Episode 2: The First Step

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It was the day after Aoi enrolled in St. Theresa's School for Girls.

Chloe
Hey, what's going on?

Chloe
It's our lunch break, and we're going to the middle school area to check on her?

Chloe
She's not here, though. It's an empty room.

Chelle
Chelluun! Aoi, wanna go to lunch?

Chelle
Wait, it's just Yuuki and Chloe? Where'd Aoi go?

Chloe
That's what I wanna know. Man, what's going on?

Chelle
Well, then, it's time for me to activate my local interrogation technique. Hey, you over there! Do you know where Aoi went?

Female Student
Huh? She's the student who transferred in today, right...? If that's who you mean, then as soon as the chime sounded, she ran out of the classroom in a big hurry...

Chelle
Thanks -- let me teach you this greeting in return! Chelluun! Okay, all together now -- chelluun!

Female Student
Ch-Chelluun...

Chelle
Be sure to spread it all through the middle school! ... Sigh. There you have it, Chloe. Pretty lame that we ended up coming here for no reason.

Chloe
Your on-off switch really flips just like that, huh? Anyway... Looks like that girl ran off somewhere.

Yuni
Mm-hmm. And I believe I know where.

Chloe
Of course you're here too, Yuni. But you came late.

Yuni
Er, well, you see, it was due to a force majeure. My research laboratory, also known as the Ivory Tower, is located by the old school building. There is quite some distance between that site and the new school building here. Yes, indeed.

Chelle
You don't need to make excuses. More importantly, do you really know where Aoi went?

Yuni
These juniors really do not allow their upperclassmen much leeway... Well, yes, I believe I do. I can infer her actions by examining what I would do in the same situation.

Chloe
Well then, let's get a move on. I'm getting pretty hungry.

Yuuki
1. "Thanks, everyone."

Chloe
Huh? What, you don't need to thank us for anything. We just did what we wanted to do.

Yuni
That's right, Yuuki. To look after your cherished friend Aoi is equivalent to deepening our friendship with you directly.

Yuni
It is all in the name of upholding the requirements of our scholarship, i.e. to successfully complete the task of attaining a strong friendship with you.

Chelle
The BFFs Club was originally formed as a vehicle to get those scholarships, after all. Though nowadays, we're just a guild of 3 normal BFFs, just like the name says!

Chloe
That's totally not true.

Later.

Aoi
... Sigh.

Chloe
Coming in.

Aoi
Eek!? C-C-C-Chloe!? Yuuki, Chelle, and Yuni, too...!?

Chelle
We were looking for you, Aoi!

Yuni
Mm-hmm, so you really were in a place with nobody else around. How about that -- exactly as I predicted based on my analysis of behavioral psychology.

Chloe
No, this is the fifth place we've looked. We went through an exhaustive search.

Aoi
E-Everyone... Why?

Chloe
That's what we should be asking. Why are you in this empty classroom? It was totally a pain to find you.

Aoi
Ah... u-um... I... I didn't know how to talk to the other people in my class...

Aoi
I didn't introduce myself very well... And I didn't understand the lecture that well either, so I wasn't sure what to do...

Chloe
... Lemme tell you something.

Chelle
Whoa there, Chloe, let's leave that until later -- how about some lunch first?

Yuni
Indeed. Although my analysis succeeded in locating her very quickly, our time is still limited. Let us have this conversation while dining.

Chelle
On that subject, isn't it rare for the BFFs Club to have lunch all together?

Yuni
Thinking about it, that does appear to be the case. That, despite the fact that we are together quite often.

Chloe
I mean, we always have guild meetings after school, but it'd be more of a pain to come together just for lunch.

Chelle
Really? But I really like having lunch together with everyone like this!

Yuni
Mrgh. Chelle is making a blatant effort to curry favor here. As her senior, I cannot allow myself to be upstaged...! I-I also wanna eat together with everyone, fueehh!

Chloe
You can cut that out.

Yuuki
1. "Eating together with lots of people is fun."
2. "Eating together with you is fun, Chloe."

Option 1.

Chloe
Why're you trying to curry favor too? You want to become more cute? Did you give up on trying to maintain a cool image?

Option 2.

Chloe
Hmm. Huh. Really. I see. ... I mean, I don't think it's unfun or anything.

End of branches.

Chloe
I mean... If all of you seriously like eating together that much, then I don't really mind it either.

Chelle
Did you hear that, Yuni!? Chloe's cunning! She's too cunning!

Yuni
Ugh, I was wrong about you, Chloe... I truly believed that you had too much pride to cast aside your "cool beauty" image in the name of attaining victory... Shame on you, you femme fatale!

Chloe
I have no idea what you're talking about. Dunno why you're dissing me for just saying I didn't mind eating together. Quit acting like that's something I'd never say.

Chelle
Ahaha! It really is more fun to have lunch with everyone! Isn't it nice? Doesn't it make you chelly-chell?

Chloe
It doesn't, no matter how much you're suggesting it should. As forcefully as you're trying to push that weird language, it isn't gonna fly. Nobody's gonna use it, not until the end of time.

Aoi
Um... Why are you three always together? You're all in different years...

Chloe
I mean, it's not like we're always together. But yeah, I guess the reason we're together so much is, we're all kind of outcasts from St. Theresa's.

Aoi
I'm... envious of you all. I wish I could... be as close to someone as you are to each other.

Chloe
I'm not sure what you see in us that's so special. But earlier, you said you weren't sure how to talk to the other girls in class, right?

Aoi
Y... Yes.

Chloe
Don't you think it's pointless to be that scared? You've only been here for a short time, so it's not like you need to do more than just "hi" and "bye-bye." You'll just be exhausting yourself if you worry about it beyond that.

Chloe
I guess what I mean to say is, uh, I mean... Man, this is tough.

Chelle
What Chloe means to say is, you should just be more honest with your feelings, Aoi.

Chloe
Don't just interpret other people's words like that.

Aoi
Chloe...

Yuuki
1. "I think Chloe is right."

Aoi
Yes, I see...! Thank you, Chloe!

Aoi
I feel like I can be just a little bit braver now...!

Chloe
I didn't do anything. Like literally, I didn't do anything.

Chelle
Aren't you happy, Chloe?

Chloe
Huh? What, I mean... Sort of.

Yuni
There's no need to hide it, Chloe. I'm proud to have as splendid a junior as you.

Chloe
Ugh, okay, okay, that's enough -- be quiet and eat your food. Lunch is ending soon, and we don't have time for this.

Aoi
(It'll be okay, it'll be okay. Chloe has my back...!)

Female Student
......

Aoi
U-Um, excuse me!

Female Student
Yes?

Aoi
G-G-G-Good...

Female Student
U-um...?

Aoi
G-Good day...!

Female Student
... Yes. Good day to you, too, Aoi.

Chloe
Looks like she'll be all right.

Chelle
You did a good job, Aoi.

Yuni
Oh, look at that. Aoi's other classmates are starting to converse with Aoi as well.

Chelle
Everyone's been waiting for this moment, right? The moment when Aoi takes her first step.

Yuuki
1. "It's a relief, isn't it?"

Chloe
Huh? Why are you saying that to me? It's not like I was worried.

Chloe
No, I mean... I was just a little curious.

Chelle
Ooooh, Chloe's blushing -- so adorable!

Yuni
I must ascertain that this quickening heart rate of mine is something effected by Chloe...!

Chloe
Man, shut up.

Female Student
Oh, yeah, did you hear about this, Aoi? Apparently, the lake on campus was completely drained of water today.

Female Student
What on earth could have happened...?

Aoi
Drained of water...?

Aoi had taken her first step. But behind the scenes, a most troubling seed was about to sprout...

Mandragora
......