School ends, and the group heads their way to the training grounds.


    “Are you all right!?” Keiko dives at both Usagi and Takei. “H-hey, why are you doing this now!?” Usagi exclaims.


    “Because if we did this at school, others would know we’re like super spies!”


    “Spies…? Keiko, I don’t think spies have powers like us,” Takei says.


    “Super spies!” she responds.


    “Keiko, even I know that wasn’t a good joke,” Ishimoto says, baffled.


    “Guys, come on. Kubo wants to speak with us all.” Okazaki has a more serious voice. Kubo is sitting down near the logs, and there appears to be more now. Did he take the effort to bring more or chop the wood himself?


    “Wow, you got us places to lay down now?” Shoji asks.


    “You moron, you can’t lay down o—” Before he can finish, Shoji lays down on the log closing his eyes for a nap.


    “How does that boy—whatever, just… just everyone, sit down!” he says, fed up as everyone does as he says.


    “I heard what happened to you two last night. You were attacked?” He shifts on the log.


    “Yeah, about that, we got into serious trouble with one of my old associates. Being his usual bastardized self, he did manage to rough me up pretty good, though, despite me using my Remnant power, and he didn’t. It was humiliating.” Kubo gives a sigh hearing this.


    “Seems the training is not enough. You kids are going to get killed if I don’t teach you right.” He taps his finger on the wood of the log, clicking it three times. “I know you can hear that, can’t you, Usagi?” She clearly hears it, and she nods.


    “Sadly, you’re wrong.” Pointing to the trees, there is a girl clicking the wood.


    “You’ll get it next time, Usagi.” The girl reveals herself, her shadow coming into view, first followed by her flowing hair and her alluring almond eyes.


    “Angel!?” Ishimoto and Okazaki shout. The girl known as Angel, their childhood friend, and returning student, smiles at them all.


    “Yes, that’s me. I imagine you all must be rather awestruck to see me here. Well, it’s a long story. So I’ll make it as short as possible.” She walks with grace, her steps almost like floating rocks. “So, you see, I know Kubo. He is my cousin.”


    “WHAT!?” they all say together.


    “Yeah, she’s technically my cousin, though I’m older, much older, and more like a long-lost cousin. Since you know I have to do the whole disappearing act, she’s the only one besides her parents who knows about me.” He takes out a polaroid photo of them together when she was a baby and he was a teenager. “Her parents think I’m dead and a disgrace; they want nothing to do with me, but as fate would have it, she walked into the ice cream shop one day, and I recognized her.”


    #


    The ice cream shop is dead. He is working his way cleaning the shop when one customer walks in. Angel, with a smile that could light up the dim world. “Hello, come in and sit down. We’re open,” says Kubo.


    “Thank you, sir. I’ll sit at this booth.” The comfort of sitting at a booth is her preference. It reminds her of a cocoon on gloomy rain days such as this. Her umbrella is set beside her, and Kubo comes a moment later, ready to take her order. There is a familiarity to her, her eyes specifically.


    “Has anyone ever told you you have a familiar face?” he asks.


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    “No, actually. Is that a common thing for people to ask you?” she tilts her head curiously.


    “Yes, actually. I get that a whole lot. But you. You have the kind of face that feels like a friend you’ve known for a long while. May I ask your name?”


    “My name is Angel.”


    “Angel, huh?” He pats the pad with his pen. “Is that short for something?”


    “Yes, it is. But if it’s all the same, I would rather people call me Angel.”


    The name doesn’t ring any memories to him. Not even close. He takes her order and can’t shake the feeling when prepping her ice cream and bringing it back to her. “Here you are, Angel.” There was one thing he had up his sleeve. She gasps.


    “Is that strawberry ice cream with whipped cream and an orange slice!? I didn’t even ask for that. That’s my favorite!” she eats the ice cream down, and her face swoons with a blush of happiness.


    “So I was right. There is only one person I know who has had that odd sense of taste since birth.” He laughs.


    Her head tilts once more, confused. “May I ask what you mean, Mister?”


    “Kubo,” he says.


    #


    “That’s when he showed me that picture. I couldn’t believe it at first, but looking back at my parents'' baby pictures of me and the baby in that photo, I saw that they were identical. It was difficult to gauge since my parents hold no photos of him, but I figured it out. “


    “Oi, great family reunion and all, but that doesn’t explain how she knows,” Usagi said.


    “People are hard to trust in this day and age, but one thing you can always trust is family.” Kubo stands.


    “If you can’t trust family, you got nothing, and I need someone to help me train you guys in advanced techniques and combat. I’ll need you all to attack together as a group during these exercises, so I asked her for extra help.”


    “Mm-hmm. It’s amazing you were all blessed with such powers. Kubo also told me about the dangers you all face. The danger of facing the world head-on, trying to save it, and fighting those Remnants… It’s a scary thought. And I don’t want anything bad to happen to any of you.”


    “Damn, Angel. Even after all these years, you are still looking out for us? What a girl you are!” Okazaki goes to side-hug her.


    “You''re still as strong as ever. No. Even stronger.” She smiles.


    “And you, Ishimoto. Are you still the same smart boy I used to know? If you ask me, the answer is a rousing yes.”


    “It’s a wonderful thing to have you back, Angel.” There is a clear division of happiness between the two boys. Both are in the same hemisphere of gladness, and both deal with the long absence differently.


    “Oi, oi, the question is, how are you going to help us if you don’t have any powers of your own? And don’t mean to sound rude or anything, but you’re a frail-looking girl, like one of those maid café workers.” She voiced what she thought of her earlier.


    “I have been told I would fit right in there once or twice.” She giggles. “I know you are all leagues more powerful then I’ll ever be, or any human, in fact, but Kubo is also human, and he’s been training you all well. With his guidance, I’ll be sure to be a great addition, I’m sure.”


    “Hmph!”


    “I’ve never heard that sound from Usagi before,” Shoji says, waking up.


    “Hush up! I’m just gauging this girl to make sure she’s worthy of training us!”


    “Hey, Takei,” Shoji whispers into her ear. “Do you perhaps think that maybe, just maybe, Usagi is a little jealous of this girl?”


    “I fail to see why she would be,” she whispers back.


    “Yeah, it’s kinda strange. Surely, it goes deeper than her being jealous of her looks or something. I never took Usagi for a vain girl, but who knows?” He chuckles.


    “Stop whispering things to one another! I can hear you clear as day!”


    “All right, let’s all calm down. Daylight is burning, and I got a special sort of training for you all today,” he says, passing the trees. “You are all to work together to find us both in the woods. One condition. Usagi can only use her Remnant after one minute of searching.”


    “What’s the purpose of me having a Remnant if I’m not going to use it?” she asks.


    “You should ask that to yourself,” he answers.


    “Fine. I won’t use it for one minute.” She wonders what he means by that.


    “Good. Angel. Let’s go.” She nods, and they both sprint into the forest.


    “This is weird, guys. Angel shouldn’t have been made aware of our Remnants just because she’s family to Kubo. What if she speaks about it? Then we’re dead meat,” Usagi says.


    “To be fair, I believe we bring a lot of attention to us just having these chokers on. Even if other students have fakes, it’s still pretty tasteless to most,” Ishimoto infers.


    “Yeah, I wouldn’t worry about it, Usagi. Us and Angel go way back. Heck, even before we knew Keiko, that’s how far back we go.”


    “Yes, yes, I remember you and Ishi telling me about a friend who left for another city. That’s her, right? That’s so cool you all get to see one another again. It can even make our friend group bigger!”


    “Oi, let’s not rush into anything now. For now, let’s focus on finding these two hooligans.”


    “You’re in an interesting mood, Usagi, I can’t say I see you like this often.”


    “Can it, Shoji. Let’s go.” She makes her way into the heavily shrouded area. Everyone follows her lead, peering at tree after tree, grass, rock, the pond, no sign of life besides their own.