ACDC Town, one little town in the prestigious Net City, home of the brightest technological minds. Such town went through a series of events recently, but it finally returned to its normal life. Or at least to a new “normal life” now that the great hero of the place had appeared once again, but this time as a heroine.

After one month missing school, with nobody knowing about her whereabouts or her situation, Dial Hikari had returned to her daily life, revealing to the world that she was a trans girl. Far from her initial fears, everybody, from friends to teachers, welcomed her with open arms. She could finally return to her school and hang out with her friends, but it was different.

There was no holding back anymore. She could talk to Mayl and Yai about the things she liked. She still talked to boys, but there was no ‘faking’ anymore. Dial would still show how good she was at Netbattling, but she also set boundaries when boys were about to mock girls like her. And especially, she felt her bond with Mayl was much stronger than ever now that both girls confessed their feelings to each other. One way or another, whether at home or at school, she finally felt closer to everybody around her. And that was because she finally allowed herself to be her true self.

Her first week after her comeback was finally over and the weekend presented itself as a new opportunity for having fun. So far, she had been enjoying her weekends with her parents, who gladly prepared family activities in which she could show up as a girl. But now that she came out, she wondered if she could do something with her friends. She knew Mayl and Yai hung out sometimes together for shopping or just playing together, so maybe Dial could come up with something and invite them. All those thoughts came to her mind while she was packing her books in her desk, when a sudden touch in her shoulder brought her back to reality.

“Hey, Dial!”.

Dial jumped in surprise and looked at her back. Her friend Mayl stood right there, smiling to her, with Yai standing next to her.

“Hey! What’s up?”, asked Dial.

“Do you have any plans for the weekend?”, asked Mayl.

Could Mayl read minds? That was Dial’s first thought after being asked such a question. The girl blushed a bit, feeling embarrassed in front of such a coincidence. But she was looking forward to talking about upcoming plans with her friends and she didn’t want to shy away from that.

“Actually… I wanted to ask you two”, asked Dial shyly. “I want to do something together, maybe going somewhere for a walk. What do you say?”.

Mayl and Yai looked at each other. It was so obvious for them that Dial wanted to hang out more with them, but they were glad that their friend no longer hid those feelings and was honest instead.

“Truth is, we are having a pajama party at my place on Saturday. Do you want to join us?”, asked Yai.

In her mind, Yai expected a very enthusiastic reaction from Dial. She could still remember the first time Mayl and she organized one, both of them being incredibly nervous and excited about their meeting. However, Yai’s words caused a different reaction.

“A… pajama party?”.

Dial could barely murmur those words. Mayl and Yai were surprised at seeing the girl being so serious. Well, not exactly serious, but overwhelmed. Dial had imagined doing a pajama party with her friends so many times before. However, she believed it would take them more time to accept her and let her join the fun. Their invitation was so sudden that it didn’t even feel real.

“Dial, are you ok?”, asked Mayl worried.

“Yeah! Yeah…”, repeated Dial still in shock. “Just… are you sure? Are you ok with me… joining in?”.

“Of course!”, exclaimed Yai as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “We can’t call it a ‘girls night’ if we don’t include all the girls in the group! And that includes you!”.

Of course, Mayl and Yai could understand Dial’s worries. She never had the chance to grow up as a girl. Even if she knew that she was a trans girl, being excluded from all girl activities and outings in the past was still a burden for her. She feared they wouldn’t be comfortable with her around, but that was far from the truth. Mayl and Yai saw Dial as a girl just like them. She was one of them. Their smiles were enough to show Dial that there was nothing to worry about. The girl let out a shy “Thanks”, knowing that was not enough to show all her gratitude for them, but unable to say anything else.

“However”, added Mayl, “I like the idea of going out before going to Yai’s house. There’s this new café and I want to try their sweets. They look so fancy”.

“I know which one you’re saying!”, finally exclaimed Dial, joining the conversation after the initial shock. “I passed by there with my mom the other day. They say the cheesecake is really good!”.

“That sounds like a plan then!”, said Yai with firm tone. “Our first stop will be the café and then my house. It will be fun!”.

Having settled on their plans, the girls bid farewell and left for their homes, thinking with excitement about the following day. Dial was so excited that the first thing she did when she got home was tell her mother and ask her to prepare things for the party. Haruka was not just happy that everything was going well for Dial, but also for seeing her daughter enjoying her new life to the fullest. This way, mother and daughter began talking about things Dial might need at her first sleepover with her friends. Her nightgown and sleepers, maybe some snacks (although Yai probably had a lot of food in her mansion)… Of course, she couldn’t forget Mega Man. Sure, he was a boy, but Glide would be there as well, so both of them and Roll could hang out together while the girls enjoyed their first night together.

Dial was so excited the next day that she felt the morning dragged on. In order to keep her mind away from the time, she tried to help her mom with some shopping. She also checked her luggage several times to make sure she had everything ready for that night. The girl even asked Mayl what other things she could bring, causing her girlfriend to giggle a bit. Remembering the first afternoon Mayl went to Dial’s house and checked how much her room had changed during her absence, she suggested bringing some of her magazines or maybe a board game they could all play.

Finally, the longed-for moment arrived. The girls decided to meet a bit after lunch so they could go to midtown and check that café together. Mayl agreed to pick up Dial at her home and wait together for Yai to arrive. She didn’t expect though that her girlfriend would open up the door as soon as she rang the bell, already carrying her bag. Mayl couldn’t help but laugh at her enthusiasm. Dial blushed a bit, but began laughing as well. It didn’t take long for a limousine to arrive in front of the Hikari’s house, Yai revealing herself through the window. After bidding farewell to Haruka, they all rode the limousine and began their trip to midtown.

It might not be as fancy and crowded as Elec Town, but the midtown area of ACDC Town was still a fun place to spend some time with family and friends. There were some stores to explore, just like the accessories store where Haruka bought Dial’s first hairpins, as well as nice places for a meal. The most recent one was a nature-themed café, full of flowers and vines decorating the walls and the ceiling. Flower pots hung on the walls, as well as some digital frames that displayed different natural scenes at random. Thanks to the chill melodies and the sounds of rivers and birds that came out from the speakers, it really offered the customers the sensations that they were in the middle of nature.

The variety of sweets was quite wide, from the cheesecake Dial heard about to other different sweets with chocolate, berries or even cookies, all of them decorated with figures or drawings made with syrup. Unsure of what to choose, they decided to order an assorted menu with small pieces of different cakes. The three girls enjoyed their time there, sharing their impressions of the delicious sweets that they tried and talking about places in the area that they could visit another day. They had so much fun that they didn’t notice how much time they spent there, so they finished everything and rode the limousine back to ACDC Town.

It wasn’t the first time Dial went to Yai’s house, a huge mansion that looked elegant both outside and inside. There were so many rooms with fine paintings and very expensive-looking vases, all that combined with the most advanced home automation technology. From previous experiences, she expected one fancy dinner, worthy of the high class her friend belonged to. Instead, following her indications, they all went inside her room and changed into their pajamas. Still ashamed of changing in front of her friends, Dial asked to go to the bathroom to get ready. Their friends wanted to say something, but since it was their first time together, they didn’t want to pressure her too much. There would be more moments for the girl to get used to be around them in that kind of situations. Once everybody was ready, someone knocked on the door, bringing a surprise for Dial.

“Wow, I never thought I’d see you eating this!”.

One of Yai’s butlers brought some pizzas from one nearby store, as well as some soda and snacks. There surely weren’t of the fancy type, instead they were available at any store around the town. Yai showed a snarky smile on her face.

“Well, even I know this is the right food for a sleepover!”, said Yai with her know-it-all tone. “Ok, let’s grab a bite!”.

With all the gear and their supplies ready, Mayl, Yai and Dial were ready to begin their sleepover. Dial couldn’t remember the last time she enjoyed such a meal with her friends. She remembered doing a picnic a while ago with them all. She had a good time, she couldn’t deny that, and still, even then she could already some distance between her and her friends that stopped her from fully enjoying those moments. That gap was there no more. She could laugh naturally along her friends, enjoying their pizza together and talking about the magazines they all brought with them. At one moment, Mayl was showing Dial some pictures. Yai, who was laying on her bed drinking from a soda can, noticed how close they actually were. She could still remember her conversation with her friend at the beginning of that week. Mayl was super nervous about confessing! Even though it was a bit troublesome (as she later learned from her), she was happy seeing them together… and curious too.

“So… how are you two doing?”, asked Yai.

Dial and Mayl took their eyes off of the magazine and stared at their friend.

“We’re fine here!”, answered Dial casually. “Mayl’s showing me these earrings and…”.

“No, no, no”, interrupted Yai. Then, using a suggestive tone, she said: “I mean, how are YOU TWO doing?”.

Yai raised her eyebrows a few times, showing that snarky smile so characteristic of hers. It took Mayl and Dial a few seconds to understand: her friend was talking about their newly-formed relationship. Faster than a file uploads on the Net, their faces turned as red as tomatoes. They both exclaimed “Yai!”, unable to say anything else to complain about her friend’s curiosity. Contrary to her intention, the short girl couldn’t help but laugh at her friend’s funny reaction.

“Don’t worry, don’t worry!”, exclaimed Yai while laughing. “You can tell me. I’m rooting for you two!”.

Both girls knew Yai didn’t mean anything bad. Her big smile, an expression she only reserved for when necessary, truly showed her most sincere happiness and support for them both. Still, it was embarrassing for Mayl and Dial to talk about that.

“I mean… It’s just been a few days though…”, muttered Mayl nervously, with Dial fidgeting a bit next to her.

Sure, it had just been a few days since they both confessed to each other. However, Yai noticed both of them much closer than ever. How they blushed whenever they talked to each other at school. How they held hands on their way back home while she observed them from her limousine. You couldn’t call them just ‘friends’ anymore: something much stronger bonded them together. And nothing made Yai happier than seeing their two friends finally enjoying their love.

“Well, she came to my house to other day to see my room…”, added Dial shyly.

“I just wanted to check her room!”, added Mayl immediately after Dial. “She showed me some new comics and all her clothing and… well, we wanted to spend some time together”.

Yai nodded, satisfied with the new information. However, something from that discovery sparked her curiosity.

“Oh, so you have made changes in your room?”, asked Yai.

“It’s not like I remodeled it! I mostly took away the soccer posters and the mattress”, explained Dial. “I’m still figuring out how I want it to look, so for now I just put some animal pictures on the walls”.

“Yeah, there are some fish and dolphins in them. They’re cute!”, added Mayl. “She also got some fantasy books and comics”.

“Right. I didn’t bring any because I thought that would be too heavy”, said Dial with a giggle. “But I can take one to school on Monday. It’s about a girl who jumps onto another world through the TV and she has to wake up a queen to go back”.

Since they brought up the topic of books, the girls focused on that for a while. Yai and Mayl gave Dial some personal recommendations. Yai even offered her friend to take some books from her personal collection. However, all those changes in Dial’s life made the short girl think about another question. Was it too personal? Maybe, but after a week learning more about her, she had this desire to know more.