A week had passed since Tomoe’s unexpected encounter with Hiro at her mother’s shop. She had hoped that it would be a one-time interaction, something she could quietly forget as she continued her normal routine. But fate, and more importantly, her mother, had other pns.

  Now, she found herself standing stiffly outside Kaya’s house, her hands clutching the hem of her shirt as she tried not to fidget. Serena had been beyond enthusiastic about the dinner invitation, insisting that this was a wonderful opportunity to make friends. Tomoe, on the other hand, felt like she was being led into enemy territory without a weapon.

  The door opened before she could contempte escape, and she barely had time to process what was happening before she was dragged inside.

  “Tomoe! You actually came!”

  Natsume’s voice was too loud, too enthusiastic, too much. Before Tomoe could even react, she was being pulled forward, her space invaded as if personal boundaries were a foreign concept.

  “I was worried you’d back out, but you’re here! This is great! You’re gonna love it—oh, Hiro’s already here, come on!”

  Tomoe had never been forcibly ushered into a social situation before, and she didn’t like it one bit. Where was the option to observe from a safe distance? Where was the corner she could quietly fade into? Why was Natsume talking so fast?

  She barely had time to react before she was deposited at the dinner table, across from Hiro, who sat with his usual calm expression, watching the situation unfold with mild interest.

  “Hey, Tomoe,” Hiro greeted, offering a small nod.

  Tomoe let out a barely audible “Hey…”, her voice coming out more like a squeak than an actual word. She dropped her gaze immediately, internally screaming at herself for being so awkward.

  Meanwhile, Natsume had already resumed talking, filling the room with a level of energy that should not have been legal indoors.

  “So! You and Hiro never talk in css, but that’s gonna change now because we’re all gonna be great friends! Right, Hiro?”

  Hiro blinked once, slowly. “I guess.”

  Tomoe wished she could crawl under the table and stay there until everyone forgot she existed. Instead, she was handed a pte, and the meal began.

  At first, she focused on eating, hoping that if she stayed quiet enough, she could survive this dinner unnoticed. But Natsume had other pns.

  “So, Tomoe,” Natsume said suddenly, resting her chin in her hands. “Why are you so quiet all the time?”

  Tomoe choked on her food.

  Hiro reached over and pushed a cup of water toward her without a word, as if this was something he had expected to happen. She accepted it with shaking hands, coughing as she avoided making eye contact. Who even asks something like that?!

  Natsume didn’t seem malicious, but her directness was socially terrifying.

  “I just… I just don’t talk much,” Tomoe muttered, her voice barely above a whisper. “I… don’t know what to say.”

  Natsume hummed in thought, then shrugged. “That’s okay! You can just listen to me talk, I do it enough for both of us!”

  Tomoe had no doubt about that.

  Still, as the night went on, she found herself easing up—just a little. Hiro didn’t pressure her to talk, and while Natsume was overwhelming, she wasn’t mean. In fact, she made sure to include Tomoe in conversations, even if Tomoe’s only contributions were the occasional nod or single-word response.

  By the end of the night, when Serena finally announced it was time to go, Tomoe felt strangely exhausted but not entirely miserable.

  As she stepped outside, Hiro and Natsume walked with her to the door, something about their presence making the quiet night seem less daunting.

  “See you in css, Tomoe!” Natsume called, waving so enthusiastically it made Tomoe tired just watching her.

  Hiro gave her another small nod. “Night, Tomoe.”

  Tomoe hesitated for only a second before responding, her voice still soft, but a little more steady this time. “Goodnight.”

  As she followed her mother down the path toward home, she found herself mulling over the night’s events. It had been loud. It had been chaotic. It had been socially draining.

  But…

  It hadn’t been that bad.