As Chihaya shows Ticy the footage of my sparring match against the hologram, I bury my face in my hands, waiting for the world to end. I can hear Ticy’s squeaks and gasps as the sounds of violence leak from Chihaya’s phone speakers, the bus’s announcements barely audible over the audio.

  The next thing I realise, Chihaya’s hand is on my elbow, helping me up. “Come on, Akari! This is our stop! See you, Ticy!” she escorts me off the bus, and I sigh with relief.

  “Chihaya-san, I wish you hadn’t shown that to her… I don’t want to stand out any more than I already do. Please ask next time, okay?”

  She blinks. “Oh, sorry. I won’t do it again. I just thought you were amazing and wanted to show off that I’m the lucky girl who got you as their Limiter.”

  I blush a little. “W-well…. I don’t mind as long as you ask me first, okay?” I really AM a girl. Fttery got her what she wanted, but… being called amazing DID feel really nice…

  Walking through the grand entrance to the shopping megamall, I follow Chihaya’s lead. The older girl smiles. “First, clothes! We can’t forget the main reason we came here! I’ll take you to one of my favourite stores!”

  She takes my hand and leads me up to the first floor, the escator whirring softly as we rise. The store she guides me to is a trendy boutique that, until recently, I’d have been too scared to enter, with stylish décor and dispys of pretty clothes and accessories. I step in, Chihaya beside me, almost holding my breath, and the girl at one of the registers smiles. “Welcome to Gd Rags! Do you need any help, or do you know what you’re looking for?”

  Chihaya shakes her head, smiling, as I stick close to her.

  “No, we’re fine; we know what we’re looking for, thanks. Come on, Akari!” she grabs my hand, and I yelp as she pulls me into the depths of the store. The next hour or so is a whirl of fabrics and colours, as Chihaya uses me like a mannequin, her ser-focus actually starting to intimidate me somewhat.

  Finally, she’s done, and I stare at the mound of clothing before us.

  “Um… I can’t possibly afford all this, Chihaya. There must be thousands of yen in fashion here!”

  She smirks and produces a card. “I have a customer account here, so I get a fairly-reasonable discount! Don’t worry, this time is on me! I’ll cover the cost, since you literally won’t have anything to wear but your uniform and that just won’t do!”

  I protest weakly, “I, I still have some boy’s clothes-” Chihaya holds a finger up.

  “Ah, but do you REALLY want to wear those? These were more comfy, right?” she points out, and I stop. She’s right. They WERE much more comfortable, and I did really, REALLY want them…

  “Eheheheheh, I can see that look! It’s settled, I’m buying these for you!”

  I wait nervously as Chihaya pays, feeling guilty that I’m not paying for my new stuff, but, no matter how much I protest, she utterly refuses to let me contribute.

  Leaving the store, Chihaya sighs happily. “Whew, that was FUN! I love makeovers! Now, let’s go to another store! You need a few more things, yeah?”

  I splutter, turning red as she smirks. Oh no. ohhhhh, no.

  Following Chihaya’s gaze, I realize exactly what she’s implying. A few stores down, there’s a store, its windows dispying mannequins, each of them wearing all manner of undergarments. Lacy, frilly, underwire, bandeau, halter-top, corset-and-bra combos… all in a rainbow of different colours and shades.

  I swallow, and Chihaya grins. “I need some new ones myself. My bra’s been getting a little too tight recently!” she says, with a long, slow smirk beginning to cross her face. My train of thought derails, with no survivors. The mental image of the beautiful redhead in her undies is way too easy to focus on right now, even if I don’t want to walk into a streetmp or something.

  As Chihaya makes to take my arm and guide me into the lingerie store, her phone rings, a cheery rhythm that sounds like something from an idol group. Pulling her cell out of her bag, she thumbs the touch screen.

  “Moshi-moshi?”

  She listens to whoever’s on the other end, her eyes widening and starting to sparkle.

  “YES! Sign me up! I mean, of course, I’d be happy to help out. Of course. No, my grades won’t slip, I promise. Yes, Ms Yu-Mi! thank you!”

  She stuffs her phone back into her bag and whoops. I stare, tilting my head in confusion.

  “Um… Chihaya?”

  She smiles. “Oh, remember I asked to help out with an upcoming field trip? Well, we have a confirmed location! You cute little first-years will be taken to a school-mandated study camp where you’ll get some practical experience fighting in less urban terrain, as well as visit the site of an old Nova attack. Some more second and third-years will be coming along as training partners and additional security.”

  I colour slightly, feeling my cheeks warm. A Pandora-Pandora pairing has never been possible. Every Pandora partners with a Limiter. Sure, some Pandora have dated, and some Limiters have as well. There are even cases where a Pandora has multiple Limiters. But, until me, there’s never been a Pandora-Pandora pair. And especially not a Pandora-Pandora/Limiter union. I am unique amongst my fellow students, and Chihaya is the first person who told me I had the potential to be something incredible, back when she gave me the room invite. I can’t let her down, not now…

  While I’m distracted contempting how much I need to live up to Chihaya’s expectations, she drags me into the store and starts rummaging. I stand nearby, simply trying to keep from attracting attention. The other girl is engrossed in her browsing, holding up various different pieces of material, some she holds against herself, others she holds up, gauging their appearance on me.

  “Hmmmm… okay, let’s try these first, we can always try a few more if none of these are to your liking!”

  Chihaya reaches out, grabbing my hand and pulling me towards the back of the store, snagging two tokens for the changing rooms on the way past. Handing one to me, she ducks into a cubicle, shutting the door. I follow suit, blushing as I start to change, trying on one of the bras. It’s a little too small, so I try the next size up. Much better. I put the second bra in the ‘yes’ pile, trying on another. Also a ‘yes’ for the fit, and I begin to rex. I’m not doing anything wrong; I’m just a normal girl, trying on normal bras in a normal way.

  About twenty minutes ter, I’ve figured out the best way to fasten and unfasten bras, and practice a little as I try on the st of my pile of underthings. I pick up the pile of ‘yes’ undies, my clothes back in order, and head out, meeting Chihaya by the entrance to the changing rooms.

  “Good, you found some that fit? Okay, awesome!” she takes a quick look through what I’d set aside as the good ones, nodding, then shaking her head at a couple. “Alright, these seven will be enough. That way, you’ll have at least one set a day, with the undry being done every week. Shall we pay for these and get moving?”

  I nod, feeling a wave of relief wash over me. Now we can get out of here!

  After finishing our purchases, Chihaya and I adjourn to a little café, to unwind and recoup ourselves after the shopping spree that had tapped-out both of our monthly stipends. I look towards the array of bags, mostly mine, that contains my new wardrobe, and bite my lip. I’ll have to think of some way to repay Chihaya after the help she’d given me.

  Sipping my tea, I try to accustom myself to not having easy access to green tea. My grandfather always has high-quality green tea, usually gyokuro, which is the best you can get, what I’m drinking now is a type of Earl Grey, which has a stronger fvour than I’m used to, but a little milk cuts the strength down enough to be enjoyable. Chihaya notes my addition of milk with a raised eyebrow.

  I expin, “We don’t have Earl Grey so commonly in Japan, so I’m not used to it. It’s a bit stronger than I expected.”

  She giggles. “Ah, yeah, you’re not a hafu like me.”

  I wince at the term. “No, I’m fully Japanese. Green tea is what I’m used to, so…”

  She smiles. “It’s not a problem, you can like what you like, Akari.” She reaches out and pokes my nose pyfully. I wrinkle it, before sticking my tongue out at her as Chihaya ughs. I like her ugh. It’s carefree and unrestrained. She might have the slight cast to her eyes and a slightly darker skin tone than a Westerner, but she doesn’t have the cultural hang-ups and attitudes of someone like me, who’s lived my entire life in Japan and only recently left to become a Limiter. I wasn’t expecting to become a Pandora on top of that to boot.

  I sip my tea. I could get used to this. This, and so many other things….

  The next few days pass, and I fall into a routine, practicing with my sword, studying to catch up with the other Pandoras, and making sure my wound heals. By the time I’m fully-healed, the study-camp is just around the corner, and Chihaya is practically vibrating with excitement.

  I manage to stay calmer, since it’s not the first time I’ve participated in a group study. Back when I lived with my grandfather, I occasionally had to contribute to sword-school joint training camps on behalf of the Shimizu school.

  Chihaya and I spar a couple of times, but I never manage to beat her. She’s had a year longer than I have to practice with a volt-weapon, and I’m still a rookie Pandora by comparison. Ms Yu-Mi lets the rest of the first-years know, and I keep it to myself that I’d known in advance thanks to Chihaya.

  “Okay! While West Genetics and East Genetics are technically Japanese-affiliated, our schools are not on Japanese territory, thanks to the artificial isnds the schools have been built on. So, we’ll be taking a school trip from here to Japan’s Nagano province, where we’ll set up a camp at the base of Mt Hotakadake. The day after arriving, we’ll begin with training! You’ll be assigned to a group, which you’ll be learning to work together with!”

  The css breaks into murmuring, and I sit there as Ms. Yu-Mi approaches. “Akari, you and Rana Linchen will be assigned to the same group. Ms Rengoku will be allotted as one of your trainers, too, along with… third-year, Miyabi Kannazuki.”

  I nod. “Thank you, professor. I look forward to learning from my seniors.”

  That night, I sit in a chair after my bath, Chihaya’s hands working a brush through my long bck hair. Without turning, I ask, “what do you know about a third-year called Miyabi Kannazuki?”

  Chihaya goes still. “Where did you hear that name?”

  I expin what Ms. Yu-Mi told me, and my Pandora swears. “Seriously?! Why HER?? She’s the worst!”

  “W-why?” I ask, swivelling my eyes in Chihaya’s direction as best I can.

  “Well, she styles herself as ‘the Liberator of Virtue’, but everyone else calls her ‘the Limiter Eater’. She’s got at least three, and they weren’t assigned to her. She… she has a habit of taking Limiters from their original Pandoras and throwing them away once she’s bored with them… She’s never been punished for it, either. If you stand up for yourself, she’ll make it her mission to crush you…”