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Another horrible day. Chihiro scrubbed at her eyes in the quietest bathroom she could find, the one on the far corner of campus. No one ever came here, which made it a good place to go cry when the pressures of college life got to her, so she wouldn't bother anyone else with it. Today had been awful.
When the door opened and heeled steps made their way into the room, echoing on the tiles, it startled her so much she jumped up even though she was in a stall with the door closed and it was perfectly normal for someone else to be in the bathroom. She tried to stay quiet, hoping they wouldn't notice, but a sniffle escaped, and the footsteps stopped.
"Who's in here?" The absolutely unmistakable voice of Junko Enoshima filled the bathroom. Chihiro hadn't interacted with her much at all, but even a programmer knew the sound of her voice. She was famous in their school for being a fashion model and also one of the meanest, nastiest girls around. The absolute last thing Chihiro needed.
More tears leaked from her eyes without her permission, shame and embarrassment rearing their ugly heads. Her best bet was probably to leave the bathroom as quickly as possible, before she was accused of interrupting whatever Junko was here to do. Or made fun of. "N-nobody. I'll get out of your way," she mumbled, and, gathering her courage, unlocked the stall door. She let it swing open to reveal Junko standing outside, looking prettier than Chihiro thought anyone had any right to look. She'd always had kind of a crush on her, however improbable she knew it was that Junko would even take notice of her.
Junko tilted her head at Chihiro, looking her up and down. "You're from the computer class, right? What are you doing all the way out here?"
Chihiro wished she wouldn't have asked. It made sense; her classes didn't come anywhere near here. None of the classes did. She tried to edge her way out of the stall without brushing against Junko, looking up at her miserably. "I just wanted to be alone… I've never seen anyone else come out here before."
"Yeah, me neither. You don't have to leave. Come over here," Junko ordered, waving her over to the sink. A little makeup bag was sitting there, like she'd set it aside on her way in. "You have this cute, pathetic thing going on. I want to see what I can do with it. You didn't tell me your name."
Her face burned, and she sniffled pathetically. It was an accurate description, she knew, but it still hurt to have someone so pretty and so popular call her that like it wasn't a big deal that she was weak. She should be stronger, she should be able to handle the pressures of school, but instead she cried most days. She found herself obediently going to the counter. After a moment, she realized she should try to clean her face up a little, so she started on that with some paper towels and cold water. "Fujisaki. But—well, I guess you can call me Chihiro, if you're really doing this…"
"Of course I'm doing this. You could be adorable with the right look. I've never had anyone like you to work on. I was just going to refresh my makeup and have a smoke with my sister, but this sounds way more entertaining. Quit that, just turn around and close your eyes, I'll handle the rest."
"R-right." Chihiro threw the paper towels in the trash and turned around, closing her eyes. A chilly hand grabbed her chin and tilted it up, turning it this way and that, and she had to fight to keep her eyes closed and just let Junko do her thing. Her hands gripped the edge of the counter, like that could keep her upright while such a gorgeous girl was working on her face.
"Why were you crying anyway?" Junko seemed to have come to some decision, because Chihiro could feel something being applied to her face. She wasn't familiar enough with makeup to know what it was just from the feel, but it was cold and creamy. "I guarantee boys aren't worth it."
What was she even supposed to say to that? She knew Junko wouldn't understand. Everything came so easily to her in a way nothing but computers ever had to Chihiro. She shrugged, embarrassed. "It wasn't a boy… I don't really care about them."
"Girls aren't worth it either," Junko said promptly, like it was obvious.
"It wasn't a girl either. I've n-never had a girlfriend." That felt pathetic to admit to Junko Enoshima, so she moved on quickly. "It's just everything. School, friends, all of it. I don't know what to do. It's all so hard and exhausting. I don't know how you do it."
With her eyes closed, it was hard to be sure, but she got the sense that Junko rolled her eyes at her. The bathroom was quiet as Junko made her way through multiple products and worked on her face. Then she spoke again. "I guess it's just different for me. A cute little thing like you has a lot to worry about, but people know better than to fuck with me or my sister. You're like, what, four feet tall? You're tiny."
This talk wasn't exactly making Chihiro feel better, but Junko was listening more than she'd expected. "I need to get stronger. I've always been way more comfortable behind a computer screen than interacting with people face to face."
"Not everyone can be me. If they were, I wouldn't be as hot and badass, because everyone would be. No point in crying about that, it's a waste of time. You said you've never had a girlfriend? Seriously? When you're out here just begging for someone to swoop in and put a collar on you?"
Chihiro was so glad her eyes were still closed, so she couldn't give Junko a pleading look. Her heart skipped several beats, and it took her a few moments to speak. "A-are you offering?"