2023-07-24: Light Lunch

• Log: 2023-07-24: Light Lunch
• Cast: Akane Shinjo, Ramo Marusa
• Where: AEU Spain
• Date: U.C. 0097 07 24
• Summary: After a very harrowing late spring and early summer, Akane finally gets to have a sit-down hang-out with a friend. The two of them talk about where their lives are going, and figure out slightly better solutions to the problem they had a couple months ago than the one they had at the time.

---

It's summer, and Akane's in a food court in Spain. Hinoki told her that she probably didn't need to come in at this point; brainwave analysis has gotten steadily less fruitful over time, and she's still not really comfortable having Akane in the booth for one of Akane's friends. She's done with summer homework, too, which means she really is pretty free for the next month and change.

She's not alone, either.

"I imagined French food would be different in France, but this is seriously fatty... kind of sucks the romance right out of it," Marusan remarks, with a light laugh. "So -- are you feeling confident about entrance exams? ... That is a thing in the AEU, right?"

Akane nods. "Yeah, the AEU does the U-FITS too. I'm feeling pretty good about it. 3G has a few university partners so it's definitely worth taking, too, even if I've already got a job... It's better if you keep your options open. What about you?"

"Kinda nervous about the math section, actually? That's never really been my thing. ... one of the office ladies mentioned that if I go for a degree in a relevant field, I'll get full tuition reimbursement, though, so I wanna take it seriously." A beat passes; Akane sips at a cup of fruit punch, as Marusan fusses with her hair. "I'm thinking nonprofit management."

Akane's lips turn up in a smile, as she says, "It sounds like you really found something great for you." A pause. "Your perfume's kinda strong. You didn't go back to --"

"Huh? No, I wouldn't have the time to do that kind of stuff anymore," Marusan says, shaking her head.

The answer meets with a shrug. "Okay then. It's just a little overapplied is all. Anyway -- you're down here for Yumi stuff... what do they even have you doing? I don't have a great idea of how that side of Sayla's stuff works."

After a sip of her own drink, Marusan explains, "So one of the things we do is, like... well, the technical term is 'psychosocial support intervention,' but that's kind of stuffy? It's basically just more Dance Club, but it's not always dance. We either help kids find opportunities to make activity-based connections in their communities, if the community's still intact, or if it isn't, create those opportunities."

A crying child and parent pass, so Marusan pauses her explanation. Once they're not within two tables of Akane and Marusan, she says, "As an intern, my job is mostly going to be intake interviews. Talking to kids and teenagers in the program to find out their interests, that kind of thing. So for the summer, I'm getting trained in. It does put me in kind of a weird position, since the program coordinators are all adults and I'm the one making recommendations to /them/, but..."

Akane's eyes, steadily widening over the course of the explanation, finally blink. "You seriously took to this kinda thing, huh. Hey -- uh, listen." Akane scoots forward, looking up toward Marusan, then back down at her food. "I wanted to talk to you a little about... Dakar, and this stuff reminded me."

This time, it's Marusan's turn to blink. "Huh? What's up?"

"I almost got you pulled into something really dangerous. If you didn't twig to something being wrong, you could've been..." She sighs. "Well, a lot of stuff could have happened to you and all of it was bad."

Marusan nods to Akane, looking at her with some seriousness. Her head tilts a little to the side inquisitively. "I mean... one, there's no use torturing yourself over what could've happened. Two, yeah, actually, once I figured it out... it's not that I wasn't sympathetic, but I did kind of feel like, 'why drag me into it?' Especially once I noticed it was so huge. Whatever it was went off like a bomb."

... not everyone's going to be as nice about it as Knight was, Akane reflects. She looks down at her food.

"... but," Marusan looks Akane square-on, "That doesn't mean it's your fault for being in the situation. Just... can we find a better way than me having to divine your mental health from your To-witter? I don't even really mind being your emergency contact. Just, that part kind of sucked."

Akane nods. "It was all I could think of."

"And for the situation, like... not bad? Quick thinking, something only your actual friends would get?" Marusan drums a fingernail on the food court table. "But a lot of better ones are on the table. I know your life is a little dangerous. I'm not gonna drop you as a friend just for that? Just... after we finish here, let's figure out something innocuous you can send me to let me know you're in trouble."

That takes a little thought. Is Akane sure Marusan wouldn't be better off just never talking to her again? She wrestles with the question in her head for a few moments. Sooner or later, though, staying silent gets weird, and Akane offers a hesitant, "... Sure. Thanks."

Marusan chooses mercy rather than pressing her on this one. At least she's trying. "Anyway -- I'm probably gonna be down here most of the summer. We should hang out more before school starts up again and makes it kinda difficult. All that stuff aside, I do kinda wish we'd hung out more while you lived in town..."

Akane nods, agreeing, "... Me too."