Misaki pressed her head against a window. Her head was pounding with a throbbing headache, but the coolness of the glass helped ease the pain. She sighed, both in relief and annoyance. This wasn't the best of starts to the new school year. Barely a few days into the first week of school and she already had to take a sick day.
The brown-haired girl reached for the drawer of her bedside table, retrieving the box within it. She plucked out a piece of white chocolate, one of the few remaining pieces of chocolate she received from Rin on White Day. [1]
Misaki chuckled at the memory. Rin's face was bright red when he presented her the box of chocolates. She felt bad for laughing, but she assured the poor boy that she very much appreciated the gift. After trying a piece, she insisted that it was the best chocolate she'd ever had. Her adamant and enthusiastic reply only made Rin's face turn scarlet.
A knock on the door pulled her gaze away from the box. Before Misaki could move to get up, Shadow was already on it.
The dog jumped up from his spot beside Misaki. He bounded over to the table beside the door, leaping onto the chair beside it and then onto the table itself. The muscles in his legs tensed for a moment as he crouched. After a second of gauging the distance, he pounced and landed on the doorknob, turning it with his weight. He let go when the door clicked open and safely landed on the ground.
Misaki giggled at the dog's antics and thanked him as their guests slowly opened the door and peeked in. "Ah, hello Rin-kun, Moriyama-san. What brings you here?" She held her arms open for Shadow, who cuddled against her once more.
Shiemi was the first to speak up. "I heard that you couldn't go to class because you were sick, so I made some herbal soup for you. Please accept it!" The girl bowed and offered the container.
Misaki bowed slightly in return as she took the container with both hands. "Thank you Moriyama-san. Your concern and soup are greatly appreciated. Truthfully, I'm not so much sick as I am simply suffering from a mild case of over-exhaustion. I was going to attend classes today; however, Hanako-chan and Minami-chan forced me to stay in bed. It seems Shadow feels the same since he is doing everything for me." Said dog nuzzled her arm and barked in response.
Seeing the sparkle in the blonde girl's eyes, Misaki opened the container and sampled a bit for the girl with the spoon provided. She saw the worried gaze on Rin's face as she did so and understood shortly after. A strong, bitter taste assaulted her tongue. It was strong enough to make her want to gag, but with practiced grace, Misaki swallowed without a flinch and smiled. "It has a very unique taste. I'm feeling better already." It wasn't exactly a lie; the soup's taste was strong enough to pull her mind away from the pain of the headache. "I'll be sure to finish the rest with the meal Minami-chan is bringing me for lunch."
Rin had an amazed look on his face from Misaki's composure after tasting Shiemi's dangerous cooking. His respect for the brown-haired girl definitely increased with the simple action. He shook his head and refocused on their other objective. "We actually came here for another reason though. You know the hanami festival is next weekend, right?" [2]
When Misaki nodded, Shiemi continued. "We wanted to invite you to go with our group if you're feeling better by then. Minami-chan and Hanako-chan are invited to come as well, of course."
Misaki nodded again. "Thank you for inviting me. I'll gladly accept your offer. However, Hanako-chan and Minami-chan will be going separately with their boyfriends. I was originally going to go with Shadow as my date, as I usually do."
"Well now you've got a big group of friends to go with." Rin grinned, happy with how easily you accepted their offer. "You'll have lots of fun."
The brown-eyed girl smiled at the thought. Never did Misaki think she would have as many people as she did that considered her a friend. She had always isolated herself, afraid of making connections with others and getting attached. She had always believed that the fewer people there were that associated with her, the better off she would be. 'Maybe, just maybe, making these connections will be well worth the risk.'
[1] White Day takes place on March 14th. It's sorta like Valentine's Day, but reverse. In Japan, Valentine's Day is for girls out to give chocolate. So White Day, the boys that received chocolate give back to the girls. That's the super basic explanation.
[2] Hanami is flower viewing, typically of cherry blossoms (sakura). The festivals that are held are dependent on when the flowers actually bloom, as early as January until May. Cherry blossom season will start at True Cross Academy at the end of March to the beginning of April.