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Saturday was Hidamari’s favorite day of the week. Monday through Friday were, of course, cursed by being school days. And Sunday was filled with the creeping dread of knowing school was right around the corner. But Saturday? Saturday was free. There was no pressure to work hard, or prepare to work hard, or even think about working hard; she could just relax and enjoy herself.
Unless her moms needed groceries, of course.
She wiped sweat off her brow. Heat was radiating off the asphalt, beaming toasty rays straight into her face. And the humidity made everything ten times worse. Now I know how a crab feels when it’s boiled alive, she mused darkly.
It was so unfair. She should be hanging out with her friends, not carrying heavy shopping bags under the cruel August sun. But Mom No. 1 was planning a barbecue, and Mom No. 2 was too busy with SONG to raid the supermarket for her, so the task naturally fell to their daughter. Because apparently picking up spare ribs and cabbage was more important than enjoying perfect pool weather. Naturally.
At least the okonomiyaki would be tasty. Miku had really perfected her recipe in the past few months. Thick batter oozing with grated yam, shredded cabbage that melted in your mouth, tangy, unctuous sauce slathered on top… just the thought was enough to make Hidamari salivate. Tonight, at least, was sure to be a good time.
Now if it could stop being so freaking hot, that would be perfect.
She sighed and readjusted her grip on the shopping bags. Just get back home. Think about how good the AC’s gonna feel.
“Leave me alone!”
Hidamari froze. The voice came from so far off, it was almost imperceptible. Was she just imagining things, or…
“Let go already!”
There was the sound of cruel laughter. “Monster girl! Monster girl!”
Nope, that’s definitely real.
Her frustration vanished in an instant; she took off running. She barely felt the exhaustion in her arms anymore. Whatever was going on, someone was clearly in trouble. All that mattered was helping them.
She rounded a corner and skidded to a stop. Down a back alley, a girl was surrounded by a trio of boys. One of them had grabbed her backpack, and she was struggling to pull it free. Even from a distance, her desperation was palpable; sadly, it only seemed to make the boys laugh harder.
“What’s wrong?” one of them snorted. “Not gonna rip my face off with your monster claws?”
“Just shove off!” the girl snapped. But her trembling voice betrayed her; it was obvious she was close to crying.
“Ooooh, she’s getting mad! I’m soooo scared!”
Hidamari’s mind raced. The girl looked around her age, probably twelve or thirteen. She was outnumbered and outmatched. There was no telling how far her tormenters were willing to go to make her life miserable. She needed to shut them down hard.
“Monster girl!” the boys taunted. “Monster girl!”
“Shut up!” The girl pulled desperately. “I’m not… a monster!”
“Are too! Just like your mom!”
“You’re wrong!”
“Just wait till we call the police on you!” another boy chimed in. “You’ll be locked up and put in the zoo!”
“Yeah!” the third one laughed. “That’s where monsters like you belong!”
The girl clenched her teeth. “Just stop it…”
“HEY!”
Dead silence. One by one, the boys turned to see Hidamari stalking up to them. Hidamari glared back. Her pulse was racing at a million miles an hour, but she didn’t care. If anything, she welcomed the adrenaline rush. All the better to knock these jerks’ teeth in.
“Who are you?” one of the boys grunted.
“Let her go,” Hidamari snarled. “Or I’ll make you.”
She caught a glimpse of the girl staring at her in shock. She tried to flash her a confident look. Whoever you are, I’m gonna save you! I promise!
Another boy burst out laughing. “You’ll make us? Yeah, right!”
“She wants to help the monster girl!” the third boy chortled. “What a creep!”
Hidamari felt something snap in the back of her head. Before her thoughts could catch up, she hurled one of her shopping bags straight at the biggest boy’s face.
WHAM. The bag smashed him right in the nose. He yowled in pain and staggered backward. Cabbages scattered across the pavement.
The second boy’s jaw dropped. “Wha-“
“Hey!” The third boy started advancing on her. “What do you think you’re-“
WHAM. The second shopping bag clocked him at Mach two. He went down like a sack of potatoes.
That’s more like it.
The final boy whirled back and forth, trying to make sense of the situation. It seemed to be dawning on him that he was out of his league. “D-d-d-don’t come any closer!” he stammered. “Or I’ll- I’ll-“
“You’ll what?” Hidamari cracked her knuckles. “Come on. Show me.”
Apparently, that was all the convincing he needed. Shrieking, he turned tail and sprinted for the hills. The other two boys followed shortly after. “Damn creep!” one of them shouted as he ran.
“And don’t come back!” Hidamari yelled after them. That was one good thing about bullies; they only thought they were tough because no one stood up to them. The second they faced actual pushback, they crumpled like tissue paper in a rainstorm. Never stopped being funny.
Her heart was still pumping from the adrenaline. Taking a deep breath, she turned back to the girl she just saved. “Are you okay?”
“Are you crazy?” The other girl was staring at her slack-jawed. “They could’ve hurt you!”
Hidamari frowned. “Gee, thanks for saving you, no big deal.”
“I was fine!”
“Didn’t look like it.” Hidamari blinked. “Hold on, aren’t you…”
“Don’t change the subject! I don’t need your help, so just shove off!”
“Alice?”
The other girl faltered. “How do you know my…”
Hidamari stared in amazement. No, she wasn’t mistaken. She’d recognize Serena and Millaarc’s daughter anywhere. “Alice!” she laughed. “It’s me! Remember?”
“Huh?” Alice’s brow furrowed. Suddenly, it clicked. “Hidamari?” she gasped.
“Holy crap!” Hidamari swept her into a hug. “How’ve you been?”
“Ack! Watch the ribs!”
“Sorry, sorry!” Hidamari let go, grinning ear to ear. How long had it been since they last saw each other? Three years? Four? They used to play together all the time as kids, exploring forests and building tree forts. She’d always regretted how they drifted apart as they got older. And suddenly, here was Alice again, her voice deeper, her fangs longer, and her long hair trimmed into a pixie cut. Maybe being sent out for groceries was a blessing in disguise after all.
“I can’t believe it.” Alice said, still shell-shocked. “It’s been so long.”
“And you were just telling me to shove off.”
‘Sh-sh-shut up!” Alice flushed a deep crimson. “I still didn’t need your help!”
“Uh-huh, sure.” Hidamari stifled a laugh. God, I missed you.
A thought occurred to her. “Hey, listen,” she said, “my moms are doing a barbecue tonight. You wanna come?”
“Huh?” Alice looked surprised.
“Come on! You haven’t had our okonomiyaki in so long.” Hidamari stretched. “That’s actually why I’m out right now. I’m getting the… cabbages…”
Reality hit her like a sack of bricks. She spun around in panic. Sure enough, the contents of the grocery bags she threw were scattered across the pavement. Cabbages and packs of ribs lay on the dirty street, broken and bruised. It looked like an active crime scene.
“Oooooooh crap.” Hidamari sunk to her knees. “They’re gonna kill me.”
Unexpectedly, she heard laughter. “Shut up,” she groaned.
If Alice heard her, she didn’t listen. “You’re such an idiot!” she cackled. She leaned against a wall and tried to control herself.
Watching her, Hidamari suddenly felt a weight on her chest. How long has it been since I’ve seen you laugh?
As long as they’d known each other, people had attacked Alice for being Millaarc’s daughter. They called her a monster, a demon child, destined to carry on her mother’s bloodshed. Even some adults were cruel enough to say as much. And no matter how many times Hidamari stood up to them, the bullying never fully went away.
Hidamari wet her lips. Ever since she started hearing about her parents’ adventures as Gear wielders, she’d wanted to be a hero too. Someone who protects the weak and stands up for what’s right, even when it’s hard. But how much had Alice endured in the years since they’d last seen each other? How cruelly had the world treated her? Had she been able to laugh like this at all? Or had she simply endured, suffering in silence with no one to protect her?
“Alright.” Alice’s voice suddenly broke into her thoughts.
“Huh?” Hidamari pulled herself back to the present. “Alright what?”
“I’ll come for dinner. As long as my parents say it’s okay.”
Hidamari blinked. Suddenly, she realized how much Alice’s posture had changed. In the past, she’d always walked with her head down, trying to shut out the world. Now, though, she stood perfectly upright, letting the sun spill across her face. Her teal eyes seemed to sparkle in the light. Something twinged in Hidamari’s stomach; she looked away awkwardly. “T-that’s great!” she stammered, trying to recover.
“What’s wrong? It was your idea, don’t go getting weird on me now.”
“Who’s weird? I’m not weird!”
“Yes you are.” Alice smiled. “But I like weird. So there.”
She knelt down amidst the scattered groceries. “Come on, let’s see how many of these we can save. Race to see who picks up the most?”
Hidamari stared at her. Slowly, the weight lifted off her chest. “Hey, Alice?”
Alice glanced up. “Yeah?”
“I’m glad you’re here.”
That caught Alice off guard. She blushed and glanced away. “Y-yeah,” she said. “Me too.”
Hidamari smiled. It was weird. She’d barely thought about Alice in the years since they drifted apart. Now, though, she didn’t know how she’d survived the years without her. Guess I was the one who really needed you, huh?
Well, there’d be time to sort out the hard stuff later. All that mattered now was that her friend was back. And they had a lot to catch up on.
“Loser has to be the winner’s maid for a day?” she suggested, kneeling down.
Alice grinned. “You’re on.”
“Alright.” Hidamari cracked her knuckles. “On your marks!”
“Get set!”
“GO!”
And they set to work under the blazing August sun.