2907/A Show of Promise

A Show of Promise
Date of Scene:	14 January 2026
Location:	Pearl Pier
Synopsis:	Ikiko and Madoka give Nagisa a few romantic tips via fake gossip, and in the end he is quite eager to buy the gift in the magazine page Coco dropped near him.
Cast of Characters:	Coco Kiumi, Ikiko Hisakata, Madoka Kaname
Tinyplot:	An Aquamarine Romance

---

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Well, days of machinations have finally come to a end, and Nagisa has now finally shown his head at the Pearl Pier...- No actually, he has been around here a while, but only now finally decided to come in. Scraping together that pocket money to try and afford a table inside, maybe?

The much needed break, for the group of conspirators at least. As soon as Coco has seen him approach a table, she has slipped back into her bedroom, and in three seconds, she is now wearing the hotel's uniform, a pale yellow shirt with red cuffs and collar veering towards magenta, and a knee-high skirt as well as pumps matching the cuffs, lastly with a white apron to complete the look.

Madoka, Homura and Ikiko receive a message then, to the effect of "The ferret is in the kitchen. Wanna come pick him up~?" In the meantime, she has already slipped downstairs and grabbed a block notes and a pen from the counter.

"Try not to give him too much of a hard time, and especially try not to bother the other customers. Are we clear, Coco-san?" Nikora's voice comes up from behind her, making the blonde girl stumble. "Don't worry, Nikora-san, I won't, trust me and relax!", she gives her a smile.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
"omw," Ikiko messages back with a thumbs-up emoji. She stashes what she had been working on, then after a brief moment to clean up she heads down to the agreed-upon meet-up location just outside the Pearl Pier -- best to do any last-minute audibles where the 'ferret' won't hear them, after all.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    When they get the message, Homura notices the buzz of her phone and reads the text. "It's time. Let's go." Madoka looks to her girlfriend, nods, pets each of her Chara in turn and leaves them all behind in the dorm room. With the exception of Tia, who follows along. Up until now, Madoka has tried to limit her contact with Nagisa or Hanon for fear of drawing suspicion, so Tia has been her invisible spy when possible (though even Tia has to avoid catching the attention of Hanon.)

    When they arrive at the Pearl Pier, Tia is floating behind Madoka's shoulder. Homura is hanging back a bit, hiding behind a tree in henshin, waiting for the first youma who would dare to approach the Pearl Pier and fumble their plans.

    Madoka sees Ikiko out front and waves. "Hii~! How are things?" she asks. In a way the question has a double meaning, as it could be both 'how are you doing?' as well as 'is everything going smoothly?'.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
"Things are going well enough," Ikiko smiles back. No known complications so far, then. "Shall we go inside?"

When they finally enter the Pearl Pier, it takes Ikiko some extra willpower to avoid even nodding a greeting to Coco, so as to avoid revealing their co-conspirator status. (that said, there is a brief raised double-eyebrow of acknowledgement if Ikiko and Coco happen to look at each other.)

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    "Of course!" says Madoka, cheerfully. She follows Ikiko inside. Despite herself she holds back from greeting Coco, even if normally she'd be all too happy to.

    Tia, meanwhile, twirls her tiny parasol in order to signal that they've arrived.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Despite Ikiko and Madoka not being able to greet them, Coco has the perfect excuse to approach them instead, and in a few seconds, she is in front of her friends, with a smile. "Welcome to the Pearl Pier. Table for two?" Without waiting for a confirmation, she starts leading them to seats in perfect sight of Nagisa, just a table away, really.

"Here is our menu. Please let me know if you need anything", she says with a wink, and steps away to let them prepare their own parts. Meanwhile, she slips in the back momentarily, to make sure the fashion page is where she left it. All good there.

Standing at the margin of the room, she approaches various clients whenever she is called, and soon there is Nagisa raising his hand, and Coco turns around with the precision of a magnet. "Hi, yes, are you ready to order?"

Nagisa looks around and then at her, with a mildly surprised expression. "Yes, I want this" - he looks back down at the menu - "pentolaccia with seafood tagliolini?", he says, muttering under his breath. "Why does everything gotta be so pricy?"

Coco scribbles it down and bows. "Understood, I will be right back, as soon as it's ready. Please enjoy the sight of the sea." She leaves flashing him a smile.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
"Thanks!" Ikiko grins to Coco, then starts looking through the menu. Something relatively snack-scaled, perhaps, and easy to converse around...

After deciding on what to order, the younger girl briefly glances towards Nagisa, then gives Madoka and Tia an almost imperceptible nod: it's go time.

"I kinda feel sorry for my cousin," Ikiko says with an audible sigh. "He's got a crush on a girl, and he doesn't know how he's supposed to act around her." Definitely at a conversational tone; the proximity to Nagisa's table means she doesn't have to project louder than normal. "To his credit, at least he's aware that he doesn't know how to act around her, but he's definitely in need of some advice."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    When Coco approaches, Madoka smiles and says, "Yup!" Then follows her to the table.

    Perfect. An open spot right next to the target. She'll have to compliment Coco's preparation later. For now, she orders something bite sized for snacking, for the same reasons as Ikiko.

    Ikiko starts the conversation. Right, they're talking about how a boy should act around women. Madoka smiles and then opens her mouth...

    ... pauses...

    ... and then remembers that she's a lesbian.

    She has no opinions whatsoever on how a boy should act in order to impress her.

    Fortunately, Tia is here to back her up. Did Madoka's hair just suddenly change? Is she standing up a bit straighter? Is there a slight lilt to her voice now? Don't worry about it.

    "Well, that's no good. I mean, it's better than being wrong and too arrogant to receive correction, but he should at least have enough confidence to make the approach."

    She raises her finger to wag it while saying, "At baseline a man should be like a gentleman. Safe, respectable and sincere. Of course, it helps if he knows whether or not the lady is even available. Or interested."

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Now that she is turned around, Coco's smile turns in a small grin as she hears Ikiko and Madoka get into their tale. Best of luck!

Nagisa, meanwhile, is staring down at his plate, and occasionally glancing around, or through the set of french doors that give onto the beach.

He blushes slightly when the subject covered by Ikiko and Madoka reach him. Do people really talk about that in public, simply like that? He glances over, trying his best not to look like he is staring right at them. What about that cousin? He doesn't think this is how they should be talking about him.

He starts twisting his fork, thinking back about Hanon. He doesn't think he is doing anything wrong, is he? She doesn't even seem displeased. He only wants to prove himself, that's all.

Coco goes back towards him, with a bottle of water. He didn't really order it, but maybe he just forgot. She doesn't think he knows his way around a restaurant. "It's not gonna be too long now", she informs him, and turns towards Ikiko and Madoka to give them a bottle of water too. "Did you see him blush?", she whispers quietly. "He is certainly thinking about her." With a wink, she leaves and goes back into the staff zone.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko gives Coco a nod of appreciation for the water, and glances towards Nagisa again. Looks like it's time to throw him a bone of encouragement. "So, by 'sincere', you mean that he should still be himself, especially if the girl seems to enjoy his company already?" the younger girl inquires. "Just, y'know, while still indicating that he'll be there and supportive when things are tough?"

That should probably hint to Nagisa that he's not on the wrong track, and give him some direction in how to make more notable progress.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    No, people actually don't talk about this in public. Of course, this isn't a natural conversation. It's hint dropping, disguised as gossip.

    When Coco comes by with water, she gets a very precisely formal, "Thank you," from the Chara-influenced Madoka. It might come off as unsettling for someone who has actually known Madoka for years, but the pinkette seems to be wearing her odd persona perfectly naturally. Did the corner of her mouth just twitch into the barest hint of a smile at the mention of the blush? A less graceful Madoka might have giggled.

    "Oh of course," she says to Ikiko, before leaning in. "I mean, if you can't be yourself while also being a gentlemen, that's kinda telling on yourself don't you think? I suppose you could fake it until you make it, but even then your heart still needs to be in the right place. The girl deserves a certain amount of respect."

    She swirls the water around her glass as if she's about to enjoy fine wine. If she's aware of how potentially comical that looks, she doesn't seem to mind it at all. "After all, he's asking for her time, her trust, and her vulnerability. These are not small things. He should approach with a certain amount of consideration."

    Her eyes glance towards Nagisa for just the barest hint of an instant before she leans back into her chair. "But all the same, if she's returning any interest in him at all, there's something about him that she probably likes. There's an amount of confidence that he can have in that."

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Nagisa blinks when Madoka starts moving that drink like wine. This isn't a high class restaurant, it's just a hotel by the sea. Is that an indication of the places she usually frequents? Well, he can do it too, and just as well, he thinks, pouring water in, and starting to swirl the glass around. A few drops spill over, but he acts like it didn't happen.

He looks away from his glass, pondering. He really shouldn't be listening in, though. Even if they are being loud. But what if... Is this how Hanon thinks? Would she distance herself if he is too rough? But he doesn't...

He grimaces at the critique of being fake and looks down with a slightly cloudy gaze. He shouldn't be giving these words any weight, they aren't even about him. He doesn't want to be fake, he wants to be honest, and make her happy. She is so much prettier then.

"Coco comes in with the dish he orders just then. "Here, chin up. It's a good day, you should think positive", she allows herself to be a little unprofessional. "Enjoy your meal." Nagisa stops swirling the glass, and nods. "Thank you, and I am ok."

Be positive... Maybe he can. If she actually likes something about him, maybe he just needs to think about what she would like, next time he sees her. Start there.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
"I'll be sure to let him know, then," Ikiko nods to Madoka. "I've seen him hanging out with the girl he likes; the two of them seem to get along pretty well, and I wouldn't be surprised if the only reason they're not dating already is mostly a matter of confidence and inner realization."

That should do the trick -- a last bit of food for thought before letting Nagisa focus on the food on his plate. And come to think of it, that planned snack does sound like a good idea right about now...

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka notices out of the side of her eye that Nagisa is reacting to this news. Does he seem a little down? Is she being perhaps a bit too harsh?

    There may have been and edge of coldness to her words, that she'll probably feel a little bad about once Tia stops influencing her, but in the moment she doesn't feel all that guilty about telling a boy that he should strive to be a good man. Besides, as much as she wants this exchange to go well, she also wants Hanon to be treated right.

    Still...

    "Well, in that case it sounds hopeful. Perhaps he just needs time to sort out his feelings and work up the courage. Although, a gift might not hurt. Something in her color, perhaps?"

    Another hint dropped, but Madoka wonders if she shouldn't slow down a bit. Give him time to process the information. After all, she doesn't want to crush his confidence by making him feel inadequate. She just wants to nudge him in the right direction. After all, none of this is really a criticism about him. It's just general advice.

    Her eyes go towards Ikiko, and then Coco. Her brow is arched, but there's a softness in her eyes. She is both herself and not herself in this moment, but at least she isn't laughing out loud and demanding to be called "king" like some other Chara Bearers.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
A gift? Is that her cue?

Coco immediately goes back in like her life depends on it, and fetches the ripped page, hiding it partially under a plate, held up by just a finger. That way it should be really easy to drop it on Nagisa's table and be past him before he can realise what has happened.

Moving among tables, she takes a bit of a detour rather than heading directly to where these dishes should be meant to go, and when Nagisa's table Is just besides her, she moves her finger, and with the corner of her eye, she watches the page flutter down... right onto Nagisa's food.

"What's this?", he questions out loud, lifting the page with her fork and watching the stains with disgust. He flips it open and looks at the dress, and his expression relaxes, then lights up.

Coco sighs with relief as he seems to get the message despite the hangup, and once she is free of the plates, she joins her hands together with an apologetic expression, bowing forward slightly at Ikiko and Madoka.

Ikiko's and Madoka's last words seems to have had their intended effects, because Nagisa is holding the page tightly now, and eating his food at record speed. Is he in that much of a hurry to buy the gift?

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko smiles and slightly nods back at Coco. Time to wrap this up, then. "I'll be sure to pass that suggestion along, thanks!" the younger girl says with a smile. "More presently, what are you planning on ordering? I think I've narrowed down my choices, but I haven't quite settled on a single selection yet." Perfectly normal restaurant chatter!

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka watches Coco as she makes her move. When things look tense, Madoka almost winces sympathetically. However, the boy seems to have gotten the idea.

    Hmm. Are things going according to plan? It certainly seems that way. Madoka is starting to feel a bit less tense. As eagerly as Nagisa seems to be eating his food, she's not that worried about whether or not he'll approach Hanon. Now it's just a matter of getting Hanon on board, she supposes.

    Feeling like her job is done, Tia smirks broadly and starts dusting her hands. Madoka's hair and demeanor suddenly revert to normal, and suddenly she's feeling very awkward. Her face is blushing with embarrassment, and she starts adjusting her sitting position to be... well... a lot more like herself. She whispers really low, "Tia-chan... don't just do that."

    Tia wags her finger at Madoka and says, "It worked and you know it!"

    Exasperated, but unwilling to argue with an invisible fairy in a public place, she picks up the menu and says, "Well... um... I could go for some tempura?"

Coco Kiumi has posed:
It's a miracle he doesn't suffocate while cleaning the plate, and the chair scrapes behind him as he stands up, goes to pay and is out of the hotel in a whirlwind.

"Well, I think that went well." Coco approaches her friends' tables. "He took it hard at times, but he seemed really motivated at the end." She is glad he didn't complain about the ruined dish, and he even ate it all anyway.

She smiles at the pinkette and Ikiko, then turns to Tia. "The glass trick was a bit much. Maybe you could consider not doing that in the future." She is of course assuming Tia will do it again regardless. "Though, I don't know why he got competitive over it." She giggles a bit.

She takes out pen and block notes. "Anyway, what can I give you?", she asks, and adds in a whisper. "It's my treat."

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
"I'm glad that it seems to have gone well," agrees Ikiko, stifling a giggle at Tia's shenanigans. "And location-searching has been going pretty good; got a few more sites to visit before I'll have the list ready to decide upon, but we probably have a few more days before we need it."

Looking back at the menu, Ikiko taps her fingers in thought for another moment or two, then nods. "A small order of scallion-stuffed beef rolls, then," she nods resolutely.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Tia almost seems scandalized. "But that's a perfectly refined way for a lady to hold a glass!"

    Madoka, in a low voice, "... but it was just water, Tia."

    Tia crosses her arms and makes an indignant, "Hmph!"

    Madoka winces at Coco and says, "Sorry about that. I hope the way I said things didn't make him feel to insecure..." After all, while she could certainly blame Tia, she is still kinda responsible for Tia's actions to an extent.

    To Ikiko, she smiles and says, "Sounds like things are going well on your end, too."

    At Coco's offer of a treat, Madoka says, "Small order of tempura, and maybe a little green tea for my friend."

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Coco gives Madoka a reassuring smile while writing down hers and Ikiko's orders. "I think it's quite good. You helped pick up his morale quite well. As you can see he was really eager at the end."

There is an orange glow, and Seira makes her appearance. "Really eager, I was watching, and I have never seen anyone switch up so suddenly. Is that what love does to people?", she asks curiously.

"Maybe?", Coco replies with an unsure smile. "Nagisa-san is also very hotheaded, so hopefully Ikiko and Madoka's suggestion today will steer him in the right direction. But I think his heart is in the right place."

Coco slides the papers back in her apron's pocket. "I will be back soon with your food then." Seira glances at Coco, then at the group. "I am happy to see you are doing well."

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
"Likewise," Ikiko politely nods to Seira. "And yeah, love can be a major amplifier of emotions, especially when it's freshly putting down roots." She's heard from her parents that a solid foundation of friendship can help love last a long time (and their solid marriage seems to support that line of thought), but that doesn't address the intensity of those who have freshly fallen in love.

"Definitely agree that his heart's in the right place, though," she adds with a firm nod. "And the willingness to learn and improve himself definitely speaks highly of him."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    At the sudden appearance of Seira, both Madoka and Tia smile.

    Tia answers first. "Love can be a very strong motivator. Just ask... well, actually there are a lot of mahoujin you could ask!"

    Madoka giggles and says, "Eheh... well... I guess that's true. Oh... speaking of, it might be time to tell Homura-chan she's off guard duty."

    Tia salutes Madoka and zips out the door to fetch the Puella. With a smile and a nod to Ikiko, Madoka says, "I agree. I think he has promise. We'll probably still have to help him out a little. Of course, this is for Hanon's sake, too."