Sweet Sweethearts (OC TF/ID, Reality Change) (Patreon)

Hikari hummed happily to herself as she checked the time again. It would be opening soon, right? Conversation hummed steadily around the lobby, some excited and some bored. The poor woman at the entrance desk seemed a bit overwhelmed from having so many visitors when usually there would be none.

“What are you, seven?” Izanami asked with a roll of her eyes (insofar as she could actually do that, not having a body at the moment - Hikari could practically hear the gesture). “You’re so excited about a tour of a candy factory, that I wouldn’t be surprised if you were aging backwards or something.”

“It’s a very exclusive tour! They never open their doors for anyone not working here, and they make the best chocolate in Matsushita!” Hikari said in response under her breath. “Besides, it’s like, adult candy and things like that. They made one with wine in it lately, very mature.”

“Mmhm. Very mature. Which is why you’re humming the commercial under your breath.” Izanami noted.

“…Also, it’s a tour of a candy factory, they’re going to have free samples.”

Hikari Himura, magical girl and college student, had not really expected to win when she sent in her email to the address listed on a flier the last time she’d gone to class. You never win online raffle contests, right, it’s something that happens to other people. At best, she’d figured she might be lucky enough to get a free bag of goodies sent to her door.

Instead, she’d ended up with the “grand prize” - a tour of the factory and meeting with the woman behind the candy. There were other people who’d won tours and all, but she was the only one who would get some one on one with her and go through the process for coming up with new candy. While Hikari honestly wasn’t all that interested in the process, she very much was interested in testing out any new flavors they might have.

Just when she thought that the guide was running late, one of the doors to the lobby swung open and in strode an eccentric figure. The woman was tall and skinny, with long vibrantly colored hair the same shade as strawberries, wearing a pink and black waistcoat, black leggings, and shockingly high heels. Especially with the eccentric attire, she seemed anything but a formal person, with a dazzling smile on her painted lips and her hair left in girlish pigtails. “Welcome, welcome, to the primary factory of Cathy Clover’s Confections! As the more attentive among you may have surmised, I’m the namesake of this delightful company, Catherine Clover - but call me Cathy.”

One of her assistants, a man in a more formal suit who looked rather more businesslike, started handing out the guest passes. They all included the photos that had been sent in as part of confirming their wins, with Hikari’s being a surprisingly decent one where she’d looked at the camera with a wide grin and flashed a peace sign. “Those poor men.” Izanami sighed solemnly. “Forced to deal with someone like that on a daily basis… I can empathize.”

“Oh? That’s rare, coming from you.” Hikari said as the man walked off to the next winner. She examined her card a bit closer - the gold border marked it as the “grand prize” visitor pass.

“Dealing with you and Natsuki so often, I’ve learned to feel for those constantly put upon by fools.”

Hikari’s response would be interrupted as the woman approached, all smiles as she reached out and shook the younger lady’s hand vigorously. “Hello hello! You’re Hikari, yes? Grand prize winner right here, lucky lucky!” she giggled, holding on a little tighter than Hikari was quite comfortable with.

“Ah, yes I am!” Hikari said, “I look forward to the tour!”

“As do I, as do I! Say, that white streak in your hair is very pretty, isn’t it?” Cathy said, reaching down and touching it. “Like a vanilla swirl in a sea of chocolate~! I like it, I like it a lot! I could make a candy based on that, yes!”

Hikari shuffled awkwardly, not quite wanting to push the factory owner away in her own place but also wanting some personal space. She was saved by the assistant clearing his throat. “Oh, I think he’s trying to get your attention…” Hikari said.

“Boring, but needed I suppose! I do hope you enjoy the tour, Hikari~ We’ll talk more after, hmm hmm?” Cathy said, before walking off with a spring in her step.

“…Well, she’s nice.” Hikari said quietly after a while.

“She’s annoying. I’d like to mask her and turn off that irritating personality of hers. She’d be better as a silent drone.” Izanami grumbled.

“You say that about everyone, including me.” Hikari chided.

“That’s because it’s true about nearly everyone.”

— — — — —

The tour was off to a nice start; they knew what most of the attendees were there for and opened with some free samples of recently-released sweets. Hikari nibbled on a chocolate bar as the assistant explained the purpose of this tour - to give a peek into the process of Cathy Clover Confections (or 3-C) and how everything ends up on a store shelf, and in a joking tone to get people addicted to their candy so they’d tell their friends about it.

Hikari was honestly pretty happy just starting with that, but there was more to the tour than just the free samples. After acquiring their starting candy, they continued down several different rooms where different tasks were completed. 3-C liked to handle everything they possibly could in-house in order to ensure their standards of quality and taste were met.

Admittedly, Hikari kind of tuned out a lot of it. Sure, it was nice that they had a good relationship with the farms that grew their ingredients and paid their own truckers well instead of keeping them as external contractors. It was cool  that they had a whole room dedicated to people tasting and testing over brands of candies to figure out what factors people enjoyed the most and what was best left out. But she wasn’t exactly looking to work in the industry - she didn’t need the pitch, which she was pretty sure was just for any interviews that they might be brought to to ask about the experience afterwards.

In each room, different parts of the tour group split off. A pair here, a trio there. Hikari asked why they were doing that, and Cathy gave a jaunty grin. “Well well, they won different prizes, so they get to see different parts of the factory! You, love, won the grand prize - you see it all!”

The tour continued, but something felt off after that - Hikari noticed another group being led off at each room. Izanami was getting a little restless. “Is it just me or is she trying to get you alone?” she asked.

“Oh, you’re always suspicious. She’s just having fun, right?” Hikari said in reply.

Cathy was going into quite some detail as they went - especially when they got to the section where the chocolate was molded to shape. “This is where some of our best work is done~ It’s proprietary tech, nothing you’d see in another factory. We make sure no chocolate goes to waste with our very special molds - and we can do nearly any size or shape!”

“That’s… impressive.” Hikari said awkwardly; there was just her and two more young women now, and she was trying to fill in the conversation. “Do they have to be that big?”

The machines were pretty huge, taking up two whole stories; catwalks for servicing the top sides of the machines crossed the whole factory floor. Honestly Hikari couldn’t fathom why you’d need them that huge.

“Well, if you want the production pace and the variety of shapes 3-C has, then yes!” Cathy answered confidently. The tour continued, and the remaining two ladies were escorted to another part of the factory - leaving Hikari and Cathy alone.

Some additional free samples were furnished as they proceeded to the stairs, climbing to the second floor for some further exploration. This time, it was something Hikari hadn’t seen from the brand before, mixing vanilla and chocolate flavors in a rather delicious way.

“Is this new?” Hikari asked, munching on it. She looked around as they walked on the catwalks above the machines, getting a bit of an odd feeling as she did.

“It is, it is! Consider it part of the grand prize. We’ve not worked a name out for it yet, but the flavor’s there!” Cathy said. “Consider it part of the grand prize, getting a preview like that~”

“A very tasty one.” Hikari agreed. “There’s nobody else left, right? So this is the part about a private meeting, isn’t it? Are we going to your office, now?”

“Ah yes, ‘private meeting’, because that always goes so well when you agree to it.” Izanami grumbled within Hikari’s head. “I’m calling nonsense on that. We should just leave while we can.”

“I suppose you could call it that part! We’re not going to my office just yet though - I prefer walking the factory floor to see how things are going rather than holing up in a stuffy room.” Cathy said. “We will be talking though. Your application for the contest said you were a student, yes yes?”

Hikari nodded. “Yeah, I am… what about it?” Hikari asked, tilting her head confusedly.

“Well, in this day and age, getting a job is quite difficult! I was thinking I could offer you a job working with Cathy Clover Confections!” Cathy giggled.

Hikari blinked in confusion. “…Pardon? I don’t think I have qualifications for that-“

“Oh, you misunderstand, you misunderstand! It’s not a tough job really, all you have to do is keep looking as pretty as you do~ We’ve been looking for new faces for our advertising, you see, and your adorable vanilla-swirl hair has given me some grand ideas! I’d really love if you could work with us!”

“I, uh, do have some other obligations…” Hikari said awkwardly, pointedly looking away. Well, this was surprising, and she was a bit pushy…

Hikari squinted as she looked down at the factory floor below. There was a pair of young ladies coming out of a staff area with dazed looks on their faces… and when she looked a bit closer, she could practically swear she saw swirls in their eyes before an employee came out and gave them some glasses to wear.

They also happened to greatly resemble the two women last off in the tour group, though now with peppermint-swirled hair colors.

“I called it.” Izanami grumbled.

“Nonsense~ This is the best offer you’re ever going to get!” Cathy laughed as Hikari whirled around - just in time to get shoved over the catwalk rail and into the mouth of the machine. Without time to transform and fly off, she was unable to do anything but fall.

Hikari landed in a strange, sticky liquid in the belly of the machine. This was definitely no normal chocolate machine - as one might have imagined when she got pushed into it. The machine was big enough that she could practically swim in the stuff, and she managed to surface, coughing and sputtering the sweet tasting liquid. She looked around, but it was far too dark to see anything. “Crap, crap,” Hikari mumbled, coughing. She felt the sticky substance coating her - and eating away her clothes? The clothes vanished into the mix, melting right off her as they turned from cloth to the same liquid.

The transformation was starting soon, Hikari knew that well enough - but there wasn’t all that much she could do about it now, as she was already feeling something else. It was harder and harder to swim, and the liquid was feeling hotter by the second. She wiped at her forehead, but when she looked down she saw that her hand was… well, not really a hand anymore, but a mass of goop attached to her arm. She was… melting?

“Oh, isn’t that great.” Izanami grumbled. “It’s a good thing you like chocolate, Hikari.”

The melting continued, as Hikari was soaked through with the substance, and began to lose her shape. Her limbs went first, hands and feet, arms and legs, melting and spinning away in the mix. Without being able to tread water anymore, Hikari started to sink. She tried to hold her breath, but found it was unnecessary - the stuff had already gotten inside when she first fell. She tried to keep herself together, but force of will wasn’t doing much in the face of her body going gooey. It felt strange but not unpleasant - warm, and even kind of nice, even as she rapidly lost her shape entirely. Her entire body lost in the soup of magical liquid.

Something in the machine seemed to be able to detect when she’d completely lost her solidity, because Hikari and Izanami suddenly had a feeling of flow towards some pipe or valve that had opened, swirling down the drain to the next stage of the machine.

This part of the machine was well lit, actually - though Hikari didn’t have eyes (or anything else really) anymore she could still somehow see and sense the world around her. Unfortunately, that meant that the strobing lights were something she just couldn’t ignore. The panic and desire to escape were blasted out of her as she was mixed and mixed around the chamber. She was fine, she was sweet, Cathy Clover Confections was great and she was so happy to help them. Words put into her mind and bouncing around in there with the motion and lights.

Izanami wasn’t unaffected either - she was feeling everything Hikari was feeling too. The anger and annoyance were purged, physically separating out from them in the centrifuge. The machine had melted even their personalities down to goop and was now filtering out whatever the company didn’t need.

And the company did not need ‘Hikari’ or ‘Izanami’. Memories slipped out of the mass, names, desires. To replace them they mixed in with the rest of the liquid in the centrifuge. Hikari stopped being Hikari. Izanami stopped being Izanami. They split from each other, one light mass and one dark, swirling down the funnel to the next stage as their old identities were left as detritus caught in the filter.

The spinning stopped, and the light mass idly wondered what could be next - not that it cared, it was so very happy to be of use! The chamber walls began to close in around it, and part of it realized it was a mold - a feminine shape closing around them. They felt their form shifting and contorting to fit as it closed in around them, the darker mass swept aside for now. They eagerly compacted to best fit the shape, trying to be as helpful as possible as the mold closed on them. They started to cool, rapidly beginning to solidify and stay in their new shape.

It was a human, womanly shape - and a sexy one, with an impressive bust and a nearly as impressive bottom. It was sculpted to perfection, every detail accurate, and their proprietary tech even made sure the insides worked properly.

The mold did not look like Hikari - there was simply no need for the final product to be based on what it’s material looked like, after all.

The human-shaped mass now was pushed to the final part of the machine. “Wrapping” began as the machine analyzed the mold and decided what it would be dressed in. Whites and caramel browns swirled on silk as a new dress was created, plenty of lace and frills. As the machine dressed her, it also blasted the girl with her manufactured identity, flashing lights and swirling colors giving her a sugary sweet new personality.

At the factory floor, Cathy Clover was patiently awaiting her new employee. The exit of the machine opened with a hiss of steam, and out walked a new girl.

The new woman was pale skinned, with off-white hair and eyes of a similar color. She had a beautiful face and a bountiful figure, tantalizingly hinted at by her dress that contrasted it’s pure white and lace style with a sexy cut that drew eyes to all her best qualities. The young lady gave a dazzling smile and curtsy. “Valerie Vanilla, delighted to meet you, Mistress!” she said cheerfully.

“Mmmh~ Delicious~” Cathy said - perfect, she’d make an excellent mascot for 3-C. She walked up and gave her a big hug - but surprisingly, Valerie withdrew.

“Could you turn the machine on again? I think you’ll be sweetly surprised by what comes out~”

Cathy blinked in surprise - but checking the machine, there was enough material left inside for a whole second person! That was unexpected… but she had to see how this turned out. She hit the button.

Within the machine, the molds started once again, scraping up the leftovers of the nameless dark mass - swirling it through the chamber and then pressing it into the same mold that had made Valerie, squeezing out any last bits of unneeded attributes.

This material was significantly darker than that which had made Valerie, and the wrapping center recognized that as the new being stepped through it. She would be dressed in darker colors, blacks and greys, connected to her opposite number by the caramel-brown shade weaving it’s way through her dress.

The woman who stepped out of the machine looked very nearly identical to Valerie Vanilla - her figure was exactly the same, her face, eyes. But her entire vibe and coloration was different. She was deeply tanned with a caramel-chocolate skin tone, and her eyes had a glint of lust and mischief in them. When she took her place beside Valerie Vanilla, she groped the sweet girl’s bottom before grinning at Cathy. “Nice to meet you, Mistress~ I don’t have a name yet, but I’m sure you’ll give me a sweet one~” she said in a sultry tone.

Cathy looked between the two twins, then at the machine. How had there been that much material? She was just one girl… unless she was actually two? How could there be two people in one body? Wait…

“Oh… she was a magical girl…” Cathy said. The young woman - Cathy didn’t remember her name anymore, not that such a thing was relevant when the dregs of her identity were being swept out of the machine now - must have been a Magical Girl. It wasn’t unheard of for them to have an alternate “evil side” that was practically a separate person. That must have been what happened, especially since foreign magic was detected inside the mix.

She returned to Valerie and her nameless sister, with a wide smile. Two for the price of one was always a good deal. “Well then, well then… your sister is vanilla, so you’ll be Dark Chocolate. You can be Dani Dark!” she said with a dramatic pose.

Dani smiled as the name sunk in. “A sexy name for a sexy girl, hmm~? I love it~”

“Mistress, Mistress!” Valerie said, waving her hand in the air as if waiting to be called on by the teacher.

“Yes, Valerie?”

“What’re we gonna do for you now? I can’t wait to begin working!”

“Well, we have to get you promoting the new chocolate. I think I have a debut in mind for you…”

That new chocolate needed to be debuted - and moreover, she needed to make sure that nobody came looking for the girl who’d just been melted down and remolded. And she had just the plan.

— — — — —

Yoko Himura, retired Magical Girl and mother of Hikari, was taking a break from martial arts practice to watch some TV. It had been almost a week since Hikari had last gone out. It wasn’t so unusual - she often stayed out with friends for days at a time, or if it wasn’t that, she may well have encountered a villain. Sure, she was worried - she was a mother, after all - but she was also a former Magical Girl herself. She’d once spent nearly a month as a bimbo bunny on the arm of a magician themed Villain as he kept pulling a disappearing act to avoid capture, she knew what Magical Girl work entailed.

There was a commercial on at the moment - for some brand of chocolate she didn’t much care for, though Hikari liked it a lot. Her eye was caught, however, as two young women walked onto the screen. If it wasn’t for the difference in color scheme, Yoko could have sworn they were identical twins.

“I’m Valerie Vanilla~” The bright one said cheerfully.

“And I’m Dani Dark~” The dark one said, her tone more sultry.

“And we’re here to introduce the latest products by Cathy Clover Confections!” The two said in unison.

Normally, Yoko would have completely tuned out the commercial, especially since she’d been thinking about Hikari again. But something about it just made her have to keep watching.

“Galaxy Swirl contrasts the sweetness of white chocolate-“

“With the maturity of dark~”

The pitch continued - this was a lengthy commercial, playing between movies, and it seemed like they’d booked the entire ad break between them for the commercial. Not that Yoko was thinking about that, paying as much attention to the commercial as she was. Suddenly, she felt a craving for chocolate. Hm. Hadn’t Hikari last left home when she was going to visit-

“I love the sweet stuff, myself~” Valerie Vanilla giggled, the picture of youthful energy and girlishness. She was certainly a pretty girl and probably meant to target a younger audience - though her dress certainly was meant to catch another kind. “Can’t get enough of it! I need it to get through the day~”

“No, you’re just addicted to it, sister!” Dani chided, “I swear, you’re such a child sometimes~ A mature adult would prefer the dark, wouldn’t you say?”

Yoko’s head felt a little fuzzy as she watched, getting more sucked into the commercial as she did. She wondered which one Hikari would like… she’d probably like the sweet stuff, like Valerie. She had that same kind of childish sweet persona, and probably liked sugar too much for her dentist’s comfort. Valerie really was a cutie, wasn’t she?

So engrossed in the comercial was Yoko that she didn’t have the spare brainpower to recognize her own thoughts. Hikari slipped from them, the worry falling away as she focused on Valerie Vanilla and Dani Dark.

As cute as Valerie was - the commercial went on a bit with her adorably pouting at Dani’s criticisms - Yoko found herself more interested in Dani’s side of the commercial. The dusky skinned beauty was drop dead gorgeous, with a flirty and teasing personality that reminded Yoko of her own younger self. She could just imagine young girls thinking how cool she was and older ladies getting jealous of her easy and confident sensuality.

The chocolate craving was deep now - Yoko went and grabbed some from a stash hidden under the counter. It wasn’t hers, it was Hi… H… well, no, it had to be hers, didn’t it? Whoever’s it was wouldn’t mind her taking a bar of C-3 chocolate anyway, and after she took the first bite, she stopped worrying about it. Finders keepers!

The chocolate craving was deep now - Yoko went and grabbed some from a stash hidden under the counter. It wasn’t hers, it was Hi… H… well, no, it had to be hers, didn’t it? Whoever’s it was wouldn’t mind her taking a bar of C-3 chocolate anyway, and after she took the first bite, she stopped worrying about it. Finder’s keepers!

Settling back down at the TV, she kept watching the commercial, nibbling on the chocolate bar. As she did, watching Dani Dark strut her stuff on the screen, she hardly noticed how her skin was starting to change color - licking off a bit of melted chocolate from her finger only to reveal tanned flesh. She liked this girl’s easy and carefree sexuality. Maybe she could be like that…

Yoko’s hair was growing longer as she changed, and lightening. Her face shifted, losing years off her age with each bite of the chocolate bar. Even her clothes, casual as they were, began to change. She’d always been a fiery youth and that was coming back in force and stronger than ever, dressing sexy with dangerously short shorts and a plunging black and pink v-neck tank, her skin tanned from time in the sun and maybe a little bit of spray. Her longer hair bleached towards blonde, almost white.

The gyaru laughed as the commercial finished with a gag of Valerie Vanilla making a fool of herself and opening herself up to some grabs from Dani Dark. That was a good one! She felt like practically a new person as she wiped off her fingers and looked up the vid online, before sending a link to all her friends. First her buddies Natsuki and Akemi from college, then her husb- boyfrie- dad… mom? Her mom. It was a fun commercial and she wanted to share it!

She didn’t remember a single thing about the girl she’d been wondering about before. She was far too young to have a daughter, after all, though it was a wonder she hadn’t had an “accident” with how flirty and sensual she was. Yumi Himura, age 19, flipped the channel idly.

When the person she shared the home with came back - just one - it was an older, sultry woman. While she was pale skinned and black haired there was clear signs of being bleached earlier in life, and she carried herself with an easy confidence and sexuality - definitely a former gyaru. Like daughter, like mother!

“You know, love,” the woman said, dropping something on Yumi’s lap, “If you wanted chocolate you can just say that, you don’t need to send me the whole commercial.”

“But it was a fun commercial!” Yumi complained, but she was grinning as she took the bar. “One of those that you don’t mind seeing a dozen times since it’s cute and funny, right?”

“I suppose. It certainly has some cuties in it, hehehe.” The woman said. Sachi Himura, single mother of Yumi, had gotten the video sent to her while she was on her way back from wor- from a date. She had been thinking about something at the time, some girl she was pretty sure? Maybe it was just Yumi, the crazy girl always did something, but she’d been distracted by the video. Where did they got off making candy mascots as attractive as that ‘Dani Dark’?

“Mmhm! By the way, Mom, I’m going to head out to meat up with some friends, kay?” Yumi said, standing up and stretching. “It’s the weekend after all, can’t let it waste~”

— — — — —

Akemi Foster was in an annoyed mood, and was on an afternoon run to work off the stress. Usually this time of day Hikari would be texting her if she wanted to hang out or showing her something funny or something on those lines. Akemi would then usually call her to a practice session which she would misinterpret as hanging out.

Of course she couldn’t do such things when Hikari was presently missing. And this time she didn’t even have an idea of where to start! Usually she told them about events she was going to so if there was a trap it would be obvious but she’d obviously forgotten or it had been short notice. Of course this wasn’t actually that unusual for Magical Girls in general, or Hikari in particular - Girl’s magic seemed to be a magnet for Villains - but that didn’t make Akemi any less antsy.

“Not even the decency to show up and make an ‘I’m evil now’ speech, I swear,” Akemi muttered, when she suddenly got a text.

She opened it immediately - it was from Yoko Himura, Hikari’s mother. And… one of the most famous Magical Girl’s in Matsushita’s history. It had been years since they met and she was a really relaxed and kind person, but Akemi occasionally forgot to connect her rival’s mother with her childhood idol.

The text was wordless, just a link to a video. At first she thought there was just an advertisement playing on the video, but it turned out the advertisement was the video. She had no idea why Yoko would send her something like this, but there was probably a good reason, right? She decided to settle in to watch on her phone.

It was a commercial for some chocolate or other. Akemi wasn’t personally a fan of sweets, but for some reason, she found the commercial somehow appealing. The two leads had a good chemistry, she thought. The peppy Valerie Vanilla reminded her a lot of Hikari in her personality, always eager to help and be friendly, if very easily tricked.

As Akemi slowed down to watch, she lost track of the fact she was watching a commercial, more focused on the advert’s mascots. They were making the chocolate sound very good. Normally she’d be more on Dani’s side with the benefits of the more mature dark chocolate, but Valerie was making… a surprisingly convincing argument on white chocolate. Akemi felt herself relaxing and smiling despite herself as she watched the antics, forgetting her worry about Hikari. What had she been so stressed about again?

The video progressed, and Akemi found herself with an urge for something sweet for the first time in quite a while. She idly twirled at her hair - not noticing it’s increased length or how it was slowly restyling. Chocolate filled her mind, then other sweets… she wondered what other sorts of thing this Valerie girl liked. She was very pretty, the sort of look Akemi could only aspire too…

With the idea of ‘Hikari’ scrubbed clean from her mind, Valerie Vanilla was filling in. Akemi’s clothes shifted, from the track-suit she’d been wearing on her run to something more feminine and girly. It’s color shifted to white as parts merged and changed, shifting in shape and texture. Soon, she was wearing a pretty, ruffled dress, more meant for a weekend walk than an athletic jog.

The worries and stresses slid right off her shoulders, and she giggled at the antics on the video. They were so funny! No wonder Yumi had sent this video to her. The tough and serious rival had faded away, leaving behind a slightly ditzy girly girl. Though, her sunny personality aside, it was quite impossible to mistake her for a mere teenager as opposed to an adult - not when she’d developed such a significant set of assets throughout the transformation, Ake- no, Ayaka’s modest bust swelling to real melons.

Ayaka closed the video just to see another text from her besty, Yumi Himura, asking if they could meet up. Of course they could! She was pretty close to the meeting place their trio usually used anyway, wasn’t she? Ayaka sent off a text confirming, as well as one asking Natsuki if she could come.

She noticed as she was typing that the contact was wrong, saying it was to someone named “Yoko”. Whoops - she corrected the name immediately.

— — — — —

Natsuki arrived at the meeting place, looking around. It took her a few minutes to find who she’d come to see - Ayaka was waiting for her, cheerfully waving to say hello. “Natsuki! Natsuki! Over here~! It’s been too long!” she called.

“I see you, Ayaka,” Natsuki said with a smile as she approached. “It’s not been that long! You look good in that dress.”

“Ehehehe~ Thanks~” Ayaka said bashfully - she did turn some heads in that outfit. “Have you seen Yumi? She’s not shown up yet.”

“Hm? No, I haven’t.” Natsuki said.

As she spoke, though, a figure emerged from the shadow of a tree behind Ayaka - eyes flashing, it pounced on the girl. Hands reached around to give her chest a big squeeze, prompting a surprised girlish “Kya!”, as Yumi made herself known.

“Hehehe~ Did they get bigger again, Ayaka? Weren’t these supposed to stop growing in high school?” The gyaru laughed.

Ayaka, once the surprise subsided, didn’t seem too terribly upset. “Oh, Yumi, you’re very flattering. Honestly, I wish they were a bit smaller…”

As the two chattered away, Natsuki loitered off to the side. She felt… off, somehow. Like something about this setup wasn’t right. She was sure she’d known these girls for years, but she felt like she was forgetting something.

“Oh, Nat, did you see the video too?” Yumi asked. “I sent it to everyone, it’s a commercial but it’s kinda great, right?”

“Oh, yeah! I loved it~ Valerie Vanilla was so cute!” Ayaka nodded fervently.

“Hm, I’m more partial to Dani myself.” Yumi said, then looked over at Natsuki to tiebreak.

“Ah… I only watched the first minute or so, before I realized it was an ad.” Natsuki said. “I figured you’d sent the wrong video?” It had been when she watched that bit that she’d started feeling weird, wasn’t it? Maybe something was off…

“Oh, you have to watch the rest! It’s like a full on comedy skit!” Yumi said, pulling out her phone again and bringing it up to Natsuki.

“And it’s really cool too!” Ayaka nodded.

“I-It’s fine, really…”

“No, we insist…”