Dandadanx10

Like, Where Are Your Balls?

The morning sun cast long shadows across the schoolyard as Ben spotted Okarun approaching, his shoulders hunched in his usual nervous posture. "Hey, Okarun!" Ben called out, waving.

"Good morning, Tennyson-san," Okarun replied formally, fidgeting with his bag strap. "I've been wondering... how should I greet Ayase-san when we see her?"

Ben chuckled. "Maybe just try 'good morning' like a normal person?"

As they reached the school entrance, both boys stopped short. There was Momo, leaning against the gate with an expression that was trying very hard to look casual.

"You're late," she announced, pushing off from the wall. "I've been waiting forever."

"You... you were waiting for us?" Okarun asked incredulously.

"Obviously," Momo rolled her eyes, but there was a hint of pink in her cheeks. "Who else would I be waiting for?"

The conversation flowed easily as they walked to the shoe lockers, discussing various theories about alien sightings. Ben had to bite his tongue several times to avoid mentioning that half the "mysterious UFOs" they were debating were probably just him in various alien forms.

"I still can't believe you can actually turn into aliens," Momo said, shaking her head. "Even after seeing it myself."

"Says the girl who can move things with her mind," Ben retorted with a grin.

As they split up for their respective classes, there was a lightness in all their steps. Okarun barely noticed the usual snickers and whispered comments from his classmates as he took his seat, too happy about having actual friends to care.

In her own classroom, Momo stared out the window, lost in thought. Her friends, Miko and Muko, tried repeatedly to get her attention.

"Earth to Momo!" Miko waved her hand in front of Momo's face. "Don't tell me you got back together with that jerk ex-boyfriend?"

"Huh? No way!" Momo snapped back to reality. "I was just thinking about... things."

Meanwhile, Ben sat in his own class, occasionally glancing at the clock and wondering what his new friends were doing. He'd never really had close friends at his previous schools - being a superhero tended to complicate relationships.

When lunch break finally arrived, all three eagerly set out to find each other. Ben managed to locate Okarun first, but as they searched for Momo, they kept somehow missing each other in the crowded hallways. Unknown to them, Momo was often just around the corner or passing by on the other side of the courtyard.

Finally, Ben spotted Momo heading toward a bench outside and stood up to wave. At that exact moment, she turned suddenly, and they collided with enough force that their teeth clacked together painfully.

"Ow!" they exclaimed in unison, both stumbling backward.

"I've been looking everywhere for you!" they said simultaneously, then laughed at the coincidence.

"Well, well," a voice cut through their laughter. "What do we have here?"

Momo's friends had appeared, wearing knowing smiles. "So this is why you've been so distracted lately, Momo?"

"It's not like that!" Momo protested, her face turning red.

"We just bumped into each other!" Ben added quickly.

"Literally," Okarun muttered, watching the scene unfold with wide eyes.

"Oh really?" Miko raised an eyebrow. "Because from where we're standing, it looked an awful lot like-"