Case 61: Chased after by Marigold.
[See you later.]
''...Mhm. See you.''
Moeka let out a gentle sigh as she ended the call with Fumiko. What was supposed to be initiated right after the conversation with Himeko had been postponed until dinnertime, all thanks to Marigold and her insatiable lust.
The call itself was brief enough, though neither Moeka nor Fumiko thought it was pointless. Knowing her girlfriend's personality, Moeka only intended to express her gratitude for Fumiko's consideration. Some idle chat, and some words of affirmation—those were more than enough for either of them.
Now, Moeka was left with something else to deal with.
''Moeka~! Dinner's ready!''
Haruno Himeko entered the room and so naturally embraced Moeka, nuzzling her head against her neck as though an excited golden retriever.
''...''
This clingy mess was the result of Moeka's inability to resist the girl's charms and insistence. Truthfully, she did not dislike staying beside Himeko, and because she herself had uttered those words of provocation earlier, she could not appear timid here either.
Himeko had declared she would make Moeka fall for her. And the judge? Moeka herself. In the Omega's mind, this was going to be a tense endeavour. Yet, from an outsider's perspective... not so much.
''Moeka, say 'Ahh'...''
''A-Ahh...''
'...Why are they even doing this?' Was what Kisaragi Yuzuki thought as she witnessed her daughter and the puppy-like Alpha flirting more intimately than she and her husband had years ago.
Visually, the two were a perfect match. One was striking; the other was demure—like a pair of prince and princess. Having spent days and nights sticking to one another, their bodies, too, must have struck a harmonious chord. Even now, the two's scents were happily mingling together, enough to make others jealous.
At this point, Yuzuki could already imagine the two standing in a wedding hall...
'Wait, I almost forgot about Fumiko.' Yuzuki snapped out of her mind palace, then resumed the scenario with an additional bride.
In the end, since it was quite entertaining to watch from the sidelines, Yuzuki decided to let the clueless kids have their fun for now.
As the week drew to an end, both Moeka and Himeko were preparing to return to their university, which had completed its repair. The semester was stalled by the attack, though the prearranged buffer weeks barely covered the delay.
On Monday, Moeka woke up as usual, then went to school with Himeko in tow.
The Omega would have never imagined her situation changing so much after just a break. Inside out, she felt like a different person. Because of the incident, Himeko became Moeka's bodyguard, which brought the two closer. That alone was a significant change among others.
Still, the students and staff members at Orion University must have been severely affected by The Legion's sudden act as well. Around the campus, a cautious air hung, making the atmosphere somewhat suffocating.
Only the chess club, which was composed primarily of magical girls, remained as usual, even a little lively after a period of inactivity. One could say they were too used to such incidents.
However, something seemed different within the circle. In such a short period of time, the mood between Moeka and Himeko seemed to have changed dramatically. Both Yurika and the Kogane twins could sense it instinctually, though more than such meticulous observations, the blatant display of affection from Himeko gave it all away.
During the club's activities, Himeko would constantly cling to Moeka, sometimes lightly kissing the Omega's cheeks as if rubbing it in the others' faces. Moeka herself appeared flustered each time, but it was rather trivial to tell that she was not uncomfortable with those signs.
Witnessing this, the three remaining members had various reactions.
The silver-haired Yurika seemed unusually amused, though she still had a scheming flicker in her eyes. The elder of the twins, Kogane Yui, displayed her jealousy clearly, looking distraught upon realizing she had fallen farther behind. Only Kogane Rui, who was tentatively comforted by Moeka for her unknown injuries, had a mysterious smile.
Up close, Moeka herself could feel it—a strange chill when she met the girl's stare. A girl she was not too familiar with, a girl whose timid and sweet front made many adore her. Somehow, Moeka was a little uneasy around her.
'...It's probably nothing.'
For the rest of the club time, no one acted particularly out of line. Aside from a few teasing attempts at flirting from Yurika, which were met with Himeko's fierce guard, the girls only learned chess and kept decorum. However, it was clear to Moeka that the mood had become unstable, which, as the club president, she would have to ponder over.
Meanwhile, Orion University's forum also had a topic that made waves. After The Legion's attack, the forum had been suspended momentarily due to a lack of management personnel. When it was reopened alongside the institution's classes, the talk of the town was unusually... a love story.
That night, when Himeko was lounging in Moeka's room, she just happened to stumble upon a post. Rather, a collection of trending posts, in which was passionate gossip of the tender atmosphere between two popular Alpha and Omega.
''Moeka.''
''Hm?''
''People are talking about us, it seems.''
''Huh? On where?''
Moeka leaned over, gave the giddy-looking Himeko a suspicious look, and inspected what was on the girl's phone.
[New godly CP is confirmed.]
[I hereby declare myself a devoted supporter of HimeMoe CP. I was a child of FumiMoe before(The childhood friend's aura was too strong), but this dazzling Alpha came out of nowhere and actually took the lead. I feel like a mob character inside a love drama with these two. Look at these and tell me they're not a lovey-dovey couple. HimeMoe ftw!]
Attached were four images capturing the moment Himeko discreetly leaned in to kiss Moeka on the cheek during lunch.
''...''
Moeka was speechless. She had anticipated gossip like this to pop up, but she could never have imagined it would come so soon. Of course, she did not particularly mind the attention, and considering her growing rapport with Himeko, she had nothing to correct either. Still, Moeka was baffled at the level of fangirling these people expressed publicly.
Was this the consequence of the sappy media resurgence since the Omegaverse incident?
Before Moeka could sigh in defeat, Himeko added with a big smile, ''They're cheering us on. Isn't that nice?''
''...Well, maybe.'' Moeka shrugged.
''Hold on, let me send these to your girlfriend—''
''Don't.''
Pushing against the girl's round forehead with her finger, Moeka said sternly, ''I told you to win over Miko, not to provoke her. She's already working to her death under pressure. Don't be mean.''
''Alright...'' Himeko pouted before immediately rebounced, ''Go on a date with me, then.''
''What? Why suddenly...?''
The blonde instantly activated her puppy mode, clinging to Moeka's legs while perking up with her round eyes, ''Can't we? I just wanna hang out with you.''
''...''
''Pleaseeee...?''
''...''
In the end, Moeka did not win against Himeko's charms.