When the professor finally finished his rambling after what felt like twice the allotted class time, there were several audible sighs of relief. For a lot of them it was the last class of the day, why did it have to be the dullest? The Classroom was filled with the sound of closing laptops, shuffling paper, and footsteps eager to leave. Tau nervously glanced over at the two other members of the club that shared this class, trying to work up the courage to speak with them. He swallowed and walked towards them, trying not to eavesdrop. Katie noticed him and gave a friendly smile. "Oh, hey Tau! I forgot you took this class!" Tau nervously smiled. "Y-Yeah... I... I like the subject..." 

He awkwardly stood there for a bit before murmuring, "Uh, you guys, uh, um, doing anything today? I, uh... I'm free..." Katie apologetically shook her head. "Sorry, I'm busy. I need to work on bonding with my Wh-" She glanced around nervously, "...my New Pet, and you know she's a bit, uh, feisty." Tau nodded, disappointed. He glanced at Richard. "Uh, a-are you free?" Richard grinned pridefully. "Nope! I need to 'practice some sports'! We've got a big 'game' coming up, and I want to be ready! Can't waste a second!" He dramatically left the room, Tau quietly calling after him, "I-I can help... I... I'm a support class..." Katie apologetically put a hand on his shoulder. "Sorry about him, he's... like that. And like I said, I'm busy today, but I'll be happy to hang out after the club meeting tomorrow! Well, if we're not too tired after, uh, that 'big game'!" Tau smiled weakly. "Th-Thanks... H-Hope the, uh, pet goes well..." Katie grimaced. "Me too... Anyway, seeya tomorrow!" She pranced out of the room, leaving Tau alone.

He awkwardly glanced over at the professor, who was packing up to leave. "...Uh, sir, can I... I have some homework to catch up on... I... Can I stay in here for a bit...?" The professor hardly even looked up. "Huh? Oh sure, yes, whatever." He quickly left the room, leaving Tau completely alone. He sighed, dejected, and sat down at his seat. Another lonely day... Something he'd had no shortage of since moving here. He'd hoped that joining the Role-playing club would help him find friends... Especially after they were all, well, transported to the magical world they played in... He'd hoped that'd give them a bond, or something... But no... Here he was, alone in an empty classroom, all by himself as usual... He held back tears. How was he supposed to be the bard of the group if he didn't... have rapport with the others or anything? Pulling out his sketchbook, his homework long since finished, he began sketching his 'character'... It helped pass the time... Until he was startled by a sweet, soft voice from next to him. "Hey, uh, mind if I sit next to you?" 

Tau looked up in surprise, seeing the beautiful girl who sat behind him in a few of his classes, her wavy hair shining. "Oh, uh, uh, y-yes! That's fine! Yeah!" She giggled sweetly and sat next to him, already making him feel better. Something about her presence made him feel calm and relaxed. He nervously reached out a hand. "I-I'm Min-, uh, Tau, Tau Mineta... Transferred here from overseas..." She smiled sweetly, taking his hand in her soft, cool one. "I am Acci~ I also just transferred here. I imagine you must be feeling lonely too." He nodded. "Yeah... Not good at making friends... I tried joining a club, but they all have their own friendships already I guess..." Acci sympathetically nodded. "Yes, that's often the case. Which club was it?" "Role-playing club... We play tabletop stuff..." Acci leaned closer, interested. "Really? That sounds very fun. What games have you been playing in there?" 

Tau sat up straighter, happy someone was taking interest in him. "Well, one of the members found a new one called 'Heroes From Another Realm', and it's very fun! We-" He restrained himself from going into too much detail. He probably shouldn't share that they were magically transported into the game... She'd probably think he was making it up. Even he wasn't entirely confident he wasn't... "...We play characters in a fantasy world. Uh, I'm a bard, I play music, I have a magic flute... I help the team and stuff..." Acci nodded and glanced at his sketchbook. "Is that your character there? It's a very nice drawing." Tau nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, it is! Thanks!" Acci smiled sweetly. "You're welcome! It is very nice having another transfer student to talk to." Tau agreed. "Yeah! We're both in the same situation! Where did you transfer from?" Acci cocked her head, a weird smile on her face. She fluttered her eyes, and... Tau suddenly felt oddly hazy... Like he'd forgotten something... What had he just asked...? Whatever it was, it wasn’t important...

The two transfers chatted for a while, Tau coming out of his shell as he listened to Acci. It was so nice having someone to relate to in such a stressful situation... And it didn't hurt that her voice was very pleasant. He enjoyed listening to her speak about anything at all. Just sitting there quietly, staring at her beauty as her soft, relaxing voice washed over him... Letting his eyes droop, his body relax... He'd had such a long day today... It felt nice to just listen to her, didn't matter what about, just letting her voice soothe him... She tapped him on the wrist, bringing him out of his trance somewhat. "It's wonderful having someone to talk to here, especially someone as great a listener as you~ It feels like we're already Best Friends~!" The way she said that made Tau feel warm and fuzzy. "Yeah..." She smiled and looked into his eyes. "And Best Friends~ help each other, don't they?" The warm and fuzzy feeling grew, and he started to feel a little floaty. "Yeah..." Acci nodded, and her eyes grew more... intense. "Best Friends~ would do anything for each other~" Tau furrowed his brow, a pang of worry creeping through the comfort. "What...? I... What do you mean...?" He tried to back away, but Acci clicked her fingers. 

Suddenly, Tau’s vision was tinged with a shimmering pink haze, and his body felt like it could hardly move. "Bwah...? What... What's happening...?" Acci's eyes were starting to glow pink. "We're Best Friends~, aren't we Tau~? Just say it~ Best Friends~" Tau could feel the urge to say it bubbling up inside of him. "B... Be... N-No...! I... B... W-What are you doing...?!" Acci's voice filled his ears as swirling pink chains filled his vision of the room. "I'm just making you realize that we're Best Friends~, who would do anything for each other~ You want that, don't you Tau~? Companionship~ Comfort~ Support~... All you need to do is say it~ We're Best Friends~" Soft chains were binding his mind as Acci's presence overwhelmed him. It would be so easy... It was all he wanted... All he'd need to do was... Say it... Say they were Best Friends~... And this warm, fuzzy, floaty feeling would never go away...

"Bes- N-No! Best Fri- I-I won't! I... I w-Best Frien- S-Stop!" Acci laughed. "Oh, but this is what you wanted, Tau~ The others don't care for you, even when you're so important to their success~ But I will never desert you~ We're Best Friends~ after all~ You obey me, and in turn, you'll never feel alone again~ Nobody will~ So just Say It~" Her honeyed words filled his mind, pulling open his mouth like steel chains. He couldn't stop it. They were Best Friends~, and he knew it. He would do anything for her. He opened his mouth, and out came...

FWEET! A single, magical note, the last of his resistance. Acci flinched, and the chains weakened. She grimaced, and began softly stroking his arms, coaxing out his submission. But Tau wouldn't let himself go. He channeled all he had learned as a bard, all the power he had earned from his magical flute, and whistled. A piercing musical burst shattered the enchanted chains around his mind as he worked his countercharm. Acci recoiled back, covering her now inhuman pointed ears. As the pink haze faded, he glared at her in anger and shock. "Who are you?! What were you trying to do?!" Acci grinned cruelly. "It doesn't matter anymore Tau~ It failed, and so it's not important~ Nobody needs to remember it~" She fluttered her fingers before his eyes, and...

Tau's eyes slowly fluttered open. He looked around, tired. He was still in the classroom. The sketch in his book was still unfinished. "...I must have fallen asleep... I guess I really needed it..." As he sluggishly packed his stuff, he heard footsteps approaching. He looked up and saw Katie walking into the room, looking for something. As her eyes scanned over him, she did a double take. "Tau?! What are you still doing in here?" He smiled awkwardly. "...Stayed behind to catch up on homework... And I guess sleep too..." Katie chuckled. "Good idea, I should probably consider getting some stuff done before tomorrow too." She walked over to her seat. "Yep, there it is." She stuffed her book in her backpack and smiled at Tau. "Hey, uh, while you're here... You're our bard, right?" Tau nodded, trying not to get his hopes up. "Y-Yeah, why?" Katie walked closer and discreetly showed him a large gash on her arm. "...Do you know any songs of healing? Or, uh, calming down feisty dragon whelps?" 

Tau smiled. "...I think so, yeah. Do you, uh, want me to help? I thought you wanted to do it yourself." Katie awkwardly glanced away. "Yeah, well... I realized after the third bite that I probably need to be a bit more open to asking for help with this. And... You seem helpful." Tau grinned, feeling warm and fuzzy. "I try to be." Katie smiled. "A support class should be~! Come on, I've got them stashed in my dorm right now..." The two of them left the Classroom, happily chatting, as a figure watched from the shadows. The first attempt had failed, but Acci wasn't too worried. After all, there were still many more chosen souls to bind to her will. She just needed to find the right vulnerabilities...