Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The young man's eyes fluttered open as light filtered through the windows of his compact room. Grogginess left him in a haze as he rolled over and squinted at the monitor. 12:00 PM. What day was it again? It had to be the second day, maybe the third since he'd arrived in this place. A day after the world ended.

When he'd risen from that desk on the first day, he and the other students had been in such a state of shock they could barely pay attention to what their self-proclaimed commander, Sirei, was saying. About them, the state of the world, their mission.

The TRC (the only home they had ever known) had been destroyed by the phenomenon called the World Death. They alone were the last survivors of humanity, saved only by a last-minute transport to this bunker: the Last Defense Academy, the last standing building in all the world.

Hardly anyone had spoken to each other that day. What could they say? Small factoids about themselves floated through their minds like thin noodles in a thick can of soup that had been shaken up and left on the back shelf.

That morning they'd taken some time to scarf down food at the cafeteria, then retreated to their rooms.

His mental fog seemed to have lifted since the previous day.

Takumi Sumino could at last remember his own name and the faces he missed back at the Tokyo Residential Complex. His old classmates and teachers, the people he'd seen passing by on the street every day, the sound of his mother greeting him each afternoon when he returned from school. The peaceful quietness of the mundane life he'd grown accustomed to.

All of it had vanished overnight without a single goodbye.

It was weird. He wasn't feeling as much pain as he thought he would. Maybe his mind hadn't gotten a chance to process it all yet. That, and there was one other reason why he might still have kept some peace of mind, filling a hole that otherwise should be empty.

Takumi kept to his basic routine: getting up, brushing his teeth, combing his bangs out of his face, and putting on fresh clothes to start the day. He already had a bad habit of crashing in bed without changing. Seems like yesterday had been the same.

He took the stairs down to the cafeteria to get breakfast, despite it being late afternoon. It was freeing not to be burdened by any schedule. All schools should implement this. Anytime was Takumi time, and whenever he arrived would always be Takumi o'clock. Those numbers that glared at him every morning didn't have to be his enemy anymore.

--

As he opened the door to the cafeteria, he saw the same odd bunch he'd met on the first day. A couple minded their own business while others chatted pleasantly amongst themselves at one of the long tables.

If Takumi was going to live with them for the rest of his life, he might as well get a head start on breaking into the group circle. He wouldn't want to end up like his early years of school, where he would eat meals alone because he was banking on people coming to him.

He walked up to the Ration-O-Matic under the large moving statue that pumped out a wide array of delicacies. The hot fumes entranced him as they burrowed into his nostrils. There was everything from soups and salads to an entire roast pig. The robot never gave them any rules on how much they could take. Was there a limit to their food supply? He felt like there should be, given the apocalypse and all. But why put so many dishes on display if they weren't supposed to eat them?

He dispensed a modest amount of cereal into a bowl and grabbed a few baked goods along the way.

Takumi looked at the trays of his fellow students. They were mostly sandwiches. Takumi had to remind himself again that it was really lunchtime.

"Can I sit here?"

"Sure." A cheery girl with a large white ponytail stood and scooted over a couple inches to the left. She patted the space next to her. Takumi sat down, perching on the edge of the bench.

"So, uh, you guys remember your names yet?" He went ahead and cut through the ice point blank. He'd feel bad if he was the only one who could introduce himself.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure I do," said the same girl. "I'm hearing the name Tsubasa in my head, and Kaw... K... aaa... AWano? I'm still working on the last name. I know it's coming. Oh, but I do remember I love cars and loved working together with Grandpa in his workshop." That made sense. She was definitely dressed like someone who wouldn't be afraid to stick her torso under the hood of a car.

"Yeah, and I just remembered I'm a gang boss!" said the tan young man with a rough exterior, bumping his knuckles next to her. "So y'all better watch out, or I'll beat the shit out of you!"

Takumi looked over to a messy blue-haired individual who was meticulously peeling the skin off his grapes.

"What about you? You said the other day you were trying to be a doctor or something?"

"I did." He gave a sinister smile and bowed his head.

"Yugamu Omakage, at your service. Like I said, I come from a long line of doctors, but I'm not licensed yet. It's a shame everything ended before I could finish residency. Would any of you care to be volunteers? I could practice transferring one of my kidneys into one of you if any of you are missing one. Hehe."

He heard a gag come from Tsubasa. She held her mouth and breathed slowly through her nose. "Ugh, don't even joke about that. Not when we still have food at the table."

"My apologies, miss." He winked with his one good eye.

What a creep. If he kept that up, he might get sued for misconduct or malpractice. Whichever came first.

"What about you? You haven't told us anything about yourself," said Tsubasa.

"Oh, me?" Takumi asked, pointing to himself. "My name's Takumi Sumino. There's nothing really special about me, just your typical guy that lived an average life in the TRC."

"Same here."

A boy raised his hand. He was sitting a few feet away from them at the opposite table. "Though my family was pretty big. We'd always eat meals together at huge tables like this."

"That's Gaku," Tsubasa whispered to him.

"Why is he sitting over there?"

"We banned him after he and Takemaru," she nodded toward the rough man in street clothes, "started throwing food at each other."

"It's a Maruko family tradition. And the ones we have are way messier."

He said this while squeezing his milk carton until the liquid volcanoed from the top, with a face that... well, Takumi wasn't sure what he was going for with that expression.

Yugamu hugged himself. "Ahh, I love family traditions. My brother specializes in angioplasties. He loves blowing balloons. The chicken our family makes really 'pops' when you bite into it."

Takumi tried to think of any family traditions. It was mostly him and his mom. He couldn't really recall any grandparents, and his dad was always out of the picture due to how busy he was. He couldn't quite put a face to his dad.

"Yep, good times," said Gaku, leaning back while placing his dirty slippers on the table. "I wonder what the family's doing right now. 'Last survivors of humanity' my ass. There's no way that's true. Not that you guys aren't cool and all, but why would they choose to only save a couple of normal teenagers, a mechanic, and a shady drug dealer? Why not pick some freaking geniuses or something!…why us?”

There was a waver in his voice. He shook his head as if shaking off the doubt itself and leaned back again.

"Nah, I'm sticking to my guns. There's gotta be more out there. They probably kept sheltered down in another bunker, and they are waiting until the dust settles to come out. Until then I'm going to do what I did yesterday. Relax and treat this place like a vacation."

A vacation? Yeah, vacation. That's what this was. That must be why I’m so tired. I haven’t had one in so long. It feels good.

They heard a loud screech from the chair as Gaku lifted himself from his seat with his empty tray.

"Well, I'm hitting the slots. Later, my peeps."

They waved goodbye to him and continued chatting amongst themselves. It didn't take Takumi long to slurp up the last of his cereal.

—

After his hearty meal Takumi went to the recycling bin feeling relaxed and accomplished. And, didn’t get five steps in before slamming into another person. 

The boy found his face pressed against a sea of white. He stepped back and looked up to find a silvery-haired young man in a bright windbreaker, balancing a tray of fruit slices and porridge. Wide violet eyes twinkled behind his transparent lenses.

"Hi there,” beamed the stranger.

It was this one. His statement had really stood out to Takumi on the first day.

"I remember you. You're that 'humanity lover.' Did I get that right?"

“I Wuh-?” The boy blinked in confusion before looking at him sympathetically. "Oh, I'm sorry, that must've sounded strange earlier." He let out a nervous laugh. "I said that because, well, the last thing I remember was working on a research paper about an author I had been following. Did you know the earth suffered a mass extinction about five different times before this one? There used to be giant scaly beasts called dinosaurs that roamed the planet, yet we are the species who survived. It's almost miraculous for our delicate bodies to have made it this far. Humans truly are amazing."

Takumi had met several eccentric characters throughout his life. Humanity fanboy was definitely a new one. Glad someone's memory was fully operational.

"Sorry, I'm talking too much. What are your favorite books to read?"

"I'm not really one for studying." I fell asleep reading in school.

"Then do you like movies?" The boy leaned forward eagerly, causing his bowl and spoon to rattle against the tray. "I watch a lot of documentaries, but I also like sci-fi. I can't get over whether it's space or time travel I like more. What do you think? Or is simulation theory your thing? What are your preferences?"

His enthusiasm was a bit overwhelming. Takumi took a step back, raising his hands defensively.

"Umm, this is interesting and all, but...Can we please slow down with the questions?” 

Takumi  took a deep breath “Let's start this over. I'm Takumi Sumino. And you are?"

"I'm Eito Aotsuki." He shifted his tray to one arm and extended a gloved hand, nearly losing his balance as the dishes wobbled. He caught them just in time.

Takumi returned the shake 

"Again, I apologize. I haven't had a lot of experience socializing. I grew up in a hospital and haven't been around this many people for quite some time. I was kind of hesitating about sitting with you all."

How long had he been standing there?

"Well, you shouldn't be." Takumi reached out and gave his shoulder a reassuring pat. "We don't bite."

Except maybe the doctor guy, but he doubted he'd do anything if enough witnesses were present.

Eito glanced back at the few stragglers remaining at the lunch table. Takumi did too.

Maybe tomorrow he’d make the extra effort to wake up early so they could all eat breakfast together. 

Takumi turned to leave when Eito called after him, hurrying to catch up.

"Hey, you seem to have everything together. Can I come with you?"

"Sure, why not."

He'd planned to give himself a personal tour of the school anyway. What could bringing another person hurt?

Takumi offered to wait while Eito found somewhere to sit and eat, but he insisted on carrying his food along with him.

Takumi took his time absorbing the scenery of the academy. The first floor had Egyptian hieroglyphs painted all over the walls with dense vines that enraptured them. The second offered statues in reference to warriors of old. The top floor was futuristic in nature, with digital screens in place of windows, though he could still see the inspiration of traditional woodblock prints in them. It was like they were living in a museum.

He could sense Aotsuki behind him, gracefully sliding two fingers against the walls, his eyes brimming with curiosity. He must be wondering the same questions Takumi had.

Who built this place? And how long ago? It seemed made to preserve more than just us

If only he could pry into that freak history brain of his.

"You must be having a field day with this," said Takumi. His new companion smiled and nodded.

"Got any theories?"

The boy thought to himself. "Wouldn't it be crazy if we got kidnapped by an ancient civilization that worships egg deities?"

They turned down another hallway. Their thoughts were interrupted by loud grunting noises, conspicuous moaning, and the clang of hard metal, all coming from the room next door.

"You hear that? I think there are some people in there."

Eito nodded. They slid the door open to take a peek. Inside were a couple of girls training in a large gymnasium. A slim girl dressed in black was pressing a barbell as if it weighed nothing, while a hulk-shaped girl with pigtails was punching a heavy bag with incredible precision. There was so much emotion dedicated to each strike that it left indents with sand pouring out. Takumi tried hard not to empathize with the poor punching bag. It crossed his mind that maybe he should come back later and say hi.

But it was too late. An icy stare penetrated him from across the gymnasium.

"Moko, looks like we got ourselves a couple of peeping toms."

Takumi stood frozen.

Eito slid his silver tray over his face, dropping the oatmeal to the floor. Takumi could hear the boy behind him desperately trying to scrape it off his shoes while the goop sloshed around with his footprints.

Looks like they had no choice. They had to introduce themselves now.

Their conversations with the women were kept short. The slender girl's intro went a little something like this:

"Hiruko Shizuhara, but you will address me as your second in command." She smiled as she placed her hands on her hips. "It was a title Sirei gave to me and only me. I find it in your best interest to respect it."

What was she? A superintendent for a military school?

She should be.

Her voice made him shit his pants.

The other girl... he didn't need to ask to know that she was a professional wrestler.

"I'm Moko Mojiro, Apocalyptic Maiden of Destruction!" the girl boomed, pumping her arms until her blood vessels bulged. "Now broadcasting live on a channel near you!"

So a gimmick wrestler?

"One of you boys want to test out my Pile Driver of Dimensional Doom? It's a secret move I've been working on."

"N-no, thank you," Eito politely declined, while bashfully avoiding eye contact. Not even acknowledging that she'd threatened him with a one-way ticket back to the hospital. They had to get out of there.

"Aotsuki, let's leave the ladies alone to do their business." Takumi took Eito by the sleeve of his jacket to rush him out of there. Those cold red eyes followed him. He could even hear the sound of metal being dragged against the hard floor. "You're not getting away that easy," the voice echoed.

"Faster!" Takumi yelled as he pushed his companion forward. They booked it to the stairs and circled the labyrinthine hallways until they crashed in front of the bathrooms.

"I think we lost them," Takumi said, catching his breath. What were they even doing? Acting like a pair of middle school boys caught stealing from the girls' locker room.

The hospital boy's stamina recovered surprisingly quickly, and he was up on his feet again. "C'mon, let's go exploring some more." Takumi took Aotsuki's hand. This time Eito was the one running out ahead, dragging Takumi along.

They stopped by many places: a computer room, a classroom, a science lab, a garage, a pool room. Takumi was pretty excited about the pool room.

Eito didn't know how to swim.

The two opened up another door to find a beautiful courtyard with two oversized birdcages planted on the floor. Both empty. The two boys were curious about them and walked over.

He noticed how careful Eito's steps were to avoid stepping on the daffodils and assortment of colorful flowers Takumi didn't recognize.

When they got up close, they could see both cages were truly empty.

Eito tapped on the bars first to inspect if these were the real deal. Then he stuck his forehead right through the poles, his shiny silvery hair drooping sideways from the horizontal angle.

"What do you suppose used to be in here?"

"A crazed wild animal, probably."

Eito laughed.

—-

Later they found themselves in a recreational room surrounded by casino lights and rows of machines. There was Gaku again in the back, testing one of them out to see if it worked. In the center was an intense game of bar pool.

"You got this, brother! After all, you're only down by one ball. Don't let him show you up!"

"Fear not, dear Kako. Your brother has faced far worse opponents in the TRC's underbelly."

He recognized these two kids as well, although the only thing he really remembered learning about them was that they were siblings.

"We're twins, actually," spoke the one with bright pink hair and twin tails.

"I deduced by the way you were examining us that you want to know more about us."

Was I that obvious?

"I'm Kako Tsukumo, and this is my brother Ima. And over there is..."

"Shouma."

On the other side of the pool table stood a short, chubby boy. He tipped his green cube-shaped beanie while leaning on his cue stick for balance.

"Shouma Ginzaki. But you probably figured that out just by looking at me," he smirked.

What was that supposed to mean?

"I go by many things. The King of the Cockroaches, the Monarch of Maggots, Mucus Master, and the Dumpiest of Trucks. And it is I who will be taking out the trash with these two." He enunciated the last syllable in a raspy tone. Takumi tried closing his eyes to imagine a world where that would be intimidating. His mind kept wandering back to the timid boy he'd met on day one. It was like his personality had done a complete 180.

What restored memories do to a man.

Ima took his shot. It was a decent attempt; the cue ball rolled smoothly toward his target stripe. Unfortunately, he miscalculated the angle and sent it wide, leaving his ball untouched near the corner pocket.

The kid cursed under his breath and curled his hand in frustration.

Now it was Shouma's turn. Due to his height, he could barely see over the table properly. He gripped his cue stick with both hands, aimed at the cue ball, and struck it hard.

The cue ball rocketed across the felt like a pinball, sending the remaining balls scattering in all directions. None of his solids dropped into any pockets, but the chaotic collision left several of Ima's stripes trapped behind Shouma's balls. Worst of all, the black eight ball now sat directly between Ima and his easiest target.

The short boy stood there confidently blowing his knuckles and rubbing it against his shirt like it was never his intention to score. 

"I'm the one who led my high school to the pool championship three years in a row," Shouma gave a smug grin. "Go ahead, dig yourself out of your grave."

Beads of sweat fell down Ima's nose while Shouma's eyebrows remained cocked, challenging him to make his next move.

Ima leaned over the table, studying his options. Every direct shot was blocked. He steadied his hand to line up a bank shot off the rail, but his cue tip slipped and scratched against the felt. He tried again, this time aiming for a different angle, but scratched the table once more.

"Dear Sister!" he desperately cried out.

"Shhh! I'm working on it." The girl with the twisted pigtails was rubbing her temples like she was suffering from a splitting headache. Takumi stood there, baffled at the scene.

"This is my sister's gift," Ima explained. "Many know my sister for being an ace junior detective at our father's agency, but not everyone knows about her psychic powers."

"Psychic…powers?" The red-headed boy sounded less than amused.

"You should listen to her, Takumi," said Eito, leaning close to his ear. "Psychic powers can be based in reality. They say if you cut off all your sensory input, the brain opens up new pathways to receive information. Look at how she's concentrating."

He spoke like it was a fact. That was pseudoscience at best. If it were that easy, then everyone would grow a third eye.

"There!" Kako said, bouncing up and pointing toward the far end of the table. "Hit it there, Ima. Bank it off the foot rail!"

"The foot rail? But sister, that's completely across the table. Are you sure?"

"Trust me. I bet my life and a million chocolate-flavored rice balls with salmon eggs and sprinkles on top."

He was running out of options. Ima steadied his stance, sliding the cue back and forth between his fingers as he lined up the shot. He struck the cue ball firmly.

The white ball traveled the length of the table, struck the far cushion at a precise angle, and came ricocheting back. It curved around Shouma's blocking balls like it was following an invisible track, barely kissed the edge of the eight ball without disturbing it, and struck Ima's striped ball cleanly. The ball rolled smoothly into the side pocket with a satisfying thunk.

Well, I'll be damned.

Even Shouma looked flabbergasted at the play, his jaw dropping so wide his buck tooth was showing. "Lucky shot. I might not underestimate you kids next time."

"Yeah! You slayed it, bro!"

"It was all thanks to you."

The twins gave a ceremonious high five bathed in the orange light of the casino. 

It was nice seeing siblings get excited over something as simple as a game of pool. He wondered how it would be to have one of his own. He was about to suggest if he could play a round when movement in his peripheral vision caught his attention.

Takumi spotted a familiar braid passing by the doorway. It floated through like a ghost's hand beckoning him to follow.

Could it be?

He turned to his friend who had been standing by him faithfully this whole time, "Aotsuki, excuse me, It's been fun hanging out with you, but I need to speak with someone."

"Yeah, it's no problem. I had fun too." Eito's smile didn't quite reach his eyes as he shoved his hands deep into his pockets. He turned his gaze toward the others, but his shoulders sagged slightly. Was he disappointed? 

"You should go talk to them," said Takumi, peeking over.

Instead of responding, Eito's entire body went rigid. He whipped around to face him, his hand instinctively clutching at the fabric over his heart. His chin tucked down toward his collar. With eyes wide and hollow begging him to reconsider.

Was he really that scared of them?

Takumi placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

They’ll like you. 

I promise.

“You got this.” He gave an encouraging nod towards him. 

Eito’s breath shook. He shuffled over with hunched shoulders, his hands still clinging to the edges of his jacket like a security blanket.

"Hello, I'm Eito Aotsuki. Nice to meet you all." He gave a light wave.

"Welcome! Care to play a round?" Shouma called out, gesturing with his cue stick.

"You were watching us earlier, weren't you?" said Kako.

"Yes, and I found your psychic abilities most impressive." Eito's voice grew steadier. "Would you mind showing them to me again?"

"Of course!" Kako's face lit up with delight.

"Finally, someone who appreciates my sister's talents!" Ima rejoiced, puffing out his chest with pride.

—

Now satisfied, Takumi began to take his leave. He just hoped it wasn’t too late now. 

He stepped outside to find the backside of the mysterious figure who continued to walk down the hall. Braid swaying in its same hypnotic manner. 

He rushed towards it. He had to prove it. He didn't hallucinate her on the first day. This had to be her. She had to be real. 

“Nozomi! NOZOMI!!!”

The owner of the silk braid flipped to face him. There was no doubt about it.

"You're Nozomi, aren't you? I remember you."

"T-Takumi?" she replied in a voice so gentle he could melt. They ran up to each other and hugged for what felt like a lifetime. She smelled of cinnamon sugar and flowery shampoo. He never wanted to let go. One of the few people he loved in this wasteland was still alive out of hundreds of thousands. What were the chances?

"So your memories came back?" he asked.

"Mmm-hmm." She nodded. "I think so, though I might have some gaps. Like I don't remember you growing a couple of inches." She giggled as she measured the space between their heights with her hand.

"Hey, shut up!" He blushed, gently pushing her hand away.

"Maybe we should quiz each other to see what we're missing. Do you remember anything from middle school?"

"I recall you slept so much during class that people started drawing on you during lectures. But that was every year." She smiled fondly. "Oh, I do remember when you tried to turn the tables by coming to school with face paint already on. The kids got such a kick out of it that you kept doing it more and more. Pretty soon you were getting dress-coded in more ways than one."

"Ah, my class clown era. Those were dark times. I almost hoped you'd blocked that out," he said, awkwardly scratching the back of his head.

"How could I?" she laughed. 

Nozomi Kirifuji. A close friend who Takumi had harbored a mighty crush on all throughout school. She was good at baking, smart, pretty, and she'd always yearned to see outside the complex. Guess she got her wish. The monkey's paw of all monkey's paws.

The girl went on about meeting the other students. Apparently, Nozomi recognized a couple of them, like the strange doctor Yugamu. It must have been from when she transferred schools. She did that a lot. Nozomi said she'd even seen the wrestler girl on TV before. He thought about explaining his adventures from today, but he didn't want to bore her.

"So how have you been feeling about this whole thing?" He finally asked the question. Takumi had been too preoccupied with his own thoughts to notice her reaction on the day of the announcement.

"Honestly? Stressed. Dazed." She paused, her voice growing quieter. "The entire world ended while we were asleep. And I get this aching feeling in the pit of my stomach that there's more we could've done. That we're responsible, somehow."

"Hey, hey." Takumi firmly grasped her shoulders. "You heard that weird robot. The earth was on its way out way before we were born. We should be grateful they chose to save us and that we have a chance to fix everything."

"I know, but I wish there was something we could've done to save more..."

"Me too," Takumi said softly.

He looked down. The words hurt coming from her.

He knew better than anyone how long it took her to process grief. All those late nights when she would wait until everyone left the tutoring center and begin to cry. She'd lost both her parents at a young age. Her father died in a car accident when she was barely elementary school age, and her mother's death was so sacred to her she never discussed the details.

Unlike the rest of them, she couldn't even dream of having a home to go back to. And now Nozomi felt guilt about the lives of other families. About other children who didn't have mothers to go back to. About parents missing their sons and daughters. Because that was her—that was the kind of person she was.

Nozomi, I want you to know that the world's still bright because you're in it.

It's what he wanted to say as he looked into her eyes and soft, pale face.

But he didn't.

"I-I know you miss the people from the TRC,” he started. “So do I. But we've also got a good bunch here." He glanced back toward the other room with the pool table, hearing their laughter as they watched Eito try to mimic Kako's pose. While the others celebrated as Gaku brought the spoils he won from the machine to share with them. 

"Something tells me we'll be okay."

—-

Takumi stretched his arms. That had been quite a productive day. He decided he deserved a little reward aka some much-needed rest.

After cleansing himself for the night, he threw a towel over his neck and stopped by the mirror. The glass was full of mist, but through it he could see the face of a young man with deep blue eyes, a soft jawline, and red hair. Takumi, still dripping hot water from the shower, began practicing his ritual in front of it.

I'm Takumi Sumino. I'm Takumi Sumino. I'm Takumi Sumino. I'm Takumi Sumino. I'm Takumi Sumino.

He wasn't entirely sure why he did this. It just felt like something he'd always done. And something he'd always do. And that if he repeated it enough times...

Those words might one day have meaning.

After a few weeks, Sirei figured the students should get more serious about the whole rebuilding the world thing, and laid out a detailed plan about gathering materials and how to create biomes from the ground up.

From inside the classroom, Takumi looked outside the window at the flat desert landscape filled with desecrated buildings and rubble. Looks like they would have a long way to go.

But what was the rush?

They still have the rest of their lives to figure this all out.

Chapter Text

It was a quiet morning.

Many of the students were sleeping in.

There were no birds.

No bees buzzing.

At the bottom of the stairs lied Gaku. Lying in a pool of his own blood. An ugly mess of streamers, poppers, and plastic forks scattered about him.

How...

How did this happen?

Gaku lifted his trembling hand through the scarlet liquid, watching the droplets cling to his fingers. They began to morph and harden into metal capsules in between his fingertips.

"Bullets?" he panted heavily.

He turned his head. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a Gatling gun half-submerged in the pool of blood. Everything went red.

"Those bastards!"

Gaku slammed his fist against the ground, sending blood splashing into his eyes as he choked and sputtered.

He'd been planning to throw a party for them, and they shot him. Shot him dead.

And the cowards had run off with their tails between their legs.

What had he done to deserve this? Didn't he at least deserve to see the face of his killer?

It was that vengeful thought that gave him the strength to push his torso off the floor.

 What? What is this? He stared down at his hands, his arms, his clothes. Where did this school uniform come from?

He patted himself down frantically.

"AHH!"

A sharp realization shot through him. There was a hole in his chest where his heart should be.

And...and...

He wasn't dead?

His breathing came in ragged gasps. What was going on? He looked at the frayed edges of the wound where a pulsating light seemed to be emanating from.

Was he a spirit? A zombie?

He clutched the side of his head and bellowed to the rooftops.

"Arrrgh! What the hell is going on!"

———

Commander Sirei knew reshaping the world was too intense for one person to carry alone. The TRC wasn’t built in a day you know. So his grand solution? Teamwork.

To break up the responsibilities, they assigned themselves various roles according to their specialties, such as scavenging, health, and technological development.

Takumi had gotten the special assigned role of errand boy. He'd float around to his classmates and get assigned different tasks, which were obviously the grunt work they didn't want to do. Such fabulous work included unclogging toilets to gather samples or stepping into collapsing buildings to see if they were safe. He'd made so many things for people in the Gift-O-Matic that he'd memorized half its catalogue.

Lately, he found himself working alongside Tsubasa. She was a decent partner, upbeat and hardworking. She practically lived in the garage. Even when he wasn't with her, he'd always find her tinkering with something in there, covered in oil and grease. Takumi didn't have the patience or the smarts to do what she did, so she'd turned him into her pack mule, carrying large machine parts up and down the different floors.

It wasn't so bad. The work was mind-numbing, so he could turn his brain off.

The mechanic would also occasionally report back to the other departments. The scavengers, for example, were in charge of gathering materials from wreckage outside the school and bringing it back to them. Tsubasa could then use the extra scrap metal and electronics to concoct new inventions. The scavengers, however, were reaching their limit for how far they could travel by the end of each day.

They had a bus, but that could only take them so far. There was too much rubble and debris blocking the roads, and it was useless in the rocky terrain of the mountains. Tsubasa had the brilliant idea of installing a railway system. To make it, they would need more metal and a greater power source.

There was a catch-22 to getting enough materials, and the stress was eating her alive.

"Yes, but I can't invest in things that require a great amount of energy without building something that harvests great amounts of energy that runs on energy. There's no water, there's no wind. There's solar, but how are we going to find the silicon for that?”

She would go on rambling like this until she ran out of breath and turned the color of cherry stew.

One day she asked him to sneak into the computer room with her to steal from the school's power supply. Takumi assisted in hooking up one of the power cables to a storage system inside the garage while Tsubasa handled the rest.

Unfortunately, they got caught.

Sirei unplugged their cable and wagged it at them in disapproval. "Kawana, what do you think you're doing, draining all of the school's power reserves?"

"I'm doing what you told me to do!" She pulled the power cable back over to her side while Sirei tugged it back. Takumi blissfully stood and watched.

"You're going to have to go somewhere else. Taking it from here will affect my battery life. This room is where I charge."

"Then why don't you take that charge and do something USEFUL with it for once!"

"Miss Ka-wa-na..." The robot looked like he was about to cry.

Next thing they knew, they'd been locked out with the door slammed behind them.

"I swear, Takumi," she would say to him, "you're the only one keeping me sane."

—-

The days on the grind blurred together. He'd lost track of what day it was days ago. However, this morning was certainly...different.

Takumi was walking with Tsubasa, carrying a box full of parts, when Gaku came barreling toward them, nearly tumbling down the stairs. He wore a strange uniform and what looked like red makeup painted across his face.

"Guys. Guys. Guys. Look at this. I died. Look, I was dead. Someone shot me. I was bleeding out—"

"Woah." Tsubasa crouched down to meet eye level with the hole in Gaku's chest. "What is that?"

She stared at the pulsating white light emanating from the wound. The way it swirled and shifted was hypnotizing. In an uncharacteristically bold move, she reached her hand toward it.

"Umm...Tsubasa?"

She twitched her nose. "Smells like iron. Are you an android?"

"If—if you want me to be..."

Gaku's cheeks flushed red as he watched the girl reach inside him, feeling her fingers exploring his chest cavity. He wasn't sure whether he wanted her to stop or go deeper.

"Ow!" She jerked her hand back and shook it out. "That's hot."

"Stand back, you two. Why don't we let the professionals handle this?" Yugamu pushed them aside. He must have heard their screams from the hallway. They'd attracted him like a fly to a honey trap.

"No, no, anyone but you." Gaku backed away frantically. "The lady's right. We really should have an engineer look at me instead."

He's really going with that.

Yugamu ignored his protests and moved closer. "This looks serious. I might have to sedate you and bring you to the operating table so I can run a few tests." Gaku could see the twisted doctor lick his lips. He recoiled in disgust and shoved the man back.

"Stop it, dude! I'm telling Hiruko!"

"Not before I take a sample first." Without any consent, Yugamu grabbed at Gaku's gloves, which had leftover splotches of blood on them. However, as he pulled, the gloves wouldn't budge. Gaku winced as he tugged on the skin-tight fabric. Yugamu then pulled out a white cloth from his yukata to wipe some blood off instead. On its white surface, he watched the droplets attract each other before dissipating into clear liquid.

"How queer."

Yugamu retreated back toward the bio lab. It wasn't long before Takumi experienced another jump scare as the white round robot rose up from the ground, seemingly out of nowhere.

"I heard screaming. What is going on?" Sirei's voice rang out. He looked up at their heartless, fair-weather friend in shock.

"My, Maruko. H-how did you get into your class armor?"

Tsubasa and Takumi glanced at each other.

"Class armor?"

"You." Gaku's voice was low and dangerous. "I've had about enough of you."

He grabbed Sirei by his dainty red bow tie and lifted him into the air. The robot flailed against his grip.

"Gah! Manhandling your superior officer! That's a violation of code number-"

"You separated me from my home. My family. And now you're experimenting on my body? What did you do to me?!"

"Nothing," Sirei smiled. "nothing that wasn't already there..." he muttered under his breath.

"Huh?"

"It's a long story. I was hoping to put it off, but it looks like you kids have backed me into a corner once again." He sighed. "Maruko, release me if you want to get back to normal."

With that, Gaku opened his hands.

Takumi was getting fed up with these cryptic messages as well. "Sirei, what are you talking about? Can you please tell us what's going on?"

"Hold your horses, Sumino. I'll make an announcement tomorrow morning to explain all of this to you and everyone else. For now, finish off the rest of the day with your usual routines." He waved them adieu and disappeared back into the ground.

—-

Tsubasa ended things early, which left Takumi with plenty of free time on his hands. He thought of visiting Nozomi, alas she was busy helping with the Bio department and he didn't want to bother them. And it was too late in the day to help Takemaru and Moko gather up materials.

He ended up getting dragged in with Ima and Kako to inspect the crime scene. They went to the spot Gaku had mentioned, but Sirei must have cleaned it up before they got there. They couldn't find anything.

"Ahh, but I wanted to see a real murder scene," Kako pouted. "It's not every day you get to see one where the victim comes back to life."

"Next time, dearest sister." Ima gave her a supportive pat on the shoulder. "I'm surprised there weren't any witnesses. You'd think something as loud as a Gatling gun would've alerted someone. I hypothesize this could all be a prank set off by Mr. Maruko."

Ima wasn't there when Gaku came pleading to them, or during his fight with Sirei. It was way too elaborate to pass off as some prank.

"We should chow down on some strawberry tuna and quinoa. That always gets the brain chugging," Ima suggested.

That was something Takumi could pass on.

—-

With a few hours left he decided to visit Eito. 

Over the days he found himself growing close with his bespectacled friend. Not only because he had helped Eito become more outspoken. But…well he wasn’t sure if it was his voice or gentle nature but something about him also soothed Takumi’s nerves.

The boy had really improved in warming up to the other students compared to his first day. And he’d taken it upon himself to try and regrow the school's entire food supply. The class had deemed him the honorary chairman of the agricultural department, and its only member. Takumi had expressed that it must suck being forced to do all the hard labor outside.

But Aotsuki didn't mind. He said it got rather stuffy in there and that he'd been looking for an excuse to get out anyway.

Takumi caught a rare sight of his companion with his hood up, raking the hard ground only to pull out bits of dust that created an auburn gradient on his cloud-colored jacket.

"Don't you ever get hot in that thing?"

Eito shook his head. "Silly Takumi, don't you know what the purpose of a windbreaker is? And pardon my observation, but aren't you wearing two jackets?"

The second one's more of a vest, but point taken.

Eito wiped sweat off his brow. "The sun's rays today are pretty harsh. This outfit is the only thing preventing me from getting horribly sunburned. I fear whatever led to our world's destruction might have torn a hole in the ozone layer."

Takumi blinked twice.

"You know how the TRC has the protective dome constructed over it to shield us from the outside? Some planets come with extra layers in their atmosphere to cushion them from the elements of space, including radiation from our yellow friend up there. And without it, well....It's hard to make much progress."

They both looked down at the pathetic, dry sproutlings underneath their feet.

Takumi squatted to inspect them. His light touch on the stem nearly broke it in half. The grey leaves were holding on by a thread.

"Check this out." A gloved hand wrapped around his and pressed down into the brittle bits of dirt. "It's hot, isn't it?"

Takumi admitted it did feel warm. Warmer than the heat in the stagnant air from the sun.

"The ground's been scorched by something." 

"..."

"The plants are starving from a lack of nutrition. Whatever it was killed off all the bacteria. I searched for any decaying matter in the area that I could use as compost, but the only remains I could find were..." He trailed off, his grip on Takumi's hand tightening slightly.

"Human."

Eito was silent for a long moment.

"Yeah..." His voice came out barely above a whisper. "They were so small, Takumi. I couldn't take them..."

His hood covered most of his face, but Takumi could hear his breathing grow uneven, catching in his throat.

This had to be part of why humanity chose to flee underground. Sirei had told them the TRC had collapsed and there was no way of going back there.

They might have better luck cultivating somewhere like those mountains in the distance, but that was still a day's journey away. It would be hard to maintain a plantation with no convenient way to check up on it.

"How long do we have?" Takumi asked.

Eito pulled his hand back. "My estimation between the eleven of us…about five years until we should start growing concerned."

That didn't seem like a lot of time. "Have you told the others?"

"No." Eito kept his gaze fixed on the ground. "I don't want to cause them worry, or at worst, have them starve themselves."

A grim future that the boys begged would never become reality. There was a pause between them. Takumi watched as Eito's shoulders tensed, his fingers curling and uncurling at his sides.

Then Eito took a deep breath and stood up, brushing his sleeve against his face to wipe his running nose. "But we shouldn't focus on that now." His voice came out brighter, almost forcefully so. "If we let a few bumps in the road stop us, we won't get anywhere. The earth is sick, but it's not dying."

His hood had fallen as he turned to face Takumi. The light on his hair, teeth and glasses reflected off the sun's rays almost blindingly so. 

"I've consulted with the Bio department. They're working on replicating the bacteria for us. It's going to be okay."

“…”

Takumi tried to morph his expression into something hopeful, to play along. Yet somehow the boy saw right through him.

"You know, I was told I'd be stuck in that hospital forever. That I'd never have a normal life. But the people close to me never gave up. They found a cure. And look at me, I'm alive and well." He outstretched his hands as if he were trying to prove it. 

"The earth is just like me. I’ll fix it."

Eito knelt back down and returned to his plants, making new holes and spreading new seeds in hopes that these would be the ones to make it. 

I want to believe you.

Takumi stood silently in thought. 

——

Soon came the day of the anticipated announcement. Sirei waited at the center podium of the classroom for everyone to show up, with Hiruko standing beside him.

They watched all the students filter in through the hallway, gossiping amongst themselves about what this could possibly be about.

"Are you sure about this, Commander? It's your last chance to back out."

"I'm afraid it's no use, Lieutenant Shizuhara. They would've all found out about it eventually. It is part of them, after all."

Takumi thought a new student had arrived with them. Turns out it was Shouma, who came in three feet taller and completely jacked. He was just nonchalantly leaning on the desk next to them.

"Are any of us going to acknowledge that?"

No?

Okay…

"Ahem, students. Attention!" Sirei smacked down his cane. In unison, they all stopped their chatting to look at him. "I'm sure you all heard about the incident yesterday and have some questions. I'm going to tell you first off, you aren't in any danger. You have all been endowed with a power called Hemoanima. It runs off a rare substance called cryptoglobin that is flowing inside your bloodstream at this very moment, and it's what has kept you alive up until now. Think of it as a physical manifestation of your immune system fighting against the plague known as the World Death."

Yugamu raised his hand. "Care to elaborate on how we got this special blood inside of us?"

"Good question. Before coming here, you all came to the hospital to get transfusions. Then shortly after, we evacuated you out of the TRC. Any other questions?"

"Yeah, why are you spewing loads of crap?" Gaku spoke up, dressed back in the same ratty clothes he always wore. "Guys, he's lying to us again. I don't remember visiting no freaking hospital. Do you?"

"Yeah, that's right. I don't remember that."

"Me neither," said a couple of students.

"He probably did something to our bodies while we were freaking sleeping."

They were all rambling now. Takumi turned toward Eito. Surely, he would know something.

"Do you recall getting a transfusion back at your old place?"

"I...I..." Eito's eyes darted, unsure whether to confirm or deny it.

"No, I think he's telling the truth!" Shouma's voice came out like a thunderous alley cat. Everyone turned to look at him.

"I remember us being at Kamukura General Hospital. We were in a room together. Scientists were there giving us injections like he said. But there's something else that's missing..."

The boy made hard grunting noises as he pressed against his noggin. He detransformed back into his smaller self, his face red and panting. Sirei's mouth stood agape.

"I'm sorry." Shouma bowed. "My pea-sized—G-giant voluptuous brain can't remember right now."

"But it's not a big deal, is it?" He whipped his hair back and transformed back into his previous form. "If anyone is going to remember, it's me. I've got the memory of a dozen poop-smelling elephants who know every watering hole they've been in. And if I don't remember, it probably wasn't that important."

Takumi swore he could see the robot wiping sweat from his brow. He wasn't sure how that was possible unless their commander was springing leaks from his jelly-filled body.

"Ah-hah, right you are. And I'm sure you kids don't want to listen to boring lectures all day. You want to get right to your new toys." The white robot threw out copies of blood-red daggers with inscriptions written on them. "These are infusers. I know they look sharp, but it's the safest way to activate your powers."

"Then how did I activate mine?" Gaku asked.

"Our surveillance cameras indicate you impaled yourself tripping down the stairs."

"..."

Gaku frowned.

"Now," Sirei continued, "you are to use these infusers for 'utility purposes' only. If I see any of you stab someone, I'm taking these away and I'll have to use those cages in the courtyard to put you in time out. So don't tempt me." He squinted his eyes.

"Ginzaki, I'm going to have to ask you to use yours outside. Your power is a little too much for the integrity of this school." The robot gave one to Shouma, and like a gremlin he cackled and ran outside with it.

"What is his? A nuke?" Gaku yelled.

Sirei then began passing the rest out, making his way toward the left end of the classroom with the older students.

"Now when you raise these up for impact, you want to be careful not to-“

A hot, blinding flash erupted. It happened so quickly they didn't even see him transform.

"Geez Louise, kid, I wasn't even done explaining.”

The man now sat before them on an elaborate motorcycle with a luxurious lion mane at the forefront of the body. "Aww, hell yeah!" Takemaru twisted the handlebars to rev up the engine. "Yo, Sirei, what's the indoor speed limit?"

"What? There's no speed limit indoors."

"Awesome, just wanted to make sure I wasn't breaking any traffic laws. See ya!" He took off, popping a wheelie down the stairs.

"I was going to say keep your distance when you raise them up so you don't poke each other's eyes out."

"Does it matter what angle we make the incision?" Yugamu asked.

"No, as long as it makes contact with the heart, the energy should be released from you."

"I see. So does anyone want help inserting theirs? I promise to be gentle."

The students next to him stepped away.

"One for you, one for you-" The robot got to Eito, and stopped in his tracks. Shaking, he reluctantly handed the blade toward him and sighed. "Don't make me regret this, Aotsuki."

"I won't, sir!"

"Yeah...yeah."

After Takumi got his, the robot made his way toward Tsubasa.

"No thanks. I don't want it." She pushed Sirei away.

"Miss Kawana, we need you. Your powers will be very useful not only to us, but I guarantee they'll help you out of a pickle. Try it out, take 'em for a good spin." He waved the blade in front of her.

"You never know, you might enjoy yourself."

"Okay," she groaned. The mechanic took the blade and held it away from herself by the tips of her fingers. Gaku stepped next to her. 

"D-don't be scared, Tsubasa. It only hurts for the first couple of minutes, then it all goes downhill from there. If it'll make you feel better, I could hold your hand."

"No, i-it's fine. I'll do it later on my own." She forced down the bile rising in her throat.

"Relax,” Sirei assured them, “it’s not like any of you are going to die...EXCEPT YOU, KIRIFUJI!" Sirei bolted across the classroom, grabbing Nozomi's hand just as she raised the infuser toward her chest.

"Sir, you forgot to give me one.” 

"Oh, you don't need that silly ol' thing." Sirei kicked the red dagger aside, keeping a firm grip on her wrist. 

"Shizuhara, you're in charge. Rest of you, take one." He walked out the door, mumbling something to Nozomi as he held her hand. She glanced back at Takumi and shrugged.

"Awwwww, he's like an overprotective father to her," Moko gushed.

He was keeping Nozomi from stabbing herself, so wherever he was leading her couldn't be all bad. Maybe the egg-shaped freak did care about them after all. 

"Anyways," Moko chimed in, "I'm gonna work out before I try it. Can't have those long skirts getting in the way of all my reps! See ya!"

"I don't trust it. It looks too much like a murder weapon," Kako said, eyeing her infuser warily.

"Then your brother dearest shall try it first." Ima took it from her and twiddled with the blade's end. He held it up, positioning it near his chest as his sister watched expectantly. His hand trembled slightly as he brought the point closer. The metal gleamed under the fluorescent lights. His arm locked. "On second thought, we should go to the cafeteria first to pick up another snack. I’m positively famished."

"Amateurs." Hiruko spat. "You're not holding the ends right. Let me demonstrate the proper way to wield a weapon."

Hiruko didn't hesitate. She made a clean slice to her upper chest with the dagger. A cocoon of blood wrapped around her until she burst from it with a giant axe in hand. "Oh, it's been too long since I've held you in my arms." She began caressing its hilt affectionately. "Your sheen has been as bright and cutthroat since the day we met."

"Wait, you've seen this before? You knew we had powers, Lieutenant Shizuhara?" 

Hiruko looked down at the red-headed boy and slyly pressed her fingers against her glasses. That axe was being held awfully close to his neck.

"The commander requested I keep this on the down low. How-ev-er, since you asked politely, I'll leak some classified information." She smirked. "I'm the one who helped escort you all into this academy. And while you were hibernating in your cryopods and having the remnants of your trauma being erased, I stayed behind to fend off the forces of World Death."

"You saved us?" Kako gasped. "You're so cool, Miss Shizuhara."

Ima nodded. "Who knew such a barbarian was watching us from the shadows like a dark guardian angel."

"We are very grateful to you," said Eito, putting his hand over his heart in thanks.

"Sorry you had to carry that all on your own," Takumi added. "It must've been hard."

"Please, I would've done it ten times over. Smashing those rock crumbles threatening to crush all of your skulls, the earth closing in on itself until near suffocation. I never felt so alive." She closed her eyes and lifted her head to the artificial white light, basking in her memories like it was yesterday.

"I may be a retired veteran when it comes to the battlefield, but I can keep myself busy. I hear medicine is a rather thrilling career." She smirked and turned to where she could see Yugamu at his desk, wiggling his fingers at her.

She then turned back to Takumi and touched his hand, guiding it and the blade up to the midline of his chest. "I hope your experience with Hemoanima is half of what I've experienced."

"Ya-huh." 

—

Takumi paced back and forth around his room, staring at the cold, blood-red infuser placed upon his desk.

He was itching with anticipation as much as he was with anxiety. He wanted to know what kind of powers were stored inside of him as much as anyone else. So why did the method have to be so...brutal?

"Okay, you can do this, Takumi. Just stab yourself. You can do it. Stab yourself. It's not a big deal. Surely it'll be fine."

He picked up the infuser. The blade looked so big up close. He'd cut his finger once with a kitchen knife and that had hurt like a bitch. And what if he missed the correct spot? It could lead to nerve damage. What kind of scars would that leave behind?

Takumi put the infuser down and took another breather.

Hiruko had made it look so easy. And how pathetic would it look if he was the last one? Gaku was already spreading the word about his "big gun energy." Gaku's gun wasn't even that big. Takumi's was probably three times as large.

"All your friends are doing it. Why can't you?" He gritted his teeth and began butting his head against the wall. He repeated this cycle for about ten minutes.

Knock. Knock.

Takumi perked up when he heard the slight tapping on his door.

"Hey...Takumi." He heard the muffled voice on the other side. That was Eito's voice.

"Have you...done the thing?"

Crap. Could it be that wallflower, hospital-bed Eito had already done the deed? Before him?

He probably wanted to see what Takumi's sweet superpowers were. Takumi couldn't let him know he hadn't even done it yet. He'd be ruined.

"Have you?" Takumi said in the most nonchalant way possible.

"No, not yet," he sighed.

Takumi immediately went to open the door to see Eito leaning against the stair rail.

"You want to do it with me?" Eito asked, holding up two infusers as his mouth curled up his face. 

----

Ba...ba-dum...ba-dum dum dum...

The two stomped on opposite sides of the track field, marching forward to the beat of invisible drums. Shoulders straight. Eyes sharp. Weapons held close, pointing up, ready for battle.

Eito had explained that when he was little, he would get squirmy whenever nurses came in to give him his shots. So one time he pretended he was the main character of a book he'd been reading about an explorer trapped on a jungle planet. And the syringes were just tiny creatures living on the planet, poking their tiny spears at him as their way of saying hello.

Apparently, the boy had a pretty active imagination. It gave Takumi an idea to ease their nerves by reenacting a duel. Only instead of hitting each other, their targets would be themselves.

"On my mark, we draw our blades," Eito's voice echoed across the field of dead grass. "Ready? On three. One. Two. Three..."

Takumi didn't give himself time to think. His focus was only on beating Eito to the punch. He took a deep breath and plunged his infuser into his chest. His heart not only accepted it but was pulling it in. The whole world spun in slow motion. Any pain Takumi could have felt was dwarfed by an overwhelming sense of adrenaline. Warm, sticky liquid pooled into his lungs, drowning him. The sensation spread to the rest of his body. Then suddenly, the water balloon-like bubble of blood that encased him burst, introducing him to the crisp air once more.

He stood in a fighting stance, feeling something hard and warm in his hand.

"A sword! Nice!" Eito cheered.

"No fair. You opened your eyes already."

"Sorry. I'll give you a hint then. What's sharp, pointy, approximately forty-seven inches long..."

He wasn’t going to play his games. Takumi opened his eyes. In front of him was a pair of white gloves and a katana wreathed in blue flame.

The sword itself seemed almost alive. The azure material was translucent when held up to the light, with trickles of liquid fire swimming through the blade like it had its own circulatory system. When he swung the hilt, a trail of sapphire flames followed in its wake, flickering and dancing in the air before fading away.

He looked toward his opponent. Eito wore the same black and white uniform Gaku had been wearing, with the addition of a billowing black cape flowing behind him. Standing tall, he looked almost regal. And his neck, he never knew he had one. 

Takumi could see the remnants of similar monochrome clothing on his own arms. Although without a mirror, he could only imagine himself having the grand aura of a holy knight. He wondered if that was something Nozomi would be into.

He glanced over. Eito was examining his own weapon with his usual quietness. A massive seven-foot-tall scythe that dwarfed its wielder. The handle was wrapped in black leather with rows of silver pointed teeth like spikes running along its length, and gray tassels whipped in the wind the same way his cape did. The blade curved from a jagged neck that resembled a carnivorous bird's beak, its maw opening wide to reveal a deep red crescent moon edge that gleamed with an almost hungry sheen.

Eito ran his fingers along the weapon's shaft slowly, his brow furrowing ever so slightly. His lips pressed into a thin line as he turned the massive blade over in his hands, studying it. But there was something different behind his glasses now. A flicker of uncertainty.

"It's a rather cruel-looking blade," he murmured, more to himself than to Takumi.

Eito angled the scythe's edge toward his face, his reflection distorting across its polished surface. 

"They said these were a part of us?" 

"Dude, that's so badass!" Takumi blurted out, peering over his shoulder.

Flaming blue swords were cool and all, but his looked super generic by comparison.

"Are you sure you weren't charged there for sickle cell disease...eh? Eh?" Takumi playfully bumped Eito's arm with his elbow.

Eito gave him the side eye

"Now c'mon." Takumi gave another bump. "Are we going to test them out or what? What Sirei doesn't know won't kill us."

—-

Beyond the veil of the field, the two armaments recited their deadly tango.

Takumi struck first, his blue flames trailing as he swung his sword in a wide arc. Eito brought his scythe up to block, the weapons colliding with a sharp ring of metal. Sparks flew where blade met blade.

Eito spun away, whirling the massive scythe like a tornado around his body in a fluid motion. The curved blade came at Takumi from the side. Takumi deflected the strike and immediately countered with a thrust. Eito twisted the scythe's handle, using the shaft to knock the sword aside. Takumi barely kept his grip.

Strike. Parry. Block. Parry. Parry. Thrust.

That was the mantra Takumi had repeated to himself over the last few weeks. Eito's attacks may have been fancy with constant spinning and side sweeps, but there was a rhythm to them.

Then, as if reading his mind, Eito swung high this time. Takumi ducked and parried the follow-up strike. The scythe came around again in another rotation, and Takumi blocked it, their weapons locking together.

"Trying to pull a fast one on me, huh, Grim Reaper?" Takumi grinned, pushing against the resistance.

"Oh, you know me too well, Taku." Eito's eyes gleamed behind his glasses.

They broke apart. Eito took a step back, shifting his grip on the scythe. His legs opened wide and his back arched forward to keep himself from falling, his face breathless.

This was his chance. Takumi moved forward to capitalize on the opening. Suddenly, a flashing light enveloped his opponent's body. Before Takumi could process what was happening, Eito reversed his grip and thrust forward with the blunt end of the scythe's handle.

It caught Takumi square in the chest before he could react. The impact drove the air from his lungs and sent him stumbling backward. He hit the ground hard, sliding across the dry, cracked earth. Dust billowed up around him as he skidded to a stop.

The class armor took the brunt of the damage. That didn't mean his butt and back didn't ache, or that he couldn't feel every pebble where he'd landed.

Eito reached his hand out to Takumi. He grabbed it and pulled himself up.

"That's one. Best two out of three?"

Takumi nodded, brushing the dust off his uniform.

The swordsman was getting better at standing his ground compared to these last few weeks. It was always the long-ranged attacks that seemed to trip him up, especially since his rival had learned to balance such a top-heavy weapon. That's when Eito always got a leg up over him.

Not today, though. He'd invented a new playstyle he was dying to try out.

Instead of going for the first strike, Takumi used his feet to back up several meters while his silvery opponent moved into a defensive position with a look of confusion.

Then with all his might, Takumi swung the sword toward the sky. A fierce bluster rippled through the air with a magnitude so great it could saw a dummy in half.

Eito jerked his head away at the last second, his gray hair whipping wildly from the great wind. The force carried across the field and hit a crumbling building about half a mile away. Aotsuki stared in awe as the structure collapsed into the ground before his very eyes.

Takumi struck a pose, one hand on his forehead, as he casually blew on the tip of his sword like it was a smoking gun.

"And that move is what I call 'The Air Blade'."

"Sounds like this isn't your first time. Have you been practicing without me?" Eito teased, rocking his heels back and forth while holding the scythe against his waist.

"Only on the VR machine."

Although it wasn't nearly as exhilarating as the real thing, fighting stationary NPCs was useful for trying out new techniques.

"You think you can teach me?"

"I dunno..."

Katanas and scythes didn't have the same properties. He wasn't sure it was possible.

"Pleeeeaaassee. I'm a fast learner." Eito fluttered his long eyelashes as he leaned against the shaft.

It's hard to say no when he does this.

"Alright, just don’t complain about me being a shitty teacher,” Takumi broke into his stance. “So you put your hands on the hilt here, and do a lunge with your right foot in the back. Kind of like those exercise videos."

Eito placed his legs where he said and positioned his hands in the middle of the shaft.

"Is this the equivalent?"

"That's a bit too low. Let me-" Takumi shimmied his way through Eito's arms by ducking under them, now sandwiched between his glasses-wearing friend and his scythe. He'd almost forgotten how broad Eito's shoulders were, and that he was at least a head taller than him. Takumi could feel his face getting warm.

"Mmmnngg." Takumi grunted, trying to focus. "I'd say from the angle and weight you're working with, you want at least one hand right here." He slid their two white gloves together. "And another one here, about three inches down. That should do."

Now how was he going to teach an uppercut on a scythe?

"You're going to twist it here." There was a loud thud when he pushed the heel of the scythe to the ground. "And then swing high." Their arms rubbed against one another as they repeated the motion together.

"Then aim it to make a beeline there," said Takumi, aligning his line of sight with the scythe's trajectory. "That should be everything."

There was still a set of arms blocking Takumi's escape. He knocked on them. "You-uh, gonna let me go there, pal?"

"No, I think I like holding you hostage." Eito grinned.

"Oh, get off." Takumi pushed the gate of arms wide open to let himself out. "Now remember." He mimicked the movements he'd instructed earlier, pretending to swing the scythe, which in hindsight made him look more like he was trying to score par. "And if you want, you can do a little jump at the end. I always do it for flair."

Eito nodded. He shifted his left foot backward and went for the swing. Nothing happened. All it managed to do was drag some of the gravel.

"It's too low to the ground. Try going up,” Takumi instructed. 

Eito swung. He swung again and again, angling it slightly higher each time. Then when he at last reached the tipping point, a brilliant flash erupted. Electricity poured down from the cloudless sky, attracted to the shaft like a lightning rod. The lightning surged through the scythe, then subsequently began striking the ground anywhere near Aotsuki, leaving scorched brown spots wherever it landed.

Takumi had taken cover behind a pile of concrete, barely dodging the large surge of voltage that could've fried his human circuits.

"What was THAT?!" Takumi yelled.

"I don't know, it just happened!"

"Do that again!"

With only one eye open, and Takumi on his shoulder, Eito raised his scythe toward the sky once more. A loud cracking noise came from above, startling them both. They jumped back.

The lightning struck down, then arced outward like a stone skipping across water, running in multiple directions.

"Wohohoho!" Takumi cheered, shaking his friend.

They tested it out a few more times. They found that the trigger wasn't that the scythe had to be perfectly straight. Just that it had to be facing up towards the heavens. In fact, Eito was able to keep the electric surge going longer by doing helicopter motions in the air.

"Do you think my energy is creating a potential difference with the atmosphere?" Eito mused, watching the crackling energy dance along his blade. "I have a theory that the scythe, and well me, are tangentially acting as a conductor, ionizing the air around us. That's how lightning is  formed, after all. Through the buildup and discharge of electrical potential."

Takumi nodded, only half-understanding. "And that's a good thing, right?"

His distracted gaze drifted across the field, catching on the scattered debris and rubble. Something metallic glowed among the wreckage and wires, circuit boards, fragments of what might have been pieces of heavy machinery and communication devices. 

Eito was curious to see what had captured his friend’s attention. He leaned over to the side. That's when he noticed it.

Underneath where they'd been standing was a branching scar carved into the ground. Its roots spread a mile wide in jagged, lightning-strike patterns, traced right back to where he'd been practicing. The earth was blackened, crystallized in places where the heat had been most intense. Dead and ruined.

Just like the garden soil.

He hadn’t even tended to it today. 

Eito trailed his foot over it to cover the markings with dust. 

He could create the thunderstorm, but not the rain. “If only I could manipulate hydrogen and oxygen atoms in the air," he said softly, "I could form water droplets so we wouldn’t have to go thirsty or... hungry." His lips quivered. His head hung against the rod. "As it stands, my powers are about as useful as a combat scythe is to a wheat farmer. “

Takumi, meanwhile, wasn't listening. He was entranced by the glinting metal, watching the red magnetic strings of electricity course through the damaged wires. They seemed to wrap around in a never ending loop. 

“Eito,” Takumi said finally, “there’s something I need you to do.” 

——-

"Repeat after me: I am a walking battery. I am a walking battery...okay." Takumi led the white-hooded boy by the hand and pushed open the door to the garage.

There was the mechanic on her knees, facedown with her shoulders slumped over a crate. Wrench in one hand, a half-finished welding project in the other.

"Tsubasa! Tsubasa! Guess what power our friend over here has!" Takumi pointed giddily to Eito.

"A faster-acting ibuprofen," Tsubasa moaned.

"Better."

He then shoved his friend out in front.

"Takumi has pushed me to inform you that I am indeed a walking battery," Eito said flatly.

"He can shoot lightning out of his ass!" Takumi exclaimed, squatting and enunciating every syllable with his arms.

"Really?" Tsubasa turned and lifted up her goggles. "Show me."

Takumi nodded to his friend. 

Eito took a deep breath and used his infuser to bring out his class weapon. Takumi then placed an electric motor prototype on top of the crate and backed up alongside Tsubasa.

Eito faced the object and tried using the placement of the scythe to direct the lightning toward it. As he swung, electricity flowed toward the motor, but it also shot sideways and backward into the hallway, striking some unfortunate students who happened to be standing in the vicinity.

"Whoops, sorry!"

Eito winced at the bodies sprawled on the floor. Except for Shouma, who was standing upright with a white-hot fiery aura surrounding his shredded physique.

"Thanks for the charge, man! Wooooooohh!"

He took off running, god knows where.

Second time's the charm. Takumi made sure the doors were sealed and lined with rubber insulation this time, and they had another go at it.

This time, Eito managed to hit the motor dead-on. It roared to life with a high-pitched whine. But the fun didn't stop. Thanks to the excess voltage trapped in the enclosed space, every machine in the room began working overtime like an electric symphony. Colored lights blinked on and off, cycling through their full spectrum. The hydraulic press in the back slammed down with bone-crushing force. Laser cutters were working double time, slicing through a large metal sheet and dividing it into eighteenths in less than a minute flat. Even the heads of welding torches seemed to nod at them as if they were waiting for instructions.

The headache she had magically disappeared. Tsubasa clapped for joy, took Eito by the cheeks and squeezed them. “You big beautiful. I could just-“  

The girl leaned forward. Eito's eyes went wide, then snapped shut. He sucked in his lips and puffed up his cheeks, bracing for impact.

That's when he felt something on his chest. He  opened and looked down to see a silvery medal placed upon him.

"What's this?" he said, lifting it gently. It looked homemade, crafted by using a hammer to form the crinkly edges.

"A symbol of camaraderie. Aotsuki, you are now welcomed as an honorary member of the Department of Technological Research and Construction. Congrats!"

"Thank you, but...I can't accept this. I have my hands full in the agricultural department."

"Aaand who says you have to do it all yourself?" said Takumi. "We can recruit others with superpowers to help you outside. Hell, they might be even better at it."

The boy remained silent and turned his head toward the ground. Tsubasa came to place her hand on his shoulder.

"Eito, this isn't high school. We don't need to section ourselves off into cliques. We're a unit. We should be running around helping each other's shifts. That's what Takumi does. And he's not being burdened by me letting him work for me, is he?" Takumi shook his head as Tsubasa jokingly twisted her finger against his cheek. "See? And that's why we like him."

The joke managed to crack a smile out of Eito. "And how can I argue with a sentiment like that?" he said, placing his arm next to his medal.

"Speaking of..." Her eyes turned toward the redhead. "When are you going to show me your powers?"

Takumi rubbed his neck. "Do I have to? I mean...it's just a sword."

"You're being way too modest, Takumi,” said Eito. "It's this brilliant azure blade that exudes passionate flames that flicker beautifully in the light. Like watching a neutron star ignite from the birth of a supernova."

As his best friend kept describing, he could see Tsubasa expression growing more and more pissed at him as she crossed her arms. 

"So you had a sword that produces fire all this time, and you didn't think of using something like that to help me weld?"

"I...forgot?"

"You...forgot." Tsubasa said with one eyebrow raised.

"yes?"

He could hear Eito snickering behind him.

The mechanic's right hand dug into the side of her arm before her face relaxed and her frown was displaced by a smirk. "You know what? I'm in a good mood today. I'll let you guys slide, for now. But I want you both in the workshop bright and early tomorrow, okay?"

"Got it!"

——

It didn't take long for them to find other students.

Takumi and Eito had their sanctuary behind the tall, broken buildings. It was a good hangout spot because it provided shade and kept them out of Sirei's watchful eyes. But others weren't as afraid to use their powers out in the open.

Things got even more hectic once Yugamu used their blood samples to create a potion to help revitalize their health, breeding them to take even greater risks.

You know what the saying goes: 'Give a kid a truck with a gun, and they'll do donuts in the gymnasium.'

They found the twins in the courtyard. Kako had her giant alligator-shaped sniper rifle out, blasting rocket launchers left and right as Ima flew through the air.

"Ha! Ha! Missed me!" He backstroked through the air like he was swimming.

"Stop flying so fast!" Kako whined.

"Oh, dear sister, I'm only pushing you because I know you can do better."

Kako put her eye back to the scope and fired two more shots. The rockets whistled as they shot past Ima before plummeting back down towards the earth.

"Not the delicate ecosystem!" Eito cried as he ran.

"Eito, wait! You don't have your class armor on!"

Aotsuki dove in front of the rockets without a second thought. They struck him in the abdomen, and he crumpled into a cramped position, tumbling into the rows of lavender and chrysanthemums he was protecting.

"Ima, get down here!" Takumi yelled.

Eito limped over to him. There was a large brown crater in his white jacket where the shells had exploded, and shavings of grass decorated the side of his coat. His hair was frazzled with the ends sticking up at odd angles.

"I'm...huff...okay," he reassured him. His leg clearly dragging behind.

Ima slowly flapped his wings, descending like a raven as he touched down.

"Is this another gun-measuring contest? Mr. Maruko already measured his gun against my sister's. Spoiler Alert: His is smaller."

"No, actually, we were looking for you."

"Moi?"

"Ima, can you lend us your aerial skills? The breeze you create with your wings might be enough to cool off the ground."

"You need my assistance? I'm touched." He twisted his smile into a cheeky grin. "There's just one problem: flying takes a lot of energy. So what's in it for me?"

"You won't starve," Takumi said bluntly.

Eito put his arm over Takumi's mouth and shook his head frantically, as if to shut him up.

"What is it you desire?" Eito asked.

"Hmm,” Ima thought. "My sister's detective work has been slow as of late, and it's been getting rather boring. She wants to be a bigger part of your projects. And we are a package deal, so if you want me, you'll have to take Kako too."

"I don't know about-“

"We'll absolutely let her in. You've got yourself a deal." Eito winked as he shook Ima's hand.

"Pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Aotsuki."

Takumi grabbed Eito by his collar and whispered into his ear. "How is a sniper rifle going to help us plant a garden?"

"I don't know. We'll figure something out."

Weeewooo! Weeewoo!

Sirens rang out from behind them.

"No way, it's the warden!" Ima shouted.

They turned around to see Sirei wearing a blue service cap with a matching pair of aviator sunglasses, slapping a stun baton between his palms.

"There you are. What did I tell you Tsukumo twins about shooting indoors? This is your fifth offense today. Time to go back in the cage."

Sirei handcuffed both of them and led them along with a short stick prodding them forward.

"But I was only helping my sister with target practice," Ima moped. "Ye-owch!" Sirei zapped his behind, and Ima rubbed it pitifully.

Kako was resisting being led forward. "There has to be some mistake. I can't be behind bars. I'm a cop!"

Sirei slammed the cage door shut.

The twins turned toward the far end of the cage. Yugamu sat on a small bed, huffing some incense.

"Sup. What are you in for?”

——

Playing the persuasion game was both harder and easier than they expected. Eventually, they did manage to assemble a band of students together.

Tsubasa agreed to help with the planning stage too. She recommended they use large steel beams around the perimeter, and thanks to all the ore the scavenging team had gathered in the caves, they had enough to manufacture them. Tsubasa was a monster on the road. She called it her de-stressor. The team always pulled better hauls with her and her military-style truck.

And let's not forget the contributions of their mysterious donor. One day, a pile of junk the size of a hill suddenly appeared out front of the school. A group gathered outside to check it out. As they stood in awe, the small body of Shouma stepped out from behind it.

"How did you get all this here?" they asked.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" He snickered as he slipped away.

Once they rolled the beams outside, Moko used the chain end from her ball and chain as a lasso and backed up to pull the beam upright. A similar method was used to lift the cages so they could steal the fertilizer at the bottom.

"A little help?" she called out.

"I got you! No prob!" said Takemaru. He grabbed the ends of the chain with her, then attached it to his motorcycle. He reversed the engine, and they both pulled together with Moko riding in the back.

Once they got the four industrial beams set in place, Ima flew over and draped a large tarp on top.

"MVP! BABY!" Gaku cheered, firing madly from his Gatling gun. The bullets poked millions of holes into the shaded awning, creating a makeshift filter for the plants to receive dappled sunlight. He also beefed up the ground, allowing spots for new seeds to be tossed in and for aerobic bacteria to grow.

The best part? Gaku could absorb all the bullets and shells back into himself, so they didn't have to clean any of it up.

"Ugh, I got it in my mouth." Gaku coughed up clumps of wet soil.

Then lastly, there was Kako. The girl took out a small vial she'd picked up from the bio lab and downed it, then transformed into her class armor.

"Brother, I'm ready!"

Ima swooped in, raising his sister high into the air.

Kako concentrated on an X-shaped mark in the dirt far below.

"Ready...aim..."

Click.

Brooooooomm.

A giant laser beam shot from the end of the rifle, disintegrating the ground beneath her in a blinding light and creating a deep crater that took up a quarter of the track field.

Seconds later, Kako went limp. Ima flapped back down to peer into the hole. The soil at the bottom began bubbling.

...

"Since you're such well-behaved students and are finally doing what I asked of you in the first place," they remembered Sirei saying, "I'll lend a helping hand. Y'know how the ground is drier than graham cracker dust? Well, that's only true for the surface. The people in this area used to rely on runoff from the mountains, leaving water reserves located underground. See if you can find one."

…

The ground started shaking. Ima ducked out of the way, covering his sister with his wings as a geyser erupted. Over a hundred gallons of water came rushing out and seeped into the surrounding soil. And for the first time, they saw in the sky every color all at once.

——-

Several Months Later

The bright star still radiated heat above, yet under the shade cloth walls of the garden was a light breeze. The sprinklers had gone off recently.

As the couple passed by, they could hear a slight squish under their feet as they admired the fresh smells of herbs with a rosy undertone.

"Any particular reason you brought me out here?" Nozomi asked.

Takumi shrugged. "It's quiet this time of day. I thought it'd be a nice place for us to take a walk."

That, and he was doing a favor for his friend. Eito had become so drained he didn't have the energy to check up on it today.

The two walked by the rows. Along each section was a small picket sign with dark writing. He really went and named every one. Many of them Takumi assumed were after his favorite writers and poets. Eito had even thrown some of their names in there too.

"He really does care for them like they're his own children."

"Guess you're cauliflower-flavored." Takumi picked up the cream-colored vegetable with her name. Its rich green leaves were full of dew. For whatever reason, he pictured Nozomi wearing it like a hat. Its structure would look like a second brain was growing on top of her own. Takumi chuckled and attempted to place the cauliflower on her head.

"Stop! Hehe, you're wasting the food," she said, playfully pushing it away. "What if I get hair germs or lice all over it?"

"Please. Your hair is way too pretty to have lice."

"Here, you can put it on your head on your own time. I was planning on giving some to you anyway," he said, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Maybe it'll make up for me leaving you out when I invited half the school here."

"You're still on about that? How many times do I have to tell you I don't need special blood powers to make me happy?"

"I know. I'm still sad I never got to see yours."

"Sirei said I was having a negative reaction to the transfusion. I wasn't going to risk my health for that. And besides, it hasn't been all bad. I've been having a lot of fun assisting the Bio Department with Yugamu and Hiruko. We've been working on a secret project that we're trying to keep from Sirei's ears,” she whispered.

"Secret project?"

"Shh." She put her finger up to her lips with a coy grin underneath.

"I'll tell you later."

Chapter Text

In the blue hue of the dimly lit war room, Sirei had been pacing back and forth for hours, analyzing data and re-evaluating status reports.

Progress on school expansion was going well. Food stock had been trending upward, as had items in the Gift-O-Matic. Overall, things have been quiet around here. A little too quiet...

"Mmmm." Sirei rubbed the flat surface under his mouth in thought. He turned to the upper right.

"If only you were here, my true second in command."

There beside him was a framed memorial picture of a similar-looking robot with a beret and medal that he'd hung up next to the monitors.

"You always had a way of playing to those kids' sympathies. And I'm sure you see the problem, don't you?" He gestured dramatically at the surveillance feeds. "There is a horde of teenagers who have been living in an enclosed space for months. And. No. Action." He slammed his fists down one of one another.

“They should be banging out the wazoo!  Fiddling those sticks. Tearing those hoo-has! Slicing those salamis!” Sirei yelled with dramatic thrusting motions. "They need to breed, Nigou!"

He continued to pace with his cane, tapping it against the floor with each agitated step.

"Did we make a mistake somewhere? Are these girls too rough? Did we not give these boys enough testosterone?" He looked pleadingly at the photograph.

"I granted Sumino and Kirifuji permission to share memories. And what have they done with that?" He threw his hands up. "Diddy squat! Zilch! Nada! Absolutely Zippo! Humanity's going to die out at this rate!"

Sirei cleared his throat and adopted a higher, more refined voice. "Oh, Great Honorable Sirei," he said, mimicking his fallen comrade, "this is terrible. Whatever shall we do?"

He snapped back to his normal voice. "I'll tell you what we're going to do, Nigou." He leaned in close to the picture conspiratorially. "To keep things from moving at less than a snail's pace, we're going to have to break some knees and plant some seeds. Me and the remnants of humanity have come up with an ingenious plan to kickstart this romance revolution."

Sirei rubbed his hand stubs together in a sinister fashion. 

"They'll never know what hit them. Mwahahaha!"

——

"Yoo-hoo! Ooohh, stuuuudeeeents! I have an announcement for yoooouuu!" Sirei sang as he popped into existence at the front of the cafeteria.

"Ugh, another one?" Tsubasa wasn't even halfway done with her bowl of cereal.

"Can't this shit wait?" Takemaru glared. They were all just trying to eat their breakfast in peace.

"Trust me, you're going to love this one. It's about an upcoming holiday. I'm sure you've all heard of a little thing called Valentine's Day?" He smirked.

"Valentine's Day?!" The wrestler girl beside Takumi gasped. He felt the table shake as she slammed her hands down.

 She knocked over his muffin.

"Yepperooni!" Sirei pulled out a calendar marked with crude drawings. On top, there was no exact year listed, only a bunch of incomprehensible symbols with numbers at the bottom and a large red circle around the 13th. An even bigger highlighted circle surrounded the day next to it, decorated with hearts and stick figures holding hands. "And what a coinkadink. Today’s the 13th! That'll give you all a whole day to prepare. I know traditional affairs have you make chocolates for the boys in school, but we're going to spice it up a bit. This time, it's guys ask girls. And it doesn't have to be cocoa-related foodstuff either. It can be anything. And if a girl accepts your offer, who knows? Perhaps on White Day she'll return the favor." He clicked his tongue and winked. "There we have it. A fusion of western and eastern customs combined to make this singular Neo Valentine's Day. Humanity would be so proud. Good luck out there, troopers! I’m excited to see what kind of confessions you’ll come up with for tomorrow." He saluted them, then disappeared.

The cafeteria erupted into chatter.

Ima turned to his sister at the bench and clasped her hands in his.

"You hear that, Kako? A whole holiday dedicated to spending time with those you love."

"You're right. I need to make myself available."

She sprang up from the table and left.

"Kako, wait! Come back!" Ima called and ran after her. The rest stayed chatting at the table.

 “You got any plans for tomorrow?” Tsubasa asked Takumi. 

“No idea.”

—-

Neo Valentines Day 

(9:00pm - 15 hours remain) 

The second the day hit, Yugamu had already asked Hiruko out.

"An accurate replica of a human heart made of chocolate. You shouldn't have." She admired the sweet-tasting organ in her hand, turning it over to examine the anatomical details.

"Open it up and you'll see the special filling I put inside," he said, leaning over his desk licking his lips with the devil of lust in his eyes.

Hiruko sliced through the aorta with her nail. Strawberry sauce oozed out from the ventricle like blood.

That was fast.

Takumi had woken up ten minutes ago. He hadn't even thought about what he was going to do today.

 The boy turned his head to see Takemaru walking up to Hiruko, his usual swagger now shaky. The biker didn't make any eye contact as he held up a small plastic bag.

"Umm...Hiruko. I think you're a classy gal and a sick-as-fuck warrior. And I like that, so...here."

He shoved the bag into her hand. Inside were custom-made donut holes with kitten faces decorated on top made out of chocolate frosting. 

Hiruko's smirk widened as she pinched him by the cheek. "Glad the big boy came around to my invitation,” she teased. Takemaru kept his eyes hidden underneath his sunglasses as heat ran up his neck. 

"Did you get him for the two of us to share?" Yugamu purred. "Oh, Hiruko, I love the way you think. Come here, big guy."

Yugamu lunged forward and climbed on top of Takemaru before he could react.

"Woah, bro, I never agreed to-"

Takemaru was knocked to the floor by the shorter boy's momentum. His legs kicked out from under the desk as Yugamu pinned him down, running his hands along the biker's chest.

"Get off me, you freak!"

Before he could hoist the blue-haired boy off, another weight crashed down on top of him. Hiruko launched herself into the dog pile with a flying press.

"Killer move, girl!" cheered Moko, who had been gleefully watching their little tussle.

Hiruko wrapped her legs around Takemaru's in a body scissors hold and grabbed his wrists, securing his arms as he struggled beneath them. Meanwhile, Yugamu was in ecstasy, feeling hot and sweaty as he remained sandwiched between the two of them, his face pressed againstTakemaru's pecs.

Moko bounded over and dropped to her knees beside the tangle of limbs, slapping the ground like a referee. "One! Two! Three! And KNOCK OUT!!! He's down for the count! Everybody scream!"

She cupped her hands to the side of her mouth and cheered. Then Moko grabbed her friend lying on top by the arm and hoisted it into the air.

"Our pal Hiruko is the winner! Woop! Woop!"

Sirei materialized with a sharp whistle blast. "Time out! This is a public area. Don't get your tallywackers in a twist yet. Wait until you get into your own rooms to do that!"

Things sure were heating up. 

Takumi usually found himself looking forward to Valentine’s Day. Getting a taste of Nozomi’s sweet, world-famous homemade chocolates that she would pass out to everyone in the class would put him in a delightful daze for weeks. Now that Sirei changed it to guys ask girls he supposed he wouldn’t get any this year. 

“Aren’t you upset about the rule change too?” he asked Eito. “I’m sure you're used to getting plenty of chocolates because you're really handsome." 

“Aww, you don’t really mean that do you?” He blushed while he pulled on his collar. 

“N-not like that!”

He was just stating a fact. Obviously, he cares about dressing clean and presentable. No one does that much laundry for fun. His hair and teeth are super shiny. Even the glasses made him look smarter.

“I never went the traditional school route,” he answered. “Truth be told this is my first Valentine’s Day with other people my age. It’s so different from what I’ve seen in books,” Eito watched threesomes legs straddle in the air while crashing noises into nearby desks, “and in the works of Saint Valentine.”

Takumi couldn’t help but look at the stack of books Eito was carrying. And their specific titles. 

‘The Art of Flirting’

‘Intimacy 101’

‘The Birds and the Bees and the Secret Third Thing’

‘How to Turn Your Virgin Brain Off’

There was also a box of heart decorations on of them, dried flower petals, and some snippings of rosemary on the top. 

Of course, if friendships were like equations, then relationships must be like learning a foreign language to him.  

Takumi gave a sly nod. 

“You studying up?”

“Oh no, these are for you,” he said happily, pushing them towards Takumi. “Sirei gave them to me. He said you’d be more likely to take them if they were coming from me instead.”

I don’t think you're supposed to say that part. 

“So, when are you going to partake in the ritual of asking out Nozomi?” said Eito, clasping his hands together. 

“I’m working on it.”

A group of students were gathering around Shouma at the other side of the room. “Bet you’re all wondering who I’m going to pick this year.

Back at my old school, I had lots of girlfriends. My last girlfriend was the cheerleader captain who stood by me in all my games. She was a total bombshell. Tall with long beautiful hair the color of amethyst and eggplants. She and her sister would always fight over me.

Ginzaki doesn't settle for anything less than the best. That's why I'm going for the most popular girl in this academy...Tsubasa!" A stubby finger pointed in her direction.

"ME?!" Her face burned bright red.

"There's got to be some mistake."

Tsubasa tried to deny it. 

To Takumi it made sense. She was one of the first people anyone went to when they had a problem, and she was always seen with a posse of boys following her. He and Eito certainly weren't helping with that. And although the mechanic wasn’t traditionally very feminine, she was still very attractive. Takumi probably would've gone for her too if he didn't already have eyes for Nozomi.

"You can't do that!" An obnoxious voice boomed from the corner. "I object!" Gaku puffed up his chest and strutted over.

"Why's that?"

"'Cuz I was going to ask her, and I ain't sharing her with the likes of you. She's not even into you, man."

"Are you challenging me?" Suddenly Shouma morphed into his muscular form. The wood of the desk cracked under his fingertips.

"So what if I am?" Gaku spat.

Shouma grabbed him by the collar. Gaku tried his best to maintain cold eye contact while his legs trembled.

A pair of pale blue eyes, and cherubic cheeks were then spotted between them. 

"Ooooohhh! Looks like we got ourselves a DEATH MATCH!" Moko hopped in and slapped down a folded piece of paper labeled (Shouma Ginzaki vs. Gaku Maruko) onto the desk. 

"Before we throw you both in the ring, we're going to have to set up a few rules, boys." She pulled them into a huddle, pressing her forehead against theirs. "Only one of you can confess to her at a time, and you only get one shot to do it. We've only got one day here so I want to see some finishers."

She leaned in and whispered loudly, "Here, I'll give you a hint on what she wants. The ultimate fantasy for our lovely damsel Tsubasa is for a prince to sweep her off her feet."

"Too bad we only have a couple of paupers," said Hiruko, walking by with her two men locked between her arms.

"Trust me on this, boys. In the wrestling scene, I may be known as the Apocalyptic Maiden of Destruction, but on Valentine's Day, the stars align to grant me magic powers, and this maiden transforms into..." She struck a pose, flashing a peace sign by her eye. “Love Beam, Cupid Queen! I had a whole TV special about it."

The declaration could be heard across the room. 

Eito’s face lit up. “Hey Takumi, you hear that?” he nudged his shoulder. “We have the real life Cupid going to our school.” 

Takumi’s face was planted on the desk. He was hoping the idea fairy would come last night when he slept. 

Takumi’s voice came out barely audible as he groaned. “I don’t know how to cook. And if I give her chocolate it's not going to be as good as the kind she makes.”

“You're still on the chocolate? There’s no universal law that says giving food is the only expression of love. When I was in the hospital I was gifted all sorts of things. The nurses felt bad that I was missing out. They would say things like, ‘Ahh, what’s a cute little boy doing cooped up here all alone during the holiday? He should be playing out with his friends’ and they would spoil me by showering my bed with fake flowers and cards and giant stuffed animals so much so that I could barely see over my head. I think I made my bed neighbors jealous.” Eito chuckled to himself. 

While on the nostalgia trip, it made him think of something. 

“Hey umm…,” he hesitated for a moment. “You never told me Nozomi used to spend time in the hospital as a kid.”

 Takumi’s head snapped up immediately as turned his full attention to him. 

“I didn’t know…Is she sick?”

“No, nothing like that,” Eito waved reassuringly. “I was making star maps with her one night when she told me was a volunteer. Her mom used to conduct research on chronic illnesses like cancer and heart disease to find treatments. They were short on test subjects so Nozomi wanted to volunteer herself to help.”

Eito gave a wistful sigh. “Giving her own body like that for the sake of humanity. No wonder you're obsessed with her,” he smiled. “And I was thinking, seeing how we both have fond memories of our stay, maybe you could give her something to remind her of that.”

Takumi remained crouched down at the desk staring at his fists. His palms, full of sweat. 

Misguided suggestion aside.

And the fact that his best friend and his best girl-friend were hanging out without him. 

Why would she ever have fun memories of being tortured in a hospital? 

Poor girl. 

They probably drained her dry. 

That must be why she couldn’t use hemoanima. He felt like a jerk for talking about it so much around her. 

All this did was raise the stakes of the event even higher. 

“I think I prefer to watch from the sidelines this year,” said Eito. “But don’t fret my friend. I’m rooting for you. Though, might I suggest you put some deodorant on?” 

He said, recoiling and pinching his nose. “You kind of reek.” 

Takumi raised his arms and gave them a whiff. 

At the same time, Nozomi was sitting back at her desk with Moko massaging her shoulders. It was what the wrestler’s coach always did before the start of a fight. 

“What am I warming up for? Aren’t they supposed to come to us?” 

“You always have to be prepared,” said Moko.  “You never know when a man will strike. And you’ll have to accept what’s coming to ya. Unless it’s something un-gentlemanly like. Then they’ll have to accept one of these.” Moko flexed her hand and forearm menacingly.  

“By the way,” Nozomi pulled out a plastic bag from her purse. “Here’s some chocolate.”

“What are you doing? Put that thing away, you should be saving that for your man.” 

“But I made them especially for you.” Nozomi said, pushing it into her hand. They had little M’s imprinted onto or W's if you held them upside down. M for Moko and W for Wrestling. Her wrestling friend kept insisting on pushing back. 

“Girl I said, you shouldn’t be-,” Footsteps found their way towards them. "Oh my gosh. Here he comes! Stay calm and act like you own it sister.” 

Moko ducked down and gave her a thumbs up, unsuccessfully hiding her wide frame behind a desk. Nozomi sat perfectly still as the boy approached her. His gate was jagged and slow and he had his hands stuffed in pockets.” 

“Hi Nozomi, things sure are crazy around here.”

“Yep, they sure are.” 

“So have you been asked by anyone?”

“Nooo?” she shook her head slowly. 

“Cool,” he said, playing with his foot.

“…”

“I’ll see you later then,” Takumi waved and walked back to his corner. Nozomi sat perplexed 

“Was that an ask?”

“Booooo! Way to bring the hype down, Takumi!”  Moko jumped up from underneath the desk. She balled up a piece of paper and threw it at him. 

“That was weird. He’s usually a lot more direct.”

“Not sure what you see in him,” said Moko, bending her hips to stretch. “but he’s not going to make me lose my winning streak. The POWER OF LOVE will compel each and every one of you! We have to regroup for a rematch and I’ll brainstorm ideas on how to make his heart swoon. I’m thinking we change the setting. Something less distracting. And somewhere more thrashin' for a passion!”

“Moko.” 

“Relax, I'm getting to the good part.” 

“Moko, I think someone wants to see you,” Nozomi pointed below her.

The wrestler stopped and noticed the slight tug on her arm band. She looked down to see Kako staring straight up at her with big doe eyes. 

“Umm… Miss Love Beam, Can I have a make-over?” 

 Moko grinned and squatted down to the girl’s level. “Course hun, you’ve come to the right place.”

“Thank you. Big Sis Moko,” Kako jumped up to hug her, wrapping her arms around her neck. Moko gave a gentle pat in return and stood back up.  

“Sorry Nozomi, guess I have another client I have to attend to. But I’m not letting off the hook yet, I got my eye on you.” Moko made a threatening face as she pointed her fingers back and forth between her eyes and Nozomi's.

—-

Neo Valentines Day 

(12:00- 12 hours remain) 

Tsubasa did not expect to wake up to this. It was nice to know she was wanted and all. But popular?

She remembered third-wheeling for her friends on White Day, having a huge crush on this really cute new transfer student, then having the overwhelming fear that she'd puke on the boy she loved. 

At least hanging out with these two didn't give her those sickly butterflies in her stomach. Still, why couldn't she be asked by someone like Takumi, who knew how to act normal around her?

Ding dong.

"Let's get this over with."

Tsubasa hung her head low and went to the door of her makeshift dorm room.

On her doorstep stood Shouma with a rose in hand, wearing a black suit with a bow tie and white corsage. Wait, no-that thing on his chest. It's a hole. He was wearing his class armor.

She'd never seen it on him before. Why was he wearing it now?

"Thank you for waiting patiently, m'lady." He bowed, handing her the flower. It was made out of leftover tissue paper, but she guessed she could give him points for trying. Not like they had a lot of fresh flowers to go around.

"Are you ready for our proposal date?"

He raised his arm to hers and escorted her down the stairs. Shouma was a few feet shorter than her, which made walking with him pretty awkward. She had to bend her knees to keep up with his pace.

"Your hands are so greasy, Tsubasa. It makes me feel like I'm touching melted butter," he cooed.

"Thanks?"

Shouma stopped in front of the entrance to the school and gave a dramatic pause. He gestured toward the shuttered doorway with a flourish.

"Now...open."

The metal shutters groaned and slowly rose up, flooding the hallway with bright sunlight.

What she saw stole her breath away.

A tall metallic giant stood in the front yard of the school, blocking out the sun. Its body was built like a Gundam. Angular plates of gray and white armor with blocky shoulders and powerful hydraulic joints. And where the chest was sat an enormous Shiba Inu puppy face.

"WWWOOOWW!!!"

Tsubasa rushed forward, circling the mech and knocking on its blocky surfaces to confirm it was real. There was a lack of screws or welding seams. The joints seemed to attach seamlessly yet remained clearly capable of full mobility. This was way more than just a large model figure.

"Shouma, you built this?"

"Built?" He gave a hearty laugh. "My dear, it is me. This magnificent machine is the embodiment of my essence."

To demonstrate this, he deactivated his class armor. Like ice cream melting on a hot day, the giant metal being dissolved behind him into a sopping pool of blood. The crimson ooze followed him, converging underneath Shouma’s feet as he stood calmly in the center of it.

He raised his infuser.

What happened next was a scene straight out of an early century mech anime. Individual blocks materialized around his body, forming cube-shaped red wireframe outlines where the elbows, arms, legs, and head would be. Then the colors filled in like a paint bucket tool. Grays, whites, blacks, and yellows spread across the frame until finally the full mech stood before her once again. The goofy Shiba Inu face stared down at her as if to remind her of the chubby-faced, loud-mouthed boy still inside.

The massive mech knelt down. A head five times bigger than hers came face to face. A deep, metallic voice overlayed with Shouma's usual tone.

"Shall we?"

It offered its hand. She found herself blushing as she grabbed onto one of its enormous fingers and was lifted high up into the air above the school’s rooftop.

From this height, she could see so much more. The landscape sprawled out in various shades of brown. A distant cave system was carved into rocky mountains, their dark mouths gaping like wounds in the earth. To the west was a shoreline. The largest body of water she had ever seen was choked with debris. The skeletal remains of all the broken buildings continued to jut out of the wasteland like gravestones. It was haunting yet beautiful.

"You think that's impressive? You should see this."

Jet boosters ignited beneath the robot's feet, launching it into the sky.  

Tsubasa's stomach dropped. She flattened herself against the palm as G-forces pinned her down, her cheeks pulling back, her lungs struggling to draw breath. The air grew thin. White clouds rushed past them, their wispy trails obscuring the ground she'd been so accustomed to. 

Shouma spread the mech’s legs apart as he twirled. "Isn't this great? We can go wherever we want together! You and me!"

"Woah, woah, woah!" Tsubasa's head spun. The horizon tilted at impossible angles. Thanks to the dizziness she lost her grip and stumbled backwards. Ginzaki stopped her against his metal finger before she could take a nasty fall.

"You okay, Tsubasa?"

"That was so Awesome!!!!" she said, almost delirious as she fully plastered herself onto the mech's face. "How do I drive it?"

"D-D-Drive it?"

The robot settled back to earth. The arm carrying Tsubasa drew her up to the mech's chest. The small doorframe opened from within the dog's gaping mouth. Out crawled a small human Shouma.

"I'm not sure that's possible."

"I want to try."

She leaped over to the entrance and squeezed inside while Shouma ascended to perch on top of the bot’s shoulders. 

Inside, the torso was concave in shape. The mechanic went from ducking her head to squatting on her hands and knees. She shimmied into the control deck and found herself with one huge problem.

Her ass was too fat. There wasn’t enough room in the chair. Not only that, but her knees were pressed up to eyeballs and her back felt like it was being curled up and crammed into a snail shell. She grunted and pushed against the walls, trying to adjust.

Shouma could hear her struggling from outside. "It's too tight, I knew it. It was designed with only me in mind."

"But I've seen you control your size before. Can't you make the opening bigger?" asked the muffled voice.

"I haven't been able to change size while in my class armor," he yelled back. "I don't think that's how it works. Forgive me."

“Well, we have to come up with something. I’m coming back down.” She attempted to push out but her bottom half wouldn’t budge. “Oh god.” 

Shouma attempted to haul her out of the door. 

Meanwhile, in the classroom on the upper floor 

Gaku stood there looking out the window with a pair of binoculars. “No freaking way he gets a mech? How is that freaking fair?” That has to be how he’s been gathering massive amounts of materials.

 Gaku frowned looking at his own infuser and at the box of fireworks he was going to launch with it. He was proud of his Gatling gun when he first got, it but that thing probably has the power of 500 Gatling guns. How was he gonna compete with that?

Time to come up with a plan B. 

——

Neo Valentines Day 

(12:30-11½ hours remain) 

Gaku quietly knocked on the door to the bio lab while looking both ways down the hallway.

The small window carved into the door slid open, revealing two blue eyes. One clearly drawn over an eyepatch.

"Oh, look who's come crawling back," said Yugamu.

"Psst. Can you hook a brother up?" Gaku rose on his toes, trying to peek past him. "Ya got anything in the aphrodisiacs variety in there? Something to give me a cool accent? Bulk me up, or make me, y'know...taller?"

"Mmmm. There might be something in the back." Yugamu's eyes rolled in mock consideration. "First, I want to know how you'll pay me. My services don't come cheap."

"What? We don't have a working economy," Gaku whisper-yelled. "What do you want me to do? Get on my knees and bark like a dog?"

"No..." Gaku could hear someone laughing behind Yugamu as he turned to the side. "Meow like a cat."

This was what he got for going to a psychopath for help. Though it wasn't the worst request he'd ever received.

"Nghh, fine. As long as you give me what I want." Gaku grunted and dropped to his knees, balling up his fists as he began crawling on all fours.

"Mwoorr, mrwooorr."

He then rolled over onto his back and curled his arms to his chest, lifting one paw up to pretend to pat at a bell. "Mwreow, mwor, hisss."

"I'm starting to see the appeal of this," Yugamu said, smiling down at him. Gaku could hear those other voices in the background laughing at him again.

Gaku got up, dusted off his jacket, and thrust his hands up toward the window.

"'Kay, now pay up."

"Mmm, I would, but my other partner says taking the drug is cheating. And I don't cheat on my partners."

For the love of Money. 

The boy began banging on the door. "Open up and give up the goods, Yugamu! I'm not playing, and I can hear your other buddies in there. Why don't you come out and-"

There was a noise of a lock unhitching as the young doctor stepped through the doorway. Two looming figures towered behind him.

Takemaru and Hiruko.

Both had dotted lines marked along the crowns of their skulls. Were those incision lines?

"Pardon me,” Yugamu said. "Should I ask for a kiss next?" 

“Such a trivial command. I believe you should have him crouching down on his knees begging mercy.” Takemaru's words came out, oddly sensual as-he?-twisted a finger along Yugamu's bare chest.

Hiruko came out and tackled both of them and wrung her arm around their necks. "Dude, are you guys fucking serious right now? We should be squashing this dude's fucking dick off for asking shit like that and call it a day."

gulp

Gaku stepped back.

No way…

Did he actually c-cut their brains out?!

And put them back into each other?!

"Mgghh. A-ahhhhhh!"

With fear in his eyes, Gaku quickly backed away and ended up tripping over himself. He scrambled to his feet to run far, far away from them, empty-handed.

The three watched.

Hiruko tossed her hair. "You see? If Tsubasa was smart, she'd use both of them.”

"Yo, Yugamu, when are we going to quit this brain-swapping roleplay and take this shit off?" Takemaru said, trying to erase the black dotted line on his forehead, creating smudges instead.

"Stop rubbing it like a dog," Hiruko chided.

"I'm surprised you kept the poker face up for that long," Yugamu said, walking both his lovers back inside.

—

Neo Valentine’s Day 

(Year XXXX) 

"In a world where the last remnants of humanity cling to survival, one force watches over them all. An artificial intelligence, cold and calculating with eyes able to pierce through pure steel. Everywhere they go, it follows. Its mission: simple. Its methods: questionable. Its understanding of romance: non-existent.”

Takumi paced back and forth in the hallway, running his hands through his hair.

"Our protagonist, let's call him...Red. Finds himself trapped in the Watcher's grand design. The AI has decreed: all must pair. All must participate in the tribal tradition known as Day of the Valentine, or face consequences most dire. Perhaps the dreaded Time Out Cage or something worse. The bot’s wrath knows no bounds."

Takumi stopped, staring at the empty box he'd gotten from the Gift-O-Matic, then put it back.

"But Red faces an impossible task. The Watcher demands an offering. A gift worthy of his chosen mate. Yet what gift can he present when she is the master of confections, the Ivory goddess of cocoa? The pressure mounts. The clock ticks. The White Watcher's sensors are always watching, always judging."

Takumi slumped against the wall, sliding down to sit on the floor.

"Red questions everything. Why must romance be mandated? Why must a machine dictate the affairs of the heart? The weight of humanity's future rests on his shoulders. One wrong decision, one failed confession, could doom the world. 

Takumi let out a long, exhausted sigh.

“Our hero contemplates his options. Option A: Face the challenge head-on with courage and determination. Option B: Hide in this hallway forever. Option C: Pee his pants.”

"Eito, this isn't helping."

"Sorry." He put away his microphone and pushed himself off the balcony. "I really thought externalizing your thoughts would work. It’s a real CBT technique. Would looking at the giant robot outside make you feel better?"

"No."

Takumi hated that he was struggling so much with choosing a present for Nozomi. He knew they were close. But after what Eito said, he started to doubt how much he really knew about her.

He searched his memories for any signs that something had been wrong. No needle pricks on her skin. No sick days staying home from school. Nothing. Only that she was embarrassed by the scar left on her stomach after her father's accident.

"Why not ask Moko for help? She got Shouma to finally show his Hemoanima to people. And earlier I spotted her doing Kako's hair and applying Moko brand moisturizer." Eito grinned and struck a pose. "When your skin’s about to crack—Your girl Moko's got your back!"

Takumi muttered the jingle along with him.

"And afterwards, Kako found ten anonymous love letters addressed to her." Eito held up all ten of his gloved fingers. "I'm starting to think her powers really are magical." He smooshed his face up against the window.

That was one thing he could be relieved about. Moko was with her, and she looked like the type of girl who wouldn't let anyone hurt Nozomi. At least he hoped. 

Nozomi wouldn't even give him the details on what the secret project in the Bio lab was. All he'd gotten was that they'd made some kind of breakthrough in life development. Were they using her too to get there?

Takumi bit his nails.

No. They were his friends. He should trust his friends.

"I need to take another walk to clear my head."

 As he walked down the green-lit hallway, he saw a multitude of posters plastered against the walls. Each of them featured Sirei with some dumb saying at the bottom.

There was one with Sirei pointing directly at the camera.

Humanity Needs YOU: To Bone!

Another showed him wearing a stethoscope.

A Hug a Day Keeps Extinction Away

One where he was holding a crying human baby wrapped in swaddling clothes.

Won't Someone Think of the Children?

Another one had the same baby now being thrown at Sirei holding a baseball bat. 

All home runners pass first base

And one particularly unhinged poster showed Sirei with sparkles around him and a water gun?

Say it and Spray it! 

He thought he'd taken these down already. How did Sirei keep putting them back up so fast?

Takumi tore them down one after another, moving frantically from poster to poster. Why, of all days, did he have to be treated like cattle?

"I don't want to be a cow. I just want to spend time with her and eat chocola-a-a-te," he cried.

Takumi snarled and ripped another poster in half. He instinctively took a bite then immediately spit it out because that was gross.

By sheer coincidence, he looked up to see Tsubasa standing a few feet away, staring at him holding a large black doohicky.

"Hey, Tsubasa." He quickly stuffed the shredded papers behind his back, forcing a smile.

"What are you doing?"

"Um...what are you doing?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing."

"..."

"..."

They stood there in painful silence.

"Just...escorting this scissor jack.” 

"And I'm just passing by. See you." 

They both hurried past each other, heads tucked close to their chests, walking as quickly as possible without breaking into a run.

“By the way, has anyone seen my motivation stick lately?” Tsubasa asked out loud.

To be continued…

Chapter Text

Out of his pocket Gaku pulled out a small pen-sized object that burst out a small electrical force when he turned it on. He got an anonymous tip from an outsider, and according to his sources this thing was made to increase the productivity of a person by tenfold. 

It could boost his Hemoanima superpowers and his regular strength combined giving him true super strength. Maruko was going to use her invention to win the competition. That's how much he appreciated her work. 

And he had the perfect gift in mind for her too. A new garage. Whenever he passed by the old one, he saw his lady spilling out of there with how much had been stockpiling her inventions. Sometimes she’d ride them like a river when they opened the door. He thought about assembling a bunch of small materials to build a new one. But what would be more time and cost effective is if he stole another building and transported it back to the school. 

“Time to turn this puppy up,” he flipped the switch on the invention. A tiny spark appeared at the top. Now where to put this? Gaku slowly brought it close to his neck.

When it touched skin, the zap felt less like the shock you get from rubbing a balloon against fabric and more like a gallon of coffee being injected into his veins. All the artificial Voltage flowed into him, and charged every cell in his body putting it into maximum overdrive.

 Gaku activated his Hemoanima and pulled out his Gatling gun. This thing easily weighed over a hundred pounds. With one hand he tossed it into the air, and it flipped end over end. He caught it, then threw it up a few more times. Then he barged into the gym and chucked some barbells. They flew across the room and clanged against the far wall.

"YES!" Gaku shouted, pumping his fists. He had the gains. That fake doctor could eat his heart out; this is real doping.

Now to do it in style. 

That underground earthquake must've done a number on his clothes. Gaku didn’t remember them looking so torn and beat up. 

As a gentleman-to-be, he couldn't approach a lady with a hole in his hat and patchwork all over jacket, and frayed pants. He didn’t have time to tailor a new fit. And before anyone asks, he already checked the Gift-O-Matic. There was a wedding dress in there with no matching tuxedo. Why the hell was there only a dress in there? Who was that for? 

In the end, he decided to add basic accessories to his class armor. It was more convenient that way he didn’t have to wear anything over it when he was using it. And he looked pretty dang charming, if he did say so himself. 

Now onto the show. 

—

On the technical robotic side of things, Tsubasa cranked up the scissor jack on the mech's interior. The material was surprisingly malleable. 

So was the interior of Shouma. He could feel a pushing sensation on his phantom atria. The ripped part of his clothes twitched like the feelers of a star-nosed mole. 

Okay, so she got the hole opened wide enough. New problem. There were no controls. Tsubasa searched for any buttons or switches or any steering wheels like in her Hemoanima. There were a couple of joysticks poking near her feet. She arched forward and grabbed them. 

“Gotcha!”

She pushed one lever forward. It sent one of the legs flying. The entire mech wobbled and was beginning to lose balance. The small boy also began tripping over himself as if his empty veins were pulling him like strings. 

Tsubasa grabbed the other handle and anxiously spread them apart to counter the uneven shift in weight. Tidal waves of nausea washed over her from the swinging back and forth motion of one leg stepping in and the other going too far. Her secret cure of focusing on a point in her field of vision could only take her so far. 

 The mechanic jammed one heel into the ground to get the damn thing to stay in place when it started sliding and then the other leg followed.

For one horrible moment, their legs were stuck being spread impossibly wide. Until they the mech toppled over sideways face planting towards the earth. 

Tsubasa, not knowing what to do, planted her feet against the narrow walls and pulled back the levers as hard as she could, trying to get the machine back up. It resulted in the mech thrashing like a beached dolphin, raising its head and tail before slamming down again with a metallic crunch.

"Shouma, how do you pilot this?" she called out to the boy who was kissing the dirt outside.

"Umm..."

The truth was, he didn't know. It was all second nature to him. But what kind of boyfriend didn't know how to teach his girl to pilot a mech?

"Try feeling for a latch.”

Tsubasa ran her fingers along the ceiling, searching for a hidden switch. Soon enough, her finger landed on something sharp.

"Ow!"

The metal pricked her finger and there was a small stream of blood coming out. Then the red stream then tailed its way into a chrome liquid that was oozing out of the nearest wall. They attracted each other like a magnet. Once the liquids touched it began sucking the blood in. 

The metal encased her arm. 

"Ahh!" She tried using her other hand and legs to push it off, kicking and pulling frantically. When that didn't work, she tried wriggling her trapped arm from the inside.

The entire mech rolled over with her motion.

She then pushed upwards and the mech responded, rising halfway. She slammed both levers down with her feet and bent its knees. The giant machine struggled to its feet, swaying slightly before stabilizing.

As an experiment, she waved her trapped hand in front of her face. Through the viewscreen, she watched a massive metal hand copy her movement, waving across the landscape.

"You got it to work! That's so cool!" The voice came from inside the cockpit this time.

"Shouma? Is that you? I didn't know you had receptors in here. Or is this in my brain? Are we, like, mentally in sync?"

"I think we are. The mech's been making my body jerk in ways I didn't think were possible."

"Oh...are you okay?"

"Babe, I've been through way worse. My doctor said I was born with a high tolerance for pain. I can take almost anything."

"That's good..."

The girl looked out the viewscreen again. From this bird's-eye view, she could envision exactly where all those tracks she'd been planning could be placed. Imagine how much she could accomplish if she could control this thing.

She made the mech's fist clench. Bright flames erupted from the wrist thrusters. Then she practiced rotating the arm as fast as it could go. 

In an attempt to cross both arms by manually putting the other one into position, she accidentally triggered something.

The mech's entire body spun violently, transforming mid-rotation. The torso compacted, the limbs folded inward, and within seconds the machine had reconfigured into a massive shield with a dog emblem emblazoned on its surface. Inside, Tsubasa was twisted like a pretzel as the cockpit rotated with the transformation.

Then in an instant, it spun back, unfolding into its original humanoid form.

The girl rotated her head. She should be violently sick by now from spinning that fast, yet she felt...fine. 

"I think your high constitution is canceling out my low one. I don't feel like I'm going to throw up anymore.”

"Oh, that's great. And it explains why I suddenly feel much more sick and green."

"Sorry about that. Should I stop?"

"No!" he said, pushing through the nausea. "This is amazing. I've always wondered what being puke feels like."

No one had ever been this accepting of her condition before so much so that they'd willingly take on the burden for her. Was this all an act, masculine bravado, or was he really that nice?

"What else can it do?" 

—

Carrying half a building *huff* *huff* was a lot harder *huff* *huff* than he thought. He figured that the broken down mansion being made of material that was wood adjacent would be easier to lug around than concrete. Not by much, apparently. Gaku's shoulders were strained from tugging cables he tied to his back at the roof of the house. The cables were also digging into his skin. He felt like one of those Egypt picture guys he saw all over the school. 

The magic stick wasn't enough. He needed thoughts to motivate him. Thoughts of bringing home a nice, hardworking, blue-collar girl. Having a family dinner together to show her off to his parents. Bringing up his mad cooking skills. Showing up his little brother and sister, who'd both gotten girlfriends before him. Changing his single status on all his social media profiles.

Ok, they weren’t the noblest of intentions. Actions count better than words or…something like that. 

That brown blob. Their academy was up ahead. He's almost there. Gaku put his hand over his forehead to block out the sun. And that stupid robot was out in front. Wait until they get a load of this. Gaku squinted again. He saw something else shiny in the distance coming towards him. Getting brighter. And brighter.  

“Dang, that light’s getting awfully close,” the light from the beam ran faster and faster. 

BOOOM!!

Gaku ducked to the ground, arms over his head like a turtle shell, to shield himself from the explosion. 

The top part of the mansion was carved into a perfect crescent shape. The structure groaned, teetered, then inevitably lost stability and crumpled to the floor in a heap of splintered wood 

Gaku jaw dropped 

The mech had its hand next to its mouth as if it were biting its finger. 

—-

Neo Valentines Day 

(4:00pm- 8 hours remain) 

The three of them kept their heads low while sitting in chairs in the upper classroom floor.

In front of them, couples therapist Miss Mojiro sat crossing her legs and tapping her pen against her clipboard with her notes.  

They turned a tale of two rival princes dueling for a princess's heart into the story of give a princess A GUN then supply princess with A TARGET. 

Quite impressive how they managed to do that. 

She pushed up her red-rimmed glasses as she began to speak.

“It appears you’ve all been busy. You are all very…,” she looked at the doodles she drew of the mech explosion, “…creative when it comes to your techniques. We know for next time to be more careful when throwing fake punches, yes?”

They nodded it in sequential order. 

“Welp, it seems to me lessons were learned and the important thing is no one got hurt. Now we can all move onto the moment we’ve been waiting for. The big reveal,” she took out an envelope and sniffed it while pinching its corners. “There can only be one winner in the end.” Moko took a nail file and used it to delicately unseal the closed envelope that would unleash the maiden's true answer.   

Tsubasa put her hand up. “Wait before we do anything. I just want to say,” she turned and took the small hands of the boy sitting besides her.  "Shouma, I had a really good time with you today.”

“Me too.”

“Flying a giant megaton robot, I’ve never done anything quite like it before.” 

“And I never had a woman ride inside me before. It was a dream come true.”

Gaku leaned over next to him and shook his head.

And Tsubasa curved hers downward. “I just feel really bad for Gaku. I mean he didn’t even get a chance.”

“I think I do too,” Shouma looked down penitently.

Moko slid out the pink-colored note from the envelope and adjusted her glasses. “And the winner of our once in a lifetime death match battle isssssssss…”

They waited with bated breath. 

“Gaku Maruko!”

Gaku’s eyes widened. The other two smiled and turned their chairs to toast him on his victory. 

“Congratulations, Gaku,” said Tsubasa. 

“Yeah, Gaku congrats,” said Shouma. They both clapped for him. 

“Yes, yes!” Gaku jumped and squatted up on the seat.  “Let’s GOOO!” He pumped his arms. “I Freaking WOONN! Haha in your face! Shortstuff Wooh!” He said pointing at Shouma. “I got a date with Tsubasa.” He hummed while doing the cabbage patch. 

Whoosh Bang  

The door got knocked open up so loudly behind them it nearly knocked Gaku off his seat. 

“Not so fast,” cried a high-pitched voice rushing out the doorway. 

It was Kako dragging along a distressed Ima with her. The girl’s hair was done up in a lace-braided bun, her face shaded with contour and visible rosy cheeks from the blush with a noticeable dash of red lipstick and white earrings. There was a stack of beige envelopes in her one hand. 

“I got your love letters! When I saw that they were signed ‘super cool sexy guy’  I knew it had to be you. There’s only one person I know who would write something like that about themselves and it was you Mr. Ginzaki. You're the true identity of Anonymous.”

The three looked at the other for a plausible explanation. 

“You used Tsubasa as a red herring to blend in with your reputation. When who you really want to ask was me,” she smiled sweetly fluttering her extended eyelashes. 

Shouma looked back and forth then cocked a smile as he shifted forms and lowered his pitch, “That’s absolutely right. You caught me. And I meant every word,” he rested his hand on her chin, “I knew someone as smart and stunning as a blossoming orchid mantis would find all the clues that lead to me.”

“I got asked out by Mr. Ginzaki. The most popular boy in school really likes me,” she giggled, wrapped her hands over his waist and cuddled against his chest. 

It was overall a happy scene except for Ima who was standing in the corner fuming. 

“My sister was supposed to deduce it was me so that I may confess to her. Of all the predictions she could get wrong it has to be the one where she mistakes me for Mr. Ginzaki. Of all people.” Ima moaned. “You’ve got to fix this mix-up,” he clawed at Moko’s face, “You got to. You got to.” 

Neo Valentines Day

(???-??? hours remain)

………

……

….

..

.

In a cold dark and sterile room sat Takumi. Alone, unable to move, strapped down into a chair against his will with restraints tightened around his hands and knees. And a large cap with dangling wires and electrodes hooked up to the wall. 

The last thing he remembered was taking a nap. Or did he get knocked out?

Yanking and pulling, Takumi stretched his neck out, trying to knock himself free of the helmet secured on his head. He continued to fight, kicking and thrashing until his knuckles and ankles turned white. The boy stopped when something unsettlingly soft and squishy touched his shoulder.

“Careful there sonny, you might pop a blood vessel,” said a familiar voice. 

Takumi looked to the side to see the egg-shaped menace lounging beside him. Sirei. He should’ve known he was also behind this. 

“Look, I know what you’re doing. If you're going to milk or probe me. Just get it over with,” he winced.

"No, no,” Sirei explained gently. "Believe me, if I wanted to make more of you, I would. My aim is to reinstate the very foundations that make up human society, including but not limited to the family unit."

Sirei pulled out a remote and pointed it at a small TV set. Flashed across the screen was a compilation of parents taking care of their children from the TRC. Cooking meals for them, playing with them, helping them get dressed for their first day of school. Like his mom used to do for him.

"See? You are meant to foster the future generation of humans. And how are you all supposed to form that emotional connection when you're too scared to do the most human thing there is !?!”

After shaking Takumi a bit, the robot recomposed himself "So tell me, Sumino. What's the matter? C'mon, you can talk to your dear ol' grandpa Sirei, can't you?"

Grandpa? 

“What’s going on between you and Miss Kirifuji?”  he said with his voice climbing progressively higher. “You know you're her favorite.”

The boy looked away and sighed. “I know…And I think I feel a lot closer to her than I actually am…And I think that’s a problem...” 

“Think you say. Seems to me like the problem isn’t here,” he pointed to his chest. “Or here,” he pointed to his nether regions. “It’s here,” he stuck a finger stub in between his eyes. “Luckily, I have a solution and you're sitting on it.” 

Takumi looked down below his legs. 

 “Behold! Dada-daaaa therapy chair!!!” Sirei paused for dramatic effect. “It can not only make you forget your memories, but help bring them back.”

This must be the device Hiruko mentioned. The one used to erase their collective trauma. She never told them it had a reverse switch on it. This changes everything. 

“Yes! Yes, please restore my memories of Nozomi coming back sick from the hospital, and of me being upset about it and worried for her.”

"No, no, no." Sirei said in that same honeyed voice. "You don't want that. That's not romantic..." He drew out the words slowly, almost slurring them together. "How aboouut your first kiss instead?"

My first kiss?

“You may have forgotten because I relaxed your brain a bit too hard, but you two were already a couple.”

“We were?”  

Sirei nodded enthusiastically. "You kissed, held hands, all that good stuff. It happened ummm...close to when the world came crumbling down. We'd be cutting it close, but I could let some of it back." He shrugged and held up his hands in a casual gesture. "That's if you want it, of course. I promised you kids, and myself, I'd never use this again without your consent. So do you consent to letting me do this?"

“Of course!” Takumi answered. 

He’d do anything to get more memories of her back.

 “Atta Boy Sumi-ster. Now sign here, here, and here,” Sirei positioned the ballpoint pen between Takumi’s fingers and written documents enough to scribble some scratches between the lines. Takumi then finished signing his name on the bottom with his mouth. 

“Perfect. Now all I have to do is turn on the machine and you’ll have a one way ticket to the Smooching Town. You might feel a slight sting. I can assure you though, feeding you memories is a lot less painful than erasing them.” 

Through the background static of the room, he heard a loud CLUNK as the cap of electrodes fell on him. Takumi felt his body vibrate as if tons of tiny feathers and pin pricks were tickling him from the inside.  

Suddenly, a scene descended upon his mind like a set from a stage play. 

It was a few hours before curfew. There was a checkered blanket set up in the park, the smell of fresh-cut grass thick in the air. The artificial sky of the TRC had dimmed, leaving a dark blue void above. The rows of streetlights illuminated the ground below as their balls of yellow light grew to reflect auras of orangish halos on the navy ceiling.

Next to him, bathing in that orange light, was Nozomi. Her hair was pulled loose, and he could see white strands dangling from her braid. Like a camera shifting focus, Takumi looked down to see Nozomi's soft hand resting over his grass-stained one.

She closed her beautiful pale eyes and leaned forward. Their lips touched. The tingly feeling from his lips spread throughout his face, overcoming his brain and body with warmth.

On the outside, Takumi was smiling underneath the helmet, bathing in pure bliss.

He almost didn't notice the slight crack forming in the sky above them.

——

Neo Valentines Day

(10:00pm-2 hours remain) 

It was such relief in knowing that the girl he'd been nervous around all day was actually his girlfriend.

And Sirei said he would make up half the difference by restoring her mind and inviting her over for the surprise. All Takumi had to do was set up the date. And that memory was already giving him a great idea.

Takumi spread out a blanket on the rooftop under the dark sky and the bright blinking lights called stars.

Picnic blanket? Check.

Night sky? Check. Although the scenery wasn't exactly the same, it would have to do.

This was turning into less of a Valentine's date and more of an anniversary tradition. To the side, he set an extra cup of water for her in case she got faint.

Because that's what a caring boyfriend would do.

Takumi saw a white ball of hair bob up the steps onto the rooftop. "Nozomi! Hey, Nozomi, over here!"

"Wow, look who's up past his bedtime." She laughed as she approached. "Never thought I'd see the day where you'd stay up this late. Did you set this up for me? It's a lovely view."

She stood at the edge of the blanket, looking out where the stars met the horizon through the hexagonal fence.

"Here, sit." Takumi patted the spot next to him.

Nozomi settled down beside him, tucking her legs to the side. "The stars are beautiful out here. No light pollution anymore, I guess. That's one good thing about—"

Takumi reached over and took her hand, placing it palm-down on the blanket at a specific angle.

Both hands need to be right. I need to place mine on top of hers.

Nozomi stopped talking. She glanced down at her hand, then back up at him with a confused smile. "Um...what are you doing?"

"Just—hold on." He shifted closer, taking her other hand and placing it in her lap.

Her smile faltered. "Takumi?"

He reached up and gently tugged at the end of her braid, loosening the tie.

She jerked back slightly. "Hey—"

"I'm letting your hair out," he explained, pulling the ribbon free. Her white hair began to unravel.

It looks so pretty that way.

"Can you tilt your head a little to the left?"

She was leaning slightly. The light hit her face just right.

Nozomi's expression had shifted from confusion to something guarded. Her body stiffened. When she refused to move, Takumi put his hands on her shoulders and head, adjusting them himself.

"Takumi, I don't understand. Is this a game? What are you—"

He positioned himself directly across from her, close enough that their knees almost touched. He cupped his hand under her chin.

This is it. Just like the memory.

"Now close your eyes."

Takumi leaned forward, lips parted, drifting toward his destination when suddenly a hand caught between them.

"Stop!" Nozomi held him away from her face, her breath shallow. "Stop. What are you doing?"

Takumi blinked. "I'm...what do you mean?"

"What are you doing?" Her voice broke. "You're—you're moving me around like a doll, and—" She released his face and scooted back, putting space between them. "What is this?"

"I'm replicating our first kiss."

Nozomi stared at him. "Our...WHAT?"

"Our first kiss. Under the TRC dome." His confusion mirrored hers now.

"Takumi, we never—" She shook her head, her loosened hair falling around her shoulders. "We never kissed."

"B-But Sirei."

"I tried." Sirei's deep voice echoed from behind the dorms. "She said no."

"Don't tell me you...you didn't..." Horror crept into her voice. "That was an electric chair, Takumi! How could you do that to yourself?"

Something inside Takumi snapped and began to boil over.

"Why not?! It's a medical device. We've used it before. How could you let people test things on you when you went to the hospital?"

Quit talking. You're messing this up. That's not what a caring boyfriend would say.

Her expression faltered. "Who...who told you that?" She shrank away.

"Eito." He couldn't keep the edge from his voice. "He said you two were spending a lot of time together."

You sound jealous.

"It was an accident…One night he came to me upset. He said he felt guilty that he was the only surviving resident of that hospital, and I didn't want to make him feel alone. He promised me he wouldn't tell anyone."

"Don't blame him!" Takumi's voice cracked louder than he intended. "He assumed I already knew because we've known each other for years. Why wouldn't you ever talk to me about it?"

"Because I knew you would've stopped me."

The moment she said those words, the glass above them cracked. An endless seam tore across the sky. Thousands of shards rained down, carrying shiny yellow glitter with them.

As the sky fell, the fog came back with it. It shrouded Nozomi, mystifying her face, making it harder and harder for him to see.

You're overreacting. Look at her. She's fine. There's not a scratch on her.

"What if you're wrong?" he whispered.

And what are you going to do? Rob her of something that's important to her? She wants to save lives. She's kind and selfless. That’s what you like about her so much. That's why you love her.

"Of course I don't want people to suffer! But those kinds of procedures are rough on even people who do need them. Why does it have to be her? She's been through enough!"

"I don't want her to sacrifice her body. It’s what has Nozomi in it."

…

…

"takumi. takumi...takumi..."

Noise filtered in. Something cold splashed over his face. Takumi blinked. His face was wet. The fog cleared enough for him to make out Nozomi's face.

Her wrist trembled as she offered him the same cup of water that had been meant for her. Ashamed, he pushed it aside.

When he finally brought himself to speak again, his voice was nearly broken.

"I couldn't stop the TRC from crashing down. And I didn't know your parents. But I walked home with you from school. I saw you every other day. It’s the one thing I could've prevented, and it's like...I didn't even care..."

He reached for her shoulders, almost desperately. "I promised I would protect you. Don't you remember?"

"No, Takumi. I don't."

"..."

She said it gently, but the space after the words felt like a drop in gravity. She was right. He didn't remember either. His arms fell and so did his gaze as he turned to the side, using his sleeve to wipe the remaining droplets.

In the long minutes between them, Nozomi crept closer and whispered.

"But...I think I understand you."

He turned back slightly.

"I haven't told you the entire truth about why I asked Eito. And..." She bit her lip. "I might've been more selfish than I let on. When he mentioned he was staying at the same hospital where we were conducting research, what I really wanted to know was if it was me who had helped him. Everything's gone. I thought that if we'd saved just one person, I could be at peace knowing that all my mom's work, and the pain I felt wasn't for nothing."

She tugged at her blouse. "I told myself I was doing it for her. But I still wanted to see results."

Nozomi lifted her eyes to meet him. "It's like that, isn't it? You've tried your best to watch over me. You don't want all that time and effort you sunk into me to go to waste when I die."

Takumi shook his head and cupped her hand where it rested near her shoulder.

"I just don't want you to die."

For a moment the storm of glass, the fog, the second voice had all but subsided. With eyelids half open he could see the prettiest expression he had ever seen.  

He had done it. He had finally confessed to her. 

—-

.

..

…

….

Takumi found himself lying face-up on the blanket, his eyes meeting the stars. It looked like there were billions and billions up there. So many specks how could anyone ever map all of them out? It would take until the end of infinity to do that.

As Takumi continued to stare up, a large white entity came in and blocked his view, casting a shadow over his head.

"You know, if it makes you feel better, I can go get another checkup from Yugamu," Nozomi said, playing with the string of his jacket.

"Not sure anyone going to Yugamu would put me at ease." A small smile edged at the corner of his lips despite everything. "Maybe I could come with you."

"Oh, so you want to watch me get a doctor's visit? One where I have to strip down in a hospital gown?" She booped his nose. "You naughty boy."

Takumi's face flushed bright red. Nozomi put her hand to her mouth and laughed, that teasing laugh he knew so well.

"You like that? Moko tried teaching me today about 'levels of spice'...or whatever it's called. You have no idea the kind of day I've had. I tried to go into my room and it was pink curtains and candlelight galore."

She picked herself up from the ground and stepped off the blanket.

"I'm sure the stress has gotten to you too. Why don't we go inside and relax? Maybe spy on them for a change." She extended her arm to him, and he took it.

They stopped by the rec room. Things had calmed down quite a bit.

Gaku and Shouma were having a friendly arm-wrestling competition near the poker table.

In the back, Eito sat on the red couch, reading a story to Kako and Ima, who were hunched over the cushions.

"Then Eros was sent down by Goddess Aphrodite, tasked with making the beautiful princess Psyche fall in love with some foul creature of the earth as punishment for her pride.”

“But he ended up falling in love with her instead."

The twins both yawned with tired eyes. Kako slumped over. Eito smiled warmly, examined his own hand for a moment, then slowly gave her a pat on the head.

Takumi went up to the Gift-O-Matic and got Nozomi a kaleidoscope. It was nice and colorful, and it rhymed with telescope, so he knew she would like it.

And she did.

They also made a projector and decided to put on a movie. One of those action flicks he'd never gotten a chance to see at the TRC theaters. Lucky someone had snagged it in time. While sitting together, drowning out their minds with the myriad of explosions and grand set pieces, Nozomi scooted closer.

Then he scooted closer.

Then she edged a liiittle closer, and so did he.

Without either of them looking, their hands locked around each other.

—

Neo Valentines Day

(The Final Hour) 

A spotlight shines in the center of the gymnasium. Moko stands alone in the ring. As she comes to fight her longtime rival.

…

The training dummy.

And there she goes, folks! The Apocalyptic Maiden of Destruction enters the ring with fire in her eyes and determination in her heart!"

Moko circled the training dummy, her footwork precise. 

"She's going for the classic grapple. No wait, she's faking left! What a strategy! The crowd is on the edge of their seats. 

She grabbed the dummy by its shoulders and executed a perfect hip toss, slamming it to the mat.

"OH! A devastating throw! The opponent never saw it coming, mostly because it can’t. But that's beside the point! She's going for the pin-one, two-no! The challenger is back up, how is this even possible !?!"

Moko stood up, wiping sweat from her brow. She repositioned the dummy and prepared for another move.

"Our champion takes a moment to catch her breath. You can see the years of training in every stance, every calculated step. She's not just a wrestler, dear viewers, she's an artist. A poet of body slams. A philosopher of…I think that's a suplex?”

She lifted the dummy overhead.

"YES IT IS! THE SUPLEX OF JUSTICE! The dummy is airborne! Time seems to slow as it arcs through the air in a graceful parabola and yes folks that is the correct physics term, look it up. And CRASH! It is ON THE GROUND!!! 

Moko didn't stop. She transitioned into a submission.

"Oh, this is serious now. She's applying the...the arm-twisty lock thing.The dummy is struggling! It's crying out in silent anguish! Will it tap out? Can it tap out? It’s tapping out. Oooh, now it’s head is rolling on the mat. And what’s this? The champion is walking to the edge of the ring and towards the mysterious figure. And she’s getting closer… and closer…”

“Eito, is that you?”

“Hi.”

Eito stuck his head between the ropes then crawled over them. “I was wondering what you were doing all alone on a day like this.”

“Cupid’s gotta hang her wings sometime.” 

She continued to screw the head back onto the dummy. 

“That’s what I don’t understand. I’ve watched you interact with the couples all day, and you speak of the importance of finding love. I know you've always felt a connection to Cupid but where is yours? Do you not also seek love?”

Moko shook her head, “My enjoyment comes from the hearts of the fans. Bringing out everyone's raw emotions was my true goal. Even the not so pretty ones like desperation and loss. It makes people empathize with each other. It’s not about getting or not getting with someone. It’s about bridging the gaps between all of us.”

She set down the dummy and looked up.

“It was my idol who taught me that.”

“That was my first love.”

She turned her head. The way her eyes caught the spotlight it was as if they had touched the sky. 

Eito sat at the edge of the ring, letting his legs dangle, as he wiped at something under his eyelid. 

“I’m glad you told me this. It shatters my theory that your love powers are something you are blessed with upon birth.”

Moko raised her eyebrow curiously.

“I’ve been digging around and-“ He picked up a gift basket that was kept hidden from behind the ring. It was full of all sorts of goodies, protein shakes, beauty products, small cakes, and chocolates with the letter M imprinted on top. “It's not just Valentine's Day is it? It’s your birthday.” 

“Can I at least celebrate your birthday?”

—-

Dawn of a new day

Due to staying up past midnight Takumi slept in until the afternoon again. He hung inside the same classroom on the upper floor. Sirei was reviewing the confessions from yesterday and implementing a ranking system for them on the white board. None of it really mattered. Takumi’s eyes drifted off again.

When class was over, he saw Eito bend down to Nozomi to quietly discuss something. He saw her giggle. She did a happy little clap near the end, and Eito gave her a high five. 

His best friend then walked back to him. “So, I talked to Moko last night. And guess what? She asked me to be her heel.” Eito excitedly bit his lip as he held up a dark outfit that looked like it belonged in a cheap haunted house complete with a band of artificial crow feathers at the collar and deep V-neck that went all the way to the navel, purple highlights and supreme short shorts. 

“I’m thinking of the name ‘Righteous Vengeance’.” he said in a raspy tone. “My match is going to be in White Day, so I need to train my body in the meantime.” As if on cue Eito took off his jacket then his white layers underneath exposing a rather toned body with a set of abs, prominent pectorals and back muscles. 

“Woah, it looks like your training is really paying off.”

Eito looked back at him confused. “What do you mean I haven’t even started yet.”

“Hey, there he is,” a shirtless Takemaru came to them from across the room with a buff Shouma following closely behind. Takemaru scanned Eito up and down and gave a satisfied grin. “Love the enthusiasm here, Ready to begin your training?” 

“Yes, please.” he said following their lead out the room. Takumi stood there flabbergasted. 

Was everyone in this school just jacked?

—

And sooner than season ended Neo White Day came. Takumi and Nozomi went together as a pair to see their friend’s match. The red-headed boy never thought he’d be into sport as staged as professional wrestling, but he was mildly entertained even if they were a tad overselling it. Eito’s death scene really didn’t need to be five minutes. It was well choreographed though, and best of all Nozomi shared those sugary brown slices of heaven with him as they watched.  

And so, ends the saga of the world’s first ever Neo Valentine’s Day.