Chapter 4:

The Games Ethels Play

Romantadox: A Romantic Paradox in The Final Parallel Universe!


Prime Ethel finished her breakfast quickly, eyeing over the stock information on the digital readout of her watch. Earth was up, again, and they were making progress against the invaders by a significant margin. That was good. The longer upward trends like that persisted the better. She allowed herself a drawn-out sigh followed by a long sip of coffee. Through the steam she noticed a slight shimmer and as she set her drink down a familiar figure appeared.

Prime raised her hand. “I know, I know, it’s time. I’ve already got it ready.” She stepped from the kitchen, leaving her guest alone in the large dining room. Prime shuffled across her bedroom and into the walk-in closet whose lights snapped on at her presence. Rows of outfits and dresses flanked her on either side along with shelves of ornate shoes. At the end of the closet a single white and black garment bag sat on a rack by itself taking up a conspicuous amount of space. She grabbed the garment off the shelf, holding it carefully and feeling a twinge of nostalgia.

“Wish it could be me.” She said solemnly, walking from the closet which quickly dimmed its lights automatically.

“Got it here,” she called to the figure in her dining room whom nodded at her quietly. “I can handle the delivery of course.” She continued, glancing down at the bag and considering its contents. When the looked up the figure had gone.

“Hmph. Never change.” Prime quipped setting the bag on her counter and clearing her plate.

*****

“Despite yesterday’s little hiccup,” Omega Ethel said, her eyes trained on Hazel. “We are still moving along smoothly with the operation.” Omega was in fact saying all this as Ethel, Hazel, Hotaru, and Hinako were eating breakfast. Eggs and rice were typical for Ethel herself. But feeding everyone in in both the field and mission control team was making food a little scarce in the house.

But groceries can wait for now, Ethel thought to herself. She shook her head a little and refocused on Omega Ethel, who had just been handed a tray by Ehtel, the prehistoric Ethel. Placing the tray in front of them, Ethel could see four tiny rectangular computer chips of a curious design. Eyebrows were raised by the other three, as Ethel turned back to Omega quietly for her to explain.

“Before you are four transmitters,” Omega continued. “Each of them is nano-mechanical in nature and is designed to slip painlessly under the skin. You four will each take one, and by the end of the day we should have a tracker on both Owari Ame and Hajime Naoko respectively. So, if you all break the touch barrier with them and press the tracker firmly against their skin, the tracker will do the rest, and monitoring Ameko will be far, far, easier.”

Ethel raised her hand when Omega had finished speaking.

“Yes, Final Ethel?” Omega said, pointing.

“If we are only planting one transmitter per person, why do we need four?”

“Excellent question,” Omega complemented. “As some of you might be aware, me and the rest of mission control here were up late last night making these trackers.” She then gestured to the three Ethels behind her who shared the bags under her eyes, complete with slouching postures and yawning mouths. “So as a reward for our hard work and the work you four will be doing today, we have decided on ordering some pizza for dinner tonight.”

Ethel and the others perked up immediately but held back their excitement as Omega raised her hand to pose and say: “However, the two of you who fail to place your trackers on either Ame or Naoko will be the ones who pay for the Pizzas.”

Ethel shared looks with the rest of the field team. A competitive air filled the kitchen which intimidated her and put a smile on Omega’s face. Ethel put down her bowl of rice and picked up one of the trackers. One side was smooth and shiny metal, while its underside had microscopic, little nanomachine claws trying to reach for her skin and burrow into it.

All this for those two, Ethel thought. That day in the park seemed forever ago now. Even with the chaos the giraffe had caused it hadn’t put a damper on the meeting itself. It was like nothing she’d ever felt before. Even meeting an alternate version of herself couldn’t compare to that. Ame and Naoko were special, probably more special than anyone she’d ever known.

“I think I’m beginning to understand why those two are so important to all of us.” Ethel said. The other Ethels in the room nodded in agreement.

“We have just one problem with your plan,” Hazel piped up with a raised hand. “I still don’t have a uniform to go to school in.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that,” Omega said. “We currently have one on delivery for you.” Hazel looked puzzled as a sudden flash of blue light shined from the entryway behind them.

“I’m home,” said an older woman, which made Hazel stand up at attention. When Ethel turned around, it was her oldest self, Prime Ethel this time without the bathrobe.

“Prime,” Omega addressed her with a bow.

“Omega 7-A,” Prime nodded before looking down at Ethel herself. “You must be the Final Ethel that I keep hearing about,” she said kindly and professionally.

Ethel looked around in confusion. “Uh, we met before-”

Prime raised her hand and waved ‘no.’ Ethel shrunk back into a more relaxed posture. “Oh, of course!” She said, playing along. “It’s so wonderful to meet you!” She finished, offering her hand.

“Watch this,” Prime said before working her fingers around Ethel’s in a deliberate and memorized way. Ethel mimicked Prime’s hand gestures perfectly before finally ending with a bump of the fists.

“I’ve never seen that handshake before,” Hazel commented impatiently to their side.

“It’s a new handshake,” Prime answered. “From the first Ethel to the last.” Ethel beamed at herself as Prime lifted up a sealed white and black garment bag.

“It’s a bit old, but it should still fit me,” Prime said as Hazel took the bag in hand. She unzipped it to reveal the very same Hiwara high school uniform Ethel was currently wearing. Hazel instantly set the uniform on the table and started to undress for it. Everyone caught Hotaru staring, red faced and stupefied. All the other Ethels and Hinako included pulled Hotaru out of the kitchen and pushed him out of the house telling him to take his tracker and get to school already. And once he was out, they all heard Hazel from the kitchen squeal with excitement.

“Look at this, Final!” Hazel said, running up to her to compare. Now they really did look like twin sisters. She wore the black skirt and jacket looked the same except for the checkered school ribbon around her neck. It was tied into a tie instead of a bow, which ended up adorably shorter than the boy's ties.

“Okay, we’re off to school, don’t wait up!” Hazel said quickly, taking Ethel’s hand and heading to put their shoes on at the front door.

“Don’t screw this up,” Prime warned Hazel.

“I won’t,” Hazel replied, stepping outside the door with Ethel and Hinako following her out.

Hazel stepped onto the roadway and took a deep breath of morning air. She’s more excited than she lets on. Ethel realized. As she joined her sister in the street Hinako silently slipped between them then down another road. The Ethels stretched in sync with one another and began walking, together.

“Excited for school?” Ethel asked. The two laughed to themselves before going quiet again, listening to the breeze as they walked.

“Hey,” Hazel began, getting a little sheepish before putting her words together. “Thanks for calling me your sister. If it wasn’t for that, everything would be over.” The way she said that made Ethel’s chest tighten up and she happily weaved her arm through Hazel’s.

“Anytime, sis,” she responded. Hazel’s eyes shot open with surprise, glancing left. Ethel followed her gaze only to see Naoko Hajime crossing their path.

“Hajime-kun!” The two called out. Naoko nearly jumped out of his skin but quickly composed himself. As usual he wore a mostly tidy suit-jacket like the rest of the boys in school. His persistent bedhead seemed to perk up as he turned away from his flashcards, pleasantly surprised.

“Oh, morning,”

“Good morning,” the two said in unison, putting an even bigger smile on his face.

“How’s your head?” Naoko asked, pointing at Hazel.

“Just a flesh wound,” Hazel explained, patting her head like it was good as new.

“What about Ame,” Hazel asked. “Did she get away from the police alright?”

“Probably,” Naoko answered with a shrug. “I didn’t bother to check.” He returned to his flashcards casually. Ethel and Hazel passed a glance at one another, silently condemning this action. After several minutes of silence, the two noticed Naoko peeking up from his flash cards sheepishly.

He’s thinking of some small talk, Ethel realized.

“Say,” Naoko finally spoke up. Hazel turned to him with a curious hum. “You said the other day you skipped the opening ceremony to play video games at home. Exactly what game were you playing?” His face looked particularly hopeful as Hazel smiled and waved a hand in front of her face.

“Oh, I’ve quit playing all games to attend school instead,” She answered. Ethel turned her lips inward at such a safe explanation. Naoko’s face melted into a frown. “That giraffe hitting me woke me up to how important education is,” she continued. “Being so close to death has inspired me to straighten my life up and put aside my interests for the interests of the world.” She said with a slightly sarcastic tone, but it appeared to Ethel that Naoko missed that.

“Oh, okay,” Naoko mumbled, dejectedly hanging his head as he flipped through flashcards. Ethel nudged her sister a bit too hard but didn’t care. Hazel glanced up, clearly annoyed. Ethel nodded in Naoko’s direction. Hazel glanced back, confused. She poked her sister’s ribcage one more time, forcing her to hold her stomach to avoid gasping for air from the pain. After a second, she got the memo and cleared her throat to respond to Naoko’s feelings.

“But before swearing off games,” Hazel said, a bit out of breath. “My favorite game was Call of Honor: 2nd War.”

The mention of that game’s name and genre didn’t necessarily make Naoko any more sad, but he retreated further into himself, eyes blank, and mouth shut. A full minute passed with nothing said, when Naoko picked up his pace and pulled out his flashcards again.

“I’ll… See you two at school,” he said. Hazel reached out for him, but he was already stepping into a larger crowd of students.

“I think you hurt his feelings,” Ethel whispered to Hazel, who was still feeling the sting of Naoko's departure.

“But that was his favorite game in my universe,” Hazel pouted, only to stop dead in her tracks. “Oh no…” Hazel buried her head in her palms.

“What?” Ethel said.

“We could have placed our trackers on him just now.”

Ethel gasped, feeling as though she’d lost a race she’d been training her whole life for. Before, doing her duty and living among the humans, this was just another passive task to bide the time. Yet, watching Naoko walk on and turn right with the rest of the students reminded her that he was one of many people who lived peacefully. None of them truly knew of the looming shadow of the Etherian conquest. And even more, Naoko was one of two very important people in this world.

“Nao…” Hazel muttered to herself, still sad at her little mistake.

“C’mon,” Ethel took her arm again and walked until the school came into view. A feeling of anxiety and excitement filled the air as students walked and talked all around them. “It’s just day one,” Ethel said. “You’ll have plenty of other chances to talk with him, sis.” She finished, letting her twin go. Hazel brightened at that, and Ethel could somewhat tell that she was going to feel better once they got inside.

“You’re right,” Hazel said. “I’m going to make sure he’s my best friend!”

“That’s the spirit,” Ethel agreed. They smiled at one another as they stepped closer toward the school, only to find themselves blocked by a gaggle of female students. Ethel started scanning the backs of all the girls, but couldn’t find anyone familiar. Hazel grabbed Ethel’s hand and dragged her over to a girl with long untied black hair. Tapping her shoulder, the girl turned to Hazel annoyed before realizing who she was.

“Alph- Er, Hazel,” Hinako corrected herself as she stepped aside to allow the Ethels to get closer. Beyond the crowd was a sight that made Ethel’s stomach turn. Naoko Hajime was having a cordial conversation with Hotaru Miyagi. And the crowd was going wild for Miyagi.

“Who do you think he is?” Asked one of the girls. “I didn’t see him at the ceremony yesterday.” “He’s so tall and cool.” “I hope I’m in his class.” “Me too.” Said another. The Ethels shared a look with Hinako.

“I mean, sure, if you’re into that,” Hazel said under her breath.

“Totally!” Hotaru exclaimed. “Bright Souls is obviously the better game.”

“Thank you!” Naoko was beaming ear-to-ear at the comment. “You really know your stuff, Hotaru.”

“Of course, man. We should play sometime.” He said, offering his hand. The Ethels stared in horror as Naoko firmly took it and shook not noticing the thin piece of hardware that had been on Hotaru’s palm the entire conversation. A smug grin adorned Hotaru’s face as he turned to the Ethels, triumphant.

The Ethels groaned in unison, Hinako pushed through the crowd and bumped Hotaru as she passed. Alpha didn’t even look, she turned away completely and stormed off leaving a sad Hotaru glancing around wondering what he did wrong.

“See you inside,” Ethel whispered to him with a pat on his shoulder. Pushing through the girls who were now whispering strange things at her. This could be weird. She thought as she made her way to the shoe rack, changed her shoes and went upstairs to her classroom.

The classes that Omega had miraculously got the field team members into evenly distributed the four. Hazel and Hotaru were assigned to class 2-B with Naoko, and Ethel and Hinako were in class 2-A with Ame. None of them asked how she had pulled this off but she insisted that her “people on the inside” could get anything. Whatever that meant.

As Final slipped into the classroom, thinking she would be early, she found the room surprisingly occupied. Towards the back Hinako was reading by her window-seat but midway through the classroom, surrounding her desk in the second column yet another flock of female students were gathered and discussing. This time, ones that she recognized, and who immediately began to question her.

“Who is that girl who looks just like you?” “Is she your twin?” “Where has she been all this time?” Final gave them all a contemptuous smile as she thought of what to say, waiting for her turn to talk.

“We’ve actually been apart for a while, since she was with our father overseas,” Ethel explained.

“Aww, you must be so happy to have her home,” a girl commented.

“But who’s the hot guy at the front gate this morning?” asked one. “Yeah, yeah, tell us!” All the girls around her were crowding in even closer before they all heard a load wood on wood slap at the front of the class.

“Alright, back to your classrooms, people,” said the female teacher, Hana-sensei. She was a very angry looking person. Her eyebrows were thick and her hair short. She seemed to wear a near permanent frown and her excellent posture meant she towered over the class as she walked in wearing a rather casual combination of grey track pants and a matching coat. Final knew her from some interactions in her previous year and she knew she wasn’t a bad person. But she was glad for her strictness especially now.

Hana-sensei brandished her yardstick with both hands as if she was preparing to strike. The group of girls nearly tripped over themselves as they flooded out the back of the classroom, worried for their behinds. Hana smiled slightly to herself, satisfied with her work, a sight only Ethel noticed as the rest of the class filed in for roll call. Hana-sensei set down her yardstick and began reading off the student’s names from the front to the back, asking each to introduce themselves and sit. When it finally got to Ethel’s row, the seat to her left was still empty, and Ame Owari hadn’t come yet.

She’ll be here, Ethel thought to herself as her name was called.

“My name is Ethel Montgomery Arkwright. I was born in Tokyo, and my favorite pastime is reading a good book. Please take good care of me.” There were a few who almost started clapping for her before they caught themselves. But now it was the empty chair’s turn.

“Owari Ame?” Hana-sensei called out. “Owari-san?” She repeated as the front door to the classroom slid open.

“Sorry I’m late,” Ame said casually before walking past Hana-sensei in full view of the class. Ame was covered head to toe in thick clothing. A scarf and mask shielded most of her face as not only wore her usual jacket, but gloves, long sweats under her skirt and a beanie over her short hair and ears. Ethel groaned to herself at the sight, trying her best not to show frustration on her face.

“Ahem,” Hana-sensei coughed, starling Ame. “Care to introduce yourself?” the teacher made no comment on her apparel, doing her best to force a warm smile. It was a bit jarring, unfortunately.

“Oh, right. I am Owari Ame. My friends call me Ame. Uhh… Nice to meet you.” Ame said, finishing with a bow and quickly moving to her seat. Ethel glanced back at Hinako who, upon seeing the fully covered Ame, dropped her face into her book. Ethel stopped thinking for a few seconds. For the first time in her life she wasn’t quite sure what she should do next.

“Psst,” Ethel sounded to get Ame’s attention. “What’s with the outfit?” she asked.

“I heard coughing during the opening ceremony, so just to make sure, I’m keeping myself covered so I don’t get sick.” Ame’s explanation left Ethel with time to think as class started and the day continued. And throughout this time, Ethel was racking her brain on how to get the tracker on her.

This was supposed to be easy, she thought, glancing at the tracker in her palm and contemplating how to plant it. Before she knew it the lunch bell rang. Ame stood up and zipped out of the classroom before she could follow, finding herself surrounded by the same gossiping crowd.

“Pardon, sorry, excuse me,” Ethel repeated to her classmates as she pushed closer until she reached the hallway. But once out there, Ame was gone without a trace.

Ethel nervously turned in her lips out of habit as she began searching for Ame in the other classrooms. She passed class 2-B to see if Hazel and Hotaru could help, only to find them busy chatting with Naoko. She shook her head and doubled back to 2-A, hoping that Hinako would be of some help, but finding more of the same. Underclassmen were surrounding her as she looked over pieces of homework and began to tutor them. Once again, Ethel was on her own. But then a thought occurred to her. Reaching up and pinching her earlobe, Ethel connected to Houston back at her house.

“Um… Excuse me, Ethel to Houston?” She spoke in a low voice as she sought out a secluded place in the hallwaysto talk. “Ethel to Houston,” she repeated, and was greeted by a familiar grammatically challenged voice.

“Ello?” asked Ehtel, her primitive version. Ethel held back a sigh after hoping to hear Omega’s voice.

“Hi, Ehtel, are Omega or any of the others there with you right now? I need some help approaching Owari-san to plant the tracker.” There was an abnormally long pause.

“Up late, Ehtels tired, call later,” Ehtel hung up.

Final wasn’t sure what kind of expression she was making, but the heat in her face and unusual strength she felt from clenching her fist was new to her.

I think this is called frustration, she thought. The realization was easy to ascertain, but not so much as how to get rid of it. She ended up stomping back to the classroom, feeling peeved before she finally sat down to think again.

“You look hungry,” Ame commented. Ethel turned to see her snarfing down a small bento of rice and fish. It wasn’t anything special, but the mention of food forced Ethel to ignore her frustration and pull out her own lunch. Rice balls, teriyaki, and squid. At first, she chewed her food out of necessity, but after a few bites, she started to relax and feel whole.

“You seem to get pretty cranky without some food,” Ame said. “Is your sister the same way?” Ethel felt a little awkward being asked that. She didn’t answer on account of having a mouth full of food, but still held up her finger to allow her some time.

“I’m not entirely sure,” Ethel said after swallowing. Ame nodded and went back to eating. Ethel then felt lacking as she waited for Ame to ask another question, but nothing came.

There’s that frustration again, Ethel thought.

“We've been apart for so long, I'll have to ask her that.” Ethel lied in a way. But talking about herself wasn’t going to get her any closer to planting her tracker or getting to know Ame better.

“What about you?” Ethel asked, “you got anything that makes your day better?” It was a broad enough question and was sure that Ame would answer one way or another.

“Hmm….” Ame paused between a bite. “Not really,” she said quickly enough. And Ethel realized she had a nervous tick for curling her lips.

“What about hobbies?” Ethel asked.

“Got none,”

“Are you into sports?”

“Used to be,”

“What sport?”

“It doesn’t matter,”

“Favorite food?”

“Water,”

“Ehhh?” Ethel stopped her questions there.

“What?” Ame said defensively. “Water can be really delicious sometimes. Tap is always a no go, certain bottled ones can be good, but the best kind of water can only be found in water wells. I even have one back at home.”

Ethel pushed her lunch to the side of her desk and slumped over in defeat.

I didn’t want to know about that, Ethel thought. Her water hobby is weird and she’s weird. I wanted to know something genuinely exciting about her. Ethel turned to Ame and watched her drink her well water from a sports bottle. There was nothing else that she could think of to ask her, but then she saw an ear bud poking out between her scarf and jacket.

“Do you like music?” She asked. Ame set down her bottle immediately.

“Actually, I-“

“Lunch break is over!” Hana-Sensei interrupted. Ame dropped the subject, hiding her lunch and looking forward. Ethel was for once, a little slow in refocusing on class and instead of following Hana-sensei’s lesson, recommitted herself to asking Ame the right question.

Music, she likes music! Ethel smiled, scribbling a rough plan in her notebook.

Two bullet points. Catch Ame after school and ask her about music. She spent the next fifteen minutes theorizing where Ame would go if leaving early, because of course she would leave early. She ruled out the park because Naoko might go there. Ame’s house was a likely option. But she was hoping that wasn’t her plan as she wanted to catch Ame alone. Priority one, she scrawled down. Strong conversation. Which could happen over dinner, at an event, or anywhere. The endgame was simple, even if she couldn’t plant the tracker immediately there would be more opportunities if priority one succeeded as… she scrawled one more note and underlined: become better friends with Ame. So long as this succeeded there would be no issues.

Ethel flipped the page over, making sure Ame hadn’t noticed her scheming. The girl remained as attentive as ever going into the final few hours of class. All Ethel had to do was keep an eye on her as she left and leave a few minutes after. At 3:10 Ame made her move before the rest of the class had packed up. She was out the door before Ethel could finish closing ceremonies, but that wouldn’t stop her. Of course, there was that one thing. She glanced at Hinako’s seat, empty. Did she already leave? When did that happen? Before she could rationalize a response, she was accosted by her vice president.

“Your half, Prez,” said a girl with twin braids and thick spectacles once the class had begun filing out. She handed Ethel a stack of papers as to the class president’s duty, taking the other half for herself.

“I’m so sorry, Ishizaki-chan, but I can’t do this today,” Ethel said, bowing slightly and returning the stack of papers. “I’ll take the full load tomorrow, promise!” And with that, she was out the door leaving a very confused Ishizaki alone to finish their work. “Sorry.” Ethel whispered under her breath, and she hoped that wouldn’t come back to bite her.

Ethel ran down the hallway for the first time in her life. She started in the direction Ame was likely to go, towards the front of the school. Once there, she double checked the vending machines on the first floor then each row of the shoe cubby before grabbing her own and leaving.

“Next, the Owari residence,” she huffed, breaking into a jog. Being class president helped in figuring out Ame’s address, nevertheless, despite ruling it out she made her way through the park just in case. From the park, Ethel ran along the riverside before cutting right behind an entire block of houses and coming to a neighborhood of older houses.

Ethel scanned each house number until she found it. Possibly the oldest house in the bunch, the dark colored wood and flat-topped roof added a tinge of uniqueness to the abode. Beyond the chain link fence sat a garden on the right and open grass with a water pump on the left side of the yard, bisected by a short stone path that led to the front door. Though the house had a lot of character it seemed to have such in spite of itself as if it were expanding beyond the small plot it had been allotted.

Ethel glanced around, hoping she hadn’t somehow beaten Ame to her own house. Her concerns were dashed when, after ringing the doorbell she heard footsteps swiftly approaching. Going home club? I didn’t think she was the type. Ethel smiled broadly to greet her friend only to have her hopes dashed when a young man opened the door, his long black bangs covering half of his face.

“May I help you?” he asked.

“Is… Owari Ame home?” His eyes widened as she asked. He frowned, giving Ethel the once-over as if he were inspecting an intruder.

“I’m afraid you just missed her,” he said. “I’m her older brother, Akira.”

“Pleasure to meet you, I am Ethel Montgomery Arkwright.”

“Oh! You’re one of those girls she were talking about!” Akira said.

“Um… You wouldn’t happen to know where she is, would you?” Ethel asked again. Akira sighed and bowed his head slightly in apology.

“Sorry, my sister went into the city to play with her band as an opener.”

“Owari-san’s in a band?”

“Yeah, she’s a little shy when it comes to that.”

“Do you know where she’s playing?” Ethel asked.

“Yes, but you wouldn’t make it in time,” Akira answered. They both looked up at the sky which was quickly taking on an orange haze.

“Don’t worry, I’m a fast runner!” Ethel said, pulling her notebook out and brandishing a pen at Akira’s face. The boy seemed to doubt her, but he quickly jotted it down without a fuss.

“Are you still going? It’s getting dark,” he asked. Ethel waved good-bye as she ran off in the direction of the train station. Looking at the paper Akira gave her, Ethel read that Ame’s band would be playing in less than ten minutes.

“Thank goodness for alternate selves,” Ethel said, turning a corner into an alleyway. After confirming there was no one around she pulled back her left sleeve, typing her access code into a complex watch on her wrist that was probably more valuable than whole countries. The Arkwright Multiversal navigation device beeped and whirred giving her the options of latitude and longitude as well as specific places she could open a portal to. Since the machine had been synced with covert satellites set up by her alternate selves it would be easy to find a place she could teleport without being seen all she had to do was provide the information.

Omega had said that it should only be used in case of emergencies. And Ethel figured this moment fit those criteria. She entered the address to locate exactly where Ame was and used the watch’s empty space assist to find a close enough place to the address to teleport safely to.

“One block away, perfect.” She pressed the red button in the bottom right corner and watched as a blue circle opened next to her. Once it had stopped shaping into a hexagon, Ethel jumped through and was instantly met with a hard concrete wall. The portal blinked out instantly and Ethel brushed herself off before stepping out of the secluded alleyway, and into the bustling streets of Tokyo.

Ethel took in the crowded city for one moment and quickly turned to her watch’s map. Following the line it made from her current location to a building with a stairway going down. At the bottom of the stairs was a poorly lit iron door.

“This is the place,” Ethel said, and worked up the courage to twist the handle and push.

Inside was a large crowd of people in a dark blue lit room. The atmosphere felt foreign to Ethel as most of the teenagers present wore casual clothes and unusual fashions. Ethel, still in her school uniform, must have looked like a lost puppy to the more eclectic partiers. Nevertheless, few paid her any mind as a loud microphone screech grabbed the audience’s attention and directed it to the stage, where a man stood with five individuals behind him.

“Welcome, and thanks for coming!” the man’s voice sounded like scratch paper over the speakers, but he was dressed in a spiked suit and sunglasses, completely enveloping his persona of a hyped stage director for bands. “Tonight, before the main event, we got a great little band with talent, style, and noise!” His last word was met by the crowd with a roar that vibrated Ethel as she stood in the back. “Please welcome Dinosaur's Last Concert!”

Spotlights flashed overhead as the stage announcer ran off stage to show the five now brightly illuminated for all to see, and among the five was Ame. She was still in her trademark jacket, matching the other four on stage, and holding a red electric guitar. The rest of her band was accompanied by another guitarist, a bassist, a pianist, and a drummer. And as they stood there waiting for the crowd to quiet, Ame took the microphone roughly in hand and shouted through it: “We are Dinosaur’s Last Concert!” The crowd cheered for them as Ame riffed on her guitar and started their song.

Before Ethel knew it, people’s arms were pumping in the air, and her body started bobbing to the music as the drum, string, and key notes resonated with her heartbeat. She felt so surprised by this display of talent and amateur flare, that while her face felt still and wide eyed, she soon closed her eyes and whooped with the rest of the crowd, not caring about being proper, and just listening to the song.

The song itself sounded upbeat with loud metal cords making the crowd want to dance and hum to the lyrics. Ethel opened her eyes again to see Ame tearing at her guitar with her pick, sweating as she tried to keep pace with the rapid drumbeats that led into a smash of the symbols. The cacophony was broken up by a guitar single allowing the others to catch their breath, sing intermittently, and build to the climax. The ending was like the chorus but exploded with a different direction in beat and lyrics that left the crowd silent once the song officially ended.

Ame and the rest of her band played one final note, and each raised one arm up to strike a pose, queuing the crowd to cheer. The girls stood upright bowing, before being met with a plea for an encore from Ethel and half the crowd. But the announcer came out to congratulate Ame and her band as another band entered the stage to get ready.

“Dinosaur’s Last Concert, everybody! We’ll be sure to have them here again!” The excitable announcer felt honest as he laughed at the end of his sentence. And then immediately led into the main band’s introduction. Ethel watched as Ame and her friends exited left-stage with their instruments slung on their backs. She tuned out the rest of the noise that came from the crowd, undoubtedly louder than when Ame’s band played, but to her, Ame was the only thing interesting about tonight.

When she finally made it back up the stairs, she watched as Ame was waved her bandmates good-bye heading away from them further into Tokyo. Ame was about to turn in the opposite way when she saw Ethel, standing right in front of her.

“Y-you…”

“Saw!” Ethel interrupted Ame, her smile dashing all worry and suspicion from Ame’s face.

“You liked it?” Ame asked to which Ethel nodded quickly to answer. Then Ame took one look at her phone and then to Ethel. “How did you know where I was?”

“I asked your brother,” Ethel confessed, to which Ame palmed her face and glanced one more time at her phone.

“The uhh… Final train is going to leave soon, so…”

“Oh, right!” Ethel said, picking up a jog with Ame. The two ran and waited between traffic lights, finding their way to the train station with time to spare. The train, surprisingly, had very few passengers, so having their pick of seats, Ethel followed Ame to the first available seat before finally asking her question.

“So, you like music, huh?” Ethel asked. Ame gave a little smile and a glare at Ethel.

“Just a little bit,” Ame said. That made Ethel laugh. “And what about you? I can’t imagine you’re much into rock’n’roll.”

“I just like what sounds good,” Ethel said with a smile, obviously talking about Ame’s band. Ame blushed and scratched her head. And that’s when Ethel first noticed the difference.

“You’re not wearing all those clothes anymore.”

“Yeah, I was just being cautious is all,” Ame said. “I’ve had times before when I’ve caught a cold before a performance, and I was just being extra careful this time. Since this was our first time opening in front of a large audience.”

“That was your first time?” Ethel repeated. “How long have you been practicing?”

“Well, my parents were always on me about piano practice when I was little. And since my brother could play, they wanted me to have the same discipline. But when I got a little older, I transferred those skills to the guitar and that was around the same time I met the others in middle school.”

Ethel continued to listen as Ame told her about the club she formed with her friends and how they saved up money for years to purchase their own equipment and set to writing songs. Ame was red by the time she had caught herself rambling.

“...Well, uhh, that’s more or less how I got here,” Ame finished, looking to Ethel with another joking glare. “And what about you? Why’d you follow me all the way out here?”

“I wanted to talk to you,” Ethel answered. “But I already got to know you plenty enough today, so I’m good.” This time Ame laughed.

“You’re so weird,” Ame said.

“Says the girl still wearing winter gloves in spring,” Ethel accused. Ame took off her glove, extending it to Ethel.

“Call me Ame,”

“Ethel,” Ethel said as she met Ame’s hand, firmly planting the tracker between her and Ame’s palms. The rest of the train ride home was spent talking about various genres of music. And the more they talked the more Ethel found Ame opening up. She was a nicer girl than she thought she already was. And her reasoning for dressing the way she had surprised her even more.

“If you’re going to dress, dress well, and dress yourself in what you're comfortable in,” Ame told her.

“But I bet you’d look stunning in a dress too,” Ethel commented, which Ame dismissed with a sarcastic hand wave. The announcer overhead called for Chiba, and Ame and Ethel stood, ready to disembark. Once off the train, the two walked home to Ame’s house first, where Akira was waiting for them both.

“Glad you’re okay,” he said.

“Thanks?” Ame said.

“Not you, dummy. I was talking to Arkwright-san.” Both siblings placed their hands on their hips as they scowled at one another.

Now where have I seen this before? Ethel thought, thinking of Naoko in that instance.

“Thank you both for taking care of me,” Ethel told them, “It was a pleasure to get to know, and meet both of you today.” The two siblings shared a bashful smile before nodding to that.

“See you at school, Eth,” Ame said with a little wave. Ethel mimicked the gesture as she stepped down the road a ways. Once she had a good distance from prying eyes, she looked at her watch again, flipped through the items on the subscreen until she saw “return home” and opened a portal to her foyer, the designated teleportation zone in her house. The portal shimmered into a barely recognizable existence and she stepped through, taking care to close it swiftly from the other side.

“I’m home,” Ethel forced herself to say. After all the running, portal jumping, partying, and the train ride home, Ethel could barely believe she was home. She kicked off her shoes at the entryway and was ready to explain herself, only to come upon Omega lecturing Hazel, Hinako, and Hotaru.

“Idiots!” Omega said, making the three flinch. “Not only did all of you fail to plant a tracker on Ame, but you all planted your trackers on Naoko!”

“But I planted mine first-”

“Can it!” Omega shouted over Hotaru. “I don’t care who did what first, the remainder of the week will be spent extracting those extra two trackers from Naoko! But first…” Omega held out her hand and waited as Hazel, Hinako, and Hotaru each pulled out their share of money for the pizza. Ethel could smell the pizza wafting from the kitchen. Omega turned to see Ethel, clenching the cash in hand tightly.

“Good job today,” Omega said, patting Ethel’s head. The expression on Omega’s face said she knew what happened and gave Final time to let out a deep held breath. “Did you enjoy yourself?”

“Yep!” She said.

“Good, now go have some pizza,” Omega pushed Ethel in the direction of the kitchen. The other Ethels were already picking slices from their favorite pizzas and handed her a plate and a glass of milk. She saw that groceries had already been bought too, and were piled on the counter, enough for eight people.

“So,” Hazel came up behind her and Omega. “How was Ame?”

“She was the coolest!” Ethel said, as all the other Ethels nodded in agreement. Picking up a slice of cheesy victory, Final Ethel set to enjoying the first of many pizzas in her new life.

*****

“Naoko!” Ame said from across the room. “Come eat with me!” The dejected Naoko slowly rose from his seat and hobbled over not seeming to care too much about where he sat with his meal.

“I was thinking about it earlier and, you know, I think I do like Bright Souls.” Alpha noted. The boys eyes brightened considerably.

“Well, of course! That franchise is literally perfect! What’s your favorite boss?” He asked, still a bit skeptical.

“Frost Lurker, of course!” She recited, hoping she had chosen the right one from the list of most popular Bright Souls bosses.

“That second phase was incredible!” Naoko remarked, stars in his eyes. Bingo.

“Truly, you are a man of culture.” Alpha stated, offering her hand which Naoko took without hesitation. She clasped his palm, placing her tracker on the back of his hand. The conversation continued and Alpha replied with rehearsed enthusiasm for Naoko’s favorite game. All she had to do was convince Omega that she planted her tracker first. Since they were both around the same area on his body it wouldn’t be a hard case to make. All was going according to plan…

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