As It Is, If It Were

Five / Tokai Teio

Teio still remembered it like it was yesterday: just like everyone else in the reunion, Nature arrived with a formal dress. Unlike most of the girls there, however, Nature's dress was quite … well, Teio couldn't find a better word to describe it than 'simple'.

Teio actually admired that—Nature's dress was really dark, practically black, but she could see that it reflected light on some angles with dark violet. The dress itself was a really basic one piece with short half-sleeve and a small scarlet ribbon for accent on the collar. The red complimented Nature's hair well, the same kind of red she used to adorn her right ear, and Teio made sure to compliment her for that.

"Thanks," Nature said shyly. "It's honestly my best dress."

"And it looks great on you!"

Teio had the uncanny ability to get along with just about anyone at first conversation—although she pretty much kept to herself most of her first year of middle school thanks to her obsessing over Rudolf until she decided to join Spica—but this once, Teio felt a certain sense of familiarity in her approach. Probably because they'd been chatting over the phone a whole lot lately. She was usually not this self-aware, at least until that one time with McQueen in middle school. She couldn't help but wonder what changed.

Nature, taking the compliment, blushed even more. "Are the Canopus girls here yet?"

"Only Dictus," Teio said. "I think she was looking for the other Canopus girls, too. There, she's with Maya-chan."

Teio pointed with her sight in the direction of Dictus attentively listening to Mayano Top Gun excitedly talking to her. Not sure what it's about, Mayano was always excited about everything.

"I'll get to her, then," Nature said. "Oh, and Teio—seriously, thank you."

"No problem!"

"And, um," Nature hesitated and fell silent for a moment. "If … if it's alright with you, c-can we talk a bit after all this?"

Teio tilted her head. "Sure. What's up?"

"Um, nothing big. W-we'll talk later! I'll see you!"

With that, as she blushed harder for reasons Teio couldn't understand, Nature dashed hurriedly to Dictus.

It wouldn't be until a few more hours that Nature came to talk to Teio again. They spent the night just like everybody else—connecting again with old friends, catching up to the others, reminiscing the older days. Kaichou attended the reunion as well at some point, and Teio dropped everything she was doing to immediately go for a hug, which she didn't refuse at all. She went to the stage a few minutes later and told everyone that she was the one who proposed to Tracen that they hold a grand reunion, and with support from Tazuna-san, Principal Akikawa agreed. Above all else, she hoped everyone had a pleasant night, and just like that, she ended the address. Air Groove, just like the old days, had waited for her just offstage.

Teio caught up with a number of her friends. Mayano followed the footsteps of Gold City, whom she admired, and made it as a full-fledged model, although lately she'd also branched out to try acting whereas Gold City focused more on fashion modelling and design. The girl in question herself was in attendance, and was basically arm-in-arm with Yukino Bijin the whole night, though it seemed more like they were keeping each other's alcohol intake in check above all else. Turbo and Machitan had arrived, and a lot of the girls seemed to suddenly just admit that it's their diet's cheat day to have a taste of Machitan's homemade mochi. Teio heard their shop was doing quite well—not one that drew in long lines all the time, maybe, but it had enough buzz to keep itself afloat for a long time, and both Turbo and Machitan didn't seem any worse off than last time Teio had seen them.