Riona - you're pretty

The good thing was that Misao knew how to unfasten the ribbon, then tie it again. The bad thing was that Misao knew how to unfasten the ribbon, then tie it again. It felt invasive. But then it was done.

Still, just to be sure, Riona planked to the seat. The clerk there saw this with resigned detachment. The only other customer leered at her from the corners of his eyes. “Are you immune to the concept of embarrassment?” Misao asked.

“Nope. Ready.”

“...alright.”

No one had ever done her makeup before. Her aunts lived too far away. Yuu was Yuu. Her father was her father. There was nobody else.

“Stop moving,” Misao grumbled.

“I’m not?”

“I will pluck your eyeball out.”

“And eat it?”

“Huh—” Misao stopped. After a strange, short pause, she snorted. “No. Shut up and let me work.”

What else was there to do for the meantime, though? What did people usually do in these scenarios? Misao would probably admonish her for using her phone. Reading book spines three times in a row wasn’t fun. So she just watched Misao.

It was scary how much a uniform and braids could change someone. Riona wanted her hair to reach her mid-back by graduation, but it’d barely grown past her shoulders. She’d always worn it short so she wouldn’t have to think about it too much.

Short people had it easy. Less surface area meant more poof in general. Misao had pretty large eyes, too, though it could’ve been the makeup. She’d also done her eyebrows. Sometimes Riona wished that she was a boy, this being one of those times. It just kind of happened. It came and went.

Misao stopped. “Um. What?”

“You’re pretty.”

“Ah. Yeah, I know.” She kept working.

“No, I mean… very pretty.”

“Like I said, I know. Stop talking.”

“Why don’t you have a boyfriend?”

“Ugh.”

“If I was a guy, I’d probably like you.”

“...what.”

“I said if.”

Misao squinted. “How am I supposed to take that?”

“Like a compliment?”

“That’s it?”

Riona shrugged.

“...well then. Stop harassing me and be quiet.”

Some people were weird about compliments, she supposed. Riona had read that they were a good way to make acquaintanceships, so she’d been trying to find three good things about each person lately. A lot of the time, she only found one. She ended up avoiding those people. Empty compliments were nothing but veiled insults.

Misao used her fingers to wipe smudges. Was this how kissing felt like? That sensation on her lips? Her entire face felt heavier now. “Done. I think. Don’t touch!”

Riona had gone straight to rubbing her cheeks. “...fine.”

“I’ll kill you if you ruin it. Literally.”

If Riona was old enough, she’d try two drinking games: one shot for every literally and one for every time Misao played with her hair. Riona stood up, now beautified. Goodbye, Riona. Hello… Ri… Queena. Emperona, even.

With these heels, Misao barely reached her neck. “You titan,” was her commentary on the matter.

And like a certain titan, Riona waddled with her lower arms perpendicular to her torso—until she got used to the heels, anyway. Misao sighed, but said nothing. They walked. “Niwa likes summoning people to the Gwendolyn’s nearby.”

“...eh? Is that where he’s having the so-called party?”

“Yuu told me that it’s not really a mixer and to stop calling it that, so. But yeah, basically. It’s just uhh… gatherings where people find mates.”

“Mates…”

“I’m not sure what the politically correct term is.”

“Probably not that. Ugh. Fine. But you’re eating my fries.”

Misao said that like it was a bad thing. Riona hummed, as one did when threatened by a good time.

“And they’ll all be middle schoolers?”

“Some. There’s a few high schoolers. I think everyone is from ninth grade and above.”

“...ugh…”

Misao was such a ball of sunshine.

By the time they arrived at the Gwendolyn’s, a swarm of teenagers had already gathered on the second floor.

For some reason, Riona’s heart raced.

It was weird.

She knew several of those people. She didn’t talk to them that much, but said hi and bye back. They were mostly Yuu’s friends.

“Tsukishima?”

Riona blinked.

“Uh, are you alright?”

“Mm fine. I’m fine. Um. A bit nervous. Aren’t you? Because there are a lot of like. You know. People our age and. Boys. Boyfriends. Stuff. Do I look weird?”

Misao shook her head. Her face was blank.

“You promise?”

“Sure?”

“Will you leave?”

“No? Not until you do, at least.”

“And if you find a mate.”

Misao laughed again, and again it was humorless. “Trust me, I won’t.”

“But you’re pretty…”

“And that means nothing in the grand scheme of things. If anything, it’s kind of a curse. Let’s just go inside. Unlike you, apparently, I can feel cold.”

***

Disappointingly, she knew most—if not all—of the guys already. Some of them were older, sure, but they’d gone to her middle school until last year…

No one said hello to her, though.

Or to Misao, who had gone very quiet.

Niwa was the eye of the hurricane, of course. “Hey hey,” he greeted. “Take a seat. May I know who invited you?”

“Uh, you?”

He froze.

The room fell silent.

By this point, Riona didn’t know if she was hiding into Misao or if Misao was hiding into her.

“...wha…” Niwa pointed at her. “Tsukishima?”

“Who else, dipshit?”

He watched her up and down, up and down. “Oh, wow,” he said.

“I like you let’s date,” was Riona’s response. Misao’s facepalm was so loud that she actually heard it. “W-wait, never mind. Later. I’ll just go for food right now.”

“...yeah…” Niwa watched her leave.

“Are you stupid?” Misao asked as they headed downstairs.

“I was just. Yeah. You know how girls get a makeover scene and then the guy likes them?”

“Do you have NO concept of time and place?”

They stood in line now. Everything—Niwa, the impending confession, the sensation of fingers on her lips—faded against the prospect of fries. DOUBLE fries, even.

“Drooling,” Misao noted, then dabbed at Riona’s mouth with a handkerchief. “Don’t do this in front of your future boyfriend. Please.”

“I’ll take cheddar fries,” Riona told the cashier. “Two.”

“Wait—I know I said you could eat them, but why the add-ons?”

“And a choccy milkshake.”

“No milkshake,” Misao yapped. “Your stomach will bloat.”

“That’s fine. I’ll work out.”

“I mean—right now! It’ll bloat! Can you make it any more obvious that you don’t wear these things often? Tsu—”

Riona slammed her hand against Misao’s face to shut her up. She ordered cheddar fries, a choccy milkshake, and a cheeseburger. Upon being liberated, Misao ordered a salad. Riona would dump fries on it once Misao got distracted.

“Now,” Misao said as they headed back upstairs. “Do not. Do not. Do that with Niwa again.”

“Yeahhh. By the way, do you think he’s attractive?”

“...uh.”

“No?”

“I… I guess?”

“Yes or no? All my friends think he’s hot. Is he? I can’t tell.”

With no warning, Misao gripped Riona’s arm. Wide-eyed, she asked, “You can’t?”

Riona shook her head.

“But… oh, it’s because you don’t actually like him. Right? But if you liked him you’d think he’s attractive. Right?”

Riona had to squint to parse that. “M-maybe?”

“Was there anyone you did like?”

“Hmm… I’d have to look. I didn’t notice anyone in particular. By the way, if you find any hot guy, you can let me know as well. So we compare, you know.”

“Got it.”

Weird.

Not Misao… actually, yes. Yes Misao. That was weird. Riona had been expecting snark. Not only that, but Misao did not pull away. She’d been using Riona’s back as a shield earlier.

If she wasn’t comfortable around people, why show up, then? Why not tell Riona?

‘Will you leave?’

‘No? Not until you do, at least…’

“...ah. Misa—”

“Hey, Tsukishimaaa!” Called out one of Yuu’s female friends. She waved, too. That was also weird. Since when was she that friendly? “How’s it going?”

“Fine?” Gingerly—and also because her arm was seized—Riona waved in her general direction.

They’d formed a single, huge table by joining the smaller ones into a cluster. By this point, Riona’s feet were beginning to hurt, so she opted for whichever seat she found first, but one of the other guys there slapped his hand onto the seat. “Nope.”

And the next one. “Nope.”

And the next one. “Nu-uh.”

Had Riona not been wearing borrowed clothes and she would’ve beaten them up. From what she’d been told, once she got to high school, things would change; even a smaller guy would be able to fold her in a fight. Thus, she had to enjoy the thrill while she was still able to.

Once the fourth denied her a seat, she reached down for her heel to weaponize it. Misao was frozen behind her.

Oh, right…

“You know what,” Riona mumbled. “Maybe we should leave.”

“Hey!” Called out the fourth denier. “Why’s that? Niwa is right there.”

Which was around the time that she realized they were ‘goading’ her to sit next to him. So long as Misao sat on the other side, it’d be alright, she supposed.

But…

“Wanna leave?” She asked Misao, who shook her head.

“I’m fine. Like I said…”

“Yeah, but if you want, we could.”

“Meh.”

…oh, well.

Thus: the arrangement was as follows: Niwa, Riona, Misao, everyone else.

Everyone else talked.

Riona reached out for a fry. It was tasty, but…

“Say ‘ahh’,” she told Misao, who was now on her phone.

“No.”

“Yes.”

Niwa snorted. “So you’re like that with everyone, huh?”

“L-like what?”

“Yes. The answer is yes. By the way, have you found anyone interesting? Because the answer to what you asked earlier is still no.”

“Eh?” Both Misao and Riona said this at the same time.

Niwa was eating salad, too. He drank water instead of soda. “How about this?” He reached out for one of Riona’s fries. Riona reached out for a fork to stab him, then froze, for he held a fry in front of her. “Say ‘ahh’.”

She ate it.

“...yeah, see? No hesitation. None.”

“You should learn from me,” Riona told Misao.

“No thanks.”

Niwa took another fry. This time, he held it out for Misao. He had to lean over the table. “Say ‘ahh’.”

“‘Ahhshole.’”

He burst out laughing.