146/In a Summer Daze

In a Summer Daze
Date of Scene:	24 July 2023
Location:	Gullwing Coffee
Synopsis:	The end of school and finals leaves a lot of students reeling from the fact that they once again have the freedom of youth and summer. To celebrate, many of them congregate in places like Gullwing Coffee... to enjoy a sweet treat and commisserate. New friends are made, and plans for the future are discussed.
Cast of Characters:	Koji Silvia, Chiyo Sakai, Rashmi Terios, Mio Morita, Amanda Faust, Coco Kiumi

---

Koji Silvia has posed:
It's the first free day after Finals!

No... Saturdays don't count. That was for people packing up to see family, doing classroom cleaning, setting up for remedials, and all the other Finals exhaustion doldrums.

This has lead for students to want to get AS FAR away from school as possible, to the point of no uniforms and no grades, even if the topic usually goes back to 'this test' or 'that subject'.

Koji holds the door open for Chiyo, still mid-grouse about things even as he has a pleasant grin on his face, "I hate essay questions, Chiyo-kun. Seriously. It's not factual. It's entirely a subjective question based on the person who is grading the paper. So... you're not really writing to the topic, you're writing for the teacher. How fair is that when the teacher may not even like you?"

Serious questions for our time...

Looking up at the menu, he then adds, "And let me pay today. My apology for... That."

As if 'That' will explain everything...

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai pauses only to duck through the door when Koji opens it for her as it solved the question of who should grab the door. A quickly flashed grin comes as thanks even as she listens to the complaints about finals. Ones she could commiserate with easily. "True. I think it's good to learn how to write for your audience, though. That's going to be necessary in the workplace at times. Even in running the sweet shop we have to know how to market things toward our customers. It's kind of similar, in a way?" Maybe not.

She's dressed casually for the Summer weather in a simple sundress, with sandals and a handbag slung over her shoulder. Fashionable yet not outlandish like... That time.

"Ah... All right, if you insist. Thank you, Koji-kun," she agrees smiling again. "It turned out all right though in the end. I do still have to return that dress to Usagi-chan though."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
Summer break! No more homework! No more studying! No more books! You can go to the beach whenever you feel like it!

...And read a book because you're still Rashmi and you are still a titanic bookworm. And that's exactly what she's done at the Gullwing; tucked herself into a booth by the window, in a light summery-yellow sleeveless shirt and daisy-print skirt, and dug into her latest book while the ice in her milk tea slowly melts.

Some people know how to squeeze every last drop out of a summer break...

Mio Morita has posed:
Its been a long day. With everything that happened at Clover Tower, Mio was absolutely wiped out! She went back to her dorm and took a shower. After getting cleaned up, she got dressed in a Babymetal T-shirt and a pair of blue jeans. She gets her sneakers on and heads out.

She quietly makes her way into the coffee shop. Making her way to the counter, she orders a mocha latte and a double chocolate muffin. She pays the yen and goes to an empty table. "I can't believe another year is come and gone. I also didn't fail this year like I thought I would!" She happily cheers.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    LONG DAY INDEED.

    Yeah, that all sounds like a good idea. Shower, change of shirt to THE COOL NERDY ONE. Even if it's way too big on her. She puts the same dark slacks back on though. "They're not THAT dirty..." Although, *something* smells different. She sniffs at her shirt. Oh right. That's just how her clothes used to smell. Wait, does that mean that's the smell of guy? She didn't notice it was gone, this past week, but now that she thinks of it... huh. Amanda has: No idea what to do with this information.

    She also puts on her oversized jacket to cover her bandaged forearms. Hopefully it's a little cooler!

    Now she walks in with Mio. "You drink coffee? Uhh..." She shrugs. When in rome: "One coffee. Extra milk, extra sugar, blueberry flavor if you've got it." She looks at Mio. "Uhh, aren't muffins kind of a lot of calories? ...You know what, after today we /deserve/ it. One blueberry muffin, please."

    She follows Mio to the same table. "You thought you were going to *fail*? *You*? Geeze... I can't imagine it." She offers a hug. And to Coco: "What's a Here and Forevermore?"

    As she sits across from Mio, she watches Coco go over to the other table. Hey, isn't that one of the guys from computer club? Amy hasn't been to a meeting yet, but Mallory had to keep track of the roster for who had accounts for some of the school resources they were given access to. .oO( He dresses a lot like I used to, huh... Wait,) "People remember *Appleseed*?!" she exclaims in surprise, easily heard through the whole cafe.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Coco needed a break after the last hour. It wasn't because of facing a gigantic Terribad or almost falling to death, no, it was for dealing with that obnoxious white cat. If it was indeed a cat, the jury was still out on that.

She got the perfect opportunity when Aki gave them all her contacts, and she saw her affiliation to the Gullwing Coffee. It looked to be quite lovely, so here she is, just outside the door, ready to take a relaxing drink and sit down at a table with no worries.

For the occasion, she has switched to a sleeveless jellow dress with an orange stripe on the top, all accompanied by a pair of red boots and a blue minibag. Luckily the witch hunt for Amy's grief seed went well, so her friend is back in good shape. Joining the queue, she waits for her turn. "I would like your "Here and Forevermore", she asks the employee.

The drink is a mix of lemon syrup and grapefruit juice, all decorated by a lemon slice. Now all that mattered was finding a table, not an easy task, as the whole place was crowded. Looking around, she spots a couple of people around her age, so she makes her way there.

She is about to talk to the two of them when Amy asks her about her drink. Smiling at the redhead, she goes to her table, where she spots Mio too. "Hello, how are you feeling?" In response to Amy's question, she say "It's a mix of lemon syrup and grapefruit juice, with this lemon slice as a decoration. I quite like it, want to try?"

Koji Silvia has posed:
As the tables seem to be filling up as Koji guides Chiyo through the growing crowd of students and adults away from their cares, the breeze off the ocean providing a nice balance to the heat of summer outside, he spots a student from their grade sitting on her own. He's about to say something when someone says something about 'Appleseed' and he knows it's because of his dad's old shirt.

Over his shoulder towards Amy, he says back over some of the crowd, "Oh, thanks! You think this is cool, my dad has some original Yamato, Gundam, and GoLion ones!"

But then it's back to the business of approaching Rashmi and her lone position, "UMmm... Hi. I've seen you around the Korma Chameleon and in class, but we've never formally met. I'm Koji and this is my g-..." He almost stutters, "My good friend Chiyo-kun. Do you mind if we share with you?"

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Appleseed? Chiyo looks over toward Amy who had called out as well before glancing back to Koji glancing over his shirt with a quiet 'oh' of realization. She'd not really paid much attention to what his shirt topic was. Old anime, she realized, and just goes quiet a few moments while the exchange occurs.

Once she's introduced to Rashmi she offers a warm smile in greeting. "Hello, pleased to meet you." A glance is cast toward Koji, then away again looking down to the bag at her side as she fiddles it open to fish out her cellphone. The little Bao charm that was always there drapes over the back of her fingers as she opens it up to quickly send off a text. Only to click it shut again trying to focus on the people she was with more.

"I've seen you around as well, at Korma and..." She pauses considering. "Weren't you getting popcicles that time?"

The text would eventually reach Koji's phone. It reads: 'I think things are good enough between them now we don't have to pretend to be together anymore. I don't want to hold you back from finding someone you really like.'

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy winces. "*Grapefruit juice*? Are your tastebuds okay?" Asks the one who got a blueberry coffee. "How much lemon syrup did they put *in* there?" Still, if offered, she'll try a sip to see. "Do you want a sip of my coffee?"

    Koji shouts back.

my dad

                 MY DAD                

                                     MY DAD                                    

    Amy, who was smiling and waving, suddenly lets out a quiet groan and gently thuds her forehead on the table. It is a very long groan. UgggggggggggggGggggggggGGggggggggggHHHhhhhhhhHHHhhhhhHHHhhhhh...

Rashmi Terios has posed:
It's not until Koji actually speaks up, that Rashmi seems to clock that focus is on her at all. When she looks up, she blinks owlishly behind her round-rimmed glasses... And when Koji asks if they can sit, her smile briefly rivals the sun in its brightness. "Of course, of course! Here..."

Her tea is scooted toward the wall, her book huuriedly crammed into her satchel, which is then dropped against the wall, to make for Maximum Room "It's good to meet both of you! I'm Ra--"

'Popsicles' snags her attention, causing her to stumble over her words for a moment, and she tries to be subtle about the brief glance thrown Koji's way, as if to guess whether or not he's in on the info too. "--Rashmi. And yeah the Korma's my parents' restaurant, it's good to meet you!"

Did she already just say that?

Oh no she said the same thing twice.

IS THIS THE VOCABULARY OF FAILURE?

And thus it's with a panicked scream behind her eyes, not touching her warm, friendly smile, that she awaits to find out whether she flubbed the introduction or not.

Mio Morita has posed:
"Hey Coco, how are you doing. I am wiped out after the whole thing at the tower. Its why I got myself a mocha latte. There is just something about chocolate and coffee mixed." She beams as the items are delivered to her table. She quickly takes a long sip of her drink. "Mmmmmm"

She turns her attention to Amy. "I told you I have flaws too. I am not super smart when it comes to studying and stuff. I barely passed this year. I don't know how I am going to manage between schoolwork and... club work." She comments, trying to hide that other side of her life.

Mio takes a bite of her muffin and her eyes turn into sparkles, "OISHI!!!!!" She exclaims happily as she takes another bite.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
"Come on, Amy, you won't know if you will like until you try!" Coco says with a smile. "And sure, I will try your blueberry coffee in exchange." She takes a sip of Amy's beverage, tasting it slowly to be sure of her opinion."Hmm, I think I like it. Not one of my favourites, but I wouldn't mind it if I saw it at a party or similar."

At Mio's question, she laments "Yeah, I am dead tired too. These have been quite the focused few days, between a vacuum cleaner out of control (though I actually can't complain about this one), a guy that wants to play Zeus and that annoying cat. Suffice to say, I'm quite glad it's over. I like your idea of a drink and I feel something similar to this particular mix: I am quite glad I could find it here. Do you want to exchange drinks?"

She suddenly gets concerned when Amy gets her head against the table and starts groaning, bringing a hand over to one of Amy's arms. "Are you all right, Amy? Did that seed not work well? Or are you aching somewhere else?"

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy stops groaning and sighs at Coco's concern. "It's not that. It's... You know how sometimes you see a scene in a movie, or a commercial, and it's old and like a landline phone or something is on-screen and you go 'what's *that* I've never seen it before' to make any adults in the room sigh or groan? It's like that..." she lowers her voice, adding in a whisper, "I was older before I became a magical girl..."

    Amy slowly lifts her head, and reaches over to pat Mio's shoulder. "I'll find a way to help you."

    Also: The muffins are that good? She breaks off a piece of her own and pops it into her mouth. Her eyes, too, light up. "Ohmygah ahshoh uud." she exclaims, and then chews with her mouth closed, savoring the flavor.

Koji Silvia has posed:
Rashmi's little gaffe is smiled over as Koji feels his phone buzz, but doesn't pick it up for the moment, "Rashmi? A pleasure. By the way... your parents have a fantastic restaurant. I like the balance of your tandoori and miso garlic broth in the fusion ramen. Also, they let a bunch of us use the space for a quick study group. I hope I can pay back the favor someday."

They might not be 'a thing' but the young man was still raised polite and he pulls out Chiyo's chair for her before taking his own seat. Finally his phone comes out, and he glance-reads the message before swiping it as read, following it up by using the coffee places' QE code menu to start setting up his order. Caramel Coffee Milkshake and a Pizza Bagel.

Once he's done, he passes his phone to Chiyo so he can cover both their orders, "So how did your finals go, Rashmi? I mean... it was rough on everyone. I'm pretty sure I did about usual. I can usually nail an 88 or 90 on test season. Except..." He looks at Chiyo, his eyes sliding past her for a moment to see Mio and Coco, and giving them a wave, "Except for essay questions. I -HATE- essay questions. They go against all the good precepts of a test! They're not supposed to be subjective!"

Afterwards he grumbles out enough for his seatmates to hear, "Stupid English Comp... every question is 'what did you think of...'"

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai settles down into the seat that Koji pulled out trying not to look as if she were just a bit embarassed by it. It was unusual to be treated this way on her end. It was also kind of nice. Koji might have been a fake boyfriend but he had certainly raised her expectations of a boyfriend for a real one in the future.

She scoots her chair in comfortably to the table and sets her purse on her lap rather than let it dangle off the back of the chair where it might fall, or be stolen. Not that it was likely here. It was just good practice regardless.

"Oh, it's your parents restaraunt?" Chiyo brightens at that news while smiling toward Rashmi. "It's lovely! I work at my Ojiisans sweet shop. I think family run places are some of the best."

Then the talk of the tests come. Oh the tests. "I'm glad they're over. It's been tougher this year for me than usual with everything that's gone on. I guess we just get busier as we get older. I think... I hope I got around 87 or 90. That's pretty typical for me." The offered phone is taken to blink at a single time only to realize the food menu is up. A quick browse has her choosing an iced latte with cold foam ontop. It wasn't *really* a latte, but it still looked really good.

"Maybe coffee will get rid of this headache I've had for a few days," she murmers.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
Oh good they either didn't notice or don't care. Crisis averted. "Well I mean, it *was* pretty rough, especially since I switched entire curriculums halfway through the year, and the Academy does *not* mess around when it's teaching, let me tell you... But personally I *like* essay questions."

Oh no, is she a test youma?!

"It's a great way to prove you actually *understand* something, instead of just being able to repeat it. And personally it's kind of a writing challenge for me; if I want to make sure it gets read, it has to be at least a little interesting to the teacher, so you need to figure them out a little bit so you can write to your audience. I'm a lot better at that than math, so..." The dark-skinned redhead shrugs, beaming. "I hope I did better than I think I did, but at least I studied hard enough I shouldn't be embarrassed about the results."

When her family's restaurant is praised, she sits up a little straighter in her seat, grinning. "Oh good, I *love* hearing people liking it. Mami and Papi *couldn't* do anything else, really, and if the place folds they'll probably just go closer to Dad's home and do it all again."

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Coco raises her eyebrows at Amy's affirmation. She wasn't unfamiliar with people looking younger than their age: Aqua Regina herself was at least 200 years old and she still looked like she was in her thirties, but to become so young you have to go all the way through school again? "How did it happen? Is it a curse? I can't guarantee to be able to help, but I think I can find some specialists to try and undo it."

Noticing the guy she was almost approaching earlier wave at them, she waves back and smiles. She is probably going to go there after Amy has finished telling her about this subject.

Mio Morita has posed:
"Oh sure!" She replies to Coco. Mio slides over her latte to let her try it. "These muffins are out of this world! I wonder if they make them here?" She asks as she looks around for any sign that they bake their own baked goods.

"Thank you Amy. I'm good at helping people and trying to bring hope to the world. Math and stuff like that? I am not so good at. I did great in social studies. But maths, science, and English? I got low grades almost across the board."

Koji Silvia has posed:
For a moment, Koji has this gleam behind his glasses like he wants to argue the point, but then he seems to become strangely self-conscious about it, and just settles back after taking his phone and putting it back away in his pocket, "You should tell your parents that Radiant Heart's cafeteria occasionally allows restaurants to come in and sell their food. They'd get a huge boost, because I told my mom about the place, and she sent me a picture last week eating one of those samosas."

For a moment he looks like he wants to dig into that topic, but then diverts once more, "Chiyo's family shop is really nice. I've been there a couple times but Chiyo-kun wasn't there. It was mainly to check things out."

Looking at his companion, he adds with a grin, "Your grandpa makes me think of my dad a lot. Except a LOT more put together. You've seen the pictures. He trolling Juuban ward for work right now, looking for his next 'big thing'."

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai doesn't really know those other girls that Koji had waved at, but she lifts her hand to so as to be friendly. If they all went to the same school there was no reason they couldn't be friends! Maybe Koji knew them, too?

The phone he'd handed her is offered back with a quiet, "Thank you, Koji-kun." The talk of restaurants and the cafeteria earns a nod from her in agreement. "I really enjoy your shop, even from before I started at Radiant Heart. Ojiisan and I order takeout on really busy days since we're both too tired to cook usually," she admits with a little guilty grin. "I only started taking the time to sit down and eat there recently though. But the takeout has always been delicious!" she's quick to assure just in case there was any question of that being an issue.

Mention of her grandpa earns a warm, fond smile. "Yeah, Ojiisan is great. He's always tried really hard to take good care of me, especially since grandma passed so it's just us. He just wants to help people be happy."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
Likewise, Rashmi lifts her hand to say hello to the strangers. Gotta be seen as welcoming after all, if you want to make more friends! ...*Any* friends! Mami said that once, didn't she? Something like?

Shaking the thought away, she looks from Koji to Chiyo, bobbing her head in understanding. "I'll let them know that about the school, thanks! I wonder if Papi can get ahold of a catering staff on short notice... Hm. I mean probably, and I've been *trying* to advertise for the place myself, but I mean... the best idea I head doesn't really apply to repeat customers," she says with a self-deprecating chuckle. Shifting in her seat, she reaches down to pull a handful of flyers out of her bag to wave, briefly. "I had the idea when I was like eight, but it does enough that Papi doesn't seem to mind buying a small printing run every year, I guess?"

To Chiyo, she tilts her head a bit, eyebrows rising. "You've got a family shop too? What's it called, I'll *definitely* visit now and again! *Gotta* support the local businesses, especially these days, right?"

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy blinks at Coco. "No, like... I mean, I became a magical *girl*, not a magical *woman*, right? I figured it was just part of that..." Or it was the wish... but, "...Come to think of it, have you seen *any* older magical girls...? Or boys...?" She holds a finger to her chin thoughtfully.

    She just sort of looks at Mio. "You know I was an English teach--" and then she stops mid-sentence, unsure just how much backstory she's ready to share. "Anyway, I can help you with those, social studies is the stuff I'm *bad* at, we can help eachother!" She smiles.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
"I mean, I guess I really haven't see an old magical girl/boy, but I thought that's because they aren't part of that demography to begin with? Granted, if you said you were older, then I must wrong, but that white cat is an eccentric too to put it in friendly terms, so he could be the exception by extending the gift of magic to older women."

Taking a sip of Mio's beverage, her expression relaxes like she got handed a blessing from paradise. "This is such a delicacy, Mio, you have great taste." Having also offered her own drink, she waits for her opinion.

Koji Silvia has posed:
Looking up, the snacks and drinks are brought... the coffee milkshake and Chiyo's latte put down first, and then comes the sliced bagel that has signs of red sauce under a liberal layer of mozzarella and parmesan and some pepperoni, green peppers, and what looks like basil and oregano artfully covering each. Despite ordering it for himself, Koji says, "If you both would like I can cut this in half so you can have some. It's unfair to sit at a table eating and not share."

Even if the girls say no, he takes up a knife from the table and does that, making two half of cheese-oozing hot treat, one piece of pepperoni and a fair grouping of garnish on each side. Taking a sip from his shake, he grins and looks a little more relaxed at the caramel melding with the coffee and vanilla soft serve, "Now comes the real fun of summer. Part time jobs. Maybe I'll get some shifts at FaM-Mart. I worked for them last summer as a stock boy, and I know how to make all of their hot food already. You two are lucky. You have hardworking families with good places already there to let you pick up the slack and earn a little before we try and go someplace."

The musing goes on, "If I earn enough, I can take a ferry out to one of the camping islands with a beach, and just enjoy the weather, you know."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Older women... Yeah... <_<; >_>;

    Amy is trying to keep her voice low about magical girl stuff, at least. Outside the demographic?? "Do you really think you're gonna not have an interest in magic or helping people when you're older?" Beat. "...Okay yeah I guess when I was young I thought adult stuff was boring and told myself *I* was never gonna become like that and forget the value of fun or what it was like to be a kid. ...Maybe that's why I got the offer despite my age?"

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
"Oh, the shop is called Nounamu Sweets. It, ah, didn't have a name when Ojiisan took it over so he just started calling it what the local kids did." Chiyo smiles fondly a bit as she chuckles. "He and grandma had argued over it for awhile, but since it was already known to people by that, it made sense to stay with it. We make traditional wagashi sweets and more modern treats, too," she explains for Rashmi's benefit.

The iced latte brought over is taken in both hands to lift and gently sip at the foamed top first. There was a straw, but you always had to try the foam part before that. A quick pat of a napkin keeps her clean and presentable after.

"It does help, yes. I already know how to do most of the work around the shop. Either helping sell at the counter, or helping to pound the mochi. We make it fresh there," she explains. "So it's always nice and soft and chewy."

The talk of going to an island earns a thoughtful look from her. "I haven't really gone on a school trip since elementary. I don't know where I'd like to go for a trip for myself."

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Coco nods. Maybe that's how land dwellers do their things? She doesn't have enough experience to refute her, about three years overall. "I hope you don't mind if I go check for a bit with the boy that waves at us earlier. Maybe he is from our school. Do you want to come with me?"

Amanda Faust has posed:
    "Who, him? He's in the computer club. And... sure. I should keep making friends, right?" She takes a sip of her coffee, then stands, picking coffee and muffin up to follow Coco to the other table.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Ooooh, that sounds great!" Rashmi says, eyes wide. "So it's a whole family business, that's *really* cool! I, um... don't really have *much* of a part-time job, I usually just fill in when one of the servers gets sick. Papi said something last week about doing deliveries now too, so-- oh no thank you, I already have my tea... that... I keep forgetting to drink."

Flushing, she sips at a milk tea that is now entirely cold liquid. "...But if I'm honest, I'll probably try to get work at a bookshop somewhere close. It's just... kind of a whole thing, for me."

Looking back to Koji, she smiles, tilting her head to one side. "That does sound nice, actually. I've been wanting to take a trip out to Cat Island, especially since it's in trouble now and they need all the tourism they can get."

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Smiling at Amy accepting her offer she walks with her to the trio's table. "Hello, I saw you wave at us earlier" Coco says as she approaches them, referring to Koji and Rashmi. "I'm Coco, a student from Radiant Heart. Are you enrolled there too?" Having heard them talking about family shops when she approached, she quickly picks up the subject. "That kind of thing is always neat, I think. Gullwing Coffee is also a family establishment, you know? To achieve that level of cooperation is amazing, in my opinion."

Koji Silvia has posed:
When Amy and Coco approach and introduce themselves, naturally, Koji makes to stand up and give a polite little bow of greeting to the newcomers, "Actually, we all go to the Academy, Grade 10. We were talking about finals and what to do about the summertime. This is Rashmi, Chiyo-kun, and my name is Koji Silvia. Nice to meet you both. Here... if you want to sit, let me get you a couple chairs."

A quick trip to their old table and the seating for four becomes six, and Koji settles back down to sip his drink in thought, and then sets it down so he can take a bite of his snack. There's a wince from him from food that's only just that side of right, the sting on the roof of the mouth that leads to a quick chew-swallow and then another hit of the shake. Licking the roof of his mouth a second, he settles, and then goes thoughtful, "I admit.. you two seem like fast friends, Rashmi. That's great. Chiyo and I have SOME friends, but not many. I'm glad she's getting one more. I think it's because there's so many more girls than boys in our class year. I mean... it feels that way. The only other guy I know in 10th year is my roommate."

Pause. Sip. Bite. Sip.

Swallow.

"Cat Island." He half murmurs, "That might be fun. It'd be a whole day trip out there you know, so it might be better to go with a group, or at least an adult. And you'd want to pack extra supplies. If a storm comes in off the Pacific, you'll be stuck there a few extra days until the ferry can get back out to you."

Since there are more people here, he adds to Coco and Amy, "What are you going to do now that we're not bound by the shackles of tests and curfew?"

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy follows. Fast friends? She blushes a little. It *is* nice to have all these friends... "You can be friends with girls too, y'know! ...Hi, I'm Amy! Well, Amanda Faust, but Amy for short! Nice to meet you, um...?" She sets down her food so she can hold out a hand to shake, smiling.

    As for his question... huh. SUMMER VACATION. Wow. It's been over a decade since that was a *thing* for her. She hadn't thought of that. "...Uhhh... I just transferred in a week ago... I don't know! A trip to Cat Island does sound fun."

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai smiles warmly at Rashmi's reaction to learning more about her own family store. The expression only fades a bit to one of worry as Koji starts to burn his mouth on that bite of pizza bagel. An unused napkin is picked up to offer quitely over to him in case he might need it after that. Nothing is said otherwise though. No need to draw more attention to his possible accidental mouth burning.

"Yes. I'm starting to make a few. I guess I've just always been a bit quiet and stuck to myself until now," she has to admit about not having many friends. Her voice was very soft as if she wasn't used to speaking loudly so it could be easy to see being overlooked on occasion for that reason. Mention of not knowing any other boys in their grade earns a thoughtful look. "There's this one boy in our class that seems nice. He keeps trying to get me to join the baseball club. Maybe I could introduce you to him...?" Not that Koji really seemed the baseball type. Then again he *was* in gymnastics club.

The others that come over earn a smile in greeting. "Hello! I'm Chiyo Sakai, grade ten at Radiant Heart. Yes, we were just discussing what we might like to do with our Summers. I think cat island would be a good idea. I bet Ikiko-chan would love to come to help, too."

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Coco smiles at Koji's friendliness. "Thank you a lot for the chairs." Sitting at the chair Koji just provided, Coco says "Nice to meet you. I am a grade 11 myself, though I am a new transfer. I am glad exams are over, this has been such a stressful month, between all the things I have had to do to familiarise myself."

The topic of summer vacation brings excitement to her tone after all the new experiences she had to go through here. She is more than ready to try out anything this city has to offer.

"In fact I don't actually what I am going to do for the summer, so any suggestion on that front is appreciated, but that Cat Island you mentioned sounds really nice. Is it really far from here?"

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"It's about 16 hours total travel time from here," Rashmi says, "waaay to the west. An hour if you fly. So yeah, it's the kind of trip to plan over a weekend at the least, but it would be a *really fun weekend,* if you like cats at all."

Looking at Chiyo, the dark-skinned redhead chuckles. "Y'know, I'm kind of the same way like that... Mami was *very very insistent* that coming to Radiant Heart would help me make new friends, and... well it looks like it's working!"

At the new arrivals, she bobs her head in greeting. "Rashmi Terios, my parents own the Korma Chameleon in case you've been there! Um... Koji-kun says he's in Gymnastics Club, I'm in Debate Club. What about you all?"

Koji Silvia has posed:
Amy's hand is accepted, but the young man does not give a hearty pump. It's more of a polite touch, move, and then release before he returns to the conversation.

"Well, not just Gymnastics Club. I also work with the Computer Club, Rashmi-chan." Koji says with an affable smile, "Their schedules don't conflict too much, and it'll look good for any technical school I try to get into once I graduate."

But he looks a bit rueful as he adds, "If I graduate... essay questions..."

But there's a faint shrug given to Rashmi, as if that's an argument they can have another time, "Well... since you asked..."

Koji adjusts his glasses a moment, "If you're new to Tokyo there is a LOT to do. If you like fashion you can spend weeks just wandering all the shops in Shinjuku or Akihabara. If you want to take in nature, you can go to the temples, or you can take a train out of the city and visit a forest or mountain preserve." Tilting his head as he looks outside, "We also have a lot of little beach towns along all the coasts and islands. I mean, the problem isn't what to do... it's what to do with what little time you have."

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Coco replies quickly and energetically to Rashmi's question, in a way that makes it clear she is proud of that particular skill of hers. "I am in the music club, specifically I am there for singing. It's a passion I have cultivated since I was a little kid, so I can say I am quite good at it."

When Rashmi mentionsn the Korma Chameleon, Coco tries to remember if she heard of it, but nothing comes to mind. "I don't think I know what the Korma Chameleon is, but I would love to hear all about it!"

Koji gives Coco a lot to ponder when he starts listing all those activities. "Yeah, I see your point, all those are equally enticing. What do you think, Amy?" she suddenly addresses her friend.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    He doesn't give a hearty pump, but she at least gives a half-hearty pump! Squeezing only gently and giving a couple of small shakes before letting go. Rashmi asked about clubs. "I guess the computer club, but I haven't been to a meeting yet... I was also thinking of joining the Hero club. Uhh... I'm not sure what all clubs ther actually *are*, though..."

    "Cat island sounds fun. Um... I don't really know much about fashion... was never really big on the wilderness, it's often hot or humid and full of mosquitoes..." She hangs her head. "Haven't really been into the beach so much since I was a little kid... I'd usually just find a shady spot to sit and read while enjoying the breeze... Uhh... doesn't anybody around here play videogames anymore...?"

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
"I'm sure you'll do fine even on the essay questions, Koji-kun," Chiyo remarks trying to cheer her friend up a bit. Really he was probably fine! As the hands are shaken in greeting earning a puzzled look from her (such a Western thing!) she takes a little sip off her drink again, this time through the straw.

The talk of club has her sink into her seat a bit. "I'm in manga club, and flower arrangement club." A long pause follows as she realises that neither of those were really things that would 'look good on a resume' as Koji had stated about his own. "Maybe I should look at something more practical. I *am* in tenth grade now." A little stab of her straw is given to her drink stirring it up as she slips into thought on that topic.

Before she can think to say more her phone rings causing her to jump a bit. "Oh, excuse me," she murmers looking down at her phone with a little scrunch of her nose. Quickly glancing up to Koji, and Rashmi, and then Coco and Amy. "I should take this outside. So sorry. Thank you for the drink, Koji-kun. I'll have to catch up with you later."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    "Ooh, manga club? Wait, is that for aspiring mangaka, or for fans?" Amy slumps a bit as Chiyo worries about her future resume. "Employers aren't gonna care what *clubs* you were in in high school. Just have fun."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
'Club' + 'More practical' = ???

One can almost see the equation writing itself in the air over Rashmi's head, by the puzzled look on her face at Chiyo's deprecation of her interests. "No problem, it was good to meet you Chiyo-san?" Looking at the group, she gives a bit of a half-shrug. "...I just took Debate Club because I like understanding people," she says with a shrug. "Turns out it's a skill too, being able to try to think like someone who doesn't agree with you. And I guess it's just *fun,* so you could say I like to argue? Iunno, but I wouldn't want to be in a club I didn't actually enjoy."

Shooting a glance at her fellow redhead, Rashmi takes a long sip of her still-sort-of-cold tea to cover the impulse to laugh. "Oh trust me," she says after coming up for air, "there's a club for *everything* in Radiant Heart, it's such a huge school the problem is *finding* the club you want to join. Debate Club's in floor *eight* of the club building! *Building!* There's a *whole separate building just for club stuff!*"

That she is not actively waving her hands over her head to emphasize is, perhaps, to Rashmi's credit.

"And the music club! I've walked by there a few times just wandering, I've heard some *really* beautiful singing before. Was that you? What kind of music d'you like to sing?"

Pausing, she pulls herself back from the intensity of her questioning, clearing her throat. "...Sorry, I get excited." And her eyes go to Koji, the shrug echoed with mild amusement, as if she really *does* enjoy the fact that she disagrees with the boy. "Anyway yeah, there's probably more that I could talk about just from these last twenty minutes than I could fill in a day, so um... Anyone mind trading numbers?"

Koji Silvia has posed:
Koji reaches into his pocket and takes out an actual little notepad. One of the kind you see like in the series and movies from the 70s and 80s. He even has a short little pen that fits right into the rings!

Tearing out a page, he writes his number down, and then after a moment, he adds, "I'll ask Chiyo to contact you if she's comfortable reaching out. Which I'm sure sure she is... but I think... I should go check on her."

In typical fashion of young men everywhere, he nomphs down his half of the bagel pizza, and then takes a long pull from the shake, causing question of whether or not there was time to chew or breathe, and then says, "Anyone else can have the other half. But it was a pleasure to meet all of you. I'll still be at the dorms for most of the summer... so if I see you, I see you. Coco-senpai, Amy-san, Rashmi-chan."

There's a subtle movement from him almost like a bow before he slips off...

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy remains slumped as she looks to Rashmi. "Does arguing with people really help you understand them?" She sounds like she thinks it doesn't. "I like arguing, but a logical argument isn't gonna change people's minds. If they're wrong they usually refused to listen to logic in the first place."

    Floor EIGHT. "Dang. Maybe there *is* a videogame club..."

    Singing? Uh... I guess I like pop music, but..." whatever she was going to say falls out of her head as she realizes she can *sing like a girl* now. That's gonna help with *so* many pop songs. And anime songs. This is obviously something *anyone* would be excited about! Or at least a silver lining.

    "Ah, yeah, let's trade numbers!" She writes her name and number down in absolutely atrocious handwriting.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Coco nods with interest at Rashmi's speech about her club. "You have a lot of good points, I can see why it's something you like doing. For myself, I mostly sing variants of pop music, with songs from my own repertoire", replies Coco. "They are also love songs most of the time, we", Coco gets into coughing for a second, realising she was going to let slip something that would lead to uncomfortable questions. "Well, I am really into that kind of music, you know?"

When Koji pulls out a piece of paper, Coco is surprised a guy in a computer club trades contacts via paper. She would have expected him to use mails, or simply's the phone's contact book, but she doesn't say it out loud. "Thank you a lot, for the contacts". She quickly records into her own phone Rashmi's and Koji's numbers before giving them her own.

All the preliminaries carried out, the group splits off, going back to their respective destinations.