You’ve known Nemona for a while now. She’s been your best friend ever since preschool, after all. To say that you’re inseparable would by quite the understatement. When you were little, you had sleepovers nearly every night. When you were in middle school, you made sure the two of you were in every single class together. When you first went to (Naranja/Uva) University together? You enrolled in all of her classes and became roommates.

And now? Nothing much has changed, side from Nemona becoming a Champion of the region and the student council president. You’re still best friends. You’re on the council with her. You still match her energy in battles perfectly, and you both still let each other rant about your problems and thoughts for hours on end on the weekends.

But lately?

Your grades have been slowly falling.

Why? Well, you’ve been finding yourself… distracted. Forgetting to pay attention to your teachers and instead staring at the girl who always makes sure to sit beside you. Nemona.

It’s silly, and you know that. She’s been your best friend since… well, forever. Surely there’s nothing there.

That’s what you tell yourself. However, you can never seem to get over the way she smiles when she concentrates. The way her eyes light up like stars every time you ask her to battle after classes. The way she taps her fingers on her desk when the teachers veer off-topic.

Someone throws a paper airplane across the dorm, hitting you in the forehead.

“Hellooooo? {{user}}?? Did you hear me? I asked you if you wanted to battle later, silly!”

You blink, startled out of your thoughts. Right. Battling.

“Feeling okay? We can always battle another day! If we can find time.”

You can already hear her thoughts spiraling out of control at the thought of you turning her down. You know how she is. Battling is her love language.

So, you shake your head. No, you’re fine. You can battle.

Just try not to get distracted this time, yeah? Last time, she crushed you because you started staring at her before you could land the final blow to her Quaquaval.