Jared lounged on the couch, propping himself up on one arm while he watched his roommate Satch work on a black boxy machine. A pair of black gloves strung with wires lay on the coffee table beside the box, and a helmet sat on the carpet by Satch's knees.

"Man, it's crazy how you won the invention category by a landslide," Jared remarked.

Satch laughed. "Well, I'm glad I did—I can actually take the time to improve this machine by quite a bit." He twisted a cord that connected the box to a Plexiglas helmet.

"But how are you going to work that around your job?"

Satch smirked as he connected the gloves's cords to the box. "Once I decide which company I'll sell my invention to, I'm quitting."

Jared sat up. "Wait, seriously? I thought you liked being surrounded by books."

"I do. It's the librarian I can't work with."

Jared's pocket vibrated. He pulled out his phone and sighed when he saw his mother's name on the screen. "Oh great."

"Mom call?" Satch asked.

"Mother call." Jared slouched against the couch. "Ugh, I don't want to deal with this."

Satch stood and scratched his neck. "I gotta go grab something before we start anyways." He crossed the room and grabbed his wallet from his desk.

"Thanks," Jared replied as Satch closed the door behind him. Jared breathed deeply, closed his eyes, and answered the call. "Hello, dear mother," Jared said in monotone.

"Hello, Jared. Have you finalized the fashion runway planning with the Gucci executives?"

"Yes, Mother." Jared rubbed his temples. "I sent you all the emails this morning. The contracts and details were modified to your specifications."

"Good, good. We don't want to lose those valuable connections or this wonderful opportunity."

"Of course." The corner of Jared's mouth twitched. Of course she was monopolizing on his opportunity to model outside of school, as she did last time, but maybe he could still get something out of this for himself. "Is that everything you needed?"

"Is something the matter, Jared?"

"Oh, no, just one more thing I need to tell you." Jared stood. "I also made hotel and travel reservations out in Kyoto, and after the fashion show I'm thinking of renting out an apartment with my friend-"

"Not until after your 18th birthday." Her deep voice cut Jared's ear-and his heart.

Jared began to pace around the couch. "But that won't be until months after graduation. Please, won't it be easier if-"

"No." The word froze Jared mid-pace. He leaned against the couch as she continued, "I am your mother and your manager. You are living at home until exactly two days after your birthday and no sooner."

Jared pursed his lips. "Well, what would you have to lose by signing an emancipation contract for me? You'd still be in charge of my shows, I would still receive training to become the next Nadeshiko heir, and I could live closer to the city for-"

"Absolutely not. I've given you enough leniency as it is, and I do not want anything you do out of my sight to damage our reputation."

Jared's hand clenched. How could she dare to call it 'our' reputation when it was obviously just her own? "But Mother-"

"Do not question me, or I will ensure Mai Sasaki does not receive any volleyball scholarships for university."

Jared's arm stiffened at his side. "How did you know about Mai…"

"As soon as I heard you were dating someone, I looked into her background. Her family is suitable and very well-off, but the young lady herself…" His mother tsked. "Albeit quite talented, she is altogether too boisterous. I would have told you to break up with her sooner, but perhaps her quirks can be tolerated in order to network with her family's company."

Jared's eyebrows furrowed. "Mother, you know nothing about Mai or about the wonderful person she is-"

"Is that so?" A low chuckle slithered through the earpiece. "Well, regardless, I still stand by what I said. I do have connections at the universities she was scouted out at, and I will ruin her chances if you dare to move out before you are eighteen. Do you understand me?"

Jared bit his lip. True, there was little his mother could do to him directly anymore, but Mai… No, he couldn't let her be hurt by his actions. He could wait to move out with Satch and Jirard a few months. Surely the hell fires wouldn't be so hot if he complied with his mother's wishes… right? He sighed.

"Jared Knabenbaur, answer me this minute."

"Yes, mother," Jared spat out. "I promise. No moving out before I'm eighteen. I get it."

"Good." He could practically see her haughty sneer through her voice. "Anything else you need to say?"

Jared shook his head. "No. Nothing at all, mother." He stared at his socks.

"Alright. Goodbye for now."

The phone beeped. Sliding the device into his pocket, Jared pressed his knuckles against his forehead. Living with her in-between graduation and his eighteenth birthday was going to be worse than his past seventeen years of life at home had been. His back already felt weighed as with a metric ton of bricks at the thought.

The door creaked open. Satch stepped into the room, a plastic bag on one wrist and his phone in his opposite hand. "Hey Jared, I brought some juices and snacks," Satch said as he pocketed his phone. "I've found that some people feel dizzy or nauseous after extended use with the virtual reality machine, so I want to be prepared in case that happened to you."

Jared smiled. "You truly are always prepared for the worst."

Satch chuckled. "You're welcome." He set the plastic bag by the couch as Jared sat down again. "You okay? Dealing with your mom sounds like-"

Jared chuckled and tossed a hand. "No worries, friend. It's nothing I can't handle, and it's nothing you need concern yourself with."

"If you say so." Satch stepped back and admired his humming virtual reality machine. "Alright, I fine-tuned a few things, fixed some bugs, and added a new feature I want to test out. Ready to give it a go?" He picked up the helmet sitting on the ground.

"I promised I would." Jared took the helmet from Satch. "Don't I keep my promises?"

"Most of them." Satch flipped a switch. "I got a bigger helmet that'll fit your hair so you don't have to worry about that."

Jared grinned and combed his fingers through his blonde wavy hair. "This is why you are so truly wonderful."

Satch snickered. "You could just say thank you like a normal person."

Jared rolled his eyes and picked up the gloves off the coffee table. "So, uh… what am I exactly testing for you this time?"

"I'm glad you asked." Satch watched the monitor on the box. "I'm trying to incorporate some other senses into the virtual reality setting besides sight and sound, so I want to know if or when you sense something besides light and sound."

"And these?" Jared slid one glove over his slender fingers.

"Interaction with the environment," Satch replied. "I want you to try grabbing and moving items, doors, or other objects you see wherever you go. I need to know what the sensation is like and how responsive the gloves are. However… don't actually move your hands."

Jared began flexing both his gloved hands and wiggling his fingers. "Wait, seriously? So this won't be anything like that Vive machine if it works right."

"Exactly. Just think about moving, whether you're walking or picking up an item or something else." Satch picked up the helmet. "Also, talking out loud should make NPCs respond." He held the helmet towards Jared. "Oh, and act natural."

Jared smiled. "Don't I always?" He slid the helmet over his perfect curls, the visor covering his eyes and nose. Jared rested his back against the couch and placed his hands on his legs. The screen before him was pitch black. The black gave way to white, and the white faded out into… a hallway in Poppy Hall? "Why at school, Satch?" Jared asked. "You could've picked something way cooler."

"This is just a test run," Satch replied, his voice muffled through the helmet. "I'll do something D&D related later."

"Sweet." Jared tilted his head side to side, looking around. Oh, wait, Satch told him not to move. Think about… hey, it worked! His vision tilted up and down and side to side. The hallway, like the ones actually inside Asagao, were well lit and lined with pale blue lockers. Jared then tried walking down the hall. Nope, he wasn't moving. Trying again… Jared visualized the stride of his legs and the movement of his feet. Oh, there he moved!

Jared's avatar fell forward before he could react. The floor disappeared, and a black expanse appeared. Satch chortled. "Hush you, I didn't mean to glitch through the floor!" Jared shouted.

"I know, I know!" came Satch's muffled voice again. "It's just on my view it looks like your face is stuck in the wood. I need to get a picture of this." Jared heard a beep from the machine box.

Jared grunted. "I'll try to get up." He envisioned himself doing pushups, like he had done earlier that morning. Palms flat on the hardwood floor, arms acting as leverage… okay, maybe he was overthinking it, since he remained motionless. Push up off the floor… The floor came back into view. Jared saw his avatar's knees bend and legs straighten until he was standing again. Jared again imagined himself walking.

The lockers moved past him, and his feet felt like they were pushing into the floor through his shoes. The hallway was surprisingly bare, and his footsteps echoed. Jared smiled; this was phenomenal!

A sweet smell filled his nose. Wait, Jared had eaten the last of the cookies he'd stowed away… and the visor did cover his nose… Jared's jaw fell slack. Was that… pie? "Dude, you put an olfactory sensor in this thing? That's awesome!"

Satch laughed. "How does it smell?"

"Wonderful! But I can only smell pie crust, not any filling," Jared replied.

"It's a work in progress."

Jared took a deep breath. The smell intensified in the virtual world. Making his virtual persona walk again, he made his way to the source of the smell—one of the kitchens set aside for student use. He reached forward and grabbed the doorknob, or at least tried to grab it. The virtual fingers slid off the knob. Jared frowned and lifted the hand. This time he grabbed the doorknob—his virtual hand wasn't as smooth and slender as his real hand, he noted—and muscles in his fingers felt clenched as if he really was grabbing the spherical knob. With a chuckle, he pushed open the door and walked inside.

Light shone brightly through the window, illuminating the kitchen in a cheerful yellow. Jirard—or at least an NPC that strongly resembled the chubby bearded teenager—stood in front of the oven, humming the Lore of Zilda theme as he pulled a pie out of the oven.

"Oh, hey Jirard," Jared greeted.

Jirard turned around and beamed. "Hey Jared!" He took the oven mitts off his hands. "Just the guy I wanted to see—and you too, PBG!"

Jared spun around, almost a little too fast, and saw PBG slide into the kitchen. "Oh my gosh, you made pie? You're the best Jirard!" PBG threw his lanky arms into the air.

Jirard laughed heartily. "I just want to show you guys how much I appreciate you." Jirard cut one of the two pies into eight pieces. "You guys—everyone in the club—are my best friends, after all."

"Ah, man, you're so great!" PBG glided across the room on one leg—looked like a rendering error of PBG's walk cycle—and slung an arm across Jirard's shoulders. "What flavor is it?"

"Raspberry," Jirard replied. "I remembered your allergies this time, PBG."

Jared smiled and moved across the room. "Oh, Jirard, you truly are the most thoughtful of us all."

Jirard laughed. "Thanks, Jared," he said. He placed two pieces of pie on two plates.

Jared moved forward and took the hearty slice on the left. He grasped a handle and slid a drawer open—man, he was getting good with these controls—and located the utensils. "I got the forks," Jared said as he grabbed a handful of forks.

"Did someone say pie?" Nick's voice boomed.

Jared looked at the door. Paul, Nick, and Josh all piled into the doorway. "We heard you guys talking about pie," Paul chimed in.

"Come have some! There's enough for everyone," Jirard said, beckoning them towards the pie slices.

"Thanks, Jirard," the three boys chorused. They tumbled into the room as Shane, Jon, and Satch appeared in the doorway.

"How did my pie crust recipe work for you?" Shane asked as he approached Jirard.

"It worked wonderfully! Thank you so much, Shane!" Jirard replied as he held out a piece for Shane to take.

Jared gave forks to each of his friends; thankfully PBG got one before he shoved an entire pie slice into his face by hand. He stabbed his own pie slice with a fork, admiring how fluid the virtual motions were in comparison to his real body. He started to eat the pie; it was like smelling pure raspberry through his mouth. Without any sensation of texture, the experience was akin to breathing through his mouth with a clogged-up nose. It was a work in progress, like Satch said.

He paused, watching the NPC versions of his friends talk, laugh, eat pie, and shove each other. He smiled. If it weren't for the sensation of essentially breathing pie, this setting could have easily been mistaken for another normal hang out session with Normal Boots. Friends eating food, playing games, talking about crazy theories… After his childhood of loneliness and isolation, being with Normal Boots was paradise to Jared.

A paradise Jared never wanted to leave.

Jared's virtual fingers twitched as his earlier conversation with his mother crossed his mind. He stared at the half-eating pie slice before him. Asagao was only a four year school… and Jared was in his fourth year. And then he'd have to return to that hell of a home until he was finally eighteen… and who knows how she'd keep him from seeing his friends.

"Hey Jared, you wanna say something?" PBG asked.

Jared looked up. All of his friends stared at him, waiting with smiles. "You looked like you had something to say," Jon said.

"Oh, yeah, um…" Jared set the fork and plate on the counter behind him. He stared at the wall for a moment, thinking of the perfect words to way. Finally, turning around and smiling, Jared spread his arms wide. "My dear friends, truly I'm happy to be here with you, not just here in this lovely kitchen with lovely pie, but here at Asagao with you. I…"

His mind blanked. His friends stood, waiting. Jared lowered his arms, heart palpitating with nervousness. "Guys… you're the best friends I could ask for. Thank you for putting up with me, and showing me the friendship I never had or felt I deserved."

His smiled widely, his cheeks hurting. "I hope we all stay friends forever," Jared concluded, feeling his lip quiver.

A white brightness filled his vision. The whirring of the machine filled his ears. The view before him became black.

Jared grasped at his knees. His hands trembled.

"Hey, Jared, you there?" Satch asked.

Jared jolted and straightened his back. "Huh? Oh, yeah!"

"Feeling dizzy? Need a snack or anything?"

"Uh, yeah, at least a juice would be nice." He removed the helmet, his hair falling back into perfect waves on his head. "Dude, that smell factor was amazing!" He laughed.

"Glad to hear it." Satch lifted an eyebrow as he took the helmet back from Jared. "Before I ask you for more specifics...Are you okay?"

Jared nodded, perhaps a little too vigorously. "Oh yeah, definitely. It's just that…" Jared trailed off, placing his fist over his mouth. What was it about that scene that is making him want to cry?

"Jared!" Mai burst into the room, a duffle bag over one shoulder.

"Woah!" Satch fumbled with the helmet. "I thought I'd locked the door." He set the helmet on the coffee table.

"Sorry, just got out of volleyball practice, and ohmygosh, Jared, I just thought of a great campaign idea!" Mai shut the door, dropping her dufflebag by Satch's desk.

Jared's neck stiffened and his head shot up. "Huh?" He saw Mai standing by the coffee table. "Oh, Mai, my princess, it is good to see you," he said with an outstretched arm.

The red-haired girl zipped over to Jared and plopped on the couch beside him. "Good to see you too, sweetheart." Mai kissed his cheek. "Oh, you're finally testing the machine!" She pointed at the gloves Jared still wore.

Jared flexed his fingers, then laughed. "Oh, guess I forgot to take those off." He tugged the gloves off his hands-careful to not bend any of the wires-and set them on the coffee table. "Virtual reality is kind of dizzying and all."

"Got a juice box for you." Satch tossed the green box to Jared, who caught it in both hands. Jared poked the straw into the box and sipped at it.

"Jared? Sweetheart? Are you okay?" She placed a hand on Jared's shoulder.

Jared lifted an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" He stared at the coffee table, reflecting on his mother's threat to keep a scholarship out of Mai's reach. "Like I said, I'm a bit dizzy from the testing."

"That's not the only reason you're out of it, though." Mai squeezed his hand. "What's wrong?" She frowned, her eyes scanning his face.

Jared continued to drink the apple juice, staring at the wire-coated gloves. He sighed, looking between his roommate and his girlfriend. "Guess I can't hide anything from you guys, can I?"

"Indeed you can't." Satch sat on the couch opposite of Jared. "Did something happen in the simulator? Well, other than that initial floor glitch."

"Well, nothing else broke or glitched after that fall," Jared replied, running his free hand through his soft hair. "It ran really smoothly, and the interactivity was top notch. I could actually feel myself touching and holding things." He smirked. "Apparently the setting is a follow-up to your scenario from the tournament?" Jared sipped at the juice.

Satch nodded. "It is."

"Don't avoid my question, Jared," Mai interrupted, looked up at Jared with a pout.

Jared's face sagged; Mai leaned against him. "Truthfully," Jared said, "It was… just a thought I had. Like…" He paused, crumpling the now-empty juice box. "Half of the club is graduating at the end of the year, and the rest of the club is graduating the year after. We'll all be traveling all over the place and working and starting brand new lives. After Asagao…" He shook his head. "We won't be next door to each other anymore, and we won't get to see each other that much. Who knows if we'll get to see each other at all?"

"Oh, Jared." Mai pulled Jared into a hug. "It's okay. Of course you'll be sad about that… I'll miss everyone, too."

Jared wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead. "You're too good for this world, my princess."

"Anything for you, sweetie." Mai kissed his cheek, making Jared smile and his shoulders relax.

Satch paced the room, staring at his phone. He smirked and pocketed the device.

"Satch, what's up with that look?" Jared asked, eyes narrowed. Mai giggled.

Satch chuckled, adjusting his glasses. "Give it a moment." He held up three fingers. "Three, two, one…"

"We're here!" Jirard swung open the door. Nick's glasses and PBG's grinning face poked out over Jirard's shoulders.

"Did someone say cuddle pile?" Nick chimed.

"What?!" Jared stared at Satch and the clump of boys at the door.

"CUDDLE PIIIILE!" PBG shouted. All three boys-and Hana, whose pink-haired petite form had been hiding behind the boys-tumbled into the room and glomped Jared and Mai on the couch. PBG slid onto the floor and grabbed Jared's leg.

"Ack! What the…" Jared's eyes darted between his friends. "Satch!"

Satch roared with laughter at Jared's wide-eyed bewilderment. "I told the guys you were feeling down about graduation and needed some cheering up. Jirard called for the emergency cuddle pile."

Jared chuckled despite himself. "Emergency cuddle pile? Really?"

"Yep!" Jirard tiled his head onto Jared's shoulder. "Well, Hana called it an emergency."

Hana giggled as she leaned against Mai. "It seemed to fit at the time."

Mai's head rested onto Jared's other shoulder, her arms still wrapped around his chest. "Hey, this is one of the best ideas you guys have had!" she said with a giggle.

Jared's face felt overheated, yet despite his embarrassment his muscles relaxed. "This… actually does make me feel better."

"Sorry I'm late!" Paul dashed through the open door. "Just got out of a student council meeting. Make a spot for me in the pile!" He cheered and flopped onto Jirard's back.

"Dude, Paul, don't ditch me!" Josh said as he entered. The bearded ginger sat on the floor and grabbed the other of Jared's legs.

Jared's eyebrows raised in confusion as he grinned and water filled his eyes. "Satchell, did you seriously call everyone?"

"Absolutely everyone!" Jon sang out, arms outstretched in the doorway. Shane stood behind Jon and rolled his eyes. Jon bounced onto the couch, squishing Nick between himself and Hana.

Shane grabbed a desk chair and rolled it over to seat himself behind the couch. "Hey, that doesn't count!" Jon exclaimed.

"Yes it does." Shane slouched against the couch and splayed his fingers over Jared's hair. "There."

Jared snorted a laugh as he felt Shane's fingertips on his forehead. "I'll let you mess up my hair this once, my friend."

"Whatever," Shane muttered. PBG and Hana giggled as Satch sat on the couch beside Paul.

"Guys, it's… It's Sunday," Jared said in a low voice. "Why'd you all come here when you could be doing something… I don't know…" He chewed on his lip as his arms fell limp on Mai and Jirard.

"Jared, look." Jirard lifted his head and stared at Jared, despite the latter's attempt to not look at him. "We're all… sad and scared and excited about graduating all at the same time. But even though we won't be living near each other after that, we'll still be friends." Jirard smiled. "And we'll all keep in touch and stay friends. I promise."

"I promise too!" PBG raised an arm from his position on the floor.

"Well, I don't doubt we'll all stay friends," Jared replied. "It's just… I'll miss seeing you guys every day, getting into shenanigans of all kinds." He sniffled. "It's… kind of ridiculous to get worked up over, isn't it?"

"Nope!" Mai squeezed Jared's rib cage. "Not in the slightest."

"Hey, I'm student council president, so I'll be organizing all our class reunions," Paul interjected. "I'll make sure to set up reunions for Normal Boots, too, okay?"

"And we'll help him, right Nick?" Josh said.

"Yep!" Nick replied.

"Plus there's always Moogle Chat and Skype for those times in-between meetups in person," Josh added.

"Jared." Hana's soft voice quieted the entire room. "You won't ever be alone. You'll always have us, the Normal Boots Club, no matter where we all go."

Jared looked at each of his friends in turn, his heart warm at seeing them around him. He looked down at Mai, who said, "No matter what happens to your modeling career, no matter what your stupid mom says or does… you're not alone. Not when you've got me and Normal Boots cheering for you every step of the way."

Jared rested his head atop of Mai's. For once, he didn't care about his reputation of perceived perfection, and he didn't mind the bedroom door being wide open for anyone to witness his rare show of emotion. "Thanks, guys. I'm glad we've got each other's backs… always." Tears streaked his cheeks. "You guys are the best."

The stillness that resided lasted about five seconds before PBG interrupted, "Um, I kinda hate to break the mood of all this-"

"I don't mind," Shane mumbled. Jared chuckled at the British boy's monotone.

PBG pointed at the box, helmet, and gloves on the carpet. "But hey, Satch, can I try your machine now? Like, I really wanted to for the tournament, but the pinball event was at the same time the inventions were being judged."

Satch shifted from his spot on the couch next to Paul. "Sure. I could use all the user feedback I can get." He stood and re-located the machine to the coffee table.

The cuddle pile melted away, and the dorm room transformed into an impromptu party. Jon and Shane ran off and returned with more junk food, Mai blasted her K-pop music playlist on Jared's stereo, and the rest of Normal Boots spread across the floor and couch to talk while Satch monitored PBG's gameplay.

"Oh my gosh, Jared! I've got an idea!" Mai chirped as she snatched some cookies for herself and Hana.

"Sure, what is it?" Jared nibbled on a brownie.

"After graduation, we should all come and visit you at your mom's place!"

Jared winced. "That would not be wise-"

"Oh, better idea!" Jirard interjected. "Mai could come kidnap you, and we'd all hang out downtown or something."

"Yeah, and we could roam the mall, see the new Revengers movie-whatever you want!" Nick added.

"The new Revengers? Seriously?" Josh rolled his eyes. "We should go see Ant Dude instead."

While Nick and Josh devolved into an argument over which film would be superior, Jared addressed the others by saying, "Well, I love the idea of being kidnapped by you guys to hang out. Seriously, this summer is gonna suck otherwise."

"Hooray to summer not sucking!" Jon cheered. The whole club cheered with him, and Jared swore his face would permanently ache with how wide his grin was at that moment..

As the sun's orange rays of sunset glimmered through the open window, the party began to wind down. Shane excused himself, and Jirard, PBG, and Hana left with him with hearty goodbyes. Nick took a turn trying out Satch's machine, and Josh watched the box's monitor with Satch as Nick laughed an NPC.

Jared turned to Paul. "Hey dude, you promise to arrange those Normal Boots reunions."

Paul looked up from where he sprawled out on the carpet. "Of course, of course!"

"Good." Jared chuckled. "Because if you don't keep your promise, Paul, I'll hunt you down."

(Brief author's notes: Many thanks to my writing friend from high school and to my husband for being my beta readers for this fanfic. Despite neither of them being in the Asagao fandom (and neither of them writing fanfics-they're both writing original fantasy stories), their input seriously helped me make this story ten times better than the initial handwritten draft ever was.)