478/Office Hours -- Momo

Office Hours -- Momo
Date of Scene:	21 September 2023
Location:	Administrative Office
Synopsis:	New student Momo Sasaki stops by Kyouka's office to get some advice, Naru assists.
Cast of Characters:	Momo Sasaki, Kyouka Inai, Naru Osaka

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Momo Sasaki has posed:
Momo Sasaki is the new girl. She started a couple weeks after the start of term, so she's a bit awkward with her peers but even moreso around the adults. So maybe it's a little strange when she peeks into Kyouka Inai's office around lunch time, eyes wide. Seeing the mostly empty office, she steps in more fully and knocks on the open door gently. "Inai-sensei?" she says quietly. She's not trying to be too quiet, but she doesn't want to intrude, either.

It's weird when Momo gets shy, and it makes her even more uncomfortable in her skin. She doesn't squirm, to her credit, but the poor girl is obviously unhappy about more than one thing.

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    It's around lunch time, which means Kyouka was getting ready to head to lunch! She's far too lazy and/or scattered to actually prepare and bring a lunch, so she usually hits up the ramen joint down the road around this time (Japan is full of cheap, convenient food choices, at least if you're looking for basic stuff), and she was just standing up from her desk, reaching for her jacket, when Momo calls her name from the doorway.

    Abandoning the jacket on the back of the chair for the moment, she turns towards the door, offering a smile and a quirk of a brow. "Yes? Can I help you?" Her tone is friendly , and unhurried, not giving the impression that Momo is interrupting or unwelcome.

Momo Sasaki has posed:
    Momo still hesitates a moment, but gives a respectful bow. "I hope I'm not interrupting?" she murmurs. Forging ahead, she gives Kyouka a polite smile. Her nerves are singing and she looks very wooden. "I just transferred... My name is Momo Sasaki." Another bow, shallower, and she kinda just... awkward teen stances in the doorway. She looks lost.

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    Kyouka remains standing, but rests her hand on the desk, leaning on it as she shakes her head, smiling. "No, it's fine. I was about to take my lunch break, but it's not like it can't wait a few minutes." She listens to the girl introduce herself, and she nods her head as she hears that she is a new student.

    "Ah, I see. Well, welcome to Radiant Heart Academy!" She says, gesturing with her un-leaning hand in a way as if to say 'here it is'. "Do you need help with anything in particular? I'm sure I can point you in the right direction of anything you might need."

Momo Sasaki has posed:
Momo bites her lip and looks uncertain, but the welcome makes her shoulders lower from around her ears. She laughs, but it's a little hollow. "I went to the same school my entire life. Until now," she says. "And--I don't think I know how to meet people?" She shrugs helplessly. From popular kid to unknown quantity! It's hard.

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    Kyouka quirks her lips to the side, considering the other girl, and then shrugs her shoulders. "Well, I can't offer you any kind of secret solution or cheat sheet. I would suggest finding a club you are interested in and looking to join that." She crosses her arms, leaning her hip on the desk she is still standing beside. "Do you have any particular interests or hobbies? Finding a club with people who enjoy the same sorts of things is usually a good place to start."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Inai-sensei!" A voice calls from just outside the office, and there's a bustling teenager that comes along with it. Naru gets to the doorway and then realizes that even though it's lunchtime, Kyouka is busy with a student.

"Ah! My apologies, I didn't realize you were busy." She smiles brightly at the other girl, giving a little nod of her head in greeting.

Momo Sasaki has posed:
Momo Sasaki nods, looking a bit defeated. Apparently the girl had hoped adults had answers to this kinda thing! "I'm in a few, but they haven't met yet," she mumbles. She shrugs helplessly again, before Naru storms in! She looks to the other girl and blinks a bit. "You look familiar?" she says thoughtfully. "I think we're in class together...." She looks at Kyouka a bit hesitantly before nodding to Naru. "Hi, I'm Momo Sasaki!" And she bows again.

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    "Well, that's definitely a good place to start," Kyouka says of the clubs, pleased to hear that Momo has already joined a few on her own, even if she hasn't actually been to any yet.

    Naru chooses this moment to enter unannounced, and Kyouka has a lopsided smile for her which seems tolerantly affectionate. "Osaka-san. It's no trouble. Sasaki-san here was just stopping by to introduce herself, she's a new student. Sasaki-san, this is Naru Osaka-san. Maybe she has some advice for you beyond 'join clubs', although I shouldn't be making students do my job."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Hi!" Naru offers brightly to Momo and nods. "I'm pretty sure we're in the same grade, I've seen you at some classes. It's a pleasure to meet you more fully."

Naru considers and then nods. "As irritating as it sounds, once clubs actually meet a few times, it's easier to chat with people who have similar interests. Otherwise.. mostly it's just summoning up the courage to say hello to people in class or whoever you happen to be sitting next to at meals or the like."

"Are you in the girls dorm?" Naru asks to further gather information on the parameters here. "That also helps, its hard not to meet people when you all live together."

Momo Sasaki has posed:
Momo looks at Kyouka hesitantly, before nodding a bit. "Still," she says after a moment's thought. "You're only one person, so... I guess it's important to recognize when you aren't sure of something?" She looks a bit thoughtful at the revelation, to be honest! Up until about five minutes ago she thought adults knew everything and had confidence and stuff that got them through everything. Now she's thinking that maybe the old saying 'fake it til you make it' applies longer than childhood.

She offers a smile to Naru. Maybe ironically, the other girl's energy and kindness makes her feel better instead of more reserved. "That's true. Clubs are good for meeting people. I think I just wanted a magic solution right away." Her smile is crooked, before she nods at Naru. "Yep," she confirms. "The dorms are my first time away from home so much. It's a little weird," she confesses.

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    "Marshalling one's resources is important to doing a job well." Kyouka agrees, as if this isn't an entirely self-serving conclusion, "And Osaka-san is in mot cases an excellent resource." 'Fake it til you make it' applies to Kyouka in particular in this job a lot more than she'd like most people to realize.

    She does nod in agreement with Naru's question about the dorms. "Yeah, that's true. If you live in the dorms you have no choice but to meet people. Sometimes there's gatherings or events in or around the dorms which are also a good opportunity."

    She chuckles. "Magic might be good for a lot of thing, but generally meeting people isn't one of them." She's probably just joking about the whole 'magic' thing.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"I mean you /could/ try mind controlling everyone in grade nine to be your friend, but I don't know about you, but my psychic powers suck." Naru quips with a bright smile.

Around here, she might even be serious.

And then she starts to giggle. Just a joke. Right? Right.

"I think it's the first time away from home for most of us, beyond sleepovers and summer camp." Naru confirms. "I had the advantage of arriving with my bestie as my roommate, so it wasn't nearly so bad. If you meet Usagi, that's her. She is a bit of a whirlwind extravert, be warned."

Momo Sasaki has posed:
Momo nods and smiles a bit shyly at Naru. "I met... Cho Konishi?" she says, thoughtfully. Then she blinks at Naru and Kyouka, uncertain if they're serious. Naru's giggle makes her relax again, but she still looks thoughtful and uncertain. "That's fair," she says to Naru. "That's awesome. I don't have a roommate since I moved in late, but everyone's been pretty cool." She nods. "I can be a whirlwind extrovert myself, just--on more familiar footing, I think." She glances at Kyouka. "I just realized you probably take lunch with the rest of us," she says. "Do I need to let you go so you can actually eat?" Her own belly rumbles and she blushes a bit. "I should find the cafeteria from here. It's not gonna be hard to find though..."

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    Kyouka smiles as she reaches up and grabs her jacket from the back of the chair. She holds it over one shoulder as she turns to walk past the girls and towards the door. "Don't worry about holding me up. This is my job, after all, and I don't mind helping. I'm sure once you find some solid ground under your feet, you'll do just fine."

    On her way past, she pats Momo reassuringly on the shoulder. "Perhaps Osaka-san can show you towards the cafeteria? You're right, it's not exactly difficult to find. And if you need any help, feel free to come back any time." She smiles, then exits out the door to find her own food.

Momo Sasaki has posed:
Momo nods at Kyouka. "Thank you, Inai-sensei," she murmurs with another of her small smiles. "I appreciate that." Then she looks to Naru. "I've been to the cafeteria to eat but not from this direction," she says.

Naru Osaka has posed:
Naru giggles softly. "Inai-sensei dodges the cafeteria, I'm pretty sure she delights in escaping us students for a little while." It's teasing, especially with Kyouka /right there/, and it's affectionate.

"Well then, just pretend this is familiar ground, because it will be soon enough, and extravert at it until its true." Naru advises. "C'mon, I'm hoping for fried tofu at the hot food station today, it's really good, even if you're not a vegetarian. The cafeteria is easy enough to find from this direction too."

Naru leads the way on the charge for fried tofu!

Momo Sasaki has posed:
Momo grins at the teasing between teacher and student. It's nice to see, honestly. Then she nods at Naru, cheerful. "That's fair," she says. "Let's go! I love tofu." And she follows Naru to the cafeteria!