Sayaka's new and old friends

I saw Allison and Irene talking to each other in front of the entrance, smiling. Irene and Sayaka didn't get along well, but she stayed mostly because Allison wanted to hang out with Rita and Sayaka.

"Hey girls." I said in a friendly tone.

"Hi Sayaka."Allison replied with a smile.

"Corny is taking a shower, but where's Rita? I didn't see her in the locker room." I asked.

Irene simpered as she pointed towards the west side of the school. "Tori kicked her ass, like always, so she was resting at the infirmary."

I wasn’t expecting that. Fuck, I got too invested... I got so much into Tori's persona that I didn't even bother checking if I was holding back.

"She'll probably join us with Cornelia." Irene continued.

"Hey, sorry for the wait." Speaking of the devil, Cornelia arrived, followed by a Rita still looking fairly angry. She didn't seem too injured, thankfully.

Irene gave Rita an amused glance. "Ah, there you are. How are you, Rita?"

"I swear I'm gonna win, next time." Rita grumbled as she clenched her fists.

Hehe, it's cute how fired up she is. I thought before noticing what came to me. Wait, that's a Tori thought. I blinked a few times to regain my composure. I really need to leave her body soon. Her personality is overwhelming, even compared to Sayaka's.

As Tori, I was close to her flat, so I wouldn't have to endure her thoughts for much longer and could try to put her to sleep until the evening. I peeked into Sayaka's memories to see what we could do besides going to the mall, as I wanted to see Jane and Sophie afterwards.

"I found a really nice cafe not far from here, recently. Want to go there?" I offered.

”If you of all people say that it's nice, it must be divine." Irene commented. I could feel a hint of venom in her sentence, but I paid it no mind.

I smiled. "Trust me, the green tea cake that they serve is to die for!"

"Sounds great!" Allison chirped.

"Yeah." Rita followed.

“Alright bitches, let's go, then!"

I led all the girls to the cafe, still having fun playing the role of a slightly nicer Sayaka. Meanwhile, I finally reached Tori's flat with her body, and had her take a nap. I could already feel my mind being clearer as soon as her body fell asleep. With Sayaka’s group, we sat at a table near the entrance. I noticed how I naturally held my skirt while sitting, without even having to think about it.
I was starting to get influenced by Sayaka's mannerisms, and sat in a similar way, my legs crossed and my hands resting on my thighs. Sayaka's thighs were incredibly smooth and soft, as she took care of often shaving her legs, and I enjoyed feeling them underneath my hands.

Rita looked around, observing the place, before speaking. "It's smaller than I thought, but the decor is nice."

I took the menu and showed it to the girls. "I highly recommend their cake and latte, they're wonderful."

"I'll take your recommendation then." Cornelia said without a hint of hesitation.

Allison smiled. "I'll have the same."

The waitress approached us, a professional polite smile on her face. "Good afternoon. May I take your orders?"

I didn’t need to ponder before answering. "Hi, I'll have a green tea cake and a decaf mocha latte, please.” In Sayaka's memories, I could see that she adored that, so I wanted to try them myself."

Cornelia, without any suspense, ordered the same thing, but so did Allison. Irene meanwhile ordered a waffle, and Rita a tiramisu. The waitress wrote the order and nodded before leaving. As expected, Cornelia tended to copy what Sayaka does; it was what Sayaka disliked about her the most: her lack of individuality and her need for validation. Allison also tended to follow along everything Sayaka did without ever protesting, always flashing a smile or acting all naive. Sayaka knew she faked it and wasn't as pure and innocent as she let on, but she never bothered to comment on it. If Allison enjoyed living a fake life just to be liked, it was her problem, not Sayaka's. That's what she thought, at least.

"So, are you throwing another party next week?" Rita asked.

Party? Ah, Sayaka often throws parties during the weekends when her parents aren't home. But they will need the house the next weekend.

I shook my head. "Unfortunately, I won't. My parents will be there."

Rita sighed. "Too bad, I already planned to make a new version of my punch."

I checked in Sayaka's memories to see what that ‘punch’ was... and did my best to hide the disgust I felt remembering it.

That ‘thing’ you make shouldn't be legal...

Sayaka disliked it but a lot of her guests seemed to enjoy how strong it was, so she begrudingly allowed Rita to bring it at her parties.

"That's a shame, yes…" I said in a neutral tone.

The waitress came back with our orders, placing them in front of us. Just the sight of the latte and the cake was making me salivate.

"Thank you.” I replied politely.

I grabbed the cup of latte and took a sip. It was so good, and I could already feel Sayaka's body being a bit more relaxed. The cake was delightful as well. I understood why she loved this place so much. It was a cozy place with delicious food while also being affordable, even if it wasn't like Sayaka had any issues with money. Despite being a rich girl, she still enjoyed a lot of common stuff. The latte and the cake were perfect to ease the pain. I would never have imagined how exhausting cheer practice could be, Sayaka's body ached all over. She took her training very seriously.

"Wow, you were right! It's so mellow and sweet!" Allison happily chirped.

Cornelia also seemed to be in love with the latte. "Oh gosh, yeah!"

"The tiramisu is also really good.” Rita commented, smiling.

"Yeah, it's worth the price." Even Irene made an honest compliment, for once.

I enjoyed the food with the girls while chatting about fashion, music, and so on. Except for Irene, the other girls seemed to genuinely get along with Sayaka.

Once we finished, I stood up, flashing a smile at them. "I really enjoyed spending time with you girls today, but I have to go. I have, like, a few things I need to do."

”Alright. Thanks for bringing us here. I'll definitely come back." Rita said, finishing her tiramisu.

"See ya, girls."

Allison waved at me, her usual fake smile plastered on her face. Irene barely lifted her hand, and Cornelia was the most energetic of all, trying her best to be in my good graces.

I left and headed for Sophie and Jane's house. I had to walk for some time to get there, but I wanted to reach it before night’s fall. On my way there, I met with Katrina and John's other friends, walking in a dejected manner… They seemed to be heading towards the hospital, as I saw a bouquet of flowers in Yui's hands.

When my eyes landed on Katrina, seeing her so... distressed, I felt something within me... "Kat..."

They heard me and turned around, but Katrina didn't bother looking at me. "I'm not in the mood for that right now, Sayaka."

"Leave us, please." Kyoko requested.

Katrina and Sayaka were best friends until the end of middle school, but something happened between them that caused them to grow distant and even become enemies… Sayaka... missed Katrina... and John being in a coma would be a good opportunity to try patching things up… But her damn pride prevented her from making the first step.

I took a deep breath. Well, fuck that pride. You wanted to patch things up with Kat, Sayaka? You will patch things up with Kat! I clenched my fists and looked at the group. "Kat… I'm... sorry."

Hearing Sayaka apologizing stunned them, as I expected. They all froze and stared at me like I was some kind of mutant. Which I supposed I technically was.

"C-come again?" Katrina managed to say.

"I'm sorry... for what I did to you, and to your friends… I... I pray that John will wake up soon… T-that's... all I wanted to say… I hope you'll forgive me, someday…" I then smiled weakly at her. "If you need to talk, I'll be there... like in the good old days… Have a good evening..."

"Did Sayaka really... apologize?" Kyoko muttered, floored.

I walked past them, but not without receiving stunned and confused glances as I did. I did not want to stay any longer. I had to see Jane and Sophie to tell them what happened to me.

When I'll leave Sayaka's body, I'll probably have to tell her the truth, though… And hope that I can trust her...

She would most like despise me for what I did, but I thought it was the right thing to do.