Dueling life in a futuristic world

 A couple hours later…

 “You think she enjoyed that?” asked Nanako, sitting down on the bottom bunk of one of the two bunk beds in the room.

 Haruna, who sat on a carpet between the two bunks, shrugged. “We won’t know for sure until she wakes back up and we can ask. But from the look of it…” She glanced out to the other bottom bunk, where a purple-haired girl peacefully slept above the sheets, dressed only in lime-green panties. Letting out an amused chuckle at the view, she finished, “I’m guessing she did.”

 The door to the bathroom opened just in time for Naeko to walk out dressed in colorful pajamas dotted with video game imagery and join the conversation. “I hope she liked it. That was a lot of work, not to mention the struggle it was to get those supplies…”

 As Naeko walked out of the bathroom, Haruna stood up, walking over with a change of clothes in her arms. She paused when she reached the girl, holding her chin up for a bit before saying, “Thanks, Neko. We couldn’t have done it without you,” she leaned in, placing a kiss on her lips.

 When they separated, Naeko focused her eyes on her pink-haired squad mate, giving a smile back. “Sure, Haru… Maybe we should do this again sometime.”

 “Why not?” Haruna whispered, looking over her shoulder, “Next time one of you saves our asses from certain death, then we’ll do it again.” With that bantering note, she walked around Naeko and into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

 Sadly, Naeko didn’t take this very well, as her eyes showed. Her gaze dropped to the floor, and she murmured under her breath. “Yeah… that’s not happening…” She walked slowly, ultimately leaning against the post to the bunk bed where Yuumi slept.

 “Something on your mind?” asked Nanako, noticing her crestfallen expression.

 Yet the girl only shook her head. “Nothing.”

 Not satisfied with her answer, the cheerleader with long black hair stood up, stepping over to her teammate and urging, “I know that face very well, Neko… What’s wrong?”

 She looked away, hesitant, but with Nanako asking directly, she didn’t take long to crack. “It’s just… Are we supposed to joke about what happened and move on, just like that?” She glanced at the door to the bathroom where the quiet sound of running water permeated through the loosely fitted door. “Sometimes, when I fall asleep… I-I can still hear the cracking of bullets from all around me.” Her eye began to tear up, and she looked to her squad mate before finishing, “And then, I know it will not be long until I’m there again… Watching over Haruna as I try my best to not let her die…”

 Hearing Naeko’s whispers, all that Nanako could do was embrace her, stroking her long brown hair. But while Naeko cried her eyes out against her pajamas, a smug smile appeared on the dark-skinned girl’s face. “So, it finally hit you…”

 “What…?”

 “The stress…” Wiping away some of the girl’s thicker tears, Nanako explained, “No-one casually walks away from what we experienced unaffected, but you somehow held on to these tears for the last few days…”

 “I shouldn’t be crying at all,” Naeko said with a painful voice. She looked up and cried out, her tears streaming down her flushed cheeks. “I’m not weak!”

 With a furrowed brow, the taller girl embracing her exclaimed, “Of course you’re not! What makes you think that?”

 Her lips formed a pointed pout, and, while letting go of Nanako, she admitted, “My father always said that emotion makes us weak… It makes us make mistakes…”

 Nanako sighed, placing a hand on Naeko’s shoulder. “Neko, your father may have instilled that in you, but showing emotion is not a weakness. It’s okay to cry, Neko. Holding in your feelings is not healthy at all.” She leaned in, adding, “It’s okay to show vulnerability to the people you trust.” Leaning in even closer, she asked, in a whisper, “Do you trust me?”

 “Yes…” Naeko voiced weakly.

 Leaning away, Nanako exclaimed, “Then stop worrying about what your father told you! Hold me if you need to, but please let those wild emotions out; I can see them tearing you apart.”

 Naeko’s body shook with sobs as she opened the proverbial floodgates. Her chest heaved with each breath and her eyes, which were already puffy and red from crying, moistened up. She felt a headache coming on from what she had been holding inside.

 Nanako could see the toll that this was taking on her friend, and she stroked her back to offer some comfort. “Let it out, Neko. You don’t have to be strong all the time. It’s okay to feel vulnerable once in a while,” Nanako said softly. As her teammate and one of her best friends cried in her arms, all that Nanako could do was look up at the proverbial sky, asking in her mind, ‘Is this what you meant, mom? Is this what you had in mind when you told me to put your memory to good use?’

 Naeko cried, and Nanako kept holding her tight. She would do this for as long as it was required. And so, they spent a long while embracing each other, with this peaceful moment only being interrupted by a noise booming from the front door.

 *Knock*, *Knock*, *Knock*.

 Both girls looked toward it, but Nanako took up the mantle, saying, “I’ll get it.” She then looked into her friend’s teary eyes. “How about you go clean up in the bathroom? Your eyes look red.”

 “But Haru will see me like this…” the girl argued.

 To this, all that Nanako could do was chuckle. “And what if she does? It’s not like she wasn’t in your exact situation yesterday.”

 After dropping that bombshell, the dark-skinned cheerleader gently pushed her stunned squad mate in the bathroom’s general direction. All the while, she drew in a deep breath and strolled to the room’s front door, putting on a brave face.

—

 In a cramped corridor, located in the inner-habitation ring, under dim white lighting, three girls were busy making their way to one specific room.

 While two of the girls walked side by side, one of them stayed back a little, apprehension clearly shown on her face.

 “Are you sure you two want to do this? We could still try the med bay…”

“My god!” exclaimed one of the two girls leading in front. “Are you still going on about that, Yasuna? Do you really think that low of the people Yuumi hangs out with?”

Averting her eyes while holding onto her own arm, Yasuna could only say, “I’m sorry… I just don’t like this idea, Mia.”

Shaking her head, Mia looked back, telling, “If you don’t like it, then let me handle them alone with Aiko.”

Yasuna looked down, crossing her arms. “I can’t do that.”

To this response, Mia shrugged. “Then continue following us and stop complaining.” She locked her eyes with a number printed on top of one of the many doors. “Looks like we’re here.”

Yasuna took a step back, only wishing, “Good luck…”

The brown-haired girl sighed, turning her gaze to the girl supporting her head on her shoulder. “Are you feeling anything, sis?”

“No…” the groggy, blue-haired girl revealed. “No flashes for a while now… I want to sleep…”

Giving a pleased sigh, Mia said, “That’s good to hear. Now all we have to do is get you a room.” She let go of Aiko for a second, letting her lean against the wall, before knocking on the door three times.

…

…

After a good while, someone finally answered.

“Who is it?” a female voice asked firmly, with a hint of annoyance in her tone.

 Mia looked over at Yasuna, but she only shrugged. Turning back to the door, she cleared her throat, greeting, “I-It’s Mia… And Aiko… And Yasuna… We just wanted to ask Yuumi for something.”

 A second later, the door slid up, revealing a tall girl with a dark complexion dressed in light-pink pajamas and shorts. She stood there with her arms crossed, looking over the three. “Okay?” she stated in a questioning manner, “And what do you want with her? Because she’s kind of asleep… Like a brick.” She looked over her shoulder before adding while scratching her head, “Honestly, I don’t know if I could wake her up if I wanted to…”

 “R-Right…” Mia stammered, giving a dejected look. “Well… We didn’t want to wake her up… It’s just…” she trailed off, peering in her sister’s direction.

 The taller cheerleader stood in the doorway and leaned out to look at Aiko. “That’s that your sister, right? She looks tired… Is she alright?”

 Mia shook her head. “Kind of… That’s why we’re here.” Gulping, she readied herself to explain. “Aiko… She’s bad with radiation, and our quarters are on the outer habitation ring.” Sighing, she continued, “She couldn’t fall asleep, so we thought—”

 “You want her to sleep here tonight?” The dark-skinned girl interrupted, “Sure, why not? We have space.”

  Mia avoided eye contact while nervously rubbing her hands. “Well… As twin sisters, we would prefer if we could sleep together… Especially after everything that’s happened.” Tilting her head from side to side, she reasoned, “And if we’re going for two, would it be so different to have the three of us over? We brought sleeping bags…”

 The cheerleader blinked in surprise. “Oh,” she said. “You girls want to have a sleepover?” She glanced at her room and then back at the group. “If that’s what you’re suggesting, then I’ll need to check with the others first. Can you give me a moment?”

 Receiving a nod from Mia, Nanako turned around and let the door close behind her. This left the three girls standing alone in the corridor again.

 “Well… That could’ve gone worse.” Mia said to no-one in particular.

 Yet Yasuna couldn’t help but respond. “It could also have gone better. At least that girl seemed reasonable…”

 Following a bit of an awkward silence, sometimes interrupted by yawns, the door finally slid back up.

 Now looking out into the corridor was a new girl, one with short pink hair styled into a pixie cut. The three immediately recognized her. She was normally the only one of the cheerleaders they interacted with, acting as the captain.

 “Well, well, well…” she drew out, a smug smile emanating from her lips. “What do we have here? A little bird told me you girls wanted to have a sleepover.”

 While Yasuna couldn’t help but roll her eyes, Mia had no choice but to answer awkwardly. “Yes… That’s right.”

 The captain’s eyes glanced over the group for a few seconds before looking back at Mia with a smile. “Sure! Let’s do it.”

—

 As they walked in, the cheer team’s captain cautioned the trio to be mindful of the noise they made. Yuumi was already fast asleep, and according to her, it had taken a considerable effort to pull that off.

 Upon entering the room, their gaze immediately landed on the lower bunk where Yuumi was sleeping soundly without a bra. This led to a range of assumptions about what the captain meant by ‘A considerable effort’, some of which were quite accurate, while others were entirely fantastical. Yasuna’s thoughts, in particular, went straight to the extreme.

 As Aiko was practically walking in her sleep by this point, she went about setting up her sleeping bag. However, the dark-skinned cheerleader who had initially greeted them by the door approached her and offered her bunk, saying she was already planning to cuddle up with one of her squad mates that night. Aiko, feeling drowsy and not wanting to argue for the sake of being polite, accepted the offer and settled into the bunk above Yuumi.

 Meanwhile, the captain let the others set up their sleeping bags between the bunk beds, which they did before sitting on top of them. Sure, they were tired, but Mia wanted to talk with the members of the cheer team a bit and Yasuna — being Yasuna — didn’t trust nothing would happen if she were the first to fall asleep.

 With the cheer captain sitting on the unoccupied bottom bunk, she looked down at the two and started, “I don’t think we’ve ever had the chance to introduce ourselves properly.”

 Mia thought back and then replied. “No, we really haven’t… Which is kind of funny, considering your squad has introduced us before every duel in the tournament.”

 The captain grinned. “Yeah, that’s pretty ironic; Well, better late than never. I’m Haruna Otani, NWDA cheer club captain and third-year blue rank student.” After a cheerful greeting, she focused on Mia, asking, “And you are?”

 She looked up at the captain, beaming back. “I’m Mia, Mia Nagasawa, first-year red rank student, soon to be yellow.” She looked behind her and up to the top bunk, where her sister was already asleep. “That’s Aiko, my little bundle of joy and twin sister… Also the reason we’re here.”

 Hearing this, Haruna couldn’t help but joke, “Hah! The way you say it almost makes it sound like you’re her mother.” Looking in the same direction Mia was, her eyes landed on the other cheer club member in the room. “Nanako? Want to introduce yourself as well?”

 The dark-skinned girl who was just done helping Aiko out walked over to them, smiling as she greeted enthusiastically, “Sure! I’m Nanako, also a third-year student at blue rank who happens to be part of the cheer club!” Sitting down next to Haruna on the bottom bunk, she continued, “Nice to meet you Mia, loved cheering you on by the by…”

 Mia, amused by her enthusiastic greeting, gave a chuckle. “Thanks! You girls rocked back there. Well… Not that I have any other comparisons of people cheering me on – normally it’s me cheering my sister or Yasuna on… But hey! I thought you were good.”

 Returning a smile, Nanako replied, “thanksies! Great, to hear the reviews come in.” She moved her gaze over to the girl who hadn’t spoken yet. “And what about you? What’s your name~?” She asked in a teasing tone, as Mia had already revealed it.

 Looking up from her phone, the tan girl with green hair flowing down to her shoulders stammered, “A-Ah, me? I’m Yasuna, second year red rank…”

 Seeing her shy introduction, Nanako narrowed her eyes. “Is there something wrong, Yasuna? You look nervous.”

 Yasuna gulped hard. Looking around the room, she admitted, “Well… Ahh, fuck it, yeah, I am nervous. Your club doesn’t exactly have the cleanest reputation…” She looked over at Haruna before continuing. “And we’re here alone… In your room…”

 Not exactly expecting this answer, Nanako backed away with a disappointed frown, letting Haruna handle this.

 At first, Haruna blinked in confusion. However, her eyes soon lit up with realization. “Wait, that’s why you’re nervous?” Seeing her nod, she could only sigh. “Yasuna, dear, we might play around once in a while — and I will admit we have some members who are more interested in our events than actual cheerleading — but a good number of our members aren’t properly initiated; and that’s their choice, which we respect; We know how to hold back.”

 Clearly unconvinced, Yasuna simply averted her gaze back down to her phone. “Really now? Because your topic on NWDA U/G says otherwise.” She lifted her phone up for them to see what she was referring to.

 What Yasuna showed everyone was an introductory forum post started by what appeared to be a representative for the NWDA cheer club with the nickname “Queen of Cheer, Neko”. It outlined specifics of their events and requirements for participation, such as “Must be a student of the NWDA (18+)”, “Must have biologically female parts (Sorry femboys, we have some hardcore lesbians here)”, and finally, “Must be an initiated member of the NWDA cheer club or invited by an initiated member”.

 For effect, Yasuna also scrolled down to the replies, comprising glowing reviews from other students. Boiling down these reviews, they mostly consisted of people calling the events thrown by the cheer club, ‘One of the best events for students looking for lesbian action and general depravity with no commitment or consequences.’

 Haruna responded with a simple shrug and asked nonchalantly, “And what’s the problem?” She was looking at a thread on a semi-private forum meant for students to discuss taboo topics. “Did you expect to find physical requirements there?” she questioned.

 But Yasuna shook her head, explaining, “that’s not my point,” she moved back to the previous page, showing other threads in a topic called ‘Events’ and scrolled down. “You’re the only club here advertising here… The rest of these are student factions and other non-official organizations… Why are you recruiting here?”

 Sighing, Haruna looked back to the bathroom door before explaining, “Sorry, but I’m not really in charge of our advertisement on GlobalNet. You’d have to ask that question to Naeko.”

 As if on cue, the bathroom door swung open, creaking slightly on its hinges. A girl with skin almost the same shade as Yasuna’s emerged, her long brown hair cascading down her back. The sound of her hairbrush scraping through her hair filled the room and her pink-colored eyes scanned the room before landing on the two girls sitting on their sleeping bags between the bunks.

 She gazed at Haruna and asked, “We have guests?”

 The captain replied, “Yes, we sure do! Come on over and introduce yourself. We were just talking about you.”

 With that, the brush she was holding disappeared, dissolving into a shower of tiny solid vision particles. She walked over to the group, sitting down on the empty space on the bed, encircling Haruna between her and Nanako. The scent of shampoo wafted from her hair, filling the air with a floral fragrance.

 As she walked, Mia was transfixed by the sight of the massive bags of flesh swinging freely under the girl’s loose pajama top, which was dotted with ample video game imagery. She couldn’t help but feel self-conscious about her own chest size. Meanwhile, Naeko looked over at the two newcomers and introduced herself in a cheerful tone. “Hey there! I’m Naeko, the tech and nano mod expert for the cheer club. I’m in my third year and I’m currently in blue rank.”

 Before Yasuna could utter a word, Mia, who was intently gazing at Naeko’s “eyes,” blurted out, “Nice to meet you… What’s your cup size?!” Realizing that she didn’t even introduce herself properly before asking that, Mia’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment right away.

 Naeko snickered quietly, her lips curling upwards in amusement. She muttered under her breath, “Nice to meet you too, I guess.” The sound of her voice was low and husky, almost like a purr. But despite her words, she didn’t seem to mind much. Instead, she looked down, her arm holding her ample breasts up proudly. The sight of them was almost overwhelming, their size and shape impossible to ignore. And Naeko knew it. She grinned, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “These babies?” she said, her voice rising in excitement. “They’re E’s girl, gawk at them and weep!” The cheerleader exclaimed in a voice filled with confidence.

 Mia’s eyes widened in disbelief as she looked at her colleague with a mixture of shock and concern. “D-Doesn’t your back hurt or something?” she stammered, her voice quivering slightly. “I can barely manage with mine!”

 But Naeko only shrugged. “It depends, but with the right support, nothing’s impossible.”

 “Mmm, girls, I think we’re getting a little off topic here…” Nanako pointed out.

 With Naeko looking to her left as if asking what the topic was, Haruna sighed before explaining, “Yasuna, the one behind Mia, was asking why we advertise on the underground forum when the other clubs don’t.”

 To this, Naeko furrowed her brow and looked at the girl. “Oh, that’s simple,” leaning forward, she explained, “Historically, that’s where we get our best cheerleaders from.”

 This clearly surprised Yasuna, as she stopped staring at the girl’s pajamas and looked back up at her face. “How? Aren’t the people there only interested in partying?”

 Shrugging, Naeko looked to Nanako for an explanation, which she gave, “Yeah… But you’d be surprised by how many of those ‘party types’ are just looking for opportunities to express themselves. If you ever find yourself in blue rank — which with that tournament performance, I don’t doubt you will for a second — Maybe then you’ll understand why blue rank students are the most common demographic in those events…”

 “Wait, really?” Yasuna asked with a tinge of surprise.

 The three confirmed by nodding, with Haruna adding, “Just staying at the blue rank castle is very stressful if you don’t want to be a loner, so many unspoken rules and student-led groups with a lot of outside influence to back them up… I don’t think it’s any surprise that our events bring so many girls out, and some of them stay around and become members just because they enjoy our way of letting loose.” Noticing Yasuna’s suspicious eyes, she added, “hey, if you don’t trust my word, I’ll notify our members to answer your questions when we get back down. They’ll tell you the same thing.”

 Lowering her gaze, Yasuna sighed. “I… I think I’ll take you up on that…”

 Smiling, Haruna urged, “Please do; And remember, if you ever find yourself overwhelmed… Maybe turn to us? After what we went through up here together, I would harbor to guess academic pressure would be simple to handle.”

 For the first time since she walked into the room, Yasuna’s lips turned upwards. “Yeah… That’s also true…” She looked over her shoulder, glancing at the only person in the room who was actually partially naked. “Guess it also helps that we have someone like her to depend on.”

 Haruna chuckled, also looking at Yuumi before saying, “she too depends a lot on us. It’s not a fair trade by far, but she does.”

 …

 …

 …

 A domineering silence hung around the room as the five girls focused on the sleeping penta-summoner. A gambit of complicated expressions running wild on their faces as they recalled the events that led them there, on a rescue ship.

 Out of the five, Naeko looked on with narrowing eyes, her hands held behind her, gripped the sheets a little tighter, and she began “Did she ever tell you three about her pare—” But she stopped there, seeing her two squad mates snapping their eyes in her direction, startled to see her almost revealing one of the few secrets Yuumi trusted them with.

 Yet on the floor, Mia, who had been content with just listening for a while now, looked back and repeated, “About her parents throwing her out?”

 The three cheerleaders looked Mia’s way, with Naeko giving an uneasy nod. “Yes, that…”

 Nodding, Mia revealed, “She did… It’s baffling to think what a lack of empathy can make some parents do to their kids.” She looked up at Aiko, shaking her head. “Even our parents our tried to accommodate some of our wilder dreams with some sacrifices…” she glanced back to the three wealthier girls. “Is that type of negligence really that common in high society?”

 Haruna shook her head. “I wouldn’t think so… I’ve heard stories of that happening, but those were from way back when, before the uprising.” She looked up, saying, “But then again, what do I know? My family has always been supportive of me, so I can’t really imagine what she went through.”

 Lightly nodding, Nanako concurred, “Same story here. Daddy made sure I got everything I wanted, even in my… More delinquent years…” She glanced to the side, murmuring, “I guess it helped he didn’t have anyone else to pamper.”

 Meanwhile, Naeko hugged herself, trying to avert her gaze before saying. “Well… My father has always told me I needed to pull my weight if I wanted to keep my last name… But I don’t think he could ever make good on his word; My mother would stop him long before I ever saw the door, I’m sure.”

 All eyes in the room fixated on the amble-chested cheerleader. Uncomfortable questions hanging in the air. However, her captain was the only one who actually voiced something. “Naeko? We’re going to talk about what you just said here later, okay?”

 Naeko timidly nodded in agreement as an awkward silence hung in the air, broken only by the sound of shuffling feet and hushed whispers. The air was thick with the smell of sweat and anxiety, and Naeko couldn’t help but feel a knot forming in her stomach — hearing Haruna not call her by her nickname always meant something serious.

 Haruna’s attention shifted back to the two girls on the floor and she let out a tired yawn. “We better get some sleep… I’m guessing we’re all tired enough by now.”

 The two reluctantly nodded, especially Mia, who didn’t think her innocent question would lead to this.

—

 With that, the five girls started moving to their bunks. Mia decided she would cuddle up with her sister on the bunk above where Yuumi was already asleep, being careful as not to wake either of them up as she moved. On the other bunk, Naeko crawled to the top, and Nanako followed to cuddle up her as well. With Haruna staying in the bottom bunk where she was already sitting, this left Yasuna as the only one sleeping on the floor.

 Noticing this, Haruna carefully suggested. “Yasuna… If you want to… you could sleep with me tonight.”

 But Yasuna shook her head, stammering out, “I-I think I will pass on that, thanks.”

 The cheer captain sighed. “Come on, I promise you, I won’t try anything. We can lie with our backs pressed together to make sure of that.”

 …

 Yasuna stopped, looking back at Haruna and asking with narrowing eyes, “Why are you trying so hard to get me in your bed?”

 Haruna rolled her eyes. “Because you’re the only one still sleeping on the floor, besides…” She looked to the side, trailing off. With a sigh, she admitted, “You seem to think that we're a bunch of nymphos that can’t keep their hands to themselves…” Looking back up, she plead, “Would you at least give me a chance to clear up that misconception?”

 Recognizing the honest conviction in her voice, Yasuna blinked in surprise. “You’re… Serious?”

 Nodding, Haruna insisted. “Yes…” patting on the empty space on the bottom bunk, she urged, “Come on, it’s getting late…”

 Lost in thought, Yasuna gazed downward and reflected on the cheer captain’s behavior since she entered the room. Despite her best efforts to find one, she couldn't really think of a reason to refuse, other than her own prejudices of course. After a brief moment of contemplation, Yasuna let out a deep sigh. “Well, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to try just once...”

 Haruna’s face lit up with joy as she shifted to the side, making space for her to lie down.

 As Yasuna stood up, her gaze lazily fell upon the bed. “No touching, okay?” Seeing Haruna nodding in agreement, she hesitantly sat down next to her. However, right as her feet touched the mattress, she fell down on the pillow and closed her eyes, falling asleep almost instantly.

 Laying on her side, Haruna murmured in surprise. “...She was really exhausted, wasn't she?” Normally, Haruna would take this chance to cuddle up, but since she promised she wouldn’t touch her, she simply turned away, trying to catch some Z’s herself.