Arriving on the surface...
I blink against the sudden, harsh sunlight.
My eyes struggle to adjust, watering as the world resolves from a blinding white glare into shapes and colors.
"Where is this?" I say, shielding my eyes with my left hand.
"Welcome to the surface-level access point," Haruka says brightly.
"More accurately, what's left of Kitakyushu City proper."
The bright white slowly fades, and the world comes into focus.
Ruins. As far as the eye can see.
It's a familiar sight to me.
This city may have a different shape than the lands I journeyed through with Touko and Lenah, but its soul is the same: broken.
"Fascinating, isn't it?"
I turn to look at her, surprised. Fascinating? How could she call this… this wasteland fascinating?
Haruka stretches out her arms, taking a deep breath of the city air.
"It's been a while since I've been topside," Haruka says, a wistful smile playing on her lips.
"The data feeds from the drones and cameras just don't capture the sheer scale of the entropic decay. You have to experience the particle distribution firsthand to truly appreciate it."
I stare at her, my brow furrowed in confusion.
"Entropic decay? Particle distribution?"
"It's just… a fancy way of saying it's a mess," Haruka clarifies with a slight laugh.
"But a beautiful mess."
I turn my gaze from her back to the ruined city.
To me, it's just a reminder. The collapse. The upheaval of my father's domain. Mother's disappearance.
For me, this isn't beauty. It's failure.
This city, this world… it's the obstacle I have sworn to overcome.
"This is not a beautiful mess," I state.
Haruka stops, turns, and her gaze meets mine.
I look at her, my pink eyes holding a cold, hard clarity.
"This is a wound,"
"A scar on the world that hasn't healed. This is what happens when strength fails, when order collapses. It isn't 'fascinating.' It's a reminder of what needs to be overcome."
Haruka doesn't flinch from my intensity; she seems to… walk closer to me with great interest.
"...What?" I ask, taking an involuntary step back.
"As expected of my ace." Haruka smiles, an unsettlingly proud grin spreading across her face.
"Not just beauty, but conviction! Such wonderful data. Let's make an impact, Horikita."
She's still speaking in that infuriatingly technical way, but the genuine excitement in her eyes is impossible to miss. What is an 'ace'? It sounds… important. And possessive. *My* ace.
"Don't just stand there processing. Our date is about to begin. We have a 'test' to conduct, remember?" Haruka winks at me, and grabs my hand.
I'm pulled along by her once more, but this time I don't resist.
"What exactly is this 'test'?"
"Excellent question!"
"We'll test whether you possess the necessary aptitude to operate and synchronize with one of my experimental devices."
Experimental devices?
"I don't see any devices on you," I say, looking her up and down.
"That's because I left it in the place we're going," Haruka says with a confident smirk.
I frown, not liking the sound of that.
"And where exactly are we going?"
Haruka doesn't answer.
She just keeps pulling me forward.
After a few minutes of walking, Haruka stops abruptly.
"We're here,"
"This is it?" I ask, skeptical.
Haruka walks up to the door, and opens it in a sudden burst of motion.
"Good morning, Muhitso!" Haruka says with a cheerful grin, strolling inside as if she owns the place.
I follow her hesitantly, stepping through the doorway into a surprisingly well-preserved establishment.
An old man is sitting drinking tea.
"Haruka," Muhitso greets her with a calm, knowing half-smile, setting his cup down.
"It's been a while. I was wondering when you'd drop by. Causing trouble, as usual?"
He notices me, and I instantly feel as though he sees right through me to my demonic nature, making me tense.
It's not hostile, not the gaze of an enemy studying me.
His eyes, behind his glasses, seem to hold a depth of understanding that is deeply unsettling.
He's human, but his presence feels… muted. Almost non-existent.
I don't sense any Ki from him.
"Behold my newest acquisition!" Haruka declares, pulling me forward with a dramatic gesture.
"An acquisition?" He raises an eyebrow.
"She looks more like a guest you've dragged along against her will."
"Semantics," Haruka waves a dismissive hand.
"This is Horikita. She's helping me with a little… field test. Horikita, this is Muhitso. He runs this fine establishment and occasionally procures certain… hard-to-find items for me."
Muhitso offers me a slight nod.
"Welcome to Last Stand, Horikita,"
"Please, make yourself at home."
"Don't mind if we do!" Haruka says, and begins pulling me towards the staircase.
"Where are we going?!" I ask, stumbling after her.
"The bar! I want some alcohol before we conduct our little experiment."
Arriving at the top of the stairs, we find ourselves in a bar.
I've only seen bars in books before. Never a real one.
Haruka practically throws herself onto one of the tall stools at the bar counter, patting the seat next to her with an expectant grin.
"Come on, sit!" Haruka urges, her enthusiasm infectious.
I hesitate for a moment, then cautiously climb onto the stool beside her.
It's taller than a normal chair, so my feet can't reach the footrest.
The miniskirt slips up, exposing even more of my thighs.
I instinctively try to pull it down, stiffening with self-consciousness.
"Two of your best, Muhitso!" Haruka calls out, leaning her elbows on the clean wooden counter.
"And make them strong. My partner in crime here looks like she could use one."
Muhitso appears behind the counter a moment later, wiping it with a clean cloth.
"Are you sure that's wise, Haruka?"
Muhitso turns towards me.
"She's rather young to be drinking something 'strong,' don't you think?"
"Hmm," Haruka hums, tapping her chin thoughtfully.
"Have you ever had alcohol, Horikita?"
I shake my head silently.
"Never?"
"No..." I mutter, looking down.
"Oh, a virgin?" Haruka exclaims, her eyes lighting up with the thrill of new data.
"This is even better! A clean slate! No pre-existing tolerance levels to account for. Muhitso, a virgin cocktail for my new partner-in-crime. Something light. Sweet, but with a kick. Something… moe."
With a sigh of long-suffering patience, Muhitso turns to the rows of glass bottles behind him.
"One 'Moe Special,' coming up," Muhitso says without a hint of sarcasm, only a professional acceptance.
While he works, Haruka leans closer, whispering.
"Muhitso's cocktails are legendary,"
"He's a master of chemical synthesis. He can mix flavors that… well, let's just say they produce very interesting data sets."
I stare at the back of Muhitso's black shirt, trying to process Haruka's words.
Chemical synthesis? Data sets? She makes a simple drink sound like a complex scientific experiment.
"Right," I mutter, not really understanding but deciding it's best not to ask for clarification.
I'll only get another lecture on 'moe' archetypes or something equally incomprehensible.
I turn my gaze towards Haruka.
"So where is this... 'experimental device'?"
"Patience, my ace," Haruka purrs, tapping her fingers on the bar counter.
"All in due time. First, liquid courage. It helps with… system synchronization."
My eyes narrow. That sounds suspicious. What does she mean by "system synchronization"? I don't trust the smug look on her face. Not one bit.
Muhitso places two glasses on the counter in front of us with a soft *clink*.
"Here is Haruka's whiskey and Horikita's Moe Special."
My drink is… pink. Soft, almost luminous pink, with a single, perfect cherry balanced on the edge of the glass. It looks… innocent. Too innocent.
Haruka raises her glass.
"Toast," Haruka announces, her eyes sparkling.
"To new data, new partnerships, and the successful calibration of my ace."
She clinks her glass against mine.
*Clink*
I stare at the pink liquid... The color is almost the same as my eyes. Is that what Haruka meant by 'moe'?
I slowly lift the glass to my lips, and smell it. It smells… sweet. Overwhelmingly so. Nothing like the bitter scent of the tea Lenah drinks.
"Don't be shy, Horikita, drink up~"
I glance from the drink to her smug, smiling face. She's enjoying this far too much.
Her smugness is a challenge, and I have never been one to back down from a challenge.
With a deep breath, I take a small, cautious sip. The flavor explodes on my tongue.
"Ah...!"
The taste is… overwhelming. Sweet, yes, but not just sweet. It's… good. Dangerously good.
I take another sip, a larger one this time... The sweetness is followed by a surprising warmth that spreads down my throat and into my chest. It's… pleasant. Very pleasant.
"Good, right?" Haruka asks, already halfway through her own drink.
"It's… not bad," I admit, trying to maintain some semblance of composure. But I can't stop myself from taking another sip.
Before I know it, the glass is empty.
"Another!" I blurt out, pushing the empty glass forward.