After that unusual day of meeting, Deya and Kurisu hit it off. Deya had doubts about whether her new friend would stay quiet about what she'd seen, but everything remained silent. Unexpectedly, the girl found herself enjoying this time.
There were even a few guys in her circle with clear intentions of getting closer, and Deya could see that some of them genuinely had warm feelings for her — she wasn't just a trophy to them. But despite this, she never gave them a chance.
Today, she went with a group of friends to see the anime Howl's Moving Castle. Deya tried to get into anime but quickly lost interest. Only three anime series she watched with pleasure: Berserk, Code Geass, and Gurren Lagann, although she didn't really like the ending of Gurren Lagann.
Some of her friends were terminal otakus and never stopped trying to instill a love of anime in her and Kurisu. Kurisu fit well into the group of girls.
Besides going to the cinema, they often gathered at Deya's house to watch something.
Today, leaving the cinema, a group of four girls was walking to Deya's house, chatting animatedly. A phone call interrupted their conversation. When Deya answered and received the news, she staggered — if not for Kurisu, who was walking beside her and managed to catch her.
The phone fell from her hands, and her eyes filled with tears before Kurisu and the others could ask what had happened.
A car stopped nearby, and a girl got out, bowed, and said:
"Milady, we need to go."
Deya, still in shock, asked in a trembling voice:
"Do we know who did it?"
"No, I'll tell you everything I know on the way to the airport," the girl said, opening the door for her.
One of the friends asked:
"Deya, what happened? Are you leaving? What about your studies?"
"I don't care about that right now; something happened at home, and my family needs me."
From her friend's appearance, Kurisu understood something very serious had happened. Taking Deya's hand, she said:
"I don't know what happened, but you clearly need help, so I'll go with you."
Looking into her friend's eyes and understanding she wouldn't back down, Deya nodded — she didn't want to waste time arguing right now.
When they got into the car, Deya asked:
"Where's Yuno?"
"Princess is preparing the plane," the girl replied.
It was clear to Deya that these girls were responsible for her protection, and Yuno was at the head of the group.