2022-06-20: Erosion

• Log: 2022-06-21: Erosion
• Cast: Asuka Shikinami Langley (ft. Hikari Horaki)
• Where: Tokyo-3
• Date: June 20th UC 96 (June 20th, 2022)
• Summary: Sometimes all it takes is persistence...

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The classroom had been denied natural light all day, because the curtains had been drawn. When the earliest arrivals found them shut, they tried to open them, only to be met by a glower and sharp rebuke from someone who was even there earlier.

When the teacher commented, he was handed a certain note. He read it, folded it up, then did not comment again. As a result, when the lunch bell rang, most students were leaving the class for the cafeteria or the rooftop, the feeling of being cooped up ubiquitous amongst the teens, as each group filtered out at their own pace. A pair of boys leave even more leisurely than most.

"You notice how he's absent again?"

"So what? That's nothing new. He's out all the time."

"I don't know man, you hear the news about what happened at the train station? Maybe someone realized he was a Coordinator and iced him! Wouldn't that be a riot?"

"Less competition for sure... but come on, there's no way right?"

Asuka hears nothing new to her ears, she's come to expect nothing less. In the cruelty of youth, the two had stumbled onto the truth. Still, she gives them a particularly dour look today, and as one of them catches it, the two scurry on at a much accelerated pace.

She waits until after they're gone to take out her bento box. As she chews, she looks to the side, trying not to be distracted. However, she was a little. "He slacked off again today." There's no venom in it though. Using the chopsticks inexpertly as she still wasn't used to them, she brings up another morsel to her mouth...

... when a shadow fell over her. Asuka looked up, expecting another boy to be taking his shot again, only to see the class representative smiling at her. "May I join you?"

Asuka gives her a look of suspicion, distrusting her motive, as her arms encircled around it in a sort of awkward protectiveness. "You... can't have my lunch." She finishes a bit lamely. Hikari just responds to that with a smile and a small giggle, as she held up the blue bindle containing her own lunch.

Asuka had no response to that but a look of utter confusion. Then, more awkwardly... "Do what you want."

Hikari did just that.

-=-=-

"Can I walk home with you today?" Came that same sweet voice at the shoe lockers, right as Asuka finished replacing a slipper with her pair of brown loafers. "I'm... going the long way home." Asuka noted to her hesitantly, looking away, as she slides on her other shoe. Hikari notes not long after. "I don't mind."

Asuka's hand fished around in her schoolbag, checking that the cool sensation of gunmetal was still there. "It's dangerous." She says, a bit more coldly. Hikari didn't even flinch at that information before confiding in her, "I kind of figured. It's fine though." Asuka gives her a look, but before she could say anything else, Hikari continued. "That's what you do right? Protect us."

"I'm not here to be your bodyguard." Asuka snaps at her as she turns to walk away, and she hears at her back. "I'm not asking you to be. I just... don't feel unsafe keeping you company." Asuka stops, not looking back... then after a few seconds of thought, "Do what you want." As she continued walking for a side exit of the school. Hikari's smile brightened and she started walking after her - quickening her pace to catch up.

-=-=-

"This is far enough. I'm not walking you back the rest of the way." Asuka declares as their circuitous route finally reached a midway point between the apartments of Misato and the Horakis. Hikari chuckles softly, before telling her, "I don't expect you to. You weren't kidding about taking the the long way though. Dinner is going to be so late tonight."

Asuka's tone turns sour, "I told you what you were in for." "You did." As Asuka started to walk away, Hikari called out to her, "Can I walk with you again sometime?"

Now Asuka actually stopped and turned to look at her, with her trademark 'What are you, stupid?' expression. However the word that came out of her lips was, "Why?"

"Because I enjoy your company." Again, the expression of awkward confusion on Asuka's face, as she struggles with this, before she tore her gaze away and repeated the same line. "Do what you want." Hikari stands and watches her go in the light of the afternoon sun, with a thoughtful expression, it's only when Asuka is no longer within hearing distance that she decides,

"I think I will."