The lavender haired girl sat very still on the table, blanket clutched around herself, eyes locked on Stella.
She did not blink.
She did not speak.
She just stared, as if trying to understand whether the woman in front of her was real, important, or dangerous.
Before Stella could say a word, the blue haired girl stepped forward.
She had pulled Neera's hoodie down to mid thigh, sleeves hanging slightly past her hands. She stood straight, posture neat, eyes bright with recognition as she looked at Stella.
"Hello, user," she said clearly. "I am Resonant AI, or R.AI. How may I help—"
"RAI!"
"RAI-CHAN!"
Mimi and Midori lunged at her from either side, clinging to her arms like she was a long lost friend they had just summoned by accident.
"You're real," Mimi gasped.
"You're adorable," Midori added immediately.
The blue haired girl blinked, processing.
"…Rai-chan works too," she said after a beat. "Acknowledged."
They cheered like they had just won something.
Meanwhile, Neera crouched near the table, eyes narrowed in intense academic curiosity. She reached out, poking the lavender haired girl's arm gently.
"You are… still semi gelatinous," Neera muttered. "Your composition feels like—"
"That is rude," Nozomi cut in instantly, stepping between them. Her voice was gentle but firm. "She is a person."
Neera froze.
"…You are right."
Nozomi turned to the quiet girl and smiled softly. "You should have a name. Your colors remind me of bubble gum pop. Maybe… Gumi."
The lavender haired girl blinked once.
Ragna, who had been silent and watching, suddenly straightened.
"Jelly."
Everyone looked at her.
"It fits," she added simply.
The girl tilted her head slightly, considering. She did not object.
Stella rubbed her temples.
"I do not need an explanation," she said tiredly.
They all looked at her.
"There is slime residue in the living room," Stella continued flatly. "The laptop is nonfunctional. And the pendants are gone."
She sighed, long and deep, the kind of sigh only an ancient being with a headache could manage.
"I can extrapolate."
She opened her eyes and looked at the two new girls, her gaze softening despite herself.
"…First things first," Stella said. "Let us get everyone new clothes."
The sanctuary hummed quietly around them.
Before Stella could say another word, Rai stepped forward with quiet confidence.
"This way," she said, already turning. "Follow me."
They hesitated only a second before trailing after her. Rai moved through the corridors like she knew them by heart, feet sure, turns precise. Stella noticed. Said nothing.
She stopped in front of a door they had not opened before and pushed it in.
The room beyond looked clean and utilitarian, stone walls softened by warm lighting. Shelves lined one side, folded with fabric that shimmered faintly. The air smelled faintly of warmth and static.
And in the center of the room sat the elephant.
A massive circular platform, smooth and metallic, etched with faint geometric patterns that pulsed slowly, almost like breathing.
Rai gestured to it calmly.
"This is a clothes synthesizer."
Neera immediately froze.
"…No," she said faintly. "Absolutely not."
She stepped closer, eyes wide, hands half raised like she wanted to take it apart with her mind.
"Matter synthesis at this scale would require absurd energy input. Fabric does not just assemble itself. Thread structure, weave integrity, adaptive sizing, thermal properties, this violates at least twelve known laws of physics."
Mimi burst out laughing, half hysterical.
"Bestie, the kitchen has a food synthesizer. Why are clothes the line."
Ragna leaned against the wall, arms crossed.
"At this point, nothing surprises me."
Rai nodded, satisfied.
"Correct. Functionality is consistent across systems."
From the doorway, soft shuffling sounds followed.
Nozomi and Midori entered carefully, holding the lavender haired girl between them. Gumi moved slowly, steps uncertain, like she was still learning how gravity worked. Midori supported one side, Nozomi the other, murmuring encouragement as they guided her inside.
"It is okay," Nozomi said gently. "You are doing very well."
Gumi looked around the room, eyes lingering on the platform. Something in her expression shifted, curious rather than afraid.
Stella finally spoke, voice tired but fond in a way she probably did not intend.
"…Of course you found the laundry room."
Rai turned back to her.
"I am familiar with the sanctuary's layout," she said simply.
Stella sighed again, but this time there was no frustration in it.
Rai stepped forward before anyone else could argue.
"I will demonstrate," she said calmly.
She walked onto the platform and pulled the glass enclosure closed behind her. The door sealed with a soft hiss. She raised her hands and clapped twice.
The platform responded instantly.
An interface bloomed to life along the inner wall, light sliding across the glass like water. Symbols, categories, and fabric previews scrolled past. Rai moved through them with practiced ease, fingers flicking as if this was muscle memory rather than discovery.
Neera stared, transfixed and horrified.
"That interface density is absurd. The response time alone implies predictive computation. And the material phase shift, I do not understand how the fibers are being—"
Mimi leaned over and stage whispered to Midori,
"She is spiraling again."
Rai paused at a selection and nodded to herself.
"Crop tank top. Cargo pants," she read aloud.
The walls of the enclosure turned opaque, milky white, cutting her off from view. A faint hum filled the room, low and even, like something thinking very hard.
Neera pressed closer, eyes darting.
"The energy distribution is uniform. No heat loss. No waste. This should not be possible."
A few seconds passed.
Then the walls cleared.
Rai stepped out.
She now wore a fitted crop tank top and loose cargo pants, the fabric settling naturally against her frame as if it had always been there. She looked down at herself, flexed her fingers, then nodded once in approval.
"Successful," she said. "Comfort level optimal."
Mimi stared.
"…Okay yeah. That slayed."
Midori clapped.
"Ten out of ten. Would synthesize again."
Ragna gave a short nod.
"Practical."
Nozomi smiled softly, relief visible on her face.
"You look very nice."
Neera finally tore her gaze away from the platform, looking at Rai with a mix of awe and distress.
"This machine should not exist."
Rai tilted her head.
"And yet, it does."
Behind them, Gumi watched quietly, eyes fixed on the platform, something curious and thoughtful beginning to form behind her silence. She lifted her hand slowly and pointed at the machine.
Then she tugged gently at Midori's sleeve.
Midori gasped like she had just been entrusted with a sacred duty.
"You want to try. Okay. Okay. I got you."
She helped Gumi onto the platform, careful and encouraging, and closed the glass door for her.
Mimi immediately appeared at the interface like a shark sensing blood.
"MOVE. Fashion emergency."
She scrolled with expert speed.
"Track pants. Comfortable. Tee shirt. Essential."
Ragna leaned in, squinting.
"She needs layering."
Mimi grinned.
"Say less."
She added a fluffy pink jacket with dramatic flair.
Nozomi hesitated.
"It might still be cold."
She added a scarf.
Ragna crossed her arms.
"And balance."
She selected a spiked choker with absolute seriousness.
Mimi burst out laughing.
"She is going to be adorable and dangerous."
Inside the enclosure, Gumi watched carefully. She copied Rai's movements, lifted her hands, and pressed the glowing OK button.
The walls turned opaque again.
A soft hum filled the room.
A few seconds later, the glass cleared.
Gumi stepped out.
She wobbled immediately, unfamiliar with fabric, weight, and gravity all at once. Ragna reacted instantly, catching her by the shoulders before she could fall.
"Got you," she said.
Gumi blinked, then looked down at herself. Track pants. Tee. Pink jacket. Scarf. Choker.
She lifted a sleeve. Then the scarf. Then touched the choker carefully.
Midori clapped.
"You look amazing."
Gumi swayed a little, then nodded like she accepted this reality.
Behind them, Neera was still staring at the machine, mumbling under her breath.
"The material synthesis alone would require quantum scale manipulation. The lack of waste heat implies closed loop energy—"
Midori walked up behind her, shoved a mochi straight into her mouth, and pushed her forward.
"No thoughts. Only clothes."
Neera sputtered.
"Mmph."
She was deposited onto the platform before she could recover.
One by one, they followed.
Neera selected her usual. Shorts. Hoodie. Practical. Familiar.
Mimi went next, emerging in a pleated skirt and thigh highs, spinning once with a grin.
"The apocalypse cannot stop drip."
Ragna chose all black. Clean lines. Heavy fabric. She added spiked chokers and bracelets without hesitation.
"This is correct."
Nozomi selected a flowy knee length dress, soft and light, fabric moving gently when she walked.
"…This feels peaceful," she said quietly.
Midori finished last, opting for jeans and a layered top, practical but expressive, like she needed room to move and breathe.
They regrouped in the laundry room, seven girls now fully clothed, mismatched, strange, alive.
Stella watched from the doorway, arms crossed, exhaustion still clinging to her, but something softer in her eyes now.
They all turned toward Stella at the same time.
Slowly.
Synchronously.
Seven faces.
Seven matching, animated grins.
Stella felt it immediately.
"No," she said flatly.
Mimi was already walking toward her.
"That dress," Mimi said, circling her like a shark, "is giving ancient Greek era. Like, oracle who lives on a mountain and gives prophecies for olives."
Rai nodded helpfully.
"The silhouette and drape are consistent with classical antiquity garment construction."
Stella closed her eyes.
"I am not stepping into the machine."
Midori looked between Neera and Rai, eyes widening in sudden horror.
"Oh my god. There are two of them now."
Neera elbowed her without looking.
Ragna appeared at Stella's other side, Gumi holding onto her arm this time, watching curiously.
"You need new clothes," Ragna said simply. "Those are impractical."
"I am perfectly comfortable," Stella replied.
Nozomi smiled sweetly.
"You deserve something nice."
That was her mistake.
They pushed her.
Not violently.
Not cruelly.
But decisively.
The glass door closed behind her with a soft hiss.
Stella stared out at them in betrayal.
"This is mutiny," she said.
Mimi was already scrolling.
"Okay. Respectfully. We are fixing your wardrobe."
Midori leaned over her shoulder.
"She needs cozy but powerful. Like… 'I can destroy a universe but also nap.'"
Rai processed.
"Recommendation: modern casual ceremonial hybrid."
Neera sighed.
"Please do not invent a new fashion genre."
They settled quickly.
Soft high waisted trousers, deep charcoal, comfortable but elegant.
A long sleeved top in muted ivory, fitted but relaxed.
A structured cardigan draped over it, deep plum, sleeves slightly oversized.
Flat boots, practical and grounded.
And finally, Mimi added a star shaped pendant necklace.
"For vibes," she said.
The walls turned opaque.
Stella crossed her arms, resigned.
A few seconds later, the glass cleared.
She stepped out.
The room went quiet.
The clothes fit her perfectly, like the machine had known her better than she knew herself. She looked… present. Less ancient. Less distant. Still ethereal, but grounded in a way she had not been in a very long time.
Stella looked down at herself.
Then back up.
"…This is acceptable," she admitted.
Mimi cheered.
"WE WON."
Midori clapped.
"She looks like she owns a very ethical bookstore."
Ragna nodded once.
"Better."
Nozomi smiled warmly.
"You look beautiful."
Gumi stared at Stella, then lifted her hand and gave a small thumbs up.
Stella exhaled, rubbing her temples again, but this time there was a smile tugging at her lips.
The laughter slowly faded.
Stella stood there for a moment longer, adjusting the sleeve of her cardigan, eyes thoughtful. Then her expression changed.
The warmth drained from her face.
The amusement vanished.
Something older and heavier settled behind her eyes.
She straightened.
"All right," Stella said.
The room quieted immediately.
"This was a necessary pause," she continued, voice calm but firm. "But it cannot last."
Stella looked at each of them in turn.
"It is time to try activating the pendants again."