Surprise number one: Fumi dyed her hair.
Surprise number two: shocking pink.
Considering that her dress was too conservative to qualify as fetish gear even for those most dedicated to the kink, it was a bit of an unusual grooming choice, y'know?
"Ah!" She smiled when she saw us, then gestured inside. "Madame Director has been expecting you."
Lovely.
In contrast to her right-hand woman, Kazahana Mashiro was about as expected - short, cute, and albino, with eyes I can only describe as terrifyingly old. "I was wondering when you would be coming to talk to me, Tate-san," she said. "Given how quickly you've moved to speak to each of the HiME. What is it that you wish of me?"
I paused and considered how to begin. "That star... this whole disgusting 'Festival' nightmare... There are things you know that I'd like to - first among them, how you would like to see all this end."
"And what would that perfect ending cost me?" she asked.
I blinked, then realized she was casting me as Mister Morden. I shrugged. "I have no idea. I simply want to know what direction you'd choose to work towards..."
She thought about that for a moment, then told me.
No, I'm not going to give you the details, since a lot of it was surprisingly personal. Suffice to say that it bore out everything the show had implied about her character.
This is pathetic of me. Nnng. I cannot wait to have my brain working properly again.
Ja, -n
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"V, did you do something foolish?"
"Yes, and it was glorious."