[Western Crossover] How to Befriend the Little Red Bird

Meili is severely socially anxious and wishes for a friend.

The next day, a pink app appears on her phone.

The app says that, according to its calculations, the best-matched potential friend nearby is her classmate, Tim Drake.

All she has to do is complete the missions, and she’ll earn his sincere affection.

Today’s mission: Make him notice you.

Meili quietly moves to the seat behind Tim.

He’s fast asleep at his desk.

Mission failed!

Today’s mission: Make eye contact with him for ten seconds.

Meili stares at him with a stiff expression.

He sleepily raises his head. “Can I help you?”

Mission failed!

Today’s mission: Copy one of his little mannerisms!

Tim raises a hand and rubs his chin.

Meili puts on a serious face and rubs her chin, too.

Tim: “...”

Mission successful!

Affection: +0

Meili: ...Can this app really be trusted?

What makes it seem even less trustworthy is that after she finally gets his affection score up to 10, the app twists the knife:

Congratulations! In your target’s eyes, you’ve been upgraded from [Stranger] to [Suspicious Woman]. You’ve received a Dream Entry item.

Wait, what’s there to congratulate me for?!

And what’s this Dream Entry item?

Curious, Meili taps to use it, and then...

That night, she’s forced to cuddle up with Drake for ten minutes in his dream!

When she wakes up, Meili wishes she could disappear on the spot.

This is mortifying, beyond anything she can handle.

She immediately uninstalls the app.

*

Tim has a problem lately.

His classmate Meili keeps staring at him, following him, and copying his mannerisms...

Wait, does she have a crush on him?

No, no, Tim, don’t be conceited. There’s no greater delusion than thinking someone likes you.

What if she’s just an evil villain trying to kill him?

One dream changes his mind, though.

In the dream, the girl straddles Red Robin, her hands braced against his chest. When she tilts her head back, the smile on her lips is impossible to look away from.

When Tim wakes up, he looks down at his pants and thinks.

All right. It’s over.

Because it seems he’s the one who’s fallen for her.

*

From that day on, Tim looks at Meili differently.

He starts paying an unreasonable amount of attention to what she does. He starts going out of his way to be nice to her, wanting to know more about her, wanting to get a little closer...

But she’s acting completely differently now. She doesn’t seem interested in sneaking glances at him anymore, and she’s even stopped following him!

Did he scare her off by being too cold before?

Then he’ll just have to make the first move.

*

Meili thinks something’s a little off.

Drake has been acting strangely lately.

Before she can get close, he’s already saved her a seat beside him.

When she calls in sick, he shows up at her apartment with medicine.

When her apartment gets blown up, he simply invites her to share his place.

By the time Meili comes to her senses, she’s already moved into his apartment, wearing his clothes and smelling of the same brand of body wash he uses.

This can’t be right, can it?

Curled up in Tim’s arms, Meili looks up at his beautifully shaped chin and wonders:

Is this normal between friends in America?

Theme: Love can transcend duty.