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[color=007fff][center][b]Mentions:[/b] [@Darcs][/center][/color]

[right][color=007fff][sub][b]Hyakusawa Academy
April 19th, 2019
3:36 PM[/b][/sub][/color][/right] 

[color=darkgray] 
It was a bad joke. Such a bad joke. So bad Shiori's dad would have been proud of her for making such a joke. [i][color=007fff]Why did I say that? I don't know how she is going to take something like that. She knows I'm talking about her being clumsy, right? Ugh, I'm stupid.[/color][/i]

Luckily, Jazz was taking it well in stride. [b][color=ffc0cb]"Oh you don't have to worry about that, I'm half-mermaid on my mother's side, you know. I'm quite the expert in not having to come up for air."[/color][/b] [i]VERY[/i] well in stride. Shiori didn't catch the full intonations of Jazz boasting about her lung capacity. [i][color=007fff]Well, I suppose mermaids don't surface too often. Ariel was the exception, not the rule, right? Always lounging around on that rock? Shoot, summer needs to get here soon. Maybe if I try really hard I can find that happy medium between ghost and lobster...[/color][/i]

The tall girl was so caught up in her own thoughts, she almost missed the reassurance that her new friend had offered. [b][color=ffc0cb]"Shiori is a really pretty name by the way."[/color][/b]

Shiori smiled at the unexpected compliment. [color=007fff]"Awwww, you're sweet. Thank you,"[/color] she said, blushing a little bit. Even the slightest tinge was noticeable on her skin. [color=007fff]"My father was adamant that all his children have names that start with Shi. I'm thankful he didn't take that one step further. Shiori, I can handle. Shigeno, I don't think I could have pulled that off. I would have to come up with an alternate name or something."[/color]

[i][color=007fff]Is that too much info off the bat? Fuck, I don't even know.[/color][/i]

She did her best to keep at a pace that Jazz could keep up with, but it was hard to do. She wasn't used to going slow. On the court it was all breakneck speed, all the time. She had a full-court game. It's part of what made her such a valuable player. And she usually was traveling by herself afterwards. So walking with other people, especially ones that she had nearly a foot on, it was something she was a bit out of practice on.

But the fact that she had to practice this was a welcome change. It was hard to try and maintain the same level of social happiness with all her friends being back in Sapporo. It wasn't the same having to get the dirt from Chie, Setsuko and Kazumi over the limited amount of internet that the Americans had allowed. There wasn't the same camaraderie when the physical aspect was removed. Plus, most of the others, Takako, Mitsuko, the like, they already had well-established circles of friendship. There was no reason to have the mercenary brought in when Shiori was only going to be there for the year. So having Jazz take such an interest in her and be willing to try and keep up with Shiori, it gave her a sense of happiness she didn't have outside of basketball in a while.

That said, feeling Jazz's hand brush up against her own was a sensation Shiori definitely wasn't expecting as quickly. [i][color=007fff]Wow. She really tried that? Did she mean to try that?[/color][/i] She looked over at Jazz, who now opened up a little more distance between the two of them, the same red visible on her cheeks that she was sure she had on display not moments before. [i][color=007fff]Awwwwww, she's shy! That is so cute! I mean, would I be holding hands with someone this quickly? How long was it before Chie and I first tried something? Probably a bit longer than 10 minutes... still. This is gonna be fun. I can feel it.[/color][/i]

Shiori was thinking about closing the gap between the two of them, until some kid, a boy from the looks of it, went tearing down the halls. Jazz seemed to be fully supportive of the impromptu track meet, shouting encouragement as he tore through the halls like a kamikaze wind. Shiori just stood, watching him disappear. [i][color=007fff]Damn. He should really try out for track...[/color][/i]

As they reached the door though, it became clear that he brought the rain with him as well as the rain. The downpour didn't look particularly threatening, but it was sufficient enough to make people think twice about braving it without some form of protection. It was clear Jazz was one of those people.

[b][color=ffc0cb]"Wanna steal someone's umbrella?"[/color][/b]

Shiori thought for a second, then a sly smile crossed her face. [color=007fff]"I actually do know of a quaint little coffee place just a couple blocks from here. It's run by the sweetest old couple. I think we can make a break for it there."[/color] She turned and looked over at Jazz. [color=007fff]"You know, if you're not afraid of getting a little wet."[/color] She winked as she said that last sentence. [i][color=007fff]Just tell her you want to fuck already, jeez[/color][/i] She turned her attention back to the situation outside. [color=007fff]"C'mon. I'll race you!"[/color] With that, she took off, uniform be damned if it got soaked or not as she intended to lead Jazz to their desired destination. As she stepped out into the weather, the rain felt good. It felt cleansing. As if the introduction of this Jazz girl into her life was the start of a new chapter in Nashiro.


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