Quiet Thoughts, Morning Rush

Winter morning light filtered through the kitchen smart window, casting a gentle glow over Yui as she moved gracefully through her morning routine. Reaching for her apron, she glanced out at the snow-covered trees outside before noting the weather data quietly overlaying the glass: -2°C now, dropping to -5°C by evening with light snow expected. Slipping the familiar weight of her well-worn apron around her neck, she tied it behind her back, her blonde ponytail catching the early sunlight as it swayed softly with each delicate movement.

The moment she placed a pan on the sleek adaptive-zone photon-duction cooktop, holographic rings of cerulean light encircled the cookware, scanning its properties. Measurements flickered briefly in the air—location, dimensions, composition and food load—before coalescing into a simple floating prompt above the pan, displaying its optimal heat distribution pattern. With a gentle wave of her hand through the hologram, Yui confirmed the settings—floating rings of red light encircling the pan to highlight the activated hotspot.

Sssssssssssss~

A satisfying sizzling replaced the peaceful morning silence as batter kissed heated pan, while a blooming sweet aroma carried promises of fluffy pancakes to come. Yui's delicate wrist tilted the batter laden ladle with practiced precision, each pour spreading into a perfect golden disc.

"Good morning, Yui-san."

"Hiie—!" Yui jumped, her spatula launching the half-flipped pancake on an unexpected trip towards the ceiling. She spun around to find Ash seated at the kitchen counter, watching her with quiet interest. Meanwhile, the wayward pancake quietly completed its graceful trajectory behind her, landing back in the pan with a plop.

[That pancake has better composure than she does]

"A-Ash-san! I didn't hear you come in..."

Piyo piyoo... Mochi drowsily observed from his indoor perch near the counter, not yet ready to commence airfield operations this early in the morning.

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you," Ash smiled apologetically. His eyes drifted to her apron, faded from countless washes, with small stains here and there betraying years of faithful service. Despite its aged appearance, it was clearly well-cared for, much like everything else Yui handled.

The peaceful morning atmosphere settled around them once more as Yui returned to her pancakes, though her cheeks remained tinged pink. She could feel Ash's gaze following her movements, making her heart flutter with each flip of the spatula.

"These are great," Ash commented after taking his first bite of the fluffy stack she'd placed before him. "Love the texture."

"Th-Thank you!" Yui stammered, fidgeting with her apron strings. "I-I'm glad you like them..."

"About those baking lessons..." Ash began, recalling their conversation from the mall. "When would be a good time?"

"O-Oh!" Yui's eyes lit up before she caught herself, trying to maintain her composed demeanor. "Um, maybe sometime after New Years? We should have a little more free time then."

"Sounds good—"

"OHANYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" [WHAT LANGUAGE IS THAT SUPPOSED TO BE!?]

The peaceful morning atmosphere suddenly shattered as Narumi burst into the kitchen, practically bouncing off the walls. "Yattaaa! I smell Yui-chanyaa’s pancakes nya!"

"Herrokero!" Akari followed close behind, her eyes lighting up at the sight of the growing stack of pancakes on the kitchen table. “Oooh, Yui-nee-san is making pancakes!”

Piyoyoyo! Startled awake by the sudden chaos, Mochi snapped his head around as he identified the nearby threats in a panic. Pipiyoyo! Piyo piyopi! (Multiple bogies detected! Switching to tactical alert status!)

"Ne ne, Ash-kunya!" Narumi's ears perked up as noticed him at the table. "Did you hear about your apartment? I saw the news —" she paused to stuff an entire pancake in her mouth before continuing, "—thef faid the envifronmental confrol fyftem wenf—"

CHOP!

“—unya!”

Yui's hand came down on Narumi's head with swift precision. "Stop talking with your mouth full!"

"Mnnuu, Yooi-shan hidoooiii nyaaa!" Narumi pouted, rubbing the top of her head while somehow still managing to stuff another pancake into her mouth.

“Yes, I did receive an update on my apartment earlier,” Ash recalled. “Apparently a practice turkey roast caught fire, which spread through the building, damaging the climate system, and causing the temperature swings. At sub-zero, the water pipes burst—then flooded the place once they melted. Still no ETA on when everything will be fixed…”

“Wof dafs pwetty cwazy nyamyamnyam” Narumi commented through stuffed cheeks before cramming yet another pancake in her mouth. “Nyamf-nyamf!”

Yui crossed her arms with a small huff of annoyance. "Narumi..."

"Ara... is everyone already up...?" Emi's sleepy voice drifted in from the hallway. She appeared in the doorway, her lavender hair a magnificent bird’s nest and glasses slightly askew. "Ohay—"

DOKAN! "—ita!"

She had turned sharp right, walking straight into the side of a shelf—her flamboyant F-cups visibly rippling from the impact. The half-asleep Neuman simply stood there, forehead pressed against the shelf, kacha kacha kara kara as the sound of rattling porcelain and glass slowly petered out.

"Ah reee?" Emi blinked owlishly, still not moving from her spot. "When did we place this shelf here?"

[The shelf has actually been there for several years... why did you turn sharp right?]

"Emi-nee-san," Akari asked with innocent concern, "Did you play Denshin Collision until late again?"

"Etoo..." Emi giggled sheepishly, finally stepping back from the shelf and rubbing her forehead. "Maybe a little, ehehe…"

Yui sighed, a small smile tugging at her lips as she turned back to her pancakes.

"Yui-chanyaaa!"

GYUUU!

Narumi suddenly materialized behind Yui with catlike agility, wrapping her in an enthusiastic embrace.

"Your pancakes have been getting even fluffier lately nyaa!" Narumi's tail curved into a playful question mark as she pressed her cheek against Yui's. Her voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper, pink and royal blue eyes twinkling with mischief. "Could it beee... you're trying to impress a certain someone~?"

"Wh-what!? N-no, I just—" Yui's face flushed crimson as she shook her spatula in frantic denial—

Splat!

—flinging a half-cooked pancake straight into the wall.

Piyo piyoo~ Mochi groggily commenced his scheduled maintenance (preening), resigned to the fact that quiet hours were officially concluded for the day.

※ A while later ※

The crisp morning air nipped at their faces as the group made their way to the local PhotonRail station, their breaths forming little clouds that danced and dispersed in the winter breeze. The modestly-sized station plaza was completely decked out in holographic festive splendor—delicate snowflakes drifted eternally downward from the high ceiling, while Christmas tunes imbued the air with a delightful ambience. Ribbons of light—shimmering in ruby red, emerald green, sparkling silver and gleaming gold—adorned every pillar, forming stylish depictions of candy canes, bells, and holly. In the plaza center, a charming Christmas tree stood proudly, its ethereal branches shifting through patterns of silver and cerulean.

Activity continued bustling amidst the holiday spirit, with salarymen clutching steaming coffee cups, students chattering boisterously in their uniformed groups, and other ARKS making similar commutes, well maintained weapons glinting on their backs. A gaggle of Rappy mascots waddled by in Santa hats and tiny scarves, attracting some attention as they headed off to their mysterious destination. [Quick! Smack them for 1 grinder each!]

At the station junction, Akari gave a cheerful wave. "Bai bai! See you all later!" she called out before heading toward the East line that would take her to school, soft morning sunlight catching the cute frog themed charm dangling from her school bag.

The remaining four made their way to their own platform, joining the growing crowd of morning commuters. Holographic displays floated in the air, cycling through arrival schedules in crisp glowing text—their train to ARKS District flashing 'ARRIVING NOW' in perfectly-timed mockery of their slightly-behind-schedule selves.

The sleek PhotonRail arrived in near-silence, cerulean blue energy pulsing beneath its sleek alloy chassis as it decelerated to a perfect hover. The doors slid open with nary a whisper, their edges pulsing with welcoming green light, while a gentle feminine voice chimed throughout the train:

Ding dong♪

"This is Platform 1. The East-West Line Service bound for ARKS District is now arriving. This train will stop at: Shopping District West, Shopping District East, Central Plaza Terminal and ARKS District Terminal. Line transfers are available at Central Plaza Terminal. Please stand behind the glowing yellow line and mind the gap when boarding."

A wave of passengers surged forward in a synchronized march, guided by the station attendants' practiced movements. The train quickly filled to capacity, transforming into a scene that would make sardines file a complaint. [At least sardines get oil with their cramped accommodations]

"Please move back! Make room for everyone!" an attendant called out cheerfully, before ostensibly tackling more commuters into the already jam-packed carriage that had surely reached previously unknown levels of spatial efficiency by now.

Puyo.

Jiggle jiggle.

Oh great… Yui found herself compressed between two very different, yet equally problematic sources of pressure. On one side, Narumi's smaller but still substantial chest pressed against her arm. On the side, Emi's aggressive assets threatened to smother her.

Puyo puyo.

BOING! BOING! BOING!

This is just great... Yui's eye twitched as she glanced down at her own chest, then at Emi's overwhelming enormity, then back at her own. A familiar spiral of thoughts began to loop through her mind.

Why do I have to be so flat… Even Narumi-chan is bigger than me... And drinking milk doesn’t even work… There’s no hope. Ash-san will never see me as—

"Yui-chanyaaa~" Narumi's voice cut through her gloomy thoughts as the catgirl somehow wrapped her arms around Yui despite the packed train car. "You're making that face again!" she teased in a sing-song voice, affectionately nuzzling her troubled friend's cheek.

"N-Narumi-chan!" Yui hissed, face flushing as she became acutely aware of the other passengers around them. "Stop that! W-We're in public!"

"But you're such a cutie kawaii patootie pie nyaa~"

“Y-Yamete yo!" Yui whispered desperately, trying to lean this way and that, but finding nowhere to escape in the packed carriage—and completely forgetting about the poor bird on her head.

Piiyo! Piiyo! Piiyo! Piyo piyo piyoyo! Piyoyoyooo! Mochi held on to Yui's erratically moving head for dear life as he frantically reported the dire situation. (MAYDAY! MAYDAY! MAYDAY! Primary airfield under simultaneous assault! Port side: F-class twin-mounted heavyweight torpedoes! Starboard side: Incoming AGM-NYA feline-guided subsonic munition! Evasive capabilities spatially compromised! Terminal defensive posture assumed! Standing by for imminent detonation!)

From his spot near the door, Ash watched the scene unfold with quiet amusement. The past couple of weeks had been... different. His gaze drifted to the window, where the winter morning painted Central City in soft hues of gold and blue. A faint reflection on the window showed him standing amongst the girls, weapons glinting behind their backs. A sight that still caught him by surprise.

Being the "legendary meteorn" usually meant people kept their distance. Conversations inevitably turned awkward the moment they learned who he was—all wide-eyed stares and nervous stuttering, as if he might suddenly unleash a photon blast over afternoon tea. His constant deployments across Halpha's regions didn't help either; it was hard to forge real friendships when you were barely in one place long enough to remember anyone's name. At least Aina and Manon treated him normally—though that might be because they'd seen him face-plant into Aelio grass, Retem sand dunes and Kvaris snowbanks one too many times.

When he wasn’t deployed elsewhere on extended missions, his morning commutes would always be solitary affairs—just him and the quiet hum of the PhotonRail. Now they were filled with playful bickering and laughter that somehow made even Emi's daily collision course with various surfaces seem normal.

His eyes settled on Yui, still trying to escape Narumi's affectionate assault while trapped by Emi's impressive barricade. Across the crowded carriage, their eyes briefly met. Right on schedule, Yui’s cheeks flushed pink as she quickly looked away—one hand nervously touching her horns while she suddenly became intensely fascinated by the train's safety poster.

Since the mall incident had opened Ash’s eyes to her feelings, he'd started noticing things—like how she always made sure his breakfast was exactly how he liked it, or how she folded his laundry with the same care she used for her origami.

His old apartment had been quiet. Orderly. Nothing but a place to rest between missions. Now his days were filled with Narumi's excited chatter, Emi's gentle wall tackles, Akari's innocent observations, and Yui's exasperated but fond reactions to it all. Looking at these girls who had somehow become family to each other despite having none of their own, he wondered if he'd once had something similar. The memories weren't there, but maybe...

"Ash-kuuun!" Narumi's voice pulled him from his thoughts. "We're here nya! Stop being all broody and mysterious nyaa!"

He blinked, realizing the PhotonRail had stopped at the ARKS District station. The other passengers were already filing out the station gates, while the girls were waiting for him just outside the open carriage doors, its edges flashing green. Yui was still tinged pink as she fixed her ruffled hair, Mochi circling frantically overhead. Meanwhile, Emi had dropped her staff yet again whilst Narumi waved at him with her characteristic energy.

Ash raised his hand in acknowledgment, a warmth settling in his chest as he stepped out to join them. The familiar sight of ARKS headquarters rose before them, its sleek gleaming surfaces catching the morning sun. Other operatives streamed past, heading to their various posts and duties, but somehow this little group of chaos managed to stand out even in the crowd.

Perhaps it didn't matter if he couldn't remember his past family.

He'd found a new one—one that was currently causing a scene in front of ARKS HQ, as Yui frantically fended off Narumi's whimsical attempt to fix her hair with twin tails, while Emi cheerfully documented the moment with her MAG. [Some things never change...]