A/N: Hi. School made me busy for a while lol. Transferring to a new uni will do that to you I guess 💀

I wanted to prepare some chapters in advance, but I figured I should at least post one update first so you guys know I'm not dead 😂 I do have covid as I'm typing this note right now tho, so that's something x~x Fanfic writers' curse finally got my ass ig.

Anyways enjoy this small update! I'm gonna try to prepare a few more chapters in advance while I'm still on break before posting any more, so stay tuned 👌

Art -

[Complete Gallery] Add /21axlkt3bolc to the DeviantArt Stash URL.

[Ch. 81] Add /222gx0u1xz9z to the DeviantArt Stash URL.

Hitomi stood outside the boba shop, tapping her foot as she stared at her phone.

She should've gotten the message…

As if on cue, she heard a bubbling sound, orange light emanating from behind her. Hitomi turned around quickly to see a portal open in the wall, finding Yoshiho stepping out.

"Thanks, Soratabi-san," Yoshiho said, looking at a girl on the other side of the portal. The girl had stark white hair with blue and orange streaks tied up in a ponytail, tan skin, and sharp black eyes.

The girl, Soratabi, Hitomi heard, crossed her arms, wearing a small but somewhat stoic smile. "I'm expecting you'll treat me to a pastry later when I pick you up."

Yoshiho nodded quietly, before turning to Hitomi. "Of course. I'll see you in an hour or two."

"See ya."

The portal then closed, leaving Hitomi to stare at the empty wall in awe.

"Who was that?" she asked.

Yoshiho shrugged. "Keii Soratabi. She's a classmate of mine; we ended up getting paired for a school project a few weeks ago and we found out we had a lot in common."

Hitomi felt herself smile. "Is she your friend?"

The Shiketsu student's hand moved to rub the back of her neck as she looked away. "We talk often enough… but I don't know what she thinks. Anyways," Yoshiho stuffed her hands into the pockets of her jacket, brushing past Hitomi. "Is this the boba shop you talk so much about?"

Hitomi trailed after her, following her inside as she noted Yoshiho's outfit. She was wearing a leather jacket, with her red shirt partly tucked into the waist of her ripped jeans.

I'm not sure what sort of style I was expecting… but it suits her.

They'd finally stopped in front of the register, the cashier giving them a polite smile.

"Hello! What can I get for you today?"

Yoshiho stared at the menu, looking bewildered. "Uh…"

"Is Nari here?" Hitomi cut in, stepping forward.

"Nari?" The cashier stopped for a moment, their eyes lighting up in recognition. "Oh! She's on break, but…" They glanced at their watch, taking a moment to read it. "It should be just about over. I'll go get her."

The two of them watched as the cashier made their way into the back room and Hitomi turned to Yoshiho. "Are you ready to finally meet Nari?"

Yoshiho scratched her head, her eyebrows furrowing. "Not… exactly. What if her impression of me from texting is completely different from me in person…?"

Hitomi timidly placed a hand on Yoshiho's shoulder, trying to placate the feelings of inadequacy bubbling up in her friend. "Don't worry about that. You've video chatted, so she already knows what you're like. Besides, Nari's a really nice, and I mean really nice person; she wouldn't suddenly shut you out just because you could be different from what she thought you were."

Yoshiho's shoulders relaxed slightly, the girl giving Hitomi a small smile. "...Right."

"Oh look, here she comes!"

Hitomi saw Nari yawn, the blonde's eyes scrunched up as she stretched her arms walking over to them.

She stopped in front of the register, rubbing her eyes as she opened them slightly. "Hey…" Nari's eyes suddenly widened as her gaze shifted to Yoshiho, causing her to jump back in surprise. "What the-?! Holy smokes, what are you doing here?"

Hitomi saw Yoshiho visibly deflate, feeling the need to step in. "A classmate of Yoshiho's brought her here with a Portal quirk," she explained. "I convinced her to come and check out the shop after her provisional license course."

"Oh… is that it?" Nari rubbed her neck sheepishly, giving Yoshiho an embarrassed smile. "Sorry about that! I was just surprised you came all the way over here, since you're so far away and all…"

Yoshiho nodded. "It's… okay."

"So, Yoshiho," Hitomi started, gesturing towards the blonde. "I'd like you to formally meet my childhood friend, Nari."

Nari held out her hand for a handshake, shooting the auburn-haired girl a grin. "It's nice to finally meet you!"

Yoshiho stared at it for a moment before taking it, feeling herself smile. "Likewise."

…

Nari had spent a few minutes explaining the menu to Yoshiho, telling her about all the different flavors and the kinds of toppings she could put.

Yoshiho only stared blankly at the menu once she'd finished, dumbfounded at all the choices before she'd settled on a simple milk tea with egg pudding and boba.

"Eh? Are you sure you don't want anything else?" Nari asked her, her finger hovering over the order screen.

"I'm too overwhelmed with everything you just told me, so I'm starting with something simpler first."

"Fine…" Nari pouted, placing the order. "You want the usual, Hitomi?"

The bluenette placed a finger on her chin, contemplating for a moment. "...I think I'll go a little different. Still my usual, just make it passion fruit flavor this time around."

"You got it!" Nari chirped, putting it in. "Your total comes to 1,030 yen." (~$9.50)

Yoshiho pulled her wallet out, about to open it before Hitomi handed Nari some bills. "There you go."

"Hey, wait… I can pay for myself."

Hitomi glanced at her briefly, giving her a smile. "It's my treat! Since you came all the way here, after all."

"But…"

"Don't worry about it," Hitomi laughed. "I don't mind."

Nari flashed the Shiketsu student a smirk. "You better get used to this, Yoshiho. We're your friends now, and we're gonna be treating you every chance we get!"

Yoshiho felt her cheeks warm slightly, shoving her hands in her pockets and pointedly looking away.

"...If you say so," she mumbled.

…

Yoshiho left to go find a table while Hitomi put her change in her wallet. Once she had put her wallet away, she was about to follow after the auburn-haired girl before Nari suddenly grasped her sleeve.

"Hitomi…"

"Hm?"

"...Yoshiho's a lot cuter in person."

Hitomi's head snapped towards her in surprise, seeing a determined expression on her friend's face. "Huh… You think so?"

Nari nodded in affirmation. "Don't tell her I said that, though. She'll probably get embarrassed and choke on her boba. Like she did that time I complimented her smile."

Hitomi raised a brow and wore a cheeky smile. "If you say so."

Nari slapped her arm at her small giggle.

…

Hitomi returned to their table with two drinks in hand, Nari trailing after her.

"They're done, Yoshiho!" Nari exclaimed, placing her hands on her hips as Hitomi sat down. "Made 'em myself."

Hitomi placed Yoshiho's drink in front of her, the girl staring at it tentatively as Nari plopped into her own seat. Yoshiho stabbed the straw through the seal, picking it up gingerly.

"Uh."

"Come on, try it!" Nari held her hand up to her mouth, whispering. "I already had my break, so I should be working right now."

Yoshiho stared at the looks on their faces, raising a brow.

"Come on, Yoshiho!" Hitomi chanted, shaking her fists.

The Shiketsu student sighed, bringing the straw to her mouth. She sipped her drink slowly, Hitomi and Nari both leaning in. Yoshiho chewed on the boba for a moment before placing her drink back onto the table.

"It's... pretty good."

"Yes!" Hitomi cheered, while Nari sank into her seat and sighed. "Told you so, Nari."

The blonde scoffed, looking away. "Just because you got Yoshiho to like boba doesn't mean it's good. I still stand by my point. Tapioca pearls are nasty and I'll believe that 'till the day I die."

"Excuse me, who's the one working at a boba shop right now?"

Yoshiho's eyes widened in surprise, the girl turning to Nari. "Why are you working at a boba shop if you don't even like boba?"

Nari hummed, her eyes drifting to the ceiling in thought. "I don't like the boba, but I think the other toppings are really good. If you pair certain drinks with certain toppings, you can get really good combinations. That's why I work here. The food is great and it pays well, too."

"Varsteg!" a voice suddenly called out, making Nari jolt in surprise. The three of them turned to find her boss glaring at her from the counter, her arms crossed. "As much as I like you, I don't pay you to chat with your friends."

Nari hastily got up from the table, giving Hitomi and Yoshiho a sheepish smile. "Duty calls," she laughed, making her way back to the register.

A/N: little side OC cameo :) I won't do much with her since she only exists to have Yoshiho travel and showcase the development of her social skills and opening up to people, but I like her design. She's based off the Portal gun from the Portal series by Valve. Portal 2 is one of my favorite video games ever :D