Chiaki Tsukamoto leaned back in her cafeteria chair, twirling a strand of her light brown hair around her finger as she sighed dramatically.
"Ugh, I swear my boyfriend is getting more boring every week," she complained, voice low but full of energy.
"All he wants to do lately is hang out with his gang from the soccer club. Like, hello? We're supposed to be dating, not just existing in the same building. Last weekend he literally ditched me to go play games at the arcade with them until midnight. Midnight!"
Nagisa, sitting across from her, nodded sympathetically while chewing on a piece of karaage.
"Yeah, that's the worst. One of my exes was like that too. Always 'bros before hoes' until I got fed up and dumped him. It's annoying when they act like their friends are more important than you."
"Exactly!" Chiaki threw her hands up. "I'm not even asking for constant dates. Just… some actual attention? Is that too much? I swear guys turn into completely different people once they get a girlfriend. Or maybe they were always like that and we just didn't notice." then let them drop with a tired laugh. The two girls shared a knowing look.
After a moment, Chiaki leaned forward with a mischievous grin. "Anyway, you slut. You broke up with another boyfriend again? All because you saw some hot guy? You crazy bitch."
Nagisa nearly choked on her food, laughing as she waved her hand. "Hey! If you saw what I saw, you would've done the same thing. The guy was built like a model and had these deep blue eyes that just… ugh. I couldn't help it."
Chiaki raised an eyebrow, clearly entertained. She waited a beat, letting the silence stretch just long enough to make Nagisa squirm.
"Okay, but seriously… what actually happened?" she asked, leaning in. "You never give me the full story. You always brush it off like it's nothing."
Before Nagisa could answer, a familiar voice called out from behind them.
"Hey guys, sorry I'm a bit late. Had to handle something."
Yukiko approached their table, bag slung over one shoulder, looking a little flushed but smiling. In their tight trio, Yukiko was the more reserved one, but she was completely open and relaxed around them.
Chiaki and Nagisa both waved her over.
"No worries." Chiaki said, scooting her chair to make space. "We were just talking about how annoying boyfriends can be. Sit down, sit down."
Yukiko slid into the seat beside Nagisa. "Sounds about right. How's everyone's day going so far?"
They fell into easy conversation, catching up on classes, complaining about homework, and debating what they should do for their next hangout. After a few minutes, Yukiko cleared her throat and interjected.
"Actually, the reason I was a little late is because of something else. There's this guy in my class, called Adrian Cross. He's the new transfer student everyone's been talking about. The one I like to call 'Mister Popular'."
Chiaki's eyes lit up with interest. "Oh? The supposed tall and handsome hunk with blue eyes? I've heard a few girls whispering about him."
Nagisa perked up as well. "Wait, so what's about him?"
Yukiko smiled shyly. "He asked if he could meet you, Nagisa. He said you helped him with something at the start of his time here and he wanted to thank you properly. I told him I'd ask."
Nagisa blinked, clearly stunned. She hadn't actually helped Adrian with anything.
She quickly faked a casual smile and played along. "Oh, yeah… It was the usual stuff. Nothing big."
Chiaki immediately pounced, grinning like a cat that caught a mouse. "The usual? What, did you blow him in the bathroom or something, you slut?" She chuckled, clearly teasing.
Nagisa's face turned pink, but she laughed it off. "I wish."
Yukiko and Chiaki both looked surprised, then burst out laughing.
"Wait, wait." Chiaki said, eyes wide with delight. "Is our Nagisa the sluttiest in the world, actually crushing on someone? This is new."
Yukiko couldn't resist joining in, a shy but playful smile on her face. "You might have some competition if you're going after him. I heard he's been getting pretty close to a girl named Natsuha lately." She paused, then added softly, almost shyly, "He really is hot though."
Chiaki stared at her two best friends, completely shocked. "Wait, both of you are wetting yourselves over the same guy?" She shook her head, half-laughing, half-disbelieving. "He can't be that great, right?"
Yukiko and Nagisa looked at each other and chuckled, making Chiaki feel a little awkward. She quickly tried to push the conversation forward.
"Anyway, about our hangout…" Chiaki clapped her hands together once, then pointed at Nagisa with a playful grin.
"He seems interested in our Nagisa, but I don't approve yet. I need to see him for myself first. So we'll come with you and make this our usual hangout, plus one guy. Sounds good?"
Yukiko and Nagisa both nodded, smiling.
"Sounds good to me." Yukiko said.
Nagisa grinned. "As long as you don't scare him off with your teasing, Chiaki."
Chiaki laughed and leaned back in her chair. "Me? Scare him? Please. I'm just making sure he's worthy of hanging out with us. If he can handle my mouth, then maybe he's okay."
The three girls continued chatting and teasing each other for a few more minutes.
Chiaki making bold jokes about "testing" the new guy, Nagisa playfully defending herself, and Yukiko trying and failing to keep them from getting too loud.
Just before the bell rang, Yukiko quickly pulled out her phone and sent a short message to Adrian.
She slipped her phone back into her bag just as the bell rang.
- - -
After class ended, Chiaki packed her bag and said quick goodbyes to a few female classmates before heading to the front gate. Nagisa was already waiting there, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed.
Chiaki grinned the moment she saw her. "Someone's excited. Look at you, all early and waiting like a good girl."
Nagisa rolled her eyes but smiled. "Shut up. I just didn't want to be late."
They chatted for a bit about what they would do at the hangout until Yukiko finally appeared, walking side by side with a tall, muscular guy.
Chiaki's eyes widened the second she saw him. He was tall, with broad shoulders that filled out his uniform nicely, and those deep blue ocean eyes that seemed to pull you in whether you wanted them to or not. For a brief moment, she finally understood why Yukiko and Nagisa had been acting so weird about him. The guy was dangerously good-looking.
But on the surface, she quickly masked her flustered reaction with her usual teasing grin, refusing to let it show.
"So you're the mysterious guy that keeps stealing our Yukiko's attention, huh?" Chiaki said, looking him up and down with a playful smirk.
Adrian smiled back, calm and charming. "Guilty as charged. Sorry about that."
Yukiko's face turned bright red. "Chiaki!"
Adrian chuckled and gently interrupted her. "Now no need to apologize. I don't regret spending time with Yukiko at all."
Chiaki grinned wider, clearly enjoying herself. "Oh? So you admit you've been stealing our Yukiko away? How bold of you."
Adrian shrugged, still smiling. "Why pretend? She's good company. Easy to talk to, and she laughs at my bad jokes."
Yukiko groaned, covering her face with one hand. "You two are impossible…"
Chiaki laughed and pointed at Adrian. "See? That's exactly the kind of smooth talk that gets you in trouble. Keep that up and I might have to interrogate you properly later."
The teasing continued as they started walking, with Chiaki throwing light jabs and Adrian replying smoothly, keeping the mood light and playful.
Eventually, Adrian suggested, "If you all haven't decided yet, how about we go to a karaoke bar? I know a good one nearby."
The girls agreed and the four of them headed off together with Adrian leading the way.
As they walked, Chiaki felt eyes on them. Being a girl, she was more sensitive to stares.
When she glanced back, she spotted a dark violet-haired girl with a busty figure watching them from a distance, her expression dark and unhappy. The moment the girl and Chiaki locked eyes, Chiaki narrowed her eyes and gave her an annoyed look, signaling her to shoo with a flick of her hand.
The girl turned away with a scoff, Chiaki then continued walking like nothing happened.
- - -
At the karaoke bar, a short line had already formed outside as the early evening crowd began to build. Small groups of friends stood waiting, some talking among themselves, while others idly scroll through their phones.
Adrian stepped forward confidently and pulled out a sleek black VIP card, holding it up for the staff member at the entrance to see.
The staff member's eyes widened slightly in recognition. Without a word, he gave a polite bow and immediately gestured for them to follow.
A few guests in line started to complain, one man grumbling about having been waiting for far too long, another girl muttering, "What makes them so special?" but the staff didn't acknowledge them. Instead, the staff quickly guided Adrian and the three girls past the line and down a quieter hallway.
Once inside the private VIP room, the girls looked around in awe.
The space was noticeably more luxurious than the standard rooms, plush black leather couches lined the walls, soft colored mood lighting glowed from the ceiling, and a large, high-end karaoke screen dominated one side.
A small private bar was stocked with drinks and snacks, and the room even had its own temperature control and sound system that made the whole place feel intimate and exclusive.
"Wow, you're a VIP here?" Nagisa asked, eyes wide as she spun around slowly, taking everything in.
"Do you come here often or something? This place looks expensive as hell."
Adrian answered casually with a relaxed smile, slipping his hands into his pockets. "I've been here a couple of times. It's convenient when I want some privacy."
Mentally though, he was just glad he still had enough money left to afford the room without dipping too deep into his remaining points.
The last thing he needed right now was to look broke in front of three girls he was slowly pulling into his circle.
===========
AN: I noticed that the characters was a bit lacking in personality, so I'll try and flesh them out. If you found this repetetive though, do tell me, so that I know that I should cut some talkings, teasing and etc, properly.
Hmm...