Interludio

"We're home."

"Pardon the intrusion."

Kasai and Nakasuko step foot into Kasai's apartment. Wordlessly, Nakasuko collapses on the dining room chair while Kasai walks into the kitchen to prepare dinner. She uses the leftover curry roux in the fridge to prepare three bowls of curry. One for herself, one for Nakasuko, and one for Yuki once she gets back from grocery shopping.

"Dinner's served." The room is dead quiet as she lays out the bowls and takes a seat. "So. It's finally over, huh?"

"It doesn't feel like it." Nakasuko's eyes are wide open and distant.

"Yeah, I feel you." Kasai's hands tremble ever so slightly as she grasps the spoon and takes a bite.

"Is this what shell shock feels like?"

"Maybe. I don't know if I would go that far, though." A broken laugh spills from Kasai's lips. "I don't know how the hell we made it out of that alive."

"Yeah. Me neither." Nakasuko places a spoonful of curry rice into her mouth. A tear trickles from her eye.

"You alright?"

"I just… I just can't believe we actually made it alive. This is… real, right? I'm not just dreaming?"

"Yeah. It's real." Kasai looks up, trying her best to keep her tears in her eyes. It doesn't work. "Ah, nuts. Now you've got me crying as well."

"I can't help it, alright?" Nakasuko starts laughing. A laugh that quickly breaks down into sobs. "We could have died."

"We really could have." Kasai reaches over the table and places her hand on Nakasuko's. "But here's the kicker: we didn't."

"We got lucky."

"What part of that was luck?"

"We would have been dead if those two girls didn't show up right as the I-C's cornered us."

"Well, yeah, but they did. No matter how you cut the cake, we made it out alive. You and me." Kasai holds her hand firmly.

"...Yeah, I guess you're right." Nakasuko wipes the tears from her eyes on her sleeve.

"Also, complete aside, but you're filthy."

"I know that."

"Why don't you detransform?"

"We already had this conversation." Nakasuko rolls her eyes.

"I can't remember."

"It's cause I'm not wearing anything underneath."

"Oh yeah." Kasai eats some more of her curry. "Gross."

"For the last time, it's convenient."

Kasai sighs. "Come with me. I have some extra clothes Emu gave me."

"Emu? Like… Awano?"

"Yeah. We used to be friends but I don't think we'll be talking again."

"Why not?"

Kasai's expression darkens. "Cause I know what a real friend is like now."

"I see…"

"That's your cue to be flattered, by the way."

"Gross." Nakasuko follows Kasai through the doorway, into the hallway, and into her bedroom. It's a spacious place. Big enough to house a queen-sized bed, a personal computer, along with a number of framed certificates that look like they've been collecting dust for years.

"What're those for?"

"I used to be really into gymnastics but I kinda lost the fire for it."

Nakasuko walks past one that she's pretty sure reads 'Regional Champion.'

"Regional champion, huh?"

"Former. I wasn't around to defend my title the year after that."

"I see.

"This way." Kasai leads Nakasuko into her walk-in closet. The first thing she notices is how dusty everything is. The second thing she notices is how despite all of the colorful garments, Kasai still chose to wear a dark gray shirt with black pants.

"Here. Try this on." Kasai haphazardly grabs a zebra-striped top and purple pants with polka dots and throws it at Nakasuko.

"I am not putting this on."

"Emu made me wear that combo all the time so it must be at least decent, right?"

"...Hm. Maybe… maybe you're right."

"Nope. Not even close." Nakasuko neatly folds up the clothes and stuffs them away, retreating back into her batter outfit.

"Yeah, that wasn't exactly my finest moment." Kasai bites her lip and looks through the clothing again.

"Let's see…" Nakasuko fishes through the stacks of clothing, looking for something even remotely normal to wear. Eventually, she settles on a white dress shirt, black sweater, and a long skirt that goes down to her calves. Just to top it off, she quickly borrows Kasai's bathroom for a quick shower to freshen her hair up, it's been getting kind of greasy. There we go, it's back to its completely natural matte blue color.

"Right. That should about do it." Nakasuko places her hands on her hips. "How do I look?"

"Like a very depressed office worker."

"I'm not depressed but I am an office worker so I'd say that's about right."

"You have a job?"

"Yeah, I mean, it's not like being a bat-wielding maniac on a quest for revenge was exactly raking in the cash. So, yeah…" She shrugs. "I work as a filing clerk. The days are long and the pay is meager but I get by so long as I have a cup of coffee in the morning."

"That sounds… weirdly normal. And also boring."

"Honest living is what it is." She scolds. "Though, I guess I'm kinda boring by nature. I mean, I'm not exactly the bat-wielding maniac on a quest for revenge that I once was."

"I mean, you've still got an entire city filled with yakuza to clean up."

"No I don't, actually." Nakasuko shrugs. "The yakuza pretty much destroyed itself. The Awano Family is out of Ozawa, The Shirayuki Association is a legitimate business now, Blackadder is going to implode now that their faith in their leaders has been shattered, and the Kuze Clan's driving force was keeping the other yakuza in check. Now that those are gone it's probably going to just go back to being a legitimate business."

"...Huh." Kasai pinches her chin. "Well, I guess that wraps things up in a neat little bow."

"For all my big talk, I guess Tami was the one who really did end up eradicating the yakuza. " Nakasuko sighs. "I'd have liked to have done it myself but I guess that was a pipe dream."

"Chin up, at least your dream came true one way or another."

"I suppose you're right. Though, that does leave me with the question of what I should do now."

"Maybe you can check on your sister?"

"Hmmm… nah. I'm pretty sure she's fine. She just needs some time to process her emotions by herself." Nakasuko scratches the back of her head. "And it's not exactly like the doting lovey-dovey type of sister, you know what I mean? I'm not sure how to really relate to her. I'm not sure she'd even be happy to see me." Nakasuko nods. "Yeah. It's best I stay away for now. In the meantime, I've got a relatively empty life to fill."

"Any ideas?"

"Hmmm…" Nakasuko's gaze wanders around as she thinks. "Maybe I'll try online dating?"

Kasai nods her head slowly as she thinks of a way to tell Nakasuko that this is a very very bad idea. "A bit of a jump going from organized underground crime straight to dating, wouldn't you say?"

"I mean, I don't see why not."

"Are you really ready to be in a relationship?"

"I feel pretty ready. I'm a hale, hearty, healthy, semi-well adjusted, independent young woman looking for a handsome man or woman to light up my life."

"Is this really what you want?"

"Uhhh, yes, I think. Maybe? Is this a trick question?"

"Nah, I just mean that… you know. Maybe the person you're looking for, you've already met." Kasai is a little too focused on trying to reason with Nakasuko that she forgets to pay attention to her word choice and the unfortunate implications they may carry.

"Dude…" Nakasuko looks at her weirdly. "Are you… flirting with me?"

"What? No? Gross."

"Gross?! What's so gross about me?" Nakasuko, trying her best to not take Kasai's comment personally, ends up taking it so personally that she asks for constructive criticism.

"It's not you that's gross! I just don't see you that way, alright?!"

"Do you not swing my way?"

"I don't swing any way!"

"Okay yeah that's fair. Then… who else…?"

"Beats me."

Nakasuko puts on her thinking cap. Metaphorically, not literally, that would be dumb. "I'm really only friends with one other person and that's Yuki."

That sets off alarm bells in Kasai's head. "Okay, I really really misspoke, let's not go down this road."

"Yeah that'd be weird as fuck." They both shudder at the thought. "Hmmm… so I guess in the end it's back to online dating."

"You could just not date."

"Fair. But what would I do instead?"

"I dunno. Go fishing or something. It's what I like to do with my spare time."

"I don't know how to fish."

"I'll take you sometime."

"I'm free tomorrow."

"I'm also free tomorrow."

"Ayyy." Kasai raises her hand to hi-five Nakasuko but she shies away from it.

Nakasuko scoffs a little before crossing her arms. Though, the smile on her face betrays her true feelings. "Oh, no, no, I don't do Hi-fives."

"You know you want to." Kasai offers her hand again.

"Alright, fine, just a small one." She taps her palm lightly against Kasai's palm.

"Oh, come on, that wasn't a real hi-five."

"What does a real hi-five feel like then–" The very instant she finishes that sentence, Kasai slams her hand into Nakasuko's so hard it feels like she flung it into the stratosphere. "Ah–! Shit! That hurt!"

"Felt good, though, didn't it?"

"...Just a little bit." She blows on her palm to ease the pain.

"So, we're good for fishing?"

"Yep."

"Actually, do you want to go right now?"

"What?" Nakasuko looks at her with an expression of slight incredulity. "Like, right now? In the middle of the night."

"Certain fish only come out at night. We might get a squid or something–"

They both freeze when they hear the front door open. They left their weapons downstairs by the door. Kasai grabs a nearby fishing pole and holds it like she would a sword. Nakasuko simply purges any trace of a smile on her face before cracking her knuckles.

"Big sis! Ms. Batter! Where are you?" Yuki's voice echoes from outside the room.

"Ah right, it's just Yuki." Kasai sighs a breath of relief.

"Oh yeah." Nakasuko chuckles nervously. "She's back a little late, though."

Kasai merely shrugs.

"Are you two in here?" Someone pushes open the door to the bedroom. It was Yuki's voice, they were sure of it. But the thing that opens the door is very much not Yuki. Or maybe it was at some point. They don't know. "Found you."

Kasai takes a step back, flinching away from the sight. "What… what did you do to Yuki?"

Nakasuko rubs her face wearily, her annoyance trumping her fear. "Here we go again."