Ethan blinked as he registered light streaming through the windows. He looked at his clock - it was 9 in the morning. Must’ve forgotten to set his alarm that morning. Then again, it was the weekend, so it wasn’t a big deal. Still, something must’ve got him occupied for him to-

“Mmm…” He felt something snuggle up against him. Oh, right. Marino. Both of them were naked under the sheets. He was still trying to process what just happened, but… Eh, who was he kidding? Absolutely worth it.

He kissed her on the forehead, wrapping her arms around her. “Wake up, babe. It’s morning.”

Marino yawned as she opened her eyes, and smiled when his face was the first thing she saw. “Morning, handsome. You look pretty pleased with yourself.”

“Kinda hard not to be when I just lost my virginity to a bombshell like you,” he grinned.

“Oh, behave~” Marino grinned back, tracing hearts on his chest. “You’re inexperienced, but pretty good in bed regardless. I think I’m gonna enjoy having you around as my lover.”

“Likewise. So… What now? You’re retiring as the phantom thief, and only myself, Ayane and Merga know about it,” said Ethan, snuggling up with her.

“Actually Cinnamon knows as well. Who else do you think I’m getting my info on medical corps to raid from? But she has been kinda worried about my work, so she’ll be happy to know I’m stopping here,” Marino said, snuggling up with him. Ethan felt a delighted shiver when her chest pressed against him. He felt like he had hit the jackpot. But he didn’t feel much in the mood to be more intimate than that, he just wanted to snuggle with her.

“So nobody else needs to know, then? Good,” Ethan smiled. “After all this… I really hope this works out. If it doesn’t, Ayane isn’t gonna let me hear the end of it.”

“Well, then, let’s show her we can make this work,” Marino giggled, and kissed him on the lips. He eagerly pressed into the kiss. Over a minute passed before they broke. “I… I think I love you, Ethan.”

“I love you too, Marino. And I don’t want to ever stop loving you,” Ethan said, caressing her cheek. He couldn’t be more honest with her about his feelings.

They stared into each other’s eyes, before they kissed again.

❖

A week later. Saturday morning.

Orion stared into the bathroom mirror after transforming for the first time that morning. The changes had been gradual over the course of the week, but now… Well, he was significantly less recognisable than he was a week ago. He hadn’t changed his hairstyle, but the slightly more feminine face, the noticeable chest and wide hips… Most people definitely would think he was a girl at this point, no question about it. This was roughly the body shape he had chosen for himself, without a doubt.

Thank goodness his pants were stretchy, otherwise he’d need new ones. Turns out he neglected to consider how the change in his hips and legs would potentially require him to get a new set of pants. At least he had gotten himself a bra.

He did have doubts, and he still had nightmares. He was doubting whether this was truly right for him, or whether he’d be preyed upon like he was before, and not just by the two bullies. He couldn’t deny he had chosen a pretty attractive figure. But it was roughly in line with what he had as Diana, and he could always change it again if he felt it wasn’t right.

But right now, aside from those issues? It was still an enormous step up from how he was before. He knew without a doubt that he didn’t want to go back to how his body used to be. He did a twirl, smiling to himself. Who cared what other people thought? He liked being cute. He liked looking, well, sexy. He just liked having a womanly body while still being a dude.

There was a knock on the bathroom door. Koji called out, “Ori, your dad’s here.”

Oh. Oh boy. Time for the moment of truth, he supposed.

“Be right there,” he said, getting fully dressed and heading out.

Waiting at the front door was his father - a good six foot tall, well-built, brown eyes, and an impressive bushy moustache. Orion stiffened up as soon as he saw him. “H-Hi, Dad.”

His father looked him over, came over, and smiled, ruffling his hair, “how’re you doin’, squiddo? Your new body feelin’ right?”

The familiar, affectionate gesture put Orion at ease, and he loosened up. There was no way that would foreshadow anything bad. “I’m doing good. I… I feel good. I’ve never felt more comfortable in my own skin.”

“And that’s all that matters. I’m happy for you, Ori.”

Orion noticed Axl coming up, looking a little nervous. “Uh… Nice to meet you, Mr. Delos. I’m Axl Slade, Orion’s new dorm-mate.”

“Is that right? Interesting look you got there, boy. And don’t call me Mr. Delos, I’m not your teacher or your boss. Just call me Actaeon,” Orion’s father chuckled, shaking hands with Axl. “Thank you boys for continuing to look out for my son.”

“You’re welcome, sir,” Liam said, “Ori’s our friend and teammate. And we’ve been supporting him through thick and thin.”

“Good to hear. We’ll have plenty of time to hang with you boys later, we need to go meet up with Artemis and my wife,” Actaeon chuckled, putting a hand on Orion’s shoulder.

“Yeah, I’ll see you guys later,” Orion smiled.

“Have fun, my dude,” Axl grinned, extending his hand for a fist-bump.

Orion decided to go one further, reciprocating the bump, before going right up to him, getting on the tips of his toes and kissing him on the lips.

He turned around, more than satisfied with Axl’s jaw hitting the floor, leaving with his amused father as Liam and Koji laughed, joking about how it was “about time it happened”…

❖

When Artemis heard the knocking on the dorm door, she eagerly rushed to open it, immediately recognising who was waiting for her. “Hi, Mom!”

“Artemis~!” Her mother picked her up into a tight hug. She shared the same blue eyes as her daughter, but had longer hair. “Goodness, you’re heavier than before!”

“I’ve been working out, Mom,” Artemis giggled as she hugged back. “There’s a really good gym near the Square that I’ve been going to lately.”

“I can tell!” Her mother let her go, looking at her arms, “not a lot of change, but I’m sure those muscles will really start to show if you keep at it.”

“Uh, hi, Mrs. Delos,” Iris said, coming up, “it’s nice to meet you-”

Artemis’ mother hugged her too, “and you must be Iris! My daughter just can’t stop talking about you. Just call me ‘Callisto’, dear.”

“O-Of course, Mrs. Callisto,” Iris said with an ‘eep’.

“Sorry, Iris can be rather formal, especially when she’s being shy,” Artemis giggled, kissing her girlfriend on the cheek.

Iris smiled softly, as Callisto let go of her. “We haven’t been dating long, but I do believe it’s going fairly well.”

“Considering Artemis can’t stop talking about how wonderful you are, I’m pretty sure that was obvious,” Callisto winked.

“Moooooom…” Artemis blushed. Granted, it was true, but she didn’t need to blurt it out in front of her girlfriend like that.

“Iris, you can relax around Callisto, she’s really cool,” Karlene chuckled, coming over, “she used to be a pro back in the day, mained a Charger like Ori does, taught him how to snipe.”

“So you’re retired?” Iris blinked.

“Well, sort of. I do sometimes get back into ink battling, especially now that I don’t have two troublesome kids to take care of around the house, but you could say that,” Callisto remarked, brushing aside her hair. “How’s the team performing lately?”

“We went up a couple ranks recently!” said Hinata with a wide grin. “So did Liam’s team, too!”

“Wonderful! Perhaps I should watch some of your recent matches,” Callisto said with a delighted glint in her eye.

“You should, Artemis rolled off Moray Towers. Again,” Iris giggled.

And now Artemis wanted to crawl into a hole and die of sheer embarrassment. She coughed, protesting, “I’m getting better at not doing that…”

“Yes, but you’re still rolling off! I wonder what the Artemis Factopedia tally is now.”

“That’s my reckless daughter for you,” Callisto shook her head with a chuckle. “Good grief… What’s this about an ‘Artemis Factopedia’?”

“One of our friends is keeping tabs on her stats for fun,” Karlene said.

“One of your friends?”

“Long story.”

“No need to hide it, Karlene, it’s Marie,” Artemis said. She and Orion were planning to tell their parents everything anyway. “She’s the one keeping tabs.”

“Marie? You mean from the Squid Sisters?” Callisto blinked.

“The same! She’s actually really cool,” Hinata nodded eagerly.

“Again, long story, but I guess Artemis is planning to tell it,” Karlene nodded to her.

Artemis nodded back. “We’ll be meeting up with her and Callie today, actually. Trust me, we’ve got a lot of explaining to do.”

“I do hope so, there has been concerning news from Inkopolis that we’d like some explanations for,” Callisto said. “At any rate, we best be going, otherwise we’ll keep Orion and my husband waiting. We’ll hang out later, girls.”

“Okay, have fun!” Iris smiled.

As Artemis and Callisto headed down the hall towards the stairs, Callisto remarked to Artemis something that nearly made her freeze. “Your girlfriend’s an Octoling? You didn’t tell me about that.”

“You… You knew?” Artemis blinked, looking at her.

“Your great-grandfather had a bunch of old war photos, including some of him with Octarian prisoners. I think you might’ve seen them before, but that would’ve been a long time ago,” Callisto said wistfully. “Such a shame he’s not around anymore. I’ve heard a bunch of ‘Inklings with strange hairdos’ have been appearing in Inkopolis lately. I’m guessing they’re all Octolings.”

“Yeah. They’re all refugees from the Octarian Empire who just want to live a new life in Inkopolis. Iris is one of them,” Artemis nodded. “She’s a good girl, really. Would you believe she was a Colonel in the army?”

“Really? Someone so young? Goodness.”

As they headed towards the school entrance, waiting for them was her father and Orion. Artemis grinned, as she hugged Actaeon, “DAD!”

“There’s my little girl!” Actaeon laughed, hugging her back. “You’ve been working out, I see!”

“H-Hi Mom,” Orion blushed.

“Oh my gosh, Ori, you’re so adorable!” Callisto squealed in delight, hugging him and kissing him on the cheek. “This new look really suits you.”

“Thanks, Mom. I feel really good with this body,” Orion smiled, returning the gesture in kind. “I’ve been adjusting, but… I don’t want to go back to the way I used to be.”

Artemis couldn’t feel any happier for her little brother, and it was obvious their mother felt the same way.

“Alright, I believe you two had somewhere you wanted to take us?” Actaeon asked.

Artemis nodded. “Yeah. We’ve got something important to go and people to meet.”

❖

While their parents were slightly wary of entering some random manhole in the Square, they followed their son and daughter to Tentakeel Outpost.

As Orion expected, waiting there were X, Marie, Callie and Cap’n Cuttlefish. He cleared his throat, waiting for his parents to stop looking around in surprise and awe before introducing them, “welcome to Tentakeel Outpost in Octo Canyon. We’d like to introduce you to the Squid Sisters, Callie and Marie, X, and Cap’n Craig Cuttlefish of the New Squidbeak Splatoon.”

“Well, I’ll be. Gramps mentioned you in his old war stories, didn’t think you’d still be kicking around, old timer,” Actaeon said, looking over the Cap’n.

“Heh, ol’ Chiron? Yeah, he was a good soldier. I’m sorry to hear he’s not around anymore,” Cap’n Cuttlefish nodded, with some sadness and nostalgia in his voice.

“And you’re the human-era robot walking around Inkopolis,” Callisto said. “How’d you end up associating with our kids?”

“They woke me up, that’s how,” X remarked, walking over and shaking their hands, “X, last creation of Dr. Thomas Light, and CEO of Arcadia Corporation. Long story.”

“It’s nice to meet you two at last. Ori told me you taught him to snipe, Mrs. Delos,” Marie remarked. “I’ve been helping teach both your kids how to snipe better.”

“And why would one of the Squid Sisters be personally tutoring our kids?” Actaeon asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh boy, here comes the awkward part,” Callie sighed. Orion couldn’t blame her, really.

Artemis sighed, taking a deep breath. “Mom, Dad… For over a month, now, we’ve been part of a semi-clandestine group called the New Squidbeak Splatoon. Marie recruited us.”

Orion nodded. “We’ve been fighting Octarian insurgents, among… Other things. They stole the Great Zapfish, and we fought to get it back. Our teammates are involved, too. I’m Agent 6, and Artemis is Agent 5.”

There was a moment of silence.

“So those movies aren’t just fiction, then,” Callisto said. “We heard about the attack in the Square. Despite all assurances, we suspected it wasn’t just a publicity stunt. It was real, wasn’t it?”

Orion nodded. “Yeah. We got caught off-guard. Again, long story.”

Actaeon crossed his arms, and nodded. “Alright. We want to know the full story.”

Everyone sat down, and the full story was told - the battles in Octo Canyon, awakening X, the Deepsea Metro and Wily’s robots, and more recently, the mess involving Tartar and Quint. Both parents listened to the whole thing, without interruption.

Actaeon sighed, leaning back. “So our kids have been getting themselves into dangerous stuff without us knowing…”

Artemis winced, looking down. “Sorry. But-”

“-you should’ve informed us at the first opportunity,” Actaeon said sternly. Orion froze. That tone meant he was about to read them the riot act, and Orion braced himself for it. “I’m not happy with either of you for getting involved in this without our knowledge or permission. And you, Miss Cuttlefish, should’ve known better, too.”

Marie said nothing, her grip tightening around her parasol handle.

Artemis got up, “Dad, hold on-”

“Artemis. Sweetie. Let him finish,” Callisto said, raising a hand.

“Yes Mom,” said Artemis, sitting back down.

“I’m also not happy that your activities got you in danger and you both nearly died multiple times,” Actaeon said. “I think I’m correct to say that your mother and I agree on these points. We’re disappointed in you both in that regard.”

Orion felt a huge surge of dread at the pit of his stomach.

“You should’ve called and told us what was going on. We would’ve come and helped.”

That completely blindsided Orion. “Dad?”

“Sure, ideally the proper authorities should’ve gotten involved, but I think your father and I would’ve been more than happy to drop everything to come help save the Great Zapfish, and make sure you two didn’t get in too over your heads,” Callisto remarked. “We don’t approve of the fact that you got involved without our knowledge, but what you did was brave and without a doubt heroic. Your great-grandfather, if he were still alive, would be incredibly proud of you. And, frankly, I suppose it’s no surprise that you two would get yourselves involved in something like this.”

Actaeon nodded. “We’re faulting you for how you went about it, but what you ultimately did was the right thing. You saved a lot of lives - in fact, you saved the world. Twice. That’s more than commendable. So we’re proud of you both. We just wish you told us sooner.”

Orion felt some relief, but he also felt he needed to apologise regardless, nodding in agreement. “You’re right, we should’ve. I’ll apologise for that, but I won’t apologise for putting our lives on the line to protect Inkopolis and the whole world.”

Artemis nodded as well. “Same here.”

“That’s exactly what we’d expect from you two,” Callisto smiled. She turned to Marie, “I don’t exactly approve of you recruiting children into this group of yours… But thank you for watching over our son and daughter, all the same.”

“They signed on of their own accord and I gave them several explicit chances to back out,” Marie chuckled. “They’re good agents, and good kids. Like shell I’d let anything happen to them on my watch. But it’s X you should be thanking the most, he’s saved their skins multiple times.”

“Honestly I think we’re kinda even at this point,” said X. “I potentially wouldn’t be here without them, and they and Marie are my first friends.”

“I also owe them for helping saving me from, well, the whole brainwashing thing,” Callie giggled.

“There’s a lot they can be thanked for, but the long and short of it is that they’re excellent agents, and their bravery can’t be understated,” said Cap’n Cuttlefish. “As long as their hearts are in the right place, they’re always welcome in the New Squidbeak Splatoon, and it warms my heart to hear your approval.”

“Just keep us in the loop from now on, arright?” Actaeon said. “And try not to take unnecessary risks. Fight smarter, not harder. You’ve got a whole team behind you, after all.”

“Thanks, Dad, we’ll try,” Artemis smiled, as she got up, and walked over to the new gun safe that had been installed recently next to the regular armoury. “Got something to show you, actually. Marie?”

Marie nodded, unlocking the safe with a code, and it swung open, revealing the weapons taken from the lab. “We confiscated these from an Octarian lab.”

“Yer kiddin’ me,” Actaeon said, getting up and looking at the contents of the safe. “Now, these are interesting…”

“They’re human swords and firearms they’ve managed to restore. Whatcha think?”

“Interesting. Probably should at least take ‘em to a range and see how they fare. But until then, keep ‘em locked up,” Actaeon nodded.

As the safe was locked back up, Artemis continued, “also, we’d like to spend the next semester break at home in Spirulida County, with all of our friends coming with. I promised Iris I’d take her to see the forests an’ stuff.”

Orion bolted up - he felt energised by the idea. “Oh, that’d be great!”

Callisto giggled, as she stood up as well, “that sounds like a wonderful idea. Wouldn’t you agree, honey?”

“Might depend on the conditions in the wild and what we can sort out before the break, but yeah, as long as it’s all handled safely, I’ve got no objections,” Actaeon nodded.

“Oooh, that’d be fun! Haven’t been out to Spirulida County in a long time, lotsa scenic spots!” Callie grinned. “Definitely way different than Calamari County.”

“After the recent crises, I’m down for another vacation,” Marie smirked. “And someone’s gotta help watch over the kids. Sure, let’s do it.”

“I haven’t gotten out of Inkopolis properly, so that sounds like a terrific idea,” X smiled. “I’m in.”

Marie turned to him with a grin, “not before I drag you to Calamari County so you can meet my parents.”

Orion tried not to laugh his ass off when he saw the colour drain from X’s face.

“OH! I nearly forgot! Marie, that kimono of yours is absolutely lovely,” Callisto said as she turned to her, “where did you get it?”

“Custom-tailored by someone back home, I’ve got a matching kimono too,” Callie giggled.

“Perhaps I’ll have sets made for Artemis and Orion. They’d look absolutely adorable in them!”

Orion wasn’t sure what to think about that, until he imagined himself in a kimono, with his new look, and found himself blushing. He would look rather cute in one. And then he imagined Axl in one and he found himself even more flushed.

“Alright, settle down, everyone, we’ve got plenty of time to make all these plans,” Cap’n Cuttlefish chuckled.

“Yeah, you came to hang with your kids, and you don’t have all weekend. How about we put the future aside and just make the most of the time you’ve got now?” X suggested.

Actaeon and Callisto looked to each other, and nodded. Orion and Artemis did the same.

This would be a weekend to remember.