"Hey, Awatsuki-san."

Kinuho paused to wipe the sweat from her brow. The sun was shining brightly overhead and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. A gentle breeze rustled the leaves on the trees and the buzzing of cicadas filled the air. Pool cleaning duty had once again fallen to her and Awatsuki-san, and they had taken to their task with gusto.

Today though, there was something on her mind.

"Hm? What is it, Wannai-san?"

"Do you remember last month, at the Daihaseisai? When Kongou-san got hurt?"

"Of course." Awatsuki-san paused, leaning on her brush and looking off into the distance. "I could hardly forget it. It was the first time I'd ever gotten in an actual fight before!"

Kinuho nodded, the memory fresh in her mind, and swiped a stray lock of hair from her eyes."It was scary, wasn't it?"

She glanced at Awatsuki-san out of the corner of her eyes and she nodded. "I wasn't sure what would happen. It all happened so fast."

"Yes, but didn't you also feel excited?" Kinuho swung her legs up to sit on the edge of the pool and turned to face her friend as she did the same. "I had never been mad like that before!"

"Me neither." A wistful expression passed across Awatsuki-san's face. "Ahh, I want to experience that feeling again."

"Then why don't we find a way?"

Awatsuki-san looked startled, but smiled when Kinuho clasped their hands together. "Okay! I'm sure if we put our minds to it, we can get angry again, just like before!"

"Yes!" Kinuho stood, determination burning in her eyes. They would recapture that feeling for sure!

"Um, but Wannai-san, how are we going to do that?"

"Ah…" She hadn't actually considered that.

Getting angry wasn't something she had much experience with, but she had seen other people get angry. What was it they got upset about?

Her gaze fell to the pool. Of course!

"Well, isn't it unfair that we had to spend our Saturday morning cleaning the pool? We could have been doing something fun! It's the weekend!" She stamped her foot and puffed out her cheeks, trying to perform the appropriate angry actions.

Awatsuki-san looked thoughtful for a moment. "But Wannai-san, it was our turn on the schedule, wasn't it?"

"Ah… well, yes."

"And we didn't have anything else planned, right?"

"Well, no."

"Oh, and since we're the ones who use the pool the most, it really is our responsibility, don't you think? It wouldn't be fair for us to make someone else do it since we're in the swim club."

"Hmm." Those were all good points. Really, it wasn't that bad either. It was a beautiful day, and it was nice to be outside. "I guess you're right. And there's nothing wrong with a little hard work, really."

Well, that was a bust, but she wasn't about to give up before they even started! There were plenty of things they could try.

"Okay! That was just a trial run," she said, helping Awatsuki-san to her feet. "Now we start for real! Let's go!"

"Ah… Wannai-san, why are we at the convenience store?"

The automatic doors slid open in front of them.

"Oh, that's simple!" She made a sweeping gesture taking in the sights. The racks of chips, the mountains of instant food, the students stand-reading manga, the coolers full of drinks, the employees giving her strange looks - she drank it all in, a sense of excitement building in her chest.

"Where better than a convenience store to encounter some of the nastier elements of our society? Look!" She pointed at a girl by the manga rack, who glanced at them out of the corner of her eyes and scrunched up her face before turning away. "She should be in uniform, but instead she's wearing those shorts that show off way too much leg! Shameful! Doesn't it make you mad, Awatsuki-san?"

Awatsuki-san squinted at the girl, rubbing her chin. "But… Wannai-san, I don't think she goes to our school. Most schools don't require their students to wear their uniforms all the time, especially not on the weekend. Besides, I think her shorts are rather cute."

"Hmmm. You may be right." The shorts did seem to suit the girl, and now that Awatsuki-san mentioned it Kinuho couldn't remember ever seeing her around Tokiwadai before.

She turned, looking for something else, and her eyes landed with a glint on the day's newspaper.

"Ah! Then how about this? They're going to raise taxes! Grr, doesn't that just make you so mad?" She grabbed a newspaper and waved it in the air, stamping her feet and earning a few uncomfortable glances from some of the other customers.

"But, Wannai-san, we don't have to pay taxes yet, except on the things we buy."

Kinuho blinked, then tapped her temple. "Hmm, that's true. And I suppose taxes are a vital part of a functioning society. It's important for the government to be able to keep our roads and bridges intact."

"Not to mention that most of the child error facilities are run with government funds," Awatsuki-san pointed out.

"Oh, that's true too." She gave the newspaper another glance before carefully putting it away. "I guess this is okay."

"Wannai-san?"

"Yes?"

"I'm not feeling very angry yet."

"The convenience store was a failure, but that doesn't mean it's time to give up yet. We just need to try harder. Instead of just looking for things that make us angry, we need to take a more proactive approach."

Beside her, Awatsuki-san nodded.

"Do you have any ideas how we might do that, Wannai-san?" She fidgeted, looking up at the sky. It was just past midday, and the sky was still clear. "I've never been very good at getting angry. I don't really know how you do it."

"I know what you mean." Kinuho thought back to when Kongou-san had been hurt. It caused a sick feeling to creep up in the pit of her stomach, but it wasn't anger. There had to be something they were missing. "Maybe if we tried being mean to someone?"

"W-what?" The expression on Awatsuki-san's face was a mix of shock and bewilderment. "Oh, well, I don't think I could do that. I mean, I don't think anyone's really done anything to me to warrant my being mean, and I just don't think I could bring myself to be mean to someone for no reason. Could you, Wannai-san?"

Kinuho squinted, trying to imagine either herself or Awatsuki-san being intentionally mean. It was much harder than she had thought. What would that look like, exactly? What would she even say?

After a brief pause she shook her head. "I don't think so. Being mean just seems so… mean."

Awatsuki-san nodded. "I agree."

"But Awatsuki-san, doesn't it make you mad when people are mean for no reason? It's infuriating when people bully others, isn't it?"

"Well... actually, I just feel kind of sad. I can't help but wonder what must have driven them to act like that. And the fact that we are unable to do anything to help hurts as well. It's so sad for everyone involved."

"Hmm, that's true too. Maybe if we could help the bullies somehow, we would also be able to stop the bullying."

They lapsed into silence, and Kinuho couldn't help but feel a little melancholy. It really would be nice if they could do more to help people.

The streets steadily deteriorated in quality as they walked, lost in thought. It was true that she had only really been angry the one time. It had been the fault of that awful portly boy. He had been after… something, she couldn't quite remember what. Was it a cat? That sounded right, but at the same time she couldn't imagine why they would have been fighting over a cat like that. It was all so very strange, and recapturing the feeling she'd had back then was proving much harder than she thought.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when she noticed a man walking in the opposite direction, coming towards them. He was older, most likely in his twenties if not thirties, and was wearing a faded tan jacket. His face was concealed by a scraggly sort of beard, and Kinuho felt a spark of excitement as an idea popped into her head.

"Awatsuki-san, I have an idea! Ask me for a tissue!"

"What?" Awatsuki-san's face was the picture of confusion.

"Quickly!"

"Oh, um, well then. Wannai-san, do you have a tissue I could use?"

The man was still approaching, but didn't appear to have taken note of them.

"A little louder!" Kinuho said in a frantic whisper.

"Um, d-do you have a tissue I can borrow, Wannai-san?!" She practically bellowed the words this time, her face the color of a tomato, and the man looked up, brow knit together.

"Oh, yes of course, Awatuski-san! Just one moment!"

She dug around in her bag before pulling out a pack of tissues and handing them to her friend. As she did, she made sure to let her wallet tumble to the ground as well.

"You should really carry your own tissues, Awatsuki-san. You know how your allergies get at this time of year!"

"But I alwa-"

"In fact, you can keep those," she said loudly, pulling Awatsuki-san forward and resuming their walk.

The man was perplexed, if his expression was anything to go by, but he kept walking. Kinuho tracked him out of the corner of her eye and sure enough, as soon as he saw the wallet he made a beeline for it, picking it up and turning it over.

Yes! This was their chance! He thought he could just steal from a young girl and get away with it did he? Well, they would sho-

"Miss, you dropped your wallet!"

Kinuho could practically feel the wind going out of her metaphorical sails as the man jogged up to her, waving her wallet.

"Oh, um…"

"You really ought to be more careful, you know." His voice was warm and friendly, and didn't at all match his gruff appearance. "This neighborhood isn't great. People are as likely to snatch your purse as look at you if you go around dropping things."

"That's... well. Thank you very much! I'll be more careful!" She gave a deep bow and a moment later Awatsuki-san followed suit.

The man laughed. "You do that, miss. Have a good day now."

"You as well." Kinuho offered him a smile and he waved before turning and resuming his wavering gait down the sidewalk.

"What a nice man," Awatsuki-san said, looking after him. "It was very kind of him to give you back your wallet like that."

Kinuho sighed.

"Yes, but we're no closer to getting angry now than we were when we started! I thought for sure he would use the chance to try and take it. Then I could have gotten mad, I'm sure of it!"

"Oh, so that's what you were doing. I was wondering why you were acting to strange, Wannai-san."

Kinuho flushed and they kept walking. "It's not that weird! I was just trying to take advantage of the situation. I thought it would be a good chance."

They turned a corner and Awatsuki-san giggled. "That's the kind of proactive attitude I would expect from Kongou-san. Maybe spending time with her has been having a bit of an influence on you, Wannai-san?"

"Maybe." She smiled, thinking of their mutual friend. Kongou-san had her flaws, to be sure, but she was a good person, and Kinuho always enjoyed the time they spent together. She did her best for her friends, and was kind to children and animals too. Still…

"You know, I can't imagine Kongou-san has a hard time getting angry. Maybe we should try asking her for advice."

"Hmm." A pensive look crossed Awatsuki-san's face. "I think you're probably right. Surely she's been angry before. But I don't want to give up just yet! We might still have a chance to get upset, right? After all, that man did say this was a bad part of town!"

"I tell ya, girly, he was sure as hell right about that."

Awatsuki-san gave a yelp and Kinuho spun around. A group of men, probably high school aged or a little older by the looks of them, sauntered out of a nearby alley. Awatsuki-san shrank to her side as they circled around, leering down at them.

"W-what do you want?" Kinuho managed, trying to hide the fear in her voice and reaching out with her ability to try to find a nearby source of water. She thought she could feel some somewhere deep beneath her feet, but with their apparent leader looming over her with a grin on his heavily pierced face it was rather hard for her to concentrate.

"What do we want?" the man in front of her asked, standing up to his full height. He wasn't as tall as he had looked while leaning over her, but he was still at least a head taller than her. "We're just out looking for a good time, ain't we boys?"

The others around them grinned, nudging each other and chuckling. Awatsuki-san's hand found her own and Kinuho squeezed it tightly.

"Hey, I know!" The leader looked at them as if he had suddenly had a great idea. "Why don't you two girls join us?"

He grinned and leaned in once more, his fetid breath, heavy with the smell of stale cigarettes, washing over her and forcing her to fight to keep her lunch.

"I promise you'll have a great time."

Kinuho gulped, sweat gathering on her brow and her heart pounding in her chest. This was it. They were only going to have one chance at this, and if Awatsuki-san made even the slightest mistake here then it was all over. She was flanked on either side by members of the street gang she'd come to learned called themselves Small Buffalo, a name that defied her attempts to understand it. They were watching as intently as she was, and the tension in the air was thick.

Awatsuki-san acted in an instant and Kinuho's heart leapt into her throat. The men beside her tensed, and a moment later there was a tremendous crash.

"Strike!"

"Yes!" Kinuho leapt to her feet even among the anguished cries of the Buffalo and rushed over to Awatsuki-san, pulling her into a tight hug and hopping up and down.

"You did it! We won!"

"I-I did, didn't I?" Awatsuki-san looked more dazed than excited, as though she couldn't quite believe it.

"Awww, well shit. That's two games in a row you girls have edged us out. Looks like bowling really ain't our thing."

The gang's leader, Shinobara Maiku, sighed and shook his head, a rueful smile on his face.

"Guess my boys just ain't up to snuff." He turned to the rather chagrined members of his gang. "Oi, you shits can't bowl for crap. Pizza's coming outta your pockets, you hear?"

There was a collective groan from the leather-clad hooligans, and Kinuho and Awatsuki-san shared a high five.

"Speak of the devil, boss. Pie's here!"

There was a whoop as an exasperated server slipped a pair of pizza's onto the table behind them and the gang clamored over the benches, pushing the chairs aside with hungry eyes.

"Hey, the fuck you guys think you're doing, huh? We lost, so the ladies get first dibs on food. Now sit your asses down and wait your turn or it'll be you I throw down the lanes next game!"

There was much grumbling, but they shifted around and made room for the Tokiwadai pair. Kinuho giggled and pulled Awatsuki-san over to the table.

"This is a lot of fun, isn't it, Awatsuki-san?" She pulled a pair of pepperoni slices onto a plate and plopped down. The smell was making her mouth water, and she realized they hadn't had a proper meal all day. "I haven't been bowling in ages!"

Awatsuki-san nodded. "It's certainly not what I was expecting when they approached us."

"Me neither. If I hadn't been so scared I might have gotten mad!"

"I wasn't even thinking about that," Awatsuki-san admitted. "We haven't been having very much luck with that today, have we?"

Kinuho took a bite, chewing thoughtfully. "Hmm, that's true. You know, I keep forgetting what we were even supposed to be doing."

"Me too. It's hard to stay focused when you're having fun."

"It is," she agreed, taking a sip of soda. "But I'm running out of ideas!"

"Hmm." Awatsuki-san looked deep in thought, chewing slowly. "I don't really know either. What is it people usually do when they want to be mad?"

"I don't know. Do people usually want to be angry?"

Kinuho found that she didn't really have an answer. It didn't sound right to say yes, but people were getting angry all the time, so maybe she was wrong?. Finding that out was supposed to be the whole point of today!

"Oi, you girls finished yet? It's time for some payback!"

"Okay, I've got it." Kinuho slammed down the rest of her drink, determination in her eyes.

"What's that?"

"Well, we've been winning, right? And we've been having a lot of fun. But the opposite of winning is losing, and being angry is probably close to the opposite of having fun, don't you think?"

Awatsuki-san frowned thoughtfully. "I suppose, but I don't see how that helps. How would that help if we've been winning?"

"Come ooooooon, we're dying of old age!"

"It's simple!" Kinuho stood and pulled her friend to her feet with a smile.

"We're going to lose!"

"It was really quite nice of them all to give us these, wasn't it Wannai-san?" Awatsuki-san balanced a rather large stuffed bear on her shoulders, waving to the retreating forms of Small Buffalo. "I didn't even realize the bowling alley had an arcade."

Kinuho looked down at her own plush toy, some kind of white rabbit-cat hybrid with a cute little smile and intense red eyes.

"Neither did I. I really wasn't expecting them to try to cheer us up either, with the way they were talking."

"I guess they were just posturing. I hear that boys do that a lot." Awatsuki-san tucked her prize under her arm and smiled. "But they really were very nice. I was quite sure they were just a group of thugs."

"I guess we should know better than to judge based off of appearances. After all, Shirai-san is quite small but she is very capable of taking care of herself," Awatsuki-san pointed out.

"Hmm, you're right. I hadn't really considered that but it's a good point."

They began walking, neither one of them saying anything but heading in the general direction of the dorm. The sun was beginning to duck behind the skyline, painting the sky in strokes of pink and orange. The few clouds that floated lazily overhead glowed brightly with reflected light, giving them an almost artificial appearance. Looking at them, Kinuho couldn't help but think of them as lumpy, directionless blimps, similar to the one that made lazy circuit above the city.

The street lights flickered on and she sighed. She couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. They hadn't managed to get so much as a little upset today. For a moment, she toyed with the idea that perhaps that in itself was upsetting, and screwed up her face in what she hoped was a good rendition of the expression she had worn the first time she had felt angry.

"Are you alright, Wannai-san?"

"Hm?" Kinuho blinked in confusion, and realized Awatsuki-san was looking at her with concern. "Oh, yes I'm fine. Why do you ask."

"It's just… well, you were making a strange face, and I was wondering why."

A touch of heat entered her cheeks. "Oh, well it's nothing, really. I'm really doing quite well."

Awatsuki-san's gaze lingered for a moment but she nodded and Kinuho shook her head in an attempt to clear it. Well, it hadn't particularly felt right to her, either. Maybe it was just one of those things that you had to feel before you could replicate it? If so, then perhaps once wasn't enough to get a good grasp on it.

They turned off the road and onto a path leading through the park. It was a bit of a shortcut, though the lack of lamps made it a little tricky to navigate after dark. Fortunately there was still plenty of sunlight available, and Kinuho knew the path by heart.

"I wish I could have gotten upset today." Awatsuki-san said, breaking the silence. "I was really looking forward to getting that feeling again!"

Kinuho nodded. There was a wistfulness in Awatsuki-san's expression that she could very much identify with. She had been looking forward to it as well, but nothing seemed to be working.

As they passed near the creek a sudden thought occurred to her. Neither of them had managed to get upset, but there was no rule saying they both had to get mad, right? If one of them managed it, that would be a bit of success!

She reached out with her ability, her lips curling in a smile, and grabbed hold of as much water as she could from the nearby creek. As quickly and silently as she could manage she maneuvered the shifting globe of water up from the creek and into the air behind them, maintaining a steady pace as she did. Slowly, and with the utmost patience, she eased it up until it was floating no more than a meter above Awatsuki-san's head.

"Awatsuki-san?"

"Yes?"

"What does that cloud look like to you?" she asked, craning her neck and pointing almost straight up.

The instant Awatsuki-san looked up Kinuho sprung her trap. She released her hold over the water and the entire globe disintegrated, falling down upon the surprised face of her friend and soaking the girl from head to toe.

"Aha! I got you!"

"W-wha-?" Awatsuki-san seemed at a loss for words, staring at her with wide eyes and looking for all the world like a drowned cat. Then, her face scrunched up and even through the water running down her face Kinuho could see the tears forming in her eyes.

"W-W-Wannai-saaan. Why w-would you do t-that?"

Already the tears were beginning to fall and Kinuho's elation was replaced by panic. That wasn't the reaction she'd been hoping for at all!

"Ah, no! I'm sorry, Awatsuki-san!" She rushed over to the girl, grabbing hold of her shoulders. "I thought you'd get mad at me! I didn't mean to upset you! Well, I did, but the good kind of upset! I'm so so sorry!"

"B-buwaaah…"

"Awatsuki-san!"

"Ahhh, I guess we didn't get mad at all today, did we?"

Kinuho sighed and flopped back onto her bed. The soft flannel of her pajamas felt wonderful against her skin. After all the activity of the day she was completely exhausted.

"No, I guess not." Awatsuki-san sat at the edge of her bed, running a comb through her hair and gazing pensively out the window at the failing light.

"I'm sorry I got you wet, Awatsuki-san. I really thought it would be a good way to get you angry."

"It's okay." A small smile played on her lips. "Thank you for trying. It was really very sweet of you."

"I just wish we could have found something that worked. We spent the whole day trying and I didn't even get a little angry!"

"Hmm, well, does that make you angry?" Awatsuki-san asked, setting aside her brush.

"Well…" Kinuho scrunched face up again, trying to force herself to be upset. They had spent all day for nothing! What a waste! Grrrr…

"Not really." Nope, that wasn't working at all. "I guess I just feel a little silly. I didn't mean to drag you along on something that was going to be a waste of time."

"Hmm." Awatsuki-san tapped her knees absently, head tilted to the side. "Well you know, even if we didn't get mad, I still had a good time today."

"Really?" Kinuho asked, perking up.

Awatsuki-san nodded with a smile. "Really! We got to explore the city, meet some new people, and spend time together. That sounds like a wonderful day to me."

"You know, it really does. Thanks, Awatsuki-san."

"I do still want to get mad though. I know, next time I'll push you into the pool!"

Kinuho gasped. "What? You wouldn't dare!"

"Oh, but I would! Do not underestimate me, Wannai-san!"

Kinuho cowered and Awatsuki-san put on a fierce expression, managing to hold it for all of two seconds before they both broke down in a fit of giggles. The last of the sun's light faded beneath the horizon and the curfew bell tolled across the Tokiwadai grounds as the two girls laughed.

And so, another day passed.

A/N: If you've made it all the way here to the end, thank you! I really didn't expect anyone to read this, as it's a little slice of life comedy piece about two side characters no one even remembers. I love these two though, and I wanted to write something with them.

The idea for this story came from the Railgun manga, in which they discuss that they've never actually been mad before and that it would be fun to get in a real fight. They later do, at the Daihaseisai after Kongou was hurt, and that scene is easily one of my favorites in the series. It's just so fun to see side characters get a chance to shine! So I figured I could play with that idea a little, and of course it doesn't work out for them.

Please leave a review if you enjoyed this, as I like writing these little pieces and would like to know if other people enjoy reading them. It's fun to do little pieces like this in between my bigger projects. As always, thank you for reading and let me know what you think!