2715/Summer Plans

Summer Plans
Date of Scene:	01 August 2025
Location:	Dorms #1
Synopsis:	Wako and Chiyo procrastinate on their homework to discuss the finer points of mahou work/life balance, romance, and plans for the summer break.
Cast of Characters:	Wako Agemaki, Chiyo Sakai

---

Wako Agemaki has posed:
"Vice President..." Wako's muffled voice comes from the direction of her bed. "It's too warm for you to be on my head."

Muffled, because Wako is currently facedown on her bed in the triple dorm room she shares with Chiyo and Rashmi. The heat of Tokyo summer has not gotten her down all that much - coming from a tropical island, she's fairly used to it.

The books and notebooks currently making a mess of her desk tell the story: she's taking a break from studying, and the little yellow fox has taken the opportunity to try curling up on the back of her head.

It's not working out well for either of them.

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai was a native to this area of Japan, so the Summer heat was familiar. That doesn't necessarily mean she's doing *great* with it though! The amount of hair she had often meant she was a bit on the warmer side than she would like, and this may even explain her choice of hairstyle that she so often wore. It kept her curls away from her face, and shortened the length quite a bit. The large curls still fell to the back of her shoulders even so.

Still, at least she wasn't being smothered by a mascot on her head.

"Do you need a rescue, Wako-chan?" She asks with some amusement as she enters the dorm room carrying a spare fan she'd fetched from home. Even as she regards the form of Wako being smothered by Vice President, she moves to place the box fan on the floor while searching for a plug.

"This should help a bit. It's nice there's shade trees just outside, but I think moving air is just so much better."

Wako Agemaki has posed:
"It's okay," Wako begins, before pausing briefly to... gently encourage the fox off of her and onto the bedspread. "--There. Yes, go bother Chiyo-chan. Maybe she has a snack for you." She's pushing herself upright while she throws Chiyo under the small furry bus. Vice President, not seeming completely convinced, nevertheless scampers to the edge of the bed to peer curiously at Chiyo, his enormous ears pricked up as his head tilts.

Once she's scooted around to dangle her legs over the edge of the bed, Wako smiles at Chiyo and the box fan. "That will help," she agrees; "thanks. I don't even mind it warm so much, but when we're inside like this the room just turns into an oven, doesn't it?"

She hops down, looking toward the windows for a moment. "I think we can plug it in over here, so it gets a fresh breeze in from the window?"

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai laughs warmly at being tossed under the bus in regards to Vice President. "I'm sure I can find a snack for you," she agrees readily enough. She pauses just long enough to do that by going to the mini-fridge to open, and rummage around inside quickly. There's some naan left inside which she tears a peice off of to offer to the fox. Not meat, but still delicious, and she knew this version wasn't soaked in garlic.

Wako's suggestion about the window earns a nod of agreement. "That'll be best, probably. You're right though: It's just being in this corner it's not as if we get a cross-breeze through the windows often. Great in Winter though." It had been comfortably warm for Winter. Just. Not in Summer.

Once VP has been satisfied she moves the fan over to the window. There's a bit of a wiggle to make sure that it won't fall *out* the window, and is secure, before she moves to the chair at her desk. "That's *much* better."

Wako Agemaki has posed:
The moment Chiyo opens the minifridge, Vice President launches himself from Wako's bed and darts across the floor to hop onto the top of the fridge. The offer of a bit of naan is eagerly accepted and quickly nommed down.

Chiyo is more than capable of managing the weight and bulk of the fan, but Wako lends a hand anyhow, if only by helping to steady it while Chiyo gets it settled onto the sill and plugged in. As the fan hums to life and the air begins to circulate, she lets out a sigh that's half relief and half resignation.

"I guess I should get some more homework done," she says, but she sounds distinctly reluctant about it. "You know if I leave it until later in the break, we'll have some kind of magical disaster and end up having to cram."

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai doesn't seem the least bit surprised by VP's enthusiasm about food. Even Bonito, who was mostly lazy these days, always was eager for a treat. Though lately he was spending the majority of his time at the cat cafe claiming 'it's cooler in there' and also that he was protecting the cats. A doubtful claim.

The new fresh air thanks to the fan was just wonderful though. She leans back in her chair, letting her lets stretch out in front of her as she slumps with relaxation.

"I know. I feel so out of it lately myself. I mean sure there's the occasional youma but I know there's much more that's been going on. It's odd not being there to help." She had been training though. Traveling to the future, or the past, was not something she felt safe doing though so she often stayed behind in those sort of ventures so that she could protect the here and now.

"I've been trying to get ahead of my studies. Maybe we could join some study groups? They probably have other methods that could give us a head-start and maybe it won't be so bad if there's more of us working together on things."

Wako Agemaki has posed:
"That's not a bad idea," Wako muses. "Back home, I studied a lot with my friend Ruri-chan, or with Takuto-kun and Sugata-kun. Sometimes with the rest of the Drama Club, too. It just seems like it goes by quicker with friends than it does by myself."

Instead of heading to her desk, she meanders over to the minifridge. She pauses to scritch Vice President behind his ears before leaning to open the fridge, and ponders its contents for a few moments before taking out a bottle of ramune. "Do you want one, Chiyo-chan?" she asks, holding it up so her roommate can see.

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai considers the merits of ramune or not ramune--But a cold drink did sound wonderful. "Yes, please. That sounds great right now." A cool breeze, cold ramune, and hanging out with a friend. How could that be wrong?

The chair creaks when she leans forward to reach out for the bottle being offered. It was a bit old, but still a comfy chair.

"Yeah. I wouldn't mind a study group. It feels less isolated that way. We could see about finding one or starting one up. I know that Usagi-chan and her friends have a lot--but they might already be too full."

"... Sooooo. Did the boys tell you about what Reshbal did the other day? If not that's good," she adds in a rush with a sidelong glance, looking mildly embarassed. "Resh has been antsy and wanting gossip lately."

Wako Agemaki has posed:
The minifridge door thumps shut and Wako brings the second bottle over to Chiyo. Condensation is already starting to bead on the glass as she hands it over.

"Doesn't hurt to ask, either way," she says. She's occupying herself with peeling the plastic off the cap and popping the glass bead down into the bottleneck when Chiyo brings up Reshbal and makes Wako pause.

"They didn't say anything. What happened? If Reshbal is causing trouble for you, we ought not just let it slide..."

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
"No, it's okay!" Chiyo blurts out quickly. "Sugata alread warned him. Resh was trying to help but it was embarassing, is all." Embarassing enough that she still looks a little pink from recalling it. Then again what had been blurted was rather embarassing.

"I was trying to convince them that I could use some more free time outside of Kendo Club and our private practices and Resh tried to explain why. Bluntly."

A quick whack of her hand to the top of the ramune pops the marble inside, and does so with enough skill that it doesn't fizz over. A sip is taken before she dares speak again.

"I mean I'd like to have a bit of a social life. I do know training is important too though. I'm not planning to slack off."

Wako Agemaki has posed:
Wako's eyebrows lift, but she doesn't press the matter. A practiced push of the heel of her hand dislodges the glass marble, and she takes a long pull of cold ramune before she moves to drop the little piece of plastic into the non-burnable garbage.

"I know better than to think you're slacking," she assures Chiyo. "Sugata-kun can be pretty unreasonable about training. You should've seen the way he drove Takuto-kun back on the island." She quirks a wryly amused, lopsided grin. "Why do you think I've never let them teach me? It's fine not to let them push you around so much about it."

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai looks just a bit relieved when the issue isn't pushed. It was her own fault for bringing it up but... she felt like she ought to apologize if Wako *had* been told.

Yeah. That's a good point," she adds with a laugh. "Though with those two I think it's also partially their way of flirting. Of *course* they're going to enjoy it."

"Actually Takuto has been very thoughtful of teaching me. He refuses to go full out with me unless we're in henshin. Which is fair." Leaning back in her seat she adds, "He would totally beat me if he did."

Wako Agemaki has posed:
"It didn't start that way," Wako says with a rueful laugh, "but you're probably right. Especially since it's so rare that they find anyone else who can keep up with either of them..."

She shakes her head, her smile softening. "That's good. Honestly, I'd be surprised if Takuto-kun wasn't like that. He's usually very thoughtful... and he knows what it's like to have Sugata-kun insisting on kendo training every morning, even on weekends. If he were pushing you that hard, I'd have had to say something to him."

She is not offering to say anything to Sugata. Probably Wako is well aware there is no reasoning with Sugata on this point.

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai draws a deep breath which she holds a moment as she thinks. It's let out quick, along with a soft chuckle. "You're right. I can stand up for myself if and when I need to. I was just afraid I might upset them. I know they're trying to help me, and excited to do so."

"I mean, I get it." Here she smiles, softly, as her gaze drops down to her hands gazing at the ramune bottle she holds. "I remember how eager I was to have teammates when I was a Culinary Guardian. You three are amazing together of course. ... Frankly I kind of enjoy having teammates, too."

Wako Agemaki has posed:
"I hope you do feel like we're your teammates, and you're ours." Wako's honey-brown eyes hold earnestly on Chiyo's, her drink momentarily forgotten in her hand. "I'm sure it's a little awkward, with the three of us already being a team even before we came to Tokyo... and the three of us being together the way we are, too. But you're a Star Driver now just like we are. And before that, you're our friend. So if there's anything you need from us, you can ask any time."

She pauses for a beat, and then shakes her head with a tiny little laugh. "Don't worry about upsetting the guys, either. Takuto-kun knows expecting you to train all the time is unreasonable... and telling Sugata-kun no sometimes is good for him."

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
"I do!" Chiyo rushes to assure while smiling. She's earnest about it, and leans forward a little. "Trust me, I do. I just sometimes worry I'm getting in the way. You're all great though. I don't feel like I'm alone anymore--I mean, I never really was, I know that. It's just really different learning powers with no one else having similar ones compared to now."

"It's a good kind of different."

"Well, they both had a good idea about my training anyway. I should only train with them while in henshin, and the rest of the time I can train with the Kendo Club regularily so I learn the basics. Which makes sense."

Wako Agemaki has posed:
Wako's smile warms, and she nods a little. "You're definitely not in the way! But I get it. It'll just take a little more time for you to really feel like it, considering everything."

Belatedly she remembers her ramune; she lifts the bottle to her lips for another drink. "That makes sense" she says. "And it leaves you time to do things that aren't just school and clubs and training and fighting. As long as the youma cooperate, at least."

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai lets out the smallest of breaths as Wako seems to understand rather well. She was good at that though. Another grin comes as her hand lifts to brush an errant curl back behind her ear. "Right, exactly."

"I mean. I'd like to find someone to love, just like you have the boys." Here she pauses with a bit of embarassment. "Even if I haven't had much luck so far. I mean. Philip was..." She lets out a sigh. "Anyway."

Wako Agemaki has posed:
Wako inclines her head towards Chiyo understandingly. "I'm sure there's a guy out there who's right for you," she says. "You just need to meet him. I want for you to be as happy as I am with the guys... preferably without all the trouble it took to get there." She pulls a brief, wry face.

Moving back over to Chiyo's desk, she looks for a moment like she means to drape her arm around Chiyo's shoulder - but though the fan has made a nice breeze in the room, it's still pretty warm, and she settles for propping her hip against the edge of the desk. "I hope you meet a great guy sometime soon. Maybe during the break! A summer romance..." She goes a little dreamy-eyed thinking about it.

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
"Some day I will, I'm sure. I'm not giving up just because of some bad experiences." Chiyo watches Wako move with a slight swivel of her chair to follow the motion. Knowing her friend she could guess what she had meant to do... but it *was* Summertime heat. She got that too. Instead she just smiles.

"I see you, and the boys, and Usagi-chan and her husband, and so many others that are really, truly happy. I know it's possible. I'm not giving up." A pause and she adds, "I'm... not going to be like my mother and just... Yeah." Her head shakes a little.

"Anyway. Apparently there's a guy who has a crush on me according to his friend? It's one of those British students that just arrived. Not the rude one."

Wako Agemaki has posed:
"Ooooh?" Chiyo already had Wako's attention, but now she really has her roommate's attention. She braces the heel of one hand against the desk and leans in a little, brows lifting and eyes wide with curiosity.

A British student-- "I think I met one of those, the day you texted me because there was a bit of a kerfuffle at lunch. Roman-kun? Is that him, or is he the 'rude one'?"

Not that Roman had seemed rude to Wako, but he definitely had a bit of a way about him that she could see giving that impression.

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
"No that's not him," Chiyo remarks with a quick shake of her head at the name that she was told. "Lincoln." The name is said slowly and with every effort to enunciate so that she says it correctly. L's were so hard though! "They're apparently friends though."

A guilty, sheepish little smile creeps over her as she recalls the blonde in question. "I met him while we were both in line for icecream. We started talking, and-" Here she pauses to laugh with amusement. A little giggle, not quite laugh but the sort of chuckle that shows she was remembering something cute.

"While we were talking he tried to lean against the partition on the icecream counter---" The grin deepens. "And nearly fell in."

Wako Agemaki has posed:
Chiyo's mirth is catching; Wako tries and fails to suppress a giggle. "Oh, nooo! Poor guy. Was he trying to be cool?" She hopes he was. It's funnier that way.

She leans back a little and sips at her ramune, considering briefly. "What do you think of him?" she wonders. She has a bit of an inkling from how Chiyo is talking... but it doesn't pay to assume too much in matters like this. "Have you seen him again since then, or did you just meet the one time so far?"

She's focused on this like it's a matter of grave importance, which of course it is. If this guy has a crush on Chiyo, and Chiyo likes him back, it's her solemn responsibility as Chiyo's friend and teammate to be her wingman.

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai lifts her hand to her mouth, curled into a loose fist as she chuckles. "I think he was trying to be. I thought it was cute... I mean, that he was trying to be cool in front of me." It really was. "And the fact that he wasn't like, perfect about it, makes him a bit more... human. Relatable."

"Philip... wasn't human."

Ah, but that was in the past.

"He stopped by the shop the other day. We didn't get to talk much before Roman-san showed up and started teasing him. Mamo-kun had to step in and talk to him about saying embarassing things."

How did she feel though? She pauses to consider that with a sigh. "So far, he's nice. He likes candy and sweets but I think maybe liking those things I like isn't the best test as to whether or not someone is good for me. It hasn't worked so far."

Wako Agemaki has posed:
"It's not like that's not important," Wako counters. "If you didn't like any of the same things, then what would you even do together, or talk about? It's not the only thing that's important, but I think it's a good start. And," she adds, "if he becomes a regular at the shop, it'll be a good excuse for you to see more of him!"

Wako's mind is going into overdrive on this. "Of course we probably shouldn't count on that. It'd be good if you got a chance to hang out with him during the summer break..."

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai grins a bit as she settles back into her seat considering that. "Good point. You know... It's been not too bad lately with everything going on. We should think of some Summer plans to begin with."

A good thing to discuss over ramune to be sure!