[x] Telepathy Ariane for permission to bring friends along, if they want to.
[x] Talk with Kishi/Evelyn during lunch.
-[x] Tell Evelyn about Ariane, the new friend you made. We found out she's also a magical girl.
--[x] Because of circumstances, she also needs a tour of Mitakihara. That's kinda what you spent most of yesterday on.
-[x] She invited us over today. You want to come?
[x] Library: Need to get an extension on Harry Potter and some of your manuals.
[x] Listen during class.
[x] Attend Gym.
While Evelyn hastily starts bringing out her school supplies from her bag, you take your attention elsewhere. Namely, to Ariane whom you decide contact through telepathy while you still remember what you wanted to say,
'A-Ariane, can I ask you something?'
There is brief moment of silence on the other end before you hear the girl's voice in your,
'Huh, yes-' there is a sudden pause in her speech that causes you to worry for a moment. Did you get her at a bad time?
'-Uh, sorry… Miss Celia didn't think trying to talk to you through telepathy was a valid or even a believable excuse for not paying attention. I don't understand why she's so disbelieving, this is a perfectly legitimate form of communication!' she tells you indignantly,
'But she's busy at the moment, so what is it? Something good?'
'I-I think this Celia is not a Magical Girl, so she wouldn't know about things like this,' you tell Ariane and rub your forehead in disbelief,
'Still, I wanted to ask you if I could bring some friends along if I come over today? I-I am not yet sure if they have the time, but I wanted to make sure it's okay with you first.'
'So Kishi is coming too! Of course it's okay! But you said friends… Plural… Who else? Are they fun? Are they nice?' she almost shouts at you through the link, sounding delighted at the prospect. You have suppress the chuckle threatening to leave your mouth, lest you appear crazy to Evelyn.
'S-she's called Evelyn, and I suppose she is nice... I-I think you should meet her yourself first hand, though.'
'I'm looking forward to it!' she tells you, happy with the answer.
'G-good to hear. N-now, I need to get back to the class. I-I'll be seeing you later!' you say and turn your attention back to the lesson. Looks like there are no problems on this front at least.
'See you!' Ariane tells you before falling silent herself and leaving you to participate in the lesson in peace. Next to you, Evelyn is busily taking notes, heedless to the plans you have for the day and the conversation you just had.
You take a look at the book in front of you and get to work. And after several hours of studying, the bell finally signals the beginning of the lunch break. Both you and Evelyn practically bolt out of the classroom to meet up with Kishi and get the good seats in the cafeteria.
Being quick pays off, and you are among the first in the spacious hall. Getting one of the secluded tables, you sit down to eat your lunches and talk.
"Okay, I think you should be informed too, Evelyn," you begin the conversation while bringing out your two bento boxes,
"so I mostly spent yesterday with a new friend I met. A-Ariane's her name... and she's a Magical girl too."
While she seems somewhat surprised by you bringing this up, Evelyn seems to take the news in a stride and nods slowly in confirmation,
"Okay? I kind of get it why you'd want to tell about it... but there's more to it, right?"
You take a quick look at Kishi who is busy chewing through a mouthful of rice before nodding at Evelyn in turn,
"W-well, yes. S-she hasn't been outside often, so she needs a tour through Mitakihara. T-that's kind of what Kishi and I spent yesterday doing…"
You take a deep breath before continuing,
"but she also invited us to come over today. So I was thinking if you wanted to come too? I already talked about this with her, and she seems to be okay with the idea."
"You know, I have never met this Ariane before, and I don't think she was on any of the preparation courses either. So I am curious enough about her to accept. Count me in," Evelyn tells you,
"Does she live very far?"
"Somewhat, she lives in this big mansion-like house North from here. W-we need to take a bus there, and I was also thinking of taking a short trip to the library on the way to renew some of my loans and get more of the Potter series for reading."
"Sounds like a plan," Evelyn summarizes before looking at your bento boxes,
"Also, why did you bring two boxes of lunch today?"
Even Kishi suddenly turns to look at the still closed boxes. Right, you had already forgotten your uncle had prepared the portions double today… and you don't like where this is going one bit. With some hesitation, you open the first one only to find a perfectly normal meal waiting there for you. The text in the lid simply reads,
'To Tamiko.'
You stare at the other box with a growing feeling of dread inside you. This is going to be horrifying, isn't it? Setting aside the first one you open the box and stare at the contents inside: perfectly normal aside from the text of,
'To Kishi.'
Huh?
You sigh in relief. While the implications of making such boxes irritate you slightly, it was overall much better than you thought it would be. Even somewhat sweet of that utterly and irredeemably evil man. You show the meal to your friends with a slight smile,
"D-don't worry, it seems to be okay today!"
You give the other box to Kishi with a smile,
"Here, it is in your name, so I think you should have it! Uh, well in addition to yours."
Kishi's face flares up scarlet as she hesitantly takes the box and takes a look inside,
"T-thank you, I-I…"
"N-no worries, guess my uncle can be nice like this every once in a while," you say and turn to your own lunch, happy to get through this break without any incidents. You don't get to eat for long however, as you soon realize that Kishi has stopped eating entirely and is staring at her box with a horrified, blushing face. Evelyn seems to have noticed too and winces when she takes a peek inside.
"P-please n-noooooo…
"Um, Tamiko, I think it'd be better if you didn't eat any more. Trust me on this one," Evelyn says slowly, as if disbelieving of what she is seeing. While you set aside your utensils, your curiosity get the better of you and you get to the other side of the table to look.
In the bottom of the box is a piece of paper wrapped in contact paper. It contains a picture of your laughing face surrounded with a large red heart and a text of
'With love:' above it in big red letters.
Yeah, no way you are going to go through this. Now, if only you could get rid of the angry blush on your face...
===
With great difficulty, you manage to avoid setting off the clever trap your uncle has set in your box. Sure, there are some leftovers you could have eaten, but especially with the gym class on the way you have a valid excuse for not eating yourself full. As soon as you are done with your lunch, Kishi with her own original box, you make your way to the locker rooms to prepare for the Gym class.
You are among the first ones there, and it doesn't take long for Evelyn to change her clothes and leave to warm up. You take a bit longer, feeling still a bit unsure if you should even bother to be here. Out of all the classes here, P.E. is the worst one for you. In other classes, the feeling of being alone isn't as obvious, seeing that you can try to focus on the subject at hand without any heed to other students.
But in Gym... Well, teamwork is often needed in games, and it is too painful to be there by yourself.
So you procrastinate in the locker rooms, watching as people come and go, unsure what you really should do. Even with Kishi and Evelyn there, you don't know if you want to try your luck. Kishi is ready herself, but seems to have noticed your discomfort with the situation and tries to talk with you,
"T-Tamiko, are you a-alright?"
You smile weakly at her,
"D-don't worry, just thinking about something. N-nothing serious!"
She seems to be unsure about you answer,
"A-are you sure? I-I can help i-if you'd want that..."
"How about helping yourself to the hall, Happy-girl? You seem to be ready, so why bother prancing around here like you own everything?" a voice calls out from the other wall and Kishi seems to shrink a little almost instantly, her face becoming strained and almost fearful.
You take a look at the source of the voice, and come up with a black-haired girl. She is about your size and seems to be in heavy make-up. Still clad in the full school uniform, she is making no effort to change her clothes, instead casually sitting cross-legged on one of the benches. A few chuckles can be heard from some of the girls there, but not many seem to focus their attention to that.
"I-I'm s-sorry, I-I just-"
"Shove it. No one is interested in the groveling."
Kishi averts her gaze and looks down, hurt and trembling slightly. Your blood starts to boil and you find yourself ready to lash out, only to get stopped by Kishi grabbing your shoulder and talking to you through telepathy,
'P-please don't do a-anything... I-it won't h-help, j-just makes it w-worse.'
She dejectedly rises from the bench, ready to leave the locker room. The other girl doesn't seem to have paid any attention to you.
What do you do?
[] Fuck that, get the girls attention and attempt a verbal smackdown.
[] Fuck that, get the girls attention and apply a literal smackdown.
[] Nod, but stay here to talk with that girl when she is alone.
[] Stop Kishi, talk.
[] Pretend to leave after Kishi, but stay hidden nearby to talk to that girl privately when her guard is down.
[] Ignore everything. Go join the gym.
[] Write-in.
===
The next few updates will pretty much set the tone and several events of the chapter.