She was pretty. That was the first thing Riko noticed, shallow as it might have sounded. Numazu was a bore so far, compared to Tokyo, and a pretty girl might be just what she needed to liven things up. A partner in crime in her new city.

"Hey."

The girl whirled around, looking almost as if her simple greeting had startled her. Not many friends, maybe, Riko mused. Quickly, though, the girl straightened up, a slow, practiced smile spreading across her face.

"Hello, little demon. Have you come to give yourself over to Yohane?"

Okay, more than a little edgy, Riko thought. But she could work with it. Better that than someone who would freak out at the slightest bit of rule-breaking.

"Sakurauchi Riko. I'm a new transfer student," she explained brusquely, allowing the slightest smile of her own to appear. "Pleased to meet you."

Yohane's eyes widened, and she grabbed Riko's hand, grinning.

"You're the girl from Tokyo! The one that got kicked out of her old school! Ruby told me all about you, after Dia told her...Dia-san is the student council president; she's Ruby's sister." Then, after a moment, she added, "Ruby is one of my little demons. Er, I mean, she's in my class. Anyway, she said you're dangerous and I should stay away from you, so I've been trying to find you for days."

Riko frowned, taking a moment to process all of that. The soft, warm hand still clutching her own really was a bit distracting.

"Your friend warned you that I'm some kind of threat, and that...made you want to meet me?" she asked, brow furrowing in confusion.

"Well, it sounds stupid when you put it that way," Yohane complained, frowning. "I just thought..." She leaned a little closer, voice taking on a conspiratorial air. "Perhaps you're a fallen angel too. We need to stick together."

"Yes, we do," Riko murmured warmly, deciding she might like to have a friend for once, even one seemingly wrapped up in chuunibyou fantasy.


"Skipping class just to sit around? Wow, I thought a delinquent like you would be doing something more exciting." Yohane laughed, dropping down next to Riko in the sand and nudging her gently to punctuate her point.

"I like the sound of the ocean," Riko replied, shrugging. The sea breeze felt perfect, sending loose strands of hair fluttering around her face.

"Is that all?"

"Better than being in there, with people who only ever judge me." In the weeks since she'd moved to Numazu, few people other than Yohane had approached her, and most of them were just curious about her reputation, not actually interested in getting to know her.

"To some people, I'll always be a failure," Riko continued, staring out at the water instead of looking over at Yohane. Freezing up on stage, watching as her grades got lower, sneaking out at night with cans of spray paint. "Because I'm not living up to the plan my parents had for me. I just want to get away from all of that."

Riko caught sight of Yohane's smile out of the corner of her eye, and couldn't help returning it.

"Me too," the younger girl admitted, inching closer. "We're both misunderstood." It hurt, hearing the hint of sadness in her voice. Riko frowned, wanting to cheer her up.

"Well, that's why fallen angels like us need to stick together, right, Yocchan?" she murmured, resting a hand on Yohane's knee.

Yohane blushed, smile returning.

"Yeah, of course. I...don't really mind being misunderstood as long as I'm with you, Riri."

"Me neither." Her reply barely louder than a whisper, Riko leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to Yohane's lips. "So let's just enjoy the afternoon. School will still be there to worry about tomorrow."

Yohane laughed, snuggling closer to her.

"That's fine with me."