Where were Pacifica and Arctic anyway? Eden couldn’t help the thought from intruding into her head as she bombarded the Death Duo with a twister of pink wind. She knew they were both students; even though their magical girl forms made them look drastically different from their normal appearance, their ages were still pretty obvious beneath the glamor. Lively Arctic couldn’t be older than Eden but Pacifica was definitely younger by a few years. Their school lives dictated how busy they were; not to mention where they went to school. If they were far away, it would take longer for them to arrive even with their powers, though Lively Eden couldn’t imagine they lived outside Yokohama. She winced as a streak of Death Storm’s lightning grazed her; he laughed maniacally upon seeing her pain.
What were Lively Pacifica and Arctic like outside of their magical girl duties? Lively Eden had never met their true identities; heck, she didn’t even know their real names. What clubs were they in, if any? What were their hobbies? Their favorite subjects? They were grouped together for the sake of defending Earth from destruction deity Thade on Naturae’s behalf and it was so… stupid. Lively Eden didn’t know anything about her teammates. She didn’t know anything about Juuzou anymore and she didn’t know anything about her classmates! And none of them knew anything about her either. That was so wrong! It didn’t even make any sense! Why would anyone partner with someone they knew nothing about? What was Naturae’s whole deal, anyway!? According to Tanpopo, it was the primordial force lording over positivity and creation; well, what the heck was “positive” about this whole magical girl situation!?
Lively Eden stomped her feet and released a burst of wind. It swirled around her in a circle and blew away Death Storm’s lightning and Death Frost’s ice. She struggled to even her breath and swallow back the hot lump in her throat. She barely noticed a shard of ice slicing open her cheek. She really wished Lively Pacifica and Arctic were here. Not just here for the sake of defeating the Death Duo again but here for her.
“Eden!”
“Arctic! Pacifica! You’re finally here!” Lively Eden gasped in relief. She smiled gratefully, but her teammates in the trees had their eyes pinned on the Death Duo.
“What’s the situation?” Lively Pacifica asked.
“Eden, are you alright?” Lively Arctic still wasn’t looking at Eden; her concern was a courtesy.
“I’m fine. The Death Duo corrupted some students; it’s empowering them,” Lively Eden explained. “If you two can hold them off for a few minutes, I can go purify the students.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Lively Arctic agreed.
~Dumb Magical Girl Stuff~
The Death Duo retreated with a small explosion of electricity and harsh snow. Lively Pacifica and Arctic relaxed their fighting stances. They turned to Lively Eden as she touched back down on the ground with Tanpopo at her side.
“Good job, girls! You’re doing great!” Tanpopo congratulated with a twirl.
“Thank you, Tanpopo,” Lively Arctic replied.
“They’re so quick to retreat.” Lively Pacifica clicked her tongue.
“Well, if that’s all, I’ll be see—”
“W-Wait!”
Lively Arctic blinked and focused her attention onto Eden. She tilted her head slightly, indicating her confusion. Lively Pacifica now also stared at Eden with a grumpy but stoic expression. Lively Eden bit her lip; this time, she couldn’t help herself from wringing her hands.
“Is something wrong, Eden?”
“Oh, I— Um— Well, you see, I—”
“Just spit it out already!” Lively Pacifica snapped.
“What are you guys like outside of being magical girls?”
The moment she said it, Lively Eden knew she messed up. Lively Arctic’s eyes briefly widened in surprise before returning to her normal emotionless and calm expression. Lively Pacifica had a similar reaction but unlike Arctic, her face was now screwed up in pure annoyance.
“Whatever do you mean, Eden?” Lively Arctic asked.
“It’s just…” Lively Eden released a resigned sigh. “I realized that even though we’re teammates, we don’t really know each other all that well— Or, at all, really. I thought that was odd… and weird… I figured if we’re going to continue this whole magical girl schtick, we ought to know each other a bit better, y’know?”
“It’s not a ‘shtick,’” Tanpopo interjected. “Your job is to protect and defend the Earth from Thade! That’s your main priority and your solemn duty! It’s very important, too!”
“Main priority…” Lively Eden couldn’t help but frown. She never asked for this responsibility. If she had a choice, she would throw it all away in favor of a normal life. Similar thoughts seemed to be going through the heads of Lively Pacifica and Arctic; or so Eden hoped. She couldn’t read their expressions at all but maybe if they found some common ground, that could pave the way for them to get along as not just teammates but as friends.
“I’m not here to play nice,” Lively Pacifica retorted. “I’m here to stop Thade. That’s all.” With that, she turned on her heel and leaped over the trees.
“I’m sorry, Eden. I appreciate the sentiment, but I don’t… I don’t think it’s a very good idea,” Lively Arctic confessed. “And it’s not just because we’re magical girls. There’s a variety of reasons. Most of them are personal. I’ll see you around.”
“Oh, no worries! I’m sorry for prying. Goodbye, Arctic.”
Lively Arctic left in the opposite direction of Pacifica. When she was gone, Lively Eden sucked in a breath and tried to hold in her tears. She really fumbled that one… “What are you like outside of being magical girls?” What kind of stupid, stupid, stupid icebreaker was that!? She could have asked literally anything else: what’s your favorite food or what are your hobbies or even what’s your favorite hangout spot? Instead, she had to go and shatter the proverbial wall; the equivalent of the Hulk smashing into a skyscraper. Why was she so bad at this? Why couldn’t she have done something more subtle!? Friendlier? Less intrusive!? Lively Eden de-transformed and sniffled. A soccer ball bumped into Ayu’s ankles and she kicked it back to the students; it hit her foot wrong and shot in a weird direction, forcing the students to chase it across the field.
The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. Ayu’s stomach growled; she still hadn’t eaten anything. She sucked back her tears and shuffled back to class along with the soccer players. One purpose, one priority, one goal… But people were more than that! What were Lively Pacifica and Arctic outside of that? What was Juuzou like outside of the rumors? Ayu was so done with being a magical girl. She was sick and tired of it cutting into what should be her ordinary days and her social life! Naturae and Lively Eden’s priorities could go take a hike; no matter what, Ayu would befriend her teammates and Juuzou!