The Hikikomori and the Hero: Persona in the Playground (Social Link)

[Mokou-tan]

Tsubaki heard a few voices around a corner from where she'd chosen to eat her lunch outside. Three males that she recognized as known bullies. From the sounds of it, they were picking on someone again. They never learn, do they? Peeking around the corner into the little alleyway that two of the school buildings. Just as she thought, they were picking on a girl. Looking the girl in the eyes she held a finger up to her lips as she quietly stepped up behind one of the boys. With speed like a viper striking, she lifts him off the ground with a single arm and throws him into his friend. While they are surprised, Tsubaki picks up the girl she hasn't met before like a princess and runs. Once off the school grounds, she sets the girl down very gently.
"We should be okay here, they're kinda slow runners. Are you okay?" Tsubaki gives a kind smile, not wanting to scare the person.

[A Rainy Knight]

The girl took a few shaky steps - not exactly scared, per se, but more than a little surprised at being literally swept off of her feet.

"I'm fine," she said, clasping her hands behind her back and alternating between looking up at Tsubaki and looking at the ground. "Thank you. I'm no good with people like them..."

She fidgeted for a second, and then spoke up as if suddenly remembering what she was supposed to do in this situation.

"I-I'm Miyuki! Miyuki Maeda. Who are you?"

[Mokou-tan]

"Miyuki, that's a nice name. I'm Tsubaki Mana." She stretches a little as she looks Miyuki over. Shy stance, long hair, seems like she's not used to people. She seems nice though.
"Are you hungry? Good food tends to help calm the nerves after putting up with what you just went through, my treat."

[A Rainy Knight]

Miyuki seems surprised.

"Are you sure?!" she stammers, before her stomach growls loudly. "Ah! Um, if it's not a bother, I am pretty hungry. Those guys stole the best parts of my lunch, anyways."

She sighs.

"Tsubaki," she asks, making an effort to address her by name, "You're a student here, aren't you? Do you know anywhere I could eat lunch by myself from now on? It takes too much time to run back to my room every day..."

[Mokou-tan]

Tsubaki smiles to Miyuki as she begins to walk.
"It's no problem at all, Miyuki. Food is better when you share it anyway." Upon being questioned about a place to eat alone she taps a finger to her temple. "Safe places to eat alone. Out in the open where there are lots of people around is generally safe, but you probably wouldn't like that. If you don't mind the noise, you could probably sit next to the Karate club and if anything happened you could shout. But, that doesn't do much for prevention... If you don't mind nixing that alone bit, you could eat lunch with the pres-" She pauses for a moment and chuckles. "The former president of the Naginata-jutsu club. My reputation makes me scary, so if you hang around me, people should leave you be." Tsubaki stops at a vending machine and drops some coins in. She buys a can of soda for herself then motions for Miyuki to pick one.
"I don't know what your preferred drink is."

[A Rainy Knight]

Miyuki's eyes widen a bit, as if she's coming to a realization.

"I can eat lunch with you?"

She walks along quietly until they reach the vending machine. There's a hint of a smile on her face as she leans over and hovers her finger over a few of the options until she finds one that she recognizes, presses the button, and grabs the can of juice from the machine.

"Thank you," she mumbles, clutching her juice in both hands. "Um, Tsubaki? Th-this is just a stupid question, but... why are you being so nice to me?"

[Mokou-tan]

Tsubaki lets out a nervous chuckle. "You didn't run when you found out who I am. Like I said, I'm scary. I may seem like the hero from a manga, beating up delinquents and all, but that reputation makes people run from me." She takes a sip of her soda and smiles. "If you eat lunch with me, you'll be left alone, if only because they're terrified of what I'd do if they did something to you. After all, we'd-" She pauses for a moment and blushes slightly. "We'd look like friends." Tsubaki quickly looks away. "A-anyway, there's a nice little place a few blocks down. I-it has a good variety."

[A Rainy Knight]

Miyuki chuckles softly, too.

"I could see you as the heroine of some manga. The fearsome former club president... I guess that makes me the weird transfer student, huh?" She laughs awkwardly at her own joke, and sighs. "Let's go, then. Um... you can lead the way. I don't really know the city that well. I don't really like to leave my dorm that often."

She walks along quietly for a while, wringing her hands as she ponders whether or not she ought to say anything further.

"H-have you ever heard of those people who hole up in their houses for months and months, because they don't want to go out into the world? What do you think about them?"

[Mokou-tan]

Tsubaki thinks for a moment before speaking. "You mean a hikikomori, right? I wonder about them sometimes. Are they afraid? Do they just not like people? Does the rest of the world make them uncomfortable? Do people not understand them well enough to relate with them? I'm sure they have their reasons. I wonder if they feel lonely from their isolation too." Tsubaki's intuition goes into full gear as she turns towards Miyuki and smiles, giving the girl a knowing look. "Did your isolation ever make you feel lonely?" Her voice was gentle as she asked the question, not trying to scare her away.

[A Rainy Knight]

"O-of course I felt lonely sometimes," Miyuki replies, blushing and glancing aside. "But there wasn't anything I could do about it. My room was the only place where people wouldn't judge me, the only place I could control. The longer I stayed at home, the more embarrassed I was of it, so it was easier to just never leave."

She sighs. "I guess I'm not as ill as some people, because when my parents sent me here, I actually realized that I needed to change, before I got any worse. A-and I can still hold a conversation with people like you, who don't just laugh at me... but I still don't fit in anywhere."

She seems more than a little ashamed of her own story. "Why am I even saying all this...?"

[Mokou-tan]

Tsubaki hesitates when she sees how Miyuki feels. I didn't intend for her to feel bad! What I'd give to have my little sister's people skills right now.

He who hesitates is lost, little hero. Cu Chulainn's voice spoke in her head. With that little push from her persona, Tsubaki gently hugs Miyuki. It was the only action she could think of that might help with her limited social skills.

"Don't worry about why, it's not something to feel bad about. You can stand next to me until you find somewhere to fit in. I wouldn't mind the company. After all, being scary is kinda lonely too, ya know?"

[A Rainy Knight]

Miyuki stands quietly for a few seconds, and then hesitantly returns Tsubaki's hug.

"...Thank you. I guess I wouldn't mind the company either," she replies, with a bashful smile. "This is probably going to sound silly, or too direct, but I guess I just don't know any other way to do it. And you can answer honestly."

She takes a breath, and tenses up a bit.

"Tsubaki! Please be my friend!" she says, rather stiffly.

[Mokou-tan]

Tsubaki giggles and looks to the sky. "I don't know, the first friend I make is a recovering Hikikomori. What would people say?" An obvious teasing tone is in her voice as she speaks. "Nothing, because you're my friend and if they pick on you, I'll return the favor." Tsubaki gives Miyuki a smile. "Oh and umm... Sorry for hugging you without warning. I don't have much experience with people, either."

[A Rainy Knight]

"That's a yes?" Miyuki grins, and laughs. "Hah! Haha! I... I made a friend at high school! I'm recovering!"

She giggles to herself for a few seconds before she blushes and composes herself again.

"Um, don't worry. It actually felt nice, to be hugged by someone. I'm just not that good at figuring out how to respond to things like that..." Her stomach growls noisily again, and she sheepishly rubs her belly a bit. "So, should we go get lunch, then?"

[Mokou-tan]

Tsubaki giggles at Miyuki's stomach growling. "Yeah, otherwise my tummy will start growling at me too." She leads the way to a small, family owned restaurant with a friendly atmosphere. Tsubaki grabs a couple of menus while waving at one of the staff-members and hands a menu to Miyuki.

"We seat ourselves here. That looks like a good spot." She pointed at a booth in the corner a little away from other customers. After sitting down she smiles to Miyuki.

"My little sister is always getting on my case because I eat out so often. It's not like I'm avoiding her cooking or anything, I'm just too busy to visit home that often."

[A Rainy Knight]

Miyuki follows along into the restaurant, glancing hesitantly aside at the other customers before she makes her way over to the corner booth.

"You have a little sister?" she says, as she intently reads over the menu. "What is she like?"

[Mokou-tan]

"Yeah, I have an older brother too. Tsubaki taps her temple as she thinks about how to best describe her sister. "She's a really sweet girl, gentle and kind. She's always looking after me and is honestly more big-sisterly than I am in some ways. Whenever I get hurt, she always comes to check up on me and make sure my bandages are changed properly." She positions herself so Miyuki can see her right leg and pulls up the leg of her pants to reveal that it was bandaged all the way up.
"She's actually quite good at it. Probably from practice, I get myself injured a lot. Especially when it involves my brother.

[A Rainy Knight]

Miyuki takes a curious look at Tsubaki's leg, and sits back up with her chin resting in her hands and her elbows on the table.

"Your sister sounds... wonderful. But what do you mean, 'especially when it involves my brother?' Um, if you don't mind me asking, that is..."

[Mokou-tan]

Tsubaki giggles at Miyuki's question.
"I don't mind at all. He's too prideful. He feels the need to be better than me in everything because he's the older brother. I'll let him have the grades, that's not overly important to me. Combat is my thing, though. I've been doing one form of martial art or another since I was young, he picked it up later than I did and doesn't have my talent for it." She chuckles a little at her remark of talent. "The only way he can prove he's better than me is to spar with me and beat me. Eventually our sparring weapons break from constant abuse and neither of us is willing to hold back. Shards of wood fly everywhere and we get cut. The injury on my leg is because one broke in half and cut it with the broken end. Even if our weapons break, we don't stop though. I always offer him the chance to give up and he never does. It's gotten so tiresome I've started refusing to fight him unless he makes a wager on it. It at least gives me more time between sparring with him."