"Would your principle actually allow this?"
"Dean of the school." Karmi corrects her friend. "And yes. It's the perks of having a good relationship with your boss of San Fransokyo Institute of Technology." She leads her friend to the office of the Dean, Ms. Granville. The two teens approach the door with the biologist knocking against the brown wood.
"Come in!" Ms. Granville shouts from the other side of the door. After Karmi opened the door and they walked in, the brunette greets the older woman with a smile. The older lady turn in her office chair to meet one of her youngest student. "Hello Karmi." Then her eyes shifted to the person next to the student.
"Who might this be?"
The person next to Karmi is a small Asian girl with a heart-shaped face, a pair of electric blue eyes, a small nose, and pale pink lips. She also have a mass of black hair in a short-bob hairstyle, her clothes covering her thin body consist of a blue and white long-sleeved stripe shirt, a pair of black skinny jean, and pairs of black tennis shoes.
"This is my friend Michelle Shen. She's recently gonna be living with me and my mother for a while. And being new in a different part of the city and all, I couldn't leave her alone at my house with my mom working all day at the surgeon office and me attending here, so I thought it would be okay if she with sticks me for the time being." Karmi smiles wide after the brief introduction. This was her technique similar to using puppy eyes when wanting something.
Ms. Granville raise an eyebrow, shifting her eyes between Karmi and Michelle. She purse her lips in the process of making a small decision. "How can I be sure that you won't be a distraction with my student?" She asks the small Asian.
"I'm usually quiet most of the time... And you don't have to worry about me wandering around, I usually stay in one spot when I'm drawing something to build up my art portfolio..." Michelle turn her gaze to the floor out of nervousness. The brunette gave her a light nudge that goes unnoticed, supporting her. The smaller girl subtly return the favor.
"An artist." The dean observes and process the info she is receiving.
"She's incredibly talented! She once won the one of our city's university art competition, leading her a scholarship in the best art school!" The biologist intervene with a upbeat attitude she usually used to please the Dean, but this time she's truly genuine about the artist.
"Are you still a high schooler?"
"Yeah... but I'm currently taking some college classes in the art department, online." Michelle briefly mentioning her mastery skills and hobby. "I take part in the Art university of Fran Sansokyo."
"I would like to see proof of your skills." Ms. Granville smirk. "I have a friend that is the head director of the art program. He's currently taking charge in the pre-college programs."
"Mr. Paiden?" The artist speak up in realization. "He's my teacher at the moment. You know, for the pre-colleges classes."
"So you must be the genius he's talking about." Ms. Granville remember meeting up with her friends and colleagues at a bar. All the adults were praising their own genius student of their respective school. A memory popped in her head about Mr. Paiden talking about a young student winning his art competition during the summer, also showing a picture of the winning portrait on his phone.
"I...don't have my sketchbook on me, but I will show you my work during my stay. Better not let Mr. Paiden down then." Michelle awkwardly chuckled after that lame joke of encouragement.
Karmi on the other hand is truly happy that her friend's skills and connection could lean more towards a good decision. The two teen glance at each other for hoping the copper-skinned woman will say yes.
The older woman straighten her back and place her intertwined fingers down on her desk. Inhaling through her nose, she face both girls with a straight face. Karmi and Michelle tense are her position and held their breath for the answer.
"Well I hope you have good attendance for the time being."
"This is great!" Karmi pump her fists in the air. Both teens just left Ms. Granville's office, one obviously ecstatic while the other can finally breathe. "There's so many things we can finally do together!"
"Man, the Dean... she has this aura that got me spooked." Michelle
"But in the end, she came to really like you. Which, got us to get to hang at school and at home!"
"So, you gonna show me around? Or you gonna tell me why you needed me here?" Before Michelle moved houses to live with Karmi and her mother, the brunette vaguely told Michelle that the Asian is very needed to be in SFIT.
From the conversation on phones:
"You're a life savior! I need a favor from you!"
"What a coincidence. I need a favor from you too."
Karmi's head was still hurting from the possible discovery, but it lessen overtime when her long time friend called her. "Really? What is it?" The biologist was kind to let Michelle go first, cause after all, the Chinese girl was the one who called first. Then she began to worried when she heard her friend taking a huge deep breath.
"Is it okay... if I live with you for a while?" Karmi eyes widen in shock. This was a strange favor to ask, considering they haven't been in contact since she left the regular high school to SFIT. Not sure how to respond, she hummed, long enough for the artist to know she needs some explaining to do.
"My parents need to move away from San Fransokyo, and the problem with it is... I can't be with them since I'm also attending the Art University after high school hours. And if I moved away I have to cancel my classes along with losing my scholarship cause of all the packing... And I love living in this city. Which also means I'll be further away from you too, if I go." Michelle voice dropped at the last part of the sentence. "I can explain further details, but right now my head is a bit scrambled since my parents dropped the bad news on me just now."
At that moment, Karmi wants to help her friend as much as she can, but she's not the adult that can allow such a thing. What more to be concern is: What about Michelle's parents? Do they know what their daughter is asking? Or it's maybe she actually going rogue?
"I have to ask my mom." This was only reply she can mustered. "Does your parents about this...?"
"Um...They were the ones who offered that solution." So her parents are also not wanting the risk of losing the scholarship, not just her.
"Anyway, enough about me! What do I need to do, to help a long time friend?"
"Can we talk about it later?"
"Sure. After all I'm living with you guys, so take all the time you need." Karmi smile genuinely, really grateful to have a wonderful girl to be friends with. But what's more important is to give the artist a good tour of the school.
"Anyway, there's so many things I want to show you!"
"And last but not least, this is my lab!" The brunette exclaims happily. "Well not the least. I should have said best for last instead." She opens the door to reveal a moderately small lab.
"I take it you major in the human study." Michelle stated, impressed with the interior design. Scanning the room to easily find a large screening of a recording camera of different cells, stacks of books on a desk, and various petri dishes near a microscope.
"Mainly cells and viruses."
"Too cool..."
"Well that concludes our tour. It's lunchtime right now. Lunch is on me." Karmi already heading toward the door. "No protesting! I'm doing this because I want to!" She knows her friend's polite habit, she didn't need to turn around to face the small girl, but raise a finger to silence her.
Michelle can only smile as she shakes her head, following the young genius to the cafeteria.
Lunchtime has begun and was more calming than any classes in this school. Most of the student grabbed their meals and walk around to find a spot to eat, whether it's inside the cafeteria, outside on the quad, or some returning to their labs to continue some projects or do extra studying.
At one of the table, a group of particular friends spent the time with each other as usual.
"What if we... get the rest of the group a new gear for transportation?" Fred was at it again with another idea on upgrading the superheroes' gear. "I think it would be fair. Hiro got Baymax and Go Go got those wheels attached at her ankles. What do you say?"
"That sounds more dangerous than what we got on plate every week." Wasabi comments as he precisely sorting out his food from his lunch bag.
"No can do. It would undergo many test trials, probably lot of damage repair, and for sure Mr. Krei would blackmail us into having them become another selling product." Hiro intervene to hopefully and finally shut down the comic fanboy's persistence. As much as he admit the idea wasn't bad, he doesn't have the time to do all those procedures, considering he also got complex classes he needs to be on his toes at all time. "Remember that one time when we tried creating a flexible webbing net for Baymax? Krei wanted to make it out as a movable trampoline to the public." Luckily that anecdote was enough to get the beanie-wearer to put his head down, completely giving up once the logical reason process his mind.
"Whatever, jumping around from building to building is way more fun than riding on some original hovering longboard." Fred is always known to be a more optimistic friend in the group along with being the most laid-back.
"I'm pretty sure hoverboards has already been invented." Go go speaks up with her usual calm persona, while chewing a piece of pink gum.
"Don't worry Fred. I think having a cool super suit of a Japanese Kamuji is great as it is." Honey Lemon sooth Fred's defeat, giving him a light pat on the shoulder.
"That true... Like what Heathcliff always say, 'always work with what you're given and always be thankful to those you received from'. Thanks Hiro!" He gives the inventor a wide smile.
"No problem..." The small boy return with a half-smiled, but still appreciates the gratitude. Afterwards he looks around the lunchroom out of boredom. Seeing mainly a bunch of the students doing their own thing by talking to other people, working or studying, or simply being on their phones to kill the time. His brown eyes continue looking around while he's chewing on an apple. His eyes continuing scanning, passingly look at Karmi's table which has her and another girl.
Wait a sec.
Hiro did a doubletake at that specific table, making sure he's not seeing things. But after doing a third take, there's what is true to his vision.
His colleague and his not-so-much secret admirer for his hero persona, not having her books or laptop. Instead was the biologist's lunch tray. And next to Karmi is a girl he has never seen at this school before. What's even more bizarre is that the two are talking to each other, also laughing occasionally at whatever topic they're talking about. Usually this wouldn't bother him that much, but Karmi is usually alone during lunch. And he remember she's a huge introvert with a bit an ego for her genius IQ. And coming from experience, she's snappy at those that approached her, to her disliking.
The girl with her has really short black hair, wearing a blue and white stripe long-sleeved shirt and black jeans, and a pair of black sneakers. Seeing a bit of the details on her face, she's definitely Asian. Maybe she's fully Japanese, or Chinese. But either way, she must be a new girl who's also in the youngest genius department like him and Karmi.
"Weird." He lastly said before returning to the conversation his friends are having along with finishing his fruit.
"So you gonna me tell what's your problem?"
"Can I tell you later? I don't want him to eavesdrop."
"Him?" Karmi points at the table when there's five people at one of the cafeteria's booth. There's are three guys and two girls. But the one who stands out the most in Michelle's blue eyes is the small boy who looks half Japanese and possibly is around their age. Most likely a young student who goes here like Karmi.
"That boy with the blue hoodie. That's Hiro Hamada, the youngest student to attend here." Her tone is immediately heard through her sarcastic praise.
Michelle eyes widen at who the boy is. Before she caught herself staring too long, she turn her head to focus back on the biologist. "So that's Hiro..." Muttering to herself, and mentally capture a picture of his face in her head.
"Yeah, he's super weird... he has this secret, but-not-so secret, crush on me. He'll never get a shot, for I like someone else." The biologist boasted about her opposition.
"So is he the roots of your problem, I'm guessing."
"You have no idea..." The brunette exasperates as she leans back further into her chair. "I got this crazy hypothesis... But I hope it isn't true, that it's just a theory.
Sensing the troubling mood Karmi is having, she immediately chose a different subject that could help lift her stress.
"Do you know any coffee shops we could hangout and get coffee?" This stunned her for a couple of seconds. Then she went on and answer her question.
"Well there's... I think the Cat Cafe down in XXXX street. Then there's Tea's Daily..."
"Oohhh, Cat Cafe sounds like a really cute place to hang out!" Michelle subtly bounce in her chair. "Is it one of those coffee place that they do foam art on your cup? like, obviously a cat or other cute animals?"
Karmi on the other hand was a bit nervous of going out to a place she's never been to. Usually she just stays in her lab or at her house after school, being in biologist mode 24/7. But this for her friend that never been in this part of the city...
"How about after school we can check it out?"
"Sounds like a plan."
"What seem to be on your mind?" Baymax leans over his inventor's head, purposely concern for his strange staring at a blank monitor.
"Well... It's nothing to worry about." Hiro waves off the concern before getting up from his chair, beginning to pacing back and forth in his room.
Yes he just told his robot companion that it should be something to hang onto...But he still finds it strange after seeing an unlikely scene in the lunchroom. For the past few weeks that Hiro been attending this school, and being (somewhat) acquaintance with Karmi, the biologist apparently made a friend. But the girl she was with is the same age as them... so Ms. Granville would of have notify him about another young student as well than just Karmi.
'Maybe I should ask the dean who that new girl is...?'
Hey Hiro!" His Aunt Cass shouts from the downstairs of their apartment. "Do mind checking the coffee machine? I think something is stuck on the inside!"
"Yeah, coming!" The small halfa answer as he already begin treading down the stairs with Baymax not too far behind.
Fortunately the cafe is not busy today. With only less than five customers are already seated at their table, it'll be a stress relief for the owner not worrying about the coffee machine to be fixed at a quick time.
Hiro unscrewed the main flat board of the machine to see the all the gears and wiring inside. having a magnifying glass front of his eye and a pair of tweezers, the robotic inventor already identified some wires already peaked at their usefulness.
"I think...it might be time to get a new coffee machine." He pulls back to glance at his aunt. Explaining the only error that cause it to stop working altogether. "The wires connected to main base had burned up." He use the tweezer to pull the burnt wires out for the woman to get a closer look.
"Hmmmm..." Cass prompt her chin to think about her circumstances. "How expensive are wires compare to getting a new coffee maker altogether?" Hiro just shrugs his shoulder. Then he felt a rubbery nudge on his shoulder. Looking up to see Baymax wanting a crack at the problem.
"Let me scan it and I can identify what wire we need and where we can buy them."
"You are such a life savior." Cass give the two other house member a quick hug. After letting go, she step back as well her nephew to give Baymax a crack at it.
While the robot is scanning. A doorbell went off, both Aunt Cass and Hiro look at the door. Cass giving her customers the usual greeting while Hiro didn't say anything at, not even give them a wave of a hand. He was too shock to do anything really.
To Hiro's surprise, the customers that just came in are Karmi and that girl from earlier. He blink a couple of time to make sure he not seeing some sort of illusion again. Karmi, awkward and barely social Karmi, in his aunt's coffee shop. Not mention the new girl.
"I sense an emotion of surpise, and curiousity." The tall rubber companion interrupt the genius boy's trance.
"Baymax!" He hissed since the cafe is so quiet that everyone can hear the robot's speaker.
And those two girl heard him loud and clear. Karmi scoffed at her schoolmate, while the short haired girl had a weird expression of confusion and... what kind of face is that?
After a few moments of awkward silence and stares. Hiro became the first to break the ice.
"Weird seeing you here. What's up Karmi?" He got no response as the girls walk off to a table that closet to the window.
"Okay...?" He frown at the usual response he would get from the second youngest genius student. He quickly looked away to just notice that Baymax is still standing behind him.
"So what do we need to repair the coffee maker?" He remember that Baymax must of just finish his examination on the coffee machine.
"There's no method to repair the machine. So instead I research some ideal coffee makers that are at a price range between fifty to a hundred and forty dollars... tax included."
"Did you hear that Aunt Cass?!"
The older woman groan loudly.