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After today’s encounter with the strange cat boy, Mizuki had been on edge all day. She knew that, realistically, this fear was unfounded and she was just overthinking things, but she couldn’t shake off the unease. Part of it was due to the whole legacy business—and how they could practically destroy the whole world if not killed; yet it was also due to the fact she did not know how Ena felt about Echoes. Mizuki had told her about her transness, but she held a different secret as well, one she never thought she would ever even need to consider admitting: she herself was an Echo.
To most normal people, Echoes would likely be something to be feared, their true forms destroying the image you had of a person beforehand. Not many people knew about Echoes, nor did many know about legacies either. From what Mizuki knew beforehand, combined with what the mysterious cat boy told her and Ena earlier, legacies were entities with similar abilities as Echoes, yet can bring devastating destruction to the world.
What scared her the most was the revelation that some people naturally attracted Legacies—and Ena was one of them. It scared her even more when the cat boy, Mayoru, asked Ena to help hunt down Legacies. Even worse was when he proceeded to stare at Mizuki, as if he already knew that she too was an Echo like him. Overall, a very horrifying—and quite creepy—experience. She was even more terrified at the inevitable ripping of the bandaid when she would be forced to tell Ena that she herself was an Echo if Ena were to get into danger around her.
Mizuki’s thoughts were quickly interrupted by Ena’s voice, “You know, I’m kind of worried about this whole Legacy thing. Like, surely we can’t be the only people sent to hunt down these Legacies, right?” Mizuki stared at her, wondering how to answer. However, before she even got the chance to speak, Ena spoke again, “Also, I’m kind of still really curious about Echoes. Like, if Mayoru is an Echo himself, and he looks human—other than the cat ears and stuff—does that mean that all Echoes could look human? If so, then anyone we know could be an Echo, no?”
Mizuki gulped, too close… This is way way way too close. Mizuki stumbled for a reply, her voice wavering, “Yeah, huh… I mean, just imagine if someone we knew was an Echo hahahah…”
“You sound nervous.”
“Do I?” Mizuki started to panic, of course she was obvious. She couldn’t lie to Ena, not anymore. It was as if being around Ena completely reset her ability to lie on the spot and make it even slightly considering.
“Yeah, you sound really nervous, actually. In fact, I can even see it on your face,” Ena crossed her arms as she bluntly stated her observations, “Something’s up, talk to me."
Mizuki sighed—surely a white lie wouldn’t hurt, right? Collecting herself as much as she could, Mizuki spoke, “It’s just… you know how Legacies could theoretically destroy the entire city? What if we… I don’t know… fail to capture the Legacies and something happens and you or someone else I care about gets hurt. I… I don’t know what I’d do then.”
Ena furrowed her brows, making a move to hold Mizuki’s hands in her own. It sort of reminded Mizuki of the day Ena had found and saved her—except for the fact that this time, Mizuki wasn’t sobbing, and Ena could hold both her hands. Ena spoke up again, trying to reassure Mizuki.
“Hey, even if the worst case scenario were to happen, and we can’t capture the Legacies, we’d still be together. So long as we’re together, I think everything will be fine,” her face softened as she gently smiled. Mizuki almost felt relieved. Almost. Alas, nothing ever went truly right, because Ena saw right through her, “Still, that’s not the whole truth, is it? You’re hiding something.”
Mizuki felt a lump in her throat. She knew Ena deserved to know. She knew Ena realistically wouldn’t care. She knew Ena wouldn’t just change how she thought of Mizuki. She knew Ena had proved that to her time and time again. Still, she felt a sort of internal force shutting her mouth and disabling her vocal cords. She was being hopeful—far too hopeful, in fact. Ena would hate her. Ena would find her weird. Ena would rethink everything. She couldn’t tell Ena. No, she needed to tell Ena. Ena deserved to know more than anyone else.
“Mizuki? Hey, are you alright? You’re breathing fast. Shit, um, you know you don’t have to talk to me about it right away, okay?” Ena started to panic, unsure how to get through to her dear friend. Mizuki snapped out of her trance and locked her gaze with Ena’s.
“No… I… um,” her heart started to beat fast, “I want to… no… I need to tell you. It’s… It’s just… you won’t, uhm, change how you view me or hate me or find me weird or anything like that no matter what I tell you… right?”
Ena’s eyes shifted between shock, to recognition, to sympathy in the span of a second as she gave Mizuki a concerned look, “Of course not, you dummy.”
“Ok… Um… You know the whole um, Echo stuff, yeah?” Mizuki asked, and Ena nodded. “I… I’m… um… I’m an Echo myself. I… I should’ve told you before and I mean I totally get if you’re scared of me in fact sometimes I’m even scared of myself and it’d be totally reasonable if you just wanted to up and leave and I know I probably just ruined the way you saw me for good and-”
Ena hugged Mizuki tight, cutting her off from her self-deprecation. “Who gives a fuck? I know that I don’t. You’re still you. You’re still my dearest, most precious friend. Nothing will change that, not even some stupid Echo and Legacy shit.” Mizuki gasped, before crying into Ena. She felt so stupid for even being worried about this, and she was sure Ena found it stupid too. She was so worked up over nothing, and yet Ena managed to shoot down those worries instantly with her natural and sharp honesty. Of course Ena wouldn’t care, of course Ena didn’t see a difference. Ena was always like that, so painfully kind and warm to the point Mizuki knew not to handle it.
Mizuki kept crying into Ena’s shoulder as Ena kept stroking her hair, holding her close while saying nothing. Mizuki wondered how Ena always knew whether or not extra words were what she needed in the moment. It made her feel special and cared for, in a way that made her heart soar and her joy bloom. Ena kept holding her close, even as the sobs died down into sniffles. Mizuki eventually brought herself to part, as much as she loathed to, in order to look at Ena. Ena was still smiling at her, like she always did.
“Hey, why don’t we go to a cafe right now? You seem pretty tired after all of that, maybe some sweets would help you out,” Ena suggested, and Mizuki softly smiled, looking at her through glazed over eyes. She nodded, wanting to savor every moment with Ena, even through the calamity of Legacies. Ena looked at her with all of the love and adoration in the world as she moved to grab her hand. The two walked together, in sync, toward an unsure future of hope, chaos, and the promise of forever strengthened beyond its limits.