Something about this still seems weird, though. Like, why do we have to be in teams of two? It’d be easy enough to whack crocs on your own, and whack-a-mole works just fine as a single-player game.
“If you’re not acquainted with any of the witches around you, please go ahead and introduce yourself to someone nearby! This is the perfect chance to meet someone new and strike up a friendship!”
Oh, so they’re just trying to be helpful in the most obnoxious way possible!
I understood what the organizers were going for now. This was a social event, so they’d felt the need to make the game work in a way that encouraged socializing. To be fair, it really would feel pointless to bring a bunch of people who work in the field together only to not socialize at all, but on the other hand, this felt like a pretty tall order for those of us who were used to being on our own…
I glanced over at Eno and found she seemed weirdly pallid all of a sudden.
“Wh-why do they always have to pull stunts like this at these events…? Just because I know a few people here and there doesn’t mean it’s easy for me to suddenly find a partner… Spare me, please…”
Oh, okay. It all makes sense now.
“You brought me along because you were worried they’d make this into a group activity, didn’t you?” I asked.
“I’d like to say no, but yes,” Eno said with a nod.
Well, at least she’s honest.
“Just to reiterate, it’s not like I don’t know anyone here! I have acquaintances! It’s just a little more ambiguous whether I have anyone here who I could say I’m definitely-for-sure friends with. Also, it’s easy enough to talk with people in a four- or five-person group, but when you’re socializing one-on-one with someone, it’s totally possible for it to turn out that you have nothing to talk about, right? I really can’t stand it when that happens,” Eno said at a very rapid clip.
“I get that. I really get it,” I replied.
All the cheery extroverts in the crowd always seemed to have such an easy time making groups at times like these. Even just a moment ago, the four-person group of witches who’d been chatting before had split into two groups of two and were now hyping each other up over how they were definitely going to win. A group of five not-so-outgoing witches, on the other hand, had realized one person would be getting left over no matter what they did and were acting really awkwardly as a result.
“I think Carmilla’s probably going to be left over in that group over there. I’ll go ask!” “Oh, good idea! A friend of mine named Luitalua might need a partner, too! I’ll look for her!” “No, wait, one person was plenty!”
Yep. Breaking up into groups of two always ends up really hard in situations like that… And of course, I’m sure that’s a problem Eno’s worried about at this very moment.
“So seeing as we have to make groups, would you like to join up with me, Great Witch of the Highlands…?” Eno asked hopefully, her voice unusually feeble. I didn’t have the heart to refuse her.
“All right,” I said. “Actually, I would’ve been pretty upset if you’d decided to leave me on my own.”
I’m her senior in the witching world, so I feel like I have a responsibility to support her. Also, joining in on this game sounds way more fun than introducing myself to a bunch of random witches I’ve never met (considering I already have someone to team up with, anyway).
Apparently, the crocodiles would be dispersed throughout a nearby woodland. It wouldn’t be fun if they were all just wandering around an open space, after all.
“All right, Miss Azusa! Let’s whack as many crocodiles as we can!” said Eno.
“Sounds good. Leave it to me!”
A few minutes later, the other witches had finished forming their teams and nobody seemed to be searching for a partner anymore. Of course, when the person running an event like this asks, Is everyone ready? Nobody still needs a group? it’s really hard to speak up and admit you’re still on your own!