The constant, escalating war between Rina and Haruka for my affection is having a predictable and disastrous effect on their so-called "Grand Alliance." Their strategy sessions for the Winter Comicon devolve from professional brainstorming into petty squabbling within minutes.
"The theme should be elegant and graceful, to play to my strengths," Rina will argue.
"No, it needs to be sharp and powerful, to suit me," Haruka will retort.
"My idea is better!"
"No, mine is!"
Their rivalry culminates one afternoon when they are arguing over a bolt of expensive silk. Rina wants to cut it one way; Haruka insists on another. They end up in a literal tug-of-war over the fabric, which results in a long, ugly tear right down the middle, rendering the entire, expensive bolt completely useless.
The silence that follows is deafening. They both just stare at the ruined fabric, then at each other, their faces pale with horror.
It is Miki who finally snaps.
She has been watching their childish antics for weeks with a look of growing despair. The torn silk is the final straw. She stands up, her expression terrifyingly calm.
"Listen to me, you two idiots," she says, her voice quiet but ringing with an authority that makes both Rina and Haruka flinch. "Look at you. You are acting like children. While you two are busy fighting over Rui-kun like a pair of seagulls over a single french fry, LUNA is probably in her studio, engineering a costume that can achieve cold fusion."
Her words are a brutal, necessary slap in the face.
"She humiliated you both at the last event," Miki continues, her voice merciless. "She is better funded, she is more focused, and right now, she is working harder than both of you combined. You are going to go to Winter Comicon, and you are going to lose. You are going to be a footnote in the story of LUNA's triumphant Japanese debut. Is that what you want?"
Rina and Haruka just stare at the floor, the truth of Miki's words washing over them. Their petty fight over me has jeopardized their professional pride, the one thing they value almost as much.
"No," Rina whispers.
"No," Haruka agrees, her own voice full of a grudging shame.
"Good," Miki says, her tone sharp. "Then you will declare a truce. A real one this time. All Rui-related hostilities are suspended until after Comicon. You will focus your combined energy on one thing and one thing only: creating a performance that LUNA cannot possibly beat. Am I understood?"
"Yes," they both mutter in unison, looking like scolded schoolchildren.
A fragile, reluctant peace settles over the room. They have a common enemy again. Their focus is renewed. I feel a profound sense of relief. Maybe, just maybe, I will get a few weeks of peace.
My hope is, of course, immediately shattered by Kenji.
"Excellent!" he declares, having been silent for the entire lecture. "With the two queens united, our victory is assured! This calls for a celebration! A pre-victory training camp to strengthen our bonds and prepare our minds and bodies for the coming battle!" He pauses for dramatic effect, a terrible, brilliant idea shining in his eyes.
"I have a cousin who runs a resort by the ocean! Let's all go to the beach!"
The reaction is instantaneous. Rina and Haruka both look up, their eyes meeting. The exact same thought flashes through their minds, a thought that has nothing to do with cosplay and everything to do with swimsuits.
I just look at Kenji, my one and only friend, the agent of my eternal suffering. "I hate you so much," I say, but my voice is lost in the sudden, renewed buzz of chaotic planning. The truce on Rui-related hostilities has just found its first, and most dangerous, loophole.