Artemis had never been good at maintaining focus during class.

She was taking deep breaths and trying to focus on what the teacher was saying and writing on the board, but her mind was trying to pull her in all sorts of directions. Iris had taught her a couple of mental focusing exercises, but she hadn’t had a lot of time to practice them properly, and right now they were only helping so much. Eventually, her mind just gave in and she found it wandering in some other direction, like something out the window, or something on her desk, or Iris… Who would notice and give her that look that immediately shamed Artemis into refocusing on the lesson at hand.

Artemis hated feeling like she disappointed her girlfriend. Like she hated feeling like she disappointed her parents.

“Artemis, you seem surprisingly attentive today. Who was the squid prophet who laid the foundations for modern civilisation?”

Artemis blinked, realising that all eyes were on her. And somehow, she knew the answer to this question. “It was Madai.”

The teacher blinked, and smiled, “that’s correct. He wrote down all of his prophecies and insights into what we know today as the ‘Book of Madai’. He rose to fame in the Splatlands thousands of years ago and is considered to be the progenitor of the modern-day Inkling.”

Truth be told, it was a bit of a fluke - Artemis only put those pieces together because she had found a Sunken Scroll in Octo Canyon with a copy of a passage from the Book of Madai, about the Salmonids invading the land, and the imagery had stuck with her ever since. Still, Artemis sighed in relief, and glanced in Iris’ direction.

Iris smiled at her, mouthing something that Artemis was pretty sure was “I’m proud of you”. Artemis smiled back, and refocused on the lesson.

❖

Orion had tried the feminine hairstyle and eyelashes for a few days, now, mixing it up a bit by still keeping part of the slicked-back style, but also having the two short side tentacles. It seemed to work well enough to make him still kind of recognisable but still having his own look, and he liked it. So he stuck to it, and hoped for the best. His friends certainly approved, at least, and his sister thought it was cute, so he considered it a vote of confidence.

He was surprised how little attention this new look actually got him outside of the classroom. Sure, he certainly turned a few heads when he first came to class with it and people almost mistook him for Artemis, but his classmates seemed to be okay with it at the very least. Though he also overhead one of his male classmates say something about a “‘why’ boner”, which was probably the opposite of helpful. He tried not to think about it.

His teacher also took him aside to assure him that if he needed someone to talk to about his potential transitioning, they’d be happy to listen. That was very much appreciated.

Things seemed to have been going well… What wasn’t appreciated, however, was the attention of two specific giant squid Inkings who had been bullying him the whole year even before all of this - Butch and Shinji. And those two had picked that particular day to ambush Orion and shove him against a wall while he was on his way to another class.

“Hey, there, runt. Don’t think we haven’t noticed you going around looking like a girl,” Butch snickered, as the pair cornered Orion. Axl wasn’t anywhere to be seen, he had been held by by one of his other classmates for a conversation.

Orion tried to steel himself. He’d fought worse bullies than these two by now. How could he call himself an Agent if he didn’t stand up to them? “Yeah, what of it? You’ve already come up with enough concocted excuses to make me a target just for kicks.”

“It’s not like you can stop us. Whatcha gonna do, shoot us from afar? We wouldn’t let you,” Butch chuckled.

“You’d be surprised. I’m getting better at splatting people at close range, now.”

“Heh, bold words from a squirt. We think this new look of yours suits you,” Shinji smirked, in a way that sent a shiver down Orion’s spine. That wasn’t the reaction he was expecting. “You weren’t much of a dude, you’d be much cuter as a girl.”

“I… I’m not interested in being a girl… I just… Like being feminine,” Orion stammered. He hadn’t considered the possibility that his bullies would find him attractive like this.

“Oh, come on, in for a penny, in for a pound, right? I’m already picturing it now, you could do a lot with a bit of physical therapy - get yourself some nice hips, a big chest that’ll make all the boys turn your way, and make that little derriere even bigger,” Butch said with a hungry grin… And then reached for Orion’s rear, giving it a squeeze for emphasis. “You’ve already got a pretty nice butt, just never noticed it until you started looking cuter. How about you embrace your true calling and become our girlfriend instead?”

Orion’s hearts were racing as his mind fell apart in sheer panic. He felt sick. How on Earth was he supposed to even process this, let alone-

“I suggest you stop what you’re doing, otherwise someone might get hurt.”

The bullies turned towards the voice, and screamed in sheer fright. Orion looked towards the source of the voice - Merga? Why was she here? And why did she had… Glowing red eyes with black sclera and even sharper, nastier teeth?!

Merga’s eyes were wide, giving the bullies a terrifying glare. “Leave. Now. Or would you like to pick on someone your own size? Because, I assure you, that would be a very bad idea.”

“How about they can pick on someone who can fight back?”

Someone came up behind them, and as Butch turned to him, the giant squid got decked in the face, sending him crashing against the wall.

Ethan stood there, cracking his knuckles. “That’s the least you deserve for what you just did, you sick freak.”

The two bullies bolted, howling with terror as they sped away.

Ethan spat, watching them flee, “cowards. The both of them. Can’t take a damn hit.”

Orion panted, staring at Merga. “Merga, why are you-”

Suddenly, ‘Merga’ melted away into ink, revealing Axl underneath the inky disguise. He came over to Orion, putting his hands on Orion’s shoulders. “Ori, are you okay? I saw that jackass touch you there, and…”

“Axl, you just used your ability in public!” said Orion, tears welling up. There were a bunch of other students around, staring at them. “You didn’t need to-”

“-Ori, I don’t care about that as long as I could stop them from hurting you more. Are you okay?”

“No. I’m not. Even if it was just a feel… I… I feel violated.”

Axl hugged him. “I won’t let them do that to you again. I promise.”

Ethan smiled, putting his hand on Orion’s shoulder, “we’ve got your back, always.”

Orion erupted into tears, hugging him back. “Guys… Thank you…”

Everyone else around them gave them space as Axl and Ethan escorted him to class.

❖

“FINALLY, LUNCH!” Artemis groaned, as she walked out of the classroom, stretching. “If I had to endure one more class in a row, I would’ve lost my cod-damn mind.”

“That’s because you’re not used to having to focus so much in class. I’m sure you’ll build up the mental stamina for it,” Iris giggled, walking alongside her. “You’re not doing so bad. As long as you keep at it, I’m sure you’ll get used to it.”

Artemis smiled, kissing her on the cheek. “Thanks, Iris. I dunno what I’d do with you.”

“Artemis!” Koji rushed over to them, panting. “Have you heard what happened?”

Artemis and Iris looked at each other, and then at Koji. Artemis shook her head, “nope, got no idea whatcha talkin’ about.”

Koji frowned. “Ori had a run-in with Butch and Shinji.”

“Again?! I swear to cod, are they bullying him over him being more girly?”

“They were, but… They were trying to pressure him into transitioning so they could make him their girlfriend.”

“… What?” Iris asked, speaking what was immediately on Artemis’ mind.

Koji nodded. “Butch even grabbed his butt before Axl and Ethan scared them off. Ori’s a wreck right now, barely managed to make it through class.”

Artemis’ eyes widened, and she bolted for the Splatoon’s table. This had to be a joke, right? Butch and Shinji were jerks, but doing this…

She saw Orion was already there, being comforted by Axl. The rest of the school-age Agents were there as well, looking either morose or furious. And her brother looked terrible.

She rushed over to him, and hugged him tightly. “I just heard. Ori… I can’t believe they actually did that to you. I… I don’t know what to…” There was no point in asking him if he was okay, because he really wasn’t.

Orion hugged her back. “You don’t need to say anything, sis, just being here is enough…”

“If Ethan hadn’t decked that scumbag I would’ve done it myself,” Ayane said with an undercurrent of barely-restrained rage.

As Artemis sat down next to her brother and Iris took a seat as well, Orion took a deep breath. “I don’t know if those two were serious or if they were trying to mess with me. I don’t know which is worse.”

“They crossed a damn line, that’s what they did,” Liam said, gritting his teeth. “Good thing were were witnesses, that sort of thing should hopefully get them suspended.”

“I’m gonna stick by Ori’s side like glue until that happens or they get the hint and stay away,” said Axl. It seems Orion was keeping him close and holding onto him. That was really sweet of him.

Ethan turned to Orion. “Ori… If you’d like to sit out today’s training-”

“-no, I’ll be okay. I can’t let myself just stay a victim,” Orion said, looking up at him. “Next time, I want to have the courage to defend myself.”

Artemis couldn’t help but smile. When did her meek little brother start learning to stand up for himself?

“Well, maybe when you master Ansatsuken, you can beat them both to a pulp if they try to harass you again,” Karlene said. “I have half a mind to do it myself. What you do with your body is your choice, you shouldn’t be pressured to do something for someone else’s sick gratification.”

“How do you think I feel?! I nearly exploded when I found out,” Liam said.

“Y-Yeah, we can work on making you tougher!” said Hinata.

Artemis noticed that Hinata wasn’t her usual bubbly self. The fact that she was barely able to find an upside to any of this must be tearing her apart.

“Alright, everyone settle down,” said Koji. “Let’s just sit down and take a breather. We’re all here now, let’s give Ori some time to recover.”

Iris nodded. “Let’s put this behind us as best we can.”

Despite their best efforts to lighten the mood, that lunch was clouded by Ori. Artemis could only think that, for her brother, putting this incident behind him was easier said than done.

❖

X was sitting at his desk in his office in the new Acadia Corp building, working on his laptop - he was personally overseeing the renovations, and it hadn’t taken too long for his office to be mostly ready and already minimally furnished.

He was trying to occupy his mind with things other than what he heard had happened at school today. He was trying to keep a handle on his anger after what happened with Tartar, but this threatened to set him off again.

Ciel peeked in through the doorway, knocking. “X, I’m here to make my report on the Advanced Hero Suit project… Are you okay?”

“No, not really,” X said bluntly. “Sorry, I just learned Orion got sexually harassed at school today.”

Ciel gasped. “Cod, you’re serious?! Who would do that?!”

“Two bullies who had been targeting him. They noticed he was looking more feminine, and tried to pressure him into transitioning into a girl for reasons I’d rather not get into. One of them grabbed his butt before Axl and Ethan intervened.”

“Good heavens… Why are people so terrible sometimes?”

“It’s a fact of life that frustrates and confounds me,” X sighed, straightening up as he turned towards Ciel. He needed to take the conversation away from this, lest he completely bring the mood down for what was more important right now. “Sorry. Please take a seat, Ciel. You had a report?”

Ciel nodded as she sat down. “While Merga’s parts were being fabricated and after she was built, I was focused on the new Hero Suits. I’ve already drafted up designs based on the specifications you provided.” She pulled out a small flash drive and handed it to him.

X plugged it into the laptop, opened the files, and took a good look. It only took him a few cursory scans of the drafts for him to nod, as he ejected the drive. “Excellent, well done. You’re authorised to start work on getting the test sets made. Contact Sheldon and ask him is he’s interested in a joint collaboration.”

“Thank you, X, I’ll do that,” Ciel smiled as she stood up.

“Oh, and one more thing - Ethan messaged me, he says he and Ayane are gonna need something to catch up with the phantom thief when they find her again. That ‘Zipcaster’ of hers makes her too fast to chase down, and she’s pretty agile.”

“Understood, I’ll try and come up with something,” Ciel nodded, “maybe you should take a break. You’ve been so absorbed in running the company that you’re stressing yourself out. The news with Ori is only making it worse.”

Crap. She was right. He was doing that thing again. X turned off the laptop, nodding as he stood up. “Yeah, you’re right. I really need to work on that.”

Ciel giggled, “maybe you should set aside some time to see your girlfriend.”

X blushed, stammering for a moment before he regained his composure. “I’m not gonna argue with you on that. Sure, that’d be nice. You probably need a break too, your work kinda let Callie snatch Zero out from under you.”

That caused Ciel to blush as well, but her response wasn’t what he was expecting. “I mean, you’re not wrong, but… There’s still an opportunity there… Zero’s really nice and handsome, but Callie’s wonderful, too…”

That nearly broke X’s brain. “Wait, hold up, are you saying you have a crush on both of them? What do you mean by ‘opportunity’?”

“Oh, right, it’s an Octarian cultural thing, so you wouldn’t know… I dunno if Callie would go for it since she’s an Inkling,” Ciel sighed. “Nevermind. Let’s go see if the Squid Sisters are available.”

X was wondering what on Earth she was talking about as they left the office…

❖

Marie was delighted when X called, asking if she was available to hang out after work. As it happened, Callie was also going to be hanging out with some ‘friends’, and was willing to expand it to include Marie, X and Ciel, so they agreed to meet up at the Reef. This left Marie wondering who these friends were - were they people she had befriended from work, or…?

And then she saw who it was when Callie arrived, followed by four Octoling girls, which nearly broke Marie’s brain. How and when did she befriend all four of them and why did she not tell her?!

Callie laughed sheepishly as they came up. “Sorry we’re a little late. These are-”

“Oh, Alia, Layer, Palette, Nana!” Ciel smiled happily, “I didn’t know you came up to the surface!”

“It took somewhat longer since we were only recently exposed to the Calamari Inkanation, but yes, we did. It’s good to see you, Ciel,” Alia smiled. She looked over Marie and X, “oh, you must be Marie! We saw you perform weeks back, it’s an honour to meet you!”

Layer nodded shyly, Nana just smiled, and Palette turned Callie into a blushing wreck when she remarked to her in a sorta-hushed voice, “your cousin’s pretty hot, Callie.”

Marie couldn’t help but be amused. “No, no, the pleasure is all mine. I’m guessing you know Callie from when she was brainwashed.”

“T-That’s right,” Layer said. “And… You must be X. We saw you fight Octavio, too.”

“Yes, I am. Welcome to the surface, you four,” X smiled.

“Also he’s my boss, now,” Ciel remarked.

“That sounds like quite the story,” Nana said as they started walking together.

“Oh, you have no idea.”

“Where’s Zero? I thought he’d be able to hang with us,” Palette pouted.

X chuckled, “he’s busy doing music stuff with Marina and Pearl, apparently he might actually become their guitarist.”

“Okay that I can’t bring myself to be mad about,” Palette said.

As the group made small-talk, Marie was just happy to be hanging out with her cousin. While they had been repairing their relationship, it was still kind of a slow process, so every day they had where they could hang out was a blessing. Though that wasn’t the only thing occupying her mind right now, because she had noticed the Octoling girls Callie had brought along weren’t behaving like they were merely Callie’s friends. The fact that Palette was hanging onto Callie’s arm half the time clued her in to what they really thought about her. If it was true, it was absolutely hilarious.

While they were checking out a boutique clothing store, Marie quietly took her cousin aside, whispering to her, “I thought you were only dating Zero, you sly girl.”

Callie blinked, and looked very confused. That told Marie everything she needed to know. “I am, though?”

Marie chuckled, her grin widening, “I dunno, those four seem awfully possessive of you.”

Callie’s face immediately went red. “They’re just good friends! I mean, sure, they’re kinda coming onto me a bit strongly but they were coming onto Zero, too! I don’t get it, Alia flashed him the ‘call me sign’ during our date, and then did the same with me!”

That genuinely seemed to confuse Marie for a moment, until she connected the dots in her head.

And then she nearly fell over, howling with laughter.

“M-Marie?! What’s so funny?!” Callie asked, fretting over a joke she clearly didn’t get, as the others looked over at them.

Marie calmed down, wiping a tear from her eye. “Sorry, cous, but I’m afraid you’ll have to figure this one out yourself. Besides, it’ll be much funnier when you do. I just hope I’m there when it happens.”

❖

Eventually, the group split off, with Callie taking her ‘girlfriends’ back to their apartment, and Ciel heading back to hers. Which mean it was just Marie and X walking back to their apartment building. The usual hangout at the Outpost was cancelled due to what happened to Orion, who just wanted hang with his closest friends at their dorm tonight.

X finally had the opportunity to ask the question that had been tearing at him for a while now. “So what was so funny between you and Callie?”

That got Marie giggling. X had never heard her giggle so much before. “She’s way more clueless about how much romantic attention she’s getting. I think she’s got a harem on her hands.”

“Wait, you think all four of them are interested in her?” X chuckled. “Funny you should say that, Ciel confessed that she had a crush on her and Zero, too.”

That caused Marie to laugh. “WHAT?! Seriously?! I didn’t think my cousin was a magnet for octopu-no, that’s joke’s too crude, even for me. But if that’s true… I’m surprised none of them seemed at all jealous of each other. And apparently they’ve got their eyes on Zero, too.”

“Ciel mentioned it’s some kind of cultural thing with Octarians.” And then it hit X like a speeding truck. “You… You think Octarians practice polygamy?”

“Maybe?! All I know is that Callie is in the middle of a harem situation and it’s hilarious. Then again… Maybe it might be good for her. Who knows,” Marie smirked. “I really, really want to see it play out.”

They reached the door to Marie’s apartment, and X smiled, “well, we’re here. I hope you had a good time, Marie. I know I did.”

“Yeah. We should do this more often,” Marie smiled. “Especially since you’re doing that thing again where you get wrapped up in your work.”

X found himself being flustered. “I’m… Gonna try and work on that.”

“Well. Here’s something to encourage you, then.”

Marie put her hands on X’s cheeks, and pressed her lips against his, bringing him into a kiss, closing her eyes. X initially hesitated, but closed his eyes as well as he leaned into the kiss. It was slow, but passionate, and X didn’t want it to end.

Marie soon broke the kiss, and smiled, “I don’t deserve you, X.”

X smiled back. “I say I don’t deserve you, Marie. But let’s just agree to disagree on that.”

“Sure, that’s fine with me. Goodnight, X,” Marie chuckled, as she went in, closing the door behind her.

“Goodnight, Marie,” X said, smiling widely as he started heading back to his apartment.

He had a feeling he was going to be dreaming of her for a while.

❖

X had long settled down for the evening when Zero finally returned, a guitar slung over his shoulder. “Hey, roomie. Heard you hung out with the Squid Sisters and the Octoling gals.”

“Yeah, it was fun,” X said as he looked back over the couch. “How was your jam session with Off The Hook?”

“We’re still figuring things out, but it was fun,” Zero chuckled, as he went to put the guitar away in his room. “Is Callie doing alright?”

“Yeah, but Marie thinks she’s in a harem situation with the Octolings,” X said as he turned back towards the TV. “Apparently they have their eyes on you and Callie. Ciel even admitted to crushing on you both, too.”

“Is that right? Huh. I suspected something was going on when Alia gave us both the ‘call me’ sign, but it doesn’t seem like a love ‘polygon’, either,” Zero said as he came over to the couch.

He should’ve figured Zero would’ve figured it out as well. Still, there were some inherent problems with this state of affairs. “You do realise that could cause issues with your relationship, right?”

Zero shrugged. “Maybe. Depends on what Callie’s willing to do. I’m actually not against dating multiple girls at once if they’re all okay with it… Especially if they’re all dating each other as well.”

“I dunno if the last part is true. It’s weird, complicated and probably involves some cultural Octarian thing that I have no idea about,” X sighed. “Just… Be careful, okay? You better know what you’re getting into before you dive right in.”

“Relax, I ain’t stupid. I’m sure we’ll figure something out.” Zero sat down on the couch, “anything good tonight?”

As they watched TV, X couldn’t help but worry that Zero and Callie were getting into some potentially serious drama.