“We did what had to be done,” Ryuko said. “No patch gets to decide who we are.”

“DLC?” Ryuko spat, fingers tensing around the Scissor’s handle. She didn’t understand patches and publishers, but she recognized intrusion when she felt it — something grafted onto life that didn’t belong.

Satsuki’s hand brushed the lapel of her uniform. “They’ve patched reality itself,” she observed. “We must decide: do we accept the update or roll it back?”