I groaned, turning over in bed as I felt a bright light shining on my face. My eyes snapped open, and I saw the sun's rays beaming in through gaps in the curtains. It was early morning on a school day, and it was time for me to wake up. I was of course, reluctant.

I stretched out my limbs, yawning widely, before sliding out of bed. As I padded across the floor towards my window, I glanced out at the city outside.

It was like any typical day. The cars drove down the streets below, people walked across the sidewalks, and birds flew in the air. Everything seemed normal.

But I knew that something was lurking beneath the surface. Something dark and dangerous that threatened to burst forth at any moment. The battle at the commons was proof of that — a reminder that the world was not always as it seemed.

I ate a quick breakfast, got dressed, and headed out the door. I wondered what the day would bring. Would there be more battles to fight, more magical girls to face? Or would everything return to normal, at least for a while?

The commute went by like a blur. Soon, I was walking up the stairs to the school campus. I remembered those first days of school, the nervousness, and uncertainty that hung in the air like a fog. The world was a lot more precarious and dangerous for me nowadays, yet it felt calmer. Like I'd already seen enough to cause some desensitization.

My steps abruptly stopped when I arrived at the location of last night's fight between Argent Chevalier and the crew. It was as if nothing had ever happened here! No traces of battle debris or destruction - nothing. I noticed some small scorch marks and a few specks of soot as I looked closer.

I felt a wave of confusion wash over me, almost like the universe was mocking me.

But then I realized that it made perfect sense. The world was full of secrets, and there were those who worked hard to keep those secrets hidden. It was no surprise that they would work just as hard to erase any evidence that something was wrong. My brain buzzed with theories and possibilities for why and how they did this, but I shunted them aside for now. Slowly, I began walking away from the scene, deep in thought.

I continued on my way to school amongst a sea of students, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. What else could they do if the powers that be could erase evidence of the battle so easily? And what did it mean for the safety of those around me?

The world around me shimmered and twisted as I walked across the small bridge leading to the entrance. I stumbled, feeling disoriented. I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to regain my balance. Then I looked around. All the students around me were gone. I must've just had a dizzy spell...

"Good morning!~"

A chill ran down my spine when I heard the oh-so-familiar voice to my left. I could feel my blood boiling as I turned to face her.

Great. It was Carrie fucking Kong.

She was the classic mean girl, always looking to start drama and humiliate others to make herself feel better. I gritted my teeth, trying to keep my cool.

"What do you want, Carrie?" I asked, my tone laced with irritation.

"Oh, just wanted to say good morning to my favorite loser," she quipped, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

I rolled my eyes, not in the mood to deal with her this morning. "Sorry, I've got better things to do than waste my time with you," I retorted, trying to walk away.

Carrie wasn't having it, though. She quickly stepped in front of me, blocking my path.

"Aw, don't be like that, Ikki boy," she pouted, batting her eyelashes. "I just wanted to see how you were doing after last night's... event."

I felt a chill run down my spine, but I stayed cool. I kept a straight face while I raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"Oh come on, don't be so coy," she said, her voice dripping with false honey. "You know, that big explosion at the commons last night that set half the school on fire?"

"I must have missed that," I responded sarcastically.

She leaned in close, a malicious gleam in her eyes. "Don't act so surprised, Ikki," she whispered. "There's a lot more going on in this city and school than meets the eye. Do you really think you're the only one in town with a secret?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, taken back at her invasion of my personal space.

I gritted my teeth, the rage building inside me. She was taunting me, trying to make me angry. But there was something... tragic about her eyes, a spark of sadness buried beneath the malice. I could see it clearly, almost feel it at this point.

"I'm not going to spoil the surprise, but I'll give you a hint," she whispered. "Do you know what a Magical Girl really is?"

I froze.

"Let me enlighten you, Ikki," she continued, her voice even more sinister and menacing than before. "They're monsters underneath all the pretty sparkles and glitter, plain and simple. Sure, whatever turns them into these so-called saviors select for people with noble hearts and strong wills. But who's to say these girls stay that way? They're exposed to a lot of pressure and adversity and have way too much power for one person. And, of course, we have no way to control them save for other Magical Girls. Argent Chevalier's case is just a taste of what we must deal with if things don't go their way. What's stopping more girls from becoming rampaging sociopaths or falling in other ways?"

I snarled, my temper flaring. "Why are you telling me this? I don't know what you're talking about," I spat.

Carrie smirked, leaning back and clearly pleased with herself. "I'm just saying, Ikki," she said, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. "Maybe you should think twice about who you're associating with. They may not be as good and righteous as you think... and frankly, you could get hurt. God knows cleaning up that mess last night was a pain in my family's ass."

I clenched my fists, trying my best to keep my cool. Carrie was trying to get a rise out of me, and I wasn't going to let myself fall for it. Still, this was one hell of a curveball to drop on me. I struggled, but no words came out of my mouth for a moment.

Carrie moved in, her lips dangerously close to mine. "At any rate, have a good day at school today, Ikki," she said, her tone dripping with faux kindness. "And... cheer up!" she continued with a flirty wink. "You know what they say — all the best girls have terrible, terrible secrets."

"What do you mean?" I asked her.

I couldn't shake off the feeling that she knew something that I didn't. Her comment about 'all the best girls having terrible, terrible secrets' was particularly unnerving. What was she implying?

She laughed, a sound that was both high-pitched and cruel. "Oh, nothing, just a little bit of teasing," she said, her eyes glinting with malice. "But who knows, maybe you'll find out soon enough. Swallow that silly little small-dicked ego of yours and hit me up if you ever want to talk."

Carrie giggled, turned, and walked away, hips swaying with each step. The world around me shimmered again, and suddenly, the bridge was full of students commuting to school again.

I squinted at the scene around me. Were both of the Kong siblings magic users? Despite the proliferation of magitech, traditional magic was a tightly guarded and regulated field, usually tied to prominent families. I shouldn't be surprised that Carrie could've pulled me into some magic fuckery too.

It was almost too much to take in this morning.

Walking to first-period chemistry, I was abuzz with questions and doubts. I couldn't focus on anything, not even the teacher's lecture. I really wish I could open up with history every day. It'd be nice to hunt down Ms. Roth right about now. We had a lab period after, and I was partnered with a brunette named Maya. She was quiet and focused, and I appreciated that about her. Maybe working in the lab would allow me to clear my head.

But as I reached for the beaker, my hand bumped into Maya's, and we knocked over the chemical compounds. The smell of the fumes hit my nose, and I felt a sudden wave of dizziness.

Maya cursed under her breath, stepping away. "Sorry about that," she said, "That stuff can be pretty potent if you're not careful."

Fucking great.

The rest of the day passed by in a blur. I couldn't shake off a feeling of unease that Carrie's words had stirred up within me. I constantly glanced over my shoulder, expecting to see something out of the ordinary after... whatever Carrie did to me. Everything seemed totally normal, though.

During lunch, I sat alone at my usual table in the cafeteria, absentmindedly picking at my food while lost in thought. Suddenly, a familiar voice broke through my reverie.

"Hey Ikki, mind if I sit here?"

I looked up to see Morada standing there with her tray. A smile automatically formed on my face at the sight of her.

"Of course not," I said, gesturing for her to take a seat. "What's up?"

Morada sat down across from me, looking at me curiously. "Is everything okay? You've been really quiet today, with a distant and far away look and everything."

I hesitated momentarily, unsure if I wanted to tell her about Carrie's cryptic comments. But I paused for a few seconds before being honest with her.

"I had... an encounter with Carrie this morning," I said, trying to keep my voice calm. "She said some things that really got to me."

Morada's face twisted in concern. "What did she say?"

I took a deep breath, then spilled everything, keeping my voice low enough to be barely audible over the lunchroom noise. I told her about my encounter with Carrie and how she hinted at something nefarious happening with the magical girls. I told her about the doubts that had taken root in my mind and how I couldn't shake off the feeling of unease.

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Morada listened patiently, her expression thoughtful. When I was finished, she playfully tapped my hand like she was playing a piano.

"Ikki, I think you're overthinking this," she said gently, putting her hand over mine. "You know as well as I do that the magical girls are heroes. We-Er, they've done so much for the world, and they've saved countless lives. Sure, there may be some bad apples... but that doesn't mean we should paint everyone with the same brush, you know?"

I nodded, feeling a little better. I appreciated Morada's words, but I couldn't shake off the weirdness of Carrie approaching me like that. It was strange that she'd shown her hand like that, and it made me wonder what she was really after.

"I know, but... something about the way Carrie said it just... doesn't sit right with me," I admitted, looking down at my food. "It's like she's trying to warn me about something, or maybe even threaten me. Did you know she was involved with this... world?"

Morada shook her head. "No, I had no idea. But let's not jump to conclusions, Ikki. There could be a number of reasons why Carrie said what she said, and let's face it, she's kind of a bitch. Maybe she's trying to manipulate you, or maybe she's just playing mind games for fun. We don't know for sure. But yeah, we might want to look into this. I mean, Carrie is part of a powerful family and they could be up to something."

I nodded, grateful for Morada's advice and presence. The rest of lunch passed uneventfully, and I felt better after talking to someone about my worries. We spent the rest of lunch discussing mundane things - school, the house party tomorrow, and music. It was a stark contrast to the conversation we had just had, but it was exactly what I needed - a distraction from my worries.

As the bell rang for our next class, Morada stood up from the table.

"We'll talk more later, okay? Cya soon, Ikki."

I nodded, feeling a slight smile tug at my lips. Morada had a way of soothing my nerves and making me feel better, no matter what was happening.

'I headed to my locker to grab my books. As I twisted the combination lock, I heard someone clear their throat behind me.

"Hey there, Ikki."

I spun around to see a familiar tall, lanky Asian upperclassman from the robotics team leaning against the lockers with a smirk on his face.

"Hey Eugene, what's up?"

Eugene chuckled, pushing himself off the lockers and sauntering over to me. "I have to say... it looked like there was one hell of a clusterfuck at the workshop last night based on the feeds. What the hell happened down there? Enya's skipped out on her classes at the college to clean up, and she's been throwing fits all day. The sprinklers fucked some shit up."

I gulped, feeling my heart rate pick up at the mention of last night. "Well, there was a break-in and I booked it? I didn't stick around to see what happened. I just wanted to get out of there."

Eugene raised an eyebrow, his smirk widening. "A break-in, huh? That's pretty wild. Any idea who did it?"

I shook my head, not wanting to reveal anything else. Wish I did."

Eugene raised an eyebrow in amusement, clearly not believing me.

"Hmm. Well, if your crew ever needs help, let me know."

My eyes widened in surprise. "Er?"

Eugene just shrugged with a grin on his face. "Don't worry about it, man. The guys and I won't tell anyone and we've already edited the school tapes. But, if you ever need help with something... let's just say I have a lot of connections."

I nodded slowly, my mind whirring with possibilities. Eugene was a strange guy, but he had some serious skills when it came to security and penetration testing our hardware. If he really did have connections, that could be a huge asset. But at the same time, I didn't really know him well enough to trust him with anything important.

"Thanks, Eugene. I'll keep that in mind," I said cautiously.

Eugene just chuckled, slapping me on the back. "Anytime, man. Just remember... if you need anything, just give us a call. And do have your crew look after that data core for now until we figure out what the hell is going on."

He handed me an honest-to-god sleek, laminated business card and sauntered away with his hands in his pockets. It was surprising to see a card of such quality from a high school student.

I studied the design and the name of the company Eugene represented. The company, 'ShadowTech Solutions,' had a tagline that read, "We keep your secrets safe." What kind of services did they offer?

Eugene's 'Senior SOS Analyst' title piqued my curiosity even further. How did a high school senior get such a position?

I pocketed the business card, feeling a mix of excitement and apprehension. Eugene's offer was intriguing, but I wasn't sure if I was ready to trust him with anything important just yet.

My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the bell ringing, signaling the start of our next class. I quickly grabbed my books and headed to my next class, feeling more than a little overwhelmed by everything that had happened in the past twenty-four hours.

The rest of the day passed by in a blur, and before I knew it, the final bell had rung. I grabbed my things and hurried out of the classroom, eager to get home and decompress.

As I walked down the hall, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out to see a text from Morada.

"Hey, Ikki. I know you're worried about what Carrie said earlier, but don't let it weigh too heavily on you. You're still going to the party, right?"

I smiled at her positivity, feeling a little lighter. Morada was right.

"Of course. I'll see you there!"

I scrolled through my messages and numbly realized I hadn't checked my phone all day.

Natasha had sent me a flurry of messages beginning last night. She was reaching out to check in on me and see if I wanted to hang out today.

I felt a pang of guilt at the texts. I had been so preoccupied with everything that had happened that I hadn't even thought about texting her back.

I quickly typed out a response, apologizing for not responding sooner and letting her know I was okay, but I was too exhausted with Robotics stuff to head out tonight. I asked if she wanted to grab dinner or something over the weekend and get some gaming time in tonight.

As I hit send, I felt a wave of relief. It was nice to have friends who cared about me and were there for me, no matter what. With the party tomorrow and potentially dangerous situations looming, I knew I needed all the support I could get.

I made my way out of the school, the sun just beginning to set over the horizon. The cool evening air felt refreshing against my skin, and I took a deep breath, letting my worries dissipate momentarily.

My phone buzzed again, and I checked it. Natasha responded that she'd love to hang out and had some new games she wanted to try out. The thought of spending time with Natasha and getting lost in some video games was a welcome distraction. Sometimes, the simplest things in life were the best remedies for stress.

On the way home, I stopped at a grocery store to grab some snacks and drinks for the gaming session later. As I walked down the aisles, I couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. It was like I was being watched, and I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.

I tried to shrug it off as paranoia and continued shopping, grabbing a bag of chips and a six-pack of soda before heading to the checkout aisle. As I waited in line, I noticed a man in a hooded sweatshirt standing a few feet away, watching me intently.

I tried to ignore him, but the feeling of being watched intensified. I paid for my items and quickly headed outside, glancing over my shoulder to see if the man was following me.

To my relief, he wasn't there. I let out a small sigh and began walking home, my senses on high alert.

But the feeling of being watched didn't leave me. It was like someone was always behind me, lurking in the shadows. I quickened my pace, eager to get home and lock the doors behind me.

Finally, I reached my apartment and hurried inside, quickly locking the door behind me. I looked out the window to see if anyone was there, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

I sighed in relief and headed upstairs to prepare for my gaming session with Natasha. But, even as I settled down for some much-needed rest, something still didn't feel right.

It was like I was being watched from afar like something sinister was lurking just beyond my reach.

I quickly shook off these thoughts and got ready for my gaming session with Natasha. Hopefully, some silly adventures would be enough to distract me from my anxiety and paranoia.

The sensation of someone's eyes on me left me as soon as I entered the safety of my own home, giving way to a wave of relief. My excitement rose at spending some time with Natasha virtually. I texted her and powered up my computer to find a new Magical Girl Crystal Harmony gift in my Apocalypse account.

Apocalypse was a digital product manager run by some giant corporation named Escathos Industries on Terra that seemed to have their fingers in absolutely everything. I started the download and quickly breezed through all my homework, eager to dive into the game. I was blown away by just how pink, and sparkly everything was.

As the game loaded, I felt a sense of excitement building within me. This was precisely what I needed to take my mind off the strange man at the store and the feeling of being watched. I logged into the game and randomized a character — a cute teenage girl with twin silver drills and a blue hi-tech outfit.

I was greeted by Natasha's avatar, a fierce Amazonian princess with fiery red hair and a 'Level 1' icon over her head. She smiled at me through the screen with an emote, and I chuckled at the stylized, cel-shaded graphics.

I put on my headset and hopped into a voice call with her.

"Evening!" Natasha chirped cheerfully.

"Hey!" I replied, grinning from ear to ear. "This looks ludicrous. Erm, I'm going into this completely blind, you know?"

Natasha laughed. "Same here, but that's the fun of it, right?"

As we navigated the game together, I became increasingly engrossed in the schizo-tech world of Magical Girl Crystal Harmony. The bright colors, frantic electronic music, whimsical characters, and exciting battles made me forget my earlier anxieties.

"Wow, the production value on this is ridiculous!" I exclaimed as we battled a group of monsters. My character locked into a short quick-time event as she fired a massive energy cannon.

"I know, right?" Natasha replied. I could hear her grinning from ear to ear as her great sword roared and seemingly cut a hole in space. "It's like we're actually in the game! Look, I think that's the dungeon we're supposed to go to. That should be where we go to rescue Edith and Tristan for this quest."

We approached a tower shrouded in mist, its ominous presence seeming to signal the impending danger and excitement that lay within. The door creaked open as we pushed it, and we stepped inside.

The two of us fought up the tower, battling fierce monsters and dodging deadly traps. Our teamwork was flawless as we moved through each room, never missing a beat. Finally, we reached the top floor.

In the center of the room were Edith and Tristan, a green-haired, yellow-eyed girl with a witch's hat and a white-haired, blue-eyed boy in chain mail tied up and surrounded by fearsome Chaos Beast-like creatures.

"I'll take left!" Natasha spoke. We charged forward, our weapons glinting in the dim light of the dungeon.

The battle was intense, but we fought valiantly. With each strike, we drew closer to freeing the teenage NPCs. Sweat dripped down my face, my heart racing as the adrenaline pumped through my veins as I read the monsters' patterns and snuck in counters. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, we emerged victorious.

Edith and Tristan looked up at us with gratitude and relief, their eyes shining with tears. "Thank you so much," Edith gasped as we untied them. "You two are true heroes of the land!"

I felt a warm rush of pride and accomplishment wash over me as I looked down at the two NPCs. Feeling such a sense of satisfaction and pride in a game was strange, but I couldn't help it. The thrill of victory and the feeling of having overcome insurmountable odds was a blast, especially with a friend.

As we returned to the tower, Natasha and I chatted excitedly about our next adventure. "We should do this again sometime," she said, her avatar sparkling with an emote.

I chuckled eagerly. "Definitely. Thanks for the gift! This was amazing. And we make a great team!"

Natasha smiled at me through her avatar. "Yeah, we do, don't we?"

As we stepped out of the tower, the sun was setting on the horizon, casting the sky in shades of pink and orange. It was a beautiful sight, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of awe as I took it all in the artistic fidelity of this world.

"Come on," I said, turning to Natasha. "Maybe we can take on another level before it gets too late!"

Natasha's avatar backflipped in excitement. "Let's do it!"

After a while, we squeezed in that level and finished our gaming session. We said goodbye to each other, with promises to do it again soon.

"Hey, I'll see you tomorrow, right Nat?" I asked as we logged off.

"Yes, definitely!" Natasha replied, giving me a thumbs up before saying goodbye.

I watched her avatar disappear and felt contented as I logged out. The colors, the music, the characters, the excitement — all of it was amazing and had made for an extraordinary gaming session with Natasha.

By the time we were done with our gaming session, I was exhausted. I cleaned up in the bathroom with a quick shower, plopped down on my bed, and stared up at the ceiling, my mind too tired to think about the day's events. Before I knew it, I was drifting off to sleep, my mind still lost in the game's colorful world.

As I closed my eyes and drifted off, I suddenly heard a faint whisper in my ear.

"Ikazuchi... be careful."

My eyes flew open, but there was no one in the room. The whisper sounded eerily familiar, but I couldn't place it.

I shook my head, chalking it up to exhaustion and paranoia, and quickly fell asleep.