Chapter 48: 47: Passing Time

“We’ve won!” Vanessa exclaimed, beaming with joy, “We’re advancing to the finals!”

Chuckling at Vanessa’s outburst of joy, Charlotte high-fived Vanessa, asking, “Do you want to go to a cafe to celebrate? It’s lunchtime anyway.”

Walking arm in arm with Vanessa, Charlotte mused, “Want to go to that place with the good sweets? They have really good sandwiches too.”

Whistling a variation of a popular pop song’s melody, Vanessa nodded, “Sure, let’s gooo~”

“Oh yeah, we should probably be prepared for some guests to join us halfway,” Charlotte pondered, tapping her chin as she walked along the path, “I’m going to make a haphazard guess that Krystina’s group is going to meet us in the finals.”

“I forgot! Probably, probably,” Vanessa grinned, laughing as she turned to look at a butterfly, “Yuiko did promise to let Erina meet us if their team made it to the finals… in hindsight not that hard of a condition to fulfill considering how stacked their team is, though.”

“I’d be extremely surprised if they actually lost this round and didn’t meet us in the finals,” Charlotte added, unlinking her arm from Vanessa’s before asking for a table at the front door.

Pausing their conversation for a second as the waiter guided them to a table and handed them menus, Charlotte continued, “So, did you figure out that music spell you were working on mastering or not?”

Shaking her head, Vanessa confessed, “Nope, I haven’t really been practicing the spell since the tournament started since I was too lazy…”

“I’m just going to take that as you didn’t feel like it since you got absorbed in writing another song,” Charlotte chided with a light smile, waving a waitress over.

Ordering their food, Charlotte and Vanessa relaxed once more, continuing their conversation to pass the time until their food arrived. As their food arrived, Charlotte glanced across the table, watching Vanessa drop a smooth line as the waitress delivered their food.

Shaking her head with a small chuckle, Charlotte thanked the waitress for bringing her food. 

Taking a bite out of her sandwich, she sighed, looking down at her hands holding her sandwich, hands that were dotted with a few callouses from taking care of her younger siblings. 

Charlotte would never admit, never acknowledge, the slight tinge of jealousy that she felt every time her childhood friend Vanessa dropped a pickup line on a random person.

“Charlotteeee,” Vanessa groaned, laying onto the table, “when are they getting hereee, don’t the rounds start at the same time?”

Setting down her sandwich and pushing those thoughts away, Charlotte answered, after drinking some water, “We started early, did you forget? Just let them take their time, we’re not in any rush after all~”

“That’s true,” Vanessa relented, continuing to munch on her own sandwich, “You’re so understanding of these types of things, Charlotte! So admirable~”

Sighing internally, Vanessa mulled over how she planned on greeting Erina and the others while taking bites of her sandwich. She was conflicted. The usual plan that had served her so well in the past wasn’t working as well anymore, as she was having trouble spouting her casual pick-up lines. 

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On the other side of the table, unaware of Vanessa’s inner turmoil, Charlotte having finished her sandwich was texting Yuiko, asking about the approximate time they’d arrive at. Sipping her water as she read Yuiko’s reply, Charlotte, oblivious to her own actions, settled her hand on top of Vanessa’s, a slight smile breaking onto her face without realizing.

Adjusting her shirt as Charlotte put her hand onto her’s, Vanessa looked up in surprise as she felt Charlotte’s hand.

Turning her hand over to hold Charlotte’s hand while finishing the last bite of her sandwich, Vanessa pondered, ‘Maybe that’s why I’m having doubts. Maybe that’s why I’m having trouble with the usual casualness I have when trying to pick people up… Maybe I’ve already found what I want…’

Pushing those thoughts aside, similar to another person on the other side of the table, Vanessa sat up, still holding hands with Charlotte, asking, “You texting Yuiko, right now?”

“Yep,” Charlotte answered, nodding as she brushed one of her bangs out of her face, “They’re on their way right now, so we just need to sit tight for a few more minutes.”

“Sounds good~” Vanessa exclaimed, breaking into a smile, “I’m so excited to see them again~, it’s been so long since I’ve seen Yuiko and Krystina!”

Covering up her surprise as she realized that she was holding Vanessa’s hand, Charlotte wiped her mouth with a napkin, laughing, “It’s only been a few days, we saw each other in class before the tournament started!”

“I guess…” Vanessa agreed, “It just feels weird as we usually hang out at least once with them during the weekends. Well, I should say hang out with Krystina, she’s the one we hang out with the most.” 

Nodding, Charlotte slid her chair back before letting go of Vanessa’s hand. Fixing her clothes while stretching a little, she explained to the inquisitive Vanessa, “I’m going to go ask for a larger table, this little two-person table is not going to seat us all, you know?”

Feeling a sense of enlightenment, Vanessa thought to herself as she stood up to go with Charlotte, ‘Such responsibleness… is this what being an adult is like?’

Taking one step before stopping in place, Charlotte coughed into her fist before sitting back down, mystifying Vanessa standing nearby. Waving Vanessa to sit down Charlotte sighed, explaining, “We can actually just wave over a waiter or waitress. No need to stand up and ask.”

“That… That makes sense,” Vanessa giggled, making a note to herself to remember this rare moment of Charlotte embarrassing herself, “It’s okay, we all make mistakes after all!”

Waving down a waiter as Charlotte sipped water by herself recovering from her embarrassment, Vanessa explained their situation, asking to move some tables together to form a larger one. Getting permission without much trouble, Vanessa suppressed a laugh as she pulled Charlotte up onto her feet.

Carrying another two tables over next to their original table with Vanessa, Charlotte’s face bloomed into a smile as she sat back down, seeing Yuiko, Krystina, and Erina walk into the store.

“They’re here!” Charlotte whispered to the still oblivious Vanessa who was staring off into space, “Stop staring off into space already, as empty as it is, it’s not going to fill your heart!”

Snapping out of her trance, Vanessa exclaimed, waving them over, “They’re finally here! It feels like it’s been forever!”

Nodding in agreement with an amused smile, Charlotte also began waving, laughing as she saw Erina perk up like a flower.