Emeth

Kurai Majokko: Tsundere Gekido

"The saying 'with friends like these, who needs enemies' comes to mind."

---

With Shatterscape's arrival came knowledge that had escaped Evil Eye's notice during all the fighting. This was, in fact, good news, as it meant that there might be something she could actually do. She flew with her, sticking close as she returned to the main event, satisfied that her Mogall were no longer threatened by some interloper with poor timing. "The songs of a jealous woman lie shallow in the heart, and retreat quickly from the ears," she taunted back to Willow. "Are you droning on and on because Rei makes you sleep on the couch?"

She lowered herself back to the ground, seeking lesser miseria to behead and stake through the heart with her cane. She tried to drown out Willow's nonsense with the splattering of her enemies. If she couldn't take on the tengu, she could at least try to prevent more from being created. As her slaughter continued, she felt more and more rage building. Returning to Hibusa Town had been a mistake. She should have just taken Shatterscape with her and run even further away from this place. Why couldn't she stop taking on burdens that she couldn't carry? Unlike Earthshaker, at least she knew that she had a problem, but she was no more able to put an end to it than she was.

Rei watched dispassionately, as useless as ever while Oros and Acid Drop struggled for their lives. Willow was still just as annoying as the bards in Kunoichi Creed that pestered you for money. Nyxia was gleefully fighting giga miseria at night when she had been vehemently opposed to summoning one during the day when they were weaker—queen moron of the idiot village that was the Detention Club, herself the voice in the wilderness that no one listened to. Even Hizuki probably wouldn't accept her advice in the end. Shatterscape was taking the bait, which Evil Eye thought was unlike her. "Shatterscape, that's enough! She all-but-outright told us to use her!" she called out, appealing to the utilitarian nature of her fellow dark girl. If she had ever shouted at Shuuko in anger before, she couldn't remember when. It wasn't something she ever wanted to do, but this was dangerously close.

The abandoned golem served its role as bait to allow its master's escape. As the two tengu wore away its flesh, it flexed its muscles, protruding spikes in every direction all around its body, unleashing the attack it had prepared before when it once planned to jump up and grab the one harassing Evil Eye in the sky. It grabbed the two tengu and pulled them into itself, holding them down as Evil Eye flew away. Chunks of flesh broke away one by one as its opponents tore their way to freedom, and eventually its arms were removed, but still it kept standing. Mogall high above wept black tears which fell down and gave it more mass to regenerate, but the tengu had some semblance of intelligence and would not allow them to live for long. One flew up to dispatch them, while the golem prepared itself for what would be one last struggle against the one left on the ground.

Kurai Majokko: Tsundere Gekido

"Yeah, you really are too fast. It's a bit soon for wedding cake. At least buy me dinner first."

---

Evil Eye's attempt to cushion her descent with the golem didn't work so well. She'd only ever manifested it around her body from a standstill, never from high speed. So it was that when the dust settled, she realized that her body was sticking out the side of it. Fortunately for her, Willow realized it even more quickly, and with surprising force, one of her hounds extracted her from it. By the time she had freedom of movement, she found herself face to face with her attacker again, this time sans one annoying bard. Rei still isn't doing anything. Is she waiting for someone to beg for help? she thought irritably. She glared at the bird-man, eyes glowing bright crimson. May as well try everything before giving her what she wants, she decided, trying for a basic illusion of multiple Evil Eyes.

The golem seemed to have its own ideas. It clambered up onto an upturned truck and prepared to take a great leap up at the abomination, arms spread wide to grab it. Its skin seemed to bubble at the surface, as if it were preparing something inside itself. Meanwhile, Evil Eye could sense Shatterscape's approach. "Good to see you, High Priestess. If I could trouble you for a little assistance, I may be just a bit less than equally matched with this one." Her even-toned voice tried to hide the reality that she was, in fact, scared of the threat this monster represented. She could no longer be just an eye in the sky for the others. She would have to fight, and fighting was the one thing she'd never been good at.

Kurai Majokko: Tsundere Gekido

"I've been accosted by some Chozos,
and probably Willow's hounds.
God I hate these bozos.
It's as annoying as it sounds."

---

The bird-thing's foot struck true, and Evil Eye was not prepared for the drop kick. Though she hated that it was cold, the sky had been her refuge from battles she wasn't one-hundred-percent certain she could win. A miseria was not supposed to be up here. This was her space, and Willow had been doing a fine enough job ruining it without some eyeless freak showing up. No eyes... she processed as she hurtled towards the ground—technically still moving closer to where Shatterscape would be shortly, for what that consolation was worth. Is this the part where I say: 'Finally, a worthy opponent?' she wondered. ...Nah. She wouldn't give Rei the satisfaction.

For a moment, Evil Eye imagined that it was over—that Shuuko would be placing flowers at her grave by morning. Then, suddenly, it was over, as she collided with the ground. However, her relatively small body had been shielded from the impact by the hulking mass of pitch-black muscular flesh that had woven itself around her into the shape of a golem. Even so, the bird monstrosity descended, following up its drop kick with an ambitious coup de grace straight for the summon's neck. There was just one issue with the abomination's plan, and that was that Evil Eye's own summoned monster had no head to decapitate. One massive arm reached for the bird-man's leg, aiming to hoist it in the air and whirl it around like a flail before throwing it into a nearby corner store. I don't need eyes to see you either, bird brain!

Kurai Majokko: Tsundere Gekido

"I've got two words of advice for ya, kid: don't get hit, and whatever you do, don't get grabbed."

---

Evil Eye was about to make a comment about how it was hard, even for them, to learn anything about Rei—but any thoughts she was having exited her mind when the Devil herself appeared on her shoulder. "Jealous? ...Is she?" she replied, as if the idea hadn't even occurred to her. Her eyes rolled, partly in thought, partly in response to... Willow's childish teasing. She'd almost forgotten the girl's name. The song was familiar, even nostalgic once, but now her only memories associated with it were unpleasant. At least it was nothing new—but what was new was that, unlike in those days, none of the other girls were joining in the song... or making fun of her... or even acknowledging it at all. That was somewhat refreshing, at least.

"I've been waiting for something worth my time to show up," she nipped back, nonetheless checking on her Mogall for a report on the situation. "Not seeing any other light girls yet. Or anything much tougher than this horde. Shatterscape is bored. At least Nyxia and Willow are having fun," she ran through her many observations like a bored nurse delivering a diagnosis on behalf of a doctor who couldn't be bothered. "More damn monkeys!" she suddenly spat. "Stop attacking my minions, you monkey fuck!" She flew away, briefly—before Shatterscape swapped bodies, causing her to stop and look for her. Then, she made to fly off again.

Kurai Majokko: Tsundere Gekido

"My instincts may not always be right, but they're never wrong!"

---

Evil Eye pursed her lips. "That's fair. I should get a nauseating dark girl title, then. How about the Grim Weeper?" Her eyes widened as she wielded her cane with two hands, angling the handle as though it were the blade of a scythe. She swung it at a miseria and, like a maniac with a warhammer, comically beheaded it with blunt force, cackling. "I have not yet begun to mourn, sister. Don't you worry about me. As for the boss lady? She's... an interesting girl—likes interesting people." She scratched her cheek as she wracked her superior brain for words that weren't synonyms for "scary."

Were the rules being kept Rei's rules? It was a stimulating question, but one she didn't dare to answer while she was coming this way.

"Looks like we found the one person Nyxia doesn't hate immediately upon eye contact. I guess there are some things under the sun that I haven't seen," she joked, turning her head to Roche for a reaction. "Oh, no. No no no no. This was absolutely, positively Acid's idea. I just leaped at the chance to give it my full endorsement as soon as its profitability showed, like a true entrepreneur, and I expect to get full credit for it."

Kurai Majokko: Tsundere Gekido

"It's something of a running joke."

---

"Eugh!" Evil Eye made a retching sound. "Lighten up, will you? I'm only joking. Your manners are so stiff! I'm shortening that to just 'Hizuki,' too." She waved her hand like she'd just smelled something terrible. "You already know my name. This is Earthshaker, the Rule Keeper. That's Earthshaker, comma, the Rule Keeper, not EarthshakerTheRuleKeeper," she clarified with her signature unnecessary snark. "If your friends ever wondered why the evil magical girls of the Detention Club don't kill people, you can thank her. She doesn't give performance evals, though... Maybe I should do it. Sounds like fun," she japed, her eyes going blank and unfocused as she checked on the others.

"Shatterscape gets a twelve for attendance. Everyone else gets a one," Evil Eye declared, deadpan, as she watched her partner fight. The Mogall tilted its... self inquisitively, as if to ask what Shuuko was doing all by herself. It began floating away, as if to lead her to the pillar of light. Next, she checked on Oros the Joyful—she could pull off the subtitle thing—though, right now she was looking more like Oros the Joyless. Was it Acid Drop's doing? Evil Eye chose to make no comment. "Nyxia is going places," she remarked, somehow both deadpan but also proud. And the last one was... "Uhh." Her eyes came back into focus, landing on Hizuki. "So, everyone is coming this way," she remarked blithely. "Remember to smile when you meet the boss," she said with a smile of her own, proud and catlike.

A desire floated into her previously content brain—to test the girl's sincerity.

Kurai Majokko: Tsundere Gekido

"Yes yes, there's text here again. Don't get quiplash."

---

Several floating eyes did find their way to Rei's side, but Evil Eye herself was nowhere to be seen. It wasn't unusual for her to be late, as she had a habit of getting absorbed in "preparations," whatever those might be. Her motorcycle's engine was usually audible not too far away in any case, but the hunt's cacophony was missing that particular sound on this night.

Evil Eye floated along, musing about how much she still hated flying, especially at night and at this altitude. It would always remind her of that night—betrayed by an ally, friend and lover all at once. The air was cold then, too. So was she. She wasn't bitter about it anymore, but remembering it was like hearing an annoying voice echo in a dark cave while stuck in a narrow space, realizing that there was nothing to be done except wait for it to stop, until sooner or later it piped up again in vain, unwarranted.

She amused herself watching her breath freeze, until one—or rather, all of her eyes spotted something. "To think I worried that I'd have to seek you out," she observed as her Mogall were collectively flash-banged. She supposed this was only a minor inconvenience, since any magical girls interested in a fight on either side were probably headed that direction now. Kiyo smiled as she gave her order to the Mogall. All at once, they began to weep, the tears falling like inky black rain. The pools bubbled like boiling tar, forming new monsters, and these were something like a cross between a moth and a mosquito, and they descended upon Hizuki's "flame" and the prey it had attracted in characteristic swarming frenzy.

Quickly they descended, impaling the lowly miseria with their proboscides and feasting upon them. They were an intangible plague, something that could hardly be fended off with the simple and uncoordinated physical attacks of such weaklings—so it was quite fortunate that, as of yet, they'd shown no interest in either humans or animals. What they did have an interest in was the miseria, and whatever could be drained from them. Could it be called blood, or was it more like an ectoplasm? The only girl who was likely to be interested in such answers, Evil Eye, awaited her servants' return with a mason jar. God only knew what the mad scientist had planned to do with it, because for the moment, she was more interested in the girl who'd delivered her prey to her.

"I do love efficient workers," she remarked with some enthusiasm, smiling. "But you should really pace yourself more. Leave some room for improvement on those performance evals, yeah? It's that kind of world, after all. It doesn't appreciate people like us who go all out." She flipped the jar around in her hand idly, considering a thought that she decided not to voice. "I don't think I caught your name."

Kurai Majokko: Tsundere Gekido

---

Kiyo departed the ‘VIP table’ feeling vexed. It was the second time in as many days that someone had approached the Detention Club in some form, offering to "help" them. Perhaps she was beginning to understand why Rei was so angry. Being the center of attention in the Japanese magical girl world was a situation that threatened to become complicated, in a way that wasn't fun. Two factions of Kurai girls were about to fight each other, the Gems were threatening the Detention Club to stay put in this doomed town, and another light girl was offering to help the Detention Club. Would they really help the club take down Ashbringer in an alliance of convenience? Or did they plan to watch the fight from a distance and mop up the winning side in their weakened state? Would they help the weaker side eke out a victory for the sake of a quick power boost and then backstab them later? It felt like getting caught in a war drama, and there were few things Kiyo hated more than politics and self-important magical girls.

But before that, there was the simpler matter of addressing the new face. This was a difficult time to trust an outsider, but they did need all the help they could get. Kiyo found herself wanting a second opinion, which was a rare occurrence, and one that always left a bad taste in her mouth, as if her own superior intellect were somehow inadequate on its own. No, she reminded herself; what she needed now was some more perspectives, and the opinions of the other club girls were never anything if not fresh—and, as if on cue, two of them were coming in now, a pairing that had been unusual until just recently and was becoming more common: Roche and Shuuko.

Her gaze raised to meet them. Kiyo often looked lost in thought, but rarely did she appear genuinely troubled. Today seemed to be one of those rare occasions.

Roche’s offer was met with what anyone else would have called an epileptic fit. Roche would have been horrified with worry that Shuuko would bite off her tongue, but there was little in the way of seizing. Shuuko’s gasp was like a bag squeezed empty of air, a single wheeze before crumpling lifeless to the floor.

”You could at least have tried to fall into my arms.” The Rule Keeper said, the attempt was very much lame with discomfort, and it was only her assurance that this was an earnest attempt at forcing distance that kept her from acting on her worry. It stung to have Shuuko treat her in such a way, but she was still competitive enough not to fumble at such an overt display so soon after giving her word.

The odd pair came down from the room, Earthshaker casting her tribal aesthetic for the guise of a Track Captain once more, and they returned to the cafeteria. Its buzz seemed muted, and she was finding none of the sappy butterflies or radiant glow shows always spoke of after a confession of feelings. Much as with everything Dark Magical Girls did, there was a mess that would take sleepless nights and more anguish than one could bear before she’d make any sense of it.

Coming into the space felt odd. Like she’d missed something big going on. Eyes alight she found them locking upon Kiyo, the eye-themed Magical Girl already approaching. Giving Shuuko a nudge, she moved to meet Kiyo half way.

”You doing okay, Kiyo? You look like someone dropped something on your lap.”

"Do I?" Kiyo stopped chewing on her thumb nail just long enough to form a response. "I might have a stray cat in my lap, but nobody dropped it there. It came on its own." She grinned a little. Sometimes she referred to herself as a stray cat, but she also used it as a code word for a new magical girl in town. "I'm not sure if it's a stray, but anyway. I'm... undecided. Her positive attitude is a bit much, know what I mean?" Her eyes darted around at all the students as she chose her words with care.

Shuuko’s body lead the way in complete silence as Sylvia thought about the rulekeeper and herself. Contemplation was writ on her face, the expression only disappearing as she saw the mass of students unfolding before her and Ember switched out with the protector so the schemer would get her time back. An observant person could notice the subtle change in posture along with gait, no doubt, however, they would hopefully write it off as putting on a public facade. Whether or not Roche decided it was worth investigating though… well, Ember could do her best, but she was no actor.

Which presented a problem for the identity of Shuuko. The schemer had started with the best of intentions, yet now she found herself trapped in a web of her own making if they wanted to keep up the appearance of being one person. They had to walk fine lines to avoid rousing suspicion, something that both Hotaru and Sylvia were ill-suited for. Herself? She could toe it to a degree. She could borrow some of their mannerisms, but the truth would come out sooner or later. Or maybe they could just move cities again.

Smiling as a way to both greet Kiyo and an attempt to get rid of her thoughts, Shuuko’s body raised an eyebrow at the mention of stray cats and positivity.

”Kuroki-san, taking care of a cat is a major responsibility,” she spoke, choosing her words carefully. ”You have to feed them, care for them and play with them. Are you sure you can do that?” She sounded worried as she spoke, hiding her true questions behind the veiled metaphors Kiyo so liked to use. ”I mean, you say it might be a stray, but it might have an owner. It might only want to laze around in the sun, too, and that is no fun! Especially if its owner picks it up afterwards and you’re left only with bittersweet memories instead of a fuzzy friend.”

A tense exchange of code words was not what Roche was looking for with her lunch, but she wasn’t going to avert her eyes to a brewing mess. The allusions didn’t escape her notice, and neither did Shuuko turning back into the weirdly fluent automaton that now stood beside her.

There was pulling herself together, and there was not showing a single sign that a breakdown had even occurred. It was akin to standing next to a stranger, and it was only the severity of the topic at hand that kept Roche from taking Shuuko by the wrist and pulling away.

”I know some of us have allergies to cats, but with many strays we’ve seen around the city, I don’t think a bad kitten would just fall into our lap. Those ones are more dangerous than that.”

It didn’t strike her as something the girls from the City of Light would bother with after such overt displays. Subtlety was not their way.

”I think I’d need to see this cat before I decide either way.”

"Cats laze in the sun seeking warmth, but a lap is better, if she trusts the hand that feeds," Kiyo mused. As far as she was concerned, the light was but an illusion with no substance, and all magical girls who lived long enough would embrace the darkness inevitably. The sooner they accepted the Truth, the better off they were. If Haruna was not a magical girl, it would be better if she didn't join the club, but if she was one, she should bring her into the fold regardless of if she leaned on the darkness or clung to the light, especially since Haruna seemed like the type to put others... first. Kiyo blinked. She looked at Roche and nodded soberly in agreement of something left unspoken. A moment of silence passed.

"I can handle the responsibility. In fact, I've made up my mind. I will handle it," she decided. "Are you opposed, Shuuko? It would only be for a while."

Ember winced as she heard Kiyo’s proclamation.

”You know my stance on those idiots, Ember,” proclaimed the warrior as she spat into the distance. ”They better stay away from Sylvia, Chiaki, or you, or I’ll fuck up their spines. If they even have anything to fuck up.” She all but growled her words, already sharpening the claws on Shuuko’s gauntlet just in case she met a light girl. How Ember or Sylvia would be able to talk her down, the schemer had no idea and the protector seemed to have withdrawn from such matters ever since that encounter with Tsubomi.

”Unfortunately, I’m allergic to cats.” She let out a sigh. A light girl would be a major asset to the Detention Club, but now they would be forced to go without or walk on eggshells because she did not know if she could hold the warrior back by herself. ”If I’m anywhere in the same room, I’ll break out in hives.”

On one side Kiyo was determined to own the issue before them, and it seemed to Roche that conversing with them had only galvanized her to her course.
The benefits were great, and the presence of a light girl among them might even dissuade the invaders from being too aggressive when engaging them as they’re forced to confront their own flimsy, untested morals.

She held no illusions that Morganite would be anything less than a total bitch about it, however.

”I’ll take you at your word, Kiyo. Just be mindful of others with their allergies.” Roche’s expression colored with concern at Shuuko’s behavior, her words as flat a rejection as could be expected in the circumstances. ”I’ll be there to make sure no one has a reaction, okay, Shuuko?”

Kiyo bit her nail again. She expected opposition, though it was much less than she imagined it would be. "Sorry for being pushy. It's just that I've dealt with her type before, and I can do it again without complaints. It's only until our numbers even out again, Shuuko," she reminded her apologetically. Then a thought occurred to her. "Actually, why not pair up with Roche for a bit? You two seem to get along lately, and Nyxia still seems to hate all of our guts."

Shuuko’s body frowned. ”I don’t know if either is ideal. I enjoy spending time with you, Kuroki-san, and I would be hurt if you preferred a cat’s company to mine.” She knew that was likely not Kiyo’s intention, but Hotaru… well, hell hath no fury like a teenage girl scorned, apparently.

"Huh..? No, of course not," Kiyo replied, a bit bewildered.

”Bullshit! So she’s picking a light girl over me? That’s just such bullshit!”

”No, she isn’t, Hotaru. She is worried about something - probably about how our group performed against Ashbringer. And then there’s-

”Oh screw yourself with your fanciful explanations, Ember! She’s trying to blow us off! We won’t even be at half strength if we team up with Roche. Girl’s a good sport, but…”

”Is there a way to work out a compromise, Kuroki-san? Perhaps if you cleaned up well after the cat, I could still sleep over from time to time.” Ember grit her teeth as she tried to withstand Hotaru’s barrage. How could Sylvia ever hold this back? That girl had more strength than she realised.

"Our apartment is for two. She'll be an outdoor cat. And I won't bring any dandruff home, promise."

”I don’t believe now is a good time for a change in partnerships.” Roche intruded upon the tension festering between Kiyo and Shuuko. While far from an expert she could plainly see the fear of rejection was tearing up in the latter girl’s heart.

”You two are great together, and I want you both to be happy even if it involves a cat in our orbit. We can make this work without any dandruff getting between us.”

Roche’s hand slowly rose to clap Shuuko on the shoulder, only the faint widening of pupils betraying her reaction to the whipcord tension she felt upon the other girl’s frame. ”If you need some space to air out the apartment, mine is open to the both of you. But we need to come together or we…won’t afford rent.”

If only Ashbringer was as easy to fend off as a landlord..

Kiyo averted her eyes. "Right. I can't... afford rent on my own." Her gaze lowered. "It'd be nice if we could be flexible, but I guess that's hard when I'm broke. I'll keep that in mind." It wasn't as if she didn't know. In fact, she'd expected Shuuko to make a fuss about how dangerous it would be to leave her alone with a light girl. The fact that she didn't must mean that the other Shuuko was taking point right now. It was convenient in the moment to make her case heard, but it raised a lot of questions, like how Roche managed to interact with this side of Shuuko that Kiyo had rarely seen.

”I… believe that may be acceptable.” Shuuko’s body reached for Roche’s hand, lingering there for a second to acknowledge her intentions, then she lowered it before it could be misunderstood. ”If I can call you and come home to a clean house, then it is all good. I apologise if I caused any confusion.” Not that it was good enough for the warrior, of course.

”She’s got some real explainin’ to do when it’s my turn.”

”Umm… Hotaru? Why are you so angry? I know it’s a light girl, but…” Sylvia stepped forward again, daring to thread murky waters.

”I don’t know! And that pisses me off even more!” Hotaru smashed her fists together as she spoke, pulling and pushing against her own muscles as she struggled against something she could not name.

”I do hope it’s the only stray we are planning to adopt, though,” added Ember in an effort to alleviate the tension inside Shuuko’s body. ”Would it be all right if we discussed the matter at great length later and in private, Kuroki-san? I believe I may have missed something important and I can barely hear over the noise here.”

"Sure. Roche needs to meet her, and it's not like we'll get the paperwork filed before tonight anyway. But right now, I need a shower. My hair is wretched." It really wasn't, but it was an excuse to get away and gather her thoughts.

”See? This is why we’re a good club.”” The lack of privacy was putting a damper on her energy but her smile still conveyed her relief that the two hadn’t come to verbal blows.

”Nothing is going to get between us. Unless it’s another one of us, but that’s just a group hug.” Roche wondered how far she could stretch the metaphor, but she hoped Shuuko understood her. A light girl could always fall, and with that fall would go the greatest boundaries dividing them.

Kiyo made her excuses and Roche stepped aside, opening a way past while tilting her head to the lunch line. As late as they were there wasn’t much of a line to speak of. ”Enjoy the shower. We’ll talk more later. Still want to eat together, Shuuko?””

”Yeah. I would really appreciate that H- Roche,” Shuuko’s body sighed again, this time much more explosive. The rulekeeper could practically see the tension unwind as Hotaru quieted down, which in turn had Ember draw out her shoulders along with her spine. She looked in her element, as though her being in the school was natural, wearing a genuine smile on her face despite what happened not too long ago. ”Please allow me treat you to something for staining your clothes.”

Kiyo raised an eyebrow at Roche's display of sentimentality. Roche was acting weird, but Kiyo wasn't sure she disliked this side of her or not. Of all the pairings that could have a falling out, though, was she worried about her and Shuuko? Then again, they did have something like an argument before, and Shuuko had been acting weird since. She heard something curious about Shuuko staining Roche's clothes, but she'd already been excused and she wasn't that curious, given she'd just had her own strange accident with Suki. "Don't overthink it, you two. It's just a cat." Those two could never be anything more than casual friends, anyway, she decided as she took her leave. If those two were sharing a secret, it had to be something she already knew about.

Kurai Majokko: Tsundere Gekido

"It's too late for tin foil hats, Suki. They're already among us."

---

None of the "normies" at Hibusa High really knew why someone like Kiyo would choose to hang out with someone like Suki. She was someone who had the looks to become popular if she tried a little, but they knew her as a short-tempered person, too self-important to be friends with anyone outside of the Detention Club. So when Suki's impromptu juggling act drew lots of eyes onto the pair just in time to see a bowl of one of her foul concoctions land on Kiyo's head, their first thought must have been that surely, this time Suki's antics had gone too far for Kiyo to keep putting up with her. Kiyo slowly removed the empty and slightly sticky bowl from her head and placed it aside—the calm before the storm if ever there was one. If there was a desire emanating from Kiyo in this moment, it was to skip her next class and take a shower, but to the rest of the room, she didn't seem bothered at all.

"That so?" she replied, as if what Suki just said and did weren't both completely absurd. "I don't really have any scandalous thoughts worth protecting though," she lied, casually. She took a sip of some apple juice, leering in the direction of Tsubomi and a new face she couldn't put a name to. "What about you? Hiding feelings from your unfeeling partner over there? Jealousy, perhaps?" she tacked on at the end, half-sarcastically with a lighthearted smile. She asked with a tone somewhere between casual interest and disinterest, like someone asking "what's up" without expecting a real answer, but still leaving room for one to be received without being annoyed.

Kurai Majokko: Tsundere Gekido

"Is this what being a schoolgirl is supposed to feel like?"

---

Evil Eye was always late, but Kiyo was usually on time, or close to it. Today, however, she was absent her first class, and one of the last to enter the cafeteria, with a hearty yawn but something close to a little bounce in her step. By the usual metrics, she was downright giddy, a stark contrast to the Doomer of yesterday, that Nyxia had accurately labeled 'drama queen:' a label that Evil Eye would certainly embrace gladly.

Evil Eye was always giddy, so it didn't really mean anything, but when Kiyo was giddy, something was up. Whether or not that something was good or bad news for everyone else was going to remain a mystery until she felt like talking about it, and that would be whenever the dramatic reveal was most potent. Until then, she would sit quietly with Suki at the 'VIP table' and enjoy her chicken parmesan. If she was in a good enough mood, she might even share the bruschetta.

The night had gone off without a hitch. The numbers of the Mogall had increased, and she'd met a new light girl in town. That would be cause enough to celebrate, but the girl had called her by name. She knew who she was. She'd called her 'Evil Eye,' and yet, she'd still looked directly into her eyes, despite whatever she'd been told about her by the Gems or the local light girls. It wasn't really done as a power move, either. She didn't do it to prove she wasn't scared, or any of the other nonsense reasons other light girls might do it. That last face she made, too, was quite amusing. Finally, Hibusa Town had another light girl who was a fun person.

There was just one little problem. One tiny fly in the ointment. I was having so much fun acting like a cool oneesama, I didn't get her name. Goddammit. She pounded the table with her fist—just once, and not very hard. I said all that, but I kind of want to meet her again soon, she thought. She'd given the girl a chance to chase her, but she hadn't taken it. Her mind drifted to Boleite, another light girl who hadn't chased her when she had the chance. Coincidentally, she found herself curious about what that girl was doing these days, and wanting to meet her again. Kiyo thought that she could be a fun person, too. Why did the fun ones never give chase? It was always the boring 'heroes' who chased, because it was their 'duty' or whatever. Worrying about the dark girls... that kind of thing couldn't even be classified as thankless work. It was nobody's duty. Evil Eye did it because she felt like it. What was that girl's reason for doing it? Something more than idle curiosity, but less than a sense of duty...

How mysterious. How fun.