As the bell rings, all the girls in the room turn their attention to the front of the class. Your teacher sets a stack of papers (likely lesson plans) on her desk and clears her voice before announcing, 

"Today, you will be starting a Health project on how physical health correlates to mental health. It will be due exactly three days from now, and you'll be presenting with a partner in front of your peers. The rubric is that it must be presented as a slideshow, and that said slideshow should be creative and intriguing. You will be graded on your verbal presentation as well as the slides themselves, which includes the content and effort put into it. Your partners will also be assigned randomly, it's good to know your classmates."

You can faintly hear some girls quietly sigh under their breaths at the last sentence, seemingly disappointed that they wouldn't be able to pair up with their best friends. Personally, you didn't mind as long as your partner is willing to cooperate at the very least.

The teacher takes a sheet of the paper from her desk and begins to list names, pointing at students so they know who their partners are. Admittedly, you had zoned out while she read them out, but to be completely fair, you really only need to listen out for your name and who your partner is.

And so finally, she gets to you.
"Your partner is Hanasato Minori." The brunette perks up at her name, then waves at you with great fervor (so much so that you wouldn't be able to miss her even if you really, really tried). Smiling, you slide out from your desk and walk over to Minori's.

When you do so, she greets you, "Hi hi! So we're partners, huh?"
"Yup. Let's brainstorm for ideas first before anything," Taking out your notebook, you draw a bullet point to start the list.
"Right! Let's see... well, I heard being more active actually makes you feel happier! And a few days ago, there was this article I read up on in an idol magazine where..."

As she spews out ideas, you hastily jot them down. You find it miraculous how you were able to keep up with her... When the bell rings again to signal the end of class, you  both end up very satisfied with your productivity (shown by the quite lengthy bullet point list comprised of only ideas).

Minori taps you on the shoulder as you turn to leave. "Wait, wait! Let's exchange numbers, so we can work out our project outside of school!"
"Oh right, good idea!" You take out your phone, and after a bit, the two of you part ways with each others' numbers.

You stare at your phone's screen, which showed Minori's newly added contact. 'Minorinrin~!', huh... You giggle to yourself, amused at the adorable nickname. And then you set off for home, a little more excited than usual.

As you start to walk, you text Minori.
[Hey Hanasato-san! I was wondering if you were free today to work on the project, I wanted us to get started on it ASAP! We can set up a call and work on it together that way, or meet up and work together instead. Whatever you prefer! :D ]

After a few minutes, you receive a notification from Minori.
[that sounds super nice!!! but....... i have work today so i'll be busy for a while >< i can text you when i'm off tho!!]

You look over her text, punching in a response.
[That's alright, I'll wait for you to be done and we'll start together!!]

Putting your phone away, you look at the street around you. Your eyebrows raise at the sight of a café up ahead. Though you'd never visited it (as you simply never had the time), now could be a good time. Who knows, it could be a good time killer while waiting on Minori to finish up work!

You stop in front of the door, pull down the handle, and step foot inside. The environment of the café is simple, as it sticks to a limited color palette and plain furniture designs. In your opinion though, that same simplicity makes it look comfortable and cute. Somewhat, you find that you're grateful that it's not overwhelming at all, and mentally note it as a possible future unwinding spot.

 You take a seat in a table situated near the window and hang your backpack from the chair. You're still analyzing the café layout when you see a familiar brunette rush into what looks like the kitchen. It wasn't too strange, of course a café and its employees would be busy, but the sudden movement is just frantic enough to stand out amidst the pace of everything else. You shrug it off and decide it's no use getting worked up over some random anomaly. 

Instead, you turn your focus to the menu placed on the table. Fruit tart... pancakes... macarons... salmon sandwich... you skim over your options. You feel yourself produce more saliva just thinking about some of them! Before you knew it, somebody had come to serve you.

You looked up, and are instantly met with shock when the brunette from earlier was standing in front of you. Minori's dressed in the café's worker uniform, and she looks weirdly antsy from the way she keeps fidgeting her fingers and tapping her foot.

The girl anxiously sputters, tripping and fumbling over her words. "Uhm-..! Hi-Hiiiii therree-... I- uh-. I'm your.. your s-server today! I'm Mi-"
"Fancy seeing you here, Hanasato-san." Seeking to quell her nerves, you saved the introduction. You knew each other, after all.
"Oh! Yea, ha... hahaha! Sooo... what do you gonna order-!" The words seem to be spilling out of Minori's mouth faster than she can think about saying them.
"Just a fruit tart... and a salmon sandwich for me." Minori visibly perks up at the mention of salmon, but quickly snaps back and jots your order down in a cute, mini note-pad.
"A fruit taaart... and a salmon sandwiiichhh... got it! Alright, it's coming out soon!" Right after she finishes her sentence, Minori skitters off (presumably to give the kitchen the order). Watching her take off, you chuckle under your breath.

You reach over to your backpack, take out your laptop, and set it up on the table. Might as well do something productive while you wait... you wait for it to power on, then open up a presentation template. First things first, you type in your topic: How Physical Health Correlates to Mental Health in a textbox located in the center of the slide. In the textbox right under, you type yours and Minori's last and first names. After doing so, you start to play around with the slides' design and layout, as you remember that your teacher said you'd be graded on creativity. You browse what fonts to use, the font size, and the colors, playing around until...

*clink.*

You look up immediately at the sound the platter made when it slid onto the table. Minori, startled at the sudden eye contact, momentarily freezes, then gives a small and awkward wave.

"Your fruit tart! Aaandd your salmon sandwich!" Another plate is transferred onto the table surface, holding your salmon sandwich. "Huh? ...You're already working on the presentation? Oh wow.... you really waste no time!" She eyes your laptop and the screen showing the first slide.
"Mhm, though, I've only really gotten done with the first slide..." You admit, embarrassed at the teeny amount of progress you achieved.

"Don't worry! My shift is gonna finish in a bit, so I'll be able to work on it with you then. Two heads working together are better than one alone!" The brunette reassures you, before sprinting off once more. Shortly after, you see her return to your table in casual clothes instead of the café's uniform. Minori pulls up a chair right beside you, and takes a seat. As she does, you slide over the plate with the salmon sandwich in front of her. She looks at you quizzically.

"I ordered it for you, silly! You can't work on an empty stomach." Your giggle tickles her blushing ears, and it makes her suck in a breath.
"Huhhh?? R.. Really?! So I can have it?!! You... Are you sure?? Waahhh... you're the bestest ever!! I'll never forget this, thank youuu!!" The sparkles and shines in her eyes rival that of the night sky at its prime. You watch with amusement as the girl completely wolfs down the salmon sandwich, while you gently cut away a piece of your fruit tart and bring it to your mouth. It's sweet, fresh, and authentic. No artificial flavor here!

After Minori finishes her meal, she pumps both of her fists in the air. "Alright! Time to crack down!"

The two of you work until sunset. Warm and vibrant yellow, pink, and orange fill the café through the windows. You power off your laptop and gently shut it, stretching in your chair and releasing all the tension accumulated from the past three or four hours. 

"Think that's it... we're pretty much done. Wow, I feel so responsible... finishing something on the same day it was assigned. All in a day's work for a Miya Girls' student, hehe." You comment, as you roll your neck.
"Yeah, totally! It might be from the sweets earlier, if I were to guess. Now we have two days just to focus on speaking and presenting!" Minori says excitedly. You've never seen someone this hyped for an assignment, especially a presentation.
"Mhm, we should go home now. I'm counting on you to practice, Hanasato. Your eyes should only go to the slides twice minimum, any more and I'll really get you." Jokingly teasing Minori shouldn't be as fun as it is, but how can you resist when she makes such a cute face?
"Y-Yes! Of course, I won't let you down!!" Her determination and earnest warms your heart. The orange and yellow sky lights her face so wonderfully, like she's really glowing.

As you two walk out of the shop, you wish for her safety in getting home before you part your separate ways.

Two days flash by, and its class time again. You place your bag at your seat, but walk over to a very anxious looking Minori in her seat.

"Ready, Hanasato?" When you speak to her, she lets out a small squeak. She looked almost lost in her thoughts before you interrupted.
"Yea...! I.. I'm just a little scared is all! If I'm being honest, I'm really terrified of something going wrong... I don't want my bad luck to ruin anything, haha..." Her laugh sounds hollow and awkward. Like she's trying to apologize for using up air to make that laugh.
"...We'll do great, I know we will. Be confident. We worked hard on this, so give yourself some credit. Take deep breaths, I'll support you when you need it." You reassure her, placing a hand on her shoulder and squeezing gently. She nods frantically, breathing in so deeply that you can hear the sound of her inhaling, then exhaling. You watch her shoulders relax and her posture straighten.
"You're right! We got this. I'm ready!!" Minori looks much better, rejuvenated almost.

Soon enough, it's your turn to present. Though it took the teacher about twenty minutes to figure out why your presentation wouldn't appear on the projector, she'd finally gotten it to work and it was now time. You nod to Minori to start, and she begins introducing yourselves and your presentation.

It was over before you knew it, the sound of applause from your peers snapping you out of the trance you didn't even know you were in. You high-five Minori, who looks pleasantly ecstatic. You were worried, but it looks like it went well for her. As you go back to your seat, you overhear the whispery commentary from your classmates.

"That snippet about idols was so detailed... it feels like insider information, like stuff you wouldn't just find by researching..."
"Right? If I knew that, I totally would've included that in mine..."

You feel your heart swell with joy, since the idol part was Minori's idea. Even though you have to swallow your pride, you know that you can be as proud as you want about your partner internally.

When class ends, you go over to Minori's desk once more.

"Great job, Hanasato. I think our presentation went swimmingly! All thanks to your great ideas, of course. You brought so many to the table, so we had so much to work with." 
"Oh... no, you did so well too!! If I was just by myself, my ideas would all be a confusing jumbled mess... You formatted them all in a really cohesive way that was easy for everyone to digest! Thank you for that!!" She bows, which you chuckle at. You gently pat her head as its down. The blush on her face is quite prominent.
A smile tugs at your lips. "Of course. You were a total pleasure to work with. I'll see you around, Hanasato!" And with that, you leave the room.

She stands there for a second. Two seconds. Three, four, five. Then she gets up from her bowing position and places her hand over her heart, feeling how fast its beating. Then she places that hand on her cheek, feeling how warm it has become.

Minori's life was riddled with bad luck from the start, from never having her auditions accepted to her favorite snack being sold out at the local convenience store. But when you were by her side, why did it feel like she could do anything? It was like you drove away that bad luck, like you were good luck.

Even though it's all superstition, Minori believes in it. Because you believed in her. And that's all she needs to spread her wings and fly.