9.55am, Shuuka found herself arriving at the agreed upon meeting place slightly early--the Hachiko statue in front of Shibuya station--and she gave the surrounding square a quick once over just to see if her company for the day had arrived as well. Not spotting Yua, she slid her sunglasses to the top of her head, brushing back her short hair from her forehead. Dressed in a casual strapless top and an army green jacket over some dark denim, she rolled her stiff shoulders back, looking forward to getting pampered for once instead of pampering others as part of her day job. Yua was still nowhere to be found at this point, so Shuuka quickly fished out her phone from her back pocket, scrolling through her social media feeds while waiting.

Shuuka barely remembered how she got there in the first place–something about a fight, something about going into the nearest bar she had found to basically wash out the memory of the fight with copious amounts of alcohol (as per usual). Now, picking up her groggy head from the bar counter, she became more aware of someone’s fingers in her short locks. Immediately, she snapped upright, waving an uncoordinated arm in the general direction of the barstool next to her and immediately regretting her decision. Groaning, she immediately cradled her head in her hands, feeling the floor spin under her. It took her a moment to gather her senses, finally raking a thin hand through her hair to undo the small braid that whoever the heck it was had put in her hair. “What the fuck man, are you some kind of pervert?”

The elevator up to the music store was unusually crowded today as Shuuka stepped in, red headphones round her neck, bowing her head several times and muttering “sumimasen” under her breath. She managed to fit her slender frame in with just enough of a personal bubble around herself to be comfortable. Just as the doors were about to close, a boot appeared between the chrome doors, forcing the automatic doors to slide open again as a new occupant stepped into the already cramped space. What little was left of Shuuka’s personal space was taken up as the man squeezed his way past her to find a comfortable standing spot, his arm brushing uncomfortably close to her own arms which she kept crossed in front of her chest. A small frown appeared on her face, and she couldn’t help the small “tsk” that escaped her. The doors finally closed, and she wished for the ride to be quick so she could get out of the space as soon as she could. 

“Feel free to snack, Aya-san, we haven’t gotten to lips yet, so you can eat freely,” she said quickly, sensing some hesitation from the woman in the chair and flashing a small smile. “The strawberries this season are pretty good.” As she continued with her cheeks, Shuuka happened to look up just as Aya’s pretty lips pressed against the curve of the plump strawberry to take a bite, and what a sight it was. A small smirk crawled up her own lips unconsciously as she commented, “With that way of eating strawberries, it’s no wonder you have a plethora of male fans as well as female admirers, Aya-san. Better watch out for creepy stalkers.” 

“Hmm? No, the opening band just finished–the main act will be coming up in maybe a few minutes.”