不二咲 千尋

"You okay, Chihiro-chan?" She asked, concern lacing her words. "You look awfully red."

Perhaps Chihiro didn’t want to do this and only agreed to it because she had trouble saying ‘no’. From the very moment Mahiru had taken notice of the shorter girl, she instantly knew that Chihiro is the kind of girl who can easily get pushed around by other girls. 

"Eh? R-Really?" He placed his hands over his red covered cheeks, feeling more embarrassed.

Gah, Chihiro, get a grip! He frantically thought as he tried to calm himself down.

"Look, if you don’t want to do this…"

Her words made him snap into reality as he stared at the photographer, his coloured cheeks already fading. His eyes started to wide as he let these words sink in. 

"…then it’s fine. I can always look for someone else to try the dresses on."

"No!" He said that rather quickly. "Ah-- I-I mean... Don't worry Mahiru-cha-- I mean Koizumi-san!" Gosh she is quickly influencing him. He took a small breath in to calm himself.

In concurrence with the boy’s powerful proclamations, his four hamsters took a pose in victory, celebrating the individual who thought so highly of them as to consider them ‘godly.’

"In your mortal terms, you would know it as an ‘Animal Breeder.’ As for your own, by what means do you call your talent insufficient?"

The small boy stared at Tanaka, in a mixture of awe and confusion. Can he really do all that? Or was he making them up? He decided to believe in him for now.

He watched as Tanaka's cute little hamsters posed in victory.

"In your mortal terms, you would know it as an ‘Animal Breeder.’ "

Tanaka-kun is an animal breeder? He would have never came to that conclusion, considering what the man in front of him is wearing and how he is behaving. Today was full of surprises wasn't it?

"T-That's a really cool... talent Tanaka-kun...!" He complimented him with a small smile.

"As for your own, by what means do you call your talent insufficient?"

He was, once again, surprised. Chihiro wasn't expecting the animal breeder to ask him. He shyly looked away, clasping his hands behind his back.

"W-Well... Comparing to the other talents in this school, i-including yours, they are all... really cool... Mine is rather boring... B-But it's what I enjoy doing so...!" He has no idea where he is going with this. He glanced around the room, trying to think of a way to change the subject. His eyes rested on his hamsters and a small smile was shown on his lips.

No. That was quitter talk. That was not the thought of a girl who had overcome everything, using loneliness as a prompt to succeed. It wasn’t the thought of a girl who had done things, terrible things, and maintained every single detail that agencies had worked their magic to fix, turning her into a manufactured doll with a pulse. No, it wasn’t her, and she wouldn’t allow such things to taint her mindset. Lucky that the programmer hadn’t yet appeared, Sayaka took the time to pull herself from the brink of no return. There had been reason behind her visit, and that was to ease these pitiful ways of viewing herself, of viewing the world around her.

I just need someone to distract me, someone who won’t remind me of anything like this, and I can make it till the night. Shuddering at the thought of another nightmarish sleep, Sayaka all but forced herself to at least look the part of a happy idol. It didn’t seem likely that Chihiro would react well to a hysterical girl at her doorstep — she seemed much too sensitive. Using her own need for another’s touch and voice as incentive, she forced her delicate features into a lopsided smile, attempting to make herself seem as natural as possible in the time she still had before the door would open.  

                                           —creak.

It seemed to be convincing enough for Chihiro, or maybe she was just adept in ignoring the small details that were left behind in such a last minute disguise. Guessing — hoping — that is was the former rather than the latter, Sayaka greeted the other with a fixed grin. Timidly, but surely, the programmer returned the gesture with a meek smile of her own. Seeming open enough, the girl ensured an afternoon that wouldn’t be plagued by worry and lonesomeness. Chirping a welcome, plus her request for a visit, she was relieved to hear a stutter of acceptance from her host.

"Y-You want to spend time with me …? I-I’m not busy, so su-sure …!"

Though everything about her seemed to be meek, she certainly had an enviable kind of happiness that seemed to be anything but muted. With a single, swift nod, she confirmed the question with the simplicity of her gesture. Taking a careful step back, making room for another body in the wide expanse that the hall allowed. The golden orbs opposite her, so warm in comparison to the oceanic hues of her own, lit up in excitement and widened in surprise. It seemed that Chihiro was just as happy to have company as Sayaka herself, yet another source of relief for the idol.

"Ah! Hold on, Maizono-san…"

Ducking back into the dorm room that had been spared for the hacker alone, Chihiro left Sayaka in silence once again. Searching for small imperfections in the architecture — anything to get her mind off of the racing worries that haunted her daily — she waited patiently for the voice’s return. Funny, now that she thought back on the tone … there was a certain pitch that she hadn’t quite expected. Oh, well. It seemed such a ludicrous thing to focus on, and she wouldn’t entertain it as anything more than a way to pass time. Though it was definitely something that had piqued her interest. Before a second more could be devoted to her internal debate, the door opened once more, the voice in question interrupted. 

"Sorry a-about that… what should we do today ,…? Or do you have so-something in mind?"

Giving a slight shrug of her delicate shoulder, unwilling to commit to anything but having one thing in particular in mind, she cast her pointed chin downwards. Staring at her feet, twiddling idle thumbs, Sayaka only hummed in response. Gathering the ability to propose her suggestion with a straight face,  she finally met the curious stare with one of own, though less imploring in its nature. Keeping her attention trained on Chihiro, it was with no air of nervousness with which she made her request.

"Fujisaki-san, I want to see you try on a dress."

His eyes widen from what she suddenly said, that he couldn't help but gape at her a little.

"I’ve noticed some of the students here with their eye on you, and it’d be really fun to just spend time with a girl here, really. How does that sound?"

"An... e-eye on me...?" He pointed at himself as he said this, his cheeks showing a noticeable shade of red. Why would anyone notice a person like him? Someone who isn't as interesting as the others. He turn his gaze back at the idol, watching her flutter her eye lashes innocently as she rests her hands on her chest. In his mind, he could feel himself letting out a soft sigh. There is no harm in this request, so why should he turn her down? He gave the idol a gentle smile.

"That... s-sounds nice..." He slowly tapped on his chin, as if he wants to say more, which he does. However he was hesitating. Deciding to test out his own luck, he put his hands behind his back as he shyly looked away.

Mahiru watched her friend with genuine curiosity, her eyes taking in every detail of the shorter girl’s movements. She was mostly intrigued at how Chihiro’s hair would curl up and bounce over her shoulders right after the iron twisted them around. 

"Wow… That’s pretty impressive." She commented while her friend still continued on with the iron. Once Chihiro was finally done curling her hair, she faced Mahiru— her cheeks bursting with color that could match the photographer’s ember-laced hair.

"T-They… are not the best but… how does it look…?"

Mahiru blinked for a few times, taking her time in appreciating Chihiro’s appearance from head to toe. 

This girl certainly knows how to make his face flare up. He easily gets embarrassed with compliments.

"R-Really...? T-Thank you..." He stuttered, feeling his face still growing hot. He watched as the photographer grabbed her camera beside the table.

"Let’s take your picture then! Let’s go outside and we’ll have your pictures taken there!"

"So, stringbean-chii..tell me, wha’cha do here, huh? And how’d ya come over here, huh?”

"Well... I was wondering a-around the school... and I-I got lost..." He giggled quietly to himself at that. It was rather silly, getting lost in a school. He blames his curiosity for that little mistake.

"A-And... what I do here...?" He was a little surprised that Hagakure asked him that. He watched him throw a pillow down on the blankets as Hagakure made himself comfortable on the sheets.

Do... I sit down or...? The programmer wasn't sure what he should do. He decided to continue standing to be polite. This was his blankets after all, he doesn't want to intrude in his space.

"Eh? Ah don’t go! Don’t worry, you d-don’t sound creepy at all…!"

"I-I’m really flattered honestly…! I didn’t… think you would know me… o-or be a huge fan! What I-I do isn’t that interesting… You’re too kind…!"

"Ahah… I think I shouldn’t do that… my affection to snow only extends to looking at it. As in, I don’t like holding it, or it to be on my body, in this case… If that makes sense…"

The programmer had to think a bit on what he said before giving him a small nod. I guess he doesn't like to be cold... He once again started to ponder. He wants Komaeda to enjoy himself, but what else could they do? It didn't take long for an idea to pop into his mind. The opposite to cold is hot. So why not the two of them grab some hot cocoa?

"Hey, Komaeda-kun...?" He turned his attention to the white-haired man, showing him a gentle smile.

"We can... go back inside and grab some nice h-hot cocoa...!" Whenever he thinks about hot cocoa on a winter day, it always makes him feel so warm and fuzzy. He can imagine himself sitting by a fireplace with the drink in his hand as he watch the snow gently fall down from the sky. It was a nostalgic feeling to the programmer in a way.

He walked towards the pavement, stomping slightly to remove the extra snow on his shoes once he got there, before turning towards Komaeda.