Amu did so, giving the girl a second, awkward smile. She glanced at the girl's bag, discreetly giving her a thumbs-up. It felt like the right thing to do. What was her name?
She'd ask her later.
As she sat down, Amu couldn't help but notice looks from the unfamiliar teachers standing at the front of the room. Their expressions were a mix of curiosity and wariness as they scanned the small group of students before them. Amu felt their gaze linger on her for a moment longer than the others, and she nervously tucked a strand of her pink hair behind her ear. It's not like she was the only one with dyed hair here, hmph.
"Good morning," one of the teachers began, her voice crisp and businesslike. "Today, we'll be assessing where you stand academically." She smiled slightly. "There's no real need to worry, I want to be clear on that: This is intended to gauge the Seiyo curriculum, not your personal skill level. You will fail to answer everything. If you also find that focusing is hard, then that's okay. Most of your classmates have already taken their exams. All the same, I'd like you to do your best."
The teacher continued her briefing. Amu tried to focus on her words, but her mind kept drifting. She was still tired. As the test papers were being distributed, she found herself stifling a yawn.
From the corner of her eye, she noticed Makoto glancing in her direction. There was an intensity in Makoto's gaze that hadn't been there before the demon attack. Amu could almost feel the weight of unasked questions hanging in the air between them.
"You have one hour allotted for each section, but you can move on whenever you're ready, or if you get frustrated, just make sure to come back later," the teacher continued. "We'll start with mathematics. You may begin... now."
With a deep breath, Amu opened her test booklet. As her eyes scanned the first problem, she felt a small surge of confidence. This, at least, was familiar territory. Her tired mind began to clear as she picked up her pencil and started to work.
As the exam progressed, Amu couldn't shake the feeling that Makoto was trying to catch her attention. Every so often, she'd sense the other girl's eyes on her, a mix of curiosity and determination in her gaze. It was clear that Makoto wanted to talk, but whether it was about the demon attack, their abilities, or something else entirely, Amu couldn't be sure.
The third student, whose name Amu still couldn't recall, seemed lost in her own world, focused entirely on the exam before her. Should she send Ran to talk to her Chara? Probably yes, and she thought about it for a good long minute, but finally decided against. It'd tire her out. Not the best idea in the middle of an exam.
⁂
Time seemed to blur as Amu worked through the exam. The problems, while challenging, weren't beyond her. In fact she found herself finishing each section with surprising speed, leaving her with ample time to review her answers. As soon as she completed the final question of the last section, Amu let out a sigh of relief and set down her pencil. She leaned back in her chair and stretched her arms above her head, feeling some of the tension drain from her muscles.
"That wasn't so bad," she murmured to herself. To her left, Makoto was still working intently on her test, her brow furrowed in concentration. The black-haired girl was staring at her test. She radiated intense, almost angry focus.
She should probably go over the answers again before submitting them... right? Probably. Amu let out another sigh. She'd do that in a couple minutes. For now, she was going to bask in the satisfaction of finishing an exam without any major mishaps or interruptions!
She rested her chin on her hands and gazed out the window at the bright blue sky outside.
After a minute or so, she let her arms collapse onto the tabletop and gave an annoyed sigh.
Come on Amu! Suck it up and just do it! She had time to go over it three times! More importantly: she needed to make sure she'd got every answer right. Miki might have double-checked them if she were here…
She wasn't. And Miki would never do that again; it'd be cheating.
Her head followed her arms down onto the table. She wasn't all that tired. She'd just... rest here for a minute. While she thought things through properly. Miki… Amu still wanted her around. She wasn't leaving. It was just…
Before she knew it, Amu's eyes had closed completely. Her breathing slowed, becoming deep and regular. The sounds of pencils scratching on paper and the ticking of the clock faded away as she drifted into sleep.
And then-
"Hinamori!"
Amu's eyes snapped open again, and she jerked upright with a gasp of surprise. She blinked rapidly, trying to clear her head as she stared in bewilderment at the teacher who'd woken her up from her impromptu nap. A glance around confirmed that there were no demons present, only Makoto and the other girl staring at her in concern while the teacher scowled disapprovingly at her reaction.
"I'm sorry!" Amu blurted out hastily. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment as she scrambled to collect her belongings from where they'd fallen during her brief nap. "I must have fallen asleep... I didn't mean to..."
The teacher clicked her tongue disapprovingly before turning away with a frown.
"You may turn your tests in whenever you're finished," she said curtly as she strode back to the front of the classroom. She shot an annoyed look at Amu. "Please stay awake while you're in class."
Makoto watched Amu struggle to compose herself for several seconds, then broke into a giggle, while Amu made a determined attempt to outdo tomatoes. It would have been easy to think she was making fun of her, if the screendoor keeping Makoto's emotions hidden hadn't faded just then. Amu felt an unmistakable wave of sympathy from Makoto's mind as they made eye contact; there was also an undercurrent of amusement at the situation, but mostly—mostly—the other girl felt relief that Amu was okay.
She looked away, and the screen came back up, but that tiny quirk of her mouth didn't fade just yet.
The black-haired girl had already finished, and was now doodling absentmindedly on a spare sheet of paper.
Amu finished quickly after that. She should have spent all her time, but after going through it twice without finding anything to change… and the teachers staring at her… the tests were just...
They weren't hard?
She'd prepared for...
Something harder than Seiyo? Which this was-
Not.
While mulling over thoughts like that, Amu handed in her tests—trying to ignore the disapproving look from the teacher—and then wandered back out to sit in the lobby. It was a strange experience. The school was in use, of course; she'd had her tests in a biology lab. The hallways were mostly deserted, except for a handful of students here and there, most of whom were clearly moving from room to room. A few took glances her way, usually resulting in double-takes due to hair colour or uniform.
Amu wasn't dumb. She knew pink hair wasn't precisely... normal. Or allowed, usually. People were drawn to it—or repulsed—or just confused by it. She liked Seiyo a lot, because no-one really cared there. But now she wasn't in Seiyo, and the teachers hadn't seemed to like her much-
She shook her head violently, sending the aforementioned hair flying. She wouldn't, definitely wouldn't fall back into those habits. She'd show them she was a good student. She'd been in the student council just months ago, for pity's sake.
For sure.
= = =
Amu has the rest of the day off, then the weekend. Going with her sister to JPs is a big enough deal that you get to vote on independently—but apart from that, what does she do right now? This is not an exhaustive list.
School starts on Monday.
Plans here will have less time if the JP's vote is a yes.
[ ][Plan] Go see how Ami is doing
- Her schoolday is nearly over.
[ ][Plan] Spend time with Miki
- Nothing's changed, but everything's changed.
[ ][Plan] Visit friends
- Which?
[ ][Plan] Wait for Makoto and the other girl
- And?
Thanks go to @ShadowAngelBeta and @Nero200 for beta work, and Amu for bearing with me until she could get her beauty sleep. She's all refreshed and ready for what will surely now be ordinary schooldays.
Regarding Arcana Academy and related plot threads... they might be compatible with this story. They might not. Regardless of if they are or not, they do not exist here—or at best are off-screen—seeing as that manga hasn't been written yet. This might be obvious, but you can consider it non-canon until such time as I declare otherwise, which is unfortunately unlikely.
[X][JPs] Yes
Might as well get another POV of what's going on with Saaya, though I currently have no opinion on what to do next?
[X][Plan] Wait for Makoto and the other girl
-[X] "I don't think the teacher running our tests likes me very much. Do you think it is because they think my hair makes me stand out too much?"
-[X] Ask them to say whatever they were looking at you about.
"Saaya, you feeling better? You are? Great! Lets hang out together some time outside the base and you can tell me all about how the JPs are taking care of you..."
While mulling over thoughts like that, Amu handed in her tests—trying to ignore the disapproving look from the teacher—and then wandered back out to sit in the lobby. It was a strange experience. The school was in use, of course; she'd had her tests in a biology lab. The hallways were mostly deserted, except for a handful of students here and there, most of whom were clearly moving from room to room. A few took glances her way, usually resulting in double-takes due to hair colour or uniform.
Amu wasn't dumb. She knew pink hair wasn't precisely... normal. Or allowed, usually. People were drawn to it—or repulsed—or just confused by it. She liked Seiyo a lot, because no-one really cared there. But now she wasn't in Seiyo, and the teachers hadn't seemed to like her much-
Ah, teenage insecurities. Well, lets be the clueless insecure teenager then. Hopefully Makoto will point out how silly Amu is and tell her that she is not liked because of how "disrespectful" she is to the teachers by acing the test and sleeping in school.
[x][JPs] Yes [x][Plan] Wait for Makoto and the other girl
-[x] "I don't think the teacher running our tests likes me very much. Do you think it is because they think my hair makes me stand out too much?"
-[x] Ask them to say whatever they were looking at you about.
[X][Plan] Wait for Makoto and the other girl
-[X] "I don't think the teacher running our tests likes me very much. Do you think it is because they think my hair makes me stand out too much?"
-[X] Ask them to say whatever they were looking at you about.
If you want Amu's opinion, she's a bit worried about Ami and wants to visit Kana. She also feels she should catch up with her friends, and would like to spend time with Miki. The weather is also cooler, so she wouldn't mind spending some time hiking this weekend.
Ami is, of course, the one you voted to force her hand on.
[x][JPs] Yes [x][Plan] Wait for Makoto and the other girl
-[x] "I don't think the teacher running our tests likes me very much. Do you think it is because they think my hair makes me stand out too much?"
-[x] Ask them to say whatever they were looking at you about.
it might also be good to see if this new school has rules for magic fairies yet. They really ought to know what's coming already, but that doesn't mean they're ready for Chara flying around and doing things.
Or the inevitable day Ami handles not having an even number of people for PE by being two people now that she knows she can.
Seems fairly straightforward to me. No need to rush with Ami, the whole chapter will be focused on her and Miki is also going to be there at JPs (even if Saaya is probably going to get of the focus from that trip). Meanwhile, who knows when we're going to get another opportunity to speak with Makoto.
[X][JPs] Yes
[X][Plan] Wait for Makoto and the other girl
-[X] "I don't think the teacher running our tests likes me very much. Do you think it is because they think my hair makes me stand out too much?"
-[X] Ask them to say whatever they were looking at you about.
I mean, she will be doing it again, as soon as she gets into Amu's class.... for Miki's own exam papers.
And since Miki can also do the pseudo-telepathy thing, it's probably actually possible for them to help each other mutually cheat by telepathically sharing answers..... not that they apparently need to, with the Lore half-dot they pumped.
[X][JPs] Yes
[X][Plan] Wait for Makoto and the other girl
-[X] "I don't think the teacher running our tests likes me very much. Do you think it is because they think my hair makes me stand out too much?"
-[X] Ask them to say whatever they were looking at you about.
Amu wasn't dumb. She knew pink hair wasn't precisely... normal. Or allowed, usually. People were drawn to it—or repulsed—or just confused by it. She liked Seiyo a lot, because no-one really cared there. But now she wasn't in Seiyo, and the teachers hadn't seemed to like her much-
She shook her head violently, sending the aforementioned hair flying. She wouldn't, definitely wouldn't fall back into those habits. She'd show them she was a good student. She'd been in the student council just months ago, for pity's sake.
......You know, it's kinda funny because even at Seiyo, her homeroom teacher ALSO didn't like her very much. And hoo boy, was the feeling was extremely mutual.
It wasn't until that man got fired and rehired that they were able to get along, in any sense of the term.
Also, just as funny - the students on Seiyo's elementary student council do not get picked for being great students.
From everything we've been shown, there's exactly one distinct criteria for getting recruited into the Guardians and it has nothing to do with academic prowess or even dedication to the school.
......You know, it's kinda funny because even at Seiyo, her homeroom teacher ALSO didn't like her very much. And hoo boy, was the feeling was extremely mutual.
It wasn't until that man got fired and rehired that they were able to get along, in any sense of the term.
Also, just as funny - the students on Seiyo's elementary student council do not get picked for being great students.
From everything we've been shown, there's exactly one distinct criteria for getting recruited into the Guardians and it has nothing to do with academic prowess or even dedication to the school.
It's really not the re-hiring that got Nikaidou and Amu to get along. I would say that Amu's UMI did that…
In all fairness, he was trying to kill Su at the time.
But Amu is used to turning enemies into friends. I'd say it happens on a fairly regular basis. These days he's registered in her mind as "Utau's father".
To be fair, I don't think Amu stopped treating him with some amount of animosity even after he got fired from Easter, up until the point when Nikaidou went out of his way to help them with Kairi by giving them the tickets to the Black Diamond performance venue. She was glaring pretty fiercely at him when he showed up at their strategy meeting.
By his own admission, he was also trying to remain neutral up until that point by deliberately staying quiet when he knew Kairi was Sanjo's brother and most likely another Easter plant at Seiyo.
Feel like it was only after that when she warmed up to him.
To be fair, I don't think Amu stopped treating him with some amount of animosity even after he got fired from Easter, up until the point when Nikaidou went out of his way to help them with Kairi by giving them the tickets to the Black Diamond performance venue. She was glaring pretty fiercely at him when he showed up at their strategy meeting.
By his own admission, he was also trying to remain neutral up until that point by deliberately staying quiet when he knew Kairi was Sanjo's brother and most likely another Easter plant at Seiyo.
Feel like it was only after that when she warmed up to him.
That is an excellent point, and a good demonstration that @Nero200's fears about UMI aren't as solid as all that. If Amu had genuinely brainwashed him, then you'd think he would have been on her side. Instead he chose neutrality, approximately until such time as not helping Amu equaled not helping his foster daughter's best friend.
-assuming I remember that timeline correctly.
There were a few events where Amu definitely overrode the free will of everyone around her, but she's so far avoided doing so in any long-term fashion that isn't effectively just undoing someone else's brainwashing. With the possible exception of Utau, and Utau was not in a good spot... it's less clear what exactly happened between them.
= = =
This vote seems fairly settled. Setting an endpoint for later today.
Personally, my interpretation of what happened was that Utau suffered an extreme nervous breakdown from the combination of the sudden emotional shock from having both her Charas up and abandon her in favor of Amu, physical and mental over-exertion from forcing the transformation with Dia, more shock from further also having Dia abandon her and then the humiliation of having Ami show up only to start singing her own Egg-extracting song in front of her face. And then to cap it all off, having to witness her manager nearly turn herself into a red smear on the pavement after falling out of a helicopter.
All this trauma caused her to seriously re-evaluate all her life choices, ultimately leading her to the conclusion that she ought to quit while she was ahead and leave Easter. Very likely also encouraged by Ikuto himself to get out while she still could, before Easter decided they'd invested too much into her to let her go.
I can see her feeling grateful that Amu was stubborn enough to fight her and give her the push she needed to rethink her life.
It also probably helps that both Ikuto and Tadase are soft on Amu and that Amu gets along well with them both - those two, as well as her manager whose brother was also soft on Amu, were likely the closest people Utau had in her life at that point. As jealous as she might have been at Amu for stealing her brother's attention, there was likely a friend-of-a-friend thing going on to some extent.
Not to mention, Amu continuing to try and help Ikuto out of his Easter situation for no other reason than the goodness of her heart would've gone a long way to gaining her respect.
Makes a lot of sense. All of that could have easily been enough even without getting bodied by a telepathic beam of doom, which... y'know, she did. Hard to say what did what, but that's usually par for the course for that story.
Incidentally. No picture (yet) in the last chapter, because I was getting used to a new and improved AI. But here's Watanabe -- the other girl who was in the exam. She isn't a major character yet. But you did vote to talk to her, so...
I'm sure we can ask her. At this point we can even explain a lot about her options with her new sister Chara.
Japan might not be very school shootingy, but its not like guns are common there. Maybe she's a Yakuza princess or into Nobunaga, even if that's the wrong kind of gun.
Related note: here's hoping no one makes the news via some kind of Magical girl Chara capsule fighting tournament.
