Yeah… That was an outburst… But I think it wasn’t unjustified on my part. Difficult to say with my head hurting like shit right now as I wander through the halls of the habitation deck, barely any other person in sight.

 Surprise, surprise, I didn’t walk out of there to get away from that conversation. It’s just that my head is fucking killing me, and I didn’t want to worry them.

 “Seriously, what is it with this headache? It just appeared out of nowhere!” I groan to myself.

 I felt something coming when I was ‘laying down the law’ to Haruna and Yasuna, but it has gotten worse since then.

 Leaning against a wall at a barely visible hallway which doesn’t appear to be leading to anything other than a maintenance hatch, I try to brace myself, taking deep breaths in while laying a hand on my belly where another, more generalized type of pain is starting to radiate.

 ‘Period cramps? No, it can’t be. My cycle is in a week… Maybe I’m getting my period earlier because of the medicine?’

 It’s a type of pain that’s familiar but, at the same time… not?

 ‘What the hell is happening with my body? I just got a little angry and then I’m feeling like shit all of the sudden. It feels like there’s something trying to get out… Wait…’

 The gears turn in my head, and I pull my shirt up just enought to see my belly button. Sure enough, I find a dark circle about the size of a 2€ coin right on around my belly button, making it obvious what, or, more accurately, who, is responsible for this headache of mine.

 ‘Doubter!?’ I demand mentally.

 …

 Still, there’s no response, at least not a mental one.

 Suddenly, a searing pain shots from my belly button, causing me to wince in agony. “Argh!”

 I can almost feel the entity writhing in discomfort, attempting desperately to escape now that I uncovered it. The pain is so intense that it clouds my thoughts, but I remember words of the goddess and place my hand on my belly button. Pushing through the pain, I cry out, “STOP!”

 A warm golden light shines around my nave, dimming into a faint glow emitting a golden hue soon after. I lift my hand and find a golden navel piercing dotted with two small gems, a red ruby, and a blue sapphire which also shine with the golden body of the adornment. The dark patch is nowhere to be seen, and I find my headache is already subsiding.

 Breathing deeply, I lean on the wall and sigh in relief. “Anf… That was weird…” Still, a dark thought passes my mind. “There’s no way it’s going to be like this every time I get angry… Right?” Among my doubts, I voice, “The goddess did seem awfully apologetic about putting this thing in me… Is that why?”

 I mull over it for a minute, and a dire realization sets in. If it’s going to be like this every time I get worked up, then the goddess… She left me with a terrible curse. Not only that, she gave me the tools to handle it and told me to deal with it myself.

 Closing my eyes, I let my head fall back and draw a breath through my nose. ‘Guess I have no other choice than to ask it to stop… Aw fuck…’

 I steel myself, once again placing my hand over my belly. ‘Hey man… Let’s talk.’

 It doesn’t take long for me to receive a reply, a wild, animalistic cry, ‘RELEASEME!RELEASEME!RELEASEME!RELEASEME!RELEASEME!RELEASEME!RELEASEME!RELEASEME!RELEASEME!RELEASEME!RELEASEME!RELEASEME!RELEASEME!RELEASEME!’

 For an agonizing second, the entity’s scream echoes in my head. Then, the sealing device glows once more and silences it.

 I stand by for a minute, closing my eyes again and trying to calm down by drawing sharp breaths through batted teeth. ‘Right… That’s not going to work with you, is it? Of course not…’ Looking at the golden adornment, I question, ‘Have you not realized that you’re stuck with me till I kick the bucket!!?’

 ‘THEN FUCKING DIE YOU SLUT OF A WHO—’

 Lifting my hand away, cutting him off, I sigh despondingly. ‘Ain’t planning on it, pal, so I suggest you get that temper in check before I decide that dealing with you is a waste of time and leave you wasting away, alone, for however long my life down here will be. And trust me, with the tech available down here, that means centuries will pass before you get to terrorize anyone else.’

 I place my hand on the artifact again, ready for another outburst from doubter.

 …

 Silence.

 ‘Huh, wasn’t expecting that. Is he pouting?’ I ask with a hint of sarcasm.

 ‘What the hell do you want?’ it asks, annoyed. ‘I’m guessing you didn’t call me to insult my intelligence.’

 I grin, asking sardonically. ‘So you finally realized the situation you are in?’ it doesn’t answer, and so, I continue, ‘Fortunately for you, I don’t ask for much. Just stop doing whatever you tried that gave me a headache… And those fucking cramps.’

 ‘Tch, and what do I get?’ it asks, clearly displeased.

 ‘Well… What do you want?’ I seek back. ‘I’m pretty sure I can accommodate whatever SANE request you make. Just don’t ask for more souls.’

 ‘Then release me,’ the entity demands right away.

 ‘Or that… That one is also non-negotiable,’ I tell firmly.

 A bout of silence passes before the entity sharply replies , ‘I’m afraid we’re done here.’

 I grimace, but still try to keep the conversation going. ‘Aren’t you bored in there? Isn’t there anything else you want?’

 After a couple of seconds, the entity responds, ‘Let me put it this way: If Liam came to you offering whatever you desired for the low-low price of your autonomy, what would you tell him?’

 I feel like this is a setup, but I decide to go along, regardless. ‘Probably, “go fuck yourself, you creepy old man” or something along those lines?’ I answer.

 The entity doesn’t disappoint and quips, ‘Then go fuck yourself, you creepy old man masquerading as a filthy whore.’

 I sigh. That one was on me. “Message received…”

 ‘Oh, and hope it is! I swear, you’ll be the first to feel my wrath after I’m out of these chains! I will tear you apart limb from limb until you’re nothing but a spasming corpse, and then I will rip your soul out and place it in another body just to do it again and again. You will suffer for every single day I spent in this miserable prison!’ After such a dire threat, the creature offers, ‘But I am not an unfair being. If you release me now, I may let your soul go in peace.’

 My eyes draw to the artifact that glows in synergy with Doubter’s words, and I place my hand on top of it, shutting it up. My head shakes from side to side once more, and I close my eyes before letting out a disappointed grunt.

 Considering the relatively short amount of time it has spent locked up inside me, I should’ve expected this would be Doubter’s answer. In my defense, I wasn’t thinking that a headache would’ve anything to do with it, otherwise I would’ve prepared something better to butter him up.

 It’s going to take more than a few days for that thing to be ready to listen, and I hoping it does, because it’s extremely inconvenient for me to have to try to escape every single time I get angry… But if it doesn’t crack with time, I may’ve to figure out a way to control it better.

 On the bright side, my headache is already gone, along with most of the pain, probably something to do with me locking it back inside. The pain around my nave still lingers, but I can deal with that.

 Since I’m feeling better, I push off the wall and start making my way back through the hallway while I try to steer my mind away from the creature — there’s nothing I can do about it right now.

 I left my friends with an outburst, and they don’t know the real reason behind it; They’re probably thinking I’m angry with them. Which, to be clear… is not completely wrong.

 ‘I can’t believe I’m having to deal with this mess right off the heels of handling my family. Can’t I get a break from these emotional situations for once?’

 Those are my exact thoughts as I arrive back at the door to the room I’m sharing. There, I grumble to myself. “I know Yasuna means well, but she really has to get her attitude in check. Being blunt is her nature, but implying she knows what I want better than me after what I did is going too far.” Pressing my ear against the door, I groan, “I hope they’ve calmed down a little.”

 With a deep breath, I ready myself and press my phone against the scanner next to the door, making it slide up.

 Looking inside, I see the twins, along with Nanako and Naeko, still sitting on the floor. Still, my gaze moves along and focuses on the culprits for my exodus, now leaning against a wall, close to each other.

 As I step inside, I try to go for the neutral approach. “Hey girls… Look, my bad—”

 But I’m interrupted by the two suddenly sprinting from where they were and screaming, ““We’re sorry!””

 This makes me flinch, and I’m unable to move out of the way before the two slam into me, with me smashing into the floor, back first.

 “HUNNF!” I make a weird noise as the air exits my lungs.

 ‘Eh! Ok, too much! Too much!’ I think, but am unable to voice as the weight of two of the most muscular girls I know presses down on me.

 Thankfully, Yasuna seems to notice my discomfort right away. Her eyes open wide, and she rolls to my side, leaving me with only Haruna; who doesn’t seem to notice she’s squishing my — not so insignificant — chest, flat!

 I hear someone getting up, and then see Naeko rushing to grab Haruna while yelling, “Holy shit! Get off, you’re smothering her!”

 It takes her a little too long to get the message for my liking, but she eventually does, also rolling over.

 “ANFFF!” I take in a loud, winded breath, holding onto my heart and feeling it beat so fast it’s like it’s about to escape my ribcage.

 Yasuna sits up and looks over at me with worry. “Crap! Are you okay? I’m so sorry!”

 Haruna mirrors her. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry, I didn’t think we’d hit you down!”

 I lift my arm, saying, “Yeah… I’m fine,” I look over at Haruna. “Could you all just do me a favor?”

 The two lean down closer, so I tell, “Can we stop with these kinds of greetings? I appreciate the gesture, but I swear, one day, you girls will be the end of me.”

 They look at each other and chuckle, Haruna saying with a cheeky smile, “No promises.”

 I sigh, “Well, good to see you’re not screaming at each other. Quite the contrary, really…” I look over at Yasuna with a furrowed brow. “Honestly, I’m a little surprised. What did you two discuss?”

 Yasuna sighs, looking away slightly. “It was a… Misunderstanding. I jumped to a conclusion when I didn’t have to, and Haruna explained things from her side.” She looks me in the eye. “I’m sorry for telling you off, by the way. I know you probably don’t care about I think, but it was still wrong of me trying to impose my beliefs on you. Sorry for that.”

 “And I also have to apologize.” Haruna says on my other side, making me look her way as she continues. “You were right, please don’t try to apologize…” She takes a deep breath and continues, “I’m her senior. What Yasuna said was bad, but I shouldn’t have yelled. I got lost in the moment.” Looking over at Yasuna, she smiles, “we talked it out, and I have to admit, Yasuna actually brought up a decent point.”

 I am taken aback. I wouldn’t have bet in a thousand years that yelling and running away would work… But hey I can’t say I’m not glad it worked out. Still, I narrow my eyes at what Haruna said. “She did? What was it?”

 Haruna focuses on me, and her straight expression suddenly turns into a smile. “Well, it’s a conversation I’d rather save for when it’s pertinent… And when you’re not laying on the floor.” She stands up and hunches over, offering a hand.

 Chuckling, I take her hand and stand up. Right away, I stumble forward and take a second to regain balance.

 “Do you need a moment? If you want, I can also give you a checkup,” Naeko, who’s still standing to the side, offers with a hint of worry. “Concussions are no joke,” the experienced cheerleader warns.

 Haruna and Yasuna look over with concern but I insist, “No, I’m fine. I’ve taken worse falls and I’m not in the mood to return to the clinic after just getting out yesterday. I’ve had enough bedrest in a week to last a lifetime.”

 She casts a suspicious glance my way, but still gives in with a heavy sigh. “If you say so…” She pivots on her heel and returns to the rest of the girls, settling back down onto the floor.

 With that settled, I look over at the group and say with a sigh, “Well, I’m glad to see everything turned out well between us. What do you girls want to do for the rest of the day?”

 Nanako, who was content staying out of the conversation until now, offers, “Well, for now, let’s go have lunch. After that… Well, reentry is not too far a way.”

 I furrow my brow at that. “Wait, when is reentry happening?”

 Everyone turns to me in confusion, and Haruna asks, “Today? We’re moving to the shuttles at 4PM on the dot. Didn’t the Director tell you?”

 I shake my head, “No… ” scratching my chin, I theorize, “Thought he did seem to be in quite a hurry. Was that why? Still, you’d think someone at the clinic would tell me…”

 Yasuna walks in front of me and tells, “Well, I don’t remember you asking any of us, so we just kind of assumed you knew.” She then furrows her brow and asks, “Was there something you were planning for today?”

 Shaking my head, I shrug. “Not really. I’m just a little surprised, that’s all.” You’d think this would be something medical staff would mention to someone who has been unconscious for a better part of a week, but I digress. “But, if that’s the case, I’m all for taking it easy today. We’ll have a lot to do when we’re back at the NWDA.” My eyes drop a little as I murmur. “Though I can’t say I’m excited about the 5-hour plane ride to the island…”

  It’s not like it’s a long ride or uncomfortable, but compared to what I’ve gotten used to here, sitting for 5 hours doing nothing feels… Outdated and woefully wasteful on the time front.

 Still, the looks I get from the girls when I say that is one of amusement, and as I look around confused, trying to understand why Nanako is a step away from breaking down laughing, I get some pity from Naeko.

 “You’re really out of touch, you know that?” She quips, explaining right after, “We’re not stopping at the spaceport, silly. We’re landing directly at the NWDA.”

 …

 What?

—

 At about the same time, in another dorm style room in the UP Colossus, two lovebirds sat close to each other at the side of a wide bed, a large wet towel just off the side staying as the reminder of their less wholesome acts. The flowery scent of intense perfume hung in the air hiding any odor, and a faint whimsical trail of steam drifted from the open bathroom door.

 “That was fantastic…” said the larger of the two girls, hugging her pale partner from the back with her muscular arms that glimmered in the faint light with a healthy tan. “Was it good for you too?” she asked in a whisper close to the girl’s ear.

 The petite girl’s cheeks turned a pale shade of red. “Y-Yes.” She stuttered, “I really like how your arms feel when you hold me close… Anna…”

 Anna gave a teasing chuckle. “Fu, fu, fu. Good; That means I’m doing my job well.” She clenched an arm around her partner, pulling her closer as she whispered, “And I can also see you getting bolder, Aya.”

 This comment only made Aya blush harder, making the words that escaped her a couple of hours ago resurface in her mind. “I-I… That’s not fair!” The girl whined, puffing her cheeks while her lips formed a pointed pout.

 But Anna could only smile at her childlike behavior. It was cute. “Come on baby, you know I like it when you act all confident.”

 The pale girl gazed at Anna, asking with a cocked brow, “Y-You do?”

 She smiled again. “Of course I do. In fact, I think you should show that side more often.”

 Her face dropping, she looked to the side and sulked. “That’s… Not what you told me last week…”

 Anna’s eyebrows dropped in response, and she shimmied away from the girl, her eyes growing distant. “You’re still mad about that…”

 In all the time the two had shared, they’ve had a single argument. Although the main reason for such a statistic might have something to do with Aya’s passiveness and not any kind of experience. After all, one could count their combined number of previous romantic partners on a closed hand.

 “Yes…” Aya confirmed with a nod, her eyes sorrowful.

 Anna nodded slowly, looking off into the other side of the room as she thought about what her next words would be. “That’s a shame, I thought we had gone passed this…” Looking back to Aya, she declared, “I’m not saying you shouldn’t have jumped back there — Yuumi might get all the attention but if you look at the whole story, then you deserve just as much credit…” She gulped hard, catching herself getting off-topic. Focusing her eyes on Aya, she said, “But you could at least have warned me! Do you know how worried I was you were going to get yourself killed!?”

 Taking a deep breath in, Aya said, “Yeah… I could’ve died there, but that’s why you would’ve never allowed me to do what I did if I said anything…”

 Anna glared at her, but as she was about to give Aya a piece of her mind, she suddenly stood down, realizing what was about to happen. “We-We’re going in circles, aren’t we?” Seeing as Aya nodded wordlessly, Anna sulked. “This shouldn’t be how we spend our last day together…”

 Closing her eyes, Aya took a deep breath in through her teeth. “That’s… True…”

 …

 An uncomfortable silence hung in the air.

 They had realized this day would eventually come. Aya was an NWDA student and Anna belonged at the CSG, two different academies in vastly distant locations.

 Neither of them was dreading not seeing the other again, not when Vrains’ full dive worlds spread all across GlobalNet — making long-distance relationships more common than ever.

 But their relationship was anything but common. In the almost three weeks the two had been together, they had spent 20 days side-by-side almost the entire time… There was an unhealthy amount of day-to-day dependency present between the two.

 “Do you think you’re going to be okay?”

 “I-I don’t really have a choice…” replied Aya, “If I’m really as strong as Yuumi and she could do it all her life… What do I have to complain about?” she said, gazing at the floor. Looking back up, her eyes landed on Anna. “Just… Don’t forget about me… Please…”

 “Hmm,” Anna hummed with a chuckle, leaning close to the girl and wrapping her arms around her in a loose hug. “I would never forget you, Aya. You can be sure of it; Like I said, we’ll talk at least once every day.”

 Tilting her head to the side, supporting it on Anna’s shoulder, Aya murmured. “Déjà vu…” She focused on Anna’s eyes and spoke painfully, “My dad said the same thing once I got into the NWDA… He’s called twice in the last year and a-half… both times about the tournament…”

 Anna gazed at Aya as she spoke, a bitter frown appearing on her lips. “What a vile shell of a man…” were her thoughts on him. “Did your mother try to call you?”

 Shaking her head, Aya could only sign. “Of course not; As long as she gets her money, she’s happy to follow whatever he says… She’s just a trophy to him, nothing else.”

 Anna Closed her eyes tightly, observing, “What a sad excuse for a human… Well, unless he was in the habit of saving money, she’s gonna leave him soon — Mom fired him.”

 Aya perked up at this, staring at Anna curiously. “Was… Was that my fault?”

 But, to this, Anna could only shake her head. “Don’t fault yourself for what happened to that dreadful person — I’m sure it was a long time coming.” Adjusting herself, she explained. “I can’t imagine that a man that disowns her own daughter that easily would be suited to an executive role; just think about how many he must’ve thrown under the bus to get that high in the company.”

 The blond girl’s blue eyes only looked over Anna suspiciously. “That’s true… But not what I asked…”

 Anna sighed, glancing away from her. With a huff of air, she said, “Annff… Well, if you must know.” She gazed back at Aya, “I’m sure he had it coming anyway, but Dimcorp just underwent a wave of layoffs… it swept your ‘dad’, along with 20% of all Dimcorp employes, out.”

 A worried look set upon Aya’s face in an instant, “Is… Is your mother going to be alright?”

 Looking at Aya, Anna smiled. “You’re so cute when you act all worried for me.” She leaned in further, supporting her head above Aya’s. “But don’t worry, it’s not the first time that the government pulls solid-vision contracts. It’s unfortunate, but the only ones such a tactic really affects are the common working folk. Executives rarely get punished in such situations.”

 “Then… What about my dad?”

 Rolling her eyes, Anna grunted, “Can you stop calling that man your father? It’s quite obvious he hasn’t thought of you as his daughter at least a year!” Shaking her head, she added. “Mom said that was a special case.”

 The blond girl’s eyes drew to the floor. “So, I really got him fired…” Out of Anna’s field of view, Aya struggled to keep a straight face, the corner of her lips twitching upwards. “Poor him…” she muttered under her breath.

 *Ting!*

 As the two were talking, a notification rang across Anna’s phone, something that she immediately took notice of since she was sure her phone was on ‘no-disturb mode.’ A notification ringing out either meant she forgot to do that, or that something so important came through that it had bypassed the filter.

 When she finally scuttled away to pick up, and looked at what this notification was, her eyes immediately went wide. “No way…”

 Aya, now snapped out of her daze by her partner’s action, leaned on her shoulder. “What is it?”

 “I… I think it’s better if you see it yourself.” Anna stuttered before swiping away on her phone, making a holographic display appear in front of the two.

 The screen showed a news article:

 [ BREAKING NEWS: KATAYA HOLDINGS OWNERS CLAIM PENTA PROTECTOR AS THEIR BIOLOGICAL DAUGHTER, DRAGOON CITY AUTORITHIES CONFIRM CLAIM ]

 The blond girl immediately grabbed the holographic screen out of the air, pulling it close and scrolling over its contents.

 [

  Just today, owners of private investment firm Katayama Holdings — known as the majority owners of Katayama Armaments — a major supplier to the Union war effort; Have released a statement claiming Yuumi Matsunaga; aka ‘The Penta Protector’ as a long-lost biological relative.

Dragoon City authorities subsequently verified this claim, stating a correction to their central database was made after the Penta Protector herself signed a DNA backed contract to confirm this was her wish.

 This news comes just after a market evaluation of Katayama Armaments revealed a theoretical purchase value of 11 billion GBC making it the runner-up to the biggest Dragoon City corporation, DimCorp, valued at 13 billion GBC — it is to note that DimCorp’s latest evaluation was realized before the conflict with the Protectorate rose to prominence and its subsequent effects to the solid vision industry.

 Yuumi Matsunaga Katayama (Formally known as Yuumi Matsunaga) was believed to have originated from the Dragoon City community housing district as an orphaned child under the care of an unnamed dueling for youth institution. However, this claim now invalidates this story and replaces it with one of rebellion and strive for independence…

 ]

 The article went on from there, explaining the newly accepted origin of the minted ‘Penta-Protector.’

 But, behind the screen, Aya’s eyes burrowed in the picture, showing a younger Yuumi beside her supposed parents at a charity ball. Her fingers tightened around the corners of the solid vision screen, cracks beginning to form before she eventually let go of it, letting it fall on the floor where it shattered into a thousand solid vision particles that then dissipated.

 Hurrying to hold her, Anna asked. “Aya! Are you okay?!”

 To this, she slowly turned in her direction, her eyes watering. “She lied to me, Anna… I trusted her and… that bitch…SHE LIED TO ME!”

 Aya jumped into Anna’s arms, her tears staining the stunned girl’s light-green pajama top as she tried her best to say, “Come Aya, baby, come on, you know that can’t be true, there has to be something more to it—”

 But Aya wasn’t having it. “No! She never mentioned she had family and all this time she tried to comfort me about my father saying she was an orphan when, in reality, she’s even richer than you!”

 Anna was left wordless. She wasn’t close enough to Yuumi to have heard this story from her. The only reason she knew about Yuumi’s past was Aya. She would always her sing her praises, how the girl initially opened her eyes to how arrogant she was, and let her down a path of redemption. If Anna was being honest, hearing her love sing another girl’s praises even made her feel a little jealous.

 “Aya… I don’t know what to tell you to make this better, but please don’t act rash. You don’t know Yuumi as well as you thought, and with her new backing, offending her may be dangerous, so you please don’t be jumping to conclusions. Who knows, she may have a completely valid reason for hiding her past.”

 While she held on tighter, the crying girl voiced, “How could she possibly justify hiding this from me? She’s the only one I thought look to on how I would manage after what that pig did, and now I find she’s another snot-nosed brat just like I was—”

 “But you never got to tell her the full story, did you? She still thinks your ‘father’ is waiting for the tournament result to decide what to do.” Seeing Aya fall silent, Anna let out a sigh of relief, and continued, “Besides, you read the article, right? She lived as an orphan for several years. She wasn’t exactly lying about everything.”

…

 Aya nuzzled on Anna’s chest, her breathing rhythmic and tense. She understood there might be reasons for Yuumi to have maintained this lie. Still, her mind was conflicted. She knew three facts about Yuumi: She was a godly duelist, a natural Penta-Summoner, and she was an orphan. And now, one of the three mere things she knew about her idol was false…

 Noticing Aya spiraling again, Anna started patting her head, and said. “Come on, let’s order something for lunch. We can confront her about this after.”

 With her eyes half-closed, Aya arched her neck, looking into her partner’s eyes. “Can I ask you for a favor?”

 Anna looked down at her with a furrowed brow. “Of course, baby, anything for you.”

 Aya sighed, “Would you trust me to confront Yuumi alone?”

 …

 “Are you sure?” Anna asked with narrowed eyes in a suspicious tone.

 “Yes, if I’m going to manage alone, then I must do this. I need to prove to myself that I can do it.”

 Suffice it to say, Anna was hesitant. Her eyes skipped around the room, returning to Aya sporadically. Still, in the end, all she could do was groan. “Hanf… Alright, just… don’t force it. If you feel you can’t do it, then please call me over.”

 Aya’s expression turned upwards into a smile. “You know, you’re also cute when you worry about me… Now, let’s order some pizza. I’m famished.”