Three years ago...

It was a beautiful summer day.

On a day like this, with the sun shining down, the air filled with sounds of children playing, birds calling, there was no shortage to the number of people out and about. Indeed, it seemed as if it was a day where nothing could go wrong.

Of course, it was on an idyllic day like this that such a thing could hardly be further from the truth.

The incursion of the Phase in the middle of a densely-packed residential area was sudden and without warning. It was no normal attack, as thousands of the Phase suddenly materialized without warning. Even incursions of this size had been detected before. Never before had it been without warning.

So many died that day.

And yet...

The survivors, in some cases, remember what they thought was a girl. Someone who was defending them... no, someone who was not simply protecting them, someone who was destroying the Phase.

But in all that chaos, it was hard to say what did or didn't happen.

To this day, not a single person has discovered how so many Phase had appeared in an instant.

Or if it could ever happen again.

---

Present Day...

The school bell rang.

The students of the Kondo School for Girls were being released from their classes. Naturally, there was a bustle of activity at the school as girls began to tidy up and then steadily filter out of their rooms, chatting with one another and making plans for how to go about the rest of their day. Some were the studious type, others were slackers, many fell somewhere inbetween with a great deal of variation. And yet, no matter how different they all were from one another, all of these girls shared one very specific trait.

Something incredibly important.

But regardless, today seemed like any other school day.

And in a certain classroom, a short girl with black pigtails quietly packed up her books. Today's final lesson had been history, and today's subject had related to the Phase. It wasn't exactly a subject anyone with an education would be completely clueless about.

Her pigtails bobbing as she finished packing up her books, the short girl paused for a moment. The other students were already flooding out in rather large numbers, the girl made her way to the exit as well. At the moment, her thoughts were centered on what she'd be doing for the rest of the day. She had some homework to do today, and the fact that her roommate would likely need help was essentially an everpresent factor in her mind.

Her roommate always needed help with her homework. The black-haired girl couldn't really recall a time since they knew one another that it hadn't been the case where there was at least something she needed help with, to be perfectly honest with herself.

At times she wished that her roommate would work harder on studying, and yet...

... And yet...

Midorikawa Nana's pigtails bobbed as she looked back, waiting for her roommate. The teacher had reprimanded her earlier, which was another common occurrence.

It seemed like today would be just like any other day.

And yet...

Deep down, Midorikawa Nana knew that fact could change at any moment.

@Raineh Daze@Noodles@Crusader Lord@TheFake

Aah... kept behind after class again. Well, it was her own fault... like definitely her own fault, but was it really something to get worked up over so much? It was only a little sleeping, and it was only maths, so it wasn't like she was going to have any idea what the teacher was saying anyway... it was bad but couldn't she have a little slack? She'd been so sleepy...

"Minami, are you listening to me?"

"E-Eh?"

---

"Haah..." Well, it was over with, and that was the important thing. She'd promised to stay awake the next time but there was only so much that Hotaru could really do about that... if she didn't get enough sleep then that was that. Maybe Nana would have an idea? She was much better at remembering these sort of things, really. And cooking. Maybe there was some food that made you really sleepy in the same way that cheese was meant to give bad dreams?

Ah, and she'd even been waiting! "Nana!"

It was a pretty good thing that the smaller girl had turned around to look. Hotaru wasn't known for restraint and the hug would turn into more of a tackle if it caught her unaware.

Amane was one of the last to leave her club room. It was unfortunate that she had to actually do homework as well, almost as unfortunate as the uniform she was forced to wear. Fortunately during the break she had gone to the annual Fuji live fire exercise. A few days spent firing weapons and riding in helicopters was just what she needed to relax with. Now all she had to do was lie to everyone about where she had been.

At least she could act a little more naturally around some of the students, the ones that were actually authorized to use relics. Even then those students would only know her as Sergeant Ueno of the SDF. If this year went smoothly then maybe next year she could come back as a teacher. Dammit, she should have suggested that from the start.

She slung her bag over one shoulder and finally exited the classroom. It was really unfortunate that making one of the other SDRA personnel do her homework counted as something silly like abuse of rank. She had more important things to do like keeping notes on the more promising students.

Speaking of which, there was Minami Hotaru. She had a very high comparability with a relic but in other areas she... fell short. If only she would find something to motivate her. In the past Amane had considered inviting her to the Judo club but feared that the effort would prove to be frustrating.

"Not again Minami... " She muttered under her breathe.

Even when she was prepared, Nana was nearly taken off her feet by the hug from her roommate. Hotaru was very enthusiastic about hugs, and if she hadn't managed to brace herself it was likely the smaller girl would have been knocked entirely off her feet. As it was, she stayed still for a moment while she was gripped in Hotaru's arms, before briefly raising a hand to wrap around the other girl in return. Even if she was disappointed in her roommate for falling asleep during class, it wasn't as if the hug wasn't nice... however, after a moment, the pigtailed girl stepped back.

"You need to try and pay more attention in class," she said, simply, "If you did, then you wouldn't fall asleep so easily and the teacher wouldn't keep you behind."

Given this was said in Nana's usual relatively quiet, somewhat flat tone, her expression one of mild disappointment, it would be easy for some to miss that most of what she said was out of true concern for Hotaru rather then annoyance.

Perhaps if they still managed to get their homework done quickly, they'd have more free time later that day. That was the ideal outcome. She knew there was a small restaurant that had opened nearby that was likely something Hotaru would enjoy, after all...

Though first she had to look the other girl over in a very serious manner to ensure she hadn't forgotten anything.

Briefly looking past Hotaru, she noticed someone else. There was Ueno-senpai. Or rather, Sergeant Ueno.

Was there something she wanted right now?

@Raineh Daze@TheFake

(Disregard this please)

Truly, she should try and pay attention more in class, but that hadn't been the problem! Okay, Maths was boring, but she wouldn't have fallen asleep just because it was such a terribly dull subject. Well, probably not. Maybe not this time. That had been known to happen occasionally, but only when the topic the topic required was something she barely understood in the first place... and it was a warm summery day, when the sun was shining...

Okay, so exactly like today. That was beside the point, though! It wasn't why she'd fallen asleep at all!

"Nanaaaa, it was only because I didn't sleep well..." the taller girl whined, leaning against her roommate's back. At least her arms had migrated to be around her shoulders rather than clutching on at the waist, "But... maybe if you sang me a lullaby, it'd be all better and I won't miss the next one~?"

---

Of course the kenjutsu club leader had told her this morning that practice was canceled, which....really was a shame. She had been working more on her swings and everything. Though she guessed the upcoming kendo club leader elections were already getting stressful for the Prez herself, who was seeking for re-election to the position. The purple-haired girl guessed it just left her with the delicious prospect of heading out to get some snacks from a few of the machines full of tasty treats that lied just beyond the Academy's borders. Ah, there was that one machine a farmer came to load up with homemade curry, or that one machine that was stocked with tasty fruit smoothies in a plastic bottle...hmmm....

As she thought to herself about the matter, most of the class ended up leaving around her, and when Mina noticed this she slightly panicked outside of her usual demeanor, throwing things into her shoulder-slung bag for supplies, and then tidying herself up and trying to calm down before getting out of her seat and starting to make her way towards the exit. Though, as it were, a familiar sight stood there. Hotaru, the one-armed wondergirl of the school....if crappy grades were to be considered "super" anyways. Then there was the one-armed girl's friend, the somewhat mysterious Nana, whom she'd always felt an odd vibe from since she first saw her in their shared class. The two friends together were a common sight, though the lack of an arm for Hotaru was a reminder to Mina herself of just what "The Phase" could do to people. It was like a constant reminder of the alien-like beings that had invaded their world more often now than ever.

"Heh. You two really are the cutest pair of friends i've seen here so far," Mina said as she approached the other two girls whilst on her way out of the classroom, giving a light giggle at the end out of amusement, "You're like a two-pack of those cupcakes, sweet and making me want to gobble you up! haha!"

Not that she would actually eat them, but it was simply a manner of speaking in saying the two seemed cute together as friends.

@VitaVitaAR@Raineh Daze

Misako let out a yawn as the school bell ended her least favourite lesson: History. Dragging the chair as she stood up, she chucked the books into her school bags, leaving the classroom with her bag still unzipped. She headed straight for the school dojo. Kendo is something that she enjoys the most, she hasn't been training for a few weeks, so she is more than eager to resume her practice.

Her face turned glum when there weren't any sounds of the dojo floor rattling, or even the sound of the bamboo swords whizzing through the air. Seeing the lights weren't even turned on has confirmed her doubts. "The door's locked..." Misako frowned at the adrupt closure of the day's practice. So much for her thinking of ways to challenge her seniors.

She took out a 100 yen coin, "At least I can go to the arcade early..."

The older student, older than any other student in the school for sure, looked as if she were about to say something but she shook her head. If anyone could get Minami on track it would be Midorikawa. Eventually. Maybe. To be honest Aname doubted the she would have been able to help herself but perhaps that kind of leadership was lost on the girl.

She adjusted the strap on her bag where it was digging into her shoulder. Maybe she would go for a run after stopping by her room. Amane turned and started to walk to the exit closest to her room.

Nana's cheeks flushed, her attention immediately returning fully to her roommate as her eyes widened and she had an expression of flustered shock on her face. Sing Hotaru a lullaby? How... how could she do that? She wasn't... Aaah, why did Hotaru make a suggestion like that? After a moment, the twintailed girl attempted to regain her composure, her cheeks still somewhat flushed with embarrassment as she shifted from one foot to the other. To think, Nana had become used to so much, but all it took was one awkward question from her roommate to take her off-guard...

"... You can't just ask such embarrassing things out of no-where..." complained the shorter of the two girls, finally, averting her eyes as she did. Of course, the comment by Miyomoto had hardly fallen on deaf ears. Pausing for a moment, the red fading from her cheeks, Nana once more looked past Hotaru, locking her eyes on the purple-haired girl. A weird comment like that had earned only one reaction...

"Jiiiiii."

@Crusader Lord@Crusader Lord@TheFake

People were around? But... she'd been held back and had expected the hall to clear out by now... this was so embarrassing, she'd thought that everything would be clear and that only Nana would be around to hear something like that. Now she was blushing, though that didn't last long in the face of Mina's inexplicable declaration. Gobble them up? That wasn't possible, there was no way that her mouth was big enough for such a thing!

Nana found herself freed from Hotaru's clutches,a s the girl decided that the best way to deal with her embarrassment was to strike back at the obvious source, pointing dramatically and displaying her immense talent for witty repartee: "No eating Nana!"

Misako exited the school gates, finally zipping up her school bag. RELICs aren't things one can replace from a local convenience stall. She took her time for the short walk for the arcade. 100 yen, about 2 arcade tokens, which to her, is more than enough to hit the arcades for hours. Street Fighter and Metal Slug 3 is always the games that she would play on. Her grandmother wouldn't be home so soon, so she might need a bit more coins for her to pass the time. But, no matter how long she would spend in the arcades, it would never surpass her eating expenses. As long as it isn't gun games...

"I'll have to eat first," Misako felt her stomach grumbling.

---

At the sudden 'jiiiiii' in her direction, Mina gave a shameless wink in the direction of Nana, having always found that little response of the other girl's to be a bit cute. Still she didn't press the matter more, simply content to leave the light and affectionate tease as it was. Yet the perceived immense flop from Mina's perspective when it came to the tall Hotaru's retort, and the other girl's seeming utter lack of understanding that the Miyamoto girl had not been literal about wanting to 'gobble them up', left the purple-haired foodie standing there in momentary shock. She had seen that Hotaru wasn't the smartest apple on the tree, but this was...was....absolutely hilarious! Mina visibly stifled back a giggle by putting a hand over her mouth, though a very light red came to her face as her self-control and hand on her mouth were the only thing keeping her from bursting out in laughter. Between Hotaru's witty response and the accidental gutter-residing undertone the purple haired girl had gotten from it, it took a brief time before Mina had finally managed to calm herself down again.

"Oh dear...haha...ah. I didn't mean i was literally going to eat both of you. No no no, dear, i just meant you two are so cute and sweet as friends i couldn't help but comment on it!" Mina said to Hotaru, trying to explain to the other girl what she had meant via metaphor rather than literally, though internally she noted down the moment as perhaps one of her more amusing times around the two besties, "Ah, but perhaps i could treat you two to dinner at one of my favorite vending machines, if that might help make up for the awkward commentary there, hmm? Unless you had other plans~"

Mina was a bit serious about the latter bit of offering to buy dinner for the two in an amiable manner, even if the situation had been hilarious to her in part. Albeit at that last part she threw a wink at Nana, a last light jab meant in good fun. Though overall it was a friendly gesture, as it were, to make minor reparations. Besides, that farmer from the countryside would have come here and filled the machine with fresh homemade curry and rice by about an hour ago as well...mmmm, delicious! Not many expected to get fresh homemade food from the field right in a vending machine, after all!

@Raineh Daze@VitaVitaAR

"..."

Her roommate was quite a silly girl. It was a fact that Nana had long been aware of, but this was among the silliest things she had heard come out of Hotaru's mouth. After a moment of silence, the pigtailed girl stepped forward, her hair bouncing lightly as she did. She wasn't going to let the allure of food get to the taller girl at all! This was where it would end, right here, even if she had to offer food in exchange.

"Hotaru has homework," said the short, dark-haired girl, flatly, standing beside her roommate before reaching out to take her her sleeve in one hand as she spoke. "After that we can go out to eat. But only after that."

Besides, what Nana could offer was a lot better then a vending machine. Even if they didn't go out, she could cook. Wasn't home cooking a lot better then just going to a vending machine? Obviously Nana herself was the superior choice when it came to this matter. Of course, that didn't mean she could let her guard down in other respects...

But for now everything was normal. For now nothing unusual was happening at all.

For now.

@Raineh Daze@Crusader Lord

Food? Mina was offering them food? That would be great, she was so hungry after classes... or even sleeping through classes, or just in general. Even something from a vending machine would be great if it was free... and if she wanted something better later, it wasn't like vending machine snacks were the most filling meals out there, was it?

Just as the girl's eyes let up, Nana's pronouncement drove the wind out of her sales entirely, arms going limp. Homework then food? Was this some sort of punishment? Did Nana want her to go to bed hungry because of questions with impossible answers? "Nana... do you want me to starve...?"

Misako took a seat at a nearby ramen vendor, placing her bag on a stool beside her. Snapping apart the wooden chopsticks, she slurped the steamy bowl of noodles as soon as the food reached the table. She preferred this stall, because the food is cheap, and she likes the flavour of the pork belly.

It wasn't long until she found herself trying to scoop up the last strands of ramen. She wasn't full, but at least she is not hungry now. She got up from the creaky chair, brushing a quick glance across the streets before digging up her penguin shaped purse for money. Not much Phases here, good to know...

Her room was actually two rooms side by side. The next one along the hallways was technically vacant but the school had taken out the wall between the closets. It was one of her conditions for having to pretend to be one of the students. The other room had been entirely gutted to make room for a kitchen and training room.

She changed into her running clothes, a t-shirt and pants, before heading out again. There was a park nearby she would head to. The ground was more forgiving and it was less monotonous than following the sidewalk. Maybe she'd grrab food on the way back.

---

"Awww, no little meal to fuel the brain for all that work? the large-breasted girl said, giving a light chuckle at the end in a good-natured manner as she was wont to do, somewhat trying to support Hotaru's little whine back about Nana letting her starve or such, "Mmm, but i can see where you are coming from, Nana-san. How about i bring the food to you two then? I'll just drop it off by your room. What's to say a girl can't enjoy a meal and do her homework too, hmm?"

Mina gave a wink at the end of her speaking towards the duo of besties, not having given up but conceding a bit to the more strict Nana's demands. Hotaru wasn't exactly the best apple on the tree, so it made sense she needed more help in getting things done. Albeit, the Miyamoto girl herself had to admit that if she put more than a casual amount of effort in, she'd probably be the top of the class in grades. At this point she was already doing rather well overall with her grades and such, though.

"Besides, the machine i'm going to get you both a little something from is one where a framer from the countryside fills with homemade, fresh hot curry and rice! And there one other i know gets stocked with another little treat, but i'll save that for when we all can head out and get a bite to eat together~" the girl said, adding that bit at the end.

Sure, vending machines didn't always have good food, but around Japan these machines contained a far greater variety of items than just foodstuffs. Albeit, Mina herself loved the foodstuffs part rather well. Still, fresh, homemade food from a farm in the countryside just screamed "quality" above something like a pack of snack cakes after all.

@Raineh Daze@VitaVitaAR

Nana folded her arms.

"You need to do your homework," she said, rather flatly. Well, moreso then usual at the very least. She knew that Hotaru was probably pretty hungry after class, but that didn't mean that they could go out immediately. And to put it perfectly frankly, the pigtailed girl wasn't about to let Miyamoto steal her job. She was the one who was going to get Hotaru food, be it going out to eat or cooking at home. In fact, maybe a home-cooked meal was warranted to pull her roommate away from the temptation of vending machine goods!

After a moment, Nana hesitated before taking Hotaru's hand.

"No, thank you,"she said curtly, before turning to attempt to take her friend back to their dorm. "I'll make sure Hotaru eats plenty."

"Eh!? We're going already?" Hotaru exclaimed, not resisting too much as her hand was grabbed; Nana could get scary if she was held up too much. She'd been so certain that the smaller girl would let Mina go to the vending machine first... she hadn't been expecting that there was one here that could have fresh curry in it!

But...

Hell Homework awaited.