Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

As the glint of the morning sun bled through the window shutters, Rei's olive eyes fluttered open tiredly. Her alarm had been blaring for who knows how long, Rei hoping to drown it out if she could just sleep a little longer. But nevertheless, alarms were made to be annoying and loud and obnoxious, so she just threw her palm onto the clock, silencing it with the flick of a switch. She checked the time— it was only 7:34 AM. So she slept in a little late, that was okay. She was only 14 minutes off from her regular schedule. Much longer than she expected to get while having the loud sound blaring in her ears. Sluggishly rising from the bed, her fingers curled through her heather purple bangs to pull apart any knots that had manifested in her sleep. She reached for her phone, her hand probing around her nightstand until it finally grabbed on, checking to see if she had any messages while she got up to brush her teeth. Looks like Muu texted her.

"Are you awake yet?" She asked, accompanied by a cute sticker. Rei clumsily tried to text back with one hand, still brushing her teeth with the other. "yed" Good enough. It got the message across. She assumed Muu was already on her way to Rei's house, so she tried to hurry it up. Kicking on her tennis shoes and changing into her school uniform, Rei headed out the door right as she threw her backpack over her shoulder, immediately finding Muu at the doorway. "Ah, did I keep you waiting?" Rei questioned sheepishly, but Muu shook her head, her pinkish-blonde lashes framing her eyes as they glanced down. "No, don't worry. Muu just got here."

While they walked, Rei couldn't help noticing Muu glancing to her every now and then, even stepping a little closer to her while they walked side-by-side. "Rei-chan, why don't you ever hold hands with Muu...?" She asked, fixing a timid expression on her, but Rei didn't overlook the light blush that spread on her face. "We've been together a while now... You don't need to worry about embarrassing yourself in front of Muu!" She added on hopefully. Her teal eyes locked onto Rei's, trying to gauge her expression. "Ah, I'm sorry." Rei apologized, moving her hand down from the strap of her backpack to Muu's hand, which locked around hers happily while Muu smiled with satisfaction, swinging their hands ever so slightly while they walked.

They approached the railroad crossing, Muu scanning the area for any train. While they crossed, an airy giggle surfaced from Muu. "Remember when we both thought it was Friday? And we tried to go to school like usual, but the train was here." She reminisced, looking up at Rei. She was slightly taller than Muu, which made Rei a little embarrassed. "Ha- Muu was so afraid we'd be late, until you checked your phone and saw that it was Saturday! We'd already packed our lunches and books and everything!" The shorter girl continued. Rei let out a breathy chuckle while they approached the entrance of the school, eying the fountain that poured streams of water into a pool below it. "It's funny now, but I was so scared! Mom and Dad really hate it when I'm tardy." Rei responded, fixing up her backpack strap as it slid off her shoulder a little.

Rei clenched Muu's hand while the other greeted her passing friends. She barely recognized any, but Muu addressed them all as if they'd known each other for years. "You know, I don't think you've ever introduced me to most of your friends. Only a few." Rei pointed out, initiating a giggle from Muu. "Oh, Muu doesn't really know a lot of them enough. So I wouldn't call them my friends yet." The shorter girl answered while they changed shoes at their lockers. "After all, Rei-chan is the only person who truly knows Muu!"

So she was, huh? Rei heard stuff like that pretty often from her, especially ever since they started dating. She didn't mind. She knew Muu was clingy, it was a fact of their relationship by this point. And even so, she gave Rei enough room to breathe, so she didn't mind too much.

"What about those girls you hung out with the other day?" Rei asked, side-glancing to Muu with a curious and intrigued face. Muu laughed, brushing a few strands of pink hair out from her face and behind a little bobby pin. "Oh, you mean Sayu and her friends? We're starting to become closer! I'm super excited..." Muu rejoiced, taking Rei's hand again while they walked to their homeroom. "But, Muu is worried about people using her for her privilege..." Rei shrugged, squeezing Muu's hand a little and assuringly rubbing her thumb against her soft skin. "I'm sure you'll be okay. After all, Mucchan is kind, so people will always like her."

Rei caught Muu's face as it lifted significantly at her praise, radiating a warm light from her smile. "Aww, you're so sweet, Rei-chan..."

They finally made it to class just before the bell rang. Rei sat down at her desk, which was choicefully right by Muu's. While Muu greeted her classmates, Rei rested her head on her hand and averted her gaze to outside the window, catching her eye on the school that stood across from the building at a distance. She couldn't make out what it was called, but she'd never noticed it was there. It looked like a much larger school, likely for more students. Perhaps it was a unisex school. She'd been in one before, but found it easier to transfer to an all-girls school somewhere in junior high.

Finally, it was time to study. Rei turned to get her textbook out, noticing that a note had been slipped onto her desk, signed by Muu. With curiosity, she unfolded the note, a simple invitation to hang out later. Before Rei could write back, a crumbled piece of paper suddenly flew into her head, while she could overhear a few girls giggling behind her. She muttered, not even bothering to pick it up from behind her. She knew by now it probably had something cruel written on it. Muu gave her a concerned look, but Rei waved her hand dismissively before finally opening to the page she needed to study on. Even though she'd already gotten out a pencil, Muu's hand trailed to her desk and placed a cute, decorated pen by Rei's wrist, the latter girl smiling and picking it up to use instead.

Before Rei knew it, the day was already over. She'd gotten through all of her classes fairly easily, not having any more disturbances than she already had in her homeroom that day. At her locker Muu waited, her hands dangling her handbag in front of her waist while Rei put her outdoor shoes on. "So, about Muu's invitation..." She brought the memory back to Rei's mind. "Muu got some unexpected homework, but if you want to hang out sometime in the evening, we can!" Rei stood up and threw her bag over her shoulder. "Sure. I don't think I'll be too busy, since I got most of my work done during lunch." That was when Rei remembered Muu's pen, fishing it out from her blazer pocket. "Here's your pen back."

Muu eyed the pen, then Rei, before giggling and shaking her head while they walked out. "No silly, Muu's giving it to you. It's a gift. Do you like it?" She asked, staring hopefully at the taller. Rei inspected the pen again. It was blue and pink, and had little decorative prints of tropical fish on them. On the end was a little ball chain ornament of a starfish. Rei smiled and pocketed the pen again, nodding to Muu. "I like it, thank you."

Muu smiled back, before reaching for Rei's hand. It was a wishful cling on Rei's sleeve, trying to reach her hand from its position in her pocket. Rei just exposed it again to hold her hand back. That was when she noticed someone walking in front of the two. With short-cut light-brown hair, they were shorter than both girls behind them and didn't wear the same uniform either. Was this perhaps a student from the neighboring school she saw earlier that morning?

The person faltered as something clattered to the sidewalk. Rei didn't get a good look at what it was, but the person in front quickly ducked to find it, having seemingly lost it. Muu whined with a bothered tone, a little annoyed by the sudden interruption in their path, halting for a bit before leading Rei around the mysterious student. Rei looked over her shoulder as they passed, getting a better look at the stranger. They had a strangely androgynous face, at least from what she could see. She couldn't get a glimpse of their eyes, but wondered in her head if they were a boy or a girl.

"Muu wishes people would at least move out of the way before looking..." Muu's soft voice snapped Rei out of her inner questioning. "Maybe their item fell into the road? Wouldn't want them getting run over or anything." Rei pointed out, enticing an airy chuckle from Muu. "They were looking on the opposite side, so I doubt it~" She commented, before looking over her shoulder, then back forward. "Their uniform makes it look like they're from the neighboring school." She pointed out as they approached Rei's house. "Well, Muu will see you later, right Rei-chan?" The pinkish-blonde asked, holding her hands behind her back while Rei unlocked the door. "Yeah." Rei simply responded, about to head in, before getting a tap on the shoulder. "Rei-chan, you forgot something." Rei turned around, making sure no one was outside looking, before leaning in and pecking Muu on the lips, who eagerly gave her a kiss back. "Bye-bye, Rei-chan! See you later."

Once Rei finally got inside, she set her bag down on the ottoman next to her bed. She thought back to the student she saw earlier, wondering why she'd never seen them before. Was she really that unobservant? Shrugging it off, she pulled up a seat to her desk, opening her laptop to browse the Internet for a bit, staying attentive to an upcoming text from Muu.

Chapter Text

Soon enough, the text Rei anticipated came, the buzz of Rei's phone vibrating through her desk a little. She checked the notification, smiling a little when she saw it was from Muu. Muu had notified her she was ready and on her way to Rei's house, accompanied by a cute sticker of a bunny on a bicycle. Rei sent an affirmative text that she was ready also, kicking on her shoes and making her exit out the door. After a bit of waiting, she saw Muu's unmistakable silhouette in the distance, starting to walk towards her as well.

"Muu noticed a new coffee shop that opened in the shopping center. Would you wanna try that out?" The shorter girl asked with a glint of hope in her turquoise eyes. Rei hummed in thought. It's been a while since she had coffee, she may as well try it again. "Sure." Rei nodded along, grasping at Muu's hand. She knew she'd ask to if she didn't. The gesture seemed to light Muu up like a firework.

They arrived to the coffee shop in a short amount of time. Rei ordered an iced coffee, before Muu ordered after her, ordering the exact same thing Rei did but with caramel sauce on top. She had a tendency to go off of Rei's orders whenever they went out. Rei couldn't help wondering why that was. Once they exited, Muu clanked her plastic cup against Rei's. "Muu paid again, what do you think?" She chimed in. Rei knew what Muu wanted whenever she asked stuff like that. It wasn't unexpected. When Muu did nice things for Rei, she usually wanted to be praised for it. "Thank you, Mucchan. I appreciate it." Of course, Rei didn't mind giving her what she wanted. Muu did a lot for her, after all. So she deserved to hear it.

While they walked towards a park bench, Rei spotted a familiar light-brown in the corner of her eye, fixing her gaze to her side. At the park bench next to the one they were going to sit at was that same mysterious student she saw earlier that day. They seemed inattentive to their surroundings, their gaze fixated on a book sprawled open in their hands. While still trying to pinpoint what their gender and age might be, the tip of her shoe jammed against the curb, her foot sliding pathetically under her while the rest of her body collapsed and collided with the pavement below her. Cold iced coffee spilled at her side, dousing her blue tracksuit in the liquid.

"Rei-chan, are you okay?? Oh, Rei-chan, come here." Muu cried out, lending a hand to Rei. "You're so clumsy, you know~" She teased, though concern still laced her voice. Rei grabbed Muu's hand and pulled herself up, standing awkwardly while her drink ran down her arms and chin. Her knee was also scraped, painful and irritated. Rei looked up directly forward to make eye contact with with the student. They stared back at her with startled gray eyes, occasionally shifting their glance slightly lower to her feet, then back up at her face. Great, Rei wanted to curl up and die now. She did embarrassing stuff in front of her girlfriend all the time, but she was comfortable enough to do that without the mortifying weight of the world on her shoulders. But this student was a stranger, and this was now their first and likely only impression of her.

"Rei-chan, let's go get you some napkins!" Muu grabbed Rei's forearm, but Rei yanked her arm away. "I can't go in like this!! We were just in the shop, I spilled all over myself in barely a minute!" Rei retorted, her eyes narrowed with a petrified look. Muu turned her head to the coffee shop, before turning around towards it. "Muu will get them, then! Be right back!"

Awkward silence drew between Rei and the mysterious student, whose focus had now been turned away from that book in their hands. Dammit, this was going to haunt her for the rest of her life. When she's on her deathbed in eighty years, she'll flash back to this very moment in vivid detail. The student tried to divert their gaze, but looked back at Rei with an expression she couldn't read. It looked a bit like confused bewilderment. "Are you--" The student spoke to her, their voice not helping any with Rei's curiosity. They halted their speech before they said anything else. Rei turned to the coffee shop to wait for Muu, thinking she'd die of embarrassment if she kept looking at their face.

"I'm good." Rei replied back. Her arms dangled at her sides while the evening sun dried her little by little. The student folded the book over one hand, their hand nestled in-between the two pages they were reading. "You didn't... get to drink it yet, did you?" They asked, now staring at the toppled over cup lying pathetically on the ground. Rei frowned, disappointed that the coffee she just got was now wasted. Well, at least it spilled into the dirt. She hoped the grass liked coffee. "No, I didn't." Rei responded back with a dejected tone. The student let a hum of understanding, nodding their head slowly. "Do you, uh... Do you.. need any hel--"

The bells chimed as the coffee shop door swung open, Muu clutching her own cup in one hand and a wad of brown paper napkins in the other. She ran over, setting her cup beside the park bench while she turned her attention to Rei. "Sorry for the wait, Muu got held up in line." She apologized, unfurling the napkins and patting Rei down with them. Rei took off her tracksuit, leaving her in the T-shirt underneath it, which was thankfully slightly less wet. "It's no problem. Thanks, Mucchan." She thanked while folding up her tracksuit. When she was finally dried, Muu took her hand to leave and Rei could hear the voice of the student chime in again.

"Hey, it's bad to litter. Don't forget to pick up that cup." They pointed out, their voice a little clearer than their mumbling earlier. Muu had just now noticed the student was there, drifting nervously towards Rei as she usually did around strangers. "Ah... M-Muu will pick it up.." She bent towards the ground to toss the cup, but Rei held out her arm in front of Muu's chest to stop her. "It's alright, I got it." She insisted, bending over instead. She cringed at the wetness of the cup transferring to her hand, the spilled coffee coating the sides of the plastic. Muu went and got her own, perfectly fine coffee while she was at it.

The student hummed with satisfaction at Rei's act against littering, going back to reading their book. Rei couldn't help wondering what they were reading. Finally, the two girls took off to go get Rei a change of clothes from her house. "Muu's curious about that student. Was that the same one we saw earlier?" She asked, her hand in Rei's. Rei rubbed her hand along her chin a bit, thinking back on the awkward interaction, still with a hint of unrest. "I think so. We talked for a little bit while you went and got napkins. Not by much, though." She replied, combing coffee out from her still wet hair.

Muu hummed and sipped out of the straw peeking out of her cup. "They weren't all that interesting, though." The taller woman added. Though, was Rei that interesting either? Certainly not. Muu was the interesting one, always bringing out a cheerful air from her many acquaintances and friends. It was one of their many weird situations they had. It'd be weird if one was seen without the other, but none of Muu's friends ever talked to Rei. She usually lingered at the side, checked her phone, did some schoolwork, et cetera. It hurt at first, but she grew to accept it. Muu's radiance needed a little boredom to even it out, or she'd probably get ahead of herself. At least Muu didn't think she was boring. That'd be all she needed.

Muu, noticing Rei's thoughtful aura, pressed the straw to Rei's lips ever so slightly. "Do you want some of Muu's coffee, since yours spilled?" She asked, her voice lightening more and more now that they were away from any strangers. "Wouldn't it be romantic? An indirect kiss..." Muu added, Rei curled her hand around the cup and took a sip, enlightening a pleased look about Muu. "Thanks."

"It's no problem," Muu affirmed, a gentle breeze blowing through her peach strands. "Anything for Rei-chan." The sun began to swell and dip, a dark twilight washing over the evening sky. Rei took that as a sign they should hurry her up home. Boring, she would've liked to hang out longer. If only Muu had less work, and she didn't spill her drink on herself.

Oh God, she spilled her drink on herself. Her face paled again when she remembered the student's eyes meeting with hers in the midst of it all. How embarrassing.

She hoped tomorrow would go better.

Chapter Text

A familiar, annoying and grating sound blared into Rei's ears once again. This time, she didn't bother fighting it, quickly flipping the switch on her alarm almost as soon as it started. She sat up in her bed and stretched her arms out, brushing down any stray heather strands of hair with her slender fingers. Finally opening her eyes, she looked around for her phone, finding it plugged in under her pillow this time. Muu texted her, as she usually did in the morning, but this one was different.

"Muu's sick, I won't be at school." She had sent, followed by a sticker of a bunny in bed with an ice pack on its head. Rei breathed out dejectedly, but accepted it as a fact of the day. Today would be boring, but she needed to lock in anyways. She sent back a simple thumbs up, following with a "get well soon" text.

She did her routine to get ready for the day, making it out the door and heading to school by herself. It was a rather monotonous walk until she remembered the incident from yesterday. God, she could curl up and die. She hoped she didn't run into that student again, because it'd be so awkward if she did. What if they asked about the coffee?? She batted her fist at her head, trying to shake the memory. She'd just stress out even more if she kept dwelling on it. Finally, she got to her school, continuing business as usual.

Well, that was until she made it to her homeroom. As usual, she'd gotten in before the teacher did, but tuned in to hear a group of girls giggling and shushing each other excitedly. Curiously, Rei's eyes drifted to the chalkboard, her face reddening when she noticed a string of writing all over the chalkboard. Stuff from demeaning her to intentionally excluding her, insulting her appearance, her weight, even stuff like her shoe size. Mortified, she heard the girls giggling louder while her hand jerked towards the eraser that was resting on the overhang, desperately trying to erase it all. She could hear the beep indicating the start of a recording on a phone, but didn't care enough to look for anyone recording her. After she'd erased it all, she finally looked to the group, recognizing them as some of Muu's friends. It was all so overwhelming, her head was spinning and her legs were weak. She meekly scurried out of the room like a squirrel up a tree, making her way to the nearest supply closet.

Met with the darkness of the room, her rapid breathing began to slow as she regained her stability. She dug her hand into her pocket, her jaw slack while she caught her breath. She brandished her phone, the bright light of the screen illuminating her face, but not much around the room. That was okay. That's all she needed to focus on for now. She hastily typed out a message to Muu.

"A few of your friends from homeroom wrote humiliating messages about me on the chalkboard."

Rei noticed the immediate chat bubble indicating Muu was typing back. Had she anticipated a text from her?

"Oh no, that's terrible. I'm sorry. Muu will have a talk with them next time." Muu replied. "Are you okay, Rei-chan?"

Rei typed back to her on the keyboard. "Yeah, I'm fine. It was just really embarrassing. They recorded and laughed at me while I erased the writing."

"That's terrible. I won't excuse that. They should know that we're close, so they shouldn't bully you!"

She sighed and leaned against the wall, hanging her head back. She wondered if it'd be less important if she wasn't close with Muu. Somehow, it was still less embarrassing than yesterday. At least these girls have been in class with her.

Finally she headed out to eat her lunch. She went to the usual spot where she and Muu sat with Muu's friends, different girls this time.

"Huh? Hey, where's Mucchan?" A girl with her hair done in a dark hime cut. Rei set down her lunchbox while sitting down. "She's home sick today. She said she'll be back after the weekend." The hime cut girl nodded and vocalized understandingly, before going back to talking to a taller girl with pinkish side-swept hair. Their names both escaped Rei at the moment. Maybe she'd ask Muu. "Yeah... Hey, some of her acquaintances really embarrassed me today. Do you know them?" Rei asked, but her voice fell on deaf ears. They were either absorbed in their conversation, or they just ignored her. There was no way she spoke that quiet. Rei just dipped her head down and ate her food while silently listening to the other girls talk.

Once the lunch ending bell rang, Rei stood up and got ready to go to class. The tall pink-haired girl knocked into her while talking with her friend, before recoiling away from Rei. "Oh, I'm so sorry! You were so quiet, I didn't even notice you were there!" The girl apologized. Rei's eyes stared to the ground, half-lidded. "It's fine, don't worry." She dismissed, walking past her to her class. The rest of the day went pretty normal.

As she walked on her way home, she thought back to that interaction. Apparently those girls were named Sayu and Akari, according to Muu. Rei wondered to herself if she was really that boring, even when Muu wasn't around to compliment her. Rei thought of those people as her friends, but she barely knew them and they only seemed to talk to Muu or each other, never to Rei herself. She sighed and hung her head low. She shouldn't think so much on that stuff. It made her break out. That was when she noticed she heard other footsteps, not synced with her own. She halted in her path and looked over her shoulder, her olive eyes glistening in the evening sun.

Behind her was that strange student, in full detail. They looked startled that she stopped, like a deer in headlights. At their side was the same book they were reading during that incident yesterday— oh God. What if they were thinking about that, too?! Rei's face went flush while they made awkward prolonged eye contact. Please don't say anything, she thought as she turned around to continue walking.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stare." Their voice spoke up. Dammit, dammit!!

"It's fine," Rei replied back, not turning to them. "It happens."

She could still hear the student walking behind her. "Um..." They spoke again. Please, don't say anything. "Are... you okay after yesterday?"

Rei could just lay down and dissolve into the dirt right there. Why did they have to remember?! Well of course they did, it'd barely been a day. God, she wanted to escape the country and live in the woods and never contact anyone again. Well, except for Muu. Her life would be pretty boring without her.

"Yeah, I'm okay." She replied, as if she wasn't killing herself a hundred times in her head. The student nodded, clutching their book unsurely. "Good, that's good. Um..." Rei thought she'd explode if they kept talking to her. "What's... your name? I'm curious."

Rei looked back at them, her grip tightening nervously on her backpack. "It's, uh... Rei." She introduced herself, only giving her first name. She supposed they were casual enough since this person saw her at her absolute worst and most embarrassing. Plus, she'd always been pretty insecure of her surname. The student seemed surprised, but seemed to catch on quick. "Rei's a nice name. My name is Es." They introduced as well. What an unusual name, Rei thought. It wasn't bad, just unusual, especially for an abnormally normal person like them.

"Es? Are you not Japanese?" Rei questioned. They didn't look like a foreigner. Es blinked nervously and averted their eyes. Like a spooked mouse, Rei thought. "Ah, I'm half-German and Japanese." They answered. Rei clicked her tongue, figuring their name must be of German origin. Interesting. Rei knew Muu was mixed as well, being half-French. Es did remind her of Muu a little, with unusual names and seemingly oblivious dispositions. The difference was that Es didn't seem as interesting as Muu. While they were talking, Rei supposed she should ask the question that burned at her mind. "Hey, Es. Are you a boy or a girl?"

"Hah," Es chuckled awkwardly, looking back up to Rei, who was now at their side. Rei didn't even notice she was walking beside them until now, speeding up a little to walk slightly in front, but not too much. "Uh... well, you know..." No, Rei didn't know, actually. But she supposed it wasn't her business if Es didn't want to speak on it. Great, she made things awkward again, she thought as the air weighed heavy on both their shoulders. To clear the awkward silence, Rei pointed to Es' book. "What book is that?"

Es' eyes sparkled when she asked, now looking directly at her, then the book, revealing it in their hands. "It's called The Critique of Pure Reason, by Immanuel Kant. It's a philosophical book." They answered as Rei inspected the cover. As she thought, it didn't sound very interesting to her, but Es continued anyway. "It was published in 1781," Rei's expression folded at just how old this book was. "It's building off other philosophies throughout history, trying to delimit the bounds of reason, though not arguing that it plays no role in our human knowledge. It picks apart its role in the empirical truth, science, and appreciating its limits." They rambled on and on.

Rei couldn't say she was very interested in whatever they were going on about. However, she was interested in the way they spoke of it. She related, in a way. She supposed to anyone else, her own interests were uninteresting, too. Even if philosophy wasn't her thing, it was big to Es, and she could relate to that. Not many of Rei's classmates seemed to be passionate about marine science like Rei was. She listened to them talk on and on, flipping to certain pages that latched their memory and reading them out.

"A quote that's important to me is right here... 'Never wish to see a just cause defended with unjust means.' It kind of relates to our world even now, doesn't it?" They asked Rei, who was barely following what they were saying in the first place. Catching onto this, Es' face reddened with embarrassment. "Oh, sorry... I went on a tangent again, didn't I? I seem to do that a lot."

Rei paused, but shook her head. "No, it's fine. Weirdly, it was nothing I'd ever look into myself, but the way you explained it was interesting to me." She assured. Es' expression softened almost immediately. Had they never been listened to like this before? "Um, if you want to borrow it, you can." They offered, Rei looking over her shoulder into one of the pages. She could barely follow what was being said. "Well, maybe you can summarize it to me someday." Rei deflected, enticing a chuckle from Es. "Ha, maybe. I get it. It is a pretty difficult book to digest."

Finally, they made it to the intersection just by the railroad, the sidewalk splitting into two paths. "Oh, I go this way." Es pointed out, going in the opposite direction to Rei. "Um, thanks for listening to me. Even if you didn't understand it."

Rei hummed, sticking up her gaze a bit and biting her tongue, before asking something. "Hey, are you the same student who I saw drop their thing yesterday?" She inquired. She already knew the answer deep down, but she wondered if they even remembered. Suddenly, Es' expression sank with humiliation. "Oh God, was that you that walked by me..?!" They cringed, burying their face into one hand, their eyes peeking out in-between their slim fingers. Rei laughed a little. It looked like she wasn't the only one with embarrassment that ate at her like a parasite. "Hey, don't worry about it. We're even now, aren't we?"

Rei didn't catch Es' expression before they waved off and left, seemingly in a hurry. Maybe they had a strict curfew. She didn't mind. She hoped they weren't too embarrassed.

While she walked home, she felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Even though their first meeting was excruciatingly humiliating, she felt pleased. It wasn't often people really acknowledged Rei. She was always just there with Muu during gatherings. It looked like not a lot of people acknowledged Es either, with their surprise at her intent to listen. Even though she was content with her relationship and dynamic with Muu, being there to support her, she enjoyed the feeling of relating to somebody, too.

She made her way inside her house, throwing down her belongings and pulling up her messaging app to text Muu. "I ran into that student and I think we became friends." She wrote. She didn't know when the line for becoming friends was met, really. She was talking to Muu for about two years before it really registered that they were close. "Their name is Es."

Chapter Text

Did Rei always have this many people in her contacts? Sprawled out on her bed, Rei held her phone dangling in the air, scrolling through her contacts list trying to figure out who she could invite to hang out with. Muu was sick, after all, and she should focus on getting better. She knew Muu would hang out with her anyway, but it'd be selfish of her to ask Muu knowing that. Rei knew better than to take advantage of how much Muu would do for her at her own expense. That said, Rei didn't realize until now how little friends she had outside of Muu.

At the thought, she had the idea to invite Es to hang out. Ah, but she didn't have their number. What a bummer. She groaned and dropped her phone on her face in frustration. Weekends were always so boring when Muu couldn't hang out. Slowly, she sat herself up, setting her phone at her side. She should go on a walk, she thought.

Getting herself ready and stepping outside, she breathed in a whiff of the fresh spring air, making her way down the sidewalk. She didn't exactly have a destination, it was just good to get some air during the weekend. Though, a bookstore nearby caught Rei's attention.

It was a bookstore she'd overheard her classmates talking about. She's seen it a few times, but never actually went in and checked it out. Well, a little window shopping never hurt anybody, she thought as she entered, the chimes jingling as the door swayed open. It was a lot larger on the inside than it looked on the outside, with a vast array of books lining each shelf. Her attention was immediately grabbed by a sign directing to a biology section, wondering if she could find any marine science books to check out.

Pacing to the biology section, Rei scanned the spines that peeked out from in-between each other. Most of them were more general biology books, but then her eyes fixed on a skinnier book with something about turtles on the spine. She ran her hand up the spine and pulled it out from its spot. It looked like it was meant for middle schoolers, but that didn't matter much to Rei. She did want to look more into other marine animals besides fish, and this could be a good start.

A sigh of relief escaped from Rei when she saw that the line to the register wasn't very long. She stepped into the line with the book in her hand, checking how much money she had in her wallet— good, she had more than enough from her allowance that week. While waiting in line, she couldn't help noticing a section further in the back within view of the register as she turned her gaze over her shoulder. Philosophy & logic, it read. Rei's mind went back to Es, her new acquaintance. Almost instinctively, she butted out of line, mumbling an 'excuse me' to the person standing behind her.

Perusing the selection, she wondered why she was even interested in this section in the first place. A part of her wanted to somehow prove herself to them, that she was a good friend who was interesting. She didn't know why she even cared about being interesting. She didn't when she was with Muu. Her eyes fixed on a book that was titled Religion and Nothingness, reading the author to be Keiji Nishitani. She was surprised people in Japan wrote about these subjects too. She'd never met anyone here particularly interested, and even Es mentioned an author who wasn't from here. With curiosity, she withdrew the book from its spot on the shelf, examining the book. Es would like this, she thought, hitching it under her shoulder right by her turtle book. She knew she had enough for it anyway.

Finally, she made it back to the line, waiting patiently behind a few more people to buy the books. She smiled to herself, knowing she had the capability to be thoughtful.

Chapter Text

Finally, the week had come and Muu had recovered from her illness. As usual, Rei and Muu walked side-by-side together, hand in hand. Muu swung Rei's hand around playfully in between them. "So... Muu's interested in your new friend. Es, was it?" Muu inquired, likely hoping to start up a conversation with Rei. Rei simply hummed, thinking back to the book she impulse bought for Es. She'd have to give that to them today.

Rei just shrugged in response. "They're not that interesting..." She answered, earning an intrigued look from Muu. "Huh? But, if they're boring, why do you talk to them?" Her pale teal eyes gazed up at Rei, receiving a glance in return. "Why do you hang out with me, if I'm boring?" Rei questioned back in interrogation. Muu's demeanor shifted, her hand squeezing down on Rei's. "No, it's not like that! Rei-chan, you're not boring! You're fun to be around, you're- you're really entertaining!" Muu frantically backtracked. Anytime Rei questioned Muu about herself, she always jumped to deny her questions rather than answer them. That was okay, she was used to it.

"Calm down, I get it." Rei assured, so Muu piped down, her grip on her hand loosening. "Anyway, I never said they were boring. Just uninteresting. At least, probably to most people— I'm interested in how they talk. I wanna see how they think and stuff. You know what I mean?" Rei explained, looking straight ahead while she walked, as opposed to Muu's staring at her face. Muu giggled, trailing her hand to her chin in an amused gesture. "Muu thinks... you sound like a weird scientist about to dissect them for study!" She teased, enticing an embarrassed reaction from Rei, who rushed to defend herself. "Hey, it's nothing like that!"

Finally, the two made it to their school, making their way to their homeroom. Muu walked ahead of Rei a little while they paced up the stairs, before holding her arm out in front of Rei once they made it to the top. "Wait," She ordered. "Muu's gonna handle something."

Obeying Muu's instruction, Rei lingered beside the doorway, peeking in while Muu approached two other girls, who Rei recognized as the girls who humiliated her on Friday. Muu stood in front of the two, immediately getting their attention. "Excuse me, I have a favor to ask. Please stop hurting Rei." Muu requested, her hands entwined in front of her waist. "Muu's close with Rei, so please don't harass her."

Rei was rather surprised Muu was requesting that from them. Usually, Muu was pretty non-confrontational. Had something happened for Muu to want to tell them to stop? One girl sneered, her eyes darting up to the doorway to meet with Rei's, who ducked back behind the door with a look of surprise. Once she heard the girl's voice, she peeked back around, listening in again.

"Why do you hang around that girl anyway?" One girl asked. The other girl chimed in soon after. "Right? She's weird, Mucchan... All she does is follow you around and never talk to anyone else. Besides, I didn't think you were into the tomboy types?" Rei couldn't see Muu's face, but she did see her hold her hands to her chest timidly. "Muu thinks you should be nicer to people." Muu pointed, but the first girl just shrugged. "Whatever makes you feel better. You're only making yourself look weird when you keep letting her follow you around." Rei could see Muu move to speak, but she piped down, before lowering her head. She looked just like her usual non-confrontational self as she spoke up again. "Just as long as you stop hurting her, please."

Once the bell rang, Rei finally made her way into the classroom, Muu turning to face her before slotting into her seat. "They know you're close with Muu now, so they'll hopefully leave you alone." Muu whispered to Rei, who couldn't help thinking they should just leave anyone alone. Would it be different if they weren't friends or dating? Rei shrugged off the thought, getting her pen ready for today's assignment. The shorter girl's clear eyes immediately fixated on the pen, smiling and giggling to Rei. "That's the same pen Muu gave you! Do you like it?" Muu asked in a whisper, leaned towards Rei so she could hear. Rei just nodded, smiling to Muu a little. "Yeah, it's cute and it has fish on it." She responded simply, clicking the top idly while she spoke.

Eventually came the end of the day, as the rest of the day was rather uneventful. Muu waited for Rei at her locker as she put up her school shoes and put her outdoor tennis shoes back on her feet.

"Do you this Es will be at the sidewalk today?" Rei couldn't help but question. Muu swayed unsurely, her hands behind her back. "Well, you'll still walk with Muu if they are, right?" She asked back, clinging her hand onto Rei's as soon as she stood up with her shoes on. Rei glanced to her, then looked back ahead. "I will, I just have something to give them." Rei didn't miss Muu's expression turning to that of intrigued unsureness. Telling Muu about her gift to Es had slipped her mind earlier, hadn't it? She's been so forgetful lately.

"It's just a book I got them. Some philosophy book. I thought they might like it." She added, looking around for Es as the two walked out. She didn't notice Muu fidgeting a little with her skirt. "You know, it's been a while since you brought Muu a gift." Muu chimed in, her voice light with an air of innocence. Rei hummed in response. "Do you want me to get you one?" "O-Only if you want to!" Muu hesitated a bit. That was when they finally made it to where Rei saw Es the last few days, but the student was nowhere to be seen. Rei sighed dejectedly, but Muu held onto her hand tighter.

"Maybe they're home sick today? There's been some allergies going around..." Muu chimed in. Rei really hoped she wouldn't have to wait long to give her gift to Es. Even if she mostly bought it to feel better about herself. "Maybe." She simply replied, continuing to walk ahead with her girlfriend. That was when her mind went back to the incident the other day, and Muu's talk with those girls this morning. She was surprised Muu even went out of her way to tell them to stop; and then, the thought of that being surprising caught her off-guard as well.

"Hey, Mucchan. Why are you friends with bullies?" She asked, almost immediately feeling Muu's gaze on her as soon as she spoke up. Rei felt like she was being watched when it happened, but it was even more so with Muu. "Ah-- didn't Muu tell you? Those girls won't bother you anymore!" Her voice was high with naivety. Muu had no idea what she was talking about and Rei knew it. "I know, but they bully other girls, too. Even those girls Akari and Sayu gossip about people at lunch. Are you aware of that?"

Muu fidgeted with the hem of her cardigan. "M-Muu just wants to avoid conflict, that's all! It's not like I bully anyone, right...?" She insisted. She was a little right, being friends with both those girls and the people they targeted and gossiped about. Would Muu have done anything about Rei's bullies if they weren't dating? Rei just averted her gaze. "Haven't you heard that phrase? A friend to all is a friend to none or something like that? While you don't bully yourself, you don't really do anything when your friends bully and gossip about your other friends." Rei pointed out with a slight insistence in her tone. "Would you have done anything about my bullies if I wasn't your girlfriend, Mucchan?"

Muu's foot thumped on the ground a little. "Of course I would've! I--..!!" She halted her steps with a look of distress about her. Rei's eyes widened a little, staring back at her with a startled look. Her shoulders loosened and she took Muu's hand again. "Hey, it's okay. I'm not mad at you, you know." Rei assured. It wasn't the first time she'd need to, after all. Muu just nodded unsurely, continuing her steps slowly behind Rei before catching up.

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

The rest of the walk was silent. Rei was agonizing in how tense the environment was. Even when she slipped up badly in front of Es, she didn't feel this discomforted in her life. She hoped tomorrow would go better, both for herself and Muu. Eventually, they made it to Rei's doorstep once again, hand in hand as usual. Muu let her hand depart from Rei's, turning to leave.

"Are you going to go without saying goodbye? I told you I wasn't mad, you know." Rei remarked, her hand floating up to her backpack strap. Muu's lowered head raised back up when she heard her words, turning back to Rei with a slight smile. "Ah- I guess Muu was still worried." She laughed a little, before leaning in and giving Rei a peck on the lips. Rei sighed with relief at the gesture, happy that the tone didn't remain as awkward and tense as earlier. Muu giggled and withdrew, before waving her off and turning the other direction. "Okay, bye-bye, Rei-chan!"

Rei finally entered her house, sighing with relief as she threw her backpack off her shoulders. The added weight of Es' gift in her bag made it even harder to carry. Right, the book. She still needed to give it to Es. She hoped they'd be at the usual spot tomorrow. For now though, Rei went to her room and flopped onto her bed, letting out a long, tired sigh and laying there, resting off any stress she'd accumulated during the day.

After all, tomorrow would be another.

Chapter Text

Tapping her fish-themed pen against the desk absentmindedly, Rei tried her best to focus on the assignment she'd been handed by her teacher. Beside her, as usual, sat Muu, who was similarly focused. Rei's focus was never difficult to keep, but she did have more trouble locking in when she could hear faint chattering through the classroom. Even across the room, the girls poorly hid their whispers about Rei. Even though they said she was boring and not noteworthy, she was all they talked about in this class, it was strange to her.

"I think she only hangs around her because she feels bad. No, surely it's to make herself look better in comparison, right?"

"Shhh, she might hear you. We're in the same room, after all."

"What? No, we're across the room! Psst, Muu, can you hear me? Hehe.." The girl giggled in a hush whisper. Rei peered over her shoulder to look at Muu's face, which was clearly scrunched up a little with discomfort, though her light eyes did not lift from her paper. Rei sighed and looked back down, trying to focus back on her work.

"You see what I mean though, right? She's always taking pity on the small. Doesn't it feel shallow?"

Rei just took a deep breath and blocked it all out. Before she knew it, she was walking to her next class with Muu, but the two would depart at the fork at the end of the hall.

"Muu will see you later, okay?" Her voice was bright, as if nothing had happened in the prior class. Rei nodded, about to lean in to hug Muu briefly, but Muu's face suddenly sank. Curious, Rei looked behind her and met eyes with a girl she recognized as one of her frequent bullies and two other girls behind her. This group wasn't one of Muu's friends, but Muu recognized them as her bullies too. Rei simply held onto her backpack and tried to move past them and ignore them. "Excuse me."

While trying to pass the taller girl, she was shoved into a locker and held there by the head, she struggled to turn her head over, meeting eyes with Muu who stared back at her in horror. She could hear her desperate voice pleading to the girls to stop, to leave Rei alone, but the three girls just laughed. One took her phone out and recorded. Another unscrewed the lid of a water bottle. The last girl still held Rei to the locker. Rei prayed in her head for Muu to do something, but she knew Muu wouldn't have the guts for it. She ducked and spat while cold water drenched her from the top of her head to her knees, coughing out a bit that had spilled into her face. The girls laughed and enthused amongst each other. Their words echoed in her mind.

"You would do us all a huge favor by just dying, you know."

Once her head was let go of and she felt hands grabbing at her backpack, she gripped the strap of her bag harder and took off running, not even stopping when she heard Muu's unmistakable voice calling out her name, telling her to wait. She didn't falter— and although her indoor shoes were not built for running, she didn't have time to go back and get her tennis shoes from her locker. She tracked dripping water down the hall, and soon down the pavement as she threw the exit door open and ran outside into the schoolyard. She stopped by the fountain, pausing to catch her breath and take a minute to herself. That was when she noticed a lone student out at the neighboring school, eating all by themselves. Could it be them, she thought?

Rei walked a little closer to inspect, finding that it was indeed Es sitting alone at the bench just outside their own school. At least, it was a good distance away. But their school was larger, so it was closer by comparison. "Hey, Es, is it lunch for you already?" She called out, getting the shorter teen's attention. They shook their head. "I'm skipping. I had to present something to the class today, and I didn't want to. What about you, what are you doing here?" They inquired. Rei was baffled by the news that they were skipping. Well, she supposed not everyone else's parents might be strict on attendance like hers were. Es watched with intrigue as she walked over.

Once she got closer to them, their eyes widened ever so slightly. "You're soaked, what happened?" Their voice, while stern as usual, was hinted with concern. Rei simply waved her hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it. I'll be okay." She shrugged off. Es hummed, continuing to eat their lunch. "Did you skip yesterday, too? I didn't see you on my way home." Rei questioned, sitting down next to them on the bench. That was when Rei remembered what she desperately wanted to see them yesterday for in the first place. "Actually, hold that thought. I got you something." She caught a glimpse of Es perking up with interest at her words, before she unzipped her bag and pulled out the book she'd bought them at the bookstore. Thankfully, it wasn't too wet from the incident earlier.

She watched as their usual blank expression turned to that of wonder, their gray eyes sparkling with intent as they took the book in their hands. "You got this for me? But uh.. why? Is there a special occasion?" Es questioned, not taking their eyes off the book. Rei figured Es wouldn't be the kind of person to receive gifts on any ordinary day. After all, before meeting Muu, she hadn't herself either. "I bought it yesterday at the bookstore. Do you like it?" She asked— funny, she sounded like Muu for a second there. Muu always had to ask if Rei liked what she got her.

Es flipped through the pages, their eyes scanning the texts with curiosity. After a little bit, they closed the book and looked back up to the taller girl with a slight smile. "I've never heard of it, but I'm excited to read it." Rei smiled back at them, about to relax and rest her shoulders before hearing the bell tone from her school. "Shit...!" She frantically shot up from the bench, grabbing her backpack and pacing away, before she heard Es call out. "Wait, one second."

Es stood from the bench and placed the book behind them, resting it on the seat. They wriggled out of their maroon blazer, throwing it over Rei's head and drying off her hair. "You're still wet, you might track water." They informed. Rei stood motionlessly as they worked down her head to her shoulders, then her waist and knees. Finally, Es combed out Rei's hair so it wouldn't stick to her face anymore. Their eyes fixed on Rei, but not on her eyes. It was a little to the side. "You're bruised." They pointed out. Rei cringed a little at their concern, but paid it no mind.

"What about your blazer?"

"What about it?"

"It's wet now, you dried me off with it."

"I don't care. It'll dry off quick enough."

Rei hummed, shrugging her shoulders. "Thanks."

Es grabbed her forearm for a second. "Wait, can we walk together after school?" They asked, a requesting look on their face. "Since we're friends."

Rei's eyebrows raised at their words. "Are we friends?" She asked back, as if she couldn't hear them. "You gave me a gift, did you not? Do you normally gift people you're not friends with? Do you normally call them by their first name, too?" Es questioned; Rei stayed silent. "Well, I just—" She spoke up. She wanted to say she didn't have many friends, but that wasn't important now, she thought. "I'll think about it. I'll have to ask my— my girlfriend, since I usually walk with her." She hesitated to mention her relationship with Muu, as they were often rather secretive. But since Es considered them friends now, maybe they could know.

Rei turned around, running back as quick as she could to her school, pacing through the halls to make it to her classroom. She knocked on the door with anxiety, hearing her teacher lecturing from behind the door. At the knock, her teacher hushed, before opening the door. "Rei! What are you doing here so late? Why are you so bruised, what were you doing??" Her teacher interrogated, letting Rei inside. The purple haired girl stood at the doorway while eyeing the classroom. Everyone's eyes were fixed on her. People were whispering. She even knew her parents would be upset with her for being late.

"Come on, tell us why you're so late." Her teacher urged. Rei opened her mouth to speak, but began to choke on her words. The crushing humiliation got the better of her, and all she could think to do in the moment was bury her head in her hands, a sob escaping her throat while tears welled in her eyes. She felt the teacher's hand on her back as she guided her to her seat, the whispering of her classmates now more noticeable even through her sobs. After sitting down, her teacher went back to the front of the class to continue her lesson. All she could do was hide in her arms, resting her head down on the desk and pray for the day to end. Please, just let it be over, she thought.

Chapter Text

"She got in so late. Why do you think she was all bruised?"

"She looks like water got poured on her earlier."

Stop it, be quiet, Rei thought.

"She started crying. Shouldn't she leave class?"

"She's weird."

The bell toned, and before Rei knew it, it was all over. She leaned her head up, eyeing the doorway before wiping the tears from her red and puffy face. She could see Muu standing at the doorway already, her figure peering between the passing classmates outside the door. Did she leave class early to wait for her? Rei wiped her eyes again with her forearm, stumbling to grab her bag and head out.

Muu smiled sweetly at her once she made it out of the classroom. "Muu was really worried, you know! I tried to chase after you, but you were too fast..." She immediately started, enticing a breathy laugh from Rei. "I told you to take gym this year! Maybe you'd run faster." Rei teased the shorter girl. Muu puffed up her cheeks in protest. "It's so laborious though! And besides, I couldn't run in shoes like these, even if I did!" She retorted. Rei just laughed and waved her hand. "You know they provide you with shoes for it?" She asked before remembering something. "Ah- hey, Es wanted to walk with me after school today. Do you want to join?"

Rei was quick to notice the way Muu's face paled a bit, messing with the hem of her skirt. "Will this become a regular thing?" She asked. Rei shrugged. "Dunno." Muu decidedly tapped her fingers together, shrugging her shoulders too. "Okay, Muu will walk with you both once school's over."

Rei knew Muu hated sudden change, so she didn't complain about Muu's initial unsureness. Rei could understand herself, really. She didn't like change that much either.

As the day passed rather uneventfully, Rei looked forward to walking with Es. After all, they were friends now, so they said. Once the final bell rang, Rei made her way down to the shoe lockers to meet up with Muu. She was there before her girlfriend was, awkwardly shuffling between two other girls who were chattering. She couldn't catch what the girls said, but it was fine. They weren't talking about her. For once, she was glad to be insignificant and invisible. She'd rather be invisible than humiliated.

When she put her tennis shoes on, Muu finally caught up, taking off her school shoes and fishing in her locker. "Sorry, Rei-chan. Muu got caught up with her friends." She apologized. The taller girl shrugged dismissively. "S'alright."

As they made it out, Rei was surprised to find Es waiting at the school gate. Not their school, but hers. Well, they were far enough to avoid a trespassing charge, she thought. "Good evening." They greeted, the same book Rei got them still hitched under their shoulder. A little golden bookmark was now embedded between the pages. Were they really that interested?

"Es, this is Muu. She's my— my girlfriend." It still felt weird saying it out loud, even whispering so the other passing classmates wouldn't hear. What she could hear was murmurs about the student by the gate, with the uniform of the neighboring school, and apparently was considered to be exceptionally beautiful with androgynous charm. Rei couldn't say she disagreed, really. Something about them was particularly striking to her.

"It's nice to meet you." Es politely greeted Muu, who was a little taller than them. It must be embarrassing to be the shortest, Rei thought. Muu froze up for a second, before nodding. "It's... it's nice to meet you too." Rei sighed with relief that Muu didn't make a big fuss about her making new friends. She didn't know why she thought she would've, anyway. It wasn't often she talked to people, much less made friends with them. As the three walked down the road, Es perked up a bit as if they'd just remembered something.

"Hey, I saw a park nearby with an interesting koi pond. It's not often you see them in simple parks around this part of town, is it?" They asked, almost immediately noticing when Rei's eyes sparkled. "A koi pond? Is that right?" Rei asked with interest. Her hand squeezed down on Muu's a little while Es chuckled. "You like fish, don't you? You have one on your backpack, and you always have that little pen hooked on your blazer pocket." Rei nodded intently. "Yeah, I... I do like fish. A lot. Koi aren't my favorite, but they're still always fascinating to see."

Muu started to shift around a bit, seemingly left out of this conversation. "Maybe Rei-chan and I should go see it sometime. Right, Rei-chan? Would you want to?" She chimed in, her eyes large with anticipation. Rei turned her head to Muu, her heather purple hair quivering along the breeze. "Sure, that'd be fun."

Es hummed, lowering their gaze to the ground. Rei caught on to them feeling left out too, now. Wow, keeping up with two whole friends was harder than Rei thought. Especially when they weren't yet friends with each other. She didn't expect to have to pull a balancing act to make sure one felt included. After all, it must've been awkward for both of them with Es suddenly being put on. For Muu, this was someone new. For Es, this was someone they didn't know long enough for it to not be weird. Especially with the knowledge that Rei and Muu were together, Rei couldn't help thinking she'd accidentally subjected Es to being a third wheel. Stupid, stupid Rei; if only she hadn't told them, she thought.

Finally, they made it to the intersection. "Oh, this is where Es leaves." Rei turned to Muu to let her know. Muu's glance shifted to Es for a split second.

"Yeah... hey, Rei. Can I have your number?" Es spoke up, fiddling with their cardigan a bit. Muu gasped a little at their wording. "Do you really ask someone that in front of their partner?" Es just rolled their eyes. "Relax. I'm not sure how to ask without it sounding like a flirtatious request, but since we're friends, I just think it'd be useful to keep in contact." Rei flushed again when Es said they were friends. She wasn't used to people calling her their friend, aside from Muu of course— or aside from the girls who would call her their best friend and giggle to each other about it in class; the idea of being friends with Rei must be that absurd to most people. Regardless, Rei slipped her hand into her blazer pocket, now that Muu had seemingly settled down from the misunderstanding. She handed her phone to Es with her contact screen displaying her information.

"Thank you." Es thanked while tapping into their phone. Rei couldn't help noticing that they preferred to speak more formally. A simple "thanks" would've sufficed, but Es just had to go the extra mile, she supposed. When Es handed back her phone, they nodded with an approving expression, putting theirs back in their pocket. "Okay. I'll see you later, Rei. And it was nice to meet you, Muu." They dismissed, waving their hand. Muu hesitated for a second, but she nodded at their remark. "Muu enjoyed meeting you, too!"

Rei waved as well when Es departed, before turning with Muu to continue walking towards Rei's home. She felt Muu's fingers graze hers, now realizing they hadn't held hands like usual for the entire walk. She knew Muu wouldn't be happy about that, so she clasped her hand around hers to satiate any unsureness Muu felt. Muu hummed with satisfaction, but Rei still dreaded if she spoke up about it, so she spoke up instead.

"Nice walking with Es, right? It was a little weird though, normally they're more talkative." She pointed out. Muu let out an awkward chuckle, squeezing Rei's hand against her own. "I think... they just don't like Muu that much." Rei shrugged. "I don't think it's that. They don't seem like the person to dislike someone right away." Then again, Muu was always worried about people not liking her. The idea plagued her more than which people did already like her. Rei never missed the way Muu would bend around people to appear favorable to them. She wondered how far that desperation to be liked would go.

"Maybe they're just awkward. You know, it's the same as when you met me." Rei pointed out, causing Muu to light up. "Oh, you were so distant at first, haha— I kept worrying about if you thought Muu was weird for approaching. It's nothing like now, you're closer to Muu than ever!" Muu laughed. Rei laughed along, but couldn't help wondering what Muu's impression of her was. Sure, she was close to Muu, but she didn't think it was completely different. After all, she always thought Muu only hung around her because she felt bad.

Finally, they made it to Rei's house. Rei let go of Muu's hand and kissed her goodbye like she always did, before entering her house again. It'd been a sort of loop in her life this whole time, rarely anything had changed— but, she now had a new friend, she thought as she felt her phone buzz in her pocket. She checked the notification, finding a text from an unmarked contact.

"It's Es. Is this the right number?" Was all it said. Rei didn't expect anything else from them, anyway. She added the contact to her list with a satisfied smile, before writing them back. "yeah it is. thanks for walking with me today"

The two texted a bit back-and-forth, but Rei had a habit of getting distracted with other things on her phone and forgetting to text back, so it was always a few minutes late. The habit would drive Muu crazy, but Es seemed indifferent to it, not even acknowledging her tardiness. Finally, a thought crossed Rei's mind. Es is always sitting by themselves in the park, at the bench, or anywhere, just reading. Must be lonely, she thought. Of course, she knew some people preferred loneliness. She did as well, but even the introverted go mad when left alone too long. She wanted to change that somehow. Without thinking, she made a proposal.

"if i finish all my work tomorrow do you wanna hang out"

The text lingered in the chat box for a second, but Es seemed to notice she stopped typing and sent a quizzical sticker. Curse those typing notifications. She decided to quit holding off and just send it. It wasn't often she was the one to invite people to hang out. When she tried in middle school, the other girls would just call her strange, or mock whatever she wanted to do with them behind her back, or just turn her down every single time. By the time she got to high school, she'd already given up, but that's when Muu began asking her to hang out. And she had someone then. And she didn't need to try for someone's companionship anymore.

Es sent back a message simply affirming, "Sure." Did they not have anything to do either? No matter, Rei was stoked about the fact. She sent an affirmative sticker back, before immediately pulling up her search engine to browse things to do. She really wasn't good at picking out hangout spots, but one kept catching her eye. She shoved it in the back of her mind first, finding it too embarrassing, but then she decided it wouldn't hurt. It'd be fun, she thought.

"how about the park you mentioned with the koi pond" She mostly just wanted to see the koi pond. The rest didn't really matter.

"Didn't Muu want to go there with you first?"

Rei grumbled a bit, muffling it with her hand against her mouth. For once, she wanted to think and not have it to do with Muu. Nothing against Muu, she truly did love and respect her. But she was breaking her old antisocial habits, and she wanted some room to breathe. She decided not to put that all on Es, though. And she knew Muu couldn't help worrying. She just went with her gut instead.

"i'm sure she won't mind"

Es sent back just a thumbs up emoji afterwards. With that, their plan was set. Rei hoped she didn't have too much schoolwork tomorrow. She decided she may as well let Muu know she'd be leaving with Es that day, sending over an informing text, that Muu responded happily to.

"It's good that Rei-chan is making friends." Rei was relieved that she wasn't worrying Muu. She supposed she was more lax than she gave her credit for. Even despite getting anxious about their relationship, she did leave her plenty of room. She could appreciate that. With that, she decided to set down her phone and get her schoolwork in for the day, rummaging through her backpack and brandishing her trusty fish-adorned pen.