Cheese was one of the most important things in life to Nagisa. So when the stacked packages of the treat she clumsily held in her arms fell to the ground, so too did her tears.
"My cheeeese! Oh, no, my poor, poor cheese." She was on her knees and hands, sniffling, palms sweltering on the summer sidewalk.
People passing by stared at her, but continued on with their business. Except one girl. She approached the mess and picked up one of the packages. Nagisa was so deep in despair over how her favorite food might be ruined she didn't even notice the girl.
"Um, excuse me," the girl said. Her hair and dress were green, and her eyes a greyish blue. She seemed around Nagisa's age. "Here you go... I think they're fine." She held the package toward the white-haired girl.
"Oh?" Nagisa took it and pressed it against a cheek. "Ah, you're right. The cheese has survived impact! I better pick them up before they melt."
The green-haired girl stared at the pictures of cheese as she began stacking the packages. "You should be more careful. That's a lot to carry all at once..."
"I know, but I was really dying for some cheese." Nagisa's mouth started watering. "When I saw them on sale, I couldn't resist buying." And Mami was likely to be upset since they had plenty in their apartment already, but more never hurt anybody.
The green-haired girl lowered her eyes to the floor, tapping her index fingers together. "Would you, um... would you maybe need help carrying them around?"
"Sure. I don't live far from here, it's just past the intersection coming up." Nagisa stood, now carrying half the packages. "Let's go!" She started humming.
Nodding meekly, the green-haired girl handled the other half and followed. They walked a little, passing an alley, before Nagisa realised she forgot to thank the girl.
"Oh, I didn't catch your name!"
"Yuma," she whispered. "Yuma Chitose."
"Well, thank you, Yuma. I really appreciate your help. I'm Nagisa Momoe." She smiled sweetly.
Yuma turned her head away from Nagisa's view momentarily, a frown on her lips.
"You're welcome. Na-Nagisa Moemoe - I mean Momoe!" Her cheeks pinkened slightly.
"Aaaaaah, don't tell me you're going to start calling me 'Moemoe' too! I have a friend who teases me like that sometimes." Nagisa sighed. It all started when Mami introduced her to Sayaka.
"Momoe?" Sayaka had asked. "More like Moemoe! Just, just look at her!" The blue-haired girl wrapped her arms around Nagisa and twirled around. Nagisa had sworn she momentarily saw pieces of cheese dancing around her head afterward - none of which she could ever grab, no matter how hard she tried. It was a sad day.
"Yuma is sorry, she really is!" Yuma said. "But, is that such a bad thing, getting called moe?"
"If I'm so moe, why does no one offer me cheese? Hmph." Nagisa pouted.
"Yuma... Yuma doesn't think it works like that, ehehe."
"The world would be a better place if people shared food more often."
"I think you're right about that."
That made Nagisa smile. "So, Yuma, do you attend Mitakihara Elementary School too? I've never seen you around."
"No... Yuma is just visiting the city. I live in Kasamino..."
"Ah, well I hope you're enjoying your stay here. You're really nice."
Yuma stopped, leaving Nagisa to take a few steps forward before noticing. The white-haired girl studied her face. She noticed Yuma had bags under her eyes, and her skin seemed somewhat pale.
"Are you okay?" Nagisa asked. "We're almost there, so you can rest at my home, if that's all right with you." Mami would certainly be fine with it. The older girl would always smile whenever Nagisa brought over friends and sometimes baked her famous peach pies for them to enjoy.
Yuma bit her lip.
"Hey… what does that say up there?" She pointed at a dome-shaped building many blocks away on the opposite side of the street.
Nagisa had to squint to see the kanji on the building; she couldn't remember the place, although she recalled going there once. "Roller… Skating… Rink. Oh yeah, I-"
She turned back to Yuma, only to discover her running away with her half of the cheese.
"Yuma, where are you going!?" Nagisa rushed after her, trying her best not to lose any of the food.
Yuma went into the alley, Nagisa trailing behind her. It did not take long for the white-haired girl to begin closing the distance; Yuma was running sluggishly.
"I'm sorry, Nagisa! Please don't follow me-" Unfortunately for her, there was a small puddle of water she didn't notice. It caused her to slip and fall on her back, and sent the packages scattering across the floor. "Oww..."
"Yuma!" Nagisa set aside the food and rushed to her. She helped her sit upright. "Are you hurt badly anywhere?"
The green-haired girl couldn't look at the oval yellow eyes full of worry. "I, I told you not to follow me..." She tried fighting back tears. "I'm sorry."
"Why didn't you just come with me? We have plenty of food."
"I'm sorry. Mama was right…" Yuma's voice weakened.
"Huh?"
"I'm sorry. Mama was right…" It was almost a whisper. "Mama was right…" Her eyes closed.