Several days after the confrontation with the anomaly, Mochi stood in front of the OHRA headquarters. As usual, she was waiting for Miyu so they could go in together. She glanced at the time on her smartphone and, to kill time, entertained herself with a mobile game, slightly hunched over as her feline ears twitched from side to side with every sound effect.
—Sempai! —Miyu's cheerful voice made her look up—. Sorry I'm late! Did you wait long?
—Hey, Miyu, no, I just go— —Mochi froze mid-sentence.
Standing before her was Miyu, but something was different. The long, straight hair that had always defined her was gone; in its place was a short, fresh haircut. Her outfit, too, was different—simpler, without flashy accessories, but still cute.
Mochi stared at her, mouth slightly open, unable to hide her surprise. Miyu, noticing the silence, lowered her gaze a little awkwardly.
—Do I… look bad? —she asked nervously, fidgeting with the edge of her bag.
—Eh?! No, not at all! —Mochi immediately waved her hands in denial—. You look amazing, really. That haircut suits you… perfectly!
A faint blush colored Miyu's cheeks.
—The truth is… I decided to change. That day, when I fought the anomaly alone, my clothes got in the way. If I had worn something more comfortable, something that let me move better, maybe I wouldn't have been at such a disadvantage.
—But, Miyu —Mochi replied, frowning—, it wasn't your fault. That day we weren't even supposed to fight, remember? You were about to go out with your friends, and besides, the anomaly caught us off guard.
Miyu pressed her lips together, determined.
—Even so… anomalies aren't going to warn us before they attack. It could happen again. And I don't want to feel unprepared anymore. That's why I decided to change my look.
Mochi watched her in silence for a few seconds, processing her words, then smiled.
—That makes sense —she admitted—. Hey, what's that haircut called? It's really modern.
Miyu brought a hand to her newly cropped hair and, with a proud sparkle in her eyes, answered:
—It's called a pixie cut.
—Pixie, huh? —Mochi chuckled softly, her ears twitching curiously—. Well, I think it suits you perfectly.
The smile Miyu gave her in return was radiant, as if Mochi's approval meant more than any mirror.
—Shall we go in, Miyu?
Miyu nodded in response, and the two of them stepped through the entrance of the headquarters.
—Sempai, do you know why they called us today? —Miyu asked nervously—. And they told us to go straight to Ofelia's office. Are we… getting scolded for how we handled the case?
Mochi shook her head.
—I don't think so. Zeke said we did an excellent job—better than expected for our first mission as a team. Besides, even though Ami deceived us, everyone fell for it, including Zeke. So it wasn't our fault; it was inevitable.
As they approached their destination, the confidence they had felt slowly diminished with each step.
The two girls stopped in front of Ofelia's office door. Mochi swallowed hard, her tail swishing nervously from side to side, while Miyu tried to fix her hair with trembling hands.
—We're dead… —Mochi whispered, her ears drooping; the confidence she had shown moments earlier had completely vanished.
—Shhh… Sempai, better not say anything weird —Miyu replied, though her voice was also shaking.
They knocked on the door, and a clear, confident voice came from inside:
—Come in.
When they entered, they found Ofelia sitting behind her desk. The leader, in her usual relaxed posture, rested an elbow on the back of her swivel chair. Her eyes gleamed as she saw them, as if she had been expecting their arrival.
—Well, well… the stars of the moment —she said in a neutral tone, interlacing her fingers beneath her chin.
Mochi and Miyu stiffened, ready for a lecture. But instead, Ofelia let out a soft laugh and leaned forward.
—Relax. You did an excellent job on that mission. Zeke told me everything. I'm very happy to have two such promising rookies in the organization.
The two girls exchanged incredulous looks.
—Really…? —Miyu asked, as if she couldn't believe it.
—Of course —Ofelia said confidently—. And good work deserves a reward.
From one of her desk drawers, she pulled out two thick envelopes and placed them in front of them.
—Here you go. Your payment for the case. It's not much—you're still rookies—but if you keep this up, you'll be earning a lot more soon.
Curious, Mochi immediately opened her envelope. Her eyes widened, and she let out a small squeal of surprise.
—Oh my god! There must be like four thousand dollars in here! —she exclaimed, her tail whipping back and forth as she hugged the envelope with joy—. With this, I can finally get all the gacha characters I wanted! They're within reach!
Miyu, infected by her enthusiasm, opened hers and grinned from ear to ear.
—Perfect! I'm going to buy a ton of new clothes! I can't wait to revamp my whole wardrobe!
Ofelia let out a low chuckle, clearly amused by their reactions.
—That's all for today, girls. You can go. And… have fun spending your money.
With a playful wink, she waved them off. Mochi and Miyu left the office overflowing with joy, while behind them, Ofelia rested her chin on her hand, smiling the knowing smile of someone who could already see an interesting future ahead for the two rookies.
Suddenly, a familiar voice came from behind them:
—What a pleasant surprise, finding you both here.
Mochi and Miyu turned at the same time, seeing Zeke greeting them with one hand raised and that carefree smile that always characterized him.
—Leader! It's great to see you! —Miyu exclaimed, raising her hand enthusiastically.
—Zeke, look at this! Our first payment! —Mochi waved the envelope proudly in the air like a trophy.
Zeke raised an eyebrow and let out a short laugh.
—You think that's an envelope with money? —Zeke said in a tone somewhere between curious and teasing—. This is an envelope with money.
At that moment, he pulled out an even thicker envelope from inside his jacket, practically overflowing with bills, and waved it in front of Mochi with a triumphant air.
Mochi dropped to her knees, letting her own envelope fall with a dramatic groan.
—Defeated…!
Miyu, trying to hold back her laughter, leaned toward Zeke.
—Did you come here just to get your payment?
—Of course. What other reason would I have? —he replied casually, shrugging—. But since I found you two, want to hear the latest news about this whole mess?
Both nodded in unison; Mochi, still on the floor, raised her hand as if solemnly swearing to listen carefully.
—I heard that the apartment building where Ami lived burned down completely… —Miyu commented, with a hint of concern—. Will that have consequences?
—Not at all —Zeke replied without hesitation—. In fact, the building was already scheduled for demolition in a few months. The fire was blamed on a gas leak, so there won't be any major issues.
Then his tone turned a bit more serious.
—As for Professor Shūen… well, someone anonymous —he paused meaningfully, with a knowing smile— exposed everything he did: sleeping with students, deleting recordings, destroying documents… all that trash came to light.
—He was fired from the university —Zeke continued—, and I seriously doubt he'll ever get a job as a teacher again. On top of that, he's going to be busy with a civil lawsuit filed by the families of the students who died. They're claiming those deaths could have been avoided if he had acted when they came to him for help.
Miyu lowered her gaze, thoughtful, while Zeke added:
—And if the trial doesn't go well for him… he could even face criminal charges for negligent homicide. But that's no longer our concern.
Zeke crossed his arms and looked at them calmly. Mochi was still on the floor, mumbling something about the "damn inequality of envelopes," while Miyu sighed in resignation.
—By the way, back to the topic of money —Zeke said, raising an eyebrow—, what are you planning to spend your payment on?
—I'm not sure yet… maybe clothes —Miyu replied with a shrug.
—I'll spend it on… —Mochi raised her hand energetically, but Zeke interrupted her with a confident smile.
—Little Noa, there's no need to answer. I can already imagine what you were going to waste it on.
Mochi puffed out her cheeks, offended, but he continued:
—I have a much better proposal. Have you thought about moving out?
—Mov… ing out? —Mochi tilted her head in surprise—. No, I haven't thought about it. Why do you ask?
Zeke sighed, as if the answer were painfully obvious.
—From now on, we'll have many more missions. Several of them will require you to go out in the middle of the night or spend days away. It's going to get harder and harder to match the times when your parents aren't home. Sooner or later, they'll find out. Then you'll have two options: either tell them the truth… or rent a place to live on your own. That way, you'd have much more freedom of movement.
Mochi's eyes widened.
—That sounds… awesome! But… how do I explain to my parents where the money comes from?
—Don't worry about that —Zeke said, waving his hand dismissively—. I can arrange for the agency to come up with a cover story. A fake job that justifies the extra income. They could even register you for future pension contributions, just like a real job.
—Seriously?! —Mochi froze for a few seconds, then her eyes lit up with a mischievous gleam. A whole world of possibilities opened up in her mind: staying up all night playing games, making as much noise as she wanted, eating whatever she felt like…
—I've decided! I'm moving out! —she exclaimed, jumping with excitement, her tail puffed up with enthusiasm.
Beside her, Miyu dropped her shoulders and let out an exaggerated sigh.
—Ahhh… if I hadn't just moved out on my own, I could've asked Sempai to share an apartment with me. It would be so much fun living together!
Mochi paused for a moment, then let out a nervous giggle, imagining what it would be like to live with Miyu clinging to her all day. The thought made her shiver, though she couldn't tell if it was from fear or affection.
Zeke said his goodbyes soon after, mentioning he had other matters to attend to, leaving the two girls alone in the hallway. After thinking for a moment, Mochi smiled shyly at Miyu.
—Wanna go to a café? —she suggested in a cheerful tone.
However, before Miyu could answer, the main door of the building swung open. A figure walked in with firm, confident steps. Mochi looked up and recognized her instantly: it was the young krakenid she had seen talking to Zeke at the university.
Her eyes, glowing with a deep bluish light, locked directly onto Mochi. A teasing smile curved her lips as she approached with graceful poise.
—Hello, cutie. It's my first time seeing you around here —she said in a sweet, melodic tone—. My name's Naomi, nice to meet you.
As she spoke, she took Mochi's hand between hers in an overly familiar gesture. The tentacles moving slowly behind her undulated in a rhythm that was almost hypnotic, giving her an air that was both sensual and dangerous.
—H-hi… my name's Mochi —she stammered, so nervous she blurted out her nickname instead of her real name—. I mean… Noa.
—So Noa, huh? —Naomi repeated with a playful smile—. But I like Mochi better. It sounds sweeter. Do you mind if I call you that?
The krakenid took another step forward, shortening the distance between them. One of her tentacles slid smoothly around Mochi's leg, slowly climbing until it brushed against her thigh.
—Ah! —Mochi let out a small cry, her cheeks burning. The touch caught her completely off guard; the tentacle wasn't cold or slimy as she expected, but warm… surprisingly warm.
Naomi smiled upon seeing her tremble.
—Mochi… you're just my type —she whispered in a low, almost purring voice—. How about we go out and have some fun? I promise you'll have a wonderful time.
As she said this, Naomi's hand slid along Mochi's waist, gently cornering her against the wall. The feline girl froze completely, her ears stiff and tail bristled. Her heart was beating so fast she could almost hear it.
It was the first time anyone had confessed to her… and in such a shamelessly direct way. She didn't know whether to pull away, scream, or simply melt on the spot.
—What do you say, cutie? —Naomi murmured, lowering her voice to a whisper that brushed against Mochi's skin. Her warm breath caressed Mochi's cheek, and the tentacles on her back moved slowly, as if savoring her confusion.
Naomi's smile was that of a predator cornering its prey.
Mochi barely managed to open her mouth, words caught between surprise and nerves, when she suddenly felt a pair of arms wrap around her from behind.
—M-Miyu!? —she exclaimed in shock, feeling the firm yet protective embrace.
Miyu gently pulled her back, separating her from Naomi with a confidence rarely seen in her tone.
—Sorry, but she already has plans —she said with a tense smile and a sharp gaze that completely contrasted with her usual sweetness—. Isn't that right, Sempai?
Miyu's tone left no room for refusal.
Mochi nodded awkwardly, still confused and with her face completely red.
Naomi watched them for a moment, and a mischievous smile curved her lips.
—Hehehe… I see you're busy today. —She gave a small bow, her tentacles swaying gracefully behind her—. Then, another time.
With that, the krakenid walked away elegantly, her silhouette fading down the hallway while the air still carried her soft perfume.
Mochi stood still for a few seconds, her heart still racing, until Miyu let go of her and crossed her arms, puffing her cheeks slightly.
—Hmph… how shameless —she muttered, looking away.
Mochi blinked, still nervous.
—Ehh… you think so?
—A lot —Miyu replied in a slightly softer tone—. And besides… she wouldn't stop touching you.
Mochi didn't know what to say. She just let out a nervous laugh, swishing her tail from side to side to release the tension.