Riiiiiing!
"Mmm…" a muffled groan emerged from beneath the blankets.
Riiiiiing! Riiiiiing!
"Nooo…" Mochi buried her head in the pillow, trying to ignore reality.
Riiiiiing! Riiiiiing!
"Aaaagh, damn alarm!" she finally exclaimed, smacking the clock.
Mochi hated that precise moment of the day: the instant when the warmth of her bed had to be sacrificed for the sake of routine. She sat on the edge of the mattress, her hair a mess and her cat ears drooping, stretching until her vertebrae cracked as she let out a yawn that seemed endless.
After a light and mechanical breakfast, she set off for school. Normally, she would make the trip accompanied by Haruka, but today the walk felt unusually long because she was alone. Haruka had told her she wouldn't be attending classes, so Mochi had to go by herself.
The morning passed without incident—at least on the surface. However, a persistent unease bothered her. She couldn't concentrate and kept drifting into her thoughts. The teachers, of course, didn't take long to notice her absent-minded expression, and Mochi ended up accumulating more scoldings than usual before the midday bell rang.
She prepared to eat her bento, but didn't manage to take a single bite before being interrupted.
"Noa-san, Noa-san! Do you know anything about Haruka-sama?" Fanatic 1 shouted, appearing out of nowhere.
"Why didn't she come today? Did something bad happen to her?" Fanatic 2 demanded, invading her personal space.
"Tell us, Noa-san! You're always with her!" Fanatic 3 insisted, waving her hands.
Surrounded. Again. As if she were a celebrity by association, Haruka's fan club never missed an opportunity to pester her. It was the price of being the best friend of the "Ice Princess." Haruka's appearance, combined with her distant and cold aura, drove the girls at the academy crazy.
Of course, I'm immune, Mochi thought, forcing a polite smile as she remembered the Haruka who pinched her cheeks. I've known her since we were four. I know that behind that icy facade there's a sweet and friendly girl.
With patience, she explained that Haruka had missed school due to an urgent "family matter," carefully avoiding giving any real details. It took her quite a while and several promises to "keep them informed" to convince them, but eventually the swarm of admirers dispersed, leaving her alone with her bento.
Mochi let out a sigh of relief as she watched the group of fanatics walk away down the hall. She had never felt comfortable dealing with them. In her first year of high school, the closeness between the two of them had sparked such toxic jealousy that she ended up being harassed for a week—until Haruka found out.
Mochi smiled to herself, resting her chin on her hand as she remembered the looks of terror on those girls' faces when they confronted the elf's cold and cutting anger. Haruka had made it very clear that anyone who touched Mochi would have a very bad time.
Hehe… if only they knew, she thought with a hint of mischief. I know her bright side… but also how clumsy she can be sometimes.
She looked at her lunch without much enthusiasm. The fanatics had taken up too much of her time, and now she would have to wolf down her food if she wanted to finish before the next class started.
During the rest of the lessons, she was unable to pay attention. Her mind kept returning to what had happened the previous night, right after she lost consciousness.
* * *
"Ugh…" a pained groan slipped from her lips.
Mochi felt her body heavy. She barely managed to open her eyes when a soft voice, filled with tenderness, called her name.
"Mochi… wake up."
"I don't want to… five more minutes…" she murmured, burying her face into what she thought was her pillow.
She snuggled in tightly, seeking more warmth. It was an intoxicating sensation; her "pillow" was soft, warm, and carried a floral, citrus scent that felt incredibly familiar.
"So warm… and it smells so nice…" Mochi mumbled sleepily, rubbing her cheek against the soft surface without thinking about the consequences.
"M-Mochi! S-stop!" the voice exclaimed, now sharp and flustered.
Mochi recognized the voice immediately. That stutter, that loss of composure—it could only belong to one person. She opened her eyes wide and realized she wasn't in her bed.
"Haruka…" Mochi murmured, still processing the situation around her.
Suddenly, the memories hit her like a blast of icy wind: the faceless creature, the colossal cat, Haruka's heroic arrival, and finally, that black spear that had pierced her chest.
Mochi shot upright, gasping. She clutched her chest in desperation, searching for the wound, the blood, the pain… but found nothing. Her school uniform was spotless, without a single tear.
"Haruka? What happened? Where am I?" she asked, her voice trembling.
"Calm down, Mochi. You're safe now," a gentle voice replied.
Haruka was kneeling beside her. Mochi lowered her gaze. That comfortable, fragrant "pillow" had been none other than her best friend's thighs.
Haruka, noticing Mochi's stare, jumped to her feet, trying to regain her composure. But it was useless; a blush spread across her cheeks, and even the tips of her long elf ears had turned red.
"Haruka, what was that thing? How did you do that with the ice? That was amazing!" Mochi jumped to her feet, bombarding her with questions. "Could I do that too? Is that magic?"
Haruka placed her hands on Mochi's shoulders, forcing her to calm down. Her expression turned serious again, almost solemn. She promised that the next day, after classes, she would explain everything in detail, but for now her priority was to take her home and make sure she rested.
She accompanied her to her door, said goodbye with a brief gesture, and disappeared into the night.
* * *
Ding dong!
The end-of-classes bell pulled Mochi out of her thoughts, bringing her back to the reality of the classroom. She didn't waste a second; she shoved her notebooks into her bag carelessly and ran down the hallway, weaving through the crowd of students gathering at the exit. She needed answers.
However, as she crossed the school's main gate, she stopped abruptly. Her lungs burned from the run, and she realized something important.
"Where am I supposed to meet her?" she asked herself, looking from side to side.
She reached into her pocket to grab her phone, but it wasn't necessary. On the path through the park that connected the school to the residential district, there she was—under the shade of a tree.
Haruka wasn't wearing her usual school uniform; instead, she had on a dark jacket that gave her a more professional look. She was leaning against the trunk, gazing into the sunset horizon, waiting for her as if she knew exactly when Mochi would arrive.
The moment of truth had come.
"How are you, Mochi? Do you feel okay? Do you notice anything strange in your body?" Haruka approached her immediately, her green eyes scanning Mochi with intensity.
Mochi let out a small laugh and raised her hands.
"Haruka, relax! I'm fine, really, I'm perfectly fine. Now please, keep your promise and tell me everything. I'm dying of curiosity!"
Haruka straightened up and nodded with a seriousness that made the atmosphere in the park feel heavier.
"What I'm about to tell you is classified information, Mochi. It's confidential. You can't tell anyone under any circumstances. Understood?"
Mochi nodded eagerly. Her heart was racing; excitement tingled at the tips of her ears and made her tail twitch.
"Those things that attacked you last night… we call them 'Anomalies,'" Haruka began, lowering her voice. "They are supernatural beings that secretly inhabit this world. And they feed on humans."
"Anomalies…" Mochi repeated. "Then the recent disappearances in the city…?"
"Most likely, yes. Anomalies become more dangerous and stronger the more people they devour. It's a cycle of feeding and growth."
Mochi realized just how close she had come to being devoured the night before. And yet, beyond the fear, something new ignited inside her—a fascination with the unknown. It's like being inside a manga, she thought, her eyes shining.
"And the giant cat?" Mochi asked, stretching her arms to indicate its size. "Was that an anomaly too? Why was it sealed inside that old altar?"
"It seems it was once a local deity," Haruka explained, glancing toward the treetops. "It was worshipped centuries ago, when this city was just a small village. But it became corrupted and transformed. It must have been sealed long ago; I only found a few vague references in old records."
Mochi tilted her head, processing the information.
"How do you know all this? And the ice—what you did last night… how did you do that?"
Haruka fell silent for a moment. Finally, with a firm and professional expression, she replied:
"I'm part of an organization responsible for containing and eliminating anomalies before the public becomes aware of them. Its name is the Occult Hazard Response Agency."
"Oc… what?" Mochi blinked, confused by the long name.
"Just call it OHRA," Haruka said. From within the folds of her jacket, she smoothly pulled out the crystal fan Mochi had seen the night before. "And this is my weapon. Through it, I gain the ability to control ice at will. Thanks to this, and the Agency's training, I can fight them."
Mochi stared at the fan, fascinated.
"That's so cool! It's amazing!" she exclaimed, forgetting for a moment the danger of the previous night. "I want one too! Haruka, let me see it!"
Mochi reached out, eager to touch it, but Haruka was faster. With a flick of her wrist, she snapped the fan shut and slipped it back under her jacket, hiding it from view.
"Muuuu!" Mochi puffed her cheeks in frustration. "I just wanted to take a quick look… don't be mean."
"You're a bit clumsy, Mochi," Haruka replied with a sigh, though her gaze softened. "I don't want you to get hurt. This isn't a toy."
"But at least show me how you do magic! Please!" Mochi pleaded, her tail swishing excitedly.
However, Haruka didn't smile. Her expression darkened, and a shadow of guilt crossed her green eyes.
"Focus, Mochi. Listen carefully, because there's something much more important and urgent I need to tell you."
Haruka's tone made Mochi's excitement fade instantly. The park seemed to grow quieter.
"The cat… the anomaly from the altar… didn't die. Not completely."
"What?" Mochi blinked, confused. "But I saw your ice spears pierce it… it was breaking apart into the air."
Haruka slowly shook her head. "It hid, Mochi. Just before it dissipated, it used its last trace of ether to leap toward the only refuge it could find." Haruka looked straight into her eyes, with a seriousness that cut deep. "It's inside you."
Mochi felt the world spin.
"Mochi… that anomaly is possessing you. It's inside you now."