With a still full mug of percolator coffee in hand, Anisa gazes out of the window, watching students putting up the hoods of their coats or sharing umbrellas as they try to brave the rain. As her eyes glaze over, a call that should be all too familiar to her reaches her ears. It doesn’t sound like a first attempt.

???: Miss Sakurauchi?

Anisa: (she clears her throat, turning around to see one of her colleagues, a track-suit wearing teacher in his mid-30s, approaching with a handful of paper forms) … Oh, Mr Hazuki. My apologies. I thought you were calling out to the other Miss Sakurauchi. People usually are.

Hazuki: Oh, no, eh. Sorry to bother you—no, I can imagine it’s not always easy. Are you two… related?

Anisa: She’s my cousin, yes. Our fathers are brothers.

Hazuki: I see. Well, my apologies. Maybe I could’ve been a bit clearer. (he clears his throat) Well, regardless — I’m afraid I took these handouts that were intended for your class with me, by accident. So, here they are. (he holds out the pile of papers) They’re about the school trip.

Anisa: Oh, r-right… The school trip. Well, mistakes happen, don’t worry. There’s still enough time for the students to hand these in, so, ehm, thank you. (she nods slowly)

Hazuki: You’re not… bothered, are you? You seem a bit out of it.

Anisa: Mmm? Oh… No, it’s—Sorry, I get a little bit carried away sometimes. Must be the weather.

Hazuki: As long as you’re sure. I know we don’t exactly know each other well, but if you need someone with some more experience wrangling these young’uns, don’t be afraid to come knocking on my door. Proverbially, I mean. Can’t be easy, starting out teaching homeroom to these third-years.

Anisa: Oh, I don’t think there seem to be any major problems.

Hazuki: I’m surprised to hear that—Pleasantly, don’t get me wrong. I mean, clean slates and all, but I’ve heard about what the colleagues who taught that class had to deal with, and… Well, I’m glad these kids seem to have matured a bit, that’s for sure.

Anisa: … Never underestimate the power of a fresh start. (she chuckles, somewhat awkwardly, before straightening her back, clutching the handouts close to her chest) Well, in any case. Thank you for the handouts. I… probably would’ve forgotten if you didn’t—

Hazuki: Well,  the way you’re holding onto these sheets, you’re not likely to lose ‘em.

Anisa: … Right. I’ll make sure the kids get these. (she downs the mug of coffee, putting it on a nearby desk) That’ll do me some good. Sorry, may I— (she bows her head slightly as she attempts to walk past her colleague)

Hazuki: (he steps aside to let her pass) Oh, sorry.

Anisa: Don’t worry about it. 

She bows slightly as she leaves the teachers’ lounge, closing the door as she heads out, into an empty hallway. All students should have left by this point. With a sigh, she turns the corner and walks up the stairs, heading back to her classroom to leave the handouts on her desk — yet when she opens the door, an empty classroom isn’t what she sees. Instead, an older girl sits atop a desk near the back of the class, staring out the window. 

Anisa: Excuse me, you can’t be here.

The girl turns, a wicked grin on her face. Though her features are the spitting image of Yuzuki, she is missing her glasses, her hair is cut short, and she wears a rebellious outfit that Yuzuki never would. Even the desk she sits upon is in the same place as Yuzuki’s was, the year she made her contract.

Ikana: Well, that’s a pretty cold way to talk to one of your own. Don’t you recognize me? 

Anisa: … One of my own? You’re trying to relive memories that aren’t even yours, Incubator.

Ikana: Incubator…? No, Yuzuki. Don’t tell me you forgot my name as well? (She hops off her perch, making her way through the desks towards Anisa) It isn’t enough you had to murder poor Toi? Take out one of the people who held the sky up and made sure there was happiness in the world? 

Anisa: Toi’s alive. You can talk to her if you’re so desperate to hear her voice.

Ikana: Yes, finally all’s right with the world again… but don’t you think I’d make a better Anisa?

Anisa: Surely you have loftier ambitions than that.

Ikana: To be one of the Musketeers, what higher station could there be in this world? (She stretches her hand out as she walks closer to Anisa, as if to touch her cheek when she’s close enough) And to be Anisa, the most powerful of all of us… you always were. 

Anisa: (she grabs the creature’s wrist) What do you even want? What could you possibly have to gain from re-enacting some childhood make-believe? You’re an Incubator.

Ikana: You forget what we had! (Her wrist contorts unnaturally in Anisa’s grasp, twisting to grab Anisa’s wrist in return) Everything we need is right here! But I think I’m done with this tepid water… being Yuzuki. I want all the joy and misery that only you have! 

Anisa: You’re insane! (she pulls back her arm, trying to escape the counterattack) I’m going to scream.

Ikana: No, now I am going to scream! 

Before anyone can scream, however, an ivory rapier sails through the room and into Ikana’s side. Hanako stands just outside of the doorway, wearing her school uniform, but a breeze fills the room.

Hanako: I’d prefer if neither of you scream, to be honest.

Anisa: (she clutches her wrist, holding it close to her chest, as if Ikana’s touch somehow burnt it) I’ve done more than enough of that to last me a lifetime, and then some..

Seia: (With some effort, she trots up behind Hanako, holding her cane at the ready like a staff) 

Ikana: (She groans, pulling the rapier out, hunched over but not as affected as a normal person should be) Ugh… who is this now…? Always this rabble comes, with their do this and do that! If you aren’t a part of this world, begone! 

Hanako: This is our world. You have no place in it anymore, Incubator. (She enters the classroom, with Seia still behind her) You’ve nowhere to run.

Anisa: I see you got the memo.

Seia: (She transforms, her shadowy hands pawing all over Ikana to keep track of what she’s doing) I don’t know who you are, but you have to leave.

Ikana: Heh… (She coughs, the stab wound from Hanako’s rapier rapidly filling with white goo) All I need to do is take what I came for… (Her arm whips forward)

Seia: (With a blast of light from her staff, she slices right through Ikana’s arm)

Ikana: (Her arm drops to the floor, wriggling and writhing. In a few seconds, it disappears like sand flowing into the ground, and another grows back in its place) Nggghh! You fucking trash…! Fine! What’s another few days compared to forever? (Her body dissolves into a thick white liquid, seeping down through the gaps in the tiled floor) 

Hanako: ! (She summons a cyclone around the floor where Ikana dissolves, as if trying to gather it, but all that happens is the scattering of papers and supplies before it stops) …It got away…

Seia: Are you alright, sensei? 

Anisa: Y-Yes, I think I am. Thank you, Yamano, Sasaki, I… I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t shown up.

Seia: You could have blown her up with your powers like you did with Aoi, right? Or would that wreck the school? 

Hanako: …Y-You can’t control your powers, can you…?

Anisa: I’m not exactly… allowed to use those powers anymore. It’s a long story. I was… truly helpless out there. (she solemnly bows in gratitude)

Sara: (standing in the doorway, she is holding out her phone in front of her, having just recorded the short tussle in its entirety) Aw bummers! I was all here to see Teach kick some alien butt!

Koharu: (out of breath, she finally reaches the classroom as well) You can’t…! You can’t film that kind of stuff!

Sara: But it’s assault, chief! Don’t we have the responsibility to acquire evidence of crimes when we witness them?

Koharu: What if someone steals your phone, or it gets confiscated? Or it gets hacked and whoever has it leaks this to the entire world?

Anisa: Shirahara is right, Mitsunaga. I’m happy you’re doing your civic duty, but in this case, it’s best if no evidence gets left behind.

Sara: R-Right, or course. We need to maintain the Masquerade, yes. (she fiddles with her phone, deleting the video) Into oblivion it goes!

Hanako: I swear, Sara-chan… we’ve been over this. The secret has to be kept, you know?

Sara: You’re so cool, though, senpai! You gotta have the humility of a saint to keep all of this under wraps, you know?

Yosuke: (he steps in) H-Hey, aren’t we forgetting something? What the hell was that thing? Are they attacking the school now?

Hanako: I… I could’ve sworn I heard the word “Incubator” thrown around as I was running up.

Seia: Yes, I definitely heard it, but that thing felt like a human… mostly. 

Hanako: Or… like it’s trying to be human…

Anisa: It’s an Incubator that has been lurking on this planet for a while now, possessing that young woman Yuzuki, you might remember her from during the Balancer crisis. It’s a long and complicated story.

Hanako: …Yui should hear about this.

Anisa: She might need your help to take this thing down. But you’re right, we’ll be safer at New Eden.

Yosuke: (already with his phone to his ear) I hope she’ll give me the time of day…

Yui: (She answers immediately) Yo. Sup?

Yosuke: (he clears his throat) M-Miss Amaya…

Yui: Arashi. 

Yosuke: …This is Nishioka speaking. I have, eh, something to report. I’m at school and we were just— well, miss, eh — (he turns to Anisa, covering the phone’s microphone) What’s your last name again? I mean your real last name.

Anisa: … Nobunaga.

Yosuke: … Miss Nobunaga was just attacked by a weird, gloopy thing claiming to be an Incubator? What the heck is going on?

Yui: (She’s silent for a second) …Put me on speaker. I’m gonna guess Hanako, Seia and the others are all there too.

Yosuke: Thank God they are. (he does as Yui told him to)

Yui: …So Ikana’s after you, specifically, Anisa? I’m guessing it told you all about its evil plan or whatever.

Anisa: It sounds… deranged. It appears to believe it is Miss Tokai, but simultaneously also seems to want to… possess me. I told it that becoming me won’t exactly allow it to relive Miss Tokai’s childhood memories, but it doesn’t seem particularly receptive to reason.

Yui: …Kay. So we now know what Ikana’s goal is. Hanako, Seia, I want you two to keep Anisa guarded during school hours. Since I get the distinct feeling that Anisa isn’t gonna wanna live in the gym, I’ll arrange for someone else to protect her the rest of the time, until Ikana’s put down.

Seia: (She salutes quietly) 

Hanako: Y-You can count on me…!

Anisa: (she sighs) … I’m sorry to be a bother to you all once again.

Koharu: Not much of a plan. Let’s meet up.

Yui: New Eden, as soon as y’all can make it. No rush. I’m trusting Seia and Hanako to keep Anisa good until then. I don’t think Ikana will attack her at school again anyway, now that it’s been driven off. Cecilia can handle the off hours just fine. But yeah, Koharu’s right, we should meet up.

Koharu: Let’s go.

Sara: What about Club?

Koharu: Club’s canceled.