Curate, connect, and discover
Chapter 1: That’s How Friendships Start, Ya Know? (PT 1)
Momo Ayase woke up angry.
Now sure, it is common among young children to wake up “on the wrong side of the bed” or just plain grumpy for no apparent reason. But this was different, considering the fact that Momo Ayase had a pretty good reason to be mad, at least from her professional 8-year-old perspective.
She was mad at her Granny.
Maybe it was impulsive and irrational, but she was a 2nd grader for crying out loud! A girl like her could easily be described as nothing but a little ball of frustration, spite, and apple juice. And so, upon waking up that morning- Her decision was made.
Little Momo made it her sole mission to ignore her grandmother the best she could- So the old lady knows JUST how mad she was.
“Breakfast is on the stove kid.”
“HMPH!” Momo made sure to huff EXTRA loud, so it was obvious she really really was ignoring her. In fact, the little girl didn't even spare her grandmother a passing glance as she tilted her nose up into the air, eyebrows furrowed in a clear expression of indignation. Snatching up her nearby school bag- Which due note, looked rather large on herself- She leaned forward in front of the older senior once more, in hopes of REALLY garnering a reaction.
“HMMMMPH!!!”
Mouth pursed tightly, and her tiny hands a vice on her backpack straps- A flash of triumph pulsed through her little body awaiting her senior's reaction. She sure showed that old hack... Is what she thought-
-But the crude triumph fades quickly, as the older woman ignored her as well, her grandmas face stoic as she lights another cigarette and places it to her glossy lips. After a moment, the old lady lets out a puff of smoke and doesn't even bother to blow it in any other direction but Momos face- Causing the little girl to cough at the stench. But even so, Momo stood her ground.
“So that's how it is...” The elder murmurs, the cigarette firmly pinched between her teeth as she turns away from her granddaughter in order to eat her breakfast- There was no reaction. No apologies for tricking her. NOTHING. The old woman was clearly unfazed, much to Momo’s chagrin.
With a much more genuine red-faced huff, Momo turned swiftly away from the scene and stomped against wooden floors on her way over to the front door- Slamming her heels with a purpose, and practically SHOVING her little feet into her light up sneakers. She placed a hand on the doorknob before turning around to look at her grandparent again, who seemed to laze about without a care in the world.
Reaching a clear boiling point, the 2nd grader stomped one singular time more, eyes blazing with childlike fury as there was once again was no response- Before she clenched her rusty brown eyes tightly, removing the frustrated tears.
“AND I WON'T SAY SORRY!” Momo shouted loudly, face now extremely red and pudgy fingers on the doorknob- Twisting and wrenching the door open only to slam it once again as she exited the household.
Seiko Ayase only sighed. Who knew raising such a temperamental kid would be so hard...
Talk about a meltdown.
“Stupid! Stupid! She doesn't even CARE!”
The sounds of tall grass rippling through endless golden fields were lost to the 2nd grader as she practically plowed a new path into the hardened dirt road beneath her feet- Having already crossed past the threshold of her own residence and was now making her way rather fiercely to school.
The little girl was pretty steamed still, but her earlier temperament had faded a great amount, and now a portion of her frustration was replaced with the swirling feeling of uncertainly.
She had almost done it again- Raised her pointer to the crest of her head in ritual just as she had always done every day on the path to school- It was instinct at this point, and that as well made her mortified to no end.
Quick as a whip she wrenched her hand downwards again- Cheeks flush with indignance.
“Nooo... I'm BRAINWASHED now!”
It was all her grandmother's fault. She had tricked Momo into imagining the validity of this so-called ritual. But all its ever done was led to embarrassment, heartbreak, and a cramped-up arm.
She was so used to doing it, that now as she walked in stride the path she’s always walked before- The notion of NOT doing the ridiculous movement felt unnatural and wrong. How ridiculous was that? But she chose to ignore this feeling- In favor of the righteous fury she held instead.
Today, Momo now has no sort of “So-called” protection, arms held stiff to her sides as the soft countryside gradually began to meld into sharp buildings and city border smells. Her soft short brown hair curling behind her ears and bouncing with every step of the way.
Unfortunately, oftentimes when Momo Ayase is in the midst of her frustration- She tends to be a tad bit unobservant- Leading her to where she was now a few wrong turns later- Her angry feet having led her onto a new path- Unseen before.
It was a tunnel, all cold and dark and abandoned with danger tape and cones. Perhaps in the dark, the tunnel would seem a whole lot more spooky- But in the light of day it didn't seem so much of a threat….
CONT:
You can find the rest of chapter one part 1 on my ao3- https://archiveofourown.org/works/62113495
There’s only the one chapter so far but I hope to continue it some more cuz I think the idea is VERY silly trust- This is a fun AU trust- I have a lot of lore for it and plans for chapters that diverge from canon mwahaha-
Dandadan animation cuz it’s funny to me
I love them all. They are very goofy and I love them.
DANDADAN DOODLES It’s just Momo and Okarun cuz I’m still figuring out how their darn hair works. What I’ve learned? Just wing it till it look semi canon. MOMOS STUPID BANGS ARE EVIL I CANT WITH HER- but this is what happens when you binge read an entire manga in a day. Help.