(for those who aren't familiar with their mortal names, Rizu Hikarino is Tamashii and Beronika Hoshino is Medetai. This is Beronika's first appearance in The Memory.)
“Okay, spill the beans,” demanded Beronika Hoshino later that afternoon at the food court. “Is she anything like me?”
“Nowhere close,” replied Rizu, taking a bite out of her sushi snack pack. “I’m telling you, B, she is the strangest person I have ever met on this campus!”
“You mean there’s actually somebody who’s stranger than you?”
“Real funny,” grumbled Rizu. “No, seriously, she doesn’t even look like a university student! She’s completely old-fashioned, and she dresses like my mama!”
“You looked through her closet when she wasn’t paying attention, didn’t you?”
“Maybe.”
“Well, just because she isn’t into the latest fashion trend doesn’t make her strange,” said Beronika. “I mean look at you! You wear shirts that are either based on your childhood or a band you’re obsessed with! It’s like you haven’t even grown up like everyone else!”
“I can’t help it!” cried Rizu. “I just don’t care what other girls are wearing!”
“Is it because those girls remind you so much of the ones who picked on you in high school?”
Rizu cringed to herself. Beronika’s jab had opened up old wounds and flooded her mind with painful memories of Raian and Jeshi. “I guess so,” she muttered.
“Alright. So, she dresses differently than us. Big deal! She still doesn’t seem strange to me.”
“What about girls who have a big collection of Star Wars and Star Trek books and hundreds of manga titles in their library? And I mean bigger than Robu’s!” asked Rizu.
“I know girls who are into manga and sci-fi.”
“Yeah, but are they nerds?”
“Like the one I’m talking to? Yes,” answered Beronika.
Rizu glowered at her former roommate and crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m not a Star Trek fan, and I don’t read Star Wars novels!” she huffed.
“No, but you do play two Pocket Monsters games on two different consoles, and you have quite a Serā Senshi doll collection at home to boot! I don’t know if there are girls our age who are still into that stuff!”
“What are you trying to say, B?”
“I’m saying that you have no right to judge Keitorin like that without examining yourself first,” said Beronika. “When it comes down to the wire, you two are the same but on different sides of the coin. Yeah, you’re both nerds, but you’re a nerd that she’s not and vice versa. What you guys are into reflects your inner selves. So what if you don’t care for sci-fi books? And so what if Keitorin doesn’t like to watch episodes of the Serā Senshi on television? Keitorin doesn’t sound any stranger to me than you are, Rizu.”
“Well, at least I’m not a hermit anymore!” snorted Rizu.
“Why? Is she one?”
“Big time.”
“I don’t see anything wrong with that,” said Beronika nonchalantly.
“So, you don’t mind if she sits in on our meetings?” asked Rizu as she arched her right eyebrow.
Beronika felt her face flush with embarrassment, and she lowered her gaze to her food as she placed her chopsticks on the table. “I didn’t think about that,” she confessed. “I’m so used to having our gatherings in your room last year because I was living with you back then, but everything’s changed now.”
“I know,” agreed Rizu. “That’s part of the reason why I wanted to have lunch with you today. We need to think of a new place for all of us to meet without being interrupted.”
“Or having our secret revealed,” added Beronika.
“That’s our main concern for sure.”
DISCLAIMER: All characters and plots belong to L. D. Smith ©2011.
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