#disclaimer i have never bet on the ponies so i am just guessing at what this looks like KFHDSKLSGHKLSDHG

[standbowed]

@nosomatsu // starter.

One thing about Hachi is that if she's asked to go along somewhere, she'll go. It's the agreeable thing to do! So when her idle chatter with her around-the-corner neighbour turns into an invite, she agrees without much thought. And really, Osomatsu seems like a nice enough guy despite how awkward she worries her first impression had been (she'd been kind of hoping one of his parents would answer the door instead when she came to introduce herself--she's better with the older crowd, you put her with a 20something and she feels immediately inadequate and kind of lame, like she's bothering them just by existing in their space--he'd been nicer than expected, though! she feels kind of bad for assuming he'd be rude).

Anyway, about 10 minutes into the walk it occurs to Hachi that she has no idea where they're going, but at this point it feels too awkward to ask (and when she tries to imagine doing so, her mind just supplies her with about 6 separate, equally devastatingly exasperated ways he might respond). No, she definitely missed the window on this one. Luckily, Osomatsu's steps slow to a crawl as they enter a crowded building, and as they queue up for... well, something, Hachi takes the time to look around and strain her ears to listen for clues about what exactly that something is.

Hmm. Scoreboards, tracks, race numbers, betting amounts, whoa, some really weird names--hold on. Pause. Rewind. Replay at half speed. Pause again. Zoom. Enhance. Colour correct. Remove noise. Betting amounts? As in, money?

"Heeh--ah--um...?!" You can pinpoint the exact moment realization strikes her--the leisurely shift of her facial features (politely curious, puzzled, back and forth between amusement and surprise depending on what name she's looking at) cleaves abruptly in two, replaced with an expression of dawning shock and horror beneath it. Lightning strikes, thunder rumbles [only in her head]. She turns to Osomatsu in small, slightly jittery increments, pointing limply to one of the places detailing odds that she can't make heads or tails of. "O-so-mat-su-san, is this horse betting? Like, gambling...?" The last word is spoken with such conspiratorial quietness that it actually loops right back around to being conspicuous somehow. Hachi's head whips around nervously, struck with the sudden fear that she's about to be caught out in a sting operation any second, or maybe star in some impromptu after-school special about underage gambling. The lead role?! But I'm Girl B! "Am I allowed to be here?! No, more importantly--"

More importantlyyy, why is this the activity we're doing?! Osomatsu-saaaan?! Does she seem like a big gambler? She guesses gamblers can be anyone--and actually, it's pretty progressive and open-minded of him to think a terminally dorky teenage girl is some sort of high-roller at the tracks, but c'mon! Or, wait, is it because of that...?

Over the course of her turbulent thoughts she's changed expressions several more times (stricken, thoughtful, admiring, back to stricken, then sudden understanding), head tipping from one side to the other. Finally, she turns back to face Osomatsu (hopefully he didn't say anything important while she was going on that face journey), expression too earnestly serious by half for the situation she is actually in right now.

"A--hh... is it because of my name...?" Eight is meant to denote good fortune, isn't it? That's right, something about the way the kanji for it flares out at the bottom... She holds up a palm, and then ducks her head a little with a nervous laugh (the self-imposed weight of the world on her shoulders). "Um, I don't know if my luck is that strong, though... I think it's about average, you know? ...Sorry to say it at this point."