Hanako leaves the building, sighing softly and leaving it behind. The day wasn’t particularly tough, or challenging, or even draining. Still, Hanako’s mood has sunk, possibly just a bad day for her usual depression. Nothing should be wrong. Nothing feels wrong. And yet…

Koharu: Hanako! (she approaches, halfway between a jog and a sprint, catching her breath as she stops) This is important. We looked at the new girl’s past and—

Sara: Boop! (popping out seemingly out of nowhere, she bops Koharu on the head from behind before circling around to insert herself between Koharu and Hanako) Hiya, chief. Going out for a run?

Koharu: Don’t touch my hair.

Sara: But it’s so fluffy!

Hanako: Sara-chan, we talked about this! Koharu’s personal space is important, you should always respect it.

Sara: Agh! (she clutches her hand as if it’s infected) I cannot resist the temptation, Master!

Koharu: Leave us alone. We’re having an important conversation.

Sara: An important conversation? Not about little ol’ me, I hope?

Hanako: You didn’t give Koharu time to even start, Sara-chan. We talked about interrupting people as well. …Didn’t we? (She looks away for just a moment, but Sara’s face catches in her peripheral vision, and she turns and nods slowly) …We did.

Sara: … I just saw my friends and wanted to say hello, y‘know? I see other people do this kinda stuff all the time, so why am I getting lectured?

She sounds legitimately upset. Koharu has never heard her be legitimately upset before.

Hanako: S-Sara-chan?

Koharu: … I… We weren’t gossiping. I was wondering about…

Sara: (back to her usual chipper demeanor, as if nothing happened) My past, right? My tragic origin story? 

Koharu: Uh—

Sara: I heard you say the word “past”!

Koharu: I… did, yes.

Hanako: R-Right! We were talking about that, and— (She is interrupted by her phone going off. She checks, then her eyes widen) I-I gotta go… Shinju needs me. It’s um… urgent. (She looks around. Mercifully, they are all alone.) …Magical stuff. S-Sorry, message me later, Koharu! (She takes off in a hurry)

Koharu: This is important too— (she reaches out, but Hanako is already out of her grasp, hastily swinging her bag onto her back as she crosses the street in front of the campus)

Sara: What is it about my past that is important…? Oh, did you discover something about my cousin?

Koharu: Drop the act. I know you’re lying.

Sara: (taken aback, she puts a few steps of distance between Koharu and herself) I-I don’t mean to—I don’t get it! Why’s everyone always acting like I’m being dishonest or lying or causing trouble or whatnot? 

Koharu: Hard to deny you—

Sara: You never used to treat me like this— this— I dunno, annoying sidekick that got written into your show to stop the ratings from dropping? What in the world did I do to make everyone treat me like a bit of spinach stuck to their teeth all of a sudden?

Koharu: … I don’t hate you. I don’t concern myself with hating people.

Sara: What about Hanako, then? Always going “Sara-chan, you can’t do this”, “Sara-chan, you can’t do that”, like I’m some kind of stranger or a lil’ baby? I mean, you know me, right? I’ve been bopping you on the head since kindergarten! I thought that was like, our thing?

Koharu: … S-She’s not wrong about me appreciating my personal space, I mean—

Sara: (she sighs) Well, I guess that’s just puberty for you. (she gesticulates at the sky dramatically) To think the day would come when little ol’ Sara Mitsunaga’s dear childhood friends would outgrow her and all leave her behind for the heinous crime of being terminally cringe! Let me catch up to them, oh goddess of youth. I have been drinking my milk like a good girl every day, what else do you want from me?

Koharu: … Look. Don’t go looking for any ill intent when someone chews you out. It’s— probably just that we’re stressed out. You can be a bit much, Sara, and… It’s hard to focus on a school newspaper when there’s Balancers about and a friend …’s friend has been kidnapped. But we’d know better than to alienate a friend.

Sara: So, we’re still in this together?

Koharu: (she nods) Never letting you down.

Sara: Well, that’s a relief! Silly me, convincing myself you all secretly think I’m annoying.

Yosuke: No, I do pretty openly think you’re annoying. (with his bag slung over his shoulder, he approaches the pair, casually putting his free hand around Koharu’s waist)

Sara: (she glares at Yosuke) Keep lying to yourself, chaser. Junna-chan’d be rolling in her grave so hard she could power the entire neighborhood if she found out this is how you talk to us out-and-proud weirdos nowadays. Yes.

Yosuke: (dryly) I would deck you for that if I didn’t know better.

Koharu: No, you wouldn’t.

Sara: I figured it out. It’s not puberty turning my friends against me, it’s you! (she sticks her tongue out at Yosuke, before immediately softening her tone of voice again) Buh-bye, chief. 

Koharu: (sheepishly) Buh-bye.

In silence, the two watch Sara storm off, making a passing-by car honk at her as she dashes across the crosswalk.

Yosuke: … Be honest. Am I an asshole?

Koharu: You don’t actually believe what she said about Junna, right?

Yosuke: I mean, she’s right though. She and… her have… or had a lot in common.

Koharu: You say the same about me.

Yosuke: Well, because it tr—(he winces) N-Not that I like her the way I liked Junna— or, eh, you, though! Lemme make that abundantly clear. It’s just… you’ve known her for years and I guess I could see her having some difficulties with the fact that you have a boyfriend now, and that Hanako’s becoming a bit looser, and— y’know, maybe she does feel a bit excluded and I should dial down the snark. A bit. Just… I dunno, what do you think?

Koharu: (she shrugs) Think you’ve answered your own question.

Yosuke: I mean, I guess even for girls there is such a thing as “bros before hoes”, right? Except it would be … “sisters before misters”?

Koharu: Not a competition.

Yosuke: Good, cause I don’t think I can compete with… How long’ve you two known each other for again?

Koharu: Probably— (her face suddenly falls into a frown) … I… I don’t know, actually.

Yosuke: Well, an estimate.

Koharu: No, I… I don’t know if I even— know her at all. (she turns to Yosuke, looking him into the eye) Sara and I… we’re… childhood friends, right?

Yosuke: Why’re you asking the new guy?

Koharu: We are. We are. (she nods slowly, as if to reassure herself) So… Why can’t I remember? 

Her head full of questions, Koharu looks off towards the horizon.