Work Text:
Yamato Maya had made a mistake.
She once more looked at the bag, discouraged. They had looked so yummy... They still did, in a way. It had been an impulse purchase and she knew it.
Jeez. She had hoped they were milder, or at least sweeter. But... It hadn't been the case.
"What am I gonna do with these..."
Someone else could have considered throwing them away, but Maya didn't. For starters, they weren't cheap... And even if they were free, you don't throw food away. That much is obvious.
She had to take care of her mistake, it was her responsibility.
Suddenly, she had an idea. It was simple: even if she didn't like them... someone else might! After all, she could gift the bag to someone, could she not? Her eyes lighting up, she quickly thought about possible people to give it to.
Maybe she could give it to someone in Pastel*Palettes? But she couldn't recall seeing anyone eating spicy stuff, and even though they had practice tomorrow, Chisato didn't like it when they wasted time... And she didn't know how long it'd be before they went out for tea as a group. What if the candy wasted before that?! She'd better think of a faster alternative.
Maybe someone from theater group? She couldn't picture most of the girls there eating ultra spicy candy. She couldn't picture herself doing it either, but that wasn't the point right now.
Maybe Kaoru would like them? She had no idea what her favorite food was, as she always said some weird, fancy stuff to fit her image. So maybe...
Her mind set, Yamato Maya could finally breathe. She decided to stroll around the commercial district for another while, though - she liked the breeze and fresh air.
It was a little while later she spotted three girls walking towards Ryuusheido and, recognizing them, decided to follow. She was curious and, let's face it, people watching was funnier than aimlessly wandering. Worst case scenario, she could check if Arisa's grandma had any new tech equipment for sale.
Arriving at the shop, she could hear a conversation unfold.
"Pray tell, do you have any idea of what you want to get her? Or are we just grasping at straws here?" someone said tiredly.
"That's a wonderful idea, Misaki! We could get her something made of straw!"
"Straw? Oooh, Kokoron! Look at this straw hat!"
"That's... Not what I meant? We need - wait. That's actually something I can picture Kaoru-san wearing." she sighed, but there was a hint of a smile in her voice. "Still, we need something else to bundle this with..."
"No problem at all! Let's look around, Hagumi!"
"Yeah, Kokoron! Mii-kun, wait here and take care of that, we'll be right back with nice stuff!"
"How do you two always manage to reach the best outcomes even when you don't understand the path you take? Heh..." Misaki whispered to herself, chuckling, as the other two girls took off running.
Maya then noticed Misaki was looking right at her. Oops.
"Okusawa-san! Hello! I didn't mean to-"
"Ah, Yamato-san. Didn't see you there, you should've said hi. Are you also looking for a present for Kaoru-san? You could join our group gift, if you want. Pretty sure the others won't mind."
"Present? Kaoru-san?" Maya was now pretty confused, to say the least. Christmas had already happened days ago, didn't it? Yes, it did - even if December was usually a blur, Maya was sure at least a week had passed since. So what was Misaki talking about?
"Well, I mean, its still pretty far away. It's in a month or so. Her birthday, that is. You could look for something on your own instead if you're more comfortable with that, of course."
Oh.
Maya blinked once, twice. She hadn't considered this. She couldn't give the candy to Kaoru now: it would be really rude to give her a birthday present so she could get rid of it. And now she also needed to think of a gift, unless...
"Um. Would you guys mind if I join? Although I can't spend too much, huhehe..."
"No worries, Kaoru told Kokoro she didn't want anything expensive, that's why we're here. Wanna take a look with them while I wait here? They told me to 'hold the fort' or something like that."
Maya nodded, and started walking through the aisle, when she had an idea. Quickly turning back, she exclaimed:
"By the way, Okusawa-san! Would you like to try this super spicy candy? I got it fro-"
"SHHHH! What are you saying that aloud for? Imagine if Hagumi or Kokoro hear you! They don't have any idea of what a limit is. They'd eat all of it! Bag included!"
Maya wanted to say "Great! Even better!" but she could see genuine worry in Misaki's eyes: not for her or her candy, but for the other two's health. She sighed.
A while later Kokoro and Hagumi returned, hugged Maya and showcased their discoveries: A Shakespeare Works Collection ("Rejected. She has like 67 of those already."), a tribal mask ("Rejected, it's giving me PTSD from that cruise."), a flannel shirt with the word 'Ephemeral' embroidered (which was accepted), a bonsai tree (which Arisa retrieved, suddenly appearing next to them and shouting "IT'S NOT ON SALE!"), and a Polaroid camera (which was accepted after Maya remembered Kaoru always printing the theater poster shots in a polaroid-esque aesthetic). All in all, they were all happy with their loot, and parted ways.
And there stood Maya, with the candy still in her hand.
"Ugh... Is this thing cursed or something?"
Sighing, she started walking. It was still daytime, but not for long: the sky was started to look a little bit more golden.
Her head in the clouds, she didn't recognize the girl sitting in one of the terrace tables from a café until she called her out.
"Maya-chan!"
Squinting, she looked for the place's name: Hazawa Coffee. That explained it.
"Chisato-san!" She quickly approached her. Maybe she would like the candy! "What are you doing here? You usually prefer sitting inside the establishment when we go for cake after rehearsal, don't you?"
"Correct. But I'm waiting for someone, so I thought it'd be better if I was outside. That way I'll see her arrive."
"Huh, that makes sense. Hmm..." She could try, could she not? "Chisato-san, I got some super spicy candy. Do you want to try one?"
Surprised, Chisato took a second before answering.
"Super spicy...?" She slowly shook her head. "I-I think I'll pass..."
Maya hung her head.
"... I had a feeling you'd say that." Looking once more at the bag, she mumbled for herself, "hmm... What am I going to do with all these..."
Sensing danger was still around, Chisato made a choice.
"Hina-chan might like that kind of thing, you know?" She had no idea if it was the case, but she couldn't risk Maya staying here. She was about to arrive, and if Maya offered her the bag, she wouldn't be able refuse, as she was too nice for that. And Chisato didn't want to end up eating super spicy candy. At all.
Maya's face lit up, making her feel a little bit guilty.
"I see! I'll go give some to her!"
Waving her goodbye, Chisato whispered to herself.
"...I think I'm safe now..."
"Safe? Are you ok, Chisato-chan?"
Chisato turned around instantly, smiling as she already knew who she was gonna see.
"Kanon! I'm so glad to see you. I was ok, but now I'm great!"
And, laughing, they went inside the shop.
Meanwhile, Maya had called Hina and asked her if she was around town. It turned out she was!
As the sun finished setting, the drummer found her bandmate at the park, doing origami.
"Maya-chan! I'm trying to make a lot of doggies for my sister~ Wanna help?"
"No, actually... Wait, these are super realistic! Uh..." Maya started walking backwards. She was getting nervous just by seeing the figures.
"Yeah, I know!" Hina playfully picked up one of the paper dogs and made Maya face it. "Woof woof! Ain't it cute?"
"No! It isn't!" Maya was now really stressed. "Listen, I just came to give you some candy. Chisato-san said you'd like it." She threw the bag at Hina in a panic.
Luckily, the guitarist caught it.
"Hmm... Looks yummy! Here, have a doggy as thanks!"
"PLEASE NO. DON'T!"
And off she went, running, as Hina chased her to give her her prize. What an adventure-filled day.