Chapter Text
"Do you think this is what Tennoji looks like, under the mask?" Setsuna asked as she watched Kasumi put the finishing touches on the head for Tennoji's vessel.
"Maybe. I don't particularly care." Kasumi said, checking the reference photos. "As long as she likes it enough to leave us alone, it could be just about anyone's face."
Setsuna stared at the head, still not attached to any body. She wondered if there was a time when her own head looked like this... hollow and yet to be given a full body. "That girl I was made to look like... Nana... what was she like...?"
Kasumi glanced up for a moment, frowning. "Are you sure you want to know? She's long gone."
"I'm... curious."
Kasumi went back to work, but started recalling the memories. "Nana Nakagawa was a friend of mine during school. Well, I say friend, but I didn't know her very well until after she was gone.
"When we met, Nana seemed like the model student. She had a strict, kind of traditional-leaning family, so it made sense to me at the time. I originally befriended her to have her talk to teachers for me, to keep me from getting in trouble." Kasumi snickered. "I thought I was so naughty, making the honor student lie for me. I thought I was turning her into a secret delinquent.
"A few months before the end, I discovered that Nana actually already had a hidden side. She loved anime, idol culture, and a bunch of other things that her family wouldn't approve of. If I hadn't teased her so much for that, maybe she would have let me into her life more. Maybe she would still be alive."
Setsuna's shoulders slumped as she imagined the situation. "What happened?"
"Her parents found out." Kasumi shrugged. "It was pretty much inevitable. But more importantly, they made Nana throw out all of her hidden stuff. I hear they even burned some of it as some sort of message to her." She pointed toward the living quarters. "Some of the stuff I had in storage was from Nana, given to me for safekeeping right before her parents discovered her stash."
"That's terrible. Why would her parents do that?"
"Control. They thought they were teaching an important lesson. Malicious intent. Take your pick. Doesn't really matter anymore." Kasumi lifted the meat puppet head, inspecting it. "Whatever their reasons, it was enough to push Nana over the edge."
Setsuna waited for Kasumi to continue, then realized she would need to prompt her master to finish the story. "How did she die?"
"She was missing from school for a few days, then she washed up on Odaiba." Kasumi didn't look up from the head. "Some eyewitnesses claim they saw her a few days earlier, lingering on the Rainbow Bridge near closing time."
Setsuna nodded slowly. "How old would she be if she were still alive?"
"...Uh, maybe fifty-something, I guess?" Kasumi shrugged.
A thought occurred to Setsuna, but it felt invasive to ask. Her curiosity became too great to let it slide, but she asked with trepidation. "You... had a crush on her, didn't you?"
Kasumi put down the head, turning to wipe off her hands. "Why would you think that?"
"Why else would you try to recreate Nana with this body, down to details like the vagina?" Setsuna asked, wondering if Emma would know how to ask this better.
A low growl came from Kasumi, who balled a hand into a fist. "There was a time when I was going to try to bring her back. But even if there was a way to restore her mind from her dead brain, I can't do anything with ashes."
"But you 'loved' her, right?"
"Does it matter?" Kasumi glared over her shoulder at Setsuna. "Friend, sweetheart, rival, enemy... whatever she was to me, she's gone. From dust to dust."
Setsuna wasn't sure she really understood, but she recognized that Kasumi wouldn't ever get a proper resolution to whatever feelings she had for Nana. "I'm sorry, master." She bowed her head. "I'll drop the subject."
The frustration and anguish vanished from Kasumi's face, and she slowly turned to walk away with a forlorn step. "Come. We need to prepare the heart next."
Emma was reading one of the manga volumes she had borrowed from Setsuna when Kanata emerged from her bedroom, a faint smile on her face. "I have some good news for you, Verde."
"What kind of news?" Emma asked, sitting up.
Kanata walked over with her e-slate, turning it so Emma could look. "A parabiology program in Hokkaido is accepting new applicants, with no restriction for nationality."
"Oh my god, really?!" Emma got up from the couch, taking the e-slate from Kanata to look over the details. "Wow, you're right! They're even encouraging foreigners to apply!"
"I think you should get your application in right away, before too many people sign up." Kanata crossed her arms and smiled as she watched Emma's excitement. "You don't want to miss this chance."
"Y-yeah! I should get all my paperwork sorted out today..." Emma looked over at Kanata. "Can you help me organize some of it, or are you too busy?"
"I have some free time today." Kanata said, winking. "I'm all for young people learning their field, so I'd be happy to help."
Emma smiled gratefully, then suddenly felt her smile fade as she realized something. "Hokkaido is pretty far, though..."
"Not that far. Travel expenses shouldn't be a problem." Kanata said, trying to head off where she knew this was going.
"It's not that..." Emma collapsed onto the sofa. "What do I tell Setsuna...?"
Kanata sighed deeply, shaking her head. "At least apply for now, to make sure you have a chance. Don't let Setsuna be an obstacle to your goals."
Emma put the e-slate aside, slumping her shoulders. "Maybe that's easy for you to say. But... for me..." Emma sighed. "I don't want to be lonely again. And I've already left my family back home. I don't want to leave behind Setsuna too, now..."
An ache formed in Kanata's chest. She didn't like how Emma was letting some season-long romance shape her future, but she couldn't help but wonder if her own loneliness was caused by discarding relationships in favor of her career. She wondered if she should ask Haruka more about her marriage; try to understand what Haruka and Emma saw in their partners.
"Setsuna is functionally immortal, is she not?" Kanata pointed out. "Surely she can wait for you, if she actually is as devoted as you believe she is."
"That's true, but..." Emma shut her eyes. "I'm not immortal. I miss her already, and it's only been a week..."
"Ugh, heavens..." Kanata couldn't help but scoff. "How long did you even know her? Ten weeks at most?"
"I know it's stupid." Emma held her head in her hands. "But I can't just kill these feelings..."
Adjusting her glasses, Kanata looked over Emma. She tried to remember being in her twenties, whether she had such powerful emotions for anyone or anything. Aside from her connection to her sister Haruka and her devotion to her career, she didn't think of anything. Had those two things been powerful enough to drive Kanata through her prime years, with no distractions? If their roles were reversed, would Emma have told Kanata to stop spending so much time with her sister to focus on her career, or vice versa?
"I don't know what is the right choice for you, Verde. But I do not think you should let your feelings for Setsuna make you outright reject the possibility of following your original goal." Kanata sighed, realizing that she had to play into Emma's feelings to reach her. "Maybe see if you can convince Doctor Nakasu to let Setsuna visit you in Hokkaido."
"...Maybe that could work." Emma slowly lifted her face again. "I'm sorry I'm being so stupid, Konoe. I know you're trying to help me..."
"You're still young. You're going to get lost or make mistakes sometimes." Kanata patted Emma's shoulder. "Let's get that application in, okay? You want to keep your options open until you know what you want."
"Thanks, Konoe." Emma smiled up at her. "I'll get my information in order."
Tennoji was not going to leave things in the hands of a mad scientist, hoping that Doctor Nakasu would keep her word without preparing contingencies. A flying drone that was too small and quiet to be noticed from a distance by human senses hovered in the Diamond's lab area, flying in the perfect spot to avoid detection while scanning the entire area. Even when they were focused on other things, Tennoji had one panel of their mental HUD configured to always show them the state of their future vessel.
Meanwhile, Tennoji had many other matters to attend to while they waited. They hacked into the servers of the university that Emma Verde was applying to, preparing potential options such as blacklisting Emma from being allowed to enroll. They made visual scans of the Diamond that contradicted Kanata Konoe's report, checking which part of RELIC handled internal affairs and investigations. Tennoji also tracked down the supply chains that Doctor Nakasu relied on, checking each point of failure for potential sabotage possibilities.
Even as they did all this, Tennoji still managed to find time to admire the way their meat puppet was shaping up. Tennoji had long ago convinced themselves to shed their identity as a woman, considering their biomechanical and cybernetic replacements to have crossed the line where they were no longer human enough for gender. But this new body was feminine in a way that Tennoji had almost come to miss. They found their rejuvenated body reacted to the chemicals of their excitement again, and they were annoyed whenever Doctor Nakasu stopped to take a break.
As Tennoji ran the diagnostics on the device that would allow them to control the meat puppet and feel its stimuli, they decided it was time to come up with a name. Their old human name probably would not do... In this new era, Tennoji didn't want to be someone with an "old-fashioned" name. So while letting other processes run on the corners of their HUD, Tennoji brought up a bulletin viewer and started searching for popular names. It didn't take long to find one they liked.
"Rina." Tennoji said aloud, their voice distorted from the protective mask. Even so, the sound of the name was almost enough to make them smile. "Rina Tennoji."