Katsuzetsu's back was bent forward as she breathed rapidly from the exhaustion, but her eyes was straight up. She was so mad to hear Sakura's words after their fight to decide who was stronger, which she regrettably lost to the long haired girl. As she saw her turning her back to walk away, she straightened herself in haste and shouted.
"Wait a minute, you bastard, we're not done here!"
She grabbed her shoulder in her rage, her breath was racing, and she was so sure that her face was red from the madness. She fixed her glare at the other girl who just threw her gaze away.
"Then come with me, Katsuzetsu."
The muttered words surprised her, but she was not sure if she really meant what she said. She grabbed Sakura's ribbon and pulled her closer to see how genuine she was and it shocked her when the long haired girl turned to face her. It made her notice how close they were to each other and it made her nervous. She quickly let go off her ribbon and pushed her away. She glared at her rival and saw the hurt in her eyes.
"I see..." was what Sakura said as she turned her back and walked away, before Katzusetsu grabbed her wrist and pulled her into a sudden kiss. The short haired girl didn't know why she even did that to her rival. All that she knew was that she felt the sudden urge to kiss her. Her body moved before her mind could even register what she was doing.
The lips brushing was brief, and Sakura was shocked when Katsuzetsu pulled back and did nothing but staring at her. Her eyes looked different. She could still see the fiery, piercing gaze that she was used to, but there was a hint of confusion and that gave her a little sense of relief. The awkward silence engulfed them until the short haired girl opened her mouth.
"Okay, I'll go with you."
Sakura almost couldn't believe her ears when she heard the reluctant voice. The corner of her lips curved slightly upward. She knew Katsuzetsu was gonna say something in addition.
"But that doesn't mean I'm gonna be your sidekick."
A smirk appeared on Katsuzetsu's face. She raised her fist to punch Sakura, but stopped right before she landed a hit on her face--and as if she knew what was coming, Sakura did not even attempt to evade it.
"When you're on top, I'll be the one who take it from you."
A chuckle escaped Sakura's lips as she said, "then I'll be waiting."
As they came to an agreement, Katsuzetsu felt the adrenaline rush from the fight leaving her and her legs became weak. She cursed herself as she was falling on her knees when Sakura caught her body and supported her like a crutch.
"This is embarrassing." Katsuzetsu mumbled to herself as she leaned onto Sakura's shoulder. She heard the long-haired girl giggled and couldn't help but grinned as they walked toward the setting sun.
"Don't tell the other girls about this or I'm gonna punch you on the face for real."
Sakura snorted. "As if you could even do that, Katsuzetsu."
"Are you looking for a fight?!" Katsuzetsu turned to glare at her living crutch and nudged Sakura's midriff with her elbow. But one could see her being playful with the little smirk on her face. It earned a laugh from the other girl.
"That's just you."
They kept on walking toward the future without any care. Little did they knew how bleak their future would be. What important to them was the moment.
The loud, happy exclamation could be heard by everyone at the backstage as the source of noise was running back to the dressing room with a wide grin on her face. Following behind the long-haired girl was her partner in the performance--the one whose lips were said to be soft. The short-haired girl couldn't contain the stupid grin she had on her face after the other girl stole a kiss during their performance. She felt a little flushed from listening to the exclamation though.
"Mou, Nacchan~" she said as she entered the dressing room to prepare for the next song. Sure she was delighted with the brief lips brushing but it didn't mean she would want her to shout out like that!
She took off her costume--the black frilly dress with a black-and-maroon corset that emphasized her waistline, and changed into the monochrome-with-silver-accent top-and-bottom as fast as she could. When she were done, she looked around for her partner and found her not wearing the coat of her next costume yet. The sight of her bare shoulders got her inhaling deep. She loved the sight of her back way too much.
She found herself walking across the dressing room to the oblivious girl, but stopped her feet midway when she felt the eyes of the other members on her and turned to the door instead. She heaved a sigh as she walked to the backstage. Her mind replayed the brief kissing scene all over again and she couldn't help it when her lips spread and formed a grin. Oh well, she thought. It wasn't like the kiss was something she regularly did with her partner during the performance--most of time they just faked it. The occasion was a special one as it was a show to celebrate her birthday.
Still, it would be a huge, big lie if she said she didn't enjoy the link between them. There was something between them that she could never understand, like how they were at ease with each other, for instance. Or how she would get a little jealous when her partner played around with the other girls in the group. She found herself wanting attention from the girl, who was currently putting on a serious expression on her face for their next performance, and oblivious to her glance at her.
She loved it when the other girl teased her whenever she did something wrong. She loved it whenever she clang to her. She loved it when she exposed her uneasiness to her. She loved it when she could spend time with her--even if the first time they went out for a meal together with just the two of them was just a few days earlier.
She was so immersed in her mind that she almost failed to notice it was already the time to enter the stage again. She was lucky her short-haired close friend tapped her shoulder to bring her back to earth just in time, and she noticed a little jealousy in her gaze. She shrugged it off for the time being as she whispered a 'thanks' before she took a deep breath and let her mind focused for the next performance.
She took another glance at her partner, and noticed that she was doing the same as her. Both of them let out a smile and nodded at each other. It gave her a small relief. Still, a tinge of sadness filled her when she thought of how the other girl did not seem to be affected by the kiss as much as her. She told herself that she should not keep recalling the memory of the brief kiss for the sake of the ongoing performance. They had their responsibility as the captain and the co-captain to make sure that the team delivered a great performance.
She took another deep breath as she walked out to the stage. She thought to herself, let's get this done, and maybe she could talk to her partner about the kiss later.
Iwatate Saho was watching the video when her eyes slowly turned into a narrow line as she saw the two girls getting clingy with each other. She pouted, seeing the taller girl clang comfortably to the smaller girl in laughter.
She closed the video immediately to open her LINE. She looked for the name of the taller girl, Mogi Shinobu, and opened the chat window to leave a message.
"Buuchan!!"
She threw her phone--and herself--to the bed. Shinobu's behavior frustrated her. One day they were lovey-dovey, the next day she found her doing skinship with the small-but-eager Mukaichi Mion!
A beep came from her phone, telling her that a LINE message had just came. It was a reply from Shinobu.
"What?"
The nonchalant reply threw Saho off. She wasn't actually prepared to confront the other girl about her player-like behavior. She stared at her phone, contemplating what to say when another reply came.
"Miss me?"
The smug reply brought a smile to Saho's face as she typed back.
"Not really."
"Oh really?"
The reply came with a sticker showing the grinning expression, to which Saho replied with another sticker showing the pouting expression. A sigh escaped her lips. She wanted to vent her frustration to the boyish girl across the phone but she wasn't sure how to do it without getting her mad in return.
"Okay fine. I do miss you."
Saho took a deep breath as she waited for a reply. She wished she was assigned to the same team with her Buuchan so that she could spend more time with her.
The ringing from her phone surprised her as she took a glance at the screen and saw the name "Buuchan" dialing. When she picked up the phone, she could hear the familiar deep voice across the speaker greet her.
"You know you can always call me if you miss me."
There was a hint of amusement in her voice as she chuckled, and that irked Saho a little. She was used to the boyish girl giving her rather cold treatment despite their so-called spouse relationship--and she loved it--but since Shinobu became popular among the younger girls, her attitude took a bit different turn.
Saho rolled her eyes, even if she knew the other girl couldn't see it. Her words slipped off her lips. "I don't wanna disturb your lovey-dovey time with Mion."
A short silence told Saho that Shinobu was taken aback by her snide remark. She started to regret letting her emotion taking over her head when she heard a reply that was accompanied with a sigh.
"So you're still jealous about that."
Saho could only mutter "I am" to the boyish girl as a confirmation. An awkward silence engulfed them before Shinobu broke it.
"Saho, please remember what I'm going to say."
Saho bit her lips as she waited for Shinobu to go on.
"No matter what, I will always return to you."
The reminder brought a skipped beat to Saho's heart, and she could tell that her cheeks must have become flushing red from it. She was glad they weren't doing a video call or her Buuchan would see her blushing from the words.
Still, she couldn't help but feeling a little doubt as she mumbled, "seriously?" and earned a chuckle from her Buuchan.
"I am serious, Iwatate-san."
The confirmation sounded lighthearted but Saho knew she meant her words. She knew because, after all, she was her Buuchan. A smile sneaked into her reddened face.
"Promise?"
Another chuckle could be heard from Shinobu as she replied with a "Promise" and it got Saho giggling when the boyish girl added, "We are a married couple after all, and I said so on my latest magazine interview with Mion, you know."
She said so, eh, thought Saho. She didn't bother to check the interview earlier because of jealousy but now that she mentioned it, Saho became curious. She must buy a copy for herself later.
"Good to hear that."
"Okay now, Saho, I need my beauty sleep and I'm sure you do too so let's hang up the call, okay?"
Saho giggled. "You first."
"No, you first."
"You first!"
As soon as Saho said so, the call ended, much to her chagrin so she left a message on Shinobu's LINE saying "HAYAII!!!" only to receive a smug face sticker from the other side. She almost pulled a pout before she saw a voice message coming in. She played the audio file out of curiosity and smiled to herself when she heard what it said.
A sigh escaped Iwatate Saho's lips as she stared at her Google+ timeline and saw the photos of Mogi Shinobu, whom she was close to, with the young gen ace Mukaichi Mion clinging onto the boyish-looking girl.
It is not a secret that Mion was into Shinobu a lot--perhaps the short girl even loved her! Now that both of them are in the same team (while Saho is separated), Saho realized they would spend even more time together. Her time with her Buuchan would decrease even more.
The thought made her feel a thud on her heart. She knew she was being immature. It wasn't like she had a relationship with the boyish girl. They didn't really belong to each other.
Saho was so deep in her own thought that she didn't realize someone was peeking at her phone screen from behind her back until the person embraced her from behind, surprising her as she turned to see the culprit giving her a wide grin.
"Buuchan!!"
"Missing me?"
Pinkish tint was spreading on Saho's cheeks as she looked away. A smile slipped into her face as she nodded shyly. She could feel the embrace tightened and it made her heart race faster when she heard the whisper.
"I miss you, too."
The confession got Saho really bad. She put her hands on Shinobu's arms that were around her neck and clutched them tight. She really missed her. A lot. But then she remembered about Mion and she bit her lips as she thought about it before she turned her head to confirm it.
"Nee, Buuchan..."
"Hmm?"
"What do you think of Mion?"
The gaze Saho received as she asked the question made her heart skipped a beat before she heard the chuckle and felt herself turned to completely face the other girl.
"Are you jealous?"
"No I just..."
Saho couldn't finish her words as her lips was shut with Shinobu's. Her eyes were widened from the sudden attack and she felt herself becoming weak as she closed her eyes.
When Shinobu let her lips go, Saho sighed in disappointment--making the boyish girl laughed.
"Don't worry about Mion."
The confirmation brought peace to Saho's mind before she realized what had just happened and felt another rush of blood to her cheeks. She knew her Buuchan saw that as well when she saw her smirk as she said, "We can continue it later," and left afterward.
Saho touched her heated cheeks as she watched Shinobu left and pouted.
Anai Chihiro was checking 755 when she saw Matsuoka Natsumi, her moody vice captain, posted photos of her in twintails.
"Cute," Chihiro thought as she giggled and covered her lips with one of her palm as she typed a comment for her vice captain with the other hand.
"Cutie Nacchan♥"
Natsu was refreshing her 755 account when she saw the notification of the captain's question. She let out a chuckle and felt a sudden increase in the pace of her heartbeat as she typed a reply.
"Don't bother."
She continued her activity of refreshing the talk room when she saw Chihiro's photo of wearing the same hairstyle and she let out a giggle on the next question she got.
"How do you think Capt looks in twintail?"
Two can play games, Natsu thought as she quickly typed a response and did her best to hold her laughter. "An infant."
When Chihiro's fans told her that her vice captain called her an infant in her twintail looks, she pouted as she looked across the dressing room to see the usually-moody vice captain let out a slanted grin on her face when she noticed that the ponkotsu captain was glaring at her. Chihiro rose from her seat and approached Natsu.
"Nacchan, we need to talk."
The grin on Natsu's face turned into a smirk as she shoved her phone into the pocket of her training pants and followed the captain to the corridor. She stared at Chihiro's back and noticed how small her back was. It made her smile as she thought of how short the older girl compared to her.
When they arrived at the corridor, the vice captain rested her back to the wall as she faced her baby-faced captain and stared at her with her trademark slanted grin on her face.
"What do you want to talk about, Chiichan?"
Chihiro heaved a sigh before she gave the girl in front of her a stern glare.
"I'm not an infant."
Natsu looked down as she chuckled. "You don't say."
The vice captain could see that the shorter captain was not amused with her response when she looked up--the clear evidence being her pouting lips. She grabbed her wrist and turned their positions around smoothly before she slammed the palm of her free arm to the wall beside Chihiro's face--effectively pulling a kabedon.
Chihiro, realizing the situation she was in, felt the blood rushing to her cheeks and her heartbeat sped up. Her wrist was still in Natsu's hand and she saw the mischievous glint in the vice captain's eyes when she said, "of course I know you're an adult, Chiichan," before she leaned down and stole a kiss from the unprepared captain's lips.
It took Chihiro a short while to realize what had just happened--when she did, her eyes widened and she touched her lips as she found Natsu's gaze at her. Her brain failed to process even further when the younger vice captain leaned forward again--this time for a longer lasting kiss. It made her head blanked out from the sensation and closed her eyes. The kiss was an awkward one--she could sense it from the younger girl. After all, neither of them were used to kissing other members on the lips casually.
After what it felt like forever to both of them, their lips parted from each other but their bodies weren't. Natsu's arm that was on the wall had made its way to Chihiro's waist during the kiss, bringing them closer. They gazed at each other, both of them with heated cheeks after the awkward lip-lock but neither was going to pick up from it. They just stared into each other, trying to figure out what they had to do, when they heard the door creaked as it was opened. They quickly released themselves from each other before they turned to look at the person who opened the door as she called over the two.
"Capt, Nacchan, when are we going to start the practice again?"
Tashima Meru gave them a questioning look when she noticed them avoiding each other's gaze. She was curious of what just happened between the two but decided to shrug it off as the captain turned to her direction and told her they would come soon. She left the two to tell the others that they could start preparing the practice again.
Meanwhile, Natsu stood frozen when she thought of what she just did and she blushed on the ideas of what they might have done had Meru come later. She covered her face with her palms as she reflected that to herself when she felt her wrist grabbed by none other than Chihiro.
"Nacchan, let's go."
She was pulled by her captain as she walked slowly and almost crashed into her when the shorty captain suddenly stopped walking and turned her back to face Natsu. Their hands were still linked to each other.
"What the-"
She failed to finish her words as Chihiro leaned in for a kiss that barely touched the vice captain's thin lips. Feeling the heat of Natsu's breath that escaped the slightly opened lips, the captain decided to dive in deeper and earned a grin from Natsu as she pressed her lips to hers.
Still, before they fell deeper, Chihiro released herself from Natsu, who playfully bit the captain's lower lips as a protest. She licked her bitten lips as she gazed at the vice captain and smiled.
"I think I can get addicted to this."
Chihiro's words made Natsu embarrassed and let out a giggle before she landed a brief kiss on the older girl's lips.
"I guess me too," said Natsu as they just stared at each other with a cheeky grin on their faces after the little confession and burst into laughter. Chihiro was ready to go back to practice when the vice captain pulled her into an embrace with the puppy-eyes look on her face.
"Just once more, please?"
Chihiro giggled as she thought of how cute the younger girl looked. She looked down--biting her lower lips as she felt like giving into the plead but she knew she couldn't put away her responsibility as a captain. She heaved a sigh as she pulled Natsu into a tight hug and said, "I'd like to have more but we can't make the girls wait any longer so..."
She brushed Natsu's lips with hers and smiled. "Let's go back."
She didn't wait for her vice captain as she walked away. On her way, she thought to herself while placing her fingers on her lips.
Kodama Haruka did her best to hide her disappointment that her best friend, Anai Chihiro, would not let her sleep on the same bed. They hadn't had that much time to spend together as of late and Haruka missed the older girl so much but she knew better than to force Chihiro. She threw herself onto her bed and wrapped herself in the blanket, disregarding the warm temperature of the room due to the air conditioner being turned off.
"Oyasumi."
Chihiro is a fast one to fall asleep but it wasn't the same case as Haruka. She felt a little lonely as she checked the other bed and she could tell that the older girl had fallen into her slumber by looking at the breathing pattern.
She heaved a sigh. She turned her back as she tried to look for the best position to sleep in. She closed her eyes, trying to sleep, when she heard a knock coming from the bathroom. She thought her ears must have been deceiving her as she opened her eyes when she heard another knock. She started to feel a little fear creeping inside her mind and she decided to whisper Chihiro's name, trying to wake the other girl up.
And of course she failed that. Chihiro was still sound asleep.
Between being scared to death or being dead the next morning from Chihiro's madness, Haruka preferred the latter (which she was sure wouldn't ever happen anyway) as she rose from her bed to sneak into the older girl's bed to feel safe.
She muttered, "Excuse me, Chiichan," as she lifted the blanket that covered Chihiro before she laid herself onto the bed slowly and careful not to wake the older girl from her slumber.
She didn't feel sorry about the sneaking though.
When Haruka were faced with Chihiro's back, she felt a sudden urge to embrace her from behind but held herself from committing it. It wasn't until she heard another mysterious knock that she threw her arms around the sleeping girl's waist in a reflex while averting her eyes to the direction of the bathroom.
Haruka felt relieved when she realized there was nothing suspicious before she noticed what she had just done. She took a deep breath to calm herself but as she did so, she inhaled the sweet vanilla fragrance that Chihiro's body oozed, and it was so intoxicating that it made her gulped.
"Oh my," she thought as she smirked to herself. It was such a chance to sleep on the same bed as Chihiro and she definitely wouldn't want to waste the chance at all. She wrapped her arms tight around the older girl's waist and spooned her. Her body heat felt so good to Haruka as she sneaked her palms under the t-shirts and rubbed the flat abs that the other members admired.
"Mmm.."
Haruka's movement was stopped by the mumble that escaped the sleeping girl's lips. She withdrew her hands slightly, waiting for a short while to make sure that Chihiro didn't wake up. She let go a sigh of relief when she noticed the older girl was still sound asleep and went on where she left.
As she wrapped her arms around Chihiro's waist once again, Haruka could feel her heartbeat sped up. The situation favored her all too well. Chiichan is so defenseless right now, she thought. A smile crept into her face when the sleeping girl seemed to have comforted herself into Haruka's arms.
Haruka muttered, "I can just attack you, you know."
But she would not do that. They were too exhausted from the activities they had in the day and Haruka could feel drowsiness starting to attack her consciousness. She rested her head comfortably on the pillow she shared with Chihiro--while keeping the embrace tight--as she whispered.
"Oyasumi."
-The next morning-
"Hnggh..."
Chihiro mumbled incoherent words as she woke up from her slumber. Attempting to stretch her body, she noticed something was holding onto herself as she looked down her waist and saw the skinny arms.
She felt her heartbeat sped up from the little fright as she looked over her back until she saw the familiar short hair. She let go a sigh before she raised her eyebrows.
"Haruppi?"
"Ohayo, Chiichan..."
The words were mumbled but Chihiro had a hunch that Haruka had already been awake before she did. She pulled herself away and rose from her bed to see the other girl doing the same.
She stared at Haruka as her brain tried to compute why her roommate slept on the same bed as her. She remembered the short haired girl lying on the other bed after her rejection and she had never attempted to sneak into Chihiro's bed before.
Chihiro tried to look for something on Haruka's gaze at her--perhaps some kind of guilt due to the sneaking--but nothing she could find. Instead, she noticed a smirk on her face and that made her narrowed her eyes into a thin line.
"Haruppi? Why are you in my bed?"
A giggle escaped Haruka's lips. "Sorry, Chiichan, but there was this series of mysterious knocks from the bathroom after you were asleep and I was scared. I tried to wake you but I failed so..."
The words left hanging but Chihiro knew the continuation anyway. It sounded a little too much like an excuse to her so she couldn't help but staring into Haruka's eyes to look for the truth. When she saw nothing but genuineness, she heaved a sigh and decided to shrug it off. It wasn't like she hated the company anyway.
"Next time, try harder to wake me up, okay?"
Haruka smiled as she nodded. Chihiro followed her suits, albeit a little bit more awkward, especially when the short haired girl grabbed her hand.
"Let's just share the bed again next time."
Chihiro rolled her eyes. "There are two beds, you know."
"But I feel lonely whenever you go to sleep earlier!" Haruka retorted with a pout.
Chihiro knew all too well than to prolong the debate with the younger girl. She took a deep breath and left the bed as she said, "we'll see, okay?"
Little did she knew that inside Haruka's mind, despite the confirmation nod she gave to Chihiro, she had already devised a silly plan to sneak another time. The short haired girl giggled as she stared at the back of her oblivious best friend and thought to herself.
"Sorry, Chiichan, but I just wanna finish what I've started."
It was the usual day for HKT48 team H girls. Rehearsing for the theater show, practicing their vocal, or just discussing with each other. The theater was buzzing from the girls' voices on stage. The hallway was free of anyone but two girls who seemed to be in a silent glaring battle.
Anai Chihiro, team H captain, stared at her vice captain, Matsuoka Natsumi, as she contemplated what to say to the moody girl.
"So... Chiichan, what are we doing here?"
Chihiro knew well that Natsu wasn't a morning person, with her face forming a scowl that almost scared the captain if she didn't remind herself for what purpose she dragged her there.
"I want to talk..."
"About what?"
If the words were weapon, then I would've been stabbed countless times by now, Chihiro thought of how sharp those lines were spoken by the moody vice captain. She licked her lips unconsciously before she opened them to speak.
"About the Pocky game you did with Meru."
Her words got Natsu frowning, before the vice captain slowly turned her lips into the usual lopsided grin that was often seen on her. Chihiro licked her lips again to ease her nervousness when she heard a chuckle.
"So lemme guess, you're jealous, aren't you?"
Chihiro averted her gaze. She looked around to check if there are other people in the proximity before she turned back to Natsu with a pout on her face.
"A little bit."
Natsu, all of sudden, wrapped her arms around Chihiro's waist and closed the gap between them, making the captain let out a gasp. She saw the playful smirk and couldn't help but biting her lips when her vice captain leaned closer to whisper on her ear.
"We all know you're off-limit, Chiichan."
Chihiro knew well that Natsu only stated the truth. She herself was the one who spouted that she didn't want to be kissed. Still, she couldn't help it when she felt the jealousy as she watched--and recorded--that dangerous Pocky game video between Natsu and Meru where their lips brushed with each other. She braced herself and gazed at Natsu's eyes.
"Then let me kiss you in OshiMeshi tonight."
Chihiro realized how Natsu was taken aback by her request that was so uncharacteristic of her. The vice captain widened her eyes and released herself from Chihiro. She stared at the captain with disbelief and it took her a little while before she responded. Her jaws were still a little slacked from the shock.
"Are you serious, Chiichan?
Chihiro bit her lips and looked down as she nodded without words. She started to regret her own decision at that very moment and she felt like escaping from the gaze of her vice captain until she realized that a tint of red was starting to spread from Natsu's cheeks to her face. She let go a relieved sigh inwardly as she held her vice captain's hands.
"Let's do our best."
Her voice seemed to sooth Natsu as she saw the girl smiled, and her smile slowly turned into a cheeky grin.
"Let's not overdo it like Piichan and Meru."
Both of them weren't there when the little "accident" happened but they knew how the pair earned the ban from their manager. The captain and vice captain knew they liked each other too much to do that and let such thing hinder their chance to perform the song together.
Chihiro let out a nervous giggle. "Yeah."
The rest of the rehearsal went like the usual and soon they were on stage performing the familiar set list. Chihiro could feel her heart beating faster on each song passing by and worked hard to not let it leap beyond her ribs as she changed into that song's costume: the black-and-maroon-colored dress of a temptress.
When she was done with her preparation, she waited for Natsu to finish with hers. She started wondering why she even let herself into the situation, feeling her hands trembling. She only realized they were held by Natsu when she rubbed the back of her hands gently with her thumbs, trying to calm Chihiro's nerve. Still, Chihiro noticed that her vice captain was as nervous as she was with her flushing red face. She pulled the girl in pure white dress into an embrace.
She muttered, "We will be okay," as if she was telling that to herself. She patted the back of her head like she usually did to assure the younger girl and waited for awhile before she released herself. They gazed at each other and let out an embarrassed giggle.
Chihiro took her phone as she smiled at Natsu. "Let's take a photo of our stupid self."
They took a few photos of their awkward selves before they left the dressing room together and went to their positions at the backstage, ready to perform the song. And the kiss scene.
Again, Chihiro felt the nervousness eating her from the inside so she took a deep breath to calm herself. Setting her mind into the song's nuance, a sly smile slipped onto her face before she walked onto the stage brimming with confidence. They performed the song as they usually did, keeping their feelings at the bay while exuding the emotions needed to express the song. They managed to pull it together until it reached that part.
It started like the usual, Chihiro placing her hand on the back of Natsu's head as she closed the gap between them and both of them tilted their heads for the kissing angle. The only difference was when Chihiro pressed her lips to Natsu's and she could feel the vice captain's body stiffened a bit on her arms.
When they distanced themselves, they gazed at each other's eyes--and darted a glance to the lips a few times. Both of them hoped nobody would even realize what they had just done as Chihiro escorted Natsu to the back of the center stage before she pulled her into an embrace with the door closing, covering them from the audience.
Chihiro felt a surge of reliefs when she realized they had finished with their performance of OshiMeshi and she had committed her deed. The kiss was brief but she could still taste the flavor of Natsu's lips when she licked her own lips. It reminded her of the first time they performed the song together when she accidentally pecked on her lips. She let out a giggle afterward, as it made her recall the spontaneous answer she gave on her radio show regarding the taste of her vice captain's lips.
"You know, your lips really taste like a peach," said Chihiro in a whisper to Natsu's ear before she let her go from the embrace. She giggled as she walked away, leaving her vice captain with a frown on her face.
Natsu stared at Chihiro's back as she wondered what the captain meant about the taste of her lips. She licked her lips and it wasn't peach flavored. Maybe Chihiro was just imagining things, she thought.
But then, as she did so, she realized she could taste the remains of Chihiro's lips on hers so she decided to shrug it off. She followed the captain back to the dressing room with a wide grin of satisfaction, knowing that she was the only one in the group to have a taste of her captain's lips.
I stood on my tiptoe as I landed a peck on the older girl's cheek. She smiled as she patted my head gently.
"Thank you, Miku-chan. I'll come again tomorrow."
"Take care, Chihiro-neechan." I gave her a hug before she walked out of the door of my house. I watched her being picked up by a guy riding on a motorcycle before I closed the door. I closed my eyes and let go a sigh before I muttered to myself.
"When will Chihiro-neechan ever realize..."
Chihiro-neechan had been my tutor since I was in grade school. She had helped me raised my grades until I entered junior high school as she lived on the house next door. We often spent our times together not only for tutoring, but also for playing. She took care of me whenever my parents were too busy to care. I couldn't remember when I started to develop these feelings for her. The feelings that people would tell me they were forbidden if they ever found out. It just happened.
"I want to marry Chihiro-neechan!"
I mentioned that line to her once. Twice. Countless times. Every single time, she would just smile and patted my head as she told me that she could not promise me--that the future was still far ahead. The only thing I could do each time was staring down in disappointment as I pouted and nodded my head.
I wished I hadn't been born as a girl so I didn't have to pretend that all my feelings for her was just a child's play. I wish I could grow up faster so that she would take my words seriously.
"For God's sake, Tashima Meru, it was for a goddamn work and I couldn't help it!"
Anai Chihiro felt her body trembled--from both frustration and anger. It is very unusual to see her fuming but the current situation was so ridiculous it got on her nerves. She knew how smart and thoughtful the younger girl could be despite of her loud, perverted outlook but her jealousy was a nonsense to Chihiro.
Meru was flushed with exasperation as she gave Chihiro a pained glare. "I've always wanted to kiss you, Chiichan but you always denied my attempts to do it to you!"
Chihiro rolled her eyes before she decided to walk away, but she barely even walked a step when she felt her wrist grabbed. Meru pushed her to the wall before the younger girl slammed her palm on the wall right beside Chihiro's head. The intense stare Meru gave her made her heart skipped a beat as she let out a gasp. The situation reminded her of a certain thing that happened before.
It was just the same thing as what Meru did to her in that one episode of Hyakkaten. All that left to happen is the kiss.
The realization made Chihiro gulped. She was unprepared for it to happen. She could do the kissing scene with Reinyan because it was just an act. She could deal with it because they were in their roles and she had no need for emotional attachment. That one moment her lips barely touched Natsu's in their initial performance of OshiMeshi together was even more of an accident than anything intimate. Even if she had to admit to herself that she enjoyed that brief connection with her vice captain.
Chihiro snapped herself back to reality and sent Meru a glare. "Meru, let go of me!"
She saw the younger girl's gaze softened when she heard her firm request but the grab on her wrist were still tight. A sigh slipped out of Meru's mouth before she muttered, "I'm sorry," then, without a warning, crashed in and pressed her thick lips onto Chihiro's.
Chihiro's eyes were threatening to bulge out of their sockets from the sudden attack before she closed them tightly and struggled to break free as she tried to push Meru back but failed in her attempts. The younger girl has taller, and bulkier build compared to her slender frame and Chihiro's strength is no match for hers. She had no choice but to give up and waited until Meru pulled back from her and let go of her wrist.
The air was filled with awkwardness once Meru backed a step away. The younger girl turned her back on Chihiro as if she was ashamed of herself for what she have just done to the captain. Her tall, broad back seemed like it was shrinking from the guilty feelings.
"Chiichan, I'm... Sorry."
The voice came out of Meru's lips was quiet and full of remorse. Chihiro felt her angriness subdued from the pitiful sight and bit her lower lips as she contemplated to embrace the younger girl from the back. She took a deep breath before she gently grabbed Meru's hand and made her turned to face her.
Chihiro smiled and pulled the younger girl into her arms. "I know."
Meru's body stiffened from the warm embrace Chihiro gave her. She caressed the younger girl's back to tell her that she forgave her for what she just did. When Meru finally raised her arms and wrapped them around Chihiro's waist, she rested her head on Chihiro's shoulder as she let go another sigh. Chihiro gave her a soft pat on the back until she tightened the embrace one last time and released herself from her captain.
"Once again, I'm sorry."
Chihiro knew Meru's apology was genuine from the look on her face. She patted her head while thinking of a way to cheer the younger girl and, all of sudden, an uncharacteristic idea flashed inside her mind--a smirk crept into her face. She dropped her hand that was patting Meru's head to touch the younger girl's chin before she stood slightly on her tiptoes and captured her lips in a brief kiss.
As soon as their lips parted, Chihiro let out a giggle and ran away immediately, leaving Meru frozen and dumbfounded with widened eyes before she realized what has just happened.
The inspiring photo taken by Umemoto Izumi (also a request from an anon)
Umemoto Izumi had not expected that she would have been in the same group as the ponkotsu captain, Anai Chihiro, when they decided to group split at the recreation park. Even worse, the camera-holding girl did not prepare herself to ride the duck boat attraction with just the two of them. She held her camera tight as she stared at the captain, who was looking around to see the other boats floating far from the one they were riding as if to let them enjoy their own time.
Capt is so pretty, she thought. Her photographer side overwhelmed her shyness as she picked her camera up, pointing the lens at the captain to catch her candidly. She managed to take a few photos before her captain noticed what she was doing.
"Ume! You should have told me that you were taking my photos!" said Chihiro as she pouted. The sight made Izumi blushed and grinned sheepishly as she gave her reasoning.
"I like taking candid photos because it makes people look more natural."
Her answer seemed to satisfy the captain as she let out a smile, and then added a "peace" hand-sign as if signalling Izumi to take a photo of her at that time, which the short-haired girl immediately did. She chuckled when she noticed that Chihiro changed her pose and took few more photos, as if they were a model and a photographer.
For a short while, it made her forgot that there were only the two of them on the boat. That the whole situation seemed a lot like a date. She only came to realize that once again when the captain giggled as Izumi was checking the photos taken earlier.
"You know, this feels like a date, doesn't it. Riding this duck boat with just the two of us."
Izumi could feel the heat rising to her cheeks and she did not dare to say a word to Chihiro. Instead, she looked down at the little screen of her camera, pretending that she was checking the photos as she heard the captain giggling and felt her heartbeat sped up. She bit her lower lips as she took a glance at her captain giving her a cheeky smile, before she realized that their time for the ride was over. She let go a sigh of relief, as well as a little disappointment.
They moved out of the ride and walked away from the attraction to join the other girls in their group. But before that, Izumi felt her wrist grabbed as the captain leaned closer to whisper on her ear, "We definitely should do this again. Next time, with just the two of us," as she giggled before she walked away leaving Izumi stood frozen with her face turned flushing red and her eyes opened wide.
The Monologue of the Strawberry Cheese (Ume/Chihiro/Meru)
Umemoto Izumi sat down in front of her PC as she browsed the photos she took during the handshake event. The short haired girl unconsciously let out a grin when she saw the photos of a certain person.
Anai Chihiro. The Ponkotsu Captain.
When Izumi noticed that she was grinning while looking at the team H captain's photos, she shook her head hastily to calm her head. She let go a sigh before continuing with sorting for the photos she would upload to her Google+. When she was done with the sorting, she decided to call it a day and turned off her PC. But not before she transferred some of the photos to her phone.
Photos of Anai Chihiro.
Izumi stretched her back as she waited for the photo transfers to finish and rested her back on the chair. She let her mind wandered and thought of how the ponkotsu captain's existence grew inside her gradually.
Izumi got to know more about Chihiro, whom she still referred to as Anai-san, when she was promoted to team H, where the ponkotsu girl was her captain. At first, she felt lonely in the team. She was not someone who easily opened herself to the others and she did not know what she should do to mingle. She felt relieved when her close friend since the trainee days, Ui Mashiro, was promoted to the same team later. Both of them supported each other day by day and gradually they managed to get along with more members. It did not take a long time until Izumi started to feel like she finally had found her place in the team. And her captain played a part in it.
Izumi knew how kind her ponkotsu captain was, seeing how she always handed out befitting gifts to everyone on their birthday. Izumi, too, got her present from her captain. When she opened her gift in front of the other members, they all held their laughter from escaping as they saw the cute, frilly camisole sleepwear on her hand and how bad the boyish shorty blushed when she looked at her captain to thank her--and stuttered at her attempt to do so. She did dress in girlish attires most of the time after all and she admired how the captain did her observation well even though she did not seem as such. She could see how thoughtful her captain was despite of looking like an airhead. She admired that side of her ponkotsu captain.
Izumi always observed her ponkotsu captain out of curiosity of how far her ponkotsu-ness could go. Her observation gave her a good idea of her captain so she decided to pick her at that time they had the MC theme of planning a date when she drafted the plan. When she had the chance to explain it on stage, she saw how delighted her captain was with her plan as she jumped in excitement. She even asked Izumi to execute her plan immediately and the boyish girl could only grin sheepishly as she side-glanced to her captain.
It was a while before Izumi picked Chihiro as her HKT oshimen. She did not mean to reveal it on stage, but when she heard the others talked about how their family members were Capt-oshi, she felt a sudden jealousy and the urge to come out arose. She ended up blurted it out, before she ran away from the stage while blushing, embarrassed by her own action and the other members, especially by her fellow shorty Okamoto "Naopon" Naoko, teased her hard behind the stage later after her confession. She could feel her captain grinning at her happily.
But that confession left Izumi another problem. Tashima Meru. The young ace admitted so often that the boyish girl was her first love that she got jealous when Izumi blurted out the fact that she picked the captain as her oshimen. She felt a little relieved when Meru retorted that she liked the captain as well. To the point that she wanted to kiss her. And that shocked Izumi to the core.
Izumi never thought of herself swinging that way. She only thought that girls were cute, nothing more than that. After all, she was also a girl! Hearing such blunt declaration from Meru shocked her. Seeing the other girls kissing was something common in the dressing room, but it was not something the boyish girl would ever want to do.
Before Izumi knew it, she started the develop more feelings for her own oshimen. She knew it was the last thing she should have done but she could not help it. It got even worse when she noticed how the captain started giving her more attention than she was used to. She did not want to give too many thoughts on it, knowing how kind Chihiro was, but she realized it built a little hope on her. All the attentions that her captain given to her grew her confidence little by little.
When Chihiro posted a photo of her getting shorter bangs on Google+, Izumi thought of how cute she looked so she left the "kawaii" comment on her captain's photo. The captain saw her comment and replied to her before she messaged her privately on LINE and talked with her about various things. It made her heart fluttered and she composed a mail to send to her HKT mobile mail service, telling how the ponkotsu captain's new appearance hit her soft spot and that she liked her. She did not know that her captain subscribed to her mobile mail, and when a captain sent her a "Thank you for what you sent to the mobile mail" message on LINE chat, she dropped her phone along with her jaws. She was panicked and she did not know how she should face her beloved captain on the next day.
Izumi let go a sigh as she remembered that little incident. It did not help that even Meru, whom she thought had a crush on her, teased her about it on the next day when they had performance at the theater. Meru, who suddenly turned teary when they filmed the danso episode for Hyakkaten. Girls are so confusing, Izumi thought. Even though she was also a girl herself.
Izumi shoved the thoughts aside as she looked at her monitor screen and noticed that the photo transfer was completed. She unplugged her phone from her PC and rose from her seat to move to her bed, preparing to leave for the dream world. She laid her back on the comfortable bed as she opened the gallery on her phone to view the photos she just transferred and once again, she stopped at her captain's photo. She let out a sigh as she gazed at the photo and muttered to herself,
"I wonder what I mean to you, Anai-san."
Izumi closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she was finally calm, she opened her eyes and smiled as thought to herself, that whatever her existence meant to Chihiro, she would always admire and adore the captain and all of her flaws.
Once again Izumi gazed at the photo of Chihiro, before she let out a yawn and realized how late the night had become. She put her phone on the end table beside her bed after she left a message on her beloved captain's LINE chat.
I want to push you down on that sofa and pin your wrists above your head before I lower myself to lock my lips onto yours. I want to feel you struggling as I kiss you hard. I want to rip the buttons of your shirts off with my hand so I can touch your bare stomach that I have always adored.
Kick me. Hit me. Slap me. Then I will be gentle with you. I will apologize for treating your roughly. I will embrace you as you sob and tell you I am sorry. I will rub your back to calm you and stroke your cheek with my filthy hand. I will keep my arms wrapped around you to make you feel safe around me.
But that cannot satisfy me. That cannot satisfy my hunger for your taste. That cannot satisfy my lust for you.
The Monologue of the Spring Flower (Haruppi/Chihiro)
Kodama Haruka took her shoes off lazily before she threw herself onto the comfortable hotel bed. The hotel room in Tokyo had been a place she returned to after work for weeks, as her schedule was packed with activities in the capital of Japan. The short haired girl heaved a sigh. She was glad she had so many jobs but at the same time she couldn't help but missed her home in Fukuoka so often. She missed her parents, her friends at the school, the team H members, the other HKT members. And her close friend, the ponkotsu captain Anai Chihiro.
Haruka had known Chihiro since their early days in HKT, back to the audition days. Back in the day when she used to treat everyone in the group as her rival, the captain was the first one who became her friends. They got closer as they spent their private time together. With the length of time the two spent together, the lisp center came to a realization that she had fell for the ponkotsu captain. She wanted to be more than just a close friend.
Haruka was never embarrassed in proclaiming her love for Chihiro. Anytime, anywhere. Even the crybaby Motomura Aoi told her that she was disgusted by how aggressive the lisp girl showed her love for the captain but she did not care. Nobody would have thought that she was serious about it either way. As long as Chihiro was by her side, it would be fine with her.
Haruka was sometimes filled with doubts about keeping Chihiro by her side. She was never the cuddly type to begin with and admittedly, she got a little jealous whenever she saw the ponkotsu girl smiled as she was embraced by the other girls. The usual suspects started with the notorious Matsuoka Natsumi. The vice captain had left uncountable traces of her touch on the captain. The short-haired girl knew how the two teased each other so often. She saw how cuddly they could get from time to time. She used to get jealous over Natsumi clinging onto Chihiro so often but lately it did not bother her as much.
Haruka observed how Chihiro developed an interest in the latest hot item in team H, Umemoto Izumi. She saw how the boyish girl reacted to every tease from her captain with an embarrassed blush and how she shyly proclaimed her love for the ponkotsu captain from time to time. Still, she did not feel the urge to feel bothered by their interaction. After all, they were not as close as she was with the ponkotsu girl, she thought. Besides, she knew that the young Tashima Meru was serious in loving the boyish shorty and it was not like Izumi did not respond to her advances positively.
Haruka was certain where Chihiro's heart belonged. The fact that the captain willingly spent her off days with her already a solid proof for her. That she willingly listened to every of the center's troubled mind, she appreciated it so much. Haruka knew Chihiro's heart belonged to her. She realized it when the ponkotsu girl shed her happy tears on her birthday celebration show as Haruka made a surprise appearance. The lisp girl saw how her other contenders tried hard to keep their poker face when they witnessed how happy Chihiro was with just having Haruka in her birthday celebration. She secretly smirked on her mind for her little win over them.
Chihiro's heart is mine, thought Haruka. She did not feel the need to put any efforts to win it. She was sure. Her lips formed a smile when she thought of how the others did not stand a chance against her to win the captain's heart. The thought brought Haruka an ease as she slowly drifted into her sleep.
The Monologue of the Summer Beauty (Natsu/Chihiro/Ume)
The inspirational photo taken by Umemoto Izumi
The anxiety was clear on Matsuoka Natsumi's face even though she didn't say a thing about it as she looked outside the window. When she saw such photo of her while she was browsing in Google+, she let go a sigh, thinking how stupid she was for not realizing that a photo of her in such state was taken by Umemoto Izumi: one of the reasons for her anxiety. Even though the photographer probably did not think of anything when she took such photo.
Natsumi, usually referred as Natsu or Nacchan by the other members, felt anxious toward the existence of Izumi, more known as Chiizu or Ume, because she realized that lately the short girl was getting the interest of the ponkotsu captain, Anai Chihiro. The vice captain knew that she also teased the boyish shorty often as it was fun to see her flushing red face and how adorable she looked when it happened but it did not dwell well with her heart seeing her captain doing the same as her, especially knowing that Izumi held a little feeling toward Chihiro.
Natsumi was never sure what she actually felt for Chihiro. She played around with other girls, especially with Motomura Aoi and Moriyasu Madoka before but she had always got along well with the captain, even before she was separated from Aoi and Madoka. She had supported her role as captain before she was even appointed as her vice. The vice captain role only gave her more times and activities to be with the older girl, bringing them even closer than before as they discussed about the team so often. But never once she thought of having the forbidden feeling for her captain.
Natsumi realized that, by having such feeling, she would have so many competitors aside from Izumi, understanding so well that her ponkotsu captain was loved by the other members, whether just friendship, admiration, respect, or even more than that. Tashima Meru had stated so many times that she wanted to steal a kiss from Chihiro, no matter how many times she was rejected afterward. She did not even want to think of Kodama "Haruppi" Haruka, who had declared her love for the captain countless times and always got the approval from Chihiro even if Natsu was not sure if their feelings were at the same degree.
Izumi never spoke about it out loud but the vice captain could see it clearly how she felt for the captain, whom she also picked as oshimen. Natsumi saw how the short-haired girl got embarrassed and blushed just by having Chihiro close to her, even more when she talked to her.
Again, Natsumi let go a sigh. Sure, she wrote about how she would feel worried without the existence of Chihiro by her side on the day they had her seitansai and got a comment from the captain herself telling her that she loved her too. But that was not enough. She tried her luck, asking her out on the captain's post about making brownies. The reply was just the captain being embarrassed by it. The vice captain knew that her captain probably did not think of it as serious as she was. She probably thought that Natsu was merely joking about dating her.
Such thought discouraged Natsumi. It was not like she did not have her own problem to think of. Her degrading position in the group constantly made her worried of her value for the group. Ranking lower than everyone who was pushed less than her in the election only confirmed her own fear that she was not accepted as well as the other girls. She knew her own personality was the problem, being the moody tsundere girl. Some kept up with her, some could not and left.
Natsumi shook her head, wanting to shake all the thoughts away. She had a job the next day. But thinking of it brought back all the thoughts on Chihiro. When they were informed of the schedule for the day, her shoulders slumped as she found out that she would not go to the location for Odekake as did Chihiro, Haruka and Izumi. Instead, she was in for Goboten studio recording, with Meru and, luckily, Aoi. The vice captain was jealous, but she was glad that at least the young center and the former crybaby were there with her as they could make her forget about the ponkotsu captain for a while.
For the third time, Natsumi heaved a sigh. She felt like crying, and she did. She laid her back on the bed, covering her face with a pillow as she sobbed. She muttered her captain's name quietly before she drifted into the dream world while the tears were still flowing from her eyes.
Dear Natsu,
It's been a long time since we met in that summer, hasn't it. I am glad that you gave me your address that I can write this letter for you.
Do you still remember our first meeting when you saved me from drowning at the river? I thought I was going to die as I was starting to lose consciousness when I felt your arms held into mine and dragged to the riverbank.
You know, that evening after you accompanied me and my sister back to my family's vacation house and left afterward, my parents got really really mad at me for my carelessness. They almost grounded me but my sister begged them hard to not do so, saying that it was her fault that I fell into the river while we were playing tag and that she was unable to help me, even though it was just an accident. She asked our parents to spare me from the scene and told me to take a rest, knowing how exhausted I was after the underwater struggle. When I finally laid my back on my bed, my mind wandered back to you. You were a stranger but you helped me, who had no worth in your life. I wanted to get to know you.
Life works in wonder. We met again as I curiously went back to the riverside, hoping that I could find you there, and I did. You were just lying there on the grass, closing your eyes with no care to the world spinning around you. I smiled as I sat down beside you and observed you. You looked so carefree and I couldn't help but felt a little envious of you at that time. When you opened your eyes and saw me looking at you, you let out a smile as you said, "Hey, we meet again."
Since that moment, we spent the summer together. It's funny how we got along so well even though we barely knew each other. I still remember when we went to the beach nearby and you taught me how to swim so that I could erase my trauma of drowning. Or that time when we went to the summer festival wearing yukata. My vacation period ended the next day after the festival so I won't ever forget that time when the fireworks bloomed beautifully at the night sky and you stood beside me while our palms were linked to each other before you turned your head and leaned toward to kiss me on the lips. It was so bittersweet, knowing that it would be the first and the last time we kissed. I didn't want it to end. I wanted that summer to last forever. I didn't want to go back home and part from you.
It was the next day and I was already on my way to the station to head back with my family when I heard your voice calling for me. I turned my back and saw you running to me. I let you caught your breath as I saw the envelope you were grabbing inside your palm. When you finally caught your breath, you handed me the envelope and told me to write to you whenever I wanted to. I held that envelope close to my heart as I thanked you and turned my back to leave before you could see my tears that started to hang at the corner of my eyes. I felt you grabbed my wrist and pulled me into a hug from behind before you whispered to my ear, telling me that you loved me. I could feel my tears dropping as I closed my eyes and you tightened the hug before you let me go. "I have to go," was the only thing I could say to you before I left.
In the end, my life got busier with the university and work life and I forgot to write to you. I was packing my stuffs when I found the envelope and remembered my promise to you. I'm sorry that I haven't ever written anything for you. Even if I'm not sure if you still remember about it.
I'm sending you this letter to tell you that I'm getting married. To my childhood friend. He proposed to me last month after we went out on a date for months. He is a serious guy but also very clumsy at times. He is totally the opposite of you, who are so moody that you can go from being playful to being annoyed so fast. I have to admit that even if he often makes me smile, I can't smile as genuine as I could when I was with you. Even if he cares for me more than you probably do. Even if he understands me more than you surely do. But you're still the one who makes me happy. You're the one who makes me laughed heartily.
You know, I'm glad I got to meet you even if the things between us didn't last long (it was only that one summer, wasn't it). You showed me how to have fun while being myself. Me who has always been repressing my own feelings. I really want to thank you for giving me a way to enjoy my life. Even if it was just for a very short moment. I will treasure the memories of us together forever.
Sayonara.
Chihiro.
PS. I love you.
I was shocked when I heard those words came out from the lips of Anai-san, my senpai whom I've admired for a long time. I realized that I poked fun of her more than I said the good things in front of her but I never thought she would think that I hated her because of that.
I took a deep breath before I threw the ball to the basket but even before it reached the goal I already knew that the ball wouldn't get into it. I let go a sigh. I never thought it would affect me this much, seriously. I decided to take a rest from my private basketball practice and laid on the floor. I stared at the ceiling as I let my mind wandered back to the scene where she uttered those words to me.
"You know, is it just me who thinks that we happen to have a lot of activities together lately?"
Anai-san turned to look at me before she continued stretching. It took a short while before she replied with a little smile on her face.
"I think so but... What's the matter? Are you happy that you get to spend a lot of time with me?"
I took a side-glance at her and when I saw her smiling face, I could feel that my heartbeat became faster and it was as if all of the blood in my body was being pumped to my face at that moment. I immediately looked away before she could notice that I was blushing.
"Not really. I'm just bored of seeing you so often."
I could hear her heaved a sigh when she heard my reply so I turned to see her as she stood up and looked down at me as she muttered,
"Do you hate me, Umemoto Izumi?"
There was something that looked like disappointment in her eyes and the corner of her lips pointed downward. She didn't wait for my answer and turned her back before she walked away to join the other senpai. All of my words left my brain when I saw her like that and I could only stare at her back furthering away. I closed me eyes and took a deep breath to calm myself. I continued with the stretching when I felt a hand gently tapped my shoulder so I took a side glance at her.
"Rikopii..."
Rikopii just gave me a worried look as she let out a sigh. She always took care of the younger one, including me.
"Ume, you should've at least said something better, you know."
I stared at her before I looked away and my eyes caught Anai-san laughing with her friends at the other side. I felt a thud in my heart but I wasn't sure what I should do. I have always admired her and I wanted to tell her so but every time I tried to, my lips decided differently from what I was thinking inside my mind.
I heaved a sigh. "If only it was that easy, Rikopii..."
I kept my eyes on Anai-san when she suddenly glanced at the direction I was sitting at and our eyes met. I quickly looked away before she realized that I had been staring at her and I took a quick glance afterward to make sure if she had stopped looking at me but she hadn't so I looked away again. The second time I glanced there, she finally went on chatting with her friends.
"I know you don't wanna do it but it doesn't hurt if you tell her what you've been thinking about her all this time."
I glanced over my shoulder to see Mashiro joining Rikopii behind me. She pouted as she shook her head while I was looking at the direction of Anai-san, who had finished with the stretching and started her dance exercise.
"She's so beautiful..."
I uttered those words unconsciously as I watched Anai-san dance. She always danced so gracefully in contrary to me and my boyish style.
"You really should tell that to her directly, Izumi."
Mashiro's voice brought me back from my enthralled state and I turned my back to see her let go a sigh. I knew she was worried about me so I gave her an apologetic smile as I told her that I would be fine.
As I was finished with the stretching, I stood up and started practicing the steps we were taught in the previous day. Mashiro joined me with the practice and Rikopi left to check the younger girls. I was so focused in the practice that I didn't realize that Matsuoka-san was staring at me from the mirror as she stood against the wall behind me. She was one of the senpai who was with Anai-san until a moment ago. I could feel the intense stare when I was finished with the routine as she took off from the wall and approached me.
"Ume, we need to talk."
She crossed her arms in front of her chest when she was in front of me and for the first time I felt how intimidating her taller build was as I looked up to see her face scowled.
"Matsuoka-san, is there anything you need with me?"
I cautiously spoke to her as she stared at me while sneaking a glance at Anai-san. Everyone knew how protective she was toward Anai-san and I knew I just did something that might have pissed her off. I gulped as I felt her stare getting more intense.
"Do you realize what you're doing?"
I was surprised that Matsuoka-san spoke with a low tone instead of the usual loud intensity she often used when she was angry. She closed her eyes and looked up before she let go a sigh and faced me again. I glanced at Mashiro who was watching the scene worriedly. I knew she wanted to aid me but I wanted to try solving this on my own so I shook my head at her before I gave a response to Matsuoka-san.
"I do."
The glare she gave me was softened as a smile slowly crept into her face. She patted my shoulder while smiling crookedly.
"You should speak up more, Ume. For your own good."
I still remembered Matsuoka-san saying that to me with a little chuckle as she glanced at Anai-san before she left to continue her practice routine. I heaved a sigh from the memories and stared blankly for a while before I decided to close my eyes. It was a while until I opened my eyes again, and when I did, I found someone staring down at me while I was lying on the floor. I couldn't tell who it was due to the back-light until the person spoke up.
"Are you awake, Ume?"
When I heard the voice, I realized it was Anai-san and I quickly stood up.
"H-hi, Anai-san."
I wasn't sure how I should speak to her after the scene. I was surprised because it was so unusual for her to visit the basketball court. I could see from the way she dressed that she didn't come with the intention to play basketball--with the white blouse and knee-length navy blue skirts accompanying her maroon wedges.
"So you were practicing basketball, weren't you..."
I wonder why she was asking the obvious as she observed my clothing that consisted of a black printed T-shirt and red basketball shorts. I nodded to reply before I went to pick up the ball I threw earlier. I clutched the ball as I thought of how to start the conversation with her. We just looked at each other in an awkward silence before I could gather my courage at last.
"D-do you wanna join me practicing?"
She raised her eyebrows from my stupid invitation and then looked down as if to check her outfit.
"Maybe next time," said Anai-san as she looked up and smile appeared on her face. "I think I will be spectator for today. May I?"
"S-sure."
I could feel my body trembled from nervousness. Sure I've been playing basketball for nine years but I've never had anyone seeing me during my self training session--even worse that it was Anai-san!
I took a deep breath as I tried to refocus my mind and pretended that I was alone. I started dribbling the ball and practiced a few tricks I had under my hand before I ran for a clean lay-up shoot. I did this few more times until I got a hang of myself and practiced jump shot afterward. I started to do well until I took a glance at the side and realized that Anai-san was watching me closely. I stopped running and I was probably blushing as my heart raced so fast when I realized how amazed she was at what she saw--which is me. When she realized that I hadn't been moving from my spot and my gaze was fully at her, she tilted her head to the side as she called out to me.
"Ume, is there anything wrong?"
Her feminine voice brought me back to the earth and I shook my head vigorously.
"I-I-I'm totally okay!"
I took another deep breath and tried to gain focus once again. I immediately threw the ball in a jump shoot and obviously the ball didn't made it to the basket so I quickly ran to pick up the ball.
When I ran back to the free-throw line, Anai-san took off from the wall and walked to my direction, making me froze at my spot immediately. I gulped and clutched the ball tightly as I couldn't take my eyes off her. She stopped outside the three-point line and gazed at me as she said,
"Please score this time and then tell me what you think of me, Umemoto Izumi."
I was so shocked from the sudden request that I dropped the ball from my clutch. The ball bounced and drifted to Anai-san's direction, prompting her to take it on her arms. I shook my head to clear my mind.
"What if I fail to score?"
My question brought a smile to her as she passed the ball back to me.
"You will score this one. I'm sure of it."
When I caught the ball, I was suddenly filled with courage and confidence. I had no idea how she even did that to me. I dribbled the ball few times before throwing the ball and scored. Just as she said. I pumped my fist to the air in happiness before I heard her steps coming closer so I turned my back and faced her. She was wearing a smile on her face.
"Now, tell me, what do you think of me?"
As she asked that question, Anai-san leaned in until there was only few inches left between our faces that I could feel her breathing. It made my heart beat faster and I could feel my face getting all the heat. She giggled as she noticed my condition and touched my blazing cheek with her fingers while holding my hand with her other hand.
"So cute."
The words surely made my face turned into heated tomato as I shook my head. I tried to let go off her hand but she held them tight. The fingers that were on my cheek were moving to my chin, lifting it up and forcing my eyes to met hers.
"I'll let you off if you tell me what you think of me. I promise."
I could feel myself trembling as she gazed at me. I gathered my courage and took a deep breath.
"You are a beautiful girl, Anai-san."
"Just that?"
Anai-san didn't seem to be satisfied with my answer as she tilted her head and brought my face even closer. I don't think I could handle the closeness between us anymore so I pushed her away with all my might. It made her fall to the back and she rubbed her butt as she flinched a little.
"Mou, Umechan, you don't have to be so rough."
I could still feel my heartbeat went over the roof but the guilt of pushing Anai-san made me quickly lent her a hand to help her stand.
"I-I-I'm sorry, Anai-san."
My stuttered response made her giggled as a smile appeared on her previously frowning face. She stood up and tidied her skirt before she gazed at me.
"What am I to you, Ume?"
I looked away from her eyes since it made me nervous. She kept her stare at me and waited. I took a deep breath to calm myself and formed the words in my mind to answer her question
"I have always respected Anai-san since the first time I entered the school. Your movement when you dance is so graceful and I admire that."
I gazed at her to prove the seriousness of my words but I couldn't hold it long as I became embarrassed and looked away when she let out a giggle.
"This is embarrassing, isn't it, Ume."
I nodded silently to her statement before I took a glance at her face and for the first time I noticed that she was actually blushing! Her cheeks were pink and she looked down but she kept on stealing a glance on me. Here I thought I was the only one who was nervous.
"I'm not used to this kind of situation, you know. Being the aggressive one..."
As she said that, her blushing started to spread to her ears--which I happened to notice when she tugged her hair behind one of them. Her words gradually faded out and I could barely hear the last words. It made me a little bit more relaxed and let out a smile.
"It's usually Matsuoka-san who does all the gobsmack talk, isn't it."
She nodded and smiled while still keeping her eyes down. Seeing her in such state, I murmured "cute", causing her to look up at my face once again while raising her eyebrows.
"Nee, Ume..."
"Hmm?"
She tilted her head as she narrowed her eyes into a line. "Did you just say 'cute'?"
I wanted to fake it so I shook my head but my blushing face seems to have give it away as I could hear Anai-san chuckled and turned her back against me.
"You know, Ume, you're cute, too," said Anai-san as she looked over her shoulder. Her compliment made me shook my head vigorously as I never thought of myself as cute.
"N-no, I'm not."
My reaction made her chuckled again and turned back to face me. She crossed her hands to the back as she grinned and leaned forward. I stepped backward out of reflex due to embarrassment but I stumbled and fell on my butt. I flinched from the little pain and rubbed the source gently. I looked up and noticed that Anai-san was crouching as she came closer. The grin was still on her face.
"Your face is fully pink now. So cute."
She extended her hands and poked my cheeks. I wanted to slap her hand away but I couldn't bring myself to, seeing her smiling happily as she played with my cheeks. I let go a sigh.
"I love it when I see your face turning red from the embarrassment," said Anai-san as she suddenly closed the gap between us and landed a chaste kiss on my cheek. It happened so fast I couldn't even evade it. She stood up and ran away as I was left speechless. I saw a glimpse on how red her face had become from the act and I thought that mine couldn't have been worse as I touched the cheek she just kissed and my mind swirled from the realization. Oh my God.
I stood up hastily to chase Anai-san and with my speed, I reached her before she could even touch the door handle and grabbed her wrist before she could escape.
"Wait, Anai-san!"
When she turned to face me, I could see her flushing red face and how she avoided my gaze when our eyes met. My heart was racing fast but I didn't let her hand off. She took a glance at me and bit her lower lips.
"Ume, do you like me?"
I gulped when she finally looked at me as I saw her eyes filled with hopeful gaze. I slowly nodded and looked down. I let go off her hand and covered my cheeks with my palm. I didn't want to think of how flushed I had become from this unprepared confession. I tried to refocus my mind and concentrated so I almost missed her muttering quietly.
"I like you, too."
When I heard those words, I was so surprised and my heartbeat skyrocketed to the point that it was possibly dangerous. I looked up and saw her glanced at me as she kept her stare to the side. When she saw my expression, she realized that I might have heard what she quietly said and she covered her face from embarrassment. She peeked from between her fingers.
"D-did you hear what I said just now?"
I let go a sigh before I smiled sheepishly and nodded. The air between us was filled with awkward silence as we kept our shy gaze with each other before both of us finally could no longer handle the pressure and burst into laughter. When we were finally done laughing, I felt Anai-san patting my head as she giggled.
"From now on, please be honest with me."
I nodded. "I will."
Right after I promised Anai-san, I felt that I was going to regret my decision to be honest with her about my feelings and immediately did when I saw a cheeky glint on her eyes before she opened her mouth to speak again while grinning.
"So... Mind repeating what you have said about me?"
My heart still raced fast but the teasing made me sighed before I got an idea and gave her a deadpan expression. Two can play games.
"No."
The grin on Anai-san's face quickly turned into a pout as she poked my arms with her index finger.
"But I wanna hear it again!"
I held her hand gently to stop her arm-poking and let out a smile.
"I like you. Do you like me?"
When she heard my words, the pout on her lips changed back into a wide smile as she giggled and nodded as she murmured "me too."
"Hmm, I didn't hear what you said?"
"Mou..." She puffed her blushing red cheeks from my tease and looked down before she took a glance and said,
"I like you, too."
She pulled me into a tight embrace after she said that and looked straight at me with a wide grin on her blushing face as she caught me frozen trying to process what was happening.
"Let's get along REALLY well from now on."
***
"Ume~~"
The familiar voice calling for me that belongs to a certain senpai approached me from behind and Mashiro, who sat beside me during the practice break, looked over her shoulder to see Anai-san skipping her way to our direction. The questioning look that Mashiro had on her face when she glanced at me made me let go a sigh as I whispered to her that I would tell her about it later.
"Ume, how about going on a date today?"
Her sudden request on what I promised that day made me spat the mineral water I was drinking. I hastily wiped my mouth with my hands before I turned to face her--my cheeks felt warm from the sudden rush of blood.
"A-a-anai-san, you promised not to say it out loud."
She stopped skipping and put her fingers to cover her mouth, pretending to be sorry but I could see mischievous glint on her eyes on me before she let out an "Oops."
I sighed before I smiled at her. "After the practice, is it okay?"
Hearing my answer, Anai-san let out a grin and turned back to leave but not before I saw her formed a frown on her eyebrows and pouted.
"Ume, I told you to drop all the honorifics and call me Chihiro!"
Damn, I gotta fix my habit. I can't help it, really.
"Yes, Ana- I mean Chihiro-san."
She let her palm met her face and shook her head as she let go a sigh before she stared at me.
"I'm sorry."
Again, she shook her head--this time, a smile appeared.
"Old habits die hard, I know."
She bid me a "see you later" as she walked away and I let go a sigh before I felt Mashiro pinched my cheeks and saw her eyes formed a thin line.
"Since when are you two dating?"
She let go off my cheeks and crossed her arms in front of her chest.
"Spill all the beans to me, Izumi!"
I told her what happened between me and An- I mean Chihiro-san at the basketball court during my self-practice session. I told her that we had cleared up the misunderstanding and we were not dating although we got along a lot better after that. Mashiro nodded as she listened to my explanation before she threw another question.
"Then, the date she just said?"
I knew she would have asked about it so I told her that I promised Chihiro-san to accompany her on her shopping day.
"I see..."
A smirk was formed on Mashiro's lips. I have a bad feeling about it when her arm was rounded around my shoulders and she whispered to my ear,
"Good luck with your date. I know that you have a little crush on her."
Her revelation almost made my eyes bulged out of their sockets and she ran away with a tongue in cheek before I could smack her arm. I could feel the heat rose to my cheeks as I took a glance at Chihiro-san's direction and saw her talking with Matsuoka-san. When she turned her head, she noticed me watching her and waved her hand to me. I was waving back awkwardly when I saw Matsuoka-san's smirk as she said something to Chihiro-san which made her giggled. I let go a sigh, not wanting to know whatever they were talking about, and went on with the practice.
It was soon time to go home and everyone was prepared to leave. I was waiting at the door as Chihiro-san bid goodbye to other senpai before she came to me with Matsuoka-san tagging along, who then tapped my shoulders and flashed me her cheeky grin.
"Ume, please take care of Chiichan well."
I quietly nodded and tried not to think much about the way she phrased her words. Chihiro-san, on the other side, seemed flushed as she smacked Matsuoka-san's arm playfully. I sighed as I turned to Chihiro-san.
"Jyaa, let's go."
Chihiro-san smiled as she nodded and grabbed my hand, making me blushed as I stared at her.
