Munchy's Treat Time

QT: Just Be

"Kana!" the race car driver shouted with enthusiasm, "Are you going to that party?"

"Huh? You know Hotaru?" she asked, raising a curious eyebrow.

"Yeah, he's a friend of my cousin!"

"I'm surprised this person made invitations... nowadays, it's usually e-vites, if that," Hachi murmured to herself, quietly swiping Gou's invitation and tracing the words with her finger.

"I wasn't planning on going... he wasn't considerate enough to invite Monterio, so he doesn't deserve my company," Kana scoffed. Monterio beside her only chuckled. "What? Am I being dumb?" she asked him.

He bumped her slightly with his shoulder. "Have fun tonight, okay?"

"You really think I should?"

"Kana, please? It'll be so much more fun if you're there!" Gou pleaded.

"Oh, fine. I guess I need to get ready, then." She rolled her eyes, but Monterio could tell that she was hiding how pleased she was. Kana loved parties even if he wasn't there, so he was glad to encourage her to attend.

"Awesome! I'll get ready, too!" Gou rushed off, thrilled to have a friend coming.

It took several seconds for Hachi to tune in and process what had just occurred. "Oh," she said simply. She looked down at her feet and scanned the room before giving the slightest pout and sitting down. "I wish I liked bounce castles. I know that people have a lot of fun with them, but they're kinda scary. I'm small, so when people jump real hard, it sends me flying," she rambled flatly.

He was surprised that she didn't just flitter off somewhere or another to examine flowers or watch anime or write fanfic or all of the other classic Hachi things to do, but he listened attentively. If she wanted to spend time with him— whether that was just as a "replacement Gou" or out of genuine interest— who would he be to deny that? "I swear I'm listening... but can I work on homework?"

"Mhm... I'll try, too." She silently left the room and went to find her backpack, but got sidetracked by thinking about that internet troll she'd seen baiting on one of her favorite content creator's stories. As such, she only got back to Monterio after he'd already started to worry about her accidentally forgetting.

But as soon as she'd stepped in, her expression shifted from the smallest bit peeved to slightly curious. "I wonder what the biggest die is. Like, with the most sides. Need to find Keiji," she announced.

"Want me to come with you?" he offered, doubting either of them would get much homework done tonight. She gave a gentle nod, and he rose from his chair to follow her.

"I want... butternut squash soup, or something."

Monterio was desperately trying to keep track of her train of thought. "How'd you get there?"

"I was thinking about dice, and about how I'd want a set with flowers in the middle. And then I was thinking about edible flowers... like roses. And then I was thinking about fruits, and then I was thinking about how I like butternut squash. I want some," she explained quickly, as though it were obvious.

He almost marveled at realizing that squash are fruit, but something about the situation made him think she'd be annoyed at him for not knowing. So he merely nodded in understanding. This seemed to satisfy her.

They found Keiji tucked in a corner of the library, practically hidden from sight by a large stack of books. "Keiji."

"Busy," he dismissed with a dismayed huff. "Sorry."

"What's the biggest die?"

"Huh?" he asked, briefly baffled by her wording.

"She means, like, D6s and whatnot." Monterio clarified.

"Biggest in scale? I don't know that."

"Most sides!" she corrected with a surprising amount of force.

"Oh. D120. It's called a disdyakis triacontahedron. That it?" he answered briskly, clicking his tongue at an obscenely long timeline.

But Hachi was already out the door. "Seems so. Thanks, Keiji," Monterio answered, giving a rushed wave before chasing after her. She made her way back to Monterio's room, where their school supplies were stowed. She pulled a worksheet out of her bag, and he did the same. But while he made relatively efficient work of some geometry problems, she stared at phylogenetic trees for a while, got about a fifth of the way through, looked at her barebones notes, and then started doodling creatures in the margins.

Froggy, she thought with satisfaction. Haruto would like my frog. I'll show him later. She looked around Monterio's bedroom some more, getting up to examine a few of his awards and pictures. "I find it impressive that you're so good at ballroom dancing... I'd hate that." He turned to look at her with a curious expression, but she didn't make eye contact, so she didn't understand. "Hm?"

"Why's that?"

"Too touchy." She made grabby motions with her hands as though in demonstration.

"That's part of why I chose it in the first place," he mentioned with a smile. She nodded.

She stayed in his room long into the night. He'd long since finished the homework he'd wanted to get done, and she'd long since given up on hers for the day. After a while, she was sick of talking, but something in her wasn't ready to go to sleep. So they wordlessly decided to just... be. Just coexist, in the same area. A silent, subtle appreciation permeated through the room, like the scent of a camellia, present but not overwhelming. Monterio kicked at his hacky sack while Hachi cut out some of her animal drawings. Eventually, to his surprise, she picked up all but one of them (which she left on the desk as a present), and slipped away. She popped her head back, having remembered to say bye, and he waved. He examined the small doodle of a teddy bear and smiled.

That was time well spent, he decided.