What was mochi’s exact moment of being in love with lime? We know that like got hit with the truck of feels when mochi started showing Thigh™ but what about childhood crushing mochi?
Also funny if the mob spell keeping mochi on the down low took a dramtic dip in effectiveness when she started showing Thigh™
i think there was a time where he saved her from some bullies in middle school!!! actually it used to be "saved her from being bullied," but since the mob spell development,.., i think the more probable scenario is that mochi tried to help someone else from being bullied (lime didnt care to interfere), but when they turned on her, THEN he stepped in. middle school lime was a bit of a punk so he got into his first REAL fight there. black eye and everything. he won though (mochi high five) and they all got sent to the principles office
that was also the turning point for their friendship pretty much!! because before it was like "ugh the weird girl across the street" / "that jerk who put dirt in my backpack and calls me names" (with an odd sense of camaraderie because its the orders(tm) from the parents that they walk home together and watch out for each other)
but after this event its better between them..,.. mochi thought what he did was cool and starts bringing him sweets from the cat cafe, and limes like "Maybe shes not so bad."
anyway thats when mochi first started to like him!! it was that weird middle school type crush where they seem so cool and you daydream about them being a cool prince and you feel awkward talking to them but still want to be around them as much as possible.
and it just never went away. in fact she tried to ignore it and also didnt tell her mom about it because she knew about the whole witch-love thing, and she didnt want her mom to start separating them (which she definitely would have to prevent mochi having a huge weakness right away)
and obviously over time it got worse. WAY worse when he hit puberty. middle school lime was an average kid. maybe one of those kids that you go "Oh he looks like he'll be cute when he grows up!" but puberty hit him like a fucking TRUCK. got way too tall and handsome way too fast!!! AND with time he also got more and more comfortable with her so he spent more time teasing her. but luckily at the same rate mochi was developing her early witch skills(tm) so she was still good at hiding her feelings (thank god. especially since hed throw in the occasional flirty line to mess with her. a weaker woman would have folded)
and on the side note of the mob spell dipping with mochis shorter skirt: IT DIDNT!!!!!! which is why lime thought he was losing his damn mind!!!!! hes all hot and bothered and no one else seems to give a shit hes like "????? is it just me???" and everyone else is like "is it just you what?"
but i think limes feelings didnt start with the thigh thing, it actually started with the cuddle thing. that time she spent a night or two at his house (first sleepover in forever since tiramisu banned it when they were around 13) and one way or another they fell asleep together, and when lime wakes up to mochi cuddled into his arms hes like "Oh boy....thats not bad actually..." and little did he know admitting that to himself opened a floodgate that he locked shut for years and years