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Haru stepped out of the basketball court with a spring in her step, happy that she won her first game. She decided to take a quick jog before going home, so she headed towards Palm Boulevard where Cocoba Hotel was located. Haru made a quick stop to the table-tennis area to see if there was a match going on, but no one was there.
Or so she thought.
Right before she was about to turn around and leave, she heard a faint noise coming from behind the bushes. Haru went to investigate, making her steps as quiet as possible. "Hello?" She said as she parted the bushes with her disembodied hands.
She saw someone sitting there, knees pushed to their faces. They appeared to be crying. The mystery Mii looked up and gasped. "Go away!" They cried, backing away. Haru, although taken aback, didn't comply. "Are you okay?" She asked, eyebrows furrowing with concern. The crying Mii only responded with a whimper and no words. Haru, not knowing what else to do, pulled out something out of her pocket and handed it to the Mii.
It was a packet of tissues, which the other took, albeit a little hesitantly. They took off their glasses and wiped their tears, then put the used tissue in their pocket. Haru stepped in and sat next to them. "What's your name?" She asked.
"Asami."
"Oh, what a pretty name! I'm Haru."
Asami smiled a little, but quickly turned her head and said nothing else.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Haru offered. Asami nodded.
"I'm so sick of everyone always making fun of me. They always call me a goldfish and laugh at me because I'm not good at sports. And they make fun of my accent, like they don't know I'm Japanese! I never really got along with anyone here, and when I heard that there were new residents coming to Wuhu Island, I was dreading it 'cause I didn't want more people bullying me. I'm a grown woman in my late 20s and I still cry about it."
"Hey, it's okay to cry. Have you done anything about this?"
"Well, I would tell my brother, Hiromasa, about it. He would confront the aggressors about it, even threatened to beat them up for it one time. But eventually he stopped because it happened so often, and I stopped telling him 'cause they'd call me a narc and other not-so-nice names."
It looked like Asami was about to break into tears, so Haru leaned in and hugged her. "I'm so sorry, no Mii should ever be bullied like that." She retracted back into her place. "Sorry, I forgot to ask if you wanted a hug." She said apologetically. "No, it's okay... I kinda needed it." Asami replied, looking down and smiling a little.
"Well, if it makes you feel any better, what your bullies say is wrong. I saw your log the other day, and I'm impressed. You're really good in table tennis, an early pro in cycling, and a Swordplay Showdown boss! Those are some incredible feats." Haru remarked. She looked away. "And you look pretty... Not like a goldfish at all." She added.
Asami blushed. "Oh, t-thank you! You're the first person to be nice to me... I appreciate it..." She said shyly. Haru beamed and got up from her spot, holding out her hand to her new friend. "I think everybody needs a tomodachi in their life. I'll be happy to be yours."
