{ Best read in dark mode but it's ur choice !

.

.

.

.

.

She turned her head and met a pair of hazel eyes filled with warmth and excitement.

The girl, her dark brown hair styled into neat pigtails, held (Name)’s shoulder gently and smiled sweetly.

"Hi! I’m Ritsu Tanaka! Nice to meet you. We hope we can be friends! I sit by the door—remember me?"

(Name) blinked, her eyes darting to the empty seat near the door. She mouthed a slow, "Ooooh…" as realization dawned.

Behind Ritsu stood two more girls.

One had her hair tied in a low ponytail and wore glasses that gave her a sharp, serious look.

The other had short hair with a small star-shaped hairpin clipped into her bangs.

Ritsu was the most vibrant of the three, her plain hairstyle somehow enhancing the clean, neat aura she radiated.

(Name) swallowed nervously, heat rising to her cheeks. Oh no. I’m sweating already.

She forced a smile. "H-Hello, Tanaka-san. Yes, I think I noticed you while I was introducing myself… haha." Her laugh came out dry and awkward.

Ritsu clapped her hands together, her eyes sparkling. "Aww! You’re so sweet to notice me! So… can we be friends? What do you say?"

(Name) felt her brain short-circuiting.

'Wait—focus! She’s asking to be friends! FRIENDS! This is your chance, (Name)! Don’t blow it!'

Her hesitation bubbled up, but she managed a timid, "Yes, of course. I’d love to be friends."

In response, Ritsu’s grin widened. She grabbed (Name)’s hands, squeezing them tightly.

"Yay! I can’t wait to get to know you better. You already seem like such a cool person!"

(Name) smiled weakly, her heart racing.

Is this a good decision?

It turned out to be… let’s call it a wise decision.

They led her outside to a small courtyard where two benches sat opposite each other, a modest wooden table between them.

Ritsu and her friends settled on the left bench, leaving the right one for (Name).

She hesitated, glancing at the empty space beside her. 'Figures… they don’t like me, huh?'

The silence hung awkwardly until Ritsu broke it with her ever-sunny demeanor.

"Hey, (Name)! Mind if I sit next to you?"

'Oh.'

Before answering, she caught a glimpse of one of Ritsu’s friends—the girl with glasses—staring at her with cold, calculating eyes.

Why is she looking at me like that? Anxiety clamped down hard on her chest.

"Y-Yeah! Sure, sit wherever you want!" she stammered.

Ritsu beamed and plopped down next to her, completely unfazed.

Lunch passed quietly. They divided their chopsticks with practiced ease, while (Name) focused on eating with extra precision, determined to avoid any embarrassing blunders.

She kept her movements slow and deliberate. Don’t mess this up. Don’t make a scene. You’re fine.

— TIMEKSIP !

When lunch finally ended, (Name) felt a small, victorious sense of relief.

Ritsu rubbed her stomach contentedly. "Mmm, I’m stuffed!"

Glancing at the clock, (Name) realized there was still time to kill. She decided to get a drink from the vending machine, both to quench her thirst and escape the lingering awkwardness.

"I’ll be right back," she said, standing.

Ritsu perked up instantly. "I’ll come with you! You might need help finding it!"

She barely waited for an answer before turning to her friends. "You two wait here, okay?"

"Yeah, sure," mumbled the ponytailed girl.

"Mhm, whatever," the girl with the star hairpin said without even looking up.

▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄⩨͢ ࿓᪶ ະ ˖ Note💌

Thank you for reading <3

End of chapter 5
" Lunch "