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"I... I have never done this before...""Fufu~. Don't worry, Aya-chan. It's not that complicated."Chisato gently touched Aya's face, and ran her hand through her hair to brush it over her ear. Then with her hand on the back of Aya's neck, she pulled her closer while she herself leaned in, and their lips met halfway. Aya tasted faintly of peaches.It was a cliche that vampires sought out virgins. There was literally no evidence that virgin blood was more potent, nutritious, or tastier than any other. If anything it was more related to a person's diet, but only connoisseurs truly cared. There were a few holdouts that swore virgins were better, but they were generally regarded as weirdos.Virginity as a whole felt like an outdated concept with little value. But many cliches had a grain of truth. And Chisato couldn't deny finding it a little thrilling to get someone's first. Be it first kiss, or something else. As if she was taking their innocence, if you wanted to call it that. While lacking in skill, someone's clumsy approaches had a charm of their own. Perhaps that spoke ill of her personality.Aya definitely felt as soft as she appeared. Chisato reached around her back, and pulled her closer.They were in Aya's room, while her parents and sister were away, so they wouldn't be interrupted. Knowing she had Aya all to herself for at least a couple of hours made her stomach tingle.It had felt nice when she had realised Aya wasn't as wary of her any longer. It had taken nearly a month since they started their dating trial, and she had worried they'd never get over that. But she felt a sense of trust from Aya again, and that was... nice.Aya was very nice, in fact. And warm. Chisato could feel her heartbeat rising. Both of their's, actually.They rested their foreheads together, heavy of breath. Dazed. Chisato glanced down to the side. Aya had a very pretty neck. And she could see a faint throbbing along it. The juiciest part. It was so close. So warm. Just needed to lean down. Mouth opened. Fangs flashed. And then... hand clasped over mouth.Chisato hurriedly released Aya, and turned away. "I can't. I can't I can't I can't. I. Can't.""Chisato-chan?"No no no, I can't drink the blood of the most powerful being on the planet. What would that even do to me? She mentally reprimanded herself. Could her body even handle something like that? Maybe she would explode.She glanced back at Aya, who just looked very confused.No, more importantly, I can't drink the blood of one of my close friends. Someone I love. It wasn't the old days any longer. Such things were frowned upon in modern times. They had all agreed it was wrong. Maybe she deserved to explode.Then she felt herself get embraced from behind. "Aya-chan?""It's okay, Chisato-chan. It's okay if you bite me. I've had worse," Aya said so sincerely that Chisato nearly cracked."No, it's not! It's... you don't know what you're saying. It's not okay." She was probably saying that as much to herself as to Aya. "You don't know, you don't... I don't... do that... any longer..." She cursed herself for being so weak. She had been doing fine until now, so why was Aya different? Why had that put her pledge in danger?"I... I'm sorry, Chisato-chan," Aya said tearfully, and hugged Chisato tighter.Chisato felt a pang of regret. "Aya-chan... you don't have to apologise..." She sighed. "What happened to the girl who cried at the mere thought of being eaten?" It had been the truth that someone saying 'don't eat me' was a turn-off. But the opposite was only a half-truth. Someone she didn't care about saying 'please eat me' was definitely a turn-off. She'd sooner dump them in the sea. But someone she cared about saying it was okay... that was much harder to deal with."Hm... I don't know," Aya replied. "Maybe I've fallen under your thrall."Chisato groaned. "Please don't joke about that.""Why? Is that a real thing?""It's... it's possible, let's leave it at that." Chisato sagged. "Mother is definitely going to kill me. And lock my ashes in a basement. Maybe resurrect me in a hundred years or so if she's in the mood.""I-it's not that big of a deal, is it?" Aya asked with clear concern.Chisato just whined in response.Aya nuzzled against Chisato's back. "Listen, Chisato-chan. We should talk to your mother. It won't get any better if we put it off. So let's do it together. Okay?"Chisato flinched. "You are much too kind, Aya-chan. And unfortunately you are right." Which she was not happy about. "I'm sure she suspects something already.""Don't worry, she won't kill you. I won't allow it. Nor is she going to take you away from me." Aya sounded surprisingly confident."... you're going to stand up to my mother?" That was an intriguing enough prospect for Chisato to kinda want to see it."S-sure, if I have to."Maybe things would work out. Somehow. At least it should be entertaining to watch.
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Hikawa Sayo headed around the back of the Hazawa Coffee building. She was about to do something reckless. Part of her wondered when she had become such an indecent woman.Looking around she couldn't see a lot of windows she could be spotted from, and the ones there were all seemed to have their curtains drawn. That was pretty much the best she could hope for. Again she questioned why she was doing this.Very lightly she pushed herself off from the ground. Tsugumi's window was on the second floor, just above her. She felt strangely giddy as she halted her ascent right in front of it. It also had the curtains drawn. Which made sense. The sun had gone down, so it was getting quite easy to see inside open windows. Most people would have them closed at that time in the afternoon.The cautious part of her brain urged her once more to reconsider, but instead she used her people vision to make sure there was someone in the room, and that they were alone. Then she knocked on the window. Once the figure inside started to move, she went back to regular vision.The curtain was pulled open. It was Tsugumi, and her expression of surprise was immediate. Sayo could even see her mouthing 'Sayo-san?!'. The sound-proofing was good enough that all Sayo actually heard was a muffled hum. She smiled and waved.Tsugumi opened the window. "Sayo-san, what are you doing?" she asked in a somewhat urgent tone of voice."I'm here to see you," Sayo said."I-I didn't know you were coming. Did I miss a call? Or a text?" Tsugumi looked towards something, presumably her phone."No. I wanted to surprise you." It wasn't quite the response Sayo had expected, but it was still amusing.Tsugumi looked torn. "Listen, I'm very happy to see you, but this is a bad time. You see, I-"The door behind Tsugumi opened. "Tsugu! Your mum gave me some cake to bring back up! She's the be-" It was Uehara Himari, who stopped in her tracks right inside the door. "Eh? Sayo-san? What are you doing out on the balcony?""Uh...""H-Himari-chan, I can-""... wait a minute... you don't have a balcony, Tsugu!"..."Man, I should have realised that Tsugu's girlfriend was also a super, considering how sudden that all was," Himari said.Sayo had considered fleeing, but had instead agreed to come into the room to face Himari.She had been introduced to all of Afterglow as Tsugumi's 'mystery' girlfriend, but only Moca knew the full truth. And she had in turn introduced Tsugumi to Lisa and Yukina. She knew that at least Lisa would have been upset if it was kept from her."Super?" Sayo inquired."Ako-chan's idea," Tsugumi explained. "I think she wants to announce it at the next meeting, but Himari-chan has already taken to using it.""It's a good term for it. Succinct, and descriptive," Himari said with a firm nod.Sayo wasn't sure if she agreed, but for a moment she wondered who else in the club would start using it. Though she had other things to worry about right now."Hey, don't worry," Himari said, as if she had seen what Sayo was thinking. Probably read her expression, or just guessed. "I know how to keep secrets. I've kept Moca's, and Tsugu's for ages, right? I'll even keep it from the others. Though they would probably appreciate knowing, you know?"Even if Himari was right, Sayo didn't feel happy about it. Though the worst part was that she had entirely brought this upon herself. Deep down she had known that her recklessness would eventually get punished. At least it was better than being filmed while she took Tsugumi flying."So what were you two doing?" Sayo asked."Ah. Well, I helped Himari-chan with her homework," Tsugumi said."N-no, we did it together. Tsugu hadn't done hers either," Himari protested.Aside from cracking a slight smile, Tsugumi didn't react to Himari's interjection. "And then we decided to hang out, and chat.""Oh." Sayo realised that made sense. She was simply not used to having friends. Certainly not ones who would come over to hang out. It hadn't even occurred to her that that might be a common thing for Tsugumi. There was absolutely no one to blame but herself."So you can fly, huh? That must be amazing," Himari said."Oh, it is!" Tsugumi replied. "We've gone high up, and looked down at the city! It's beautiful." She sounded like she had just been waiting for the chance to tell someone."Ooohhh, I wish I could go too..." Himari sighed wistfully. "But I realise that's a 'you' thing. It's probably too intimate to take me up...""Well..." Sayo wasn't sure if she'd say that. Maybe it was. But there was certainly a line of people who had asked to go flying with her. Hina, Ako, Rinko, Moca. Arisa and Misaki were the only ones in the club who hadn't asked, and Sayo had a feeling it might just be a matter of time. Hina was the only one she had indulged so far. As part of her effort to make peace with her sister again.A hopeful look shone from Himari's eyes. "You mean...?""No promises," Sayo said immediately. She hadn't even meant to make it sound like an option, she had just gotten lost in thought. "But I suppose I can consider it.""Aw..." Himari sighed. "If only Tomoe could fly."Tsugumi giggled, and her hand found Sayo's to give it a gentle squeeze. Sayo wasn't sure if that was supposed to signal something, or if Tsugumi just felt like it. Regardless, she returned the gesture."Oh! Hey, so that means... how did you two actually meet?" Himari asked. "I always thought the story you told about just happening to start talking at the cafe sounded a little strange.""Well, Sayo-san accidentally discovered me with one of my others at school," Tsugumi said right away. Perhaps another story she had been longing to tell someone."I was there to look for Hina," Sayo added."Then she asked to see me in private. I thought she was going to blackmail me."Himari gasped."Ts-Tsugumi-san, you didn't have to say that," Sayo said. "And you skipped a few steps.""Did I? And then she took me flying!" Tsugumi ploughed on regardless."Ooo, on the first date?" Himari sounded impressed.Sayo couldn't stop herself from blushing. "I-it wasn't really a date," she said, but Tsugumi was nodding happily."That sounds sooo nice~." Himari let out another wistful sigh. "Uh, hang on..." She picked up her phone. "Oh, I should get going!" She started to get up. "I was thinking I should probably leave you two alone anyway, but I actually have somewhere to be." She gathered her bag."Oh?" Tsugumi sounded curious."Yeah, I... um..." Himari dragged her foot across the floor. "The others don't know this yet, and we haven't decided when to make the announcement, but... since I learned a big secret about you, I guess I can let you know." Her cheeks went slightly pink. "You see, Tomoe asked me out."Tsugumi gasped."Yeah, I know. Finally, right? I know you said I'd probably have to do it myself, but... I could never find the right opportunity. But then she actually did it, and... um... I think I cried a lot... and made her freak out... but we're going out tonight.""That's great, Himari-chan!"Himari's smile looked very warm. "I know. But please keep it from the others until Tomoe is ready to tell everyone, okay?""Gotcha." Tsugumi saluted."Okay, I'm going! You two have fun~."Sayo smiled. "Good luck," she said."Thanks. Hopefully I won't need it, but... ugh, what if I screw this up, Tsugu?""You'll be fine, Himari-chan." Tsugumi sounded confident. "You've got this!""... yeah, you're right. I gotta believe! Hey, hey, hoh~!" Himari opened the door. "Bye now!" And closed it behind her.Sayo let out a deep sigh that she hadn't even noticed she was holding in."I'm real sorry about that, Sayo-san," Tsugumi said."No, that was entirely my fault," Sayo said. "If I hadn't been so dead set on surprising you, none of that would have happened."Tsugumi giggled, and hugged Sayo's arm. "I'm kinda happy it did."Sayo glanced over. "I noticed you seemed very eager to tell Uehara-san everything." She ruffled Tsugumi's hair."W-well, Himari-chan and I talk a lot about all sorts of things. It felt weird to keep something so important from her. And I kept worrying I'd mess up our cover story.""I see.""I think a lot about that night, you know. I feel every detail like it was just yesterday. A whole new world opened up to me." Her eyes were sparkling.That made Sayo's chest feel warm to hear. "Yeah, for me too," she said. Even with the messy end, it had been an unforgettable experience, that had led to something she could have never imagined beforehand. "But is this going to make it harder to keep the secret from Tomoe-san, and Mitake-san?""Urk... I hope not..."Sayo put her arm around Tsugumi, and pulled her closer. "Maybe we should also think about when to do an announcement then."Tsugumi blinked. "Eh? Really?""Well, half the band know already, so we would only be causing trouble if the other half don't also get to know." Especially since they all shared the secrets of Moca and Tsugumi already. Perhaps she should consider telling Lisa and Yukina about herself as well. That one was a little trickier, since as far as she knew neither of them had any idea about people with special powers, but it was at least worth considering. Something to talk to Ako and Rinko about, perhaps. If all three could come to an agreement, it would be easier."Yay!" Tsugumi embraced Sayo with both arms."Now, onto the business that brought me here," Sayo said in a professional tone."Huh?" Tsugumi looked up at her.Sayo gently took Tsugumi by the shoulders, and leaned down to kiss her."Oh..." Tsugumi's cheeks were suddenly quite pink."And I should make up for the blunder my recklessness caused," Sayo said before giving another kiss. "Don't you agree?""Uh... yeah. Absolutely.""Then I believe we have struck a bargain," Sayo said as she pushed Tsugumi over.
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Another quiet lunch in the library. While she had initially planned to sit with the rest of Popipa, being outside felt like a bit much that day. As an appreciated side-effect of Kasumi knowing, she was more understanding of when Arisa needed quiet time, and didn't ask any questions. Even helped more with covering for her with the others. Kasumi could occasionally seem like a pest, but she could also be really considerate. Still, Arisa thought more and more about how the rest of the band probably deserved to know too. The club had helped a lot with making her feel more secure about herself, and while she wasn't ready yet, there was a chance she could be in the future.She felt someone approaching."Ichigaya-san?""Shirokane-senpai?"Rinko was standing by Arisa's table, and fidgeting a little. While Arisa could read her intentions, she had come to think of Rinko as good practice for waiting for someone to actually speak their mind before replying. Not just because Rinko spoke slowly, but also because she went through many iterations of what she wanted to say in her head before actually picking one. So it counted as both courteous, and good practice."Am I disturbing?" Rinko asked."No, not particularly," Arisa replied."May I... sit down?""Oh. Of course."Rinko smiled, and took a seat across the table from Arisa."Is something the matter, Shirokane-senpai?" Arisa hadn't detected any form of distress, but she was more and more open to the idea that she could simply overlook things."No." Rinko shook her head gently. "I just wanted... to talk. But you know... I'm not very good... at speaking. So I wondered..."Arisa probed a little bit, just to see if her guess was correct, but she kept to the surface. "You want to speak via thoughts? While I answer?"Rinko's expression brightened, and she nodded.Arisa considered it. She'd obviously look like a weirdo having a one-sided conversation if anyone paid attention, but... Rinko had been a bigger support than Arisa had honestly expected. While she was ashamed of it now, she used to think of Rinko as somewhat unreliable. Giving something back was probably the least she could do.She could already hear the foremost thought in Rinko's mind being: "Is it okay?"She had never actually tried having a conversation that way deliberately. Her goal was to speak normally, and letting people finish their sentences out loud. It would be simpler if she could also speak back telepathically, but as far as she knew she couldn't do that. Whether she could learn to do so was a different matter, but it wasn't like she had a teacher or anything.Regardless. "Alright, I guess that's fine," she said.Rinko lit up even further. In fact, she looked kinda excited."Thank you!""Anything special you wanted to talk about?""Yes. You know, I've fantasised about doing something like this. Telepathy. I've never been good at speaking out loud. Text is so much easier. But this way, I can still assemble what I want to say as quickly. Maybe even quicker!"Rinko's mental voice was very different from her spoken one. And perhaps lacking in focus."Whoa, please slow down, Shirokane-senpai.""Oh! Heehee, I've never had someone say that to me before. This is fun. Sorry, please bear with me, I'll try to stay on track. But this is very exciting. If I had something like your power, maybe my life would have been easier."Arisa sighed. "I wouldn't bet on that. It's very tiring." And alienating."Oh. I guess that makes sense.""I've honestly thought I'd rather have your ability to te- to go home." If someone was listening in, or overhearing this, she probably shouldn't give away anything that important."I see where you're coming from, but honestly I find it very frustrating. It would be different if I could control it to go to other places too. And since it can happen even when I don't want it to, it makes me feel like a failure.""Heh. Grass is always greener, I suppose.""I suppose so." Rinko smiled. "But I'm getting off topic. Not that I ever got on topic to begin with. I wanted to ask you something.""Oh?""Do you play games, Ichigaya-san?""Eh? Uh...""You know, like videogames? Online games, maybe?"Arisa took great interest in a bookcase a little ways away. Anything to not have to meet Rinko's eyes. "W-why do you ask?" she asked, even if she had already glimpsed the answer."Well! Whenever Ako-chan and I talk about NFO, you seem to be listening quite intently. While trying to pretend you're not.""Urk... w-wha- n-no. No, of course not. T-that's ridiculous." Even if she had a feeling it was pointless to try to deny it, part of her insisted she should at least try anyway."I could also tell you were paying attention when Ako-chan and Okusawa-san were talking about websites.""Ugh...""And you said in your introduction that you like being online."It was true. She had said that, even if it was by accident. "Uuughhh..." Her head dropped onto the table."I-Ichigaya-san?" That was spoken out loud due to how startled Rinko had gotten."Yes." Arisa groaned, and clutched her head. "Alright? Yes. I play NFO. I've even played with you and Ako-chan many times.""Oh? As who? What's your character?" There was a bunch of other things bundled into it, but that was the gist of what Rinko's thoughts were saying."I'm a healer. BonsaiCat." Arisa could see the light of recognition in Rinko's eyes. She had been surprised when she had heard their characters' names, and realised they'd been playing together for a long time."Oh! You helped us through the event dungeon last week!""Yup." She preferred playing solo, but teaming up every so often could be nice."You're good.""Thanks.""You know, that's funny. Ako-chan was saying it seemed like you were behaving differently lately. I guess that would explain it."Arisa pushed herself up again. "Listen, you can't let Kasumi or anyone else in Popipa know.""Huh? Why? Why were you so set on denying it in the first place? We're even friends in the game.""I... I have an image... I... don't like people knowing I'm into that stuff...""Eh? Why?""I don't want people to know I'm a nerd..."Arisa felt an immediate shift in Rinko's mindscape. "Is there something wrong with being a nerd?" Rinko suddenly seemed wary.Arisa winced. "N-no. No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to... I just... I... I'm bad at letting people get close... in case..."Rinko's mind lightened up again. "So you can tell her that you read minds, but not that you play an MMORPG?""Listen, if my feelings made sense, my life would be a lot less complicated.""You should share your hobbies with the ones you love. Your girlfriend especially.""That's easy for you to say. I get embarrassed if she so much as sees me talk- er, sees me tend to the bonsai."Rinko giggled. There was a 'you talk to your bonsai' question in there briefly before it was swept away. "Maybe she would like to play with you.""I know she would. She would insist.""Isn't that good?""No, you don't understand. Kasumi is terrible at games. And I don't want to get stuck with a noob. It could strain our relationship.""You're right, I don't understand. I always have fun playing with Ako-chan, even when we're doing poorly. Having her there makes it better. I think you should tell Toyama-san. You seem rather stressed about keeping it hidden.""Ugh... I'll give you some of my rare items if you stop telling me to tell Kasumi.""... what do you have?""You can have my snow lynx pet.""But you always run around with that. I always thought it was your most beloved thing. Yet you would give it away?""For this, yes."Rinko sighed, then smiled. "Okay, I'll stop pestering you. And keep the snow lynx. I understand how important the issue must be to you if you're willing to give that away."Arisa almost felt on the verge of tears. "Thank you.""But we're telling Ako-chan.""Urk... yeah, I knew you would say that."Better that than telling Kasumi. But... maybe she should reconsider being so stubborn about it. She probably shouldn't hide anything that was important to her from Kasumi. Sure, she would insist on playing too, but she'd probably lose interest quickly. Then Arisa could go back to playing in peace. Yeah. Sure. Absolutely.
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Two figures raised their heads over a row of bushes."Target acquired~, Ako-chan~.""Copy that, Moca-chan."Today's mission: Helping Ako train her power.And for the occasion Moca had acquired... borrowed a couple of secret agent outfits from the drama club's wardrobe. Some impersonation may have been involved. So they had: White shirt, black suit, black tie, and of course the most important part: sunglasses. One might say that was to test whether Ako's power still worked when her eyes were covered up, or maybe they just thought it was cool. Who could say. Life was full of mysteries.The sizes weren't an exact fit. The sleeves on Ako's jacket were just a teeny bit long, and Moca struggled to close the top button on her shirt, but that was clearly what the tie was meant to hide.Their target: a mystery vending machine. It was not possible to see the inside of it. You just put money in, hit a random number, and saw what you got. Moca had it on good authority that two of the forty slots in the machine contained orange juice. The test was to see whether Ako could find them.They went around the bushes, and approached the machine. The test would be four tries. Two with sunglasses, two without. Unfortunately they had limited funds, so they couldn't afford a larger test pool. But they would get two drinks each, which might be nice later."Ready~?"Ako took a deep breath, and stretched as tall as she could. Whether that would affect her power was doubtful."Ready.""Alright~. Test 1~, with sunglasses~, go!" Moca inserted a coin into the machine.Ako placed a hand, spread-fingered, over her face. "Behold my power. The darkness speaks to me, and it says... um... it... uh... 36!"Moca punched it in. There was the sound of movement, and something fell down."Bam!"Moca reached in, and retrieved the goods. "Iiiiiit's... cherry punch~."Ako's shoulders slumped. "Aw... I-I mean, that was just a warm-up. I can see it now." She quickly straightened back up."Okay~! Test 2~..." Pause. "Go!""Ahem! Will of the underworld, uh... guide... um... guide my hand! 18!"It was technically Moca's hand doing the work, but the result was the same."Bam!""Let's see~. We haaaave~... banana milk~.""Oh..." Ako slumped again."Hey now, don't worry~. It's time to take the sunglasses off~," Moca said as she patted Ako on the back. "And maybe you should ask the underworld to guide your eyes, instead~," she suggested."Uh, y-yeah... yeah! Time to get serious!" Ako dramatically removed her sunglasses, just like they did on TV, and hooked them into her coat pocket. "I got this.""Well, then~. Test 3~, no sunglasses~, go!""Yes, I see it now, clear as day. The demons have granted me... they... um... 23!"With tension rising, Moca entered the number."Bam!"Moca fished it out. "Aaaaand~, ooooooo~. It's orange juice~."Ako squeed, and bounced into the air. "I did it! I did it, Moca-chan!"Moca patted Ako on the head. "Good job, Ako-chan~. But just in case that was a fluke, the testing must continue~. Can you find the second one~?"Ako stopped her revelries, and nodded gravely."Final test~, ready to commence~. ... Go!""Dark lords, heed my call, and bless my... er... curse my...? Um... 7!""Lucky number 7~, here we go~." Moca pressed 07."Bam!""Final result iiiissss~... green tea~.""Awww..." Ako sunk so hard she nearly fell over."Aw~, do not worry, Ako-chan~. Moca-chan is feeling generous~, and as such I shall grant you a bonus round~.""Huh?""Come on~. One more chance, right~?" Moca smiled encouragingly."R-right. Bring it on!""Bonus round~, go!""I can see the darkness, it calls to me... 13!""Ooo~, bold choice~." Moca pushed the buttons."Bam!""We haaaaave~, coffee~.""C-coffee?!""No problem, Moca-chan likes coffee~.""Yeah, but..." Ako pouted.Moca patted Ako on the back. "You said you could see the darkness, right~? Well~, it doesn't get much darker than coffee~.""Huh? Uh... yeah... yeah, I guess you're right.""See~? Your power just needs more training~. So you finding the orange juice was probably not a fluke~, you just... uh... need better calibration~."Ako's chest started swelling up. "Yeah!""You can do it, Ako-chan~," Moca said, and lazily pumped her fist into the air."Yeah!""Shall we do more tests~?"Ako put her sunglasses back on. "You just watch my infernal power... uh... flare, and... whoosh, bam!""That's the spirit~."There was a festival going on at the time, so the plan was to go there, and do more tests on the various games. It was a good opportunity, after all. Not to mention all the food stalls on hand to help them recharge their power. Moca had managed to get a little extra allowance from her parents for the occasion. The coffee actually paired well with something sweet, so that should be the first thing to find. Probably a good idea to make sure Ako was fully charged before they got started on the games...."That was impressive~," Moca said.Ako whined as they walked along the stalls."You missed the ball all five times~. What are the odds of that~?" Moca couldn't help letting out a small chuckle.Their first test had involved the ball and cup game. A simple one in three chance should at least ensure a couple of hits regardless. But not that time."I-it's because I forgot to take the sunglasses off," Ako said. "But... I'm not sure if I wanna do more tests...""Aw~, don't be like that~. You've taken the sunglasses off now~, so I'm sure we can find one more... oh~." Moca spotted someone she knew. Someone she knew very well. "Ra~n!""Huh?" The girl turned around to reveal it was in fact Ran. "Moca? Ako? What are you... and why are you dressed like that?""We're training~.""Training?""Yeah~, we're strengthening Ako-chan's infernal power~."Ran gave them a confused look. "Pardon?""By the way~, you're looking lovely, Ra~n." Moca smiled wide.Ran blushed. "Uh... um... thank you." She was wearing a pretty, purple yukata with flower patterns."Where are the others, Ran-chan?" Ako asked."They all said they were busy. But my dad really wanted to go, so...""Oh~? Where is he~?" Moca asked."There." Ran pointed towards the ball-throwing game. "He can't aim to save his life, but he's determined to win me a prize. I just hope he doesn't waste all his money." He certainly looked like he was giving it his all."Must be nice to have such a loving dad~.""Shut up," Ran grumbled."Oh, hey~." Moca spotted another thing. "That might be good for our next test~.""The string pull game?" Ako gave Moca a curious look."Yeah~. That should be a good test for your sight, right~?""Uh... I guess?" Ako didn't seem entirely convinced."Come on~, I'll pay for the first one~." Moca handed over the money. "Now, let's see~. I think that bear looks cute~.""Hm? This one?" Ako just reached out, and pulled a string seemingly at random, but the exact bear Moca had looked at got lifted up."Whoa~. Yeah, exactly that one~.""Huh?" Even Ran looked surprised.The bear got handed to Ako, who handed it to Moca, who handed it to Ran."How did you do that~?" Moca asked."I... I don't know..." Ako was apparently so surprised she didn't even try to think up any fancy speech."Think you can do it again~?""I... I'll try." Suddenly looking a lot more motivated, Ako handed over some of her own money."Anything you want~?""I... hm..." Ako scanned the prizes, then her expression lit up. "Yeah! That bat!" She pulled a string, and the plush bat lifted up immediately."Whoooaaaaa~."The guy manning the booth scratched his head a little, but he handed over the bat."It's so soft! Er... I mean... this evil minion shall... er... serve me well.""What about you, Ra~n?""Uh... I'm not sure we should..." Ran looked at the collection of plushies sitting in the back of the booth. "Maybe... t-that tiger is kinda cute..." She looked a little hesitant, but she handed over some money."That's... this one!" Ako pulled a string so hard that the tiger bounced into the air, startling the guy sitting there. "Eep! Sorry!"Still, they got the tiger. But then Ran pulled on Moca's arm. "Come on, he's giving us funny looks," she said, sounding embarrassed."Okay~!"They followed along with Ran, who looked a little relieved to get away from there. Ako looked as pleased as could be."That was amazing, Ako-chan~," Moca said earnestly."Yeah!""Now~, for your final test..."Ako gave Moca a curious look while she slow-rolled the reveal."What is the colour of Ran's panties~?"Ran went bright red. "MOCA!"