https://forums.sufficientvelocity.com/posts/6287783/
"Don't forget.
One step out of the line..."
"I understand."
"... Later, then."
"Wait... Why?"
"..."
"You seem to rightfully hate me. Why, then, are you doing this?"
"... I had... I've got a friend, who's got a lot of faith in you. She'd want us to get along."
"I'm not sure I underst- And she vanishes into thin air. Figures."
A door slids open.
"I'm home!"
"Welcome home, father."
The arcade bustles with activity, electronic music and sound effects assaulting your ears.
"That's her, at the DDR?"
You nod. "Sakura Kyouko appreciates honesty, and is... tsundere."
She snorts, eyebrow raised.
"Your words," you shrug.
Sabrina nods in understading.
"Well, let's get to it." Without further preamble, she approaches the red haired girl stomping on arrows at the beat of the music.
"Wha'da ya want?" she asks without looking before either of you can open your mouths. "Kinda busy here."
"Mami needs your help."
Kyouko misses a step. You resist the urge to smack your forehead.
"
Oh, yeah?" says the read head through gritted teeth. She turns around slowly, shoulders stiff, back slightly bent, looking like a tigress about to pounce.
You shift a little closer to Sabrina. Kyouko pays little attention to you, eyes fixed on the white haired foreigner.
"Yeah," she bulldozes on, seemingly unaware of her increasing chances of contracting a spear to the gut. "Mami's
lonely, and she misses you," her earnest tone gives Kyouko pause for a moment, "we've been trying to be her friends, but Mami's... sad. Worse than sad. We're not quite good enough; Homura's...
working on being more friendly, and I'm..."
"
You've got a lot of nerve," cuts in the redhead, eyes narrowed, "walking up outta the blue to poke at old wounds? You don't even have a ring, if you know what I mean?"
Sabrina laughs. "Yeah, I guess I'm a total
casul."
What.
"What?" bites out Kyouko.
"The point is," the words rush out of Sabrina's mouth, her hands gesturing for emphasis, "Walpurgisnacht is coming to Mitakihara, and all the Witches are moving in for it; you've had a hard time hunting anything lately, haven't you?" she asks rethorically, ignoring Kyouko's frown. "Well, Mami's working overtime to hunt Witches, but the fact all her friends abandoned her
affects her-"
The redhead
winces, as if sucker punched.
"-And I fear she might
die if she keeps this up. At least, she won't be in top shape to face Walpurgisnacht."
The next few seconds are filled with the sound of electronic shouting voices and the excited shouting of people playing video games. Sakura Kyouko stands, back to the forgotten dancing game, her hands gripping the waist-height bar tightly enough you're sure it'll leave a mark.
When she answers, it's with a grimace.
"So
what?"
Sabrina sighs.
"I'm not asking you to be her friend," she states. "I'm asking you to help hunt Witches, and against Walpurgisnacht.
If you do," she continues before Kyouko can retort, "we'll pay for your lodgings at a five star hotel for the month and days until Walpurgisnacht."
You take that as your cue to whip out a stack of bills.
Sakura Kyouko's reaction doesn't disappoint, her eyes bulging out at the sight of it. You can
feel the greed emanating from her for a couple of seconds, before she reigns herself in.
"If ya think you can just buy me with that..." she makes a waving gesture, as if to ward away the mere notion of it. "
To start with," she goes on, seeing Sabrina open her mouth, "why the hell isn't
Tomoe Mami here saying all this, if she wants me back
so much?"
Blue eyes look sideways at you.
You stare back just as well.
"Well, besides how
hurt Mami is over all this," Kyouko's eye's twitches, "getting her to admit to wanting you back was..."
"Difficult," you finish, causing the redhead to shift uncomfortably.
"Traumatic," adds Sabrina.
"Harrowing."
"Like pulling teeth."
"
Very annoying," you let some of your frustration seep into your voice.
"I still feel guilty about it..."
"Enough!" exclaims Kyouko. Several people turn to stare, some curious, others in disapproval at her hogging the dancing machine without playing. Her red glare turns all those gazes away in a matter of seconds.
"Do you know what else we got Mami to admit?" asks Sabrina coyly, stepping closer and resting her elbow on the DDR machine's bar.
Kyouko leans back with a thoroughly annoyed frown, but prompts the white haired girl on with a raised eyebrow.
Sabrina grins. "Mami wants a rematch."
You do your best to not show any emotion, something Sabrina says you're very good at. She also says it's normally a bad thing, but it's useful right now in pretending that was part of the plan, or that Mami had ever said such a thing.
"Yeah?" Kyouko tries and fails to sound casual. She doesn't fool even you.
After a moment, she steps back and turns around. Her hands fish into her pockets to pull out a coin, which she inserts into the game.
"I'm not saying I'll go," she says.
You perk up, recognizing the tsun-tsun.
"But I'll think about it."
And that would be the dere-dere? You're still not sure about it, but judging by Sabrina's sudden, face splitting smile, that must be it.
"Well, thanks for considering it," says Sabrina with as much cheer as ever, "hopefully we'll see you around."
"Tch," Kyouko shrugs.
You don't need Sabrina's hand on your shoulder to realize you've been dismissed. You silently nod at Sakura Kyouko's back and walk out of the arcade, mixing back into the crowds alongside your white haired friend.
"We have to talk about your... bluntness," you state, and add, "and how to not get stabbed by meguca in the future."
Sabrina laughs nervously. "Come on, it all worked out, right?"
You give her a
look.
"I'm telling Mami."
Sabrina flinches.
