The Mau The Merrier

Flustered Felines!

The sun hung low in the sky, casting a golden hue over the bustling streets of Tokyo. {Y/N} and Joe strolled side by side, weaving through the crowds with an air of practiced ease. Joe carried the bulk of their purchases—a paper bag filled with small trinkets, snacks, and a bottle of chilled milk that {Y/N} had impulsively grabbed from a convenience store. She had a way of turning every outing into a chaotic mix of random detours and absurd commentary, and Joe followed her lead with unwavering devotion. 

“You ever think about how vending machines have more personality than most people?” {Y/N} mused, sipping from the milk bottle she'd insisted on opening right away. 

Joe glanced at her, bemused. “Only when I’m with you." 

“Flattering,” she said dryly. “But seriously, I feel like half of them are judging me. Especially the ones with those creepy digital faces. What are they hiding, Joe? What are they hiding?” 

Joe opened his mouth to answer, but before he could, a familiar voice called out. 

“Hey! Excuse me!” 

They both turned to see a girl jogging toward them. She had warm brown hair with a slight pink tint, her face lit with recognition. It took {Y/N} a moment to place her—she was the one who’d slapped Mikey in the hallway the other day. 

“Do we... know you?” {Y/N} asked, squinting. 

The girl stopped just short of them, clutching the strap of her bag. “I-I’m sorry for stopping you! I’m Hinata Tachibana. You probably don’t remember me, but we kind of met the other day... at school?” 

“Ohhh, right,” {Y/N} said, her eyes narrowing as she pieced it together. “You’re the one who gave Mikey the ol’ one two," she giggled, "that was hilarious.” 

Hinata flushed, clasping her hands together. “I—I really wanted to apologize for that again. I completely misunderstood the situation, and I feel terrible about it.” 

{Y/N} waved her off, leaning lazily against Joe’s arm. “Don’t worry about it. He deserved it for something, probably. And if he didn’t, it was funny enough to justify it.” 

Hinata stared at her, blinking in shock before letting out a nervous laugh. “You’re... really blunt, aren’t you?” 

“She’s an acquired taste,” Joe interjected, smiling lightly. 

Hinata glanced at Joe, who was dutifully carrying the bag {Y/N} had handed off to him earlier. “You two seem really close,” she observed. “Are you dating?”

Joe choked on air, nearly dropping the bag. {Y/N} snickered, glancing up at him with a lazy smirk. “Nah, he’s just my bitchboy manservant.”

Hinata’s eyes widened, and her gaze darted to Joe for confirmation. 

“She’s not wrong,” Joe said, unbothered. 

“She’s completely wrong,” Hinata protested, looking flustered. “You shouldn’t call him that!” 

“It’s fine,” Joe assured her. “I like it.” 

Hinata looked between them, utterly baffled. {Y/N} merely took another sip of her milk, her expression unreadable. 

“So, Hinata, what were you doing in this part of town?” {Y/N} asked casually, steering the conversation back to something less confusing. 

“I just got out of cram school,” Hinata explained. “It’s really close to here, so I thought I’d walk home.” 

“Cram school, huh? Sounds rough,” {Y/N} said. “What’s the point of studying so hard if you’re just gonna stress yourself out?” 

“Well, it’s important to me,” Hinata said earnestly. “I want to make sure I can reach my goals. And besides, it’s not so bad when you have good friends to support you.”