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The scientific credibility of eye contact and mutual interrogations as a way to induce the chemical response called love was questionable, but Touka Satomi felt like she’d crawl out of her meat suit if she didn’t find something to do. She would simply employ the scientific method, and the obvious choice of partner was sitting across from her flipping through some novel.
“Hey, Nemu.”
Nemu didn’t look up from her book, soothed by the sounds of machinery from around the bunker’s lab. “Yes?”
“Remember that test Ui sent us this morning?”
“In the group chat…?”
“Yeah, did you see it?”
She closed her book and set it on Touka’s desk, then dug into her skirt pocket to retrieve her phone. “I didn’t click the link…”
“Ui said she thinks it would be fun for us to take the test. She said a psychologist made it, I think?” Touka scooted closer on her swivel chair. “So, what do you say?”
“Mm. I don’t see a reason not to. I just finished my reading for the day.”
“Hurry up and start, then!”
Nemu went into the website Ui had linked with Touka peeking over her shoulder. Unfortunately for her desire to read the instructions, Touka’s impatience had her tapping the screen to get to the questions before Nemu could read much of anything.
“Hey- calm down, Touka. There were instructions before this.”
“I doubt they matter, it’s just some questions. Read them aloud and we’ll both answer each of them. That should work.”
Nemu sighed fondly. “As you wish.”
> 1. If you could invite anyone in the world to dinner, who would it be?
Touka scoffed. “You, obviously. It’s the most logical option, I’ve had you as a dinner guest plenty of times and I know I will enjoy myself. In the hypothetical scenario that my parents are there as well, you’re polite and well-read, they both like your company. If I were to pick anyone else, especially someone I don’t personally know, I’d have no way of predicting what would happen, and there are countless ways this unknown person could mess up the meal.”
“That was about as analytical as I would expect from you,” said Nemu, leaning back in her wheelchair. “My answer would be much the same as yours… if you promised to control yourself in front of my family.”
“Fine, fine. Next question.”
> 2. Would you like to be famous? In what way?
Touka blinked. “We’re already famous. I like the way we’ve set it up, though. It means neither of us has to walk around covering our faces—not putting any pictures on your website was a great call. And we’re mostly known in professional circles, anyway.”
“Agreed. Shall we skip to the third question?”
“Yeah, go ahead.”
> 3. Before making a telephone call, do you ever rehearse what you are going to say? Why?
Touka was again the first to answer. “Yeah, you do script your phone calls and social encounters, that’s why you stick to texting if you have a say in the matter and why I handle phone calls in your stead if possible.”
“Mm. That answers the question then.”
> 4. What would constitute a “perfect” day for you?
“Perfect? If we were together, successfully got the APS working, and revealed Magical Girls worldwide to a positive reception, that would be ideal.”
Nemu nodded. “I agree, albeit I’m rather certain the question was referring to the mundane.”
“What about us has ever been mundane?”
“Good point. I’ll read the next one.”
> 5. When did you last sing to yourself? To someone else?
That question finally gave them something to contemplate. They usually worked in silence, without music or humming to accompany their activities.
“I don’t think I… do that. Have I ever heard you sing or hum?” Touka asked.
“No, not that I know of. It’s not something I remember doing, either.” Seizing her chance, Nemu smiled and reached over to put her free hand on Touka’s. “The sound of you typing away at your computer is music enough for me.”
Touka’s expression went from flustered to offended in a split-second, and she scrambled to find a comeback. “Y-you make good white noise too! All that… scribbling and paper shuffling.”
“Do I?”
“Next question!”
Nemu stifled a giggle.
> 6. If you were able to live to the age of 90 and retain either the mind or body of a 30-year-old for the last 60 years of your life, which would you want?
“I believe our answer is the same here as well,” she started. “We would want to retain our minds.”
“Obviously. Cognitive decline would be a nightmare. These questions are easy, keep going.”
> 7. Do you have a secret hunch about how you will die?
Touka answered first. “I thought I would die to my illness, at first, and then I thought I would die during our trial. After that, I figured someone from Promised Blood would kill me, but so far, they’re really bad at that. We made another suicide pact that didn’t go through, and now we’ve made another one. Though if things go to plan, it won’t be much of a ‘death’ in my eyes.”
“As you know, I’m not dissimilar to you in that respect. My illness in the hospital, Sakurako’s blade for my sins afterwards…” Nemu knew Touka would bring up her first attempted sacrifice if she didn’t disarm her first, so she let loose a thought she’d been ruminating for a few months: “And all of those times, we would have gone together.”
Her partner gave her an inscrutable look. “I would never have it any other way. Next question.”
She hoped the next few questions would be lighthearted enough to make Touka forget for the time being.
> 8. Name three things you and your partner appear to have in common.
Nemu smiled and locked eyes with Touka. “This one is simple, isn’t it? You and I are cut from the same cloth, stitched back together by the threads we have woven.”
Touka couldn’t help but reflect the smile. “That doesn’t answer the question, no matter how right you are. I myself wouldn’t know where to begin, so I don’t blame you for falling back on poetry.”
“Two whose souls arose from the dust of the very same star need not state their common traits, for they are known regardless.”
“More likely a shared planetary nebula, given the astronomical improbability of two souls originating from the same star, if that’s how souls work. And even then, stellar composition varies widely.”
“Very pedantic of you, Touka. You’ll enjoy the next one.”
Touka leaned over and draped her arms around Nemu to see the screen better, eyes scanning the words in curiosity.
> 9. For what in your life do you feel most grateful?
The pair turned their heads to face each other and once again shared soft smiles.
Touka leaned over to bunt her forehead gently against Nemu’s. “We know the answer, don’t we?”
“Indeed we do.” Nemu squeezed her hand. She wasn’t sure Touka understood that she’d likely saved her life, but she knew the other girl was aware of her own value. “Shall I read the next?”
Touka moved to rest her chin on Nemu’s shoulder. “Yeah. At our current rate, we’ll be done in a couple minutes.”
> 10. If you could change anything about the way you were raised, what would it be?
Suddenly, one could hear a pin drop. Their minds had likely gone not to their families, but to the white walls of the hospital—that was where they’d spent their formative years.
“Given the chance, I don’t think I’d change anything.”
Nemu’s eyes widened. “What do you mean?”
“If you think about it, had I not been practically raised in the hospital, we wouldn’t be here right now. I wouldn’t have met Ui, Iroha, or you.” Touka leaned back into her own chair and crossed her arms. She met Nemu’s gaze. “I might not even have become a Magical Girl, and I definitely wouldn’t have accomplished as much as I have with you by my side.”
Nemu averted her eyes. “While I agree with you, now that you’ve said it…” She bit her lip. “Would you resent me if I said one part of me wishes I had never been sick?”
Deliberate in her movements, Touka huffed, brushed her hair behind her ear, and flicked her partner’s forehead. “You’re really asking that to someone with your same hospital experience? I factored the healing of our illnesses into the plan to save Big Sis for a reason. Besides… Yours always looked more painful than mine, and it took more opportunities from you than mine ever took from me.”
That much was a relief to hear.
“Not that being healed fixed your family’s chronic brain fart syndrome.”
The quip combined with Touka’s cute scowl made Nemu almost crack a smile. “You’ll never forgive them, will you?”
“Maybe your brat of a brother, if he grovels enough. Your parents can burn for all I care.”
“Touka…”
Her scowl deepened. “They were the grown-ups! They failed you back then, and they continue to fail you to this day! If they can spare enough time for the snotty cretin, why can’t they do the same for you?”
Nemu knew her bristling partner had bitten her tongue before launching into a full rant. She appreciated the effort.
“… Sorry.”
“No, I understand. I agree with you. I will admit that I… cannot muster the same hatred for them, but I understand now that the way they treated me was wrong and that it damaged my psyche in ways I couldn’t have noticed at the time. You don’t have to pull up more articles on developmental psychology.”
“Good. What’s the next question?”
Nemu turned back to her phone to check.
> 11. Take four minutes and tell your partner your life story in as much detail as possible.
“I think this was made for people who just met or something.”
“I concur.” Nemu didn’t look up. “Shall we skip it? It feels redundant to us.”
“Go ahead.”
> 12. If you could wake up tomorrow having gained any one quality or ability, what would it be?
Touka let out a deep sigh. “I don’t see the appeal of that. Is the process of learning really not enough for people?”
“Our perspective may be too far from ordinary in this case… Even an ability to read faster feels like it would make the process less enjoyable to me.”
Wordlessly, Touka reached over and tapped on the screen to skip the question.
> 13. If a crystal ball could tell you the truth about yourself, your life, the future or anything else, what would you want to know?
Nemu frowned. “This question… I presume our answers are the same here as well.”
“The future of Magical Girls.”
She hummed. “We tried looking ahead already.”
Touka twirled a lock of her hair around her finger as she spoke. “And we got nothing but vibes. Sure, they were positive, but a little specificity wouldn’t kill anyone. We didn’t even get a vision! We’re taking a gamble here!”
“I think it’s normal. Wanting to know if your efforts will be successful.”
The shorter girl leaned over again and poked Nemu’s cheek, her other arm draped over Nemu’s shoulder. “Implying my math was off?”
Nemu held her partner’s finger. “Your math is seldom wrong. You still owe me for agreeing.”
Touka puffed out her cheeks. “I know that! I have it aaaall figured out, you’ll see!”
“If you say so…”
It was hard not to smile. Nemu allowed Touka to peek at the screen from over her shoulder and read the next question:
> 14. Is there something that you’ve dreamed of doing for a long time? Why haven’t you done it?
Touka had her answer first. “Nothing that could be described as one concrete action. There’s a lot of stuff I dreamed of doing back in the hospital, and I kind of went through most of that list as soon as we were discharged.”
“I could tell from the Antarctica trip you took me on…”
She pouted. “It was an important trip for both of us! Don’t tell me you didn’t enjoy speaking all those languages. Sure, the people there are mostly scientists, but you looked like you were having fun.”
Nemu had to stifle a laugh. “That’s what you’re choosing to focus on? Alright, I suppose I can allow you to keep your dignity today.”
Touka’s pout deepened. “What have you dreamed of doing, then?”
“Besides the obvious,” Nemu said in a lower pitch, sending Touka a look that made her go a little red. “I’ve always wanted to attend the International Book Festival in Edinburgh. Although highly enjoyable, none of the literary festivals you have taken me to have been quite as large as that one, and I have long wondered how different the atmosphere might be. The reason I haven’t attended is a mix of financial and time constraints. Our circumstances don’t exactly allow-”
In her free hand, Touka held her phone. “Booking doesn’t seem straightforward. Let me know what events you want me to buy tickets for, I’ll have a suite figured out close to the venue by tomorrow. There’s your issue solved.”
“Touka… It’s not that simple. School, my parents…”
“I am not letting you deny yourself any item on your bucket list when there’s the remotest chance we will die in the near future.” Touka didn’t mince her words. She never did. “You do school online since your battle against Alina—because your school sucks at accessibility and your parents are ashamed of you. Speaking of them, they hardly cared enough to check if you were lying last time I flew us out of Japan, why would they care now?”
Nemu stared into her partner’s eyes to see the exact burning ferocity she expected, smiled, and pulled her into a partial hug. “Thank you for standing up for me, dearest.”
“Hmph… Read the next question.”
> 15. What is the greatest accomplishment of your life?
“Not a single one of my papers or patents comes close to being as instantly world-changing as the Automatic Purification System.”
Nemu nodded. “Likewise, my novels have surely not had as much of an impact on the lives of others.”
“I mean, it’s not perfect, but still. It’s unlike anything anyone has ever done! All things considered, I’d say it turned out pretty good. It could’ve been much worse.” Touka paused. “Don’t start imagining the horrible ways in which it could’ve backfired.”
Nemu rolled her eyes. “If you insist. What now?”
> 16. What do you value most in a friendship?
Touka huffed. “According to you, I don’t have many friends.”
“Neither of us is particularly sociable, Touka.”
“It’s not my fault people are boring and stupid!”
“Well, what about me do you value the most?”
Touka pinched the bridge of her nose. “How many stars are in the sky?”
Nemu smiled and quoted her partner. “According to you, astronomers estimate there to be two hundred billion trillion stars in the universe.”
“Okay, listen, that’s only if we multiply the amount of stars we estimate the Milky Way to have by the number of galaxies we know exist. If we look outside on a clear night, the number is probably closer to six thousa- wait.” Touka narrowed her eyes at Nemu. “That was a rhetorical question!”
“Yes, you learned that from me.”
Touka let out a strangled cat sound and draped herself over the other girl as if her whining would change anything. “Wipe that smug smile from your face right now!”
Nemu ran her hand through Touka’s hair, fingers threading through the soft locks. “This isn’t vainglory, it’s gaiety.”
The lull they fell into was a comfortable one. Touka leaned into Nemu’s touch, pensive.
“If I had to say how it started… Curiosity. Interest. A few other factors. But I think what made it feel secure was your reliability. I know my temper can get the best of me sometimes, especially back then, and I get carried away easily, so it was… comforting, to know I had someone that could rein me in and wouldn’t hesitate to do so.”
Nemu’s smile fell a little. “You were the first to trust me. And I soon found that I could do the same in return—it has never been easy to trust the words of others, but you have a habit of speaking with your actions that makes you… safe. Trustworthy.”
“I-” Touka bit her tongue, her cheeks dusted with pink. “Of course I am! Don’t underplay your virtues, you always pay attention to the little things, and you’ve always respected my freedom and my choices.”
“As have you. Do you not realize you do that as well? There is a kindness in you, Touka.”
She scoffed. “I only focus on details and all that when it’s you.”
“You don’t have to act that way with everyone around you for it to count.”
In the end, Touka grumbled. “Call it a statistical anomaly. What’s the next question?”
> 17. What is your most treasured memory?
“When we planned that Christmas party for Ui,” Touka said, quick as ever to find an answer. “In hindsight, it’s the moment we became friends and realized we worked together much better than we ever could have predicted. On second thought, it should’ve been a sign for me about what our future would look like…”
Nemu smiled. “Every mundane day spent here with you is a treasure to me.”
Touka mock-punched her in the shoulder. “Take this seriously!”
“Oh, I am as sedate as ever. You are perfectly capable of appreciating my contemplation about the meaning of domesticity. Did you not close your eyes and listen intently with your head on my lap the last time I talked about it? You were practically purring.”
She opened her mouth to complain, then closed it, then tried again. “I was just- enjoying your company!”
“Is it so bad”—Nemu took her partner’s hand and ghosted her lips over her knuckles, never breaking eye contact—“that I plan on never taking these peaceful days with you for granted?”
Sometimes, Touka thought her cardiopathy had come back swinging. She gulped and turned away, muttering, “J-just ask the next question… Idiot…”
> 18. What is your most terrible memory?
When she heard it, she looked down, quieter. She had her answer. This time, however, Nemu spoke first, seemingly assuming Touka needed a moment to select one.
“I have no shortage of unpleasant memories, but one near the very peak would be when we forgot Ui. A whole year…” Nemu saw Touka’s shoulders sag, her eyes glued to the floor. “Which one is yours?”
Touka’s voice had lost any modicum of its usual boisterous quality. “When you fought Alina and collapsed. We didn’t know if you’d survive, and I… I couldn’t do anything. I’d never felt so paralyzed before. It was…”
“I’m sorry. I never apologized for that, did I? I’m sorry, Touka. I never wanted to leave you alone.”
She raised their joint hands again. “Like I’d let you. But… thanks. Let’s see the next question.”
> 19. If you knew that in one year you would die suddenly, would you change anything about the way you are now living? Why?
“Didn’t we schedule that for next month?” Touka joked.
They both simply giggled and moved on.
> 20. What does friendship mean to you?
“I believe we discussed this in the hospital. Fated bonds… and your insistence on using math to explain them.”
Touka pointedly looked away, but didn’t let go of Nemu’s hand. “I didn’t see Ui complaining.”
“Ui would never. Are you sure you have friends, Touka?”
She headbutted her partner with a high-pitched strangled noise. Nemu chuckled and tapped on the screen to see the next question.
> 21. What roles do love and affection play in your life?
Touka scanned Nemu’s expression. The change had been microscopic, but enough for her to notice. “We don’t have to answer this one, it’s okay to skip it.”
“No. I want you to know just how important you are to me. The past few years, you have shown me what it feels like to be loved, even if you seldom say the words themselves. I see it in your actions and your words, in every breath you take.” Nemu smiled and squeezed the other girl’s hand. “Thank you. I cannot imagine a life worth living without you in it, and I wouldn’t trade that for anything, my steady sun.”
It took Touka’s mind a moment to process the words, too late to prevent the rush of warmth to her face. “I-I was just gonna say that you’ve objectively given me the most oxytocin out of anyone for several years now, but. But yeah. That. That works, yes. Um. Next!”
Nemu stifled another giggle and chose not to remind Touka that she technically hadn’t answered her side of the question.
> 22. Alternate sharing something you consider a positive characteristic of your partner. Share a total of five items.
Touka took her chance with a confident grin. She could turn this around. “Your hands.” She brought Nemu’s hand up to cup her face, and locked eyes with her to continue. “The way you can take the lead and control even the most irritating situations while keeping a cool head, your passion and creativity and how you always have ideas for me, your pretty eyes and the way they reflect the sky when we’re stargazing, and your respect for me as a person. How you have never once tried to control me or force me to do anything.”
Nemu leaned closer. “Except when you want me to.”
While her partner was sputtering and trying not to turn red up to her ears, she continued.
“You have always taken care of me and pushed me to achieve feats much greater than I ever would have without you. Your steadfast insistence on my worth has likely kept me from much darker places.” Deliberately, she twisted Touka’s wrist just enough for it to sting, and the other girl stiffened, redder now. “Though you like the darkness, don’t you?”
Touka felt a jackhammer against her ribs, her throat dry.
“Do you need help getting your tongue untied, sweetheart?”
She gulped and tore herself away, her eyes darting everywhere. “T-this isn’t part of the question! Next! Next, I said!”
> 23. How close and warm is your family? Do you feel your childhood was happier than most other people’s?
Touka took one look at the way the corner of Nemu’s mouth twitched, leaned over and tapped the screen. “You don’t have to answer that.”
> 24. How do you feel about your relationship with your mother?
“Or this one-”
Nemu grabbed her by the wrist before she could tap the screen again. “No. Avoiding it or denying it has never done me any good. You said so yourself.”
She took a deep breath. It wasn’t often that she actually stopped to think and analyze her relationship with her mother, or with anyone in her family. The chance to reflect came frequently, but she preferred using it to think back on her crimes, her conviction to atone and repent for them. Touka sat back to listen.
“I have realized… that it doesn’t matter how much effort I put in. Regardless of whether I wait on them hand and foot, they will continue in their ways. Relationships are a two-way street.” She looked to Touka. “You have shown me that over the years. I cannot force my family to hold my hand. I wouldn’t have agreed to the plan had I not come to terms with this, you know that.” Seeing her partner’s frown, she gently bumped their foreheads together. “But I’m curious about your own answer. You only talk about your mother once in a blue moon.”
Touka backed out of their position with a slight grimace. “She’s the same as ever. Avoidant. I had kind of hoped she would’ve gotten over it by now, but I guess she’s still hung up on passing down her disease to her only daughter. I’d prefer if she didn’t try to dodge me like I’m fluoroantimonic acid.” She shrugged. “Nothing I can do, though, as you said… It’s her choice.”
> 25. Make three true “we” statements each. For instance, “We are both in this room feeling…”
The two blinked at the screen.
“We do that all the time. Skip it, Nemu.”
> 26. Complete this sentence: “I wish I had someone with whom I could share … “
Touka stared at the screen for a few moments. “I can’t think of much that we don’t already share.”
“Agreed… I suppose that must mean victory is at hand.”
“Yeah! This is easy, we’ll win for sure. Read the next one!”
> 27. If you were going to become a close friend with your partner, please share what would be important for him or her to know.
“Redundant,” Touka said, tapping the screen. “What? We’re way past that.”
“I didn’t say anything. You will enjoy the next question, don’t worry.”
> 28. Tell your partner what you like about them; be very honest this time, saying things that you might not say to someone you’ve just met.
“Okay, to be blunt-”
“You usually are,” Nemu interjected, amused.
Touka pouted. “Nemuuuu, let me talk!”
“Do tell. Try your best, sunshine.”
“Hmph.” Her pout dissolved into a more thoughtful expression. “I’ve heard you do this very few times, but it’s something I know I wouldn’t have noticed or taken note of when we first met.”
“And that is?”
She leaned in. “When you’re caught so off-guard you can’t restrain your laughter in time.” Theatrically, deliberately, she leaned back on her swivel chair. “It’s such a joyful sound, so… alive.” As if choreographed in advance, she locked eyes with her partner. “If you get to tell me how soothing you find listening to my heartbeat, I can say this much. If I had to list everything I’ve found to love in you, we’d be here for the rest of time, but… our eternity is elsewhere, so that’ll have to wait, okay~?”
Nemu knew if she opened her mouth she would sputter. So, she simply sat there trying to ignore the heat on her face and gave a wide-eyed nod.
With a triumphant grin, Touka moved back into position to read the next question.
> 29. Share with your partner an embarrassing moment in your life.
Touka pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes at the ceiling, thinking. It gave Nemu time to recover, though she wasn’t eager to answer this particular query either.
“One time… I forgot to set my alarm. It had been… one of those nights.” Nemu shared a look with Touka, who nodded in understanding—the nightmares haunted them both. “I only fell asleep in the early morning, and my slumber was heavy. When she returned from work for the day, Mom noticed that I remained asleep, thus she attempted to wake me… likely concerned for my virtual school attendance.”
“And? What is it, you didn’t wake up?”
Nemu looked pointedly away from her. “You… remember that I cannot sleep soundly without holding something. And that, at home, I use a body pillow for this purpose.”
“Yeah?”
“She eventually resorted to removing it. Of course, as you might be able to imagine, her strength was no match for a Magical Girl, bracelet or not, and according to what she told me later… I… clutched my pillow tighter and murmured something along the lines of ‘stop moving so much, Touka’…” Nemu hid her face behind her forearm. “I had no recollection of it, and I thought it would be the most embarrassing experience I would ever have.”
“Aww, that’s so cute! True, I am better than a pillow, it makes sense I’d be in your dreams,” Touka smugly proclaimed. “You just can’t get enough of me, can you?”
Nemu tried not to shrink into a ball. “Don’t test me, Touka… How about you answer this question?”
“Ugh… You were there for my most embarrassing moment. You should know what I’m talking about. The Endless Mirrors incident.”
Calmer now that she knew her partner’s confession was worse than hers, Nemu smiled. “I want to hear you say it.”
Touka grumbled.
“Come on, Touka. You can do it.” The more Touka blushed, the more condescending Nemu wanted to make herself sound. “You’re a smart girl, work those astrocytes.”
“I was JEALOUS. There, happy?”
Nemu tilted her head slightly. “Jealous of what? I’m afraid I can’t recall.”
Her partner bristled and grabbed her by the collar. “That clingy clone had all your attention!”
“And so you snapped and stabbed her gruesomely and repeatedly, throwing her around the room until the other Familiars were cowering in a corner.”
Touka let her go and groaned. “Yellow! You’re doing this on purpose!”
Nemu giggled and reached out for Touka’s hand, running the other through her hair as if petting a cat. “Apologies. I will never tire of this, but know I don’t ever mean to cause you harm, my love.”
“Hmph…” Touka leaned into the touch. “Fine, you’re forgiven. What’s the next question?”
> 30. When did you last cry in front of another person? By yourself?
“In front of another person, I would say…”
“… our trial.”
A few seconds of silence passed.
“Well, we’ve been pretty sober since then. Does just shedding tears count? And fake crying?”
Nemu shook her head. “If it does, you ‘cry’ quite often. Your acting talent should not be a detriment to you.”
“Hm… Papa gifted me a super soft stuffed bear for my thirteenth birthday, made juuust for me, and it was so cute that my eyes watered. Would that count?”
She shrugged. “It counts in my eyes. I had a similar reaction to a sunset I witnessed the time you took me to your mountain vacation house—I wiped my eyes before you returned. What is next?”
> 31. Tell your partner something that you like about them already.
“Redundant. Haven’t we answered the same question like three times? Skip it, Nemu.”
> 32. What, if anything, is too serious to be joked about?
Touka jabbed her partner in the chest. “That little stunt of yours, and anything related. You will not leave me here alone. Understand?”
“So it’s the thought of losing me…” Nemu bumped their foreheads together. “I agree. If I were to continue on without you, I could not call it living.”
With a smile, Touka broke away. “Ew. Sap. Don’t tell me there’s more opportunities for you to wax poetics in the next few questions. We’ve almost won!”
> 33. If you were to die this evening with no opportunity to communicate with anyone, what would you most regret not having told someone? Why haven’t you told them yet?
“I’m not good at emotional things,” she started. “Or at words. Papa deserves an explanation, he does, and I should come clean about everything, but… I wouldn’t even know how to reply to him if he said anything at all. It… It would hurt.”
Nemu squeezed her hand. “What if you pre-record a video that will self-delete once he watches it? You could take your time explaining everything, and he wouldn’t be stuck watching it on loop.”
“Mm… Maybe. What about you? Let me guess, your mother is ‘busy’ and doesn’t have five minutes to spare for you?”
“Touka… You know work keeps my parents busy.”
Touka’s hand twitched and a spark came off her bracelet. “Nemu. If we keep talking about them right now, I will be on the news.”
“Let’s move on to the next question.”
> 34. Your house, containing everything you own, catches fire. After saving your loved ones and pets, you have time to safely make a final dash to save any one item. What would it be? Why?
“I don’t think this was made with accessibility in mind,” Touka said, peering down at the screen with contempt. “Assume this happens around the time we founded the Wings of the Magius. What would you pick?”
“My novels, on paper… Particularly the ones I have yet to finish.”
“Sensible answer. I have a hard drive with all my important data, and that’s stored inside my favorite teddy bear, so I could just take that with me.”
“An easy question, then. Penultimate inquiry…”
> 35. Of all the people in your family, whose death would you find most disturbing? Why?
Nemu hesitated only for a moment. “My brother. He’s too young.”
Touka sneered. “So were you.”
No answer. What could Nemu possibly reply to that? But, after a few seconds of silence, and much to her relief, Touka moved on from the topic.
“In my case, I think it would be my mother. If Mama died, it would probably be from her heart condition, and since we look so alike and our illnesses resemble one another, it would feel a little like watching myself die. Or… what could have been. And obviously, Papa would be devastated. Is the final question depressing too?”
“Let me see.”
> 36. Share a personal problem and ask your partner’s advice on how he or she might handle it. Also, ask your partner to reflect back to you how you seem to be feeling about the problem you have chosen.
Touka frowned. “Do friends not do this? So many of these questions are stupid, or something that anyone who takes this test would already be doing.”
“While some questions were more thought out, some others were…”
“Stupid, absolutely moronic. Do people not know these things? Who made this? Actually, I’m looking it up, is there an about section on this site?”
The title of the questionnaire appeared before her eyes in the largest possible font: 36 Questions To Fall In Love.
“That’s even worse! Also, it doesn’t apply to us!”
“To be fair to Ui, she doesn’t know about us… We should avoid telling her, even if she has resorted to a nonexistent level of subtlety. She and the others should focus on the armed conflicts that plague the city as of late.”
Touka nodded along, already at her laptop to research the test. “Yeah. It says here that a psychologist made that test?”
“In their defense, the test was more than likely made for the average person. You and I are far from average.” Nemu carefully removed her partner’s hands from her keyboard and tugged her closer. Stroking Touka’s ego never failed. “Or are you implying we are both completely ordinary?”
“As if! You can text Ui and tell her that we won.”
“There is one last section of the test.”
Touka sighed. “What is it? Some other stupid question? Lemme see.”
Congratulations, you’ve answered all the questions! Now for the hard part.
“An actual challenge? We’ll see about that.”
In order to solidify your love, you have to look into your partner’s eyes for four minutes. In silence. It’s hard, and you’ll squirm, but you’ll learn an incredible amount. Good luck…
She scoffed. “Solidify? Please. How ridiculous. Besides, four minutes? Rookie numbers. We’ve stared longer.”
“Well, if you want to go through with that, could we move somewhere more comfortable?”
“Sure. Break room or bedroom? There’s hot chocolate and coffee in the break room, and we could play cards while we crush that challenge. After all-”
“This is nothing for geniuses of our caliber?” Nemu chuckled. “I do agree, however… I believe the test means for us to focus on one another. Multitasking would divide our concentration.”
Touka stood up from her chair and stretched, reminiscent of a cat. “I guess. Bedroom it is.”
She moved like she had a plan. Specifically, like she wasn’t satisfied with her revenge yet. Nemu took note and went on ahead to their room. She’d gotten used to transferring from her wheelchair to other surfaces, but Touka had made sure that their bed was at the perfect height to minimize the amount of effort it took, even though it was completely unnecessary.
They’d wound up making a veritable nest of pillows over time. Month after month, Touka would bring more plushies and pillows from her home, just the right size to fit comfortably on their bed. It had taken some getting used to for Nemu, but had become an unexpected comfort. Likely because it reminded her of Touka.
Nemu took off her glasses and pondered for a moment if they were going to be there long enough that she should change out of her school uniform. Technically not, they had a set time they needed to complete the final challenge, and Touka wasn’t fond of taking naps in the middle of work. With a slight shrug, she settled in the pillow nest. She pressed her hand on one of the nearest pillows and felt a familiar shape under it—she had to suppress a smirk. Touka arrived soon after, though empty-handed and without her uniform’s hat. Her innocent smile was the only indicator that she was up to anything.
“Scoot over~ We can lie down if you want.”
“That would feel a little unfair.”
Two options: either Touka would proceed to straddle her, or she’d be relying on eye contact to sneak up on her. The look she wore screamed that she’d found the ‘challenge’ too boring. Most likely, she intended to declare a single winner; whoever was the last to break eye contact.
As Touka climbed into her lap, it became clear to Nemu that it was both. Well. Thankfully, she’d prepared a counter. She did appreciate the affectionate nuzzle, but the chances that it was part of the scheme were too high for Nemu to let her guard down, so she kept one hand near the pillow she’d located before and wrapped her other arm around her partner.
“I’ve set a timer on my phone,” Touka said. “Not four minutes, longer. I won’t tell you how long. First one to look away loses~”
Predictable as ever.
“You seem confident, Touka.”
A twitch of her eyebrow gave away that Touka had read her tone, and her hands slowed, one of them playing with the hem of Nemu’s shirt.
Too late.
She’d been too caught up thinking to react in time when Nemu swiftly moved her wrists behind her back, and only the familiar snap of metal made her jolt back to full awareness. The chain between her cuffs rattled as she attempted to move them.
“Nemu!” she whined, color rising to her cheeks. “I wasn’t doing anything!”
“You were about to. No cheating, dearest.”
“That’s so mean! Not fair!”
A light push and Touka’s back hit the bed. With their positions reversed, Nemu could sit calmly. She couldn’t look at the mildly panicked rise and fall of her partner’s chest, but she could feel her breathing, the jackhammer of her heart under her hand. Grateful for her composure, Nemu giggled.
“Don’t break eye contact.”
Touka gulped.