Chapter Text
Yoshino Yayoi talked for nearly the entire ride to Seri’s bridal shower, eyes bright behind her round glasses. She spoke of Mr. Zenjoh and his cat, of the difficulties opening the file cabinet in the general affairs room, of the weather and of how happy she was that the Captain had given her the weekend off. How much trouble she’d had picking a present for Seri, but was pretty pleased with what she got—but, oh, she couldn’t tell Seri! That would be spoiling the surprise. How handsome Seri’s fiancé was, how lucky he was to be marrying Seri. How pretty Seri’s necklace, a gift from her fiancé for her birthday two weeks ago, was. How generous Seri’s mother-in-law was to offer Seri her home for the weekend, before her bridal shower.
Awashima Seri, not being a talkative person, found herself… actually sort of relieved, when it became apparent that she would not have to do any of the talking.
“—Ah, Lieutenant, it seems like it’s going to be such a nice bridal shower!”
“Please call me Seri.”
They were off-duty, after all. Also, it would be a good habit for Yoshino to get into before they got to the party.
“I’ve never been to a bridal shower before,” said Yoshino. “I’m so glad you invited me! I, ah, know it must be weird to have me coming along, since we’re work friends but we don’t really work together that much—”
“They would have thought it was odd if I didn’t have any work friends,” said Seri, absently, trying to remember whether she took a left or a right at the next turn. Immediately, she realized, it had been the wrong thing to say. Yoshino wilted, and folded her hands together.
Seri took the left. At least that had been the correct turn.
The pop music Yoshino had picked for the ride was on the lowest volume setting, and yet it still seemed unnaturally loud in the silence.
“Oh,” Yoshino said. “Right. Of course.”
“Th-that is,” Seri said, feeling her face heat up, “of everyone in Scepter 4, if I were to pick a ‘work friend’ to go with, it would be you. That is all I meant, truly.”
Yoshino nodded.
“I… see,” she said, face still slightly crumpled.
“I don’t have a lot of work friends,” Seri added.
That did not seem to help. For the first time during the ride, Yoshino was silent, gazing out the window.
…But really, who else would Seri have brought? Fushimi, who she worked with more than anyone? That would have been truly awful. Fushimi at a party would be no more comfortable than a lobster in a pot.
The Captain? Or even—did that man from HOMRA count as a work friend? It was certainly an entertaining thought. That man would have flirted with every woman there, including her and her new mother-in-law—no, that would have been terrible. The Captain would have been, as he always was, disarmingly polite, happy to make conversation with anyone who approached him, and eerily comfortable with any awkward situation that arose.
In either case, everyone would have wondered why she had brought such a handsome and charming man to her bridal shower. Not that she thought they were handsome, or charming—but, ah. It was something of an objective fact—
No, no, it simply wouldn’t have done.
She took a deep breath, and tried again.
“I have been looking forward to this weekend for a long time,” said Seri. “I hope that you enjoy this party, Yoshino. I am pleased that you could join me, and am very glad to spend this time together with you. I count myself fortunate that you are someone I work with.”
That got a tiny smile out of Yoshino.
“Oh, I really hope you like your present!”