A week later, she called Sylvia up to her office and specified she be alone.

"Yuruko is resigning from the Royal Four to focus on her schoolwork, and I thought you would be the best replacement."

Sylvia grinned. "You're asking me to be in your squad?"

Mia smiled and nodded. "If you accept, I'll have someone else handle contracts."

"I…shit, yeah. That - that sounds awesome, yeah." Having been above Yuruko's rank last year, Sylvia had felt a bit overlooked, but reasoned that Mia knew better than she did. "I'd love to, yeah."

"Good. I'll let the others know, and we'll train together later tonight."

"Sounds good."

Mia nodded and stood. She shuddered almost imperceptibly as Sylvia hugged her.

◆◆◆

To her relief, she found that Sylvia replaced Yuruko well, as their Revenants were similar in some ways - Sylvia's Magma arm stored three objects to recreate at any time, and could change anything between solid & liquid & gas.

Sylvia adjusted well to her as a leader too. She was an extrovert who could make herself the center with just a few words or a well-timed joke, always able to find talk even with people she had none in common with. In her first days in Mia's squadron, she compared herself to the other members, and though a little less violent, she figured it better to go with Mia's flow rather than disrupt any premade arrangement.

If this wasn't her philosophy of life, it could've been. When it came to anything but lifting weights, she concerned herself more with the accumulation of simple pleasures, more likely to change herself to suit something than ask it to change. They trained hard that first week to ensure she wasn't behind and she never complained. While there wasn't much common between her & Serena, her & Samuel found they appreciated much of the same things - past feats of strength and copious amounts of food. The first night the four had gone out, they'd emptied out a restaurant and Sylvia had introduced them to a mass-gaining concoction that disgusted Mia & Serena but intrigued Samuel - a rotisserie chicken turned to liquid by Magma.

He reminded her of a more likable Grant, who she hadn't spoken to since he graduated last year. She had outgrown his propensity to chase after sex over anything else, but she knew if he ever reached back to her for help, she wouldn't decline. There were few things that could make her disloyal to a friend - certainly nothing that was only a personal problem.

So far, Mia's only complaint was dealing with Maria.

"…er, hello." said Mia, opening the door at her mansion for Maria & Sylvia. "Do you need something?"

"Uh, she wanted to ask a few questions." said Sylvia, scratching her neck.

Mia noticed Maria didn't let her open the door all the way before barging inside, but no matter. Maria came to the center of her living room, then turned with a frown. "Doesn't your squadron live with you? I thought we were moving in this weekend."

"They did for a short time, but not anymore, no." said Mia.

Maria gave the place a look around. Mia suspected Sylvia had told her that already, but Maria looked back at Sylvia. "I wish you had tried a bit harder last year. This could be your mansion."

"Sure, but three-star housing is pretty good. Right, Mia?" said Sylvia.

"It's not enough for us, Sylvia." said Maria.

Mia held her hand over her mouth so only Sylvia could see her momentary frown. "Was that everything?"

"She wanted to ask a few other things." said Sylvia.

"Yes. Just a, just a few questions." said Maria. "You - it was a little surprising that you chose to spring this on Sylvia so suddenly. Why?"

"It's fine." smiled Sylvia.

"Someone else needed to leave, and I needed a replacement." said Mia evenly.

"Why did they need to leave?" said Maria.

"C'mon." said Sylvia. "It was something personal with uh, Yuruko."

Maria nodded. "And - I know you're married, and Miasma is seeing someone. What about the - Boar?"

"Samuel?" said Mia.

"Samuel, yes. Is he…?" She waved her hand in a circle.

Mia blinked. "…I don't know what this -" - she waved her hand in a circle - " - means."

"I'm asking if he's gay."

"I don't know." said Mia, thinking by now she honestly should.

"…if he's straight, I hope he isn't like that mentor you had." said Maria to Sylvia.

"He's not." Sylvia smiled. "Uh, training at 5:30, right, Mia?"

"Yes."

"Cool-cool." Sylvia kissed Maria's cheek. "See? Told you it'd be fine."

Maria nodded, and Sylvia tilted her head to Mia for a second as they left.

◆◆◆

During the next week, Mia received a call from the government saying they were reviewing the tapes, and found it gratefully easy to pop Daigo's bubble in her mind, unlike the way the remnants of a boil sinks back in to a stew.

That January, she spent the most time with Sylvia out of her three, and though she never heard her complain about Maria, Sylvia's energy always dimmed whenever her phone vibrated. It became clear to Mia that Maria had never been with anyone that could give her no for an answer - certainly Sylvia didn't. Before they'd set out on this contract, Maria had barged in to her office demanding to be allowed along, and if Sylvia hadn't talked her down from such foolishness, Mia would've chewed her up on one side & back down the other.

It pained her to see a woman like Sylvia tied to Maria; Sylvia had no shortage of admirers, most of them honorable as far as lesbians like that could be. She doubted any of *them* would go through Sylvia's tablet without her permission.

Lately, Mia realized she was growing, or already had, a need to fix her friends' problems now that she'd wrung out all of her own. She still asked after Yuruko via Serena, took over solving student disputes from Kate, and tried to make herself available to anyone she knew, hoping she might be able to avoid that cold feeling that'd been in her stomach last New Year's Eve.

Right now, her mind was focused on the purple-haired trouble.

Sylvia & her rushed up to the abandoned warehouse's doors.

"Ready?" said Mia. Sylvia nodded, and in the next instant -

- a flash of purple disintegrated the doors, and in to the warehouse swept the two; six men were gathered at the center, one passing over a briefcase and dropping it as he caught sight of the two running towards them. Six shots entered Mia's chest -

- but didn't even slow her as she kept her run going; at her side, Sylvia threw her right arm out -

" - Magma - Solid!" she shouted, right arm growing red & splitting open like a maw, and in the next instant -

- a storm of bullets erupted out of it that shredded five men in half & left one staggering back with a chest full of holes, shelves flanking the two as they kept their rush going with 50ft separating them from their target. One man leapt out from behind a shelf and a jet of acid shot through his skull before he could raise his steel pipe, last man standing up ahead starting to run away.

"Guess that's the host." chimed Sylvia, relevantly.

The two passed by the briefcase as Mia saw his skin hardening, and in the next instant -

- eight blue tentacles burst out of the briefcase and tried to grab her -

- but a coat of water let her slip out of its grip, no speed lost as she kept her pace high. She glanced back and noticed there wasn't any liquid on the floor as they ran out of the warehouse, rest of the pier up ahead with shipping containers & their fleeing foe 100ft ahead. Three shipping containers were launched towards them -

- but Magma's tongue burst out of its maw & turned them in to gas as it touched them, sight clearing just in time to see their foe leaping in to the water 50ft up ahead. Mia rushed up to the water's edge and swept her electrical plans down -

- but sighed as she glanced left & saw a group of swimmers nearby.

"Water Revenant." chimed Sylvia, relevantly. "Always fun. Gotta switch out."

Mia nodded, watching Sylvia pull a one-inch Xenocyclin bullet off her belt and feed it to Magma. The recoil could still shatter her shoulder in a few shots. No time to waste, the two leaped in to the water -

- and a tri-swarm raid gave them air as they kept their eyes forward, minefield of leathery egg pouches polluting the ocean ahead, and in the next instant -

- eight blue tentacles burst out of the wall behind them -

- but a swift jet of Worldwide-water blasted the two down to avoid it, tentacles only catching water above.

'Worldwide's water is colder than that.' thought Mia; an ice scarab exploded in her hand -

- and she heard Sylvia sighing beside as it only froze for a microsecond. Above, the tentacles swung down as Mia's sword formed -

- and a whirl of unnatural metal slashed them apart & sent their entrails spinning in to the minefield of eggs; one blue chunk touched one pouch 20ft ahead -

- which exploded in a cloud of eels, and an unseen force pulled the two forward; Sylvia raised Magma's arm as the eels looked towards them, and a jet of acid went through their mouths & out the other end -

- but the two stifled their underwater sighs as they saw it curve in to another egg pouch, and another explosion brought another unseen force that pulled them in to another set of eels -

- just in time for Magma's arm to give them seconds, next jet of acid curving in to an egg pouch twenty feet below and pulling them down. Mia let Sylvia handle the next few as she glanced down, seeing another set of eggs floating up from the ocean's floor, and in the next instant -

- eight blue tentacles burst out of it and started spinning, forming a whirlpool fast; Mia grabbed Sylvia tight as the pressure forced them down, light lessening by the second as another set of tentacles appeared to greet them below -

- but only received a set of purple-coated women that disintegrated right through it without a single ash left, more whirlpools yanking them down until they were near the lightless bottom. Mia kept a tight grip on Sylvia's shoulder so she didn't lose her place, eyes filling with darkness. One fire scarab exploded to let there be light -

- and Mia sighed as the water rushed in to fill the hole instantly. She felt Sylvia tap her shoulder and offer Magma's maw to her, and as she gave it a fire scarab for a snack -

- a solid purple cube came out of it that lit up the scene 100ft ahead, their shark-skinned foe swimming away with eight black tentacles bursting out of his back, another minefield of leathery egg pouches separating them & he.

Sylvia realized his Revenant was a mutual disadvantage. As one floated by her, she smashed it with her flesh fist -

- and six eels burst out of it that latched on to her skin, sucking her blood but taking some water with it; Mia sliced them off, and as a cloud of scarabs disintegrated one egg ahead -

- more water rushed in to fill the sudden hole, pulling another mermaid's purse in to range for disintegration -

- and another, and another dozen, eels sucking up the water & pulling the two & one closer together until they were fifty feet apart, and as eight blue tentacles burst out of a mermaid's purse towards Mia -

- the next scene was instant. A line of fire scarabs disintegrated a line between them & their foe as Sylvia aimed Magma's arm -

- and a Xenocyclin round came out of it that blasted his heart out of his chest & sent it swimming in to the depths, recoil sending a crack through Magma's maw as the two knew that he was dead before his corpse started to bloat, mermaid's purse & tentacles disappearing.

Mia smiled and called up the others once they were on land again. Sylvia asked if they could stop to eat before their hotel and Serena & Samuel met up with them at the diner. Over the phone, Mia had noticed Samuel's tone carried a whiff of disgust and decided not to ask how Serena had killed.

"First contract as part of the Royal Four down, right?" chimed Sylvia as the four sat down. "You guys come out okay?"

Serena grinned and nodded. Samuel didn't look very hungry now.

"Sure did." said Serena, pulling her cup out & filling it with milk. She sipped it while looking at Samuel, her eyebrows raising over the rim.

A waitress came over. "Hi, have you decided what you'll be having?"

"Uh, what are the Chunky Monkey Pancakes?" said Sylvia, tapping her menu.

"It's five pancakes, and we make them in the shape of a monkey's face with bananas and chocolate chips on top."

"Cool. Uh, three of those, then."

"Are you sure?"

Sylvia nodded. "I know what I'm about."

The rest placed their orders. Once they were done, Serena saw an androgynous woman get up from her table & come over to her.

"U-Um, e-excuse me. You're M-Miasma, right?"

"Um, yeah."

"C-Can I get a picture with you?"

"Sure." Serena almost imperceptibly winced as she stood, grateful the woman left after taking her picture.

"Miss Popular." chimed Sylvia and Serena nodded a little, putting her face in her phone.

Their food came and Sylvia's phone vibrated before she got a bite in. She winced as she took it. "Ugh, sorry. Gotta go outside for a sec."

Mia nodded as Sylvia left, watching her call someone through the glass. These nightly arguments with Maria never seemed to affect their relationship - they simply washed in to the next. Judging by her rank, Maria spent more time thinking up her retorts than she did fighting.

"…really should talk with her." said Samuel and Mia grimaced.

"…soon, yes. We'll be heading back tomorrow, and…" She sighed. "…I'll talk to her before we leave."

"Sounds good." mumbled Serena, typing a message.

"Seen a few relationships like that before." said Samuel. "I've never seen them go past Urasaria."

"I know." Mia watched Sylvia sigh and turn away, still on her phone. "…she's always so energetic whenever Maria isn't around. I don't understand why she's still in that relationship."

"She's probably lonely." muttered Serena. "Um. I mean, Yuruko… used to be in one kinda like that, too. It was someone she dated in highschool, so she just didn't think she would find anyone better until we met." She smiled.

Mia glanced at Samuel for a second. She figured even he was better off romantically than Sylvia. At her side, Serena finished typing. "...um. I gotta - Yuruko."

She left, leaving Mia & Samuel.

"Are you expecting a call from Aimee, too?" said Samuel and Mia laughed.

"No. I simply…"

She observed Serena sitting on a bench away from Sylvia, and smiling as she called Yuruko. Serena, who Mia knew hardly had any interest in dating before Urasaria, was with probably the only other woman in the world who played as many videogames as she did, yet Sylvia had spent years trying to attract a woman.

"…I wonder how that happened."

◆◆◆

Samuel closed up his bag of clothes and handed it to Serena the next morning. "Should be everything."

Sylvia looked up from her bag as she shoved another tanktop in to it. "Uh, should I separate them by lights and darks?"

"Do you care if they bleed?"

"Nope."

It always perplexed Mia how she was the only one who did. Serena took Sylvia's bag, Blackburn & Worldwide washing, scenting and drying inside in seconds. "All good."

"Cool. All ready to go?"

Mia looked at Samuel & Serena. "…er, in a minute. Sylvia, can I speak to you about something in private?"

"I'll check the car." said Samuel, walking out with Serena.

"…um. I-I guess." Sylvia laughed nervously. "Did I do something wrong?"

Mia sat down across from her. "No, it's simply, er…" She took a deep breath. "I wanted to talk to you about Maria. As your friend."

"…oh. You've noticed it too?" said Sylvia, surprising Mia a bit.

"The way she treats you?"

"Yeah. She's, uh…" She frowned. "…you only see what she's like around you, but yeah. She wasn't even sure if she wanted to 'let' me join the Royal Four, since she knew I'd be away from Urasaria a lot, but I got her to uh, lighten up a bit."

"Sylvia, you deserve better than that."

"I know I do, Mia. I know. And it's been weird realizing that, because - you know, in our first year, I could barely even - I could barely even talk to women, and now -" - she laughed - " - like, I actually see people checking me out and stuff like that. And that's been awesome."

"Exactly. That's why I … I don't understand why you're with Maria."

"…yeah. And I don't… she didn't used to be like this, either. I know her mom died a few months ago, and she seemed to… I dunno. Started being more possessive and stuff like that after. And yeah, I know I could probably do better and yeah, I don't like the way she gets sometimes or having to reassure her all the time, too." She sighed, then smiled. "…sorry. I know you're looking out for me, too, and I really appreciate it. It's just we've been together for over a year, and I could date someone else, but I don't want to have to go through those whole first months again. I'd rather just… she'll change eventually."

"…I don't think she will, Sylvia. I think that - even if you have to go through the first months with someone again, that's one of the best parts of a relationship."

"Not for me." She grinned. "Not everybody got lucky with their first girlfriend, Ms. Sato."

Mia smiled. "She took my last name."

"Oh." Sylvia laughed. "I just mean that - yeah. And if you were born a year later, you two probably wouldn't have ever met."

"But you have the option now. It's not about luck. There's plenty of women who would…" Mia frowned.