Tired and Confused

After the robot incident, Chris descended into a crowd of paparazzi that had gathered at the base of one of the robot's feet. She seemed to stumble as she landed, eventually ending with both knees on the ground, while cameras flashed and reporters spoke into their microphones, gesturing wildly at the large metal structure. Since there had been no crowd prior to her ascent, they'd probably formed as soon as people started mentioning it on social media.

"Out of the way!" came a shout from above, and in came the management lady, holding a struggling Kou in a headlock during her descent. In his struggle, he slipped from the collar, causing him to become normal...

...before he fell anymore, one of the reporters caught him.

Ella stared on from behind office doors, her head turning and taking in all the different commotions. All the other management people seemed to be used to this as they calmly negotiated with the media and people living in the vicinity, but they'd told her to watch and see how it was done.

The problem, however, was that she couldn't see herself doing this stuff.
---
It took a good few days until the media circus died down - if Chris wasn't furiously working on assignments or homework for university, she was training with the management people at the Company basement. Ella tried her best, but there was still the overall feeling that she wasn't needed at the Company.

However, there was talk about the management office about a welcoming party where people had to bring food pertaining to their own culture. Ella mulled over what to bring for a few days, and just as she consulted one of the family cookbooks in her attic, there came an enthusiatic knock at the door of her house.

It turned out to be Chris, still in her work attire (causing Ella to glance worriedly down at her own olive jumper and dun leggings). The part-time magical girl shoved her phone in her friend's face, showing her a social media invitation for the welcoming party. "I don't know what to make for this, but you're the expert here," the dark-haired girl told her, hands together in a pleading gesture.

"Well, I did become friends with you because I like the unique food you always have at home..." With a knowing shake of her head and a step aside, the blonde let her friend in, thinking back to the day they met.