(Just gonna call this 'Crutches' from now on.)
 
Class ends that day with History. By then my stomach is already rumbling, ready for dinner. Mizuho and Nagato stroll up to my seat as I'm packing up. "Hey, want to get dinner with us?"
 
Dinner with two girls, alone and not on school grounds? Sounds shady. "What did you have in mind?"
 
"There's a great ramen place in town!" Exclaims Nagato, whom I take is currently Koyomi. "We thought it'd be nice to take you there on your first day."
 
Hearing Koyomi say it makes it sound slightly less flirtatious. I give them a nod as I stuff the last of my stuff into my bag and sling it onto my back, "Sure, show me the way."
 
I follow the two pretty girls to the dorms, where we split up to get dressed. I put on a light long-sleeved shirt and shorts and head back out. It takes a while- girls, ya know?- before my two lovely escorts come back outside. The way Nagato is looking around like a frightened animal probably means she's switched personalities again. I take a moment to admire the girls.
 
Mizuho is dressed in a comfortable loose T-shirt and short shorts that show off her toned runner's legs. A pair of silly-looking (by the fact that they're there at all) goggles on her head.
 
Nagato, on the other hand, is wearing nothing but dark clothes. A dark gray trenchcoat covers her from neck to shins, the rest of the way down concealed by a pair of black pants and sneakers. I figure this is probably Natsumi, the paranoid one that Nagato mentioned before. With that, I've met three of her. All that's left is... what was her name... Kanade. The motherly one.
 
The fact that her goggles caught my eye doesn't escape Mizuho. She puffs out her cheeks, "You think they're silly, don't you?"
 
I chuckle. "A little, yeah. Do you run so fast that you need goggles to keep your eyes open or something? I thought we were supposed to be going together."
 
She grins at me, "They were a gift from someone special. I wear then whenever I get to dress casually." She grabs both Natsumi and I tugs us along, "Come on, I want to get back before it gets dark!"
 
...
 
She does run pretty fast. The whole way, beginning with when she lets go of us, she's running ahead and stopping to tell us to go faster. I probably could with my crutches, but I stay behind for Natsumi's sake. Speaking of the girl, she seems to stop and duck into every shadow and look up into the sky, as if expecting an anvil to drop on her like in some child's cartoon. Of course, you know the watchful ones always get hit from the direction they don't expect. That's rule of funny for you.
 
"What you are you looking for?" I have to ask.
 
She starts and looks at me like I just threatened her. After a moment of silence (except for Mizuho shouting at us), she steps out of the shadows and continues walking. She gives me a way too smug smile. "Nothing!"
 
I give her a wry smile as I follow. "You're as obvious as a tiger in a ball pit."
 
"N-no I'm not! It's all part of my plan!" she yells, turning towards me. She points accusingly, "You will never discover my secrets!"
 
With that, she runs after Mizuho. I follow, easily keeping pace, much to Mizuho's glee. We arrive quickly after that, both Natsumi and I out of breath, but Mizuho seeming completely fresh. She gusts into the ramen place with a loud greeting. Seems the owner knows her pretty well, as he greets her almost as loudly.
 
Not being a huge ramen person, I let Mizuho order for me, since she's clearly the expert. When she offers to order for Natsumi, the darkly-dressed girl refuses adamantly. "I will order on my own."
 
Mizuho shrugs and jovially places an order for two something or others, which arrive quickly. I sample it and inform Mizuho that she's made an excellent choice. She grins and starts sucking up the ramen like a vacuum cleaner. I try to match her speed, but can't quite manage.
 
We're both surprised when Natsumi pushes her empty bowl away from herself before either of us finish. We didn't even notice hers get served.
 
"That's Natsumi for you," Mizuho says, conceding defeat. She turns to me and points a damning finger at my face without warning, almost hitting my nose. "You finished last, so you need to pay!"
 
I stare at her for a moment, then glance back at her not-yet-empty bowl, which she seems to have forgotten. I give her a smug grin and start tucking in the noodles as fast as I can.
 
Realizing her mistake, Mizuho tries to keep up, but her nervousness is showing and the noodles keep slipping from between her chopsticks. In the end, it's me who reclines against the table giving her a smug smile as she grudgingly swallows the last of the rich brown juice the noodles were served in. She gives me a look like she's about to yell again, but then sighs and places her money on the table. I consider taking the dive instead, but something about the girl's competitive spirit keeps me from doing it. She lost, fair and square.
 
"Better luck next time."
 
She growls, but can't hide her smile. "You won't ever beat me again!"
 
"Not in a test of speed, at least," I acknowledge. I stifle a burp that threatens to be way too loud. "We ought to head back."
 
"Yes, we've been here too long," says Natsumi, hiding a look of relief as she gets up. "We must return."
 
Mizuho bolts out the door and waits for us to follow. I gather up my crutches, thank the cook, and head outside. The way back is quicker than before. Natsumi seems more comfortable in the waning light as the sun begins to set, walking at a much faster pace, and without hiding in corners, though it's clear to me that she's still looking up at the sky.
 
We arrive at the dorms in a couple of minutes. Mizuho, as energetic as ever, practically bounces as she stands in front of me. "Hey, thanks for coming to dinner with us."
 
I smile. "No problem, thanks for inviting me."
 
Without warning, Mizuho leans forward and plants a kiss on my cheek. She smiles at me as I sit there stunned, then suddenly looks like she realized what she did. "S-Sorry, that was a force of habit!"
 
Without warning, she runs off into the building, leaving Natsumi and I standing alone. I look down at the shorter girl. "Hey."
 
She gives me a suspicious glare.
 
I give her a smile in return. "You can trust me, you know."
 
She blinks, her expression completely changing into one of utter confusion. Maybe even wonder. She blushes and looks down. "No one's ever told me that before..." Then she seems to collect herself and her suspicious look comes back. "D-don't think this means I'll trust you right away, though! You might just be trying to get on my good side."
 
"I might. But I'm not." I chuckle.
 
She grumbles and follows after Mizuho.
 
I'm about to head back inside when I spot a shadow peering around the side of the girl's dorm. For a moment the crazy thought that Natsumi's paranoia was actually founded strikes me.
 
But then I shrug it off. "Who's there?" I call, my casual tone belying the suspicious words.
 
I'm surprised when Miyagi steps into view.
 
"Miss Inoue? Did you want to talk?"
 
She might have nodded, but I can't tell in the fading light. "Y-you said... that we should talk with you... whenever we have a problem... right?"
 
I nod, "Yeah, don't hesitate!"
 
"W-well... I need... you help."