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That’s it!
Ichi is SO tired of waiting around for Mob to reveal himself as the Psycho Helmet Messiah! Why can’t he see this would do wonders to his reputation? Not to mention how fun it would be! There are people out there willingly throwing their money at the cult, why can’t he take advantage of it?
It’s time to take matters into her own hands.
She sets off running towards the Body Improvement Club, occasionally slowing down when any of the hall monitors are nearby. No more running, Mob! Ichi’s out to get you!
When she finds the room she slams the door open with her foot, expecting to see Mob there – she couldn’t care less if he’s in the middle of training, this is way more important! “Hey!” she shouts, then stops. And stares.
Because it’s not Mob who’s in the room.
In his place, there’s a dark-haired girl slouched over a chair with her feet on the table. She barely reacts to Ichi barging in on the room, as she’s too busy focusing on her video game.
Ichi has… no idea how to react.
The other girl grabs a potato chip from a bag on the table. “Huh?” she says, lazily looking up at Ichi, but still somehow playing. “Did you want something?”
“Huh,” is all Ichi says. All her previous bravado dissipates as soon as she locks eyes with the other girl. She’s sure she has seen her before, maybe around school. (Well, duh! Obviously.) “S-Sorry, I was looking for Mob. I really need to speak with him.”
The girl is still eyeing Ichi. “Ah,” her eyes flicker back to her game. “He should be back soon,” she takes another chip from the bag. “His training took longer than expected. You can wait here, I guess.”
Ichi awkwardly pulls a chair and sits down in front of the other girl.
They both stand there in silence. For like, ten minutes. The only sounds being the music coming from the console.
And yeah, okay, this is awkward.
Ichi fidgets with her camera. “So,” she says, hoping to break the silence. “Are you also a member of the Body Improvement Club?”
The other girl blows a raspberry. “As if,” she says. “We use this room for the Telepathy Club where we try and talk to aliens.”
Ichi lifts an eyebrow. She had never heard of a school club that had to do with talking to aliens. Or maybe she did, but didn’t pay attention. “Is that so?” From the looks of it, though, the only thing this Club seems to care about is playing video games all day. “Have you ever been successful?”
“Nope,” she says simply. The music coming from the console starts getting more intense, and the other student grits her teeth in frustration. “Come on...” There’s a sad tune coming from the console, and she groans. “Come on! I was on that level all morning!” she sighs, throwing her console back at the table, nearly missing Ichi.
She straightens up and blinks at Ichi, finally realizing there is someone else in the room with her. “Oh,” she pauses for a second, obviously embarrassed. “I’m Kurata Tome.” She reachers for the bag to grab another chip.
“Mezato Ichi,” she greets, bowing her head.
Tome’s eyes dart towards Ichi, her gaze drifting to the camera she’s currently holding. “Hey,” she firmly points at it. “You’re in the Newspaper Club, right?” Ichi nods, and Tome practically jumps on top of the table. “I had a great idea!” she says. “Let’s team up! Just think about how famous you’d become if you managed to capture an alien on camera!”
Ichi can't help to wonder if that's the real reason she wants to team up - most likely she wants Ichi to do all the work. Still, why not? It sounds way better than waiting for Mob to man up and reveal himself to the others. “Sure,” Ichi says.
Tome grins. “Awesome!” she beams. “We could go to the roof after class, just the two of us.”
Ichi nods. “That sounds-” she stops. Wait. Go to the roof? Just two of them? Ichi turns red. “You mean... like a date?”
A sudden flash of realization moves across Tome’s face, and her eyes widen. “What? No, no!” she blurts out, hands waving frantically. “I didn't mean to - I mean,” she blushes, eyes gazing towards Ichi. “Maybe? If you want to?”
Ichi feels her cheeks grow even warmer. She had never been asked to go out on a date before, especially not by a pretty girl like Tome. She tugs at her cheek. “We could go... look for aliens at the park instead,” she offers.
Tome tugs at her cheek. “I know a great place, actually.”
Ichi smiles. “It's a date, then.”
Tome perks up. “Oh, by the way,” she says. “I don't think Mob will show up at all. It's late, and when his training takes too long he usually heads straight home.”
Ichi sighs. Mob always seem to be one step ahead of her. Still, maybe she should send him a thank-you note for inadvertently setting her up.