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Aya zipped behind the invader, and seized its third leg. With a mighty heave she spun around, and used the force of the swing to catapult the monster into the air.
"Ran-chan!"
"Got it!"
Ran aimed her magical rod upwards. The flower at the tip glowed, blossomed, and fired a thin beam that pierced right through the centre of the invader. There was a brief shriek, then it went poof. The black mist vanished in seconds.
* * *
They made it back to the city, and found a rooftop to sit on. There was a silent agreement between them that would be the cool thing to do. On the way they had gotten milkshakes. Ran had gone for a grapefruit one, while Aya had treated herself to a large banana shake. She felt she deserved it, and Chisato would never know. Technically Ran had treated her to it. They had looked at Aya's money, and it was Ran's judgement that she had best not use it. To them it looked the same, so it might be fine, but they'd rather not find out the hard way. Her card would definitely not work. She'd just have to treat Ran in return if she ever came over to visit again.
It had briefly entered Aya's mind that she could take on a part-time job in the other world to get some other-world money, but she had quickly realised how untenable that was.
"Thanks for the tips, Maruyama-senpai. I think I can show them some new tricks next time. Though it felt like you were holding back yourself," Ran said.
"Eh? N-no, I-" Aya sighed. "More like pacing myself. I'm limited to whatever energy I can carry along in this." She did a baton twirl with her rod. "And I'm not sure how much that is, nor what will happen if I run out." Besides it wouldn't help Ran get stronger if Aya just wiped out everything herself.
"Oh." Ran paused to sip her milkshake. "Can't you just recharge it here?"
"The Guardians said no, and I don't think they lied. I'm not sure our energies are entirely compatible. Remember what happened when you tried to use my rod, Ran-chan?" Aya pointed out.
"Uh... yeah." Ran nodded. It had been a shock for both of them. Perhaps that was part of the whole 'each world to their own' thing the Guardians had talked about. As if they were on slightly different frequencies.
"But you know... I had kinda forgotten how much I wanted to work in a team when I first started out," she said. "Once things got rolling I ended up too focused on the sense of adventure I got from it to remember, I guess."
Ran side-eyed her. "Sense of adventure? Really?"
"Hey, I've been a magical girl fan for as long as I can remember. It was a dream come true." Aya gazed out across the city below them. This Edogawa didn't look any different from her own. Of course it was hard to tell from up above. "And I had finally found something I was good at. I can't stress enough how incredibly mediocre I was at anything else. Still am, I suppose. So even the bad parts felt right. The hero suffers setbacks, faces obstacles, then manages to overcome them." Even years later she couldn't bring herself to feel bad about anything that had happened. Anything she had been put through. Until she found Pastel*Palettes nothing had given her the same sense of purpose.
"I see..."
"Weren't you a magical girl fan before you were chosen, Ran-chan?" Aya asked.
Ran also gazed at the view. "I guess? Not as much as you it sounds like, but most young girls watch those shows, right? Honestly Moca was more into it than me, even if she mostly liked the fight scenes. But we'd watch them together. I was so excited to tell her when I became one." She smiled.
"Did you? Does she know?" No one had known about Aya half a year prior.
"Yeah. Well, not immediately. The Guardians stressed the importance of secrecy. I assume yours did the same?"
Aya nodded.
"But I couldn't keep it hidden for very long," Ran continued. "Hard to hide something that big when you're that close, you know?" Aya couldn't really say she did, at least not until quite recently. "She was very understanding about me trying to keep it hidden. I mean, she did the usual Moca thing of being dramatic, and saying she wished it was her. Maybe she truly did, but I could tell she was happy for me." The fondness in Ran's voice was obvious.
Aya wondered if the Ran and Moca in her world were just as close. They probably were.
"So... what is the Ran in your world like?" Ran asked, as if she had just read Aya's mind.
"Well... hm... I don't think she's very different from you," Aya said. "You have the same style, you both care a lot about Afterglow, and its members. I think she's less talkative than you are. Ah, no offence!"
Ran chuckled. "None taken. It's nice to hear that. Would be interesting to meet her."
"My Guardians advised me against seeking myse- my other self," Aya said. Considering what Ran had said about the history between them, she didn't really want to ask too much about her other. There was something else she had been wondering instead. "You said I'm not part of Pastel*Palettes in this world. So who are the members over here?"
Ran put her cup down to her side, and leaned back. "Well, there's Shirasagi-san, Maya-san, Eve, and the Hikawa sisters."
Aya's brain ground to a screeching halt. "S-sisters?"
"Yeah, Hina-san, and Sayo-san. You don't know them?"
"Sayo-chan took my place?!" Aya was baffled.
"Huh? No, you said you're the vocalist, right? That's Hina-san. Sayo-san plays the guitar."
Aya wasn't sure if she felt any better about that. Why were Hina and Sayo in the same band? Not to mention... "Then what about Roselia?"
Ran cocked her head to the side. "What about them?"
"Who's their guitarist?"
"Rokka."
"... Who's Rokka?"
"Ako's friend. They joined together, I believe."
Aya felt lost.
"Why? What's it like in your world?" Ran asked.
"W-well, Hina-chan is Pas*Pal's guitarist. While Sayo-chan is Roselia's guitarist. The two of them have a... somewhat strained relationship, though I think they're in the process of making up."
"Huh... weird."
"And I don't recall meeting anyone named Rokka."
Ran put her hand on her chin. "Well, I know she transferred here from somewhere like... last year? Two years ago? I'm not sure from where. Maybe she stayed at home in your world?"
"Yeah, maybe..." Maybe Aya should ask Ako when she got back, just in case. Though that confirmed that Roselia also existed in Ran's world. "Uh, what about Poppin' Party, and Hello, Happy World? Are they around over here?"
"They are," Ran confirmed. "Kasumi's a little weird, but she's a good friend. Kokoro's a little harder to figure out, but her band genuinely makes people smile."
Aya finished the last of her milkshake. "So we have the same bands, just with some of the members shuffled around. I guess our worlds are fairly close..." There was another thing that had been poking at her mind. "I thought maybe Chisato-chan would be the vocalist for Pastel*Palettes though. I know she expected to be in my world, and it took her a little while to get used to being the bassist. So I thought perhaps in an alternate world she would be."
"Well... everyone knows Shirasagi-san is the real brains behind the band, but she..." Ran paused.
"Hm?"
"Something happened a few years back, and..." Ran shook her head. "I don't know the full circumstances, so I'd rather not engage in gossip. She's a little hard to approach, so I don't know her that well either..."
"Ah." While Aya was curious, she didn't want to press Ran on the matter.
Ran got up. "I should get back. We have practice soon, and Himari might have already texted me. I guess you're heading back too, Maruyama-senpai?"
"Hm... well, I have the whole day off, so I kinda wanted to... well... have a look around," Aya said. It had been a spur of the moment decision, and it might be tough to explain her absence if anyone ended up looking for her, but there were no obligations or plans scheduled.
"Huh... I'm not sure if that's a good idea, but I would probably do the same... I can't be your guide though, so I guess all I can say is good luck."
"Thanks." Aya smiled, and got on her feet. "Oh, uh, one last thing. Would you happen to know if anyone has superpowers around here?"
Ran stared at her. "Superpowers?"
"Yeah, you know, like... flying, or being really strong, or turning invisible, that kinda stuff... without magical girl powers, I mean."
"Uh... I don't think so... why do you ask? Wait, are you saying there's people like that in your world?"
"Uh... yeah." Aya nodded. "I only learned about it a couple of months ago. Then found out some of them were friends of mine." She still wasn't quite over that.
Ran scratched her head. "That's really strange. There's nothing like that here that I'm aware of, but I guess I should be on the lookout for it. Is it connected to the Guardians?"
"They told me no, along with some cryptic stuff about how they aren't the only power in the world or something..." Aya couldn't recall the exact wording.
"That's somewhat worrying... but I really need to get going." Ran picked up her empty cup. Littering was not cool. "See you around, Maruyama-senpai."
"Take care, Ran-chan."
Aya waved as Ran leapt off of the roof, and flew away. As for herself, she needed to decide on where she wanted to go first.
* * *
The very first issue Aya ran into was how to get around. Her transit pass would not work, her money was risky to use, and Edogawa was a big place. Not everything was within reasonable walking distance. She reached the conclusion that relying on her magical girl powers was the only way if she wanted to see more than like two places. Also risky, but the magic should be able to disguise her. Only for bursts though. She considered just remaining transformed, and using the magic to make her appearance look normal, but she was worried about the energy drain. She was not used to measuring the amount of magic she used, and couldn't really make a guess about how much she had left in the rod. All she could tell was that it was not empty.
The first place she found herself stopping by was home. Her other self's home. From the outside it didn't really look different. It looked like the same house. Assuming she still had the same room, the curtains looked different, but otherwise... then it occurred to her that even if she was clad differently, the neighbours might recognise her, and she hurried away. She was still tempted to have a look at the other Aya, but she didn't know whether she was home. Even if she was, then what? Did she just ring the doorbell, and ask her mum to be let in? No way.
Next stop ended up being the talent agency. It also looked the same from the outside. Her other self had probably never been there, so the risk of being recognised was low, but she still felt nervous about trying to go inside. She'd get stopped at the front desk. Trying to flash her access badge from back home would probably not fly. Her plan of having a look around was not turning out the way she had originally imagined.
As she was pondering whether anyone she knew might be in the building, the front door opened, and two familiar figures stepped out. Eve and Maya. Their outfits were a little different from what she was used to seeing, but she could easily imagine them wearing something like that. And even from across the street she noticed they were holding hands. Seemed like that wasn't any different. Her heart felt a little warmer at that. While she had been most curious about seeing Hina and Sayo, it was nice to see someone she knew being basically the same.
After taking off, the next place she came across was Hanasakigawa High School. It wasn't a school day, so it was closed, but she felt bold enough to hop inside anyway. She wasn't going to enter the building or anything, she just wanted to have a closer look. Using the magic to cloak herself was hopefully not too much of a drain. She didn't intend to stay that long.
There was nothing immediately different about the school building. It looked to be the same size, have the same entrances, and the same windows. In terms of how different an alternate world could have been, this one seemed only slightly removed from her own. Even the posters and notices were for stuff she could easily imagine seeing at home, even if she didn't recognise those ones in particular. There was even a Poppin' Party poster. It was for a show that had already passed, at least assuming they had the same calendar, but the poster had been left up. It had the same names as back home. Made sense they wouldn't be different. So far there was really nothing that truly felt like another world.
Her curiosity took her to Circle next, mostly due to being curious whether it was there. It was, and it didn't seem any different either. She even saw Marina at the desk inside through the window. Not that she would know Aya, considering she wasn't in a band in this world. The cafe menu was a little different from what she was used to, but that was it.
"Huh? Aya-senpai?"
Aya's heart nearly stopped, and she spun around to see who had said her name. "T... Tae-chan?!"
There stood Hanazono Tae. She looked exactly like the Tae Aya was used to back home. Same hair, same clothes, guitar case on her back, and everything. Had she accidentally transferred back? So far nothing had really been that different, after all.
"Yo." Tae raised her hand in greeting. "Hm..." she leaned forwards a little as if examining Aya closely. "Oh, you're that Aya-senpai. What are you doing here?" she asked.
Aya blinked. "W-what? Uh... I-I'm just looking around a little, haha." She was used to Tae being a little odd, but even by that standard this was new. What does she mean by 'that Aya-senpai'?
"Ah, gotcha." Tae nodded in apparent satisfaction. "For a moment there I wondered if I was in the wrong place."
Aya couldn't make heads or tails of the conversation. "What do you mean by-"
"O-Tae!"
A bright, cheerful voice called out, and then suddenly Tae was being hugged by none other than Toyama Kasumi. Who also looked pretty much the same as she did in Aya's world.
"You're early, Kasumi," Tae said with a smile.
"Yeah, I wanted to... hm?" Kasumi looked at Aya as if she suddenly noticed she was there.
"Hi, Kasumi-chan," Aya said, then immediately worried about whether Aya and Kasumi even knew each other in this world.
Kasumi just gave her a blank look. Not a good sign.
"Aya-senpai is here to visit," Tae helpfully chimed in.
"Oh! I'm sorry, Aya-senpai, I've never seen you like that before. Are you trying out a new style?" Kasumi asked.
"Uh... yeah, kinda," Aya said. Seriously, what sort of person am I in this world? Kasumi still seemed friendly enough, but also a little cautious. Or maybe Aya was just imagining it.
"Are you here to see someone?" Kasumi asked.
"N... not quite, I..." Aya didn't see any way this conversation could end well. "I-I was just passing through. I should go. Bye-bye, Kasumi-chan. Tae-chan."
"Oh. Bye-bye!"
Aya walked away as briskly as she could. That had been incredibly awkward. What if Kasumi tried to bring it up with the other Aya at school? Not to mention Tae being even stranger than usual. Aya could have kept her cool, and managed to ask them some innocuous questions, but instead she had completely panicked. Maybe Ran had been right about this being a bad idea.
* * *
Yet instead of going home, Aya ended up wandering the streets. Her little tour hadn't turned out like she had hoped, even if she wasn't sure what she had actually hoped for. She knew she should just leave, but for some reason she still felt hesitant. As if she was still looking for something. Then it occurred to her that she had no idea where she was.
She stopped, and looked around. While her sense of direction was actually quite decent, she had been too lost in her own thoughts to pay attention to where she was going. It was possible she had passed through the area before, but she couldn't see anything she really recognised. She would probably have to go up to find out where to go. Or maybe she should finally give up, and head home. Regardless she'd have to find somewhere to transform. There was an alley she had just walked past, she had noticed that much. That would probably do.
She turned around, but only managed to take a couple of steps before she stopped again. There was someone heading in her direction. Even dressed all in black, even with that amount of makeup on, there was no way she'd fail to recognise who it was.
"Chisato-chan!"
Chisato froze. "What? Who are you?"
"It's Aya!"
Chisato squinted. "Aya...? ... Maruyama-san?" Her look was filled with suspicion.
Aya felt a little disappointed at the lack of recognition, but also relieved, and maybe a little thrilled to have ran into this world's Chisato. The goth look was a surprise though. "You even dress like a vampire over here, huh?"
Chisato's eyes narrowed, and her stance shifted. "What did you just say?"
Aya's brain finally regained control. Oh. I'm not supposed to know that. And Chisato's posture was far from a friendly one. "W-wait, Chi-"
Before Aya could finish her sentence, Chisato had grabbed her by the dress, and thrown her into the alley. Out of sight.
"H-hang on. Stop!" Aya tried to get back on her feet, but Chisato pounced her before she got the chance. She hadn't been in a position to fully experience a vampire's strength before, but it was far more than she was able to overcome as a human. "Stop! Chisato-chan!" But Chisato was not listening. She grabbed Aya's head and shoulder, and Aya realised what she was going to do. "No!" Not like this. Chisato went in for the bite.
There was a sound like a ping, and Chisato bounced off. "What?!" Her shock was palpable.
"I'm sorry, Chisato-chan," Aya said. Her hand finally reached her rod, and she transformed with Chisato still on top of her, bouncing the vampire into the air. Then she wielded her magic to trap Chisato against the wall.
"W-what- how- let me go!" Chisato struggled, but to no avail. Aya could pin down giant inter-dimensional abominations. A single vampire was child's play. "What are you going to do? What are you?"
"I just want to talk," Aya said. "And I'm sorry, but we can't do it here." Someone might have heard their scuffle, and maybe called the police, or were going to investigate on their own. She seized the magic bubble holding Chisato, and leapt into the air to find a secluded spot. I guess I'm a kidnapper now. Great.
* * *
"You're a magical girl? From another world?" Chisato was glaring.
"Yes." Aya awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck. "I know it probably sounds hard to believe."
"Absolutely. But... I can't think of an explanation for this that would make any more sense." Chisato sighed. "Mother has insisted in the past that magical girls are real. And you don't seem like the Maruyama-san I know."
"So... you're not friends?" Aya asked.
"Hardly." Chisato scoffed. "We have an unspoken agreement to steer clear of one another. Being in different classes helps."
Aya sat down, and hung her head. "No one seems to like the Aya of this world. Is she really that bad?"
"Everyone knows she's the biggest bully in school, so they either try to stay on her good side, or away from her."
"Great. So I'm a- so she's a delinquent..." Not an encouraging thought.
"Are you really any different?"
"Yes!"
"Then are you going to let me go?" Chisato's glare was intense.
"Uh..." Aya hesitated. "Only if you promise not to attack me again."
Chisato glared for a while longer, then heaved a mighty sigh. "Alright, I promise," she said. "Probably wouldn't do much good anyway," she muttered.
Aya pretended she hadn't heard that last part, and dispelled the magic holding Chisato. "Also... I'm sorry for surprising you like that. And for... uh... kidnapping you."
Chisato stretched her arms. "And I'm sorry for trying to... uh... for attacking you. I thought you might have been a slayer or something, even if your approach was... unorthodox."
"A slayer?" Aya thought it over for a moment. "Wait, you mean like a vampire slayer? Those exist?"
"Of course," Chisato said in a 'isn't it obvious' kind of tone. "I had a feeling you were dangerous, even if I wasn't sure in what way."
"Oh..." Aya stared at her rod. "Uh... would you be willing to talk? A little?" she asked in a hopeful tone.
There was a moment's silence, then another deep sigh. "This is an unprecedented opportunity, so if I said no I'd probably end up kicking myself for the next couple of centuries. Not to mention my mother would never let me hear the end of it if she found out," Chisato said. "Alright. What is it you want to talk about?"
Aya lit up. "Well! Uh... this might be a bit hard to believe, but in my world I'm actually a member of Pastel*Palettes alongside you."
"You're right. That is hard to believe," Chisato said flatly.
"Hey! Why does no one believe I can be an idol?" Aya was well aware of her own short-comings, but it still wasn't fun to hear others say it.
"Well... I suppose your current costume kinda looks the part," Chisato said. Was she trying to be nice? Or was that another insult?
"A-anyway, I'm curious what it's like for Pas*Pal over here. We had a bit of a rough start ourselves." Things had gotten a lot better since, but they really hadn't looked good at the beginning.
"It's fine. Though I suppose that's not much of an answer," Chisato admitted. "The others are putting in the effort. Hina-chan and Sayo-chan are especially serious, but Eve-chan and Maya-chan aren't slouches either. I'm the problem, but it doesn't really matter. I won't be around for long anyway."
"W-what?" Aya wasn't able to hide her shock.
"As soon as high school is over, I'll vanish. Start a new life somewhere else."
"Why?"
Chisato gave her a grumpy look, then relaxed a little. "I guess you genuinely have no way of knowing. There was a scandal years ago. I don't want to discuss the details, but suffice to say it tarnished my reputation, and hasn't made my new chance at a teenage life very pleasant," she said. And sounded rather bitter about it. "But since I was a pretty big star before that, the agency wanted me in Pastel*Palettes as a way to salvage my image. Reform me. Honestly, I would rather put things behind me, and start over."
"You can't do that! That doesn't sound like the Chisato-chan I know!"
"Heh. Well, I'm not the Chisato-chan you know, am I?" Though she had the same sharp tongue, which had a point.
"Uh... but... the others are great girls. They'd be great friends, if you'd let them," Aya tried.
"How would you know what they're like in this world?" Chisato shot back.
"I-I just know! They can't be that different." Even if the thought of Hina and Sayo in the same band still seemed incredibly strange to her.
"You are."
"Urk... w-well, you basically admitted it yourself earlier. They're good girls." Aya refused to believe otherwise. "And what about Kanon-chan?"
Chisato blinked. "Kanon-chan?"
"You're still friends, right?"
"Still? Oh... you mean over there we're also...? Ah. Yes. Kanon-chan was the first person I met in high school who didn't judge me based on my reputation. She's... precious." Chisato actually showed a genuine smile, even if it was small.
"She'd definitely miss you," Aya insisted.
"I... she shouldn't, but... yeah, you're right. She would. Fine, you have a point. One." Chisato seemed annoyed. "But we might get separated after high school regardless of whether I stay or go."
"I'm certain you'll be able to avoid that if you really want to," Aya said.
Chisato harrumphed. "Are you sure we're actually friends in your world?" she asked.
Aya gasped. "Ch... Chisato-chan..." Even if it came from a different Chisato, that had genuinely stung her right in the heart.
"Huh? W... w-wait, Maruyama-san, you don't have to... no, please don't cry, I didn't... I'm sorry, I didn't mean it." Chisato hurriedly opened her purse, and pulled out a pack of tissues. "Here."
"Th-thanks..." Aya hiccuped, and tried to stem her tears, but she had never been particularly good at that. "I-I'm sorry, I..."
"No, I'm sorry. I didn't think my opinion meant that much to you..." Chisato zipped her purse close again. "You're close to the Chisato in your world, then?"
Aya nodded, and blew her nose inelegantly.
"I see..."
"Can you promise me you'll stick it out?" Aya asked as she tried to get things back under control.
"I can't promise you anything. But I guess I can at least try... I'm stuck for another year and a bit either way, so I suppose being a little friendlier might not hurt."
Aya smiled.
Chisato crossed her legs. "How about you? What are you doing here? How did you even get here?" Chisato asked.
"I... uh... that's... classified."
"Really?" Chisato raised an eyebrow.
Aya wiped her eyes once more. "All I can really say is that I was called here to deal with... a threat."
"Called? By who?"
"Classified."
"Are you telling me there's an organisation for magical girls?"
"Also classified."
Chisato sighed. "You're not giving me a lot to work with here. Nothing, in fact. Maybe talking is a waste of time."
"No, wait," Aya said as Chisato started to get up. "I... I'll tell you what I can. I promise. But certain secrets I can't give away."
Chisato sat back down. "Okay. I'm listening."
Aya had to tread carefully with how she said things, but she felt she owed Chisato something. "So... a little while ago I was contacted by this world's magical girl. The... uh... the things we fight were being relentless in their attacks over here, and she asked for help. I came here today to help stop an attack." Hopefully that wasn't saying too much.
"There's already a magical girl in this world?"
"Er..." Maybe she had revealed too much. "I can't tell you who."
"Mm... I understand," Chisato said, though she didn't seem happy about it. "You say there's been a lot of attacks? I haven't really noticed anything."
"Right. The magic helps cover everything up. Repairs damage, heals people, ruins footage. Like if you tried to take a picture of me now, it'd just be static."
"... oh."
Aya cocked her head to the side. "Oh?"
"Er... nothing."
Awkward silence. "Have you been secretly filming me, Chisato-chan?" Aya asked.
"No. Just... recording the conversation..." Chisato hesitantly admitted. "Does that get ruined too?"
"Try listening back to it."
Chisato revealed her phone. Whether she'd had it out from the start, or took it out when she opened her purse was hard to say. She stopped the recording, then hit play on the file. "... drat." The only sounds that came out were scrambled noise. "This magic of yours is very frustrating."
"Hee. Your mother said something very similar."
That made Chisato's eyebrows raise. "You've met my mother?"
"Uh... in the other world, yes. I think she likes me." At least Aya hoped she did.
"Huh... speaking of, I should probably ask her about this later. Maybe she's noticed something I haven't," Chisato pondered. "I should at least tell her we have someone this dangerous on our world. And another who can travel between worlds."
"Um... am I really that dangerous?" Aya had to ask.
"Are you kidding me? Like that you might be the most dangerous thing on the planet." Chisato sounded deadly serious. "And knowing there's another one out there gives me the chills."
"Hey!" Aya wasn't about to just sit there and take that, especially when she included Ran. "We work really hard to protect the planet, you know? You wouldn't believe the sorts of things we've had to deal with to keep you safe."
The surprise at Aya's sudden, fervent outburst was evident on Chisato's face. "Er... I... I'm sorry. I guess you're right. If all of this is happening, and no one even knows about it..." She suddenly smiled. "You're a good person, aren't you, Maruyama-san?"
"Huh?"
"I'm glad someone like you has this power, rather than... well, someone like this world's Maruyama-san."
Aya wasn't entirely certain whether or not that was a compliment, but she chose to take it as one. "You can call me Aya."
"Hm... okay, Aya-chan. Though all of this doesn't answer the question of why you're still here."
"Oh. I just... wanted to have a look around before I went home..." Aya blushed.
"Ah. I suppose I would have wanted to do the same if I had the opportunity," Chisato said.
Speaking of unanswered questions. "So... uh... I was wondering... why do you... uh... dress like that?" Aya asked. That had been on her mind since the start.
"What? I like to dress like this! What's wrong with it?"
"It's... very stereotypical, isn't it? Exactly what you'd expect a vampire to wear," Aya said.
"Hmph... there's such a thing a hiding in plain sight, you know," Chisato huffed. "Besides, the makeup makes it easier to protect myself against sunlight."
"Okay, okay." Aya smiled, and got up. "I have to say this trip didn't turn out quite as I had hoped. I should probably head home now, but I'm happy I got to meet you. Even you tried to... um..."
"Yeah... again, I'm sorry about that. But between you saying what you did, and seeing that you were branded, I figured that if you weren't a slayer, you might be an assassin from a rival family or something. I could feel there was something dangerous about you, so I thought 'better safe than sorry', but then I ended up sorry anyway."
While Aya wasn't happy about being called dangerous again, there was another thing that stuck in her mind. "Branded?"
"Yeah, the bite-mark on your neck," Chisato said casually.
Aya's hand slapped to her neck. "B-but that's healed!"
"So humans can't see it, yes. But vampires can still tell. It's an easy way to make sure we don't accidentally take someone else's prey." Chisato got up too, and slung her purse-strap over her shoulder.
Aya couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Chisato-chan never told me that!"
"Oh? It's from the other Chisato? Well, well..." Chisato suddenly got a wicked smile. "I guess that means you're technically mine too. Can I have a sip?" She grinned just enough to show her fangs.
"No!" Even if it was another Chisato, Aya felt very strongly that would count as cheating.
"Ahahahaha," Chisato laughed heartily. "I was just joking, relax~. You are really cute, Aya-chan. I think I understand what my counterpart would see in you."
Aya blushed, and pouted.
Chisato chuckled. "Say hi to her from me, would you?"
"I'm... not sure if I can..." Aya said hesitantly. She hadn't really considered whether she could, or should tell Chisato about her new adventures.
"Would that be classified?"
"Probably..." But she had told this Chisato, which made her feel worse about hiding it from her own Chisato.
"That's a shame. But I understand a thing or two about duty. I wish you luck, Aya-chan."
Aya smiled. "Thanks, Chisato-chan."
* * *
Aya hugged onto Chisato tight.
"You're very clingy today, Aya-chan," Chisato teased.
"I've missed you, Chisato-chan," Aya said.
Chisato booped Aya's nose. "We saw each other just yesterday."
That was true. In fact, she had seen two Chisatos that day. "Hey, Chisato-chan? Have you ever considered wearing all black?"
"Not in the last hundred years."
"So... you did before?"
"No comment."
"Hm... maybe I should ask your mother if she has any pictures..."
"What? First off, no, she doesn't. Second, don't you dare ask. Third, even if there were any, they'd be black and white anyway!"
Aya giggled happily. "Good point."
Chisato sighed. "I swear... why would you suddenly ask that anyway?"
"Um... well..." Aya had slept on it, and decided that she should probably tell Chisato at least some of what she'd been up to lately. "I guess there's something I want to talk to you about..."