Chapter Text
It wasn’t a surprise that Inori Misono often found herself in an alleyway, chasing after a critter she had considered in need of a better home. It was practically becoming a daily occurrence. When she wasn’t swamped with homework assignments, helping out with art club events, or being her friend Hiroko’s sidekick in her videos, she was busy tracking down lost or abandoned animals to potentially adopt and, inevitably, give away.
She had perfectly logical reasoning in her mind. It was spring, but the air was still chilly at night, and the disgusting dumpsters full of food scraps were hardly enough for any creature to live comfortably. She had to keep reminding herself that, especially when her father reprimanded her for thinking it was a good idea to bring wild animals into their apartment. It was, in her mind. It wasn’t only because she was lonely. They deserved a home. A family.
Inori sighed to herself as she searched the alley, trying to find where the cat she had been chasing had run off to. She could’ve sworn it went down this one. The girl combed the narrow dead end, doing her best to peek behind the dumpsters lining the walls of the buildings on either side.
Eventually, a rather frosty gust of wind slipped through the small alleyway, causing Inori to shiver uncontrollably. Great, she thought sarcastically. This is going exactly how I wanted. She was getting tired of searching; it was obvious the cat was no longer here. She stood, rocking for a minute as she tried to get the feeling back in her legs, before turning to leave.
It was then that she saw the egg.
It was quite large, larger than any egg she’d ever seen. It had been tucked into a gap between a dumpster and the wall, meaning it was impossible to notice it without actually walking down the alley and turning back. Inori paused, her posture hunched from the cold air, and tried to process what she was seeing. The egg glittered with a golden glow despite the sun being blocked by the buildings. It seemed to radiate a warmth she couldn’t describe, almost like it was…alive.
Against her better judgement, Inori took a step forward, inching closer to the strange object. What is this thing? She knelt down once more, examining it, before gently wrapping her fingers around the egg and pulling it out of the crevice it was wedged into. It seemed to pulse in her hands like a heartbeat, and the heat it somehow generated instantly warmed her fingers. Inori studied the egg in awe. Whatever it is, it’s cool. I wonder if Dad would know anything about it. She was about to make her way out of the back alley when she heard a sickening crack.
Inori looked down. Oh no. A sizable line stretched down the length of the egg, jagged and harsh. She shivered, not from the cold but from fear. Was I too rough with it? How fragile is this thing? Better question, what's it gonna hatch into? Her spiraling thoughts were interrupted by another crack forming. Then another. Then another. The whole surface of the golden egg shell became a pattern of lines until–
CRACK!
An explosion of golden light lit up the entire alley, engulfing Inori. Her eyes slammed shut instinctively at the brightness, the warmth from within the egg flowing out and all over her body. Finally, the light died down, but Inori kept her eyes shut. She wasn’t sure what had happened, and she was too nervous to see what had become of the strange treasure she’d found.
“Puni!”
…Huh?
She then realized there was still something in her palms. The girl slowly opened her eyes, blinking a few times. There was no sign of the egg. In fact, she didn’t even see a trace of the shell anywhere, not even littered in pieces at her feet. Instead, there was a tiny red blob, no larger than her fist, with three bulbs sticking out of the top. However, what startled her more was the two large eyes it had, staring back at her.
“Puni?” The blob tilted its body to one side, like it was a curious animal. Inori simply gawked back. There was a moment of silence. Neither of them moved. Finally, Inori found her voice.
“...What…are you?” she asked. The blob just stared. Right, like it can even talk, she thought stupidly.
“Puni! Puniii!” the blob squealed. It bounced a little in her hands, causing her to panic slightly and try to hold it still. The tiny thing continued to squirm. Inori looked around nervously, wondering if anyone else had noticed the flash from the egg. Surprisingly, she was still alone. Though now she had a strange, living slimeball in her palms. Inori let out a shaky sigh.
“O-okay. I’m…gonna just…” She held the blob against her chest, trying to obscure it with her hands, and made her way out of the alley. To her surprise, the blob stopped moving and snuggled against her, like it was drawn to her warmth. Inori smiled without thinking. So cute…but also kinda weird? I don't whether to be freaked out or curious. She still had no idea what it was, of course, but it was alive. And it seemed to like her.
“I think I’ll bring you home, little guy,” she whispered to the tiny creature. “I hope Dad will–” She paused. There was no way her father would let her keep this thing if she told him about it. More than likely, he’d report it to Public Safety or something. "...Er, actually, I'll just keep you in my room for now. He doesn't have to know about you just yet. Whatever you are." She’d have to keep it on the down-low, until she could figure out how to explain to him what had happened.
In response to her voice, the little blob let out a happy sigh, much like a purr. It actually sounded pretty sleepy. Inori looked down and saw its eyes were slipping shut, and it started to make noises similar to a baby snoring. She couldn’t help but giggle. Okay, it was pretty cute, even with the lack of features. Inori cuddled it against her chest as she headed back to her apartment. While she was used to returning home with a stray animal in her arms, she had never expected anything like this. On the bright side, at least she would be able to keep this one for a while.
Maybe I'll call you Coo, because of the noises you make, she thought, smiling as she looked down at the creature again, stroking one of its head bulbs. I'm gonna take good care of you, buddy. The newly named Coo murmured happily.
There was a light tittering amongst the small party of three watching the events that had just occurred. Most of it was from the two girls, while the boy remained stoic and silent, his eyes glued to what could be considered their privately shared screen.
“Oh, isn’t this lovely!” The girl in the middle giggled, her long, blond pigtails bouncing as she swayed her feet with excitement. The girl to her right nodded, the large bonnet she wore above her pink hair threatening to slip over her half-lidded eyes.
The blond girl continued, “This isn’t what was supposed to happen at all!” Her sweet smile melted into a sneer almost instantaneously. “You know you should do something about it, right Homeros?” The pink-haired girl nodded again, this time with a yawn.
“Give it a rest, King, she’s got enough to deal with,” The boy chimed in, giving his two companions a sideways glare. “What with the Current being all messed up–” The girl named King raised her finger to shush him.
“No need to spoil the show before it’s reached its climax, Kun-kun.” she scolded.
The boy sighed in annoyance, resting his head on his hand. “I told you not to call me that…”
The blond girl smirked, before turning back to Homeros, whose eyelids were slowly drooping. “In any case, I guess it might be fun to watch how everything plays out," she mused. "After all, they haven’t done anything to go against the natural laws of their world just yet.”
The boy nodded slightly in agreement, albeit visibly displeased. “We’ll let them off the hook for now, but I’ll warn Mirei to keep an extra close eye on them, for Homeros’s sake.”
The three returned to silence once more, bringing their attention back to the shared screen. For once in their lives, they had no idea what would happen next, and, unexpressed or not, were eager to see what would unfold.