plays49
Hey guys... Missed me? I hope so cause I missed posting here a lot.
I have suddenly found myself with a lot less time in my hands than before.
Hope you enjoy today's release!
It was very unfortunate that Sonia could not stay out for long. She was here undercover, after all. Still, we managed to sneak in some conversation about the family and such; about mother, and fa… Liam. The conversation was brief, not enough to satisfy my curiosity by any means, but I know now that during the altercation: my mother was worried sick, my father spent most of his time trying to calm her down, and after everything was said and done, Liam could barely convince Miranda not to come up here herself.
As to why I haven’t heard a word from them yet? They were busy, incredibly so. The war was not going in the Union’s favor and for them that just meant they had an omnipotent customer always itching to part ways with more @’s — or bonds — for large quantities of mass-produced tools of human suffering. Of course, I’m not judging them. They weren’t the ones who started this conflict, and profiteering from human misery is the basis of almost every industry.
Now, while we were on the topic of my family, I obviously brought up my brother. Her reaction? Well, she stopped walking, looked me in the eye, gave me a closed smile while tilting her head and said, “He’s still missing — just like you were, my lady.”
…
He’s alive; that confirms it. And, from the sound of it, in a similar situation to mine just an hour ago. Now, of course, I wanted to ask more, but just the way Sonia said that made it clear she wasn’t meant to tell me about it, so I didn’t press her. But he’s on my radar, and you can be sure that's the first thing I'll ask Liam when I see him in person... Other than a kick in the nuts but that's not here or there.
Sonia took this chance to brief me about the ‘official’ narrative that Liam had cooked up.
I told her right away that I would not spout bullshit on Liam’s orders, but she quickly reminded me of the clause in the contract. If I ever wanted to talk about it to people outside of the Katayama family, at least officially, I would have to relay that narrative…
'Seems like that contract is already biting me in the ass.'
Thankfully, I had already informed everyone that I trusted and cared to know about what really happened; I’m not lying to my friends on Liam’s orders.
Anyway, the ‘official’ story that Liam — And his lawyers — cooked up, was clearly made to diminish their actions from gross parental negligence to just regular neglect. Instead of the family throwing me out of the estate, they said I ran away on my initiative after they had failed to recognize my dueling prowess. Now, naturally, this would open me up to a ton of legal trouble, living under a fake identity and all, but since I would’ve been underage during the time, ‘I’ faked my identity, then there went most of the legal trouble. For the rest, the Katayama Familly had ‘graciously’ taken responsibility for any outstanding liabilities.
This story, like all good lies, had an inordinate amount of truth to it, and, while compared to reality, it tampered the actions of Liam; I imagine it will still bring him embarrassment. Failing the recognize the dueling prowess of a natural penta-summoner is a… difficult endeavor.
My opinion of all of this? … Complicated. For one, I now had to acknowledge Miranda and Liam as my parents… recognizing Miranda as my mother was one thing. She acted like she really cared and seemed nice overall… But Liam? … Fuck him. Fuck all of what he stood for. The man wasn’t even sorry for what he did and the fact that he now deemed it convenient to recognize me again certainly didn’t make me open to the idea of ever forgiving him.
Unfortunately, regardless of my opinion, I had to accept that was my new reality. While at first it seemed like nothing had changed, about an hour after the signing, my phone started blowing up with notifications and messages. Insurances, security services, credit ranking changes, bank notices, new accounts, VIP memberships, and countless ‘Introductory’ messages from entities I had never met or given my number arrived in my inbox. I tried reading through some of these messages, but other than some notable memos, I just couldn’t keep up.
As I couldn’t read them all, I went on the lookout for notices that required actual action on my part. One of the notable messages was from ‘upstart banking’.
Since ‘Yuumi Katayama’ was now registered as one of my aliases, I had my old ‘Katayama’ account back. For a rich girl’s account, it was sparse, only 3630@ in balance, but a quick peek into the account relations showed a connected trust fund, just like you’d expect from rich parents. It even gave me an option to request funds from it directly, streamlining the ‘ask daddy for money’ process to a button press.
Upstart banking was asking me what I intended to do with the account associated with the name ‘Yuumi Matsunaga,’ also registered as another of my aliases. I had two options: either merge it with my ‘Katayama’ account or leave it as a separate one under my name… I opted to keep them separate, and when I opened the app again to check, it was clear that was the right choice. The Katayama account was registered as being owned and managed by the Katayama family and only assigned to me… I would’ve effectively lost my financial independence had I merged the two accounts… That was a close call.
‘Too close… I can’t be on the lookout 24/7 for little tricks like that — it’s just a matter of time before I cock up… He’s counting on that, isn’t he? That fucker! Ooooo, I’m giving him a piece of my mind when I see him, I promise that.’
Steeling myself, I go back to the messaging app and try to find other actionable requests on my part. But this is where I’m surprised by the amount of automated problem resolution on part of other services.
For example, I fully expected that there would be a problem with my NWDA enrollment, something else for Light to fix. But I only appear to have received one message from them acknowledging the identity change and that’s it. I open the NWDA app to check and found my new name already there, coupled with emergency contacts that weren’t present before. Of course, this could just be Light preemptively fixing things; It has been an hour since I signed that. But, seeing as every other message seems to have triggered at the same time, one hour after the signing, it makes more sense if that’s just how long it took for the change to take effect and these are instant automatic procedures at work.
‘If that’s the case, then… That’s fucking spectacular.’ Completely automated bureaucracy capable of handling something as complicated as a name change with an associated change in family ties with no human input… Out of everything that I’ve seen here: Hard-light technology, advanced commercial space travel, fusion energy, projected sky highways… Having memories of a life lived dealing with inefficient, life-pausing, bureaucracy, this awes me most out of everything so far.
Just as I look back at my phone, another, more corporate application of this technology looks back at me as a full screen ad in a pure white windows and cursive font.
[
Dear Ms. Yuumi M. Katayama,
We are thrilled to welcome you to the Dragonfruit™ VIP program. At Dragonfruit™, we take immense pride in delivering exceptional services to all our customers. However, we understand that some customers require a unique level of attention that goes beyond our standard offerings.
We are pleased to inform you that you have met the criteria to be recognized as a Dragonfruit™ VIP. Our VIP program is designed to provide the extra care that we know you deserve and have always deserved. As a Dragonfruit™ VIP, you will receive exclusive benefits and privileges that are tailored to your specific needs and preferences.
Our team of experts will work closely with you to ensure that your experience with Dragonfruit™ is nothing short of extraordinary. From personalized recommendations to priority access, we are committed to providing you with the highest level of service possible.
As a VIP, you will be entitled to special services not generally available to regular Dragonfruit™ customers:
Best-in-class support and assistance from partnered Dragonfruit™ certified service providers.
Early access to upcoming Dragonfruit™ products and services.
Free of charge upgrades for all existing Dragonfruit™ subscriptions.
Access to Dragonfruit™ VIP network areas at sanctioned events.
Unlimited trial runs of products on the Dragonfruit™ Appstore and Dragonfruit™ Solid Vision Botique.
Please verify the full list of available VIP services and further upgrades to your Dragonfruit™ VIP membership in the Dragonfruit™ app or at {Dragonfruit@GN|Home}, {[email protected]|VIP}, {[email protected]} or {[email protected]}.
— Bookmarks have been added to your GlobalNet browser —
Thank you for choosing Dragonfruit™. We look forward to serving you with our best-in-class services and making your experience with us truly unforgettable.
Best regards, The Dragonfruit™ Team
]
—
After fully clearing away that ad — More easily said than done by the way — I finally stop scrolling and take some time to decide what I want to do for the rest of today. I realize I haven’t been able to decide this for myself ever since I got up here. Most of the time, I had just been following my friends around, with some exceptions, occasionally.
Unfortunately, there aren’t many entertainment options aboard a rescue ship. And so, I make good on my promise to Haruna, and send her a message.
Shortly after, she responds, informing me that the six of them were still in our room, and I make a sharp turn toward the habitation ring.
It doesn’t take me long for me to arrive back at the dorm style room and after swiping my phone at the door; it swooshes up and lets me take a good look inside.
Naeko and Yasuna are no longer stuck to the screen and now seem to be arguing about something? I’m guessing that it is nothing too serious since Haruna is watching over the two, looking more amused than anything.
“How the hell do you even justify a 4% performance uplift for twice the price!? Those Shitexelbar chips are a massive waste. They’re overclocking their last-gen shit just so they can stay on top of benchmarks when Allico and Mystic are clearly making the superior product this generation!”
“Oh yeah, because Mystic chips are so efficient, they might as well pull double duty as room heaters! Seriously, you’re not about to tell me 90 degrees under load with a Thermoelectric plate running on a triple-rad cooling loop is efficient. And for what? 100 GHz boost clock instead of 96? You don’t even notice that! Not when you’re playing any game that uses an FPGA card properly! Oh, and don’t get me started with Allico, 8x hyper-threading with 512 cores? Great! Now I can use the CPU for AI loads instead of the Q-Bit quantum processing card I bought for that purpose! Great incentive!”
‘Ah, the sound of two tech bro’s arguing… Or tech sisters, I guess. It’s music to my ears either way.’
Looking further into the room, I notice Nanako on one of the bunks fawning over Mia, who seems to be more than happy having a professional doing her nails for her. Meanwhile, Aiko is looking over the two, keenly observing the expert at work and listening to her advice as she does her own nails.
‘Kind of reminds me I have to redo mine, with everything going on, that was at the bottom of my priority list, but I can’t think of any outstanding business I have to attend… Might as well take this chance.’
I walk into the room, and everyone stops what they’re doing and suddenly turn my way… I wasn’t expecting that…
“Hmm, is there something on my face?”
Haruna walks over to me and hands me her phone. Her expression looking unamused.
“Girl, don’t act innocent. Your little ‘name change’ is all over the news.”
I glance at the article she opened and read the title.
[ Penta-Summoner revealed as long-lost daughter of billionaire family: Courageous star-child? Or concealed adoption? ]
When I look back up, I sigh, giving her phone back. “These guys are fast, huh?”
She grabs it from me and sighs herself. “Yeah, you’d be surprised how quickly the news of the hero of the hour being revealed as the long-lost daughter of one of the largest and richest arms dealers in the Union spreads.” She shakes her head. “Really Yuumi, I knew it was only a matter of time, but why didn’t you tell us this was happening today?”
I hold my head, massaging my temples. “Because I also didn’t know, okay? I didn’t know this would be how my talk with the Director would go down…” I look around the room, complicated expressions all around. Crossing my arms, I explain. “It was this or the army, and I’m not going into that meat grinder.”
Haruna jerks back, looking around as a look of realization hits her. “Of course, it was…” She looks back up, urging. “Let’s sit down first. You have a lot to explain.”
--
After sitting down on the floor, surrounded by the six, they then went on and questioned me about everything they could think of.
At first, I was confused. I had already told them this was something that could happen and the reasons behind it. But something I learned just from their first questions is that telling someone you may be related to some important people and that relation being officially recognized are two different things.
From the part of the cheerleaders, most of their confusion was about what would happen to me. They thought my parents would force me to leave the NWDA… I quickly dispelled that notion. I’m not going anywhere if I can help it.
That then leads to questions about my levels of independency… They were shocked when I told them I could still do whatever the hell I wanted to. Apparently, there’s a relation between the wealth of a dynasty and how strict they are with their children.
‘And boy, the Katayama family is wealthy… And now so am I… Wow, that’s going to take me some time to come to terms with. Even in my other life, where I barely ever spent any money, my savings account only reached six digits… That was enough for me.’
Anyway, after clearing those misconceptions up, Haruna finally asks the pertinent question.
“So, if you’re not going away, then what exactly does this change?”
I shrug at her. “Nothing really. Well, I don’t suppose you three can keep joking about me being short on funds any longer.”
That answer seems to satisfy her, as she chuckles and jokes. “Yeah, soon enough it will be us asking you to pay for stuff.”
Smiling, I turn to the other group in the room, and while the twins seem unphased, I find Yasuna looking down at the floor.
“Is there something wrong, Yasuna?”
She perks up, looking out at me. “No… Yes…” Shaking her head, she asks, “Could we talk about it alone?”
Before I have time to speak, I notice Mia narrowing her eyes on her. “Hey now, come on Yasuna, we’re all trying to get answers from Yuumi. It’s not fair that you get to question her alone.”
Crossing her arms, Yasuna looks away uncomfortably and murmurs, “It’s… something private…”
As an awkward silence sets in, Naeko’s head tilts to the side before she urges, “Hmm, Yasuna, if you’re short on cash, then you can just ask me. I’ll be more than happy to bring you into the Pixelbar side myself.”
This makes the usually unflappable fitness nut redden up like a tomato. “No, that’s not it at all!” with her face landing on her hands, she shakes her head.
Seeing her seriously struggling here, I walk over to her and place a hand on her shoulder, asking, “Come on, Yasuna, there’s nothing to be ashamed of here. Just ask what you want to ask.”
She crosses her arms, murmuring, “Fuck it, why not?” Looking me in the face, she lets out a long sigh. “Yuumi, just how far have you gone with the cheer squad?”
I blink a few times in confusion, “Oh, that was your question? Well, I don’t see what this has to do with my parents but, if you really want to know: I can do poses pretty well, and I’m getting better at the air stuff. With the help of Nanako, I’m also getting started designing my performer avat—”
“No, not that!” She whines, facepalming. Sighing, she asks, “I meant… naughty things… You’re an initiated member, aren’t you?”
Taking a step back, I murmur. “Oh…” I scratch my neck while tilting my head to the side. “That’s… A little private, don’t you think? I mean… I will tell you about it if you want…”
Yasuna’s eyes skip around the room and she shakes her head. “That’s exactly why I wanted to speak with you privately…”
I look to my back and see the cheer club girls talking with each other.
“You can tell her about it if you want,” Haruna says after listening to the opinions of the other two. “We never try to hide anything.”
Seeing as they are okay with it, I turn back to Yasuna and tell her about it. “Well… After my initiation there wasn’t any time for me to enjoy… the perks… The Director sent us up here pretty soon after that happened and then… Well, I got paired up with them in the same room… And we might’ve gone a little… Naughty.”
“What do you mean by ‘Naughty?’”
I groan, holding onto my arm as I feel my cheeks burning up. “Are you really going to make me spell it out? Fine! We fucked! There! Was that what you wanted to hear!?”
Instead of getting flustered like I expected, Yasuna looks down at the ground and says with a sigh. “So, you really did it…” She lets out a disappointed groan. “I knew they would be a bad influence on you.”
“I’m sorry, who did you just call a ‘bad influence!?’” This time it’s Haruna who shouts out. She jumps from where she was sitting and rushes over to us. Pressing a finger on Yasuna’s chest while towering over her. “You can call us a lot of names: loose sluts, skanks, maybe even whores, if we’re good enough friends. But I draw the line at ‘bad influence!’ a ‘Bad influence’ are those sisterhoods at the blue dorm which exist to make freshmen with no backing into fucking cock sleeves for their influential backers to play with! Not us!”
‘What the fuck, those exist!? What the hell has Light been doing?’
Yet Yasuna doesn’t back down or seem fazed by her, even if she’s invading her personal space. “Oh, so that’s your argument? Just because there are worse examples out there, doesn’t make you any better!”
As the two continue arguing, I find myself taking a few steps back and falling down, sitting on the floor by one of the bunks with a piercing headache.
‘And now they're arguing… Great! Just when I thought my family would be the worst of my problems, Yasuna just had to ask that… For fuck’s sake! Why can’t anything in my life ever be simple?’
Clutching my head in my hands as I hear the two arguing, I finally shout. “STOP!”
This makes the two turn my direction and, noticing my obvious discomfort, urge, ““Are you alright!?”” They give a quick glance at each other before rushing to my side.
As I feel their hands touching my shoulders, I shake my head and tell, “No… I’m not… For fuck’s sake, why are we fighting about this?” I turn to Haruna, “I know what Yasuna said was terrible, but aren’t you like, two years her senior? What are you doing trying to argue with her!?”
Seeing Haruna’s eyes drop and her back away, I turn my attention to Yasuna. “And you.” I lean closer. “Why does this matter so much for you? It’s almost like you think you know what I want better than me!” I lean in even closer, but unlike she did for Nanako, she actually backs away, “And if you really think that, that I’m a spoiled brat who doesn’t know what she wants, then I suggest you look at the lengths I’ve gone to so I can make sure I’m here, free of will, with no one person being capable of controlling me!”
Getting up, I take a deep breath in. “Now, I’m going to take a stroll to clear my head… I better not see you two fighting again, or I swear I’m going to break another arm just to get out of here.”
With that, I look around the paling faces of the two before turning my back on them.
—
Yuumi closed the door behind her after storming off. This left the only two girls standing in the middle of the room, looking at the ground awkwardly.
On one side, Haruna shook her head painfully and sat back down next to her squad mates, who themselves began whispering
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen Yuumi so pissed off before…”
“I know, right? She sounded like a completely different person.”
Seeing her ‘Rival’ sit down, Yasuna decided it was best she would do the same, placing herself to the right of the twins sitting on the floor.
The twin sisters immediately moved to surround her, trying to comfort the girl.
“Yasuna, come on, you know she didn’t mean it, right?”
“She looked tired Yasuna… It was probably the stress from today getting to her… Don’t take it to heart.”
Despite the twins’ best efforts, the usually unflappable fitness nut was left looking at the carpet between the two beds while her eyes focused right below where Haruna was sitting and a strange thought passed through her head. ‘Those legs probably have been wrapped around Yuumi…’ She blushed right away, trying to shake her head to get that dirty thought out as fast as possible.
Haruna leaned back, looking at the ceiling while her brain tried to figure out why she had gotten so worked up at a basic insult from a red ranked nobody… No, that was not fair, even if she couldn’t admit it out loud, Yasuna was no longer a nobody, her vast effort to change the girl’s outlook on her and the cheer club made that clear.
““I’m sorry.”” The two echoed simultaneously.
Pausing for a moment, Haruna urged. “You can go first, if you want to…”
“Can… You go first?” Yasuna suggested after deliberating on it.
Haruna bobbed her head. “Sure.” She took a deep breath in and started. “I’m sorry, as your senior, I shouldn’t have yelled at you. It’s just… No matter how hard we work, it just seems like no one really takes us seriously… But I shouldn’t be dumping my trauma on you.”
Yasuna blinked curiously. “No, it’s fine! I… Was about to do the same…” she admitted with a tinge of humor.
Smiling, Haruna said, “If you say so…” she took a deep breath in, feeling her two squad mates press against her comfortingly, “Well, in all the time I have been the captain of the cheer club — three years — This has been our first and only outing, and I fear the only reason we got a shoot is because Yuumi needed to be here…”
To the side of Haruna, noticing her trail off, Naeko continued, “People at the academy, the Director included, look at us and instead of cheerleaders, they see a bunch of spoiled brats that would sooner open their legs before doing any hard work in life…”
Finally, Nanako revealed, “Worse than those rumors are the reactions when we perform… People think they are being nice when they say stuff like: ‘Woah, they’re actually pretty good’, or ‘I didn’t think you girls could actually perform like that.’ It is so infuriating! Like! What do you expect!? We train twice a week every week for 5 hours at a time; we are the cheer club! Not the fucking orgy club!”
While Yasuna looked down painfully, she couldn’t help herself but to say. “Well… There’s a reason for that. You make your shit pretty easy to find…”
Haruna laughed at that. “Hah! Well… If you were to compare us to the other sisterhood type groups at the blue dorm, you’d quickly figure we’re not the worse there is… But, unlike them, we actually have to make sure our recruits are there for the right reasons, instead of promising ‘You’ll get ahead in life if you join us! Just ask for a room-change to our leased wing!’ and then see all the hopeful nobodies flooding in and getting mercilessly used as playthings for the members with some actual backing! Better yet, there is nothing anyone can do about it, because even if it is a ‘leased wing’ at the blue ranked castle, they pour so much money in they practically own the place AND PAY OFF THE PEOPLE WHO ARE SUPPOSED TO OVERSEE THEM!!”
After shouting, Haruna leans back and takes a deep breath in. “Sorry, it just makes me sick.”
Opposite of the cheer squad, Yasuna and the twins gape at what Haruna just told them.
“D-Does that really happen?…” Mia shily asked.
“I don’t think I want to get to blue rank Mia…” Aiko admitted.
But worse of all was Yasuna. Focusing on Haruna, she asked. “Are… are ‘Battle Pixies’ one of those groups?”
Haruna just blinked intently. “Yes, one of the worst, actually… Why do you ask? Were you planning on joining them?”
“They reached out to me… I was considering it.”
With a slight frown, Haruna said. “Well, since you have Yuumi backing you up, and they asked you to join them, you wouldn’t end up like the rest of their recruits.” Further leaning back, she explained, “It’s a balancing act for them. Get enough influential recruits to lure other less fortunate recently promoted blue rank students to turn into their playthings. Either way, if I’m reading you right, I doubt you would appreciate their practices…”
Looking on with sorrow, Yasuna tells, “Thanks for the warning… Holy shit…”
Haruna gives her a thumbs up. “No problem; if you want an actual decent group to join at the blue dorm, there are some I can suggest.” A teasing smile grows on Haruna’s lips before she reveals, “Some of them even do naughty events~.”
Yasuna's face reddens, and she stutters, “I-I-I think I’m good without those… Thanks…”
The smile on Haruna’s face turns around and forehead scrunches up. “It’s the sexual stuff that gets you, isn’t it?”
Yasuna’s expression sinks, and she right away crosses her arms and closes up, her eyes turning down and glazing over. “You have Aya to thank for that…” is all that she said before lowering her chin on top of her arms.
Haruna grimaced, seeing the twins get closer to comfort Yasuna. “So this is about her…”
The other two cheerleaders were struck with the same realization.
“The ‘princess’…” Whispered Naeko.
“Right… You’re a second year red, you were there. Oh, shit!…” Nanako exclaimed.
Yasuna gave them a light nod, saying in a weak voice. “Yes… Aya… Well, you know what happened…”
Looking out to the side, Haruna closed her eyes and shook her head. “I’m sorry Yasuna, I can’t believe we didn’t connect the dots earlier… God, that Aya, if it’s any comfort to you, know that most consider what she did a grave embarrassment to the entire blue-ranked student body.”
But Yasuna narrowed her eyes at this. “Really? Did they think that back then as well? Or only now that someone stood up to her and brought her down a peg?”
Haruna sighed. “For most… I’m afraid it’s the second.” She took another deep breath, saying with a lowered gaze. “I’m sorry. I can’t believe I cheered for that person.” She sighed, then declared, “Really hope she’s getting what she fucking deserves for that; Almost makes me glad the tournament stopped before she could claim a first place finish!”
Yet Yasuna shook her head. “No, I don’t think Aya deserves that… at least not now.” She stretched her legs, returning to a more natural sitting position as she spoke, “We… Talked it out, and she seemed genuinely sorry. Besides, I got her back for it… But I guess some trauma just never leaves you… I’m sorry.”
Nanako stood up, walking over to Yasuna before kneeling and placing a hand on her shoulder. “You don’t have to say sorry. WE are sorry for egging you on so much. If we realized this was the reason before, we wouldn’t have done that.”
A faint smile appeared on Yasuna’s lips. “Thanks… You girls are pretty chill, all things considered.”
Nanako nodded, giving her a smile in return, “Fu, fu, we’ll take that as a compliment, thanks,” but then her smile lowered a bit. “With that said, Yasuna, we still have to talk about you and Yuumi. I can understand why you’re suspicious, but that doesn’t explain why you’re so opposed to Yuumi having… fun… with us.”
Yasuna sighed, “Well… from my viewpoint, It’s simple.” She looked to the other side of the room, focusing on Haruna and Naeko, who were casually fondling each other just out of sight. “I’m afraid your… Do you call it a relationship if you technically are ‘just’ friends? Regardless, I think whatever you have with Yuumi is… unbalanced.”
This put Nanako in a pensive mood, with the two cheerleaders behind her stopping whatever they were doing and focusing back on the conversation.
“Can you explain what you mean by that?” Nanako Asked, still hovering close to the girl.
“Well…” the green-haired second year drew on. “Please don’t take this the wrong way, but, in the time that we’ve been up here, how many times have any of you hooked up with someone outside of your… Group?”
Nanako shook her head while her eyes turned to the ceiling. “Never, really; too much to do during the day… Why?”
Yasuna bobbed her head as she asked, “Do you intend to keep it that way when we get back?”
“No…” the dark-skinned cheerleader dragged. “I think I know where you’re getting at…”
“If you know, then tell that to Yuumi. She’s inexperienced at this and I don’t want to see her hurting when realizes she can’t depend on you three to always be… available.”
Rubbing her chin, Nanako reflected, “I see… That’s… Important. Yuumi said she wasn’t interested in romance or anything exclusive. But when we get back down, things will inevitably become a lot more one-sided.” She turned back to her squad mates and said, “We have to talk with her about this. I don’t want us breaking up over something so trivial.”
The two concurred, with Haruna saying, “If you think so, Nanako, we’ll make sure she knows she’s not limited to us.”
Naeko added close by, “Yeah, we’ll find her some girls, get her into parties, maybe even try to find someone who can crack her… ‘non-romantic’ affliction.”
Yasuna nodded, letting out a relieved sigh. “That would ease my worries… Thanks for understanding.”
Nanako chuckled, “No, thank you! I suppose a more traditional perspective really can be useful from time to time.”
On that note, the mismatched group of six returned to a much more casual discussion: What would they say to Yuumi when she returns?
Thankfully for them, they had little time to overthink this. The sound of the room’s door swooshing up broke that awkward silence, causing everyone’s eyes to snap at the crestfallen penta-summoner that walked in.
“Hey girls… Look, my bad—”
That was all that the depressed-sounding girl got out before being interrupted by Yasuna and Haruna jumping from where they were sitting and charging at her, sending the much smaller girl tumbling to the floor under their cries.
““We’re sorry!!””
plays49
Hey guys... Missed me? I hope so cause I missed posting here a lot.
I have suddenly found myself with a lot less time in my hands than before.
Hope you enjoy today's release!
It was very unfortunate that Sonia could not stay out for long. She was here undercover, after all. Still, we managed to sneak in some conversation about the family and such; about mother, and fa… Liam. The conversation was brief, not enough to satisfy my curiosity by any means, but I know now that during the altercation: my mother was worried sick, my father spent most of his time trying to calm her down, and after everything was said and done, Liam could barely convince Miranda not to come up here herself.
As to why I haven’t heard a word from them yet? They were busy, incredibly so. The war was not going in the Union’s favor and for them that just meant they had an omnipotent customer always itching to part ways with more @’s — or bonds — for large quantities of mass-produced tools of human suffering. Of course, I’m not judging them. They weren’t the ones who started this conflict, and profiteering from human misery is the basis of almost every industry.
Now, while we were on the topic of my family, I obviously brought up my brother. Her reaction? Well, she stopped walking, looked me in the eye, gave me a closed smile while tilting her head and said, “He’s still missing — just like you were, my lady.”
…
He’s alive; that confirms it. And, from the sound of it, in a similar situation to mine just an hour ago. Now, of course, I wanted to ask more, but just the way Sonia said that made it clear she wasn’t meant to tell me about it, so I didn’t press her. But he’s on my radar, and you can be sure that's the first thing I'll ask Liam when I see him in person... Other than a kick in the nuts but that's not here or there.
Sonia took this chance to brief me about the ‘official’ narrative that Liam had cooked up.
I told her right away that I would not spout bullshit on Liam’s orders, but she quickly reminded me of the clause in the contract. If I ever wanted to talk about it to people outside of the Katayama family, at least officially, I would have to relay that narrative…
'Seems like that contract is already biting me in the ass.'
Thankfully, I had already informed everyone that I trusted and cared to know about what really happened; I’m not lying to my friends on Liam’s orders.
Anyway, the ‘official’ story that Liam — And his lawyers — cooked up, was clearly made to diminish their actions from gross parental negligence to just regular neglect. Instead of the family throwing me out of the estate, they said I ran away on my initiative after they had failed to recognize my dueling prowess. Now, naturally, this would open me up to a ton of legal trouble, living under a fake identity and all, but since I would’ve been underage during the time, ‘I’ faked my identity, then there went most of the legal trouble. For the rest, the Katayama Familly had ‘graciously’ taken responsibility for any outstanding liabilities.
This story, like all good lies, had an inordinate amount of truth to it, and, while compared to reality, it tampered the actions of Liam; I imagine it will still bring him embarrassment. Failing the recognize the dueling prowess of a natural penta-summoner is a… difficult endeavor.
My opinion of all of this? … Complicated. For one, I now had to acknowledge Miranda and Liam as my parents… recognizing Miranda as my mother was one thing. She acted like she really cared and seemed nice overall… But Liam? … Fuck him. Fuck all of what he stood for. The man wasn’t even sorry for what he did and the fact that he now deemed it convenient to recognize me again certainly didn’t make me open to the idea of ever forgiving him.
Unfortunately, regardless of my opinion, I had to accept that was my new reality. While at first it seemed like nothing had changed, about an hour after the signing, my phone started blowing up with notifications and messages. Insurances, security services, credit ranking changes, bank notices, new accounts, VIP memberships, and countless ‘Introductory’ messages from entities I had never met or given my number arrived in my inbox. I tried reading through some of these messages, but other than some notable memos, I just couldn’t keep up.
As I couldn’t read them all, I went on the lookout for notices that required actual action on my part. One of the notable messages was from ‘upstart banking’.
Since ‘Yuumi Katayama’ was now registered as one of my aliases, I had my old ‘Katayama’ account back. For a rich girl’s account, it was sparse, only 3630@ in balance, but a quick peek into the account relations showed a connected trust fund, just like you’d expect from rich parents. It even gave me an option to request funds from it directly, streamlining the ‘ask daddy for money’ process to a button press.
Upstart banking was asking me what I intended to do with the account associated with the name ‘Yuumi Matsunaga,’ also registered as another of my aliases. I had two options: either merge it with my ‘Katayama’ account or leave it as a separate one under my name… I opted to keep them separate, and when I opened the app again to check, it was clear that was the right choice. The Katayama account was registered as being owned and managed by the Katayama family and only assigned to me… I would’ve effectively lost my financial independence had I merged the two accounts… That was a close call.
‘Too close… I can’t be on the lookout 24/7 for little tricks like that — it’s just a matter of time before I cock up… He’s counting on that, isn’t he? That fucker! Ooooo, I’m giving him a piece of my mind when I see him, I promise that.’
Steeling myself, I go back to the messaging app and try to find other actionable requests on my part. But this is where I’m surprised by the amount of automated problem resolution on part of other services.
For example, I fully expected that there would be a problem with my NWDA enrollment, something else for Light to fix. But I only appear to have received one message from them acknowledging the identity change and that’s it. I open the NWDA app to check and found my new name already there, coupled with emergency contacts that weren’t present before. Of course, this could just be Light preemptively fixing things; It has been an hour since I signed that. But, seeing as every other message seems to have triggered at the same time, one hour after the signing, it makes more sense if that’s just how long it took for the change to take effect and these are instant automatic procedures at work.
‘If that’s the case, then… That’s fucking spectacular.’ Completely automated bureaucracy capable of handling something as complicated as a name change with an associated change in family ties with no human input… Out of everything that I’ve seen here: Hard-light technology, advanced commercial space travel, fusion energy, projected sky highways… Having memories of a life lived dealing with inefficient, life-pausing, bureaucracy, this awes me most out of everything so far.
Just as I look back at my phone, another, more corporate application of this technology looks back at me as a full screen ad in a pure white windows and cursive font.
[
Dear Ms. Yuumi M. Katayama,
We are thrilled to welcome you to the Dragonfruit™ VIP program. At Dragonfruit™, we take immense pride in delivering exceptional services to all our customers. However, we understand that some customers require a unique level of attention that goes beyond our standard offerings.
We are pleased to inform you that you have met the criteria to be recognized as a Dragonfruit™ VIP. Our VIP program is designed to provide the extra care that we know you deserve and have always deserved. As a Dragonfruit™ VIP, you will receive exclusive benefits and privileges that are tailored to your specific needs and preferences.
Our team of experts will work closely with you to ensure that your experience with Dragonfruit™ is nothing short of extraordinary. From personalized recommendations to priority access, we are committed to providing you with the highest level of service possible.
As a VIP, you will be entitled to special services not generally available to regular Dragonfruit™ customers:
Best-in-class support and assistance from partnered Dragonfruit™ certified service providers.
Early access to upcoming Dragonfruit™ products and services.
Free of charge upgrades for all existing Dragonfruit™ subscriptions.
Access to Dragonfruit™ VIP network areas at sanctioned events.
Unlimited trial runs of products on the Dragonfruit™ Appstore and Dragonfruit™ Solid Vision Botique.
Please verify the full list of available VIP services and further upgrades to your Dragonfruit™ VIP membership in the Dragonfruit™ app or at {Dragonfruit@GN|Home}, {[email protected]|VIP}, {[email protected]} or {[email protected]}.
— Bookmarks have been added to your GlobalNet browser —
Thank you for choosing Dragonfruit™. We look forward to serving you with our best-in-class services and making your experience with us truly unforgettable.
Best regards, The Dragonfruit™ Team
]
—
After fully clearing away that ad — More easily said than done by the way — I finally stop scrolling and take some time to decide what I want to do for the rest of today. I realize I haven’t been able to decide this for myself ever since I got up here. Most of the time, I had just been following my friends around, with some exceptions, occasionally.
Unfortunately, there aren’t many entertainment options aboard a rescue ship. And so, I make good on my promise to Haruna, and send her a message.
Shortly after, she responds, informing me that the six of them were still in our room, and I make a sharp turn toward the habitation ring.
It doesn’t take me long for me to arrive back at the dorm style room and after swiping my phone at the door; it swooshes up and lets me take a good look inside.
Naeko and Yasuna are no longer stuck to the screen and now seem to be arguing about something? I’m guessing that it is nothing too serious since Haruna is watching over the two, looking more amused than anything.
“How the hell do you even justify a 4% performance uplift for twice the price!? Those Shitexelbar chips are a massive waste. They’re overclocking their last-gen shit just so they can stay on top of benchmarks when Allico and Mystic are clearly making the superior product this generation!”
“Oh yeah, because Mystic chips are so efficient, they might as well pull double duty as room heaters! Seriously, you’re not about to tell me 90 degrees under load with a Thermoelectric plate running on a triple-rad cooling loop is efficient. And for what? 100 GHz boost clock instead of 96? You don’t even notice that! Not when you’re playing any game that uses an FPGA card properly! Oh, and don’t get me started with Allico, 8x hyper-threading with 512 cores? Great! Now I can use the CPU for AI loads instead of the Q-Bit quantum processing card I bought for that purpose! Great incentive!”
‘Ah, the sound of two tech bro’s arguing… Or tech sisters, I guess. It’s music to my ears either way.’
Looking further into the room, I notice Nanako on one of the bunks fawning over Mia, who seems to be more than happy having a professional doing her nails for her. Meanwhile, Aiko is looking over the two, keenly observing the expert at work and listening to her advice as she does her own nails.
‘Kind of reminds me I have to redo mine, with everything going on, that was at the bottom of my priority list, but I can’t think of any outstanding business I have to attend… Might as well take this chance.’
I walk into the room, and everyone stops what they’re doing and suddenly turn my way… I wasn’t expecting that…
“Hmm, is there something on my face?”
Haruna walks over to me and hands me her phone. Her expression looking unamused.
“Girl, don’t act innocent. Your little ‘name change’ is all over the news.”
I glance at the article she opened and read the title.
[ Penta-Summoner revealed as long-lost daughter of billionaire family: Courageous star-child? Or concealed adoption? ]
When I look back up, I sigh, giving her phone back. “These guys are fast, huh?”
She grabs it from me and sighs herself. “Yeah, you’d be surprised how quickly the news of the hero of the hour being revealed as the long-lost daughter of one of the largest and richest arms dealers in the Union spreads.” She shakes her head. “Really Yuumi, I knew it was only a matter of time, but why didn’t you tell us this was happening today?”
I hold my head, massaging my temples. “Because I also didn’t know, okay? I didn’t know this would be how my talk with the Director would go down…” I look around the room, complicated expressions all around. Crossing my arms, I explain. “It was this or the army, and I’m not going into that meat grinder.”
Haruna jerks back, looking around as a look of realization hits her. “Of course, it was…” She looks back up, urging. “Let’s sit down first. You have a lot to explain.”
--
After sitting down on the floor, surrounded by the six, they then went on and questioned me about everything they could think of.
At first, I was confused. I had already told them this was something that could happen and the reasons behind it. But something I learned just from their first questions is that telling someone you may be related to some important people and that relation being officially recognized are two different things.
From the part of the cheerleaders, most of their confusion was about what would happen to me. They thought my parents would force me to leave the NWDA… I quickly dispelled that notion. I’m not going anywhere if I can help it.
That then leads to questions about my levels of independency… They were shocked when I told them I could still do whatever the hell I wanted to. Apparently, there’s a relation between the wealth of a dynasty and how strict they are with their children.
‘And boy, the Katayama family is wealthy… And now so am I… Wow, that’s going to take me some time to come to terms with. Even in my other life, where I barely ever spent any money, my savings account only reached six digits… That was enough for me.’
Anyway, after clearing those misconceptions up, Haruna finally asks the pertinent question.
“So, if you’re not going away, then what exactly does this change?”
I shrug at her. “Nothing really. Well, I don’t suppose you three can keep joking about me being short on funds any longer.”
That answer seems to satisfy her, as she chuckles and jokes. “Yeah, soon enough it will be us asking you to pay for stuff.”
Smiling, I turn to the other group in the room, and while the twins seem unphased, I find Yasuna looking down at the floor.
“Is there something wrong, Yasuna?”
She perks up, looking out at me. “No… Yes…” Shaking her head, she asks, “Could we talk about it alone?”
Before I have time to speak, I notice Mia narrowing her eyes on her. “Hey now, come on Yasuna, we’re all trying to get answers from Yuumi. It’s not fair that you get to question her alone.”
Crossing her arms, Yasuna looks away uncomfortably and murmurs, “It’s… something private…”
As an awkward silence sets in, Naeko’s head tilts to the side before she urges, “Hmm, Yasuna, if you’re short on cash, then you can just ask me. I’ll be more than happy to bring you into the Pixelbar side myself.”
This makes the usually unflappable fitness nut redden up like a tomato. “No, that’s not it at all!” with her face landing on her hands, she shakes her head.
Seeing her seriously struggling here, I walk over to her and place a hand on her shoulder, asking, “Come on, Yasuna, there’s nothing to be ashamed of here. Just ask what you want to ask.”
She crosses her arms, murmuring, “Fuck it, why not?” Looking me in the face, she lets out a long sigh. “Yuumi, just how far have you gone with the cheer squad?”
I blink a few times in confusion, “Oh, that was your question? Well, I don’t see what this has to do with my parents but, if you really want to know: I can do poses pretty well, and I’m getting better at the air stuff. With the help of Nanako, I’m also getting started designing my performer avat—”
“No, not that!” She whines, facepalming. Sighing, she asks, “I meant… naughty things… You’re an initiated member, aren’t you?”
Taking a step back, I murmur. “Oh…” I scratch my neck while tilting my head to the side. “That’s… A little private, don’t you think? I mean… I will tell you about it if you want…”
Yasuna’s eyes skip around the room and she shakes her head. “That’s exactly why I wanted to speak with you privately…”
I look to my back and see the cheer club girls talking with each other.
“You can tell her about it if you want,” Haruna says after listening to the opinions of the other two. “We never try to hide anything.”
Seeing as they are okay with it, I turn back to Yasuna and tell her about it. “Well… After my initiation there wasn’t any time for me to enjoy… the perks… The Director sent us up here pretty soon after that happened and then… Well, I got paired up with them in the same room… And we might’ve gone a little… Naughty.”
“What do you mean by ‘Naughty?’”
I groan, holding onto my arm as I feel my cheeks burning up. “Are you really going to make me spell it out? Fine! We fucked! There! Was that what you wanted to hear!?”
Instead of getting flustered like I expected, Yasuna looks down at the ground and says with a sigh. “So, you really did it…” She lets out a disappointed groan. “I knew they would be a bad influence on you.”
“I’m sorry, who did you just call a ‘bad influence!?’” This time it’s Haruna who shouts out. She jumps from where she was sitting and rushes over to us. Pressing a finger on Yasuna’s chest while towering over her. “You can call us a lot of names: loose sluts, skanks, maybe even whores, if we’re good enough friends. But I draw the line at ‘bad influence!’ a ‘Bad influence’ are those sisterhoods at the blue dorm which exist to make freshmen with no backing into fucking cock sleeves for their influential backers to play with! Not us!”
‘What the fuck, those exist!? What the hell has Light been doing?’
Yet Yasuna doesn’t back down or seem fazed by her, even if she’s invading her personal space. “Oh, so that’s your argument? Just because there are worse examples out there, doesn’t make you any better!”
As the two continue arguing, I find myself taking a few steps back and falling down, sitting on the floor by one of the bunks with a piercing headache.
‘And now they're arguing… Great! Just when I thought my family would be the worst of my problems, Yasuna just had to ask that… For fuck’s sake! Why can’t anything in my life ever be simple?’
Clutching my head in my hands as I hear the two arguing, I finally shout. “STOP!”
This makes the two turn my direction and, noticing my obvious discomfort, urge, ““Are you alright!?”” They give a quick glance at each other before rushing to my side.
As I feel their hands touching my shoulders, I shake my head and tell, “No… I’m not… For fuck’s sake, why are we fighting about this?” I turn to Haruna, “I know what Yasuna said was terrible, but aren’t you like, two years her senior? What are you doing trying to argue with her!?”
Seeing Haruna’s eyes drop and her back away, I turn my attention to Yasuna. “And you.” I lean closer. “Why does this matter so much for you? It’s almost like you think you know what I want better than me!” I lean in even closer, but unlike she did for Nanako, she actually backs away, “And if you really think that, that I’m a spoiled brat who doesn’t know what she wants, then I suggest you look at the lengths I’ve gone to so I can make sure I’m here, free of will, with no one person being capable of controlling me!”
Getting up, I take a deep breath in. “Now, I’m going to take a stroll to clear my head… I better not see you two fighting again, or I swear I’m going to break another arm just to get out of here.”
With that, I look around the paling faces of the two before turning my back on them.
—
Yuumi closed the door behind her after storming off. This left the only two girls standing in the middle of the room, looking at the ground awkwardly.
On one side, Haruna shook her head painfully and sat back down next to her squad mates, who themselves began whispering
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen Yuumi so pissed off before…”
“I know, right? She sounded like a completely different person.”
Seeing her ‘Rival’ sit down, Yasuna decided it was best she would do the same, placing herself to the right of the twins sitting on the floor.
The twin sisters immediately moved to surround her, trying to comfort the girl.
“Yasuna, come on, you know she didn’t mean it, right?”
“She looked tired Yasuna… It was probably the stress from today getting to her… Don’t take it to heart.”
Despite the twins’ best efforts, the usually unflappable fitness nut was left looking at the carpet between the two beds while her eyes focused right below where Haruna was sitting and a strange thought passed through her head. ‘Those legs probably have been wrapped around Yuumi…’ She blushed right away, trying to shake her head to get that dirty thought out as fast as possible.
Haruna leaned back, looking at the ceiling while her brain tried to figure out why she had gotten so worked up at a basic insult from a red ranked nobody… No, that was not fair, even if she couldn’t admit it out loud, Yasuna was no longer a nobody, her vast effort to change the girl’s outlook on her and the cheer club made that clear.
““I’m sorry.”” The two echoed simultaneously.
Pausing for a moment, Haruna urged. “You can go first, if you want to…”
“Can… You go first?” Yasuna suggested after deliberating on it.
Haruna bobbed her head. “Sure.” She took a deep breath in and started. “I’m sorry, as your senior, I shouldn’t have yelled at you. It’s just… No matter how hard we work, it just seems like no one really takes us seriously… But I shouldn’t be dumping my trauma on you.”
Yasuna blinked curiously. “No, it’s fine! I… Was about to do the same…” she admitted with a tinge of humor.
Smiling, Haruna said, “If you say so…” she took a deep breath in, feeling her two squad mates press against her comfortingly, “Well, in all the time I have been the captain of the cheer club — three years — This has been our first and only outing, and I fear the only reason we got a shoot is because Yuumi needed to be here…”
To the side of Haruna, noticing her trail off, Naeko continued, “People at the academy, the Director included, look at us and instead of cheerleaders, they see a bunch of spoiled brats that would sooner open their legs before doing any hard work in life…”
Finally, Nanako revealed, “Worse than those rumors are the reactions when we perform… People think they are being nice when they say stuff like: ‘Woah, they’re actually pretty good’, or ‘I didn’t think you girls could actually perform like that.’ It is so infuriating! Like! What do you expect!? We train twice a week every week for 5 hours at a time; we are the cheer club! Not the fucking orgy club!”
While Yasuna looked down painfully, she couldn’t help herself but to say. “Well… There’s a reason for that. You make your shit pretty easy to find…”
Haruna laughed at that. “Hah! Well… If you were to compare us to the other sisterhood type groups at the blue dorm, you’d quickly figure we’re not the worse there is… But, unlike them, we actually have to make sure our recruits are there for the right reasons, instead of promising ‘You’ll get ahead in life if you join us! Just ask for a room-change to our leased wing!’ and then see all the hopeful nobodies flooding in and getting mercilessly used as playthings for the members with some actual backing! Better yet, there is nothing anyone can do about it, because even if it is a ‘leased wing’ at the blue ranked castle, they pour so much money in they practically own the place AND PAY OFF THE PEOPLE WHO ARE SUPPOSED TO OVERSEE THEM!!”
After shouting, Haruna leans back and takes a deep breath in. “Sorry, it just makes me sick.”
Opposite of the cheer squad, Yasuna and the twins gape at what Haruna just told them.
“D-Does that really happen?…” Mia shily asked.
“I don’t think I want to get to blue rank Mia…” Aiko admitted.
But worse of all was Yasuna. Focusing on Haruna, she asked. “Are… are ‘Battle Pixies’ one of those groups?”
Haruna just blinked intently. “Yes, one of the worst, actually… Why do you ask? Were you planning on joining them?”
“They reached out to me… I was considering it.”
With a slight frown, Haruna said. “Well, since you have Yuumi backing you up, and they asked you to join them, you wouldn’t end up like the rest of their recruits.” Further leaning back, she explained, “It’s a balancing act for them. Get enough influential recruits to lure other less fortunate recently promoted blue rank students to turn into their playthings. Either way, if I’m reading you right, I doubt you would appreciate their practices…”
Looking on with sorrow, Yasuna tells, “Thanks for the warning… Holy shit…”
Haruna gives her a thumbs up. “No problem; if you want an actual decent group to join at the blue dorm, there are some I can suggest.” A teasing smile grows on Haruna’s lips before she reveals, “Some of them even do naughty events~.”
Yasuna's face reddens, and she stutters, “I-I-I think I’m good without those… Thanks…”
The smile on Haruna’s face turns around and forehead scrunches up. “It’s the sexual stuff that gets you, isn’t it?”
Yasuna’s expression sinks, and she right away crosses her arms and closes up, her eyes turning down and glazing over. “You have Aya to thank for that…” is all that she said before lowering her chin on top of her arms.
Haruna grimaced, seeing the twins get closer to comfort Yasuna. “So this is about her…”
The other two cheerleaders were struck with the same realization.
“The ‘princess’…” Whispered Naeko.
“Right… You’re a second year red, you were there. Oh, shit!…” Nanako exclaimed.
Yasuna gave them a light nod, saying in a weak voice. “Yes… Aya… Well, you know what happened…”
Looking out to the side, Haruna closed her eyes and shook her head. “I’m sorry Yasuna, I can’t believe we didn’t connect the dots earlier… God, that Aya, if it’s any comfort to you, know that most consider what she did a grave embarrassment to the entire blue-ranked student body.”
But Yasuna narrowed her eyes at this. “Really? Did they think that back then as well? Or only now that someone stood up to her and brought her down a peg?”
Haruna sighed. “For most… I’m afraid it’s the second.” She took another deep breath, saying with a lowered gaze. “I’m sorry. I can’t believe I cheered for that person.” She sighed, then declared, “Really hope she’s getting what she fucking deserves for that; Almost makes me glad the tournament stopped before she could claim a first place finish!”
Yet Yasuna shook her head. “No, I don’t think Aya deserves that… at least not now.” She stretched her legs, returning to a more natural sitting position as she spoke, “We… Talked it out, and she seemed genuinely sorry. Besides, I got her back for it… But I guess some trauma just never leaves you… I’m sorry.”
Nanako stood up, walking over to Yasuna before kneeling and placing a hand on her shoulder. “You don’t have to say sorry. WE are sorry for egging you on so much. If we realized this was the reason before, we wouldn’t have done that.”
A faint smile appeared on Yasuna’s lips. “Thanks… You girls are pretty chill, all things considered.”
Nanako nodded, giving her a smile in return, “Fu, fu, we’ll take that as a compliment, thanks,” but then her smile lowered a bit. “With that said, Yasuna, we still have to talk about you and Yuumi. I can understand why you’re suspicious, but that doesn’t explain why you’re so opposed to Yuumi having… fun… with us.”
Yasuna sighed, “Well… from my viewpoint, It’s simple.” She looked to the other side of the room, focusing on Haruna and Naeko, who were casually fondling each other just out of sight. “I’m afraid your… Do you call it a relationship if you technically are ‘just’ friends? Regardless, I think whatever you have with Yuumi is… unbalanced.”
This put Nanako in a pensive mood, with the two cheerleaders behind her stopping whatever they were doing and focusing back on the conversation.
“Can you explain what you mean by that?” Nanako Asked, still hovering close to the girl.
“Well…” the green-haired second year drew on. “Please don’t take this the wrong way, but, in the time that we’ve been up here, how many times have any of you hooked up with someone outside of your… Group?”
Nanako shook her head while her eyes turned to the ceiling. “Never, really; too much to do during the day… Why?”
Yasuna bobbed her head as she asked, “Do you intend to keep it that way when we get back?”
“No…” the dark-skinned cheerleader dragged. “I think I know where you’re getting at…”
“If you know, then tell that to Yuumi. She’s inexperienced at this and I don’t want to see her hurting when realizes she can’t depend on you three to always be… available.”
Rubbing her chin, Nanako reflected, “I see… That’s… Important. Yuumi said she wasn’t interested in romance or anything exclusive. But when we get back down, things will inevitably become a lot more one-sided.” She turned back to her squad mates and said, “We have to talk with her about this. I don’t want us breaking up over something so trivial.”
The two concurred, with Haruna saying, “If you think so, Nanako, we’ll make sure she knows she’s not limited to us.”
Naeko added close by, “Yeah, we’ll find her some girls, get her into parties, maybe even try to find someone who can crack her… ‘non-romantic’ affliction.”
Yasuna nodded, letting out a relieved sigh. “That would ease my worries… Thanks for understanding.”
Nanako chuckled, “No, thank you! I suppose a more traditional perspective really can be useful from time to time.”
On that note, the mismatched group of six returned to a much more casual discussion: What would they say to Yuumi when she returns?
Thankfully for them, they had little time to overthink this. The sound of the room’s door swooshing up broke that awkward silence, causing everyone’s eyes to snap at the crestfallen penta-summoner that walked in.
“Hey girls… Look, my bad—”
That was all that the depressed-sounding girl got out before being interrupted by Yasuna and Haruna jumping from where they were sitting and charging at her, sending the much smaller girl tumbling to the floor under their cries.
““We’re sorry!!””
