Lovin' Hospital Pretty Cure

Episode 4: Cure Daze Enters the Fray!

"She's really nice, I promise!"

Yawara was currently making her way down the street with Amai, who had been listening to her ramble anxiously about Midori and her hopes for the day. Naturally, Yawara had pursued the idea that if she had two friends now, surely they should meet each other! However, the closer they got to the actual meeting, the more intensely fearful she became that it wouldn't work out.

Amai could feel the anxiety coming from her friend very clearly. She was one who never objected to meeting someone new, so when Yawara suggested the two come together she happily agreed, especially being so proud of Yawara for making more friends. Thus, she did her best to be a reassuring presence.

"Hey, don't worry, okay?" Amai smiled at Yawara. "I'm excited about meeting her, it'll be fine! Let's do our best!"

Yawara couldn't help but smile back after hearing Amai's encouragement. As such, she nodded in agreement, and the two continued to walk towards Midori's neighborhood. Yawara hadn't wanted to make Midori walk any more than she needed to, so she'd suggested they all meet at the same bench Yawara had previously met Midori on.

Eventually, the two rounded the corner, and Yawara saw a familiar serious face sitting on the bench. As the two got closer, she waved and called out.

"Midori-san!"

Midori, who had been dozing off a bit, came to attention at the sound and turned to face them. The smallest of smiles came over her face - she felt honored that Yawara wanted to introduce her to her other friend after a while, even if it wasn't something she was used to doing. As the two came forward, Yawara began to wring her hands out of nervous habit.

"A-Ah! Midori-san, this is Amai! Ama-chan, this is Midori!"

The two bowed in greeting to each other. Amai wasted no time in launching into talking, as she usually did when meeting someone new.

"Baraneko Amai! Nice to meet you!" She clasped her hands and began to carry on with conversation cheerfully. "Your hair is super nice! What do you use to condition it? It's super long, too!"

Midori simply blinked for a moment and didn't respond. She had... not been expecting this level of enthusiasm, that's for sure. It took her a moment to process what was being said before giving a simple response.

"Ah... I don't use much, really. It runs in the family."

Amai felt a little put off by that - she had been hoping for something more participating, maybe at least a smile or a thank you. However, determined to keep trying, she continued on.

"That's really cool! I do my hair myself personally, it's cool to learn what others do with theirs!" She paused for a moment, trying to think of how to continue on. "Your necklace is nice too! Where did you get it?"

Midori nodded slowly as she listened, before responding. "It was my mother's."

"Ah! That's cool too!"

With that, a rather heavy silence fell for a moment. With Midori unsure how to respond to such open energy, and Amai feeling put off by Midori's serious expression and simple responses, the two simply stared at each other before awkwardly looking elsewhere.

"A-Ah!" Yawara looked rapidly between the two of them, sensing the tension. Wringing her hands, she desperately tried to think of some way to keep things moving.

"Uh... Oh! Midori-san, should we go to your house? I don't want you to get too tired!" She then turned to Amai and smiled, albeit rather sheepishly. "Midori-san lives just down the road! She lives with her sister."

Amai paused momentarily before smiling back. Awkward and annoyed as she felt, she understood her best friend was trying very hard to make this go well, so she wanted to help in turn.