Hide stood in front of the food stall, exhausted from the previous event. There was a line already and she was in the back of it. Great. If only if didn’t smell so good while she was so very hungry.

Could be worse, though. She felt good about today. This was just a minor set back.

Akemi was already at the stand, eating ravenously brochette after brochette, leaving an impressive pile of empty skewers before her. Her bike was parked around the corner of the street, and Kyoko sat nearby, working on her densai. From time to time the servant tried to tell her mistress something, but the Hida was too busy eating to answer with more than an enthusiast nod.

See? A friend is here. That’s a good sign. And the line was actually moving pretty quickly, as well. And before she knew it, she was able to get her skewers and finally eat. Skewers in one hand, a cup of much needed water in the other, Hide made her way to the seated Hida. “Hida-san! Seems we had the same idea.”

"Matsu-san!

Please take a seat. Chief, keep them coming, we're big girls that need the proteins.

So, did you crush that biathlon as easily as you crushed me?"

The Matsu’s face went from a semi-happy smile to a frown in no time. “I did... Decent. I’m just not used to the weather on this planet. It’s wearing me out. I’m not conditioned for this.”

She took the offered seat and let out a sigh. “And maybe I’ve been a bit... Distracted.”

"Oh. Uh. How did the evening end for you? I kind of lost track of the events past a certain point. Blame the alcohol."

That she didn't drink a single drop of.

"And by the way, you wouldn't happen to know the name of that Osprey girl? I kind of forget to ask too."

“Nakauchi Mumei.” Hide kept herself from having vivid flashbacks to the way that Osprey moved. Somehow. “She’s my roommate.”

And knowing someone who moves like that bunks in the same room with her was probably part of why Hide was so distracted.

“I mainly just chatted with Kuni-san.” And that was the other reason.

"Your roommate? Dang. And I thought I was lucky to share a room with Maximum Range Chiyoko.

Did you manage to snatch a dance from Kuni-sama at some point?"

“Ah, you share a room with my Matsu cousin? Excellent.” Hide nodded. It made sense now why Akemi was mentioned in Chiyoko’s dossier.

“As far as Kuni-san goes...” The Matsu’s mind trailed off before she shook herself out of it and continued. “No, we just talked for a while. I can’t read her at all.”

"I too know close to nothing about her in particular but Kuni in general... Let's say they're not the most easy-going family of the Crab. Like they're usually extremely focused on the fight with Jigoku even from a Crab perspective.

I honestly have no idea what a Kuni does for fun... If they ever do anything for fun."

“She said she actually frequents night clubs. Doesn’t do much dancing, though. She did say that she would be up to trying karaoke so... I may have promised to rent out a room at that karaoke place that’s nearby.” Hide took a bite from her skewer, enjoying the delicious meat and sauce. She used that as a proper pause, and only spoke after she swallowed her bite. “I dunno, she seems all kinds of fun, Hida-san. I definitely have her on my list.”

"You can't go wrong with marrying into the Crab! Or would she be marrying into the Lion? Never truly understood how these things work when the spouses are of a similar status.

But either way, can't go wrong with marrying a Crab!

A nice enclosed romantic karaoke box for two I presume?"

“Honestly, I know I’m more likely to marry out than in.” She shrugged.

But then there was that last remark. What did Akemi even mean? “Enclosed box for two? What... Oh.”

Oh no. Why didn’t Hide think of that?! She had already mentioned it to the others... She blinked slowly. “I... Uhhh... Took it as more of a thing to do with our shuttle group again. Oh no. Did I screw up?”

"Hey. Might be best to take it slow. Depends on her personality. And if things go well, you can always invite her again later without the extra wheels.

Depends on the other persons who will be there too. Do they have the potential to be good wingmen?"

Only one name came to mind, and she knew that Akemi would know exactly how good she could be. “Nakauchi Mumei-san isn’t just my roommate, but a part of this shuttle crew. I think you know full well how she operates.”

"Oh.

Oh yes.

Just make sure beforehand she isn't interested in Eriko or you stand no chance."

“Oh. Huh. Well, she seemed more interested in you and the Daidoji last night.” Hide gave her Hida companion a smirk, a much too cocky smirk for someone who had a mini-gay panic when she witnessed Mumei dancing like that.

"Oh yes, the Daidoji. How did things end between the two birds? I've missed that part.

It's highly unlikely, but if Daidoji Ishiyo could marry Mumei instead of any Spider, that would make the Crab's life earlier. This one Crane is a gateway to a high-end aerospace company we would very much like not to become a Spider asset.

Do you know if our Osprey friend has a serious beau or belle at the moment actually?"

It took a moment for her to think back to the night prior. She did have a couple of drinks, so her memory was foggy. “Eh, not sure. After a point Kuni-san pushed me into the group to dance and slipped out, I think? I mean, she said she was gonna go. Anyway, I was kind of distracted by dancing around with the others and, uhhh... Tried to keep my attention off of Nakauchi-san.”

She took another sip of her water, which would give the Hida more than enough time to digest what she just said. Then, she continued. “As for her prospects right now, I can ask. But I don’t know off the top of my head currently. I’ll need a little bit of a favor in exchange.”

"Oh? Just ask. Worst case, I'm simply going to refuse, not going to be mad or anything."