Wednesday, August 27, 6:30 AM Tokyo time
Morning came and the girls awoke with their alarm. The alarm shaded the windows as expected allowing them privacy to prepare for the day. They shared a quick breakfast of oatmeal and coffee, talking excitedly about their upcoming assignments to Tokiwadai Academy.
“I can’t wait to see the classes they offer and talk with the professors. What they are doing with psychic powers is absolutely amazing!” gushed Twilight. “There is so much to learn!” She smiled, sipping her coffee while lost in her thoughts.
Sunset took her hand, giving a gentle squeeze. “My either, Sparky!” she smiled. “It’s going to be amazing! I just know it.”
Together they finished breakfast and cleaned up the dishes. Day packs packed and ready, they left for their appointments. Bowing quickly to the concierge in greeting, they rushed to the Academy offices with Twilight once again powering the trip, pushing Sunset’s chair.
Arriving and entering the office lobby, they joined the line waiting for service. Ever efficient, the line moved quickly, and soon they were before a smiling Academy student.
“Ohayō!” greeted the young woman.
“Good morning!” greeted Sunset. “We’re here for our assignment appointments.” She passed forward Twilight and her papers and IDs.
“Thank you!” replied the girl switching to English, “One moment while I look up your details.” She typed the information into her terminal, quickly retrieving the room and instructions for their meetings. “Your appointments are in adjoining rooms on the 7th floor. Ms. Shimmer, your appointment is in room 746. And Ms. Sparkle, your appointment is in room 747. Just outside the rooms there is a waiting area. Please wait there. You will be called into the rooms when they are ready for you. Have a great day!” She bowed in greeting as she returned their papers and IDs. Sunset quickly retrieved them, placing them in her daypack. They bowed in thanks, then Twilight wheeled them quickly over to the Bank C elevators they used yesterday.
A short time later they were seated in a small waiting area outside several small conference rooms. Other students were also waiting, no doubt for the same reason. Smiling at the others, Sunset and Twilight sat side by side at the end of the row of seats, whispering in quiet conversation.
Twilight was called in first. A minute or so later Sunset heard her name called out.
“Ima okonatteru!” she answered rolling into room 746. Once she was inside, the student volunteer shut the door behind her.
Sitting down beside Sunset, she opened a folder full of papers. She passed the first bundle over to Sunset.
“Ms. Shimmer, welcome to Tokiwadai Academy. These are the forms covering the agreement to be a student of our Academy, and your agreement to adhere to our rules and traditions. There is also a medical release form which, as a non-minor, you may sign yourself. This will allow us to provide treatment for you in the event you are in an accident or become sick while a student at Tokiwadai. I’ve placed teal tabs on the places you need to sign. We also need your initials on several of the pages, which I’ve marked with lavender tabs. When you’ve finished with those, please pass them back and we’ll review your initial class schedule and educational plan. Also, please note that the classes are all taught in Japanese. Our records indicate you have some conversational proficiency in our language. We will happily provide any extra-curricular lessons you may need to become proficient.”
She passed a black pen over to Sunset as she spoke. Taking it, Sunset started reviewing the documents. The girl continued, “If you have any questions please ask. I’ll provide any answers I can. Anything that I can’t answer, I'll find out and contact you with the answers.”
Sunset nodded as she read, initialing and signing the documents as she went. When she finished, she passed the pile back to the girl, who passed her an identical stack. “These are copies of the documents you just signed. Keep them for your own records.” Sunset placed them into her daypack for later. The girl moved on to the next set of papers.
“This is your class schedule. Your attendance begins next week starting Monday, September 1st. Homeroom starts at 7:30 AM every weekday. There you will partake in attendance, then have a 20-minute study hall. Homeroom is mandatory; you will be marked as absent or late if you miss it or are late in attending, and will be disciplined accordingly. The first bell is at 7:50 AM. You will have 10 minutes to get to your first class. Classes are 80 minutes long. There’s a 10 minute period between classes to allow you to move from one class to the other. There’s a 20-minute break between the second and third classes and a 40-minute break between the fourth and fifth classes for a quick lunch. New students are required to have lunch in the school cafeteria. You can join a meal plan, purchase lunch, or just bring your own. The meal plan is processed on-line following the instructions in the packet. Following the sixth period class, you are released for the day. However, most students chose to take part in the many academic opportunities and clubs our Academy provides in the afternoon and evening hours.”
Sunset followed along as the girl pointed out the classes on her schedule. She turned the page to a map of Tokiwadai Academy which showed the location of each of the classrooms, cafeteria, and other important locations. Her classrooms were highlighted in Teal with numbers written in, showing which period she had in each one. Sunset grinned in approval at the choice of highlighter color.
“Here is a booklet outlining the different clubs, organizations, and outings Tokiwadai Academy provides. If any of them interest you, attend one of the meetings during the first week where they can help to sign you up.” She passed the book over to Sunset who skimmed it quickly then filed it away in her daypack with the other papers.
“Lastly, here's the booklet of Tokiwadai Academy rules, guidelines, and traditions.” She passed over a modestly sized booklet. Sunset just filed it into her daypack straight away. The girl gave her a two-minute summary of the rules, which basically reduced to don't do anything that would damage the reputation of the Academy and don't hurt yourself or others. Sunset nodded her understanding.
“Excellent. Ms. Shimmer, welcome to Tokiwadai Academy!” The girl bowed in greeting which Sunset returned.
“Arigatō!” Sunset said. She then returned to the waiting area to wait for her BFF, signing up for the school meal plan on her phone while she waited.
Twilight exited shortly, smiling as she sat down next to her. “I’m so looking forward to this!” she grinned.
“That was quick!” snarked Sunset. “I figured I would miss lunch, with the questions you likely had about everything!”
Twilight punched her arm. “Dork! I’m not that bad! I bet you had questions too! Don’t even pretend you didn’t!”
“A few,” Sunset admitted, “Though I figured I would mostly just wait and see. Things tend to sort themselves out most of the time if you let them.”
“How very zen of you,” mocked Twilight.
“Sunset Zen Master Shimmer… so very not in this lifetime.” She laughed, shaking her head.
“So, next on the schedule is the welcome luncheon at the Academy for incoming students, then an orientation meeting. From there we have a quick tour of the school. Then the rest of the evening is ours.” Twilight observed looking over their schedules.
“Cool! Let’s head over and find a table,” agreed Sunset as she wheeled herself towards the elevators. “It looks like it's only a short walk from here. We can relax and enjoy the sites this time instead of racing through the crowds like we usually do.” She grinned.
“Yes, but we race with style!” laughed Twilight, following her to the elevators.
Tokiwadai Academy was only 6 blocks from the Academy Offices. Sunset and Twilight traveled side by side, admiring the parks and sites they passed. Arriving at the Academy gates they showed their IDs to the student volunteer, a young man, who opened the gate to let them in. “Welcome to Tokiwadai Academy!” he said, bowing as they entered. They returned the greeting, bowing as well. He shut the gate behind them. “The luncheon is in the auditorium. It’s the large building on the right just past that quad.” He pointed it out to them. “Have a great day!”
“Thank you!” said Twilight as they headed towards the auditorium.
The auditorium was crowded. The floor had been covered with tables, each seating eight students. A buffet table was being set up along the far side of the room, heavenly smells wafting up from the trays.
“I didn’t realize how hungry I am,” noted Sunset as her stomach growled in response. Twilight laughed, turning red when her stomach joined in. That got a laugh from both of them. Looking over the tables they selected one along the edge with two open seats next to each other. Twilight took one of the chairs and stashed it against the wall while Sunset rolled into that spot, and Twilight sat down beside her. They bowed in greeting to the other students at the table. “Ohayō!” Their fellow students returned the greeting.
The remainder of the trays of food were brought in. A group of educators and administrators walked to the head table and took their places. Several waiters ran up and served the head table water, tea, and salads, then stood back along the wall behind them.
An older woman in professional business attire stood and lifted a microphone from the table. Nodding to one of the waiters by the wall, the waiter turned to a bank of switches and dimmed the lights in the auditorium. The light over the head tables remained at full strength, emphasizing the tables' importance.
The woman took a sip of her water then cleared her throat. “Good afternoon, and welcome to Tokiwadai Academy. I am Principal Shinchi, administrator of this academy.”
Twilight leaned over to Sunset. “I wonder if they’re related?” she whispered.
“I wouldn’t take that bet,” joked Sunset. “What are the odds?”
The administrator continued. “On behalf of my staff and the students of our illustrious academy, we formally welcome you to our family.”
“Related!” agreed Twilight, as Sunset grinned and nodded.
“Please enjoy this family meal, the first of many in your journey with us. Okaerinasai!” Director Shinchi looked over the large gathering. “This is truly the largest gathering of new students in the history of our illustrious academy, due in large part to my decision to open the academy to students beyond the middle school we have historically maintained. With my vision to encompass the entire path of learning, from middle-school, through high school, and onto college, we will now embrace the full spectrum of learning, allowing the sterling reputation of Tokiwadai Academy to shine throughout the learning career of the exceptional girls who attend our Academy. It is with this humble thought in mind that I welcome you all to our exceptional institution, with the hope you will join us in maintaining the sterling reputation this Academy has enjoyed and maintained throughout its history! Thank you!” She bowed to the resulting polite applause, and sat down.
With that completed, the waiters began directing students to the buffet beginning with the tables at the front of the room. Twilight was about to get up when a waiter approached.
“Kon'nichiwa!” she bowed. “No need to rise. I will assist you. Please let me know what you wish. I will bring it for you.” She held out a short menu to Sunset and Twilight.
“Arigatō!” bowed Sunset, taking the menu then passing it to Twilight.
Twilight reviewed it. “Spicy tuna donburi rice bowl?” she asked Sunset.
Sunset nodded while smiling as she thought of her friends back home. “With sticky rice balls.”
Twilight smiled. Turning to the waiter, she handed the menu back. “Two servings of spicy tuna donburi rice bowls with sticky rice balls, and can you please bring us some tea?”
Sunset bowed to the waiter. “Arigatō!” she said with a smile. The waiter smiled and bowed as well then left to get their order.
“That was nice of them. I guess they didn’t want my chair blocking the aisles,” Sunset joked.
“Or they were tipped off to be extra nice to you,” snarked a young student standing next to them, a girl with light flowing ringlets. She grinned as she sat in the empty chair beside them. She bowed and held out her hand. “Welcome to Tokiwadai! I’m Hokaze Junko. Nice to meet you! I’m one of the student volunteers. We’re supposed to mingle and answer any questions. You must be Sunset and Twilight? My friend Senya told me I might meet you here.”
Sunset shook her hand. Twilight shook as well.
“Glad to meet you!” greeted Twilight. “Have you been a student here for very long?”
“Since I was five, yes,” Junko replied. “My parents discovered my abilities when I was young. I was admitted to the Academy soon after. I’ve been here ever since.”
“Wow! That’s young!” said Sunset.
“Yes. It’s the earliest you can start,” agreed Junko.
Impressed, they chatted through lunch, getting to know their fellow students and spreading friendship.
After lunch a movie on the history of Academy City and Tokiwadai Academy was shown. Afterward they split into small groups and were led on a walking tour of the Academy. Hokaze joined their group, filling them in with extra details as they toured the campus.
The tour finished, Sunset and Twilight excused themselves. They thanked Hokaze for her time and exchanged contact information, then farewells said, heading back to their apartment.
On returning, they found a note taped to their door from Kaori, explaining that Toma and Index had been sent away for their own protection for a few days and they would no longer be able to make it for dinner that evening.
Twilight turned to Sunset. “Well then, what do you want to do for dinner? I’m actually still stuffed from that lunch so I’m not really that hungry.”
“Honestly? Neither am I,” agreed Sunset. “Hey, want to see what the girls are up to?
“Oh, wait… drat! It's after midnight there. Never mind.” Sunset sighed. “How about we hop out for a quick dessert? Then just chill here with a movie?” she suggested.
“Works for me, Sunny!” Twilight smiled. “Let’s get changed and take a stroll.”
Sunset followed Twilight, rolling into the bedroom to change out of their Tokiwadai Academy uniforms and into their more casual outfits. Sunset wore her orange mini-skirt, a pink tank top with her cutie mark, and her always comfortable faux leather jacket with knee high boots. Twilight wore her lavender blouse with a purple skirt emblazoned with her cutie mark and a pair of sensible loafers. Ready for their outing and daypacks on, they left the apartment, bowing in greeting to the concierge as they passed, then headed out to the local restaurant row.
As they passed by the Tokiwadai External Dormitory, Sunset spied Misaka Mikoto with another girl heading in the same direction. Sunset waved and called out, “Kon'nichiwa Misaka-san!”
Misaka looked over from her discussion with the other girl, looking slightly confused, but gave a friendly wave. Twilight and Sunset both smiled, bowed and waved back. Still perplexed, Misaka bowed and waved back, then returned to talking to her friend.
“Wow, that girl looks like she could be a swimwear model,” said Twilight. “Are you sure she’s in middle school?”
“Who, Misaka?” asked Sunset.
“No, dork, not Misaka, although she is cute too. The girl she’s talking to,” replied Twilight.
“Maybe? I don’t know her. Maybe we can ask if we ever get to talk to Misaka,” answered Sunset. “Not going to bother her now, it would be rude to interrupt her when she is with a friend. I wonder if they are going out too?”
“Well, if they are, I guess we’ll see them again,” replied Twilight as they continued down the street. Soon they lost sight of the talking friends, and arrived at their first destination, the ice cream parlor.
“Sundaes for both of us, my treat!” grinned Sunset.
Twilight smiled and rolled her eyes. “Sure thing, Sunny. Just like a date!”
Sunset smiled. “Yup, just like a… what? We’re on a date? Really?” She turned to Twilight. “We’re on a date?”
“Sure Sunny. Call it a date if you want,” she grinned. “Just get my Sundae with caramel and pralines, and lots of whipped cream.”
“Oh, that does sound good! I was thinking of a banana split, but now I have to rethink that,” said Sunset. “Two caramel and praline sundaes it is!”
When they reached the counter, Sunset ordered. “Two large caramel and praline sundaes, with lots of whipped cream please. And two large coffee americanas.” The girl at the counter took their order, billing their IDs for the payment. They took their treats and coffees, located a table Sunset could sit at, then took their seats. Sipping their coffees and watching the traffic pass by, they relaxed in the moment.
Sunset noticed Misaka and her friend walking by. She waved again. “Konbanwa Misaka-san!”
Misaka and her friend walked over. “Kon'nichiwa!” greeted Misaka, bowing and smiling. The girl bowed as well in greeting.
“Hey, do you two want a sundae? They’re really good!” asked Sunset.
Twilight nodded. “No lie! Come join us!”
Misaka turned to her friend. “Shall we?” she asked.
“Sounds good to me,” agreed her friend. She turned to Sunset and Twilight. “Kon'nichiwa, Kongou Mitsukoudesu,” Kongou bowed in greeting.
“Kon'nichiwa, Misaka Mikotoudesu,” added Misaka with a bow of her own.
Twilight bowed to the two girls. ““Kon'nichiwa, Twilight Sparkleudesu,” she introduced herself.
Sunset completed the introductions. ““Kon'nichiwa, Sunset Shimmerudesu,” she finished. “Well, now that introductions are out of the way, what do you two want for your sundaes? We went with caramel and pralines,” she smiled at the girls.
“That actually sounds good to me,” agreed Misaka. “What do you think, Kongou-san?”
“I like it! I’d love to have one of those,” agreed Kongou. “Arigatō!”
“Arigatō!” agreed Misaka with a bow and a smile.
“Dōitashimashite!” smiled Sunset, rolling away to order their sundaes.
“So, Misaka. Your friends speak highly of you. Nice to finally make your acquaintance. And your friend as well!” Twilight greeted them. “So just out for a walk? Sunset and I were just strolling around until dinner, and thought a treat and some shopping sounded like fun.”
“What friends are those?” asked Misaka, curious.
“Index and Toma,” replied Twilight, taking another bite of her sundae. “Sorry, I should wait, I know, but they are so good!” She laughed.
“No worries,” grinned Misaka. “Toma and his roommate Index, huh? He can be annoying, but yeah, any friends of theirs are friends of mine. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”
“The pleasure is all ours,” replied Twilight. “Nice to finally meet the famous Biri-Biri.”
“He is so dead,” muttered Misaka under her breath.
“What was that, sweety?” asked Twilight.
“Nothing!” answered Misaka, putting on her most innocent face. “‘It’s a pleasure to meet you, friends of Toma.”
“And friends of yours too, we hope,” smiled Sunset, rolling up with their sundaes. “Here you go, ladies. Enjoy!” She passed the sundaes to the girls.
“Arigatō!” they both replied, taking the sundaes and starting in on them.
“Dōitashimashite!” smiled Sunset, starting in on her own.
“So, what brings you two out on the town this afternoon? On a date?” asked Sunset.
Misaka nearly choked on her ice cream, while Kongou blanched. “No, nothing like that!” assured Misaka once she stopped coughing. “We’re just hanging out. Just friends.”
“We just met, actually. I just transferred to Tokiwadai Academy. I was actually looking for my dorm when we met,” replied Kongou.
“Yes, Kongou-san thought she was in the external dorms, but is actually in the internal dorms in the garden. We decided to have some fun though before actually returning to the school and her dorm,” added Misaka.
“That was extremely kind of you. Well done!” commented Sunset with a smile. “Toma did mention you were kind hearted.”
“And what else did he mention?” aked Misaka guardedly.
“He mentioned he was fond of you and your sisters, and asked us to help him look out for you,” admitted Sunset frankly. “We assured him, any friend of Index and his was a friend of ours.”
“You have sisters?” asked Kongou, turning to Misaka. “I didn’t know that! How delightful! Do they go to Tokiwadai too?”
“Not exactly,” grimaced Misaka. “It’s complicated. But you’ll probably see them around from time to time if you hang with me long enough.”
“I look forward to it,” smiled Kongou.
“As do we,” agreed Twilight. Sunset nodded and smiled.
“So, how much do you know?” asked Misaka, still guarded.
“Toma told us what happened,” stated Sunset. “We understand. And we’re here to help if needed.”
“No offense, but what help could you possibly be?” asked Misaka.
“No offense taken. And, no idea. But, we promised Toma and Index we would help in any way we could. So, does the sundae help?” teased Sunset.
Misaka laughed, relaxing. “Sure. A nice sundae with friends always helps,” she grinned. Kongou laughed too, not really understanding what was going on.
As they finished their sundaes, Twilight smiled at the girls. “If you two aren’t terribly busy, Sunset and I planned on having dinner in our apartment and watching a movie this evening. You’re both more than welcome to join us, if you don’t have other plans.”
“I still have to unpack and get settled,” admitted Kongou. “I’m sure all my things have already been shipped to my room, and I really need to get moved in. Otherwise, I would love to attend.”
“We could help, if you wanted,” offered Sunset. “We were just going shopping for fun anyway. I’d love to help you get settled, especially if that meant you could join us for dinner.”
Misaka nodded. “Sure, why not. What better way to welcome you to Tokiwadai than helping you move in, right? I’d love to help too, Kongou-sama.”
“Really? Wow, I knew this place was special, but this is so heart-warming. Thank you!” replied Kongou.
“You are very welcome,” answered Sunset. They cleaned up the sundaes, then followed Misaka as she led her new friend to the internal Tokiwadai dorms. Once there, Kongou led them up to her room, where just as she said, her things were all waiting for her, boxed up and ready to unpack.
Sunset rolled in with Twilight and Misaka. “Okay Kongou-san, tell us what you need.” she offered.
Smiling, Kongou opened the first box, and started handing items to the girls with instructions on where they should go. Within an hour, and much laughing and teasing later, they had finished putting away all of Kongou’s belongings and tearing down the boxes for the recycler.
“Thank you so much! That would have taken me hours if I had to do it on my own,” admitted Kongou. “It almost made it worth the teasing!” she joked, looking at Misaka.
“Hey, you were teasing me about my Gekota collection. It was only fair to tease you back,” laughed Misaka.
“Fair enough,” laughed Kongou with a titter, waving her fan. “I just wasn’t expecting any comments on those things,” she amended.
“You mean the lacy under things even more refined than anything Twilight and I have?” snarked Sunset.
Twilight blushed. “Hey, you leave me out of this!” she grinned. “No one is seeing my unmentionables, thank you very much, let alone commenting on them.”
“Really, no one?” teased Sunset.
“Shuddup you!” blushed Twilight.
Both Misaka and Kongou grinned and blushed fiercely.
“Anyway…” amended Twilight, still blushing madly, “if we’re done here, want to head over to the apartment and start on the movie? We can just order some take out for dinner when we get hungry.”
“Sounds good to me,” agreed Sunset. “What do you think, ladies?”
“Well, I for one am fine with that,” agreed Kongou, waving her fan. “Misaka, does that sound good to you?”
“Sure! I just need to check with my roommate before I head over. We can do that on the way,” replied Misaka.
“Sounds good to me,” agreed Sunset. “Shall we?”
“We shall!” agreed Kongou, opening the door to her dorm room. “And thank you all again for the help. I really do appreciate it!”
“No problem!” smiled Twilight, wheeling Sunset out the door. “Okay, lead on Misaka. To your dorm!”
Misaka took the lead, happily escorting them to her room in the external dorms. When she opened the door, a young girl in a Tokiwadai uniform was lying on one of the beds studying.
“There you are!” the girl exclaimed, leaping up and hugging Misaka, to her acute embarrassment. “Sissy! I was so worried! Where were you? I didn’t get a message and had no idea where you were off to. What was I to think?”
“Why were you on my bed, Shirai?” asked Misaka.
“I was studying, waiting for you to return,” answered her roommate, Shirai Kuroko, sweetly. “I was worried half to death.” She clung to Misaka tightly.
Misaka pulled her arms free, and forcefully set Shirai on her own bed. “Enough. Shirai, I’d like you to meet some new friends of mine. Kongou-san, Sunset-san, Twilight-san, I would like you to meet my roommate, Shirai-san. She has some boundary issues.” She glared at Shirai. “Shirai-san, I would like you to meet my new friends Kongou-san, Twilight-san, and Sunset-san. They are new transfers to our Academy. Kongou-san is a middle schooler like ourselves, while Sunset-san and Twilight-san are part of the new college started this year.”
Shirai pouted on her bed. “Pleased to meet you,” she huffed, turning away.
Sunset teased the young girl. “Your roommate is quite adorable, Shirai. I really have taken quite a liking to her!”
Shirai looked up quickly. “What?” she gasped.
“I said, Misaka-chan is adorable. I would like to take her home for the evening. She is so scrumptious I just want to gobble her up!” answered Sunset.
Shirai immediately teleported over to Misaka, holding her close. “Sissy, I think you’ve made a mistake! Your new friends are weird and frightening! Let’s send them away,” she whispered.
Twilight grinned and facepalmed, while Kongou just looked confused and blanched. Sunset threw back her head in laughter. “Oh my gosh, you should see your face! Shirai, you are priceless! I was just teasing.” It took her a few moments to catch her breath and stop laughing. She continued. “We’ve come to invite your roommate and you to dinner and a movie with us at our apartment, celebrating our new friendship. Please join us!” Sunset asked.
Shirai looked unsure, but Misaka pulled her into a one armed hug and answered for both of them. “We’d love to join you. Come on, Shirai, let’s go! Time to make some new friends.” Pulling her roommate along, the girls left the room, locking it behind them, and followed Twilight and Sunset to their apartment next door.
On the way through the lobby, Sunset stopped by for a brief chat with the concierge, then bowed in thanks and joined them on the elevator to the top floor. “I asked her to order us some dinner,” explained Sunset. “That way we can just enjoy the movie, then break for dinner when it shows up.”
“Wow, must be nice,” noted Kongou, waving her fan gently. “I don’t imagine we have that sort of service in the dorms.”
“Nope!” grinned Misaka. “But we do have bed checks, and they come through once a week and vacuum and clean. So, I can't really complain.”
“Bed checks, yeah, can’t say I would enjoy those,” laughed Twilight. “What if I didn’t want to sleep in my own bed?”
Sunset smacked her friend. “Don’t corrupt our new friends, Sparky!” she laughed. “They’ll realize how weird we are soon enough on their own.”
Kongou raised an eyebrow at the two of them, while Twilight just smirked and shook her head. “She’s teasing,” Twilight smiled and explained to them. “We share a bed. We were just joking about the bed check. We’re best friends, we've been that way for a while.”
Shirai put her arm around Misaka. “We’re best friends too, right, Sissy?”
Misaka carefully took her friend's arm off of her waist, and returned it to her side. “Yes, we’re friends, Shirai. Don’t push it.” Sunset and Twilight laughed, while Shirai pouted.
“Here we are!” said Sunset, keying in her code to the door and swinging it open. “Bienvenida a la Casa De Amistad!”
“Uh, what’s that mean?” asked Misaka as they entered and headed through the kitchen to the living room.
“It means, Welcome to the house of friendship!” explained Twilight. “Anyone want something to drink? Soda, tea, milk, water, coffee, take your pick,” she offered.
“You have coffee?” said Shirai. “I’d love some!”
“Help yourself! We have a machine with several choices, and cream and honey in the fridge. Cups are in the cupboard beside the machine,” Twilight explained. “Anyone else?”
“I think I’ll try some coffee too,” agreed Misaka, following her roommate over to the machine and grabbing a cup of her own.
“I’ll have green tea, thank you,” answered Kongou.
“And I will join you. I’ll put a pot on to steep. Sunset, anything for you?” asked Twilight.
“I’ll just get a soda after I get the movie started. Thanks!” Sunset answered, firing up the TV and logging into their movie account. “Any requests? Or do you want me to pick Princess Bride again?” she teased.
“What’s Princess Bride?” asked both Misaka and Shirai from the kitchen where they were still making their coffees.
“You’re kidding, right? You’ve never heard of the Princess Bride?” asked Sunset incredulously.
Both girls shook their heads. “What about you, Kongou, Princess Bride?” asked Sunset.
“Never heard of it,” admitted Kongou.
“Wow! Okay then, Princess Bride it is,” grinned Sunset, queuing the movie up from her favorites.
Twilight laughed and shook her head. “You’re incorrigible,” she teased.
“And you love me anyways,” snarked Sunset.
“Please honey, not in front of the children!” laughed Twilight.
“I’m sure they know we’re teasing,” grinned Sunset.
“Them, or each other,” rejoined Twilight.
“Why not both?” replied Sunset with a grin.
“Why not indeed,” agreed Twilight, setting the pot of green tea to steep on the dining room table, then returning to the couch to join the rest of the girls. Kongou was grinning happily at their exchange.
Sunset set out cream and honey on the living room coffee table, then transferred over the teapot of now steeped green tea, bringing two cups for Twilight and Kongou with two teaspoons. She then grabbed a soda from the fridge and returned, sitting in her chair next to Twilight, who sat at the end of the couch. The movie started, and they immersed themselves in the life of Dread Pirate Roberts and his friends.
About 30 minutes into the movie, Sunset got a text message from the concierge. She went to the door, and opening it allowed the concierge to wheel in a cart with a traditional japanese dinner in take out boxes. She helped Sunset place the table settings and put the cartons in the center of the table. Thanking her for her help, Sunset bowed, and the concierge left with the cart.
“Okay everyone, break time! Dinners ready!” Sunset paused the movie. Everyone washed their hands, then sat at the table together.
Sunset and Twilight joined hands, bowing their heads for a traditional Harmonic grace. The girls copied them.
“Thank the Maker for this food and our friends,” intoned Sunset.
“Thank the Maker,” replied Twilight. The girls echoed her reply.
Sunset served up portions of Miso soup to everyone, while Twilight passed the rest of the meal out. Sunomono salad, sanbaizu tsukemono (vegetable and fruit medley), rice, sakana no nitsuke (fish simmered in sake) or fried tofu for Sunset, and yaki nasu (grilled eggplant with ginger, bonito flakes, green onions, and soy sauce) where the menu for the evening. While everyone started on their dinner, Twilight poured everyone tea.
When they finished dinner, Sunset cleaned up and brought out a dessert box from the fridge. Opening the box, the girls saw that Sunset had ordered them cream puffs for everyone, which were passed out and enjoyed quickly. Sunset cleaned up from dinner while everyone returned to the couch for the rest of the movie. When she finished cleaning, Sunset joined them for the rest of the movie, which was enjoyed by all the girls.
“Thank you girls, that was fun!” said Sunset when the movie ended. “We don’t want you getting into trouble, so we’ll say good night before curfew. We’ll walk you back to your dorms. First though, let’s exchange contact information so we can chat and get together again.” Everyone agreed, bringing out their phones and exchanging contact information.
Twilight packed up some leftovers for each of the girls, handing them out. They headed over to Misaka and Shirai’s dorm first, dropping them off at the door. “Good night, girls!” Twilight said. “I hope we see you again soon!” They bowed in parting, then walked Kongou to her dorm in the Academy Gardens.
They dropped her off at the dormitory door. “Welcome to Tokiwadai, Kongou-san! It was a pleasure to meet you and spend the evening together,” Sunset bowed.
“Thank you, Sunset-san, Twilight-san. The pleasure was all mine!” bowed Kongou in return. “I really look forward to joining you again. That was fun!” She waved and entered the dorm, leaving the girls to the rest of their evening.
“Too bad Toma and Index had to leave. They would have enjoyed themselves,” Twilight commented as they walked back to their apartment.
“True that. Index especially. And it really is fun to tease Toma,” agreed Sunset.
“You really are a brat sometimes,” laughed Twilight. “So, head to bed early? Study session? Seems a bit early to end the evening.”
“It is a bit early, but too late to really start something. I wonder how Toma and Index are doing?” mused Sunset.
“We can call them tomorrow and check in on them. They were supposed to be meeting his parents, right? I bet they’ll have lots of fun stories to tell. And Stiyl and Kaori are there, so they should be fine,” replied Twilight.
“Sounds like a plan. I guess we can just hang then,” Sunset said as they entered the building, bowing again to the concierge. They entered the elevator, rode up to the top floor, and entered the apartment.
After taking turns getting ready for bed, Sunset transferred into bed, bringing the latest light novel she was reading with her to practice her reading Japanese. Twilight brought one of the latest scientific journals to bed, and snuggled up on Sunset’s shoulder to read. Grinning, one arm around her friend, Sunset read her novel.
A while later, Sunset noticed Twilight was sound asleep on her shoulder. Smiling, she gently moved her off onto her pillow, then placed the journal on the nightstand with her novel. She turned off the lights and cleared the window. Snuggled up with her dearest friend, she enjoyed the site of the city below as she drifted off to sleep.
This is the way of Harmony; love others, trust your Maker - The Celestial Teachings