The Next Day...
Tadano slipped on his school shoes as morning classes were about to begin. It wasn't long before he saw a familiar dark-haired girl approaching the same group of lockers he was kneeling beside. "If there's one thing I know, it's that Komi is very beautiful. Of all the people I've ever met, she's definitely the prettiest." Tadano continued to silently observe the quiet girl known as Komi as she retrieved her own school shoes. "Her skin is pure white. Her eyes are big and almond-shaped. Her hair is smooth." A small gust of wind coming through the open front doors allows Komi's perfume to permeate Tadano's nostrils, smelling the fresh scent of lavender and lilac. "And she smells really nice... It's like she gleams everywhere she goes." As the girl turned to Tadano, she indeed was gleaming with her beauty, metaphorically and somehow even literally blinding the boy for a moment.
"Komi! Er, I mean..." Tadano quickly straightened himself out to give Komi a proper morning welcome. "Good Morning, Komi."
"...G...G...G-Good..." Tadano waited patiently in anticipation to see if the shy girl could speak, only for her to tremble in place as she continued to stutter. "G-G-Good...Good...G-G-Good..."
"Well, at least it's something..."
"Hey, you two!" It wasn't long before the pair were greeted by another friend of theirs, a slightly taller young man of dark brown hair. Tadano is the first to greet Elijah with a warm smile.
"Oh, hey, man."
"And a good morning to you, Komi." Elijah gave the girl a welcoming grin.
"...Good...G-Good...G-G-Good..."
"That's okay, Komi." The taller boy shook his head in understanding. "We'll work on it, okay?"
Elijah understands Komi's struggles.
Both boys quickly knew that it would be better to have their conversation with Komi somewhere away from any peering eyes and eavesdroppers, so they led her to a stairway where all three of them could be alone. "Okay, so," Tadano starts. "I think we should start with some vocal exercises."
"Yeah," Elijah agrees with his friend. "It doesn't have to be a lot, we can just start with a simple saying, okay?" Komi tilted her head, not fully understanding what he meant, but she was willing to hear him out. "Let's stat with by saying, 'Let's be friends.' If you can say those three words, I'm sure you'll have a hundred friends in no time. Right, Tadano?"
"Yeah. Elijah's right. You got this, Komi."
Komi's cat ears perk up from the top of her head after hearing her first friend's enthusiasm. The very idea of having more friends excites her. All she has to do is say three little words. Three little... Three...little... The thought of doing that alone petrified the poor girl...literally.
Komi then turned to stone.
"Komi?!"
"Oh, boy... Komi?" Elijha waved a hand in front of the girl's frozen face, knowing the very feeling she was going through. "You okay? Komi?"
"Hey, Komi?" "One thing that Elijah and I know is that Komi can't communicate well."
"Not only that..." Komi managed to bring her trembling hands up to her chest and hold out her index finger, silently asking them to try at least one time to say those three words. "She really wants to talk to people. We know that, too. "Okay, Komi. Let's just try it once, okay?" "And Komi is..."
"Yeah, one time." "And that Komi is..."
"Our friend."
But Tandano and Elijah missed something. Their school, Itan Private High School. Though it's a famous prep school, entrance is based on interviews alone. To pass, students must be unique. Yes, it's full of freaks, weirdos, loners, miscreants, and eccentrics! Neither of the boys has realized how difficult it's going to be for Komi to make friends at this school.
Now it was lunchtime, the perfect opportunity for Tadano and Elijah to make Komi some new friends. As the girl was preparing her meal, they stood from their desks with a strong sense of determination. "I said I'd help." Tadano thought. "But Komi's so popular, our job will be easy."
"I mean, how hard can it be?"
"I'll just approach my classmates, saying..." Tadano imagines the perfect scenario in his head, telling his homeroom classmates that Komi wants friends. They happily respond, making Tadano smile to himself with how well it went in his mind. Surely, it can be as easy as that, right? "I've visualized it, now I can do it!"
"Hey," Elijah pats his friend's shoulder, breaking him out of his trance. "I'm gonna check the back side of the classroom for any potential friends for Komi, alright?"
"You got it, bud." The best friends fist-bumped each other and set off to find some potential friends for their shy friend, Komi. "Now, who should I...?" Tadano looked around until his eyes set upon a trio of girls at the front of the classroom. "Perfect! Time to get to work!" The young man approaches the girls and greets them with a smile since he knows the name of one of the girls. "Hey, Yamai."
The girl jolts at the sound of her name being called by him, but she covers it up with a seemingly cutesy smile. "Huh? Yes, Tadano?"
"I actually wanted to talk to you about Komi. She wants...huh?" Tadano stops mid-sentence after Yamai sets her small hands on top of his shoulders...and they slowly begin to squeeze tighter as she slowly leaned in to whisper into his ear...her kind demeanor completely gone.
"Huh? You dare speak the exalted one's name? It's 'Her Majesty,' trashbag. You just sit beside her. You and that baseball-loving loser back there. Both of you are just scumbags. You're worthless, yet breathe the same air. Be grateful, scum. Scum, scum, scum, scum, scum, scum, scum, scum, scum, scum, scum. Scum!"
"..."
Yamai backs away, her 'kindness' returning to her face as she smiles again at the silent boy. "So, what were you saying?"
"Oh, uh, nothing..." Tadano says in complete defeat.
"Is that so? Okay, never talk to me again."
Tadano was once again reminded of his social position. He tried with several others, only to get the same result.
Seeing that his first efforts were ultimately pointless, Tadano decides to head back to his desk. He rests his head in his hands, unable to face the world after failing in his mission. "I'm...friendless. I told Komi I'd help her. But I can't if I don't have any other friends besides Elijah. How conceited of me to say I'd help. Sorry, Komi. I'm...useless!" Tadano lets his face fall flat on top of his desk. The initial sound of his forehead hitting the wood made Komi jump; she was oblivious to Tadano's dilemma as she was too focused on eating her onigiri.
"Hey, dude..." Elijah joins back with his best friend, making the young man perk up with hope.
"Elijah! Please tell me you have good news!"
"Well..." He scratches the back of his head after letting out a nervous chuckle.
Elijah's side of his mission.
"Okay, let's see..." The taller young man found a group of guys he'd seen hanging around school and decided that they would be potential candidates for being Komi's friends. Still, Elijah felt estranged by seeing that one of the guys was the ninja who had thrown a compass needle at Tadano yesterday. Even so, Elijah decided to approach them. "Hey, fellas. How's it going?"
"Huh?" The tallest one of the trio of boys turns to Elijah. "Oh, hey. You're Elijah, right?"
"The guy who's looking forward to baseball season?"
"Yep," Elijah nodded, confirming the boy with red hair's question. "That's me. Anyway, I wanted to talk to you guys about Komi. She wants-"
"KOMI?!" All three boys shouted at once, making Elijah wince from how loud they were. "She's so beautiful, huh?" The taller one with slicked-back hair asked, getting more excited at the topic of discussion.
"Yeah! Komi's a total babe!"
"And she smells nice!"
"I'd give anything to sit where you do, man!"
"What's she like up so close?"
"Yeah, tell us!"
"Please?"
"Tell us!"
"Tell us!"
"Tell us!"
"...-_-...What the hell is wrong with you guys?" Elijah deadpanned. "You sure are creepy."
"HUUUUH?!"
"I'm out of here. Oh, and by the way," Elijah looks back at the trio with a displeased frown across his face. "Maybe learn how to treat a girl with actual respect instead of seeing an object for once."
Elijah gave them a harsh truth.
"Yeah, I think I went a little too far..." He admits to Tadano. "Sorry, man..."
"It's alright. I don't blame you," Tadano sighs. This wasn't the first time he saw his friend be brutally honest with someone, and it won't be the last. "Still, we can't give up!" Standing back up with his returning determination, Tadano is ready to keep trying. A quick idea pops into his head that makes him turn to Elijah. "What about that girl we met yesterday, Sasaki?"
"Oh, well, I mean, maybe." The young man scratched his cheek with a pointer finger, a small warmth plagues them as well. "But I didn't see her around the classroom." "Even if I did, I don't think starting a conversation with, 'Hey, wanna be friends with a really popular girl who also has a communication disorder?' is a good way to start."
"Yeah, I guess you have a point." Tadano reads his friend like an open book, making him sigh as he knows that there is only one option left now. "I wanted to avoid doing this if at all possible... But there's someone Komi could definitely be friends with." His eyes stop once they lay upon a student with short lavender hair with two antenna-shaped ahoge on top of their head. They were currently making conversation with someone else.
"Oh, boy..." Elijah notices the person who Tadano was looking at, making him sigh. "Well, it looks like they might be our only option right now." "You thinking what I'm thinking?"
"Yep..."
"Let's just get it over with then..."
Both boys sighed as they approached the lavender-haired student who had just cheerfully said goodbye to the girl that they were talking to. "Hey, O-Osana..."
"Hey, Najimi..."
"Hmm? Oh!" They greet the boys with a fond smile. "What's up all of a sudden? Got some business with your childhood friend, Najimi Osana? Tadano and Elijah?" They smirked at them but soon tilted their head in confusion when another certain quiet girl appeared. "And Komi?"
"Huh?"
"What?" Tadano, the more surprised one, nearly jumps out of his shoes when he sees that Komi has appeared with her buggy eyes. "Where did you come from?"
"Girl could be in a horror movie with how quiet she is." Elijah cleared his throat, moving on to introduce Komi to their childhood friend. "This is Najimi Osana, Komi." The supposed girl in question holds out a pair of double peace signs. "Tadano and I went to junior high school together with...her?"
"Wait... 'Her?'" Tadano turns to Najimi, only now realizing that they were wearing a skirt. along with Itan's uniform tie. "What the... Why are you wearing a skirt?"
"What are you talking about, Tadano? I'm a girl!" They say with a nonchalant smile. "Of course I'm wearing a skirt! Did you think it was plaid?"
"Here we go," Elijah sighed. "They're doing this again..."
"The clothes aren't the issue! In junior high, you always wore a boy's uniform."
"Huh? What? You've misunderstood! Tadano! That's just like you."
"No, no, no, no, no! I'm certain of it!"
"You'll have to forgive them, Komi," Elijah whispered to her as his best friend sighed at how Najimi was messing with him. "This is just how Najimi is. No one knows their gender, barely makes sense, pathologically liar, and above all..." Elijah thinks about all of the times Najimi has had over millions of conversations with maybe tens of thousands of different people over the simplest of things. From TV shows, school clubs, borrowing books, relationships, anything. Elijah didn't even have to think too hard about it since there were already a lot of people gathering just to talk to Najimi about those subjects. "They are a pro when it comes to being sociable."
Komi is surprised.
"Osana. Are all these people...?"
"Huh? Yep! My childhood friends."
"I knew it."
"Called it."
"I mean, I go way back with everyone in this school!"
Komi is very surprised.
"That's how it was in junior high, too." Tadano thought with his hands on his hips as the crowd slowly dispersed. "Over half the students were childhood friends of Osana's. I heard it was because of family circumstances. But that's not it at all."
"Najimi's just that good of a sociable person. They can make friends with just anyone in minutes. And their personality is unforgettable after the first meeting. It's like a weird superpower that they have. And that's why..."
"That's exactly why..."
"They would be the perfect first person for Komi to be friends with!"
"Osana," Tadano speaks up after Najimi waves goodbye to the last of her friends. "I need a favor."
"A favor for my old buddy?"
"From both of us, actually," Elijah adds.
"Well, then, ask away." Najimi then inappropriately coddles their own body, smirking up at Tadano and Elijah. "Can my body satisfy your carnal desires?"
"Cut it out, Osana!"
"Not in front of Komi!" Elijah then turns to the quiet girl who didn't know what to make of what Najimi just said. "They're just joking around, Komi. That's just who they are."
"He's right," Tadano agrees with him. "But Osana's not a bad person...I think. If you're up for it, you can try the phrase we went over this morning."
Komi looks between the boys and Najimi, not sure of where to start. Oh, boy... Elijah leans over and whispers. "'Let's be friends.' Remember?" At his words, Komi let out a soft squeak of surprise before taking a deep breath to steady herself.
"..." Minutes of silence pass as Komi continues to prepare to say three simple words to Najimi. So much time had passed that the entire classroom was now empty, minus the four remaining students. "...L...L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-" Komi's entire person shook with her shy stutter.
"Hey," Tadano gave her a thumbs up. "You're already doing better than this morning!"
"Yeah, so far so good," Elijah adds.
They've gotten used to it by now.
"What's going on?!" Najimi demanded to know why Komi's demeanor had just changed. "What is this about!?"
"L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-" Komi continued stuttering, the way she was shaking made her slowly move to the right.
"She's saying, 'Let's be friends.'" "I think."
"Is it just me, or does she sound like a really cute lawnmower?" Elijah thought.
"Really? Are you sure that's what this is?!"
"Yeah, I'm sure," Tadano confirms Najimi's question. "This is the favor we wanted to ask you."
"Yep. So, what do you say, Najimi?" Elijah smirked. "Would you be Komi's friend? It should be easy for someone as sociable as you, right?"
"Oh, uh, I see..." Najimi tightens their tie around their neck out of uneasiness. "Sorry. that's uh... Not...possible."
"!?" Both Tadano and Elijah were shocked and appalled by Najimi's words. This was not the outcome they expected from their childhood friend. As for Komi... The poor girl was frozen with fear.
"Oh, no..." Elijah waves a hand in front of her. "Komi? You okay?" But no response is heard from the girl.
"Hey, Osana, can I have a word with you?" Tadano starts leaving the classroom without even looking back.
"Right now? H-Hey!"
"Yes," Elijah grabs Najimi by the back of their shirt collar, dragging them out of the classroom. "Right now."
"Oh...okay!"
Once outside, Tadano, Elijah, and Najimi turned a corner so that they could talk in private. "What in the heck are you thinking?!" Tadnano is the first to speak up in a whispered shout. "Why did you say no to her?! You're the most sociable person we know!"
"Oh, please. I certainly am not."
"That's bull!" Elijah says. "I've seen you make conversation with a turtle for over two hours!"
"That's different, I love turtles. And I'm sorry, but for me, Komi...is a really hard person to deal with."
"What?!"
"For you?!"
"But you could deal with anyone!"
"Who do you guys think Komi is? Like I said, Tadano, I'm childhood friends with everyone in this school. I met Komi a long time ago, just like all the others."
"You did?"
"Really?"
"We were in the second grade together..."
Najimi's perspective many years ago
"Hey, Komi!" A much younger Najimi runs up to an equally younger Komi with much shorter hair. She was on her way home like normal until Najimi came into the picture. "You're going home already? Let's go play for a little bit! Come on, Komi! Let's pla...ay?" Unfortunately, Komi could only stare at Najimi in complete silence with her wide, buggy eyes. "Huh? K-Komi? Uh, H-Hello...?"
And now...
"She ignored me no matter what I said. She's the only one I've met I couldn't connect with. I was in shock, I was sick for a week."
"So, you're saying Komi's always been like this?"
"Man, this is much worse than I thought..." Elijah took a quick peek back inside, seeing that Komi was still frozen in shock. "She really needs our help..."
"I'm an adult now, so I won't say that I dislike her," Najimi continues. "But when our eyes meet...I start feeling queasy."
"Oh...I see."
"Yeah...but you've got the wrong idea, Najimi."
"Elijah's right. Komi wasn't ignoring you at all. Just talk to her, and you'll understand." Tadano thinks before an idea pops into his head. "I know! Could you walk home together? With komi."
"You'll be sure to get it by then," Elijah adds.
"Well, Tadano, Elijah, you're quite the pushy ones today," Najimi smirks. "The thing is, I tried everything I could to be friends with her back then, but I had no success. That's all. And anyway, she's like super popular. I'm sure she's got lots of... Huh?" Najimi stopped her rambling after seeing the serious expressions on both Tadano and Elijah.
"If you two talk, you'll understand."
"Just trust us on this, Najimi."
"...What's up with you two?" Najimi smirks again. "You're really pushing this Komi thing. You guys like her or something?"
"What?"
"No way," Tadano waves dismissively. "She's completely out of my league. It's just that...she was...having trouble...so... I just wanted to help her."
"Me too," Elijah adds. "I...relate to what troubles her, so I want to help her as much as I can."
"Mmhmmmmmm?" Najimi's smirk widened.
"What?"
"Are we saying something we shouldn't?" asked Tadano.
"Not at all. I just thought you guys just got a lot cooler all of a sudden..makes me wet-"
"Nope!" Elijah interjects. "Stop! None of that!"
"Alright, alright," Najimi said, stopping their laughing. "I'll walk home with Komi."
"Thanks, Osana."
"On one condition." Najimi turns to Tadano. "I need you to do me a favor. Don't call me Osana. I mean, come on, you know we go way back! Just call me Najimi like Elijah still does, okay?" Tadano simply smiles at their request. "You know? This all takes me back. You wanted to ask that girl out, so Elijah and I helped you write 'love' on the field."
"Oh, no..." Elijah knows what Najimi was referring to and feels immediate sympathy for his best friend.
"Stop that!" Tadano begged them not to remind him of that story. "Please don't bring that up again!"
"She really let you down hard." But Najimi only teased more, making themselves laugh.
Childhood friends know your shameful past.
"This is why I didn't want to resort to this!"
"Najimi is one brutal bitch sometimes..."
After School...
"W-Want to walk home...Komi?" Najimi awkwardly asked her as they met at the school gates.
"..."
Tadano and Elijah could only watch from afar as the awkwardness unfolded in front of them. They stood behind the bushes as Najimi and Komi shamble out of the school grounds. "I hope this goes well." Tadano thought.
"Hiding here makes me wish we had some tree hats, makes perfect camouflage."
Hiding in plain sight, the boys observe the interaction between a very uncomfortable Najimi and an equally nervous Komi as they make their way home.
Walking Home: Najimi's Point of View
"Sorry about before," said Najimi. "Saying I can't be your friend. I didn't mean it. That's not how I really feel." But their words seemed to only make Komi look away, not even making the slightest bit of eye contact. "Uh...oh, yeah!" Najimi quickly thought of another conversation starter. "You and I, we met a long time ago. Do you at least remember that?"
"...-S!"
"Huh?" Najimi didn't understand the one syllable coming from Komi, they desperately tried to come up with anything else to say to her. "Uh...uh...Komi. I guess that you must know that you're really popular. Can you tell me what your secret is for that?" Najimi's question only made Komi glare at them, making Najimi shake. "Uh..."
Elijah and Tadano's Point of View
Meanwhile, Tadano and Elijah had been watching the entire interaction from afar and found themselves cringing at the sight of Najimi's efforts. "This isn't going too well." Elijah thought. "Come on, Komi. You got this."
"Sorry about before, said Najimi. "Saying that I can't be your friend. I didn't mean it. That's not how I really feel." Komi looked away, but the boys could see that she was only too nervous to make eye contact with Najimi. "Uh...oh, yeah! You and I, we met a long time ago. Do you at least remember that?"
"...S!" Komi tried to say 'yes,' but she only got the last part of the word out.
"Uh...uh...Komi. I guess that you must know that you're really popular. Can you tell me what your secret is for that?" While Komi was glaring at Najimi, it was only because she wanted to heavily deny her popularity.
Tadano sighed at how unwell this was going so far. He then decided to text Najimi and ask if they were okay, immediately getting a response that said, 'I give up.' "Wow," Tadano scratched the back of his head with frustration and slight surprise. "Even Najimi can't talk to her."
"Damn..." Elijah sighed. "Well, we can't give up. Why don't we go over there and-"
"Najimi!"
"What?"
"Huh?"
Much to their bewilderment, Tadano and Elijah watch as a pair of boys run straight past them and towards their friends, Najimi and Komi. The taller, slightly heavyset fellow with slick blonde hair had a goal to find Najimi, and his much shorter buck-toothed friend was there to support him. Both were wearing completely different school uniforms.
"I found you, Najimi," The tall blonde said, smirking. "Heh."
"Oh! Well, it's Maa and Shii!" Najimi exclaimed with excitement.
"Do you know those guys?" Elijah whispered to Tadano.
"No idea. You?"
"Nope."
"Anyway," Najimi continued. "What are you guys doing here?"
"You just moved away without saying anything!"
"Maa misses you, Najimi!" Shii added as his friend squirmed in place.
"They're some of Najimi's friends?"
"That's not unusual, but weird at the same time." Elijah and Tadano quietly made their way to stand by Komi as Najimi continued on with their conversation with their friends.
"So, what's up, you guys?"
"Oh, yeah. Well... Listen." The taller, blonde boy inhaled a relaxing breath to prepare himself for what was inside his heart. "I realized after you left. You mean so much to me."
"You got this, Maa!"
"Oh, boy." Elijah knew where this was going. "Prepare for disappointment, dude."
"Najimi...please, go out with me-"
"No way." Najimi immediately turned him down without a second thought. "I'm a guy, too."
"That was fast."
"Definitely a new record."
"...Najimi. I've made up my mind." This guy wasn't taking no for an answer.
"Huh?"
"And I'm going to trust the fluttering..." Maa, in a sudden swing of his right arm, removed his uniform top, exposing his bare chest. "that controls my throbbing heart!" This action of his made his house key fall out from his pocket.
"Oh, Maa!" Shii cheered on for his friend.
"This is weird."
"...-_-...Did he seriously just take off his shirt?"
"Should we get help, or..."
"Ow!" Najimi cried out in pain as Maa grabbed them by the wrist...licking his lips maliciously. "Hey, let go of me!"
"Najimi. I won't let you escape now."
"That's it, I'm stepping in. No one messes with one of my..." "Huh?" But before Elijah could take another step forward, Komi, surprisingly, beats him there. The tall, shy girl taps the boy on the shoulder, making him turn around.
"What the heck is this tension that I'm feeling?" Maa thought before he saw who made him let go of Najimi. "Huh?" "Oh, it's just a girl. She's pretty hot, too." "What do you want?" Komi had her hand held out, where Maa saw she was holding... "My house key?"
"...I...key...you...um..."
"She's actually talking to a stranger! She's making progress!"
"It's not a lot, but it's something."
While Tadano and Elijah were happy for Komi...Maa was downright terrified. "She just said, 'I'll kill you.' Didn't she?! What the heck is going on? S-Surely not... His mind comes to the most ridiculous conclusion, imagining a more verbal and violent Komi in his head. "'The last time someone did that to Najimi, I killed him! With his own house key!' That's what she's saying, isn't it?!"
"...-_-...What a dumbass."
"L-Let's get out of here, Shii!"
"Maa! Wait up!" Both boys ran away with their tails tucked between their legs. leaving a cowardly cloud of dust in their trails.
Komi was trying to say, "I found this key of yours."
"Uh..." After rubbing their stinging wrist, Najimi shares a look with Komi after the tall girl turns around. In a singular moment, she finally understood.
"I-It's alright, Komi!" Tadano tries to treasure a troubled Komi, she was worried that she did something very wrong to make them run away. "I think they just misunderstood."
"Not like they didn't deserve it," Elijah added. "I was this close to-"
"Okay. I'll be your friend, Komi."
"...Mm?" All three turned back at Najimi's statement, surprised that they finally agreed after what had just occurred.
"Pftftftftft! Hahahahahaha!" Najimi bellows over laughing. "Oh, man. Komi, you're just a riot! Now I see it! I was wrong about you all this time! You're super hysterical! Alright then," Najimi then grabs their bag, throwing it on their back before running off in the opposite direction and laughing. "Let's go home now!"
Elijah smiled. "Well, would you look at that..."
"Looks like you made your third friend, Komi," Tadano added as he smiled at her.
"How do you feel?"
"..." Komi's response consisted of a high jump in the air and a small click of her heels. It goes without saying that she was very, very happy. This also made Tadano and Elijah very happy, their mission was slowly making some progress.
"Anyways..." Tadano looks down at the key that was still in Komi's hand. "What should we do with this key?"
"I have an idea for that." Elijah snatched up Maa's house key and looked over it for a few seconds...and then threw it away as far as he could. "Whoops."
"Elijah! What did you do that for?!"
"What?" Elijah asked, as if he did nothing wrong. "That's what he gets for harassing Najimi. Now, he has to waste an entire day looking for that key. Now, come on. Let's go."
"..." Tadano watched as Elijah just walked away with a grin on his face. "Yeah, that's my best friend for you, Komi. But trust me," He smiles at her again. "He's one of the best people I know."
"...M-Mmm." Komi nods, trusting Tadano's words.
The Next Day...
It was time for lunch once again. Only this time, Najimi intends to spend it with their new friend, Komi. They find her sitting between Tadano and Elijah, enjoying their lunches. "Hey, there, Komi!" Najimi greets her warmly. "So, do you want to eat lunch together?" Their kind offer made Komi drop her chopsticks, She glared up at Najimi with wide eyes filled with excitement.
Najimi was full of fear, while Komi was full of joy.
"You're still reacting this way, Najimi?"
"They'll get used to it..."
"Oh, I see that Tadano and Elijah are here as well," Najimi noted as they took a seat in front of Komi's desk. "So, are you guys eating alone then?"
"What?"
"Excuse me?"
"You know, guys." Najimi couldn't help themselves from smirking at the boys. "Food tastes better when you're eating with friends. I always eat with my friends. What about you guys? What do you do?"
"We're literally enjoying a quiet lunch with Komi," Elijah bluntly puts it with his spoon still in his mouth. "If you ask me..." Elijha then takes out his silverware so he can speak clearly. "I think someone's a little jealous that we've made Komi here our friend on our own while you, Najimi, needed our help."
"..."
Elijah smirked at their silence. "Am I wrong?"
"...Geez, you're still a handful as ever, Elijah."
Najimi decided not to answer that.
"Anyways, Komi, just curious," Najimi turns to her, resting their chin on top of their heads as they prepare a load of questions for the quiet girl. "Why is it you wanted to be friends with me anyway? Are you looking for other friends? This hand cream went on sale yesterday... Do you have a favorite shampoo? What so you think about Tadano and Elijah? Boy! Your food looks really good! Did you make it yourself? The other day at the convenience store... What music do you like? I like hip-hop..." Meanwhile, the poor girl couldn't exactly keep up with how fast Najimi was going. Komi's head was practically steaming with new information being loaded into her brain.
Information overload!
"Oh, boy..."
"We better step in before she starts feeling overwhelmed." Tadano leaned over from his desk so he could chime into their conversation. "You see, Komi wants to make one hundred friends."
"One hundred...?" Najimi smirked, knowing that number was only a fraction compared to how many friends they had. "Really? That few? Are you sure?"
"Bastard!" Tadano frowned at that. "The very thing you shouldn't say!"
"Be nice, Najimi," Elijah added.
"But that hardly seems enough. Hmm..." Najimi puts on their thinking cap as they bring a finger to their chin, making the boys immediately worry because they know that look all too well.
"Oh, Lord..."
"They're scheming something."
"Hey, Komi!" Najimi leans on her desk. "All of a sudden, I'm feeling so...thirsty."
"Don't say it like that, weirdo." Thankfully, Najimi drops the sultry attitude right away and starts babbling away.
"Will you go get me a medium-sized non-fat milk pistachio deep mocha-dipped Frappacino with chocolate sauce with extra whipped cream from Standbakes?"
"Huh?"
"What are you-"
"If you don't, then I'm afraid I'll have to quit being your friend."
"WHAT?!" It was no surprise that the boys were upset about this. But what upset them even more was watching as Komi got up from her desk and left the classroom, taking Najimi's request seriously. "Wait, you're actually going?!"
"Komi, wait!"
"Thank you very much, Komi!" Najimi waved her goodbye with an open-mouthed smile across their face, but Tadano and Elijah weren't having it. They grabbed Najimi by pinching their cheek and pulling on them hard.
"Najimi!"
"What the hell is wrong with you?!"
"You literally just blackmailed her!"
"Don't worry, it's just around the corner."
"That's not what we meant!"
"What makes you think this is okay?!"
"Well, let me go, and I'll tell you." Tadano and Elijah reluctantly let Najimi go so they could hear what they had to say for themselves. "I'm only doing this for Komi's sake. It hurts me to do this, too, you know? To make Komi order a non-fat milk pistachio-"
"Yeah, you don't have to repeat it again!"
"I'll never understand how people memorize those ludicrous orders," Elijah thought. "This is why I prefer tea."
"It's Komi's training to be able to talk to people. It's not like I want to drink it."
"Then tell us something, Najimi..."
"Why are you smirking like that?"
"Come on, you guys!" They simply ignored their question. "What are you still doing here? You have to follow Komi! Of course, without her knowing."
"You're not coming?" Tadano asked.
"Sorry, but I'm really busy, you know? I have three other important lunch meetings that I have to attend today."
"Just who the heck are you?"
Elijah sighs. "Leave it to Najimi to get out of taking responsibility for their own madness... Come on, dude. We better go make sure that Komi will be all right."
"Yeah. Right behind you..."
Tadano and Elijah kept a good distance away as they followed Komi to the coffee shop. "I can't believe we're back to doing this again," said Tadano. "This feels so weird."
"That's because, to other people, this would be considered stalking," Elijah noted. "And you're not exactly helping by crouching down behind that light pole, dude."
"Look, Mommy! Stalkers!"
"Yes, those are stalkers, sweetie."
"Case in point!" Elijah facepalmed as the mother and her child walked away from the scene. "I don't understand why Najimi is doing this. Even I didn't have to do this bullshit to get over my anxiety..."
"Just come on already." Tadano stands up straight to follow Komi as she turns a corner down the alley. "We're about to lose her." Elijah follows his friend around the corner, and both of them find Komi standing at the front entrance to Standbakes. But instead of going straight inside, Komi spends a few minutes wandering the front of the building, peeking inside and slowly building up her courage. "You can do it, Komi!"
At last, Komi goes in.
Inside the Standbakes store, Komi's nose is filled with the delectable smell of the variety of coffee beverages that they offered. The fellow restaurant patrons were happily enjoying themselves by either having their ordered drinks or simply talking amongst themselves. Seeing such a peaceful place is sure to put one's mind at ease...
"..."
Komi goes back out.
"She came back out?"
"That's alright, Komi. Take it one step at a time."
Komi tries again.
Now, with a little more anxious shaking to her step, Komi slowly approaches the front counter, where she is greeted by a friendly middle-aged man. "Oh. Hello! What can I get for you, miss?"
Meanwhile, Tadano and Elijah enter and take a seat in a corner booth.
"You sure this is a good idea?" asked Elijah.
"Well, we can't hear anything from out there. Let's just see what happens."
"..."
"Get me a medium-sized non-fat milk pistachio deep mocha-dipped Frappacino with chocolate sauce with extra whipped cream!"
Remembering the exact drink Najimi wanted, Komi silently and cutely tries to mime out the words she was trying to say. Unfortunately, the barista didn't understand her. "Um, here's the menu." He points to the open flyer on the counter. Komi quickly skims her finger over each option of coffees...
But it wasn't on the menu. This nearly drives her to tears.
"Oh, no..."
"Just look closer, Komi!"
"You can customize the drinks any way you want! Standbakes should really have better customer service for people like her!"
"Uh, miss?"
"Should we do something?" asked Tadano again in a whisper.
"At this point, I think it's best of we do before-"
"Ah! I see it now..." The barista had a moment of clarity, understanding exactly what was going on. "I've worked at Standbakes for fifteen years! I've earned the title only given to those who pass the test that happens once a year! Only one in one hundred Standbakes workers, the truly chosen ones, wear this dark apron!" He clutches the dark fabric firmly with his right hand. "For I am the coffee master! The Dark Apron Barista! I know! I know what this young lady wants!"
"...-_-...What is happening right now?"
"I...don't know."
"Your order has been received!" The man's sudden shout makes Komi flinch; he then takes a small bow full of pride. "Please wait at the pickup counter over there!" Standing up straight, the middle-aged man then turns back to his workstation and gets to work on Komi's order.' "And I'll gain Twitter clout as Standbakes' barista with gold-tier customer service with one hundred thousand retweets!" After completing what could be his finest work, the barista proudly presents komi with her drink. "Here's your fantastic Frappucino with Valencia Orange, bitter chocolate brownie and pistachio, walnut chips, chocolate chips, with gobs of sauce, gobs of whipped cream, and gobs of chocolate chips!" "Yes! I did good!"
Nope, that's wrong. Komi knows it's wrong, but she's too nervous to correct him.
"Here, let me bag that up for you." After having the drink wrapped up and ready to go, Komi then leaves the cafe...with her head hanging lower than before. "Thank you so much for coming!"
"She actually took it?!"
"Oh, no... This isn't gonna be pretty..."
The boys hastily made their way back to the classroom before Komi did; they patiently waited for her to come back from her failed mission. After a few quiet minutes, Komi enters the classroom with the Standbakes bag in her hands. "Hey, welcome back, Komi!" Najimi greets her sweetly after looking up from their phone. "You came back fast. Are you hurt at all?" Komi places the bag on Najimi's desk, making their smile grow even bigger. "Hey, thanks! I'm so looking forward to this! I cannot wait to drink...it?" Najimi, holding an entirely different beverage than what she was expecting, raised an eyebrow in confusion. Meanwhile, Tadano and Elijah could only scowl at them for making Komi go through all this. "This isn't...order this. Or...did I?" Before Tadano and Elijah could step in to say something, Komi started to silently sob and looked like she was on the verge of tears. Her poor, innocent mind actually believed that Najimi would end their friendship over a silly drink.
"HUH?!"
The two boys silently argued with Najimi, especially Elijah, who blamed them for this whole ordeal. Komi just wiped the rising tears away before seeing that Najimi and Tadano had gotten to their knees to bow apologetically. Elijah just simply had his head hanging low as he stared at the ground with a long sigh. After that, Tadano and Elijah told Najimi what happened at the Standbakes, leaving out how the barista acted like a main character out of nowhere for a minute.
"Oh, my, Komi... I am so sorry about that. I didn't think that was gonna happen."
"..." Komi just looked away with a small 'hmph' noise softly coming out.
"Komi's sulking... How cute!"
"Still, it wasn't cool of you to blackmail her, Najimi."
"Yeah."
"Oh, come on! I said I was sorry!"
"You could've at least written down what you wanted instead of making her memorize your ridiculous order," Elijah stated. "It would've been easier for her."
"Oh... I didn't think about that."
"That's because you hardly think," Elijah sighed and rubbed his face. "How are we supposed to make this up to her?" Elijah's brain wracked with any possibility that could make Komi feel better; he couldn't come up with any solutions... That is, until he saw a familiar girl with short brown hair wearing a black headband. "Hmm... That could work." Elijah left Tadano and Najimi to tend to Komi so he could once again greet the girl he had taken a liking to after meeting only two days ago. "Hey...Ayami?"
"Hmm?" She turns from her bento box, and the smile on her face grows wider once she recognizes the tall boy. "Oh, hi! Elijah, right?"
"Y-Yeah." Her smile made him blush a little. "How's it going, Ayami?"
"I'm alright, thanks. But I told you, I don't mind if you call me Sasaki."
"Oh, right," Elijah gelt foolish for forgetting that. "Sorry."
"It's all good! Anyways, what can I do you for?"
"Well..." Elijah looked back and forth between Sasaki and Komi, wondering if this idea of his was even a good one. "I know we hardly know each other, but...could you do me a favor? It's nothing too serious."
"Oh? What is it?" Feeling relief that Sasaki is willing to hear him out, he smiles.
"There's someone I want you to meet."
Elijah was about to get Komi her fourth friend.
