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Being a Furin student was a full-time job. They wake up at the crack of dawn, head to school, complete classes, patrol the town, do chores for the townsfolk, fight off thugs and still have to go home and do homework. And they don't even get paid.
That's why Furin students are particularly fond of holidays. Especially the 3rd years who are in charge of so much at school, they finally get some time to themselves to hang out and spend it however they want to. On this particular day, 3rd year student Momose lay in bed on his stomach, aimlessly scribbling in his notebook. Quite frankly, he was bored. They'd been on holiday for nearly a week and he'd done fuck all.
The familiar buzzing of his phone awoke him from his boredom-induced trance, as he pushed himself up to grab his phone from his nightstand. He double-tapped the screen and saw that he had 1 unread message.
Tsubaki ❤️💄: "Momose-chan! Wanna go shopping at the mall together? I'm bored out of my mind!"
Momose grinned, excitement perking him up. He sat up fully, the blanket draped over him falling off. He quickly typed back.
"Yes! I'll meet you at your place and we can walk together :D"
☆✶☆
"Wow... I haven't been to this mall before. It's so big!" Momose exclaimed, looking around in awe.
"It's huge, right? I know it's a lot, if you start to get overstimulated or anything we can take a break in that little café." Tsubaki pointed to a cosy, quaint little café in the distance. "It's super relaxed in there."
"I'm okay, I'm just excited to finally do something. I've been sat in bed, then sat on my floor, then sat on my bed again all week! I feel like I've been wasting away..." He replied, walking with his arms perched out in front of him like he always did. "So what shop should we go to first? I definitely wanna get some art stuff, and I know you're gonna wanna get some beauty stuff, right?"
Tsubaki giggled, lifting a hand in front of his mouth. "Of course! Well there's a perfume shop right ahead, so how about we stop in there first?"
"Okay!"
The pair waltzed happily toward the perfume shop side-by-side, discussing the recent events that had occurred within Makochi. Once they arrived at the door, Tsubaki inhaled the beautiful aroma of the store.
"Oh my gosh, doesn't it smell amazing?! I'm so excited! I've been meaning to get myself a new perfume, I've been running out lately!" He gushed, blushing as he strode on toward the prettiest shelf he could locate. Momose followed closely behind. Seeing his friend so free and happy filled him with joy, especially having known Tsubaki since they were both young. He really had come such a long way. It always made him very happy.
Tsubaki grabbed a red bottle - it was shaped like a heart, the lid of it a bright yellow crown. The label had some pretty red and yellow flowers on it.
"Ooh, this is cute!" He made sure it was the testing bottle before spraying some into the lid and lifting it up to his nose. He took a moment before coming to a conclusion. "Hmm... it's pretty, but I think it might be a bit too floral and airy for me. What do you think?" He acknowledged, handing the lid over to Momose who took it in his sleeve-covered hands. He sniffed it, making an indifferent expression.
"It's not bad, it just doesn't suit you I think." He replied, handing the lid back over. "You definitely suit something stronger, and less flowery."
"I agree!" Tsubaki put the lid back on the bottle and placed it back on the shelf, continuing to scan the bottles for one that caught his eye. Momose looked across them also - picking up an oval-shaped blue bottle with a black lid.
"This one has no label." He muttered, inspecting the bottle.
"It's probably on the bottom. Some bottles try and keep their labels way out of sight." Tsubaki chuckled, excited to get to share his interest with somebody.
"Ooh, yeah!" Momose pulled the lid off, spraying some of the perfume into it and giving it a sniff. "This one smells fancy. But not that good." He offered the lid to his friend, who took it and smelt it.
"Mm... not a fan. It's pretty masculine if you ask me..." He made a face, handing the lid back to Momose who giggled and put it back on the shelf. Then, Tsubaki picked up a purple, oval-shaped bottle with a silver lid. The label had some purple and white flowers on it. He took the lid off, spraying it.
"Ack-" Momose immediately covered his nose, turning away.
"Oh, sorry! Lavender! You hate lavender-" He began wafting the air in a panic, not realising that would only spread the scent around. Momose took a few steps back and giggled at the sight.
"It's okay, don't worry! Calm down, okay?" He coughed. "Wanna check out some other shelves?" He offered, hoping to get away from the smell.
"Yeah, we can do that! Let's go." Tsubaki nodded rather panickily, placing the bottle back on the shelf and quickly shuffling away to another shelf.
The two continued to browse through the different scents, Tsubaki taking extra care to notice any suspicious purple labels before spraying this time. Eventually, they found a flat, red bottle of perfume that captured Tsubaki's heart. The rich, velvety smell made his mouth water - it was definitely the one. The pair moved to the check-out counter where he paid for 1 bottle and they moved on to the next shop.
"Wanna get some art stuff now?" Tsubaki asked, smiling down at Momose.
"Oooh, yes! I'm so ready!" Momose cheered, shaking his hands in excitement. "I want some new spray paint bottles if possible, and a couple new sketchbooks. Maybe a new set of pencils too."
"Sounds great! I hear the art store here is super good."
"Really?! I might have to come back if that's the case."
Tsubaki was aware of Momose's preferences, so they took the manual staircase up to the 2nd floor as opposed to the escalator. They manoeuvred their way through families and friend-groups until they reached a rather extravagant artist's idea of paradise. Tsubaki laughed, seeing the uncontrollable excitement written all over Momose's face. Before he could even comment on it, he rushed forward into the store.
"It smells like spray paint! My favourite scent ever!" He sang, eyes dashing from isle to isle. His method of browsing was vastly different from Tsubaki's who would carefully analyse each stand. Instead, Momose stood, taking in the store, caught up in a frenzy of excitement and unsure which isle to focus on first.
"Hey, there's a bunch of sketchbooks in the corner over here, wanna start there?" Tsubaki asked, beginning to stroll in that direction regardless.
"Okay!"
Momose bent down, flicking through the sketchbooks on the bottom shelf. He seemed to be after a specific size with a specific texture of paper. Tsubaki handed him a couple, all of which were rejected. If nothing else, he was specific about his artwork.
"This one. It's perfect!" He lifted a small sketchbook with a plain black and white cover. He pulled his sleeves back to run his fingers across the paper inside. "The material is perfect for my sketches."
"Oooh, yayy!" Tsubaki giddied, excited for his friend. Momose jumped to his feet, feeling truly in his element. He strolled over to the packs of pencils, analysing each one.
"Good pencils are expensive nowadays. That's usually how I locate the good ones - the price tag..." He sighed, experiencing flashbacks to the times he was shorter of money than he was of height. Eventually, he picked out a pack of 5 pencils. "These seem the most similar to the ones I use."
"Nice! Just spray paint left, right? Or do you wanna browse some more?" Tsubaki smiled, looking over the pencils Momose picked out.
"Hmm... I'm sorta hungry, so could we grab the spray paint then go to that café maybe?" He responded, stomach rumbling.
"Ooh, good call! I was fancying a boba tea. For sure, let's go get that spray paint!"
Momose spent longer than planned in that isle. He was busy admiring the mountains of spray paint, analysing the labels and shaking them to hear that clanking sound of the agitator ball bouncing around inside the can. That sound always brought him joy. Eventually, he narrowed his choice down to 3 new cans - a black, white and a blue.
They deescalated the staircase toward the entrance of the mall, backtracking to the cosy café they passed by earlier. The bell atop the door rang out, alerting the staff to the arrival of new customers.
"Mm, it smells so good... like hot chocolate and croissants." Momose hummed, stomach rumbling louder at the alluring scent that surrounded them.
"It does! where do you wanna sit?" Tsubaki asked, looking around. There were only around 7 people currently sat inside, so most of the tables were free. Momose pointed to a table tucked away in the corner, and the two of them went and sat down opposite each-other. They continued to chat, waiting for someone to come and take their order.
Eventually, a young girl approached their table. She had short black hair, ice blue eyes and glasses. She wore a green apron with the name of the café on the left chest area.
"Hello, welcome in! What can I get for you today?" She asked, smiling politely.
"Hi! I'll just have a medium strawberry boba, and..." Tsubaki began, peering over the menu on the table. "... and a strawberry shortcake slice, please!"
"Wonderful choice! And for you?" The waitress jotted down the order, turning to smile at Momose.
"Hmm... could I order a hot chocolate and a croissant, please?" Momose smiled lightly.
"Of course, I'll get that out for you. Anything else?" She responded.
The two exchanged a look, silently asking if the other was done.
"That's all, thank you!" Tsubaki beamed as the waitress nodded and walked away. "So, guessing the smell got to you?"
"Haha, yeah! It smelt too good, I had to have a hot choc and a croissant. Besides, it's what I usually order when I go out."
"True, you always get it from Pothos. Speaking of Pothos, I went out shopping with Kotoha recently because she wanted to check out a new makeup store nearby. It was the BEST! They had every single brand I use, for a lower price than I normally get it! And, and-"
Momose smiled, resting his chin on his hands, nodding along as Tsubaki spoke. He knew that once Tsubaki began, he didn't stop until he ran out of breath a few times.
"... and yeah. Oh! Sorry, I was rambling! So, have you done anything fun recently?" He exclaimed.
"Hmm... oh yeah! I painted a mural in town recently." Momose perked up, grinning. "It was one of my best pieces yet, I was so happy with it!"
"Ooh, really? You'll have to show me when we go back to school!"
Just then, the waiter showed up holding 2 trays with their orders on them.
"Sorry to interrupt, here you are! One strawberry boba and a strawberry shortcake slice..." She placed the food and drink in front of Tsubaki, who lit up at the sight. "And one hot chocolate and a croissant." She placed the 2nd order in front of Momose who thanked her as she walked away and left them to it. Tsubaki politely cut a slither of the cake and took a bite.
"Mmmm! Oh my goodness, it's so good! I had this the last time I came, it's the best!" He gushed, taking a sip of his boba.
Momose took a small sip of his hot chocolate. "This is so rich, it's delicious!"
The two ate and drank in silence for a moment - though it wasn't awkward. It was a comfortable silence that allowed them to enjoy their food and drinks.
"Hey, do you think makeup counts as a form of art?" Momose asked, dipping his croissant into his hot chocolate, but frowning as he noticed the flakes of croissant now floating around in his drink.
Tsubaki pondered the question for a moment, before answering. "Yeah! I do."
"Cool!" Momose grinned, happily chowing down on the rest of his croissant. "We're both artists, then."
Tsubaki giggled, finishing the last of his cake. They continued to chat until time itself was no longer a concept.
☆✶☆
"This was really fun. Thank you for hanging out with me, Momose-chan!" Tsubaki grinned, waving his friend goodbye.
"Bye-bye Tsubaki!!" Momose waved extravagantly, watching as Tsubaki turned and strode off into the distance. He took note of the confidence Tsubaki seemed to carry himself with these days, comparing it to the meek, uncertain boy he once knew that was even too scared to wear clear lip gloss. He smiled one last time, before turning and skipping home, spray paint cans clinking in his bag.
He felt alive - more than he did when he lay in bed earlier that morning. The sky began to darken, as he watched the sun spray-paint the sky a beautiful hue of orange and red. It looked a little like Tsubaki's shade of red.
And that made him happy.