You and Moondancer take a seat on the ledge surrounding the roof of the school. Unlike earlier, the view is crystal clear from up here. The sky is painted many hues of orange as the sun dips below the horizon. In the distance, you can see the outline of a large city, but most of the landscape nearby is a small, traditional (or at least, traditional by anime standards) Japanese neighborhood. Frankly, the high school stands out a fair deal, but that's to be expected when it's the main setting of the manga you're trapped in.
"So," you say with hesitation in your voice, "what's up first?"
"Assuming we're the main male and female leads, you forgot your lunch today. Check your bag."
"Uhh, alright."
You completely forgot you were wearing that thing. Removing the loose-fitting bag from your person, you check inside. All you see are a few binders, some loose papers, a single textbook with an illegible cover, and a bag filled with pencils.
"There's no food in there, right?"
"Right."
"So, I have to offer you mine."
Moondancer removes her own bag, immediately producing a picturesque boxed lunch from it. It's filled with rice, veggies, a bit of unidentifiable meat... pretty much the go-to "appealing boxed lunch" that many mangaka like to draw.
"And you made that?"
"I did. But don't get me wrong, I'm not much of a cook in real life, hehe."
"How did you make this, then?"
"Same way you knew how to put on a Japanese high school uniform."
"Fair enough."
Moondancer slides the lunch to you using her magic. You're about to dig in before you realize that there is a problem.
"Uhh, this is going to be difficult without a fork."
"Oh! Right, hold on."
Moondancer reaches back into her bag and passes a pair of small wooden sticks to you.
"Ah. Why would it have been anything else?" You ask sarcastically.
Moondancer snickers as you attempt to use the chopsticks. You immediately embarrass yourself, as you've never done so before. Rice falls down the front of you as you completely fail to get any food into your mouth.
"Need a little help there?"
You do your best to ignore the growing redness in your cheeks.
"No no, I'm alright. I just... gotta..."
Yet again, you fail to eat your food properly.
"Haha!"
After a few moments, you mumble under your breath.
"I take it this isn't a part of the manga?"
"Actually, it totally is!"
"I... what?"
"Don't forget, you're a transfer student from another country. It wouldn't be much of a scene if I just gave you a lunch and that was that."
"Wait, so the purpose of us doing this is-"
"For me to teach you how to use chopsticks, yes."
"...I see."
You clear your throat awkwardly, and Moondancer laughs once more.
"Here, let me help you."
Over the course of the next few minutes, Moondancer shows you how to hold the chopsticks properly (or at least, as best as she can, what with your hands and all) and how to correctly grab the food. It takes some time, and frankly you feel a bit foolish for going through this at all, but you slowly start to get the hang of it. After a while, the lunch is completely gone, and at least some of it is in your belly as opposed to in your lap.
Of course, considering that this world isn't real, you can't actually taste any of the food, nor does it fill you up at all. Oh well.
"Thank you, Moonie."
"Of course! I wouldn't just sit here and let you make a fool of yourself. Well... not for long, at least, hehe!" You smile at her. In that moment, something strange clicks in you. Maybe it's the way that the light is hitting her right now, or maybe it's the effect of the manga, but regardless of the reason, she's never looked more beautiful to you. Before you can think on that any longer, however, she catches you staring. "You alright?"
"Y-yeah, I'm fine." You awkwardly clear your throat and look away. "So, what's next?"
"Well, I'm not quite sure. I don't really know how this enchantment works."
"Wait, you haven't done this before?"
"Don't forget, the guys up at the store couldn't figure out what to do with this thing, either. Manga works differently than comics or something, so they couldn't get it to work right. I had no intention of ever actually coming in here."
"Isn't that really bad?"
"Apparently they sent an intern in here. Not only did he find a way out, he apparently really enjoyed it. So, it's not hopeless at least."
"Oh. Well, that doesn't sound so-"
"But he was in here for almost three weeks."
"Three weeks?!"
"Yup, my thoughts exactly."
You immediately jump to your feet, turning around to look at Moondancer as you do so.
"Then we need to get going! We have, what, two hours tops?!"
Moondancer gets on her hooves as well and begins following you back down the stairs. You step aside to let her get in front of you, assuming that she's more acquainted with the layout of this place than you are. After all, unlike you she's read this manga before, and that has to count for something, right?
"Look, I'm anxious too, but we have no idea what we're-" Moondancer is cut off by you making a yelping sound. You trip over some unseen object, sending yourself forwards and to the ground. Unfortunately, Moondancer just so happens to be in your path. She falls as well, and ends up trapped underneath you. Despite the fact that you were running in the same direction, she somehow got turned around and is facing you, your faces mere inches apart. Both of your cheeks grow red and your eyes go wide. "...Doing."
You stare at her for a moment, once again somewhat mesmerized by how nice she looks. In a strange way, she seems to be doing the same thing, but you simultaneously blink and look away before you make an effort to get off of her. You both stand up once again, now avoiding eye contact entirely.
"Well, I take it that was the next thing on the list?"
"It was a really insignificant part of the manga, but yes, I believe it was."
"Mission accomplished, then. Let's keep moving, shall we?"
"S-sure, Nonny."
Still a bit embarrassed, you continue on your trek to the ground floor of the school. The whole building is now completely empty. The sound of a recognizable bird can be heard from outside, along with a gentle breeze blowing on the windows. You really shouldn't be able to hear that, but then again, none of this is real.
Eventually, the two of you arrive at the front door of the school. Without hesitation, you throw the door open. However, rather than being greeted by the school's front gate, you see a very, very strange sight.
Before you is a large, empty beach. The sun hangs high in the sky above you, despite the fact that it was setting mere moments ago. It's insanely hot, and the sound of the waves crashing against the sand catches you completely off guard. The change is so jarring, in fact, you barely even notice that your school uniform has been completely removed from your body. In its place is a pair of modest swimming trunks, some sandals, and nothing else. You glance over at Moondancer, who is actively trying to look away from you. You notice that her cheeks are bright red, but not before noticing that her school uniform is gone, too. Instead, she is wearing what seems to be the pony equivalent of a two-piece bikini, coincidentally the same color as that sweater she usually wears. You imagine that this is most likely the cause of her embarrassment, despite the fact that she doesn't usually wear pants anyway. Must be a pony thing.
"Er, Moonie? You're seeing what I'm seeing, right?"
"If you're seeing the obligatory beach arc, then yes, I am."
"...Of course." You sigh. "Well, let's get this over with."