━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ "I feel good, get the f*** out my face"
While amazing flavors assaulted her tastebuds, her phone, which sat atop the table, began to ding with notifications. Face full of pure joy, as an idle hand hovered over the device and gave it a light press, index finger extended to brush against the screen. That same finger would glide and swipe without using her eyes for guidance. With so much time used on the device, she could efficiently perform small tasks without looking. And in this instance, it was performed with little effort. However, upon pulling down the notifications tab, her eyes shifted and landed on the device before leaning forward to read. Hues of chestnut brown scanned the caption just as her last bite seemed to evaporate between her lips. Utensil down, her hands take hold of the cellular device and begin to read. But this is where her thoughts end. Another tells a tale of their meeting.
“So wait. You stalked her?”
“And then what? Bribed her with cake?”
A group of three individuals eyed the storyteller judgingly while Jiyu sat among them, seemingly unbothered as a slice of cake sits on a plate before her. With a fork in hand, she eats it and savors it. The moistness. The fruit flavor. “This is heaven.” The pleasure on her face spoke volumes as the other four pairs of eyes shifted to her, upon hearing a moan escape. The storyteller smiles proudly, while the others try to act serious but fail as grins form. With a sigh, one of the males of the group ask the storyteller to continue. And she does. “So. Like I said. I was shopping when I came across that café....”
[Fade back to a few days ago]
Shiori had been walking around doing some holiday shopping. Her eyes scanned the streets, looking for gifts for her friends since she had already finished shopping for her family. With her headphones on, music played which had her in her own little world. Her gaze shifted toward a smell that wafted over her nose as she hummed to a particular tune. It smelled amazing. But as she did so, she spotted a familiar face. Well, her side profile. But she recognized her. Both she and this girl attended the same university. Shiori saw her around campus as well as in a few of her classes. She found her interesting when she noticed how isolated she was. It made her curious. But what had her fully invested was the day she had taken a wrong turn and ended up near a dojo and could see JiYu in a match with a male who she took down in a way that had Shiori stunned, shocked, and excited. Since then, she has made it her mission to approach JiYu and befriend her.
“So you watched her through the window like some creep…”
“Let me finish!” Shiori shouts as embarrassment shines across her face.
So, with her noticing JiYu inside, she gathered her courage to go inside, but she was only able to take a single step before three guys stepped up to her and began to hit on her. She politely declined and tried to walk through, but their persistence hindered her. After another attempt to decline, one of the guys grew annoyed and slammed his open palm on the window. This had JiYu turning her head, as did the small few who occupied the inside of the café. They paid no mind to the disturbance to the establishment, but JiYu kept her gaze on them. And once she saw the girl’s face, her strong front falling, she rose. Gathering her trash and discarding it, she gathered her belongings and exited. The group was still outside, and the moment one began to reach out to Shiori, JiYu intervened. His hand would be smacked away, and all eyes would shift in JiYu’s direction.
“And just like that day when I saw her at that Dojo, JiYu subdued that jerk. Like….WHAM! BAM!” Her face and hands were animated as she did her best to imitate JiYu’s moves. Her hands then came together as she stared at nothing, as she recalled the moment. Her face and eyes shined with admiration. The other three turned from Shiori to JiYu, who had long since finished the slice of cake and sat there, leaning back in the chair with her arms folded. “Yeah. That did happen.” While two were in shock, one, a male, burst into laughter. “Heh, so JiYu-chan’s a badass. Wish I could have seen it.” Shiori turned her head and eyed her friend while nodding. “She was amazing Tatsuya-kun. She might be able to take you on.” This intrigued Tatsuya, who merely grinned. “Oh really? You sure ‘bout that?” His eyes cut to JiYu who’s stare was already holding; tension was beginning to grow between the two. “Is that a challenge?” Her hands slammed the table as she rose, leaning towards him as if ready to charge in. Tatsuya seemed to oblige her feistiness as he leaned in, seemingly unfazed but enthralled as well. Shiori was smiling brightly in between the two ready-to-brawl individuals. Her two other friends who occupied the table hurriedly rose to calm everyone down. “No! Stop!” a girl with twin buns on her head shouted just as the second male in the group placed his hand on Tatsyua’s shoulder. “Enough man.” His eyes then turned to a still-smiling Shiori. “And you. Stop encouraging him.” Shiori tilted her head like a confused toddler. “What? We’re all friends here. Plus, why deny them the things that they enjoy? Or…” she looked at Jiyu, who had calmed slightly and sat back down. At the opposite end of the table. “Am I wrong?” JiYu eyed Shiori and raised a brow. “Wrong about what?” Shiori’s smile was still soft and genuine as she responded. “Fighting. Well, martial arts. I could see it, when I watched you in that match.” She recalled it like it was yesterday. The shine in JiYu’s eyes. She showed pure joy and excitement despite the seriousness of the match. “Oh, well…no. You're not wrong.”
A hit to Shiori’s head would ensue from her friend with the blue twin buns atop her head. “Oww. Mao-chan, why’d you hit me?” Mao would only sigh as she stood behind Shiori. “Do you ever think things through fully?” Though she knew the answer already. Deep down, she hoped one day, Shiori would shock her with an actual answer. But alas, today wouldn’t be that day. JiYu watched the group, seeing their dynamic, and wondered why Shiori even invited her to this little meet. What had been the purpose again? Because sitting here and seeing their comradery was starting to annoy her with jealousy. Closing her eyes, Jiyu pushed such thoughts away, before returning her gaze to Shiori who had called to her. “Huh?”
“I said I want us to be friends—you and me. And them too,” She motioned to the three others at the table. JiYu could feel the word ‘why’ on the tip of her tongue, but she recalled asking Shiori this already. When they met that night, she had retold the group moments before. Just like that night, Jiyu decided to restate what she had said. “We aren’t in grade school anymore. Don’t you think asking to be friends, just like that, seems a bit childish?” And just like that night, Shiori just smiled her genuine smile and said, “And what’s wrong with that? Despite how old we are, we all still have some childish tendencies. That’s what makes us all unique. I think anyway.” That night, Jiyu had agreed to meet Shiroi another day after more pestering to give a proper answer. Though with the time given to think, she had already chosen. So, as they all peered at her, JiYu sighed in defeat. Shiori’s pure innocence and demeanor had gripped her. Strange enough, she found the girl oddly interesting. She had been the only one to approach and talk to her lately. And the others seemed like alright individuals to be around. “Sure. Why not”
JiYu would be engulfed in a tight hug, Shiori’s two-toned tresses flowing around as she rocked JiYu in her bought of happiness. The others smiled, showing their acceptance of their friends’ decision. However, a smirk formed on Tatsuya's lips. “Alright then.” He began to stand. “Welcome to the group, shortcake. Let’s go celebrate!” the tone was teasing; many would find it amusing and unthreatening. But Jiyu didn’t see it that way. A fire sparked in her eyes as annoyance grew. With hands on the table's edge, she began to raise it. Mao jumped back as Kōta remained seated, watching. Convinced. JiYu was strong. And it looked like she would be a perfect addition to their group. Shiori continued to hang on to JiYu, happy and content with her accomplishment and earning a new friend, as JiYu had full intentions on flipping the table over and onto Tatsuya. “Making fun of my height. I’ll end you.” Screw being friends with this guy!
With the university cafeteria drawing a crowd, Mao was growing frantic at the chaos about to implode. “DON’T JUST SIT THERE! DO SOMETHING Kōta!”
Shiori continued smiling and giggling happily while clinging to an enraged JiYu.
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