Chika and Riko sat enjoying the sun on the slope overlooking the sports ground, turned so they were almost facing each other. On the grass their shadows where thoroughly tangled, their actual bodies less so. The school administration had strong views on appropriate public conduct. Closeness and a little light petting was easily defensible, since as demonstrated by other groups around them, it was quite common even among platonic friends. As far as Riko was concerned, the thrill of minor rule-breaking just made the occasional stolen kiss that much sweeter.
"Hi guys"
"Hi Hanamaru, whats up?" Chika responded cheerfully.
Their friend sat down on the grass beside them.
"You two have dealt with this sort of thing, and I need some advice"
"Sure, what about?"
"You know what people have been saying, about me... and the football team"
At the recent school fair Hanamaru's eating prowess had attracted a certain amount of fascination from the boys at the adjacent school, particularly as she responded to their encouragement. As a result of those events, in addition to a permanent ban on foot-long hot dogs at school events, she had gained certain level of notoriety. This, and her continued association with the boys, had earned her the enmity of a group of the more socially "outgoing" girls, who saw her as stealing their spotlight. Whether or not they counted as truely "mean girls", they certainly weren't above spreading some mean stories.
Chika glanced at Riko uncomfortably. Hanamaru was right, they had plenty of experience with unkind rumours.
"Yeah, I think I know the one"
"It's so unfair!" Hanamaru huffed. "I haven't done that, not with any of them! They treat me like a sister, or princess or something" Frustration tinged her voice.
Chika nodded in sympathy, stories like that could be so infuriating, even if nobody really believed them.
"You can't control what people think of you"
"I just wish I could change things"
"You could try talking to them" Riko suggested, "Even if they don't change, at least you have let them know how it makes you feel, so it is their problem"
"It is kind of awkward to bring up" Hanamaru sighed and turned to stare down at the sports ground. "Look at them down there, without a care in the world"
Chika followed her gaze and saw that the mean girls were gathered at the edge of the field, ogling the football team as they ran laps.
"Kind of shameless" she conceded.
"...Running around getting sweaty in those tight little shorts, I just want to go down there and-" Hanamaru stopped and her face hardened with resolve.
"Er" Chika had seen that hungry look on Hanamaru's face before... generally around baked goods. With a shared look of shock at Riko she started to re-asses the conversation she thought she had been having.
Hanamaru stood up
"Just like you said, if I don't say anything, nothing will change" she strode of down the slope.
The couple sat in contemplative silence for a while.
"Don't tell me she really is going down there to talk to the team" Riko smiled nervously.
"Ok, then I wont"
"But she is, isn't she?"
"Maybe she is just going to talk to them on the way to the girls" Chika didn't sound convinced. After thinking for a while, she moved her position so she was almost parallel to her girlfriend "If she uses gestures, I don't want to see" she explained apologetically.
After a while she spoke up again
"So is that even a thing, like team-o-sexual?"
"I don't know. I suppose there is polygamy, or polyamory" she saw Chika's puzzled look "Being in a relationship with more than one other person where it might be more complex than just one and many"
"Well, aren't you knowledgable. Do I have to watch you around other girls now?"
"You're all the girl I need" Riko leaned over to deliver a brief but heartfelt kiss.
"Sakurauchi!"
She looked up the hill to see the teacher.
"Sorry sensei!", turning back to Chika she mouthed "Worth it", before getting up to receive her lecture.
(You can never have just one, Zura!)
~o~
Yō smiled as Hanamaru entered the store, it added a bit of variety to the evening. Her friend had been doing a lot less Friday night shopping since she had switched to rechargeable batteries. How did one person use that many batteries, anyway? The girl did like gadgets... she imagined a large collection of buzzing oddly shaped and brightly coloured toys. Fans, remote controlled cars, engraving tools, that sort of thing. There was an art to retail, distributing your mental and physical activity evenly though the shift to avoid exhaustion and boredom. There was the entertainment of making guesses about people's plans based on their shopping list, tempered by the fine art of knowing when such speculation should be avoided lest it open doors best left closed.
When Hanamaru came to the counter smiling and humming cheerfully, Yō took one look at the items and carefully, deliberately, shut down the speculative parts of her brain. Two dozen condoms and an X-large bottle of lube. There might be an innocent explanation, but it didn't seem safe to look for it.
"My parents are away for the weekend" She explained.
"Um, ok." After a pause, Yō switched on her retail smile, "Will that be all?" she asked brightly.
"Um, hang on" Hanamaru dashed off, returning a moment later with several large bottles of sports drink "Have to stay hydrated, Zura!"
(Bzzzzz... It's the future, Zura!)
~o~
The coach scowled at the boys jogging sluggishly around the field. Kids these days! Most of them had skipped weekend practice and they still didn't have any energy.
(Before high school she never thought that she would become a fast woman, but thanks to the Aquors training regime, now only the quickest and wariest boys can escape)
~o~
Watching the girl carefully at lunch Riko felt that Hanamaru seemed even more cheerful and bouncy than usual. But then what was she looking for? The target of her surveillance took out a sheet of paper, the boys' school athletic roster, she realised, and started looking over it intently. Like a menu, her watcher worried.
"Yō, swimming builds stamina for other things, right?"
"Sure. Thinking of trying a marathon?"
"Oooh, marathon, good idea!" She picked up a pen and put marks beside a couple of names on the roster.
Riko shared a look with Chika and carefully focused her attention on her food. Maybe it was better not to be sure.
(Hanamaru says: Competing over a girl is a waste of energy, sharing is caring!)
~o~
"It is important that foreign exchange students get the opportunity to see and experience a wide range of local cultural activities, so we would appreciate if students from both schools should help to show him the best experiences our country has to offer"
"Dibs, Zura!"
~o~
"Oh, I see, C-H-A-S-T-E. English is tricky" Chika looked up from her phone, glancing worriedly at the oval "We should tell her"
"Nah", they jumped, hearing the coach behind them "He could use a few more laps"
~o~
A/N: Ok, that last one in really poor taste, but the pun is a classic. Almost didn't publish these because it isn't very PC, but in the end I don't think it turned out too bad. It actually started out as a serious idea about Hanamaru approaching established Chika/Riko couple for advice about initiating things with her oblivious boyfriend... but I got sidetracked. The original idea (or maybe a more serious take on Poly!Hanamaru) might still happen if I ever write a sequel for Girl Friends.