After that happened, the next few years were pretty different. Not bad. Actually, mostly better.

Six o'clock in the morning. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. Nakayama Yoko groaned and rolled over in the bed, covering her head with the pillow. When that didn't drown out the noise, she reached out her arm and patted the nightstand until she found the alarm and felt the buttons for the right one to shut it off. Once the incessant racket was over, she lay there stirring with her head still under the pillow.

"Yoko, get up ~susu!" Starry hopped onto the bed and started to try and shake her, though he couldn't do much with his stubby arms. "It's a school day ~susu!"

Yoko mumbled something and dragged herself to a sitting position. She rubbed her eyes and yawned before stumbling out of bed.

I'm in high school now. I ended up leaving town for it, like Mia's older sister did. I still come back to Kazahana City on breaks, of course. All of us do. Oh, that's right - all five of us got into the same school! It took a lot of work to help Asa study when she wasn't getting enough sleep, but miraculously enough, it worked.

Getting ready for the morning while still half-asleep was an art Yoko had mastered by now. She shuffled to the small bathroom attached to her dorm room, tugged the brush through her hair, showered at record speed, cleaned out the shower, brushed her teeth, and blow-dried her hair before shuffling right back out of the bathroom in her school uniform with her pajamas in her arms. She stuffed those under her pillow and looked over at her phone. The light was blinking, so she picked it up and swiped it open. One message. She read it and shook her head.

"Asa," she laughed. "Starry, can you get in the other phone? It's her turn to keep you."

"Okay ~susu!" Starry opened up Yoko's school bag and dived into the transformation phone in the water bottle compartment.

We haven't had enemies in a while, but we always keep our phones on us just in case. Asa says it's tempting fate otherwise, and that second seasons and movies always start out with the heroes having their transformation devices with them after their normal lives. I thought it was ridiculous, but then we actually did have a few more battles with different people. A lot more now that we're in the city. It turns out that there really are a lot of other magical girls hanging around here, and after we made the news, they started to appear, too. Strange, but what isn't these days?

Yoko put on some lip gloss in the mirror, straightened her uniform tie, and picked up her bag. She started out the front door of her dorm room, locking it behind her, and waved to other students in the halls.

As far as what Asa asked me on that day? I did end up accepting. She still goes on about us defying that rule in movies where the person who confesses their love before a battle dies. Some of the other students know about us, some don't because it's none of their business. This school is usually pretty good about those things, though. It's one of those international schools with a lot of foreign students, so they tend to be laid-back - there are even days where we don't have to wear our uniforms. I used to lend Asa something of mine, or someone else does, on those days, even though we're not exactly the same size. Then Yukari got hold of her and took her on a shopping spree when we were home for spring break. At least she has more clothes now and she isn't embarrassed about it.

"Yoko!"

As she was opening the door to the second floor where the dorms ended and the classrooms began, another girl ran up to her from the same dorm staircase. She had short black hair with a small, thin braid at the side, and her dark eyes were sparkling about as much as the non-regulation jewelry she was blatantly wearing over top of her uniform.

"Yukari?" Yoko waved back and held the door open for her. "Another new hairstyle? You had the last one for two months!"

"I know, I've been changing it up more often lately." Yukari played with the little braid just like she used to do with her long braid when they were younger. "But there was an idol on TV last week with the cutest hairstyle, and I had to try it out for myself!"

Yoko smiled, and they walked through the school together. "Asa said everybody else is waiting for us at the fountain. Do you want to stop there before class?"

"Only as long as we're not late!" Yukari gave a smile saying that, to be completely honest, she didn't care one bit if they were late to class.

I did end up telling my parents eventually. I knew they wouldn't take it well, and they didn't, but they've been getting better. At least I've stayed with Asa. Takashi and Mitsuishi-san have been on again and off again for the past three years and everybody is sick of it. I know it's probably not fair - I mean, me and Asa aside, and Mia's parents aside too, not many people actually stay with a person they were with when they were in middle school. Everyone's different, after all. I moved in with Ami-sensei after I told my parents about myself, and I still live there when we all go back home. It's pretty different, but I got used to it. It's been better since the principal got his head on straight and gave her that promotion. It doesn't matter that she's not a guy, she still did more for Clair Academy than anyone. The town's starting to recognize that, too.

Yoko and Yukari walked out the side door of the school to the courtyard and looked up. Three girls waved at them from the fountain. Hoshi had cut her hair too, and the sun had lightened it a bit; it looked more boyish and a lot cleaner. Mia didn't wear a pink hair bow anymore, but she had dark blue heart barrettes on either side of her head. Asa and her tiny side ponytail were the same as always; she ran over to Yoko and hugged her, while the other three looked on, amused.

"A-Asa, we're in public-" Yoko turned red.

"It doesn't count as public if there's no one here." Asa let go anyway and pouted. Yoko laughed a little.

"Asa figured we should all meet up before class and talk about some stuff," Hoshi said. "The end of the year's coming up soon, and that means spring break. What did you guys want to do?"

"Well, it's a little late for the cultural festival at our old middle school, so we can't do that," Yukari said. "Yoko, didn't you say Ami-sensei had something planned?"

"Just that she's going to Gessou Village to check out the guest lodge and see if it's still good to take her students next year," Yoko said. "You can all come if you want. I know we got a little derailed when we went."

Hoshi eyed her suspiciously. "We don't have to babysit Allegro again, do we?"

"He's twelve now. He isn't that bad." Yoko paused. "Okay, so maybe he tried to go on another panty-thieving spree last summer break, but he stopped playing the organ at three in the morning."

The rest of the girls laughed, even Hoshi. Yoko smiled.

Honestly, I actually think she's fine with him, even if he gets on everybody's nerves. Binbeat didn't have anywhere else to go after the Etherium - kind of like me. Ami-sensei took him in, too, and he calls himself Allegro now. It's been a little hard to get used to and there wasn't as much money as when I lived with my family, but that's all right. It seems like Ogata-san knows a lot about creating identities for people when they come in from other worlds. Besides, Mitsuishi-san and her whole group are happy to babysit. Even Omemi-san does on occasion!

Starry looked around and jumped out of the phone into Mia's arms. "We contacted the Garden of Days last night ~susu! The Elder said that she's sending Mama and Papa here in the spring, too ~susu!"

"Really?" Mia smiled down at him. "Did they restore the next world, then?"

Starry nodded. "Putting worlds back to normal is a lot of work ~susu... We should go help them out ~susu!"

Asa grinned. "Sounds like an adventure to me! Mekuramast might be happy to see us, too. At least it will be a change of pace, right? He's been working with the Elder for a while now to bring back everything the Etherium erased."

Yoko shook her head with a smile. "Did you just agree to two adventures at once?"

Asa crossed her arms. "Geez, Yoko, it's not like Gessou Village will take up the whole time."

"All right, all right." Yoko smiled.

"Stop flirting, you two." Hoshi rolled her eyes, but her face didn't look nearly as annoyed.

Asa had some good ideas when she told the Elder to listen to what she had to say back then. The way it used to be when Ogata-san and Ami-sensei got their powers wasn't really the best way to do things, even if it seemed like the easiest. This whole magical girl thing doesn't stop when you defeat the last enemy or when the world is saved. It's about protecting the world and caring about everyone. Like anyone else should, right?

Yukari looked up at the clock tower. "I think we should be getting to class now."

"Okay ~susu!" Starry climbed out of Mia's arms and went into Asa's phone. "I'll be quiet ~susu!"

"Let's get going," Hoshi said. "Before we get stuck with cleaning duty again."

The five girls walked away, laughing and talking, back into the school. Asa and Yoko looked at each other as they opened the doors.

The End