[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/LF8JAVp.png[/img]
[color=c6984d][h3][b]~~Nico~~[/b][/h3][/color][/center][hr]

"Mhm. Your number would be nice," Nico answered Hanako. She quickly exchanged contact info and turned back to the two girls. It was amusing to see the both of them confuse her shy friend for someone around their age, but Himeko's safety was top priority right now. The two of them didn't want to stay without someone older than them around, so Nico had to quickly set the record straight.

"Hanako-san actually goes to my school... she's the same age as me. Just stick with her while I go look for Himeko-san, okay? She shouldn't have gone too far, so I'll be back soon."

With that, Nico jogged down the stairway of the shrine and left the three others by themselves. Checking behind her confirmed nobody had followed, so now all she had to do was find a spot to transform. Luckily, this side of town wasn't very busy, so she was easily able to find a not-so-busy street. One of the apartment complexes there had an open garage, a spot with no windows and limited visibility from the outside. It was perfect for Nico. A bright flash of pink light burst from within it as Nico softly touched her chest.

A small gust formed around Nico, carrying sparkles with it as her pigtails sprung loose in the wind. While her hair fluttered freely, Nico's clothes glowed around her body and slowly morphed into something else. The school uniform's top turned into a sleeveless, teal jacket over a puffy cream-coloured shirt as its skirt turned into a pair of skin-tight pants. Her hair coiled back around itself while the hairbands that previously kept it together became a duo of pink-and-blue ribbons. They tied around her new duet of braids which neatly fell in front of Nico's face. A long, pink tail shot out from behind her and waved side-to-side. A pair of whiskers, two on each side, got drawn on Nico's cheeks right as she opened her eyes, showing a heterochromatic pair in the same colours as her new ribbons, but mirrored in placement.

"Transformation... [color=FE93EC]complete!"[/color]

[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/M5i4w53.png[/img]
[color=FE93EC][h3][b]✫✫ Nico ✫✫[/b][/h3][/color][/center][hr]

Nico breathed out a sigh of relief as she finished her transformation, then looked down at her feet. Standing there was the same cat she fed some treats not too long ago, who must've stumbled into Nico doing her thing. The girl crouched down and scratched behind the animal's ears, smiling as is let out a meow in delight.

[color=FE93EC]"Geez, stop finding me when I transform... you scared me half to death the first time you showed up out of the blue like this!"[/color]

The magical girl pat the cat on the head and dashed out of the garage, not wanting to stick around to get caught if one of the residents decided to pop their head out for a look-see. Little pink claws formed on the girl's hands as she ran on all four, in preparation for when she leaped up on one of the walls. Like a bolt of lightning Nico scaled it, about ninety percent sure she hadn't been seen by anyone. Her feline form made the girl pretty quick, so she positively blitzed across the rooftops towards the park she'd felt the shade's presence earlier. Oddly enough, despite her getting closer, Nico couldn't feel the shade's aura at all.

The reason why became obvious as soon as Nico arrived.

[color=FE93EC]"...Oh, hi there!"[/color]

Nico cheerfully greeted the two other magical girls she saw at the park, having leapt down from one of the rooftops into a tree. Her tail was swaying side-to-side without a care in the world as Nico looked at the fading shadows from below.

[color=FE93EC]"Guess I was a bit late, huh? Well, I kinda figured one magical girl was gonna show up n'd all, but [i]two?[/i] Feels like I kinda came here for nothing, ahaha...!"[/color]

Nico's laugh was awkward, but not the least bit nervous as she scratched the back of her head. The girl was blissfully unaware of how powerful either of them were. She also didn't recognise Himeko, but there [i]was[/i] this familiar aura coming off her... or maybe it was in response to the sheer pressure emanating off the purple-haired one.

[color=FE93EC]"I'm, uh, not interrupting something, am I?"[/color] Nico asked with a tilt of her head.