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Tsugumi wasn’t good with thunderstorms. Sayo learned that fact very quickly the moment the lights in the house went out and the girl’s face was buried in her shoulder. They were simply going over student council tasks that Hina was too carefree to bother with, thick grey clouds looming over the city until they darkened considerably - Tsugumi’s composure had already been wearing thin at that point, and once the power went out she jumped like a gazelle into her arms.Sayo stumbled from the floor to the edge of her bed in an effort to keep them from tumbling into an embarrassing heap in the middle of her room, but found even then the position couldn’t be described by anything but awkward .“Ha-Hazawa-san…?” Her voice, like a traitor, trembled the longer she felt Tsugumi’s grip on her shoulders tighten.“I-I’m sorry!” came Tsugumi’s muffled reply. She still clung to Sayo’s shoulder like a koala. “I’m just… not very good with thunder…”That wasn’t the issue, Sayo wanted to say. Wanted being the keyword.The issue was the hands currently creeping around her neck to help balance Tsugumi’s body that slowly started teetering away. Sayo knew it would be better for her to settle her hands on Tsugumi’s back to keep her steady but…Sayo just wasn’t the type of girl to be so forward with her not-so-secret crush.Still, she didn’t want Tsugumi to fall and hurt herself either. So she slowly let her hands firmly rest low on Tsugumi’s hips, keeping her close. The beating of her heart was probably louder than the thunder, but she ignored it and looked away when what looked like Tsugumi’s face, even in the darkness, looked tomato red. Still, Sayo didn’t let go. Not when the small warm puffs of air on her neck had her melting like putty. So soft, she marveled. So warm. The way the other girl had fit so perfectly in Sayo's embrace gave her reasons to believe that Tsugumi must have been engineered specifically for her to hug. And hug she did. Sayo really couldn’t tell if the sounds around them were the raindrops pattering her eardrums or if her heartbeat was just that loud-“Sayo-san?”
“Yes!”She snapped her head back from it’s slouched position where she nearly laid her chin on Tsugumi’s shoulder. The jostling and loud thunder outside made Tsugumi shout and squeeze Sayo’s clothing even harder. They were squeezed together so tightly Sayo swore her fingertips were glowing bright red.Tsugumi’s question went unasked, for the light overhead had slowly flashed back into life, causing her eyes to squeeze shut. As soon as her eyes opened again, she was met with the brightest chestnut eyes that reminded her of autumn. Sayo had known Tsugumi’s features to be cute, but she had never noticed how utterly beautiful she was so up close."I'm sorry! I…!" the brunette squeaked, another apology on her lips. Sayo shook her head, completely mesmerized. She leaned forward until their foreheads were mere centimeters apart, watching as Tsugumi opened and closed her mouth like a fish.“You can rely on me, Hazawa-san.”Slowly, Tsugumi hummed a shy “uh huh” and peeled herself away from Sayo’s near iron grip. A sigh of disappointment flowed through her lips, but Sayo followed her back to the table to continue their schoolwork, ears and cheeks stained red.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“Hey, Tsugu-chan.”

“Yes?”

Tsugumi looks up from the paperwork scattered across the desk and locks eyes with Hina, currently busying herself with resting her head in her hands and intently watching her work. It’s slightly embarrassing and Tsugumi can feel her cheeks warming at being stared at, but she tilts her head when the girl doesn’t answer.

“Hina-senpai?”

“What do you like about Onee-chan?”

Tsugumi isn’t drinking anything, but if she was, she would have definitely done a dramatic spit take. “Huh?!” she nearly shouts. Hina’s teasing smile makes her heart race, and Tsugumi has to do a quadruple take around the room to make sure nobody else is around.

Hina doesn’t seem to notice - or care - about her flustered state. She leans forward with that familiar sparkle in her eyes. “C’mooon! I wanna know if there are parts of Onee-chan I haven’t noticed!”

Ah, so it’s that-

“Wait, no!”

“No?” Hina’s excitement deflates almost immediately, and suddenly Tsugumi feels like she’s done something incredibly wrong, like kick a rabbit or steal someone’s candy.

She spins in her seat and waves her hands around, as if wiping away the negative energy radiating off the president. “N-no, I didn’t mean it like that! I just- you… you caught me off guard, is all…”

“I see!” Hina is back to being walking sunlight. “Then tell me!”

Tsugumi blushes again and shrinks into herself, wondering what she should say. Millions of thoughts are running through her head, from Sayo’s smile to her gentle touches that are far too obvious about her desire to hold hands when they walk home, to her soft and warm hugs she leaves Tsugumi with at the entrance to the cafe…

“Ohh! Tsugu-chan, what a good face!” Hina’s loud outburst is followed by a laugh, one that makes Tsugumi groan in embarrassment. “You must really like Onee-chan, huh!”

She sighs with a small smile, leaning back in her chair and wishing it was more soft so she could bury herself in it. “I do really like her. Sayo-san is…” she takes a sharp inhale at the thought. “She’s so wonderful.”

“Mm!” Hina seems to be in agreement, nodding her head furiously. “Onee-chan is great!”

“She’s so patient but she has an immature side to her that I find really cute,” Tsugumi giggles, fondly remembering a dog cafe date that had really demonstrated Sayo’s fondness for the fluffy animal. She gently smooths out the papers in front of her, softly looking down at her hands. “She has this habit of tugging at her bangs when she’s embarrassed, too. Sometimes I can’t help bullying her...”

“Really?!”

Tsugumi nods, fishing in her pocket for her phone where she eagerly shows Hina the various photos of Sayo she has in an album. “I managed to get a good picture of it the other day when we were out shopping…”

“And then she showed me

all

sorts of pictures of you! Tsugu-chan really loves you, Onee-chan!”

Sayo’s head is buried in the single pillow on their sofa, hoping her latent chameleon would kick in and she could disappear. Out of sheer habit, her hand snakes up to her face and she tugs at the hair hanging at her sides until Hina is leaning over the sofa with a loud gasp.

“Ah! You really

do

do that!”

“Hina…!”

Ksha!

“I’m gonna send this to Tsugu-chan, she’ll be so happy!”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Sayo felt like someone had jammed sand paper in her throat while she was asleep. The moment she opened her eyes and could hardly breathe sent multiple alarms off in her head, to the point she used her foot to knock at the wall of Hina’s room to get her attention.

“Onee-chan?” Hina whispered, green eyes poking through the crack in her door. Sayo let out a weak cough and made a voice in the back of her throat - that hurt a hell of a lot - to tell Hina to come in. “Are you sick?”

Sayo couldn’t exactly answer, as the moment she tried she was struck with a harsh coughing fit that made Hina jump and look around as if on the verge of panicking.

“Um! I’ll bring you some water!” she cried, stumbling out of the room. Sayo shook her head, wondering how long it would take for their parents to wake up from Hina stomping around the house. She shivered and snuck back underneath her covers, instantly regretting the decision to try and clear her throat.

“I’m back!” Hina loudly announced with a small tray in her hands ten minutes later. Sayo blinked away the dots blurring her vision and sat up just a little, impressed at the spread before her. Bottled water, pain medicine, cough medicine and a wet rag… Sayo couldn’t help but smile a little and allowed Hina to settle her against the headboard. “Okay Onee-chan, take this first.”

It was supposed to taste like citrus fruits, but perhaps that was what made it so bitter and akin to fire going down her throat. Sayo hurriedly grabbed the bottled water and chugged it as soon as she could, laying back down with a deep breath. Hina laughed, slowly rubbing the top of Sayo’s head before handing her the pain killers, setting the rag on Sayo’s burning forehead.

“Thank you,” she quietly whispered. Hina’s eyes could have lit up her whole room from how shiny they got.

“Now just rest! I gotta go but if you need me I’ll come straight home!”

Sayo closed her eyes as Hina rushed out of her room to get ready for school. Letting out a huff and feeling just a little better, she let herself get sucked back into sleep.

When she woke up her room was significantly brighter, she felt more energetic, and Hazawa Tsugumi was leaning over her bedside with an expression of concern and something Sayo wasn’t sure she recognized.

Wait,

Hazawa Tsugumi was in her room

?

“Good morning, Sayo-san,” she quietly said, sitting back in her chair and looking down at the binder in her lap. Sayo tilted her head just a little and noticed the formulas for math problems. Was she doing homework?

“Hello,” she said, voice raspy and embarrassingly quiet. Tsugumi didn’t react or point it out, continuing her work while Sayo shuffled under the sheets to begin sitting up. “What are you doing here?”

She immediately cringed at the confrontational tone she took on, but couldn’t apologize as the words were obstructed by more coughs. Tsugumi hurriedly handed her a lukewarm bottle of water, and it was then Sayo finally noticed (through her stuffy nose) the smell of hot tea.

It looked like Tsugumi had flushed just a little, but helped Sayo lay back down and got things comfy again in silence. “Hina-senpai tried to cancel student council activities today but then got caught up in a mess when the basketball club had some issues they needed to discuss, then the tennis team had a problem,” she said with a nervous laugh. Sayo wanted to smack her forehead; of course it was related to Hina. “In the end she sent me here and said to update her on what’s going on.”

“I’m sorry for her, really,” Sayo responded. It wasn’t enough Tsugumi was dragged around all over the place by her sister, now she was being sent as an errand girl to take care of Sayo. The moment she could get out of bed and Hina was home…

“It’s okay! I don’t mind it,” Tsugumi said with a cute smile. “I figured it was something important, and I get some peace and quiet to do my homework!”

They sat in a comfortable silence, and Tsugumi continued to scribble in her notebook. The sound of her pencil scribbling across the paper eventually had Sayo floating in between sleep and consciousness. Her skin felt warm and tingly and if she ignored her throat enough, she couldn’t even tell it was hurting.

A hand softly ran through her sweaty bangs, moving them to place a cleaner rag on her forehead. It was warm and soft, and Sayo let out a content sigh that made Tsugumi giggle. Her fingers continued to thread through her hair, massaging her scalp as she did so. Sayo felt like a spoiled puppy, leaning her head in Tsugumi’s direction for more.

“Let me know if you’re hungry, okay? I made some lunch before I got here…”

Sayo closed her eyes, far too comfortable and warm from the inside out to focus on anything but Tsugumi’s cute voice. She nodded with a childish hum, letting her body sink into the mattress. In her mind, she visualized a giant spread of food all made by Tsugumi's hand just for her. “Sounds… good…”

The last thing she felt before finally succumbing to sleep again was the removal of the rag on her forehead and something so soft it was like a flower petal touching her skin.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“Tsugu~”

“Himari-chan! Good morning.”

Tsugumi waved from the flower bed she was tending to, watching as her childhood friend Himari ran across the engawa of their home carrying a large basket of clothing meant to be washed. She giggled as Himari tripped on a loose sandal but managed to catch her footing in time. She could hear the many housemaids tending to whatever housework was to be done on a typical day, followed by the loud clatter of dishes and tea pots as they were collected.

Working for the lord had its perks - one being kept safe within the palace walls, being fed and bathed everyday another. But Tsugumi’s favorite was the agriculture. She could grow as many things as she wanted so long as she actually tended to and did something with them. Though she didn’t have much area to plant much, she still found herself watching as life began to sprout from the ground. She blamed Ran for getting her into flowers.

It was all she could do, really, to keep herself and her thoughts occupied. Otherwise she would be a walking mess. After all, the person she loved was-

“Oh! Tomoe! To~mo~e!” she heard Himari yell from wherever she had run off to. Her eyes darted from the empty door to the small bridges used as an entrance. Sure to her word, she saw bright red hair in front of a line of the lord’s royal guard. Discarding their armor and other clothing Tsugumi couldn’t possibly list, they walked in a straight line in plain black kimono, the only color they were allowed to wear.

But Tsugumi couldn’t miss the bright shade of teal, tied in a neat ponytail, at the very end of it. She knew her cheeks were getting red, and she couldn’t help lifting her hands to her chest as it began to beat harder.

“Tsugu!” the leader Tomoe cried, waving her hand in an exaggerated motion to get her attention despite them being only two feet away. Ran, wearing a cool smirk, lifted a hand. Tsugumi didn’t know what to do and looked between her precious childhood friends and the more serious members of the guard who were eying her every move -

daring

her to be informal, and decided to give a deep bow as they walked by her, waiting until the last one had passed to let out a deep breath.

Only to be greeted by bright green eyes mere inches away from her when she stood straight.

“Uwaah!?”

She took a large step back in surprise, but her sandal sunk into the newly watered soil. As she teetered back Tsugumi shut her eyes, wondering how she would explain her dirtied clothing, but a warm arm wrapped around her waist, keeping her steady before her sandal could even lift an inch off the ground.

Warm breath on her cheeks brought her back to reality, where she was staring back into those deep green eyes she dreamt about every waking moment their owner was gone on a mission.

“Are you alright?” Her voice was feminine, so unlike the heavy burdens and strength hidden deep within her. Her touch was gentle, so unlike the grip she could have on her sword and the hundreds of men she slaughtered with it.

Tsugumi’s hands were on her shoulders -

so strong!

- and she couldn’t help but let out a shaky breath, heart trembling within her ribcage. “I-... I’m okay…”

A small smile, one she hoped was reserved just for her. “I am glad.”

“Ah! I’m sorry, I…”

The arms around her waist tightened. A cold forehead touched her overheating one. “Let us meet tonight. I have… missed you.”

Shyly, she nodded, letting herself melt in the arms of the woman she loved. Burying her nose in the kimono that smelled like mint, she opened her eyes to look at the small buds poking out of the soil where she had planted beautiful stock flowers.

“Welcome home, Sayo…”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

She never, ever should have done this. Who let her make such a decision? She couldn’t remember, but her senses automatically went to Moca. Sure, it was all Moca’s fault.She took a deep breath, but that only made things worse when she could feel the girl pressed up against her shudder. “H-Hazawa-san…”“S-sorry!” she squeaked, trying to bury her head in her arms. But, oh, wait - she couldn’t. Not when she and Hikawa Sayo were crammed in a small closet that could only fit a total of maybe six jackets and a backpack if they were lucky. Every shift of weight on her feet Sayo made was very apparent on Tsugumi’s thighs; every intake of the limited air Tsugumi took made Sayo’s stomach shudder. Despite it being completely dark, Tsugumi still made sure her eyes were glued to anything but wherever she thought Sayo was.Ah, yes, it had been Moca’s idea in the first place. She had been browsing the internet for far too long, enough to find out about a few games played by teenagers overseas. One was a disaster waiting to happen: spin the bottle - whoever the neck pointed to had to choose truth, dare or other - and nobody but Tsugumi was curious enough to choose the latter.Ran had spilled some truths, Himari was dared to eat a whole habanero pepper, and Minato Yukina was dared to prank call Tsurumaki Kokoro - she disappeared shortly after. The night had been going pretty well with most of those sitting in a circle at Tomoe’s apartment completely safe.Until the moment the bottle landed on Tsugumi, her band of childhood friends gave her knowing looks, and she knew whatever she chose was going to be disastrous. If she chose truth, she’d inevitably have to spill her guts about her crush on Sayo. If she chose dare, she’d inevitably had to spill her guts about her crush on Sayo.So she chose other, prompting Moca to declare she and Hikawa Sayo be chosen as the participants of Seven Minutes in Heaven.Sayo silently protested with a hopeless look at her bandmates as Tomoe and Lisa lifted her off the ground. Tsugumi was dragged into the closet by an overexcited Himari and a curious Ran, and thus they found themselves unable to breathe or even speak. But they could hear the laughter coming from the main room - if they even thought anything they would be clearly heard.“Tsugu~” Moca’s voice came from the door. All Tsugumi needed to do was open it herself, but knowing Sayo was dragged into it without warning, she didn’t feel she had that right. “Time is running out you know~ you can do anything you want in Heaven.”“M-Moca-chan! That’s not funny!” she responded, instantly regretting it when her elbow dug into Sayo’s chest. “Oh! Oh my god, I’m sorry!”She could feel Sayo’s hand creep up to her chest with a sharp intake of breath. “It’s fine. Please don’t worry.”Tsugumi rested her cheek on… something sturdy enough to relieve the strain on her back. It wasn’t until she heard -and felt- Sayo clear her throat that she realized it wasn’t just a thing, it was Sayo’s shoulder. She almost threw herself away from Sayo’s body, not even knowing where her face was but visualizing the deep frown from how annoying she was being. “Sorry!” Tsugumi could feel her voice shaking as she said it, embarrassment settling in to replace the shock and making tears well up in her eyes. “Oh…”Then, she felt hands shyly take hold of her elbows, pulling her arms from her face. Warm breath fanned her cheeks when Sayo whispered a sweet, “It’s okay.” Then, she… was kissing her?!“Mn…!”It was brief, with Tsugumi just barely understanding what was going on a few seconds too late. Then the warmth of her lips was gone and Sayo was away from her, giving her room to cover her mouth in a mix of shock and embarrassment. She wished she could see Sayo’s face, but that desire died out the second Sayo whispered “Oh God” to herself.She really needed this time to end soon, or else she was going to burst…!

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Sayo feels like a foot three times her weight is crushing her throat and a snake is coiling around her stomach, trying its best to keep her from breathing completely. The soothing piano coming from the speakers above her does nothing to ease her anxieties. She occupies herself with twisting the hem of her dress over and over between her fingers, wondering if she’s going to have a heart attack before the hairdresser returns until a knock on the door forces her to look composed.Eyes similar to hers but more on the yellow side can be seen through the crack in the door, and Sayo lets out a deep breath as she takes in the sight of her sister, wearing a light blue gown and hair neatly pulled back with a cute floral clip. Sayo can feel her heart calming down as Hina walks in, her white kitten heels making confident clacks on the shiny floor.“Onee-chan!” she gasps, eyes going shiny as they always did when Hina spoke with her. Sayo allows herself to relax as Hina tugs her hands out of her lap with a small jump. “Onee-chan you look so pretty! See, I told you a braid would be perfect!”Sayo chuckles lowly as Hina takes in her appearance. “Thank you, Hina. You look beautiful.” She can’t help but smile as Hina just seems to glow even brighter at the compliment, spinning in a circle so Sayo can see her whole outfit. Sayo is used to seeing her in multiple layers of lace and colorful frills, but she was still no less gorgeous in a simple dress. The white choker around her neck with a faux teal diamond in the middle establishes her role as Sayo’s maid of honor.“I don’t really get the point of weddings,” Hina says, taking a seat next to Sayo on the sole loveseat. She lifts a leg, staring at the ceiling. “Do you really need other people to watch you kiss and stuff to feel married?”Sayo blushes at her question, and the nerves that had disappeared as she focused on her sister all come back like a tsunami. “W-well… it’s more a ceremony for you and the other person than anybody else. Making it... officially official.”“Hmm... but if you’re already living together and kissing and having sex then isn’t it already obvious?”“Hina!” Sayo’s mouth drops and she turns several shades darker.“Sorry, Onee-chan!” Hina giggles, leaning against Sayo’s bare shoulder. “This is a lot of fun though! Everyone looks so pretty and Tsugu-chan is a mess! I’d like to see Aya-chan like that someday...”Despite hearing the name of her beloved, whom she hadn’t seen for over 48 hours thanks to the members of Afterglow keeping her away, Sayo quirks an eyebrow. “Do you want to marry Aya-san?”Hina’s mouth settles into a thin line, but the sparkle in her eyes is still ever present. After a few seconds, Hina nods. “Mhm... I don’t think she’d want to marry me though! So I’ll just wait until she marries someone else!”“Hina-” Sayo’s attempt at countering Hina's cryptic answer goes interrupted, as the door swings open and Lisa, who had been Sayo’s second immediate choice of bridesmaid, walks in with confidence Sayo only wish she had a fraction of.“Ah! Lisachi!”“Sayo~ It’s time~” she sings in a teasing manner, white dress dancing about her legs as she rushes closer to the bride. Sayo gulps, wondering when the world started spinning as she’s pulled to her feet with Hina pushing her out of the waiting room.Outside, the sudden whirlwind of people and noise makes Sayo feel even more lightheaded, and she doesn’t even register the bouquet thrown in her hands until it’s too late and she’s standing alone at the altar, listening to the small crowd of people who’ve been invited chat among themselves and give her quiet compliments. She sees her parents front and center, their friends and other distant relatives scattered about the aisles. The only ones missing are the other bride, their bridesmaids and Tsugumi’s father.“Sayo-san! Sayo-san!” Ako whispers (though she doesn’t quite understand what whispering or inside voice means). She gives her a small smile, and the pastor quickly rushes to her side.“We will begin in about a minute.”That minute is the longest minute of Sayo’s life. But when it’s over, and the organ (Sayo realizes it’s Rinko on a keyboard a little too late) begins playing the processional, Sayo whips her gaze from the audience and joins them in watching the lineup appear from the entrance.Sayo’s breath gets caught in her throat, and she tightens her hold on the fake bouquet in her arms at the sight of the most gorgeous woman she has ever met. She does take a moment to admire the bridesmaids: starting with Hina and Ran as the maidens of honor, followed by Lisa and Himari, and finally Yukina and Tomoe. They all give Sayo congratulatory smiles, with Hina gripping her arm in excitement as they watch Tsugumi finally walk down the aisle.Her short, chestnut hair is curled, bangs clipped back with a silver sunflower. The wedding dress is slightly more beige in color than Sayo’s and much longer as it trails behind her in an exaggerated fashion, and the bouquet in her arms is full of different shades of pink and white.“She’s beautiful,” Sayo whispers.Then, Tsugumi’s father bows once they reach the altar, leaving his daughter standing before her and the rest of the church disappears. Blushing cutely, looking up at her like the most important person in the world. Sayo can hear the pastor speaking, but she’s too busy drowning in beautiful chocolate colored eyes she can’t pay attention. It takes so much willpower for her to not just lift up a hand to touch Tsugumi’s face, to finally acknowledge that what’s happening is actually real. Tsugumi steps forward just once with her nose wrinkling as she smiles, almost as if teasing Sayo - knowing exactly the kinds of thoughts racing in her head.It takes just as much willpower to not tug her bangs out of her braids and pull as hard as she can, so Sayo sticks with pressing her fingertips harder into the bouquet handle where nobody can see. How easily did Sayo come undone before this woman?“You shall exchange rings,” the pastor says, pulling them out of their flirtatious bubble.Tsugumi’s hand is soft in hers, shaking just as hard as it was when Sayo slipped the engagement ring on her finger. Sayo finds her hand is in no better condition, and feels something click within her as Tsugumi puts the silver band on her ring finger.“You may now kiss your bride.”She wastes no time, wrapping one arm around Tsugumi’s waist to pull her closer, glossed lips coming together in a brief yet loving kiss. The applause around them matches how fast Sayo’s heartbeat is, and suddenly they’re both enveloped in their friends for a group hug, everyone congratulating them at once that it becomes difficult to process it all. At some point, Tsugumi bursts into tears and Ran warns Sayo, not for the first time, to take care of her.“If anything, she will be taking care of me,” Sayo responds jokingly.The look on Tsugumi’s face throughout the small photoshoots they take, the way she gets flustered in front of her new in-laws and how she and Hina hug so tightly Sayo gets a little jealous despite how happy it makes her, all of it reminds her that she now shares one life.With her wife, Tsugumi. Hikawa Tsugumi.“So~ where’s the honeymoon going to be?” Lisa sneaks up on her, and Sayo straightens out in shock before relaxing. The answer is slightly embarrassing, but she doesn’t hesitate to say it.“Miyajima.”Lisa giggles, making Sayo blush even harder. “So romantic... you better take lots of pictures, if you two ever leave the ryokan that is~”“L-Lisa-san…!”Just the thought of it makes Sayo’s face turn completely red, but it’s quickly discarded as soon Tsugumi is tugging her closer to the commotion and she gets swept into everyone’s pace as they leave for the reception.Her heart is full as they kiss one more time, and Sayo can’t feel more at peace.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“Hikawa-kun.”

Sayo turned from her monitor, multiple windows displaying spreadsheets and emails, desk cluttered with manila folders and paperwork. The man standing behind her desk, looking at a particularly familiar folder, gave her a curious look, pushing his suit jacket back to rest his palm on his hip.

“Yes?” she asked, grateful for the small break in her workday but not exactly happy to see her manager outside of his office.

He gave a deep sigh, opening the folder to pull out a packet that had a red stamp in the corner of the first page to signal it was complete. “Hikawa-kun, that report you did last month for the new client coming next week,” he began with a tone that already raised some red flags in Sayo’s head. “Are you sure you included the general ledger I asked for?”

Sayo almost blinked in surprise. She hadn’t been asked that, and as a result hadn’t included it.

But she, as always, stood from her seat and gave him the lowest bow she could muster. “I’m sorry, I must have forgotten to add it despite you making it clear.”

He ignored her apology, still scanning the contents between his fingers before he dramatically sucked air between his teeth. “You’ll have a new copy done by the end of today?”

Green eyes looked slightly above his shoulder where the clock sat above the office window, noting that it was almost six in the evening. The sun had long since begun to set, and she could almost hear her stomach crying for dinner. Ignoring the negative energy building in her head, Sayo merely bowed again and took the sheet with both hands.

“Of course. I’m sorry to cause so much trouble.”

By the time Sayo was walking into the station by her office, eyes dry, back sore and apologizing to future Sayo about the workload that had to be put off, it was nearing ten. The streets were mostly silent, with the taxis and the sound of her heels hitting the pavement creating a low rhythm that could put her to sleep, but still loud enough to keep her awake.

The train was just as packed with people like her, as it likely was at six when she usually went home (though lately even that became unheard of), leaving her leaning against the train doors and staring at a distant building where her bed was calling for her.

Of course, when she reached her home it was pitch black, long since closed down. A jingle of keys let her in, clothes instantly absorbing the lingering scent of crushed coffee beans and whatever other pastries had been lined up on the glass counter earlier in the day. But the interior of the cafe didn’t interest her much, not when the most important parts of the building were upstairs.

“I’m home,” she quietly murmured as she threw her heels off and hung her purse and jacket on the rack by the door. It was equally as dark in the apartment as it was in the cafe, so Sayo made sure to take quiet steps as she made a beeline for the kitchen to get something to drink before taking a bath.

What greeted her was a rare sight. The light in the kitchen was on, the sound of bubbling curry was like shattering glass, and she had to pinch her cheek to make sure she was indeed staring at her beautiful girlfriend scooping rice into a bowl as if it weren’t an ungodly hour to be cooking dinner.

“Tsugumi-san?”

“Oh!” the cute woman wearing a brown apron littered with puppies turned, a bright smile on her face as usual. She set the tools in her hands down and all but rushed into Sayo’s arms. “Welcome home, Sayo-san!”

She hadn’t heard that line in quite a while, and Sayo couldn’t help but press her palms into her girlfriend’s back to bring her closer, savoring the smell of coffee that just seemed to be a part of her. “What are you doing up?” Sayo asked quietly against the shell of her ear, growing squirmish at the sound of Tsugumi’s breath hitching.

They broke to hug so she could get back to what she was doing, stirring the browning water at a slow pace. “Well, I’ve noticed you haven’t been eating what I normally leave you,” she gave Sayo a cute smile, to which her teal-haired girlfriend grew red at, “So I thought it was because you didn’t like it not being fresh.”

Sayo frowned deeply at that. She approached Tsugumi’s back and didn’t waste a second gluing their bodies together. Her hands rested on Tsugumi’s stomach, smiling a little at how Tsugumi melted into her chest. Moments like these had been so rare, Sayo wondered if she was sleeping on the train and just having a really nice dream. “That’s not it,” she sighed into her shoulder, feeling her strength draining the warmer her body became. “I’ve just been too tired to eat. I apologize for making you waste so much food.”

Tsugumi was just as good at cooking as she was at blending coffee, and Sayo would never have turned down a plate of her food for the world whether it was hot or cold. Every night Sayo was simply too tired to spend energy she didn’t have on eating and jumped into the bath before collapsing in their bed. Still, after a long day of taking care of an entire cafe, spending time on cooking dinner that went uneaten was simply unfair.

“You don’t have to apologize!” Tsugumi responded, lowering the heat on the stove. Turning around without breaking contact again, she rested her warm palms on Sayo’s cheeks, brushing her skin with soft thumbs. “I know you’re working hard and I know it makes you tired. If there were any open positions at the cafe… you know I’d hire you in a second.”

Sayo leaned her head into Tsugumi’s touch, placing soft kisses on her palm. Tsugumi’s free hand buried itself in Sayo’s hair, nails scraping at her scalp and making the exhaustion settle even quicker. “Thank you. I think I’ll be okay, though I hope I can make it home earlier soon to enjoy your meals more thoroughly.”

Tsugumi stood on her toes to give Sayo a light kiss, which turned into a second one, then a third one, until she was tugging Sayo’s collar to deepen it and her back was pushed against the counter. The fire in Sayo’s stomach was growing significantly stronger, and the fatigue that was previously making it hard to even lift her purse off the ground disappeared at soon as Tsugumi hummed against her neck, peppering her chin and cheeks with small kisses.

“Tsugumi-san…” Sayo whispered against her lips, fingers drumming down her back. Her girlfriend peeled her lips from Sayo’s cheek and gave a soft giggle and ran her hands down Sayo’s arms until their fingers intertwined, making something spark within Sayo’s brain. She couldn’t help but lean down for another kiss, her lips making their way down Tsugumi’s neck and right where her sensitive spot was: right above her carotid artery.

Perhaps, just a little, the hunger Sayo was feeling couldn’t be satiated with food.

“Ah!” Tsugumi said, face turning redder as she let her eyes fall to the pot of curry that was beginning to bubble again despite the low heat. She fumbled with the knob to turn it off and pushed it from the grate to let it cool. “I’m sorry! I hope the bottom didn’t burn…”

Sayo couldn’t describe the chill in her stomach as anything but disappointment. Sighing, she took a seat at the table and gave Tsugumi space to finish what she was doing, licking her lips at the sight of a hot meal being placed before her. Beautiful curry coated a freshly cooked piece of chicken katsu, and beside it was a small bowl of rice.

“Are you not having any?” she asked, wrapping her hands around the hot cup of tea next to her plate.

“Mm… it’s pretty late for me, since I’ve got to wake up early and prepare the pastries for the day,” Tsugumi explained, taking her seat across from Sayo. “But don’t worry! I’ll stay awake with you.”

Sayo felt a little guilty at that. She had forgotten that most mornings Tsugumi was up and about before she was - putting things to bake, grinding coffee beans for that day’s blend… even going so far as to prepare a thermos for Sayo to take to work. It made Sayo feel a little childish for complaining about having to work a few extra hours at work.

“Go ahead and sleep,” Sayo said between bites. “I’ll join you once I’m done in the bath. You don’t have to worry about the dishes, either. I’ll take care of them.”

But Tsugumi just rested her chin in her hands, warm smile on her face. “It’s okay,” she answered. “I don’t mind.”

Sayo didn’t object to that, not when she seemed to be confident. They decided to make light conversation, quietly chatting about Tsugumi’s day, the new recipe she and her mother were working on, and a new watch Sayo was interested in buying. Avoiding the topic of Sayo’s work made the mood less dreary, and she couldn’t feel the fatigue hit her again until she put her plate back into the sink and let out a deep yawn. The clock above the microwave read almost midnight, and she groaned as she realized she still had to take a bath.

“Go wash up, I’ll take care of the kitchen,” Tsugumi giggled, lightly shoving her away from the sink with a quick kiss.

After a very quick shower and forgoing a long soak in the tub, Sayo threw on her sleepwear and wasn’t surprised to find Tsugumi already tucked under the sheets in their room, shuffling a little when Sayo lifted them to get into bed herself. Tsugumi lifted her head for Sayo to slip her arm under her pillow, snuggling closer to her chest.

“Mm… I think I’ll keep the cafe closed on Sunday,” she whispered, fingers playing with Sayo’s left hand.

“Why is that?” Sayo asked, keeping her eyes closed. Her mind was already going black...

“We’ll go shopping for that watch you were talking about, and maybe we can go somewhere for dinner…”

Sayo wasn’t able to hear the rest - if Tsugumi even had anything to say - as she completely blacked out a few moments later. But she did very much feel the warmth of Tsugumi’s breath as she whispered “good night” in her ear.

Nights like this made even the worst days absolutely worth it.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The lack of light that greeted Tsugumi as she opened her eyes just a crack led her to believe it was still the middle of the night, though she could hear the faint clinks of dishes being put away downstairs and the hum of the air conditioner that kept her room cool amid a heavily humid summer. Waking up in the afternoon wasn’t a common occurrence in the Hazawa household - Tsugumi was expected to be up and about in the early morning. But if her parents hadn’t come in to wake her, surely they were fine without her, right? Despite their newly added cold drinks on the menu, nobody really wanted to go to a cafe in the middle of summer when ice cream shops were just around the corner, and the Hazawa were left with very little customers through the day.So, Tsugumi shuffled under the sheets again and let out a comfortable sigh as she stretched, her body slowly but surely waking itself up. She shivered as the cold air began to settle on her skin and reached for her nightstand to shut the thing off...Only to feel her fingers brush against teal hair that was poking out from underneath said sheets. Tsugumi froze, blinking as she stared at the silky strands of hair that slid off her index and middle finger. Once, twice, and the third time confirmed she wasn’t dreaming, and as Tsugumi tried to make sense of the lump next to her in bed, she was suddenly very conscious of the fact that she was completely bare under the sheets. Panic began to settle in her bones as her groggy mind desperately tried to keep up.Swallowing whatever shout that was going to come out of her mouth, Tsugumi’s eyes frantically looked around the room to make sure she was indeed at home. Her childhood plushies were all strewn across the floor, she could see her black sweatshirt dangling over the corner of her desk… and a very fancy looking guitar case was gently leaning against the doorframe.She calmed down as the pieces came together. Of course, who else would she wake up in bed with in such a state? Tsugumi giggled softly, plopping back into the mattress and peeling away the sheets that covered the face of her beloved. Hikawa Sayo, guitarist of the now internationally famous all-women band Roselia, looked peaceful. After being away for months doing meet-and-greets across the country, she had certainly surprised Tsugumi when she suddenly showed up at Hazawa Coffee carrying a mountain of souvenirs for her and her parents.Tsugumi… couldn’t remember much after that. She had been so drunk on joy, everything that didn’t involve her and Sayo furiously making out on her bed had been erased from her mind. Tsugumi didn’t consider herself an indecent girl, but when it came to Hikawa Sayo, she just couldn’t help herself.Her fingertips slowly slid down Sayo’s soft cheek, her thumb brushing the visibly black colored skin under her eyes. Thick layers of makeup were likely applied to their faces every single day, and wouldn’t come off until far later in the evening… that she didn’t even stir as Tsugumi carefully inspected her from inches away was telling of how often Roselia got to rest.From there, Tsugumi touched Sayo’s pretty lips that had explored nearly every inch of her body from head to toe, bringing her to the height of pleasure and peppering her skin with bright red marks that could be easily hidden with her normal outfits. Embarrassingly, Tsugumi had stripped that caution from her mind and accidentally left one right underneath Sayo’s jawline. A small trail of them brought her to Sayo’s chest, where she blushed at the sight of very clear scratches only she could have left.“I’m sorry,” she whispered to Sayo’s skin, fingers smoothing over the wounds. Finally, Sayo seemed to feel her touch, and stirred just a little before Tsugumi’s hands could explore her stiff abdomen.“Mn…?” Sayo groaned, green eyes surfaced from beneath her eyelids. Tsugumi gasped quietly, shivering at how utterly gorgeous Hikawa Sayo was in her first few seconds of consciousness. Blinking, she ran a hand over her face and took a look at everything around Tsugumi before landing on her very naked girlfriend. Her head fell back into the pillow, but she gave her a small smile. One that made Tsugumi’s stomach do more flips.“G-good morni- or, afternoon, Sayo-san!” she stuttered, cheeks reddening the longer she took in Sayo’s appearance. Sayo’s hair was naturally very wavy, but in the state it was and coupled with her bare body, Tsugumi could only feel her mouth go dry. How could one person be so utterly beautiful?Sayo groaned again, weakly trying to pull the sheets over her face again. “Hmm, good morning… Tsugumi-san,” she cutely mumbled into the fabric. Sayo wasn’t at all a morning person despite how no-nonsense she was, and it was always incredibly cute to see her slow process of waking up. Tsugumi brushed her bangs with a quiet sigh of content and craned her neck to press a kiss to her forehead, smiling as Sayo opened her arms for her to snuggle into her chest. It felt peaceful, and the combination of the dark room and humming air conditioner made Tsugumi feel drowsy all over again.Just as she felt Sayo’s lips touch her neck, there was a light knock on the door. The goosebumps increased, but it wasn’t due to the chilly air or the faint touches on her thighs. “Tsugumi?” her mother called, sounding like she knew exactly what was going on but also a little impatient. “Are you awake?”Tsugumi, red-faced nodded to Sayo as if she had asked the question. “I-I’m up! Did… did you need something?” She cringed as the words came out of her mouth, sounding both rude and frantic - there was no way her mom wasn’t going to catch on. Tsugumi pretty much never left her door locked, after all.“I was going to start prepping for lunch, did Sayo-chan want to eat with us today?”Brown eyes looked up at green ones, sparkling and hopeful. The way Sayo’s face scrunched into thought, her attention darting from the door to her guitar case before her face went pink said it all. “I don’t think she’d mind!” Tsugumi called immediately. “Um - she’s still sleeping but we’ll be down soon!”“If you say so…” the hesitant tone was clear, but then she laughed, a sound that was similar to Tsugumi’s. “No carrots for her portion, right?”“Right!”Sayo flopped back down into the sheets, taking Tsugumi with her. “Thank you,” she said, letting out a small yawn. “Your family treats me too kindly.”“They like having you around,” Tsugumi answered with ease, playing with Sayo’s messy bangs again. “But, mn… I think we have some time to waste before we should get dressed. You can sleep some more and I’ll set an alarm for you?”Sayo merely tightened her hold on Tsugumi’s waist and buried her face into her bare shoulder. She didn’t say anything, but it was all Tsugumi needed, so she slipped her arms around Sayo’s back to give her a tight hug, pressing her forehead into Sayo’s shoulder. “I love you,” she mouthed against Sayo’s skin, flushing when soft lips touched her cheek.Thirty minutes wasn’t a very long time, but for the two currently drowning in their own world, it was a treasured moment.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The sound of the doorknob being turned was enough to wake her, but Sayo Hikawa didn’t open her eyes until the curtains were pulled and her window was opened to reveal the sunlight that, if she hadn’t just been sleeping would have been a gorgeous view. Instead, she squeezed her eyes shut and pulled the sheets over her face.

“Good morning, Miss Sayo.”

Sayo blinked away the black dots and slowly shoved the warm blankets off her body, sitting up to face the older woman standing at her bedside. “Good morning,” she replied half-heartedly, rubbing her eye as she stood. The woman kept her hands neatly folded in front of her thighs, waiting for Sayo to signal it was okay to begin her morning routine. With a tired sigh, Sayo ran a hand through her long hair, nodding as she took a step away from her bed.

“I will take a bath then.”

Her maid handed her a change of clothes that had already been set on the desk by her bed. “Ah! Miss Sayo, please remember to be timely for breakfast this morning. We have my replacement joining us today so be sure not to be late!”

“I will do so, thank you.”

She felt slightly guilty at making her work on her last day, but the woman was insistent on doing her job right to the end. There wasn’t much room for arguments, so Sayo decided to let her stick to her ideals. In the hallway, which was an area reserved for the Hikawa family members only, she could hear the faint clattering of shoes hitting floorboard and the constant clacks of doors being opened as the many maids of the home went about their duties. Sayo wasn’t particularly fond of making people do things for her, especially not when the staff outnumbered the employers who weren’t all that messy to begin with. But the girls and women seemed happy, and the Hikawa treated them well enough.

The bathing chambers were empty, which meant her family must have already been up and about. A quick wash was all she needed (though she spent a little more time in the tub than she expected), and she hurried down the stairs while buttoning up her dress shirt, feeling the silence of the mansion meant she was likely going to walk in embarrassingly tardy.

“Good morning, Miss Hikawa!” could be heard through the halls of the main floor as she made her way to the kitchen, and all Sayo could do was respond with a dry nod of her head. Most ignored the cold treatment - having come to be around her so much desensitized them to her behavior. She wished more of them would simply ignore her completely and not bother with the greetings at all.

As soon as the dining hall door was swung open, Sayo blinked at the sight of three faces she knew since birth, her personal maid, and one new face she hadn’t seen around at all. The morning greeting was stuck in her throat as her eyes glued themselves to the young girl who seemed to try and hide behind the older maid’s back. The maid uniform on her was the same as the rest, but Sayo gulped back whatever noise was starting to bubble up in her throat. The frilly, enticingly fluffy skirt; the knee-high stockings; the white headdress adorning her head.

At first glance, she seemed an ordinary girl. Sayo had seen countless girls with brown hair, brown eyes and milky white skin while she took care of her parents’ business deals in the city, and though her preference for women was strong, not a single one of them had ever caught her eye. But for some reason Sayo couldn’t take her eyes off of this one. Cute, round chestnut eyes and short brown hair with her uneven bangs…

“Miss Sayo? Are you alright?”

Sayo blinked, eyes moving just slightly left to find the older maid looking at her with concern. Her mother and father seemed confused, and her twin sister - Hina Hikawa, was walking sunshine and her complete opposite in every way, was giving her the biggest knowing grin. Her cheeks flushed a dark red, and she toyed with the watch on her left wrist with a small nod of her head.

“Good - morning. I apologize for being late,” she muttered, hurrying into her seat with a deep breath.

Her father raised an eyebrow, but didn’t say anything as he took a drink of his water. “Yes, good morning. I assume you sleeping in means you arrived home late last night, Sayo?”

She averted her eyes, feeling the squeeze of her pinky finger as Hina gave her the assurance she didn’t really want but welcomed anyway. “Yes. The meeting last night ran later than usual, but the deal eventually went through.”

“I see. When I have time, I shall teach you how to quickly and convincingly close those meetings faster. Hina,” Sayo bit her bottom lip, “Seems to have a hang of it. Perhaps you can observe how she does it.”

“If Sis wants!” Hina said, though it sounded forced. Sayo ignored the chatter and focused on the foods being brought in. Coffee, tea, traditional pancakes and eggs, and sweet jam for the twins to slather on their toast. She snuck a glance at the spot her maid was usually standing, and found the girl staring right at her with curious brown eyes. She couldn’t tell if her heart beat was stopping or increasing, but she knew her breath was stuck in her chest.

She desperately wanted to know her name.

As soon as the Hikawa family finished and the table was cleared, the older woman ushered the new maid to the front of the table, Sayo noticing her shaky hands. The family wasn’t some million-generation old name that was built on ego and pride, and all they really did was own and sell property which didn’t make them menacing either. There wasn’t much to be afraid of-

Why did she even care?

“Everyone, this is Tsugumi Hazawa,” Sayo repeated that name in her head, “And she is going to be my replacement at Miss Sayo’s side. Please let me take a moment to thank you all for your generosity over the years. It has been a blessing to watch both Miss Sayo and Hina grow up to become wonderful women.”

“Aww, you’re gonna make me cry!” Hina laughed. Sayo’s stoic expression softened for a moment. Her parents said their piece, though Sayo didn’t hear much of it, her brain finally catching up to what was just said.

“--she is going to be my replacement at Miss Sayo’s side.”

“Um!” Tsugumi said after a few moments of silence. She gave a small bow and fiddled with the frilly hem of her apron. “Thank you for taking me in. I hope to be of some use to you, Miss S-Hikawa!”

Sayo, blanching for a moment but recovering thanks to a swift kick to her ankle from her sister, shook her head. “Feel free to call me by my name. It makes it difficult to know if you mean me or Hina.”

The cute smile Tsugumi gave her in response could have sent her into the hospital for her erratic heart palpitations.

For the next few weeks, Sayo was sure her brain had become numb watching Tsugumi. The other maids had quickly snatched her up for training, though it sounded more like playing around based on the loud giggles as they went about their day. They would frequently drag Tsugumi around when Sayo came home from more meetings and business deals, making the need to even speak with her grow stronger everyday, and she would fall asleep wondering how she could plan a moment alone.

Hina seemed just as interested in getting to know her from the way she would fly off the stairs if she caught Tsugumi walking towards the kitchen or laundry, dragging her into long conversations about nothing in particular but still being able to make her laugh. Normally, iif they so much as bothered the working girls while they prepared their food or had things to do, their parents would kill them. It seemed Hina didn’t follow that when it came to

Sayo’s

maid.

For once, Sayo was discontent with how warm the Hikawa were.

One quiet evening, when she arrived home from dinner with one of her father’s partners (who insisted she take his son’s hand in marriage thus ruining her night), she found the door to her bedroom open, and the sound of a stool being shuffled coming out of it.

Curiously, Sayo peeked through the wide space and let her eyes adjust to the dim room, where the only source of light was a small lamp by the window that Sayo hardly ever turned on. She sucked in a gasp at the sight of Tsugumi’s small form reaching to dust the highest point of her bookshelf. She nearly stood on her toes, arm stretched to its limit to get the dust that had accumulated. She wiped dust that had fallen on her nose, and let out small huffs of frustrated air the more she tried and couldn’t seem to reach.

Sayo took a step in, and then another, until she was less than three feet away, green eyes watching in awe as Tsugumi continued to try again and again, even so much as hopping to add more reach. Eventually she let out a sigh, hands on her hips while she stared at the top of the bookshelf.

“Hmm, I should get a taller stool…”

She turned to step off, but Sayo’s presence surprised her judging by how wide her eyes became.

“Hya!?”

Tsugumi tried to step back, but the change in direction caused the stool to loose balance, and she started falling backwards. Sayo, letting out a loud gasp, leapt with her arms outstretched to softly wind around Tsugumi’s toppling form, pulling her closer to avoid an injury or two. The stool clattered behind her, and she could feel Tsugumi’s palms -

so warm

- pressing into her shoulders.

For a while (or maybe it was miliseconds) they stood there, Sayo wondering where someone so soft to the touch had been hiding until she heard the small intake of breath underneath her chin. She created distance between them but forgot to pull her arms to her sides, so all she could see were brown eyes, looking up at her in confusion and embarrassment. There was so little space between them, she could probably feel Tsugumi’s heartbeat if she were any closer.

“M-Miss… Hikawa?”

Sayo blinked, so willingly drowning herself in Tsugumi’s eyes that she hadn’t noticed her arms were still wound around Tsugumi’s body until the maid shuffled, the ribbon on the back of her skirt brushing her skin.

“I-I apologize!” Sayo jumped back from her, hands in the air as if she had just been caught doing something indecent. Tsugumi, with rosy red cheeks, kept her hands behind her back and looked down at her feet, making the room feel warmer than it likely was. Sayo marveled at the sight - at how cute one girl could be, but shook her head to clear her thoughts.

“I’m… Miss Hazawa,” the name felt sweet on her tongue. “Are you alright?”

Tsugumi looked at her in surprise, but Sayo tilted her head to express interest in her answer. “Ah! Yes… I’m fine, thank you. I’m sorry, I probably shouldn’t have entered without permission...”

She looked at the bookcase, which Sayo knew had been caked with years worth of dust. A hand was brought to Tsugumi’s mouth in thought. “Miss Hina… said you really liked reading everything you have on your shelf, and I feel like I haven’t done much and it was a shame to see books that are precious to you like that and the others are always doing so much extra work compared to me, so...”

Sayo frowned, wondering where Hina had found time to speak with Tsugumi when Sayo hadn’t, but she didn’t feel like wasting energy thinking too much about it. The fact she called Hina

Miss Hina

, while referring to Sayo as

Miss Hikawa

wasn’t lost on her. Still, she looked at the bookcase and felt a tug at her lips seeing how clean it was.

“I do,” she nearly whispered. Sayo was so used to speaking with shady business partners and making the Hikawa look like a serious, reliable partner that she wondered how her voice could get so soft. Was this the power of a cute girl in her presence? “Thank you, Miss Hazawa. I haven’t had much time to read lately, but…”

She took a step closer to the large bookshelf and pulled one out slowly, patting the cover to rid of the dust that had built up. Tsugumi’s eyes grew even wider as the book was handed to her, Sayo’s eyes just barely taking on the glint that Hina usually ran around with.

“I would love to know what you think of it,” she said, moving the book just a little closer. “As well as get to know you more.”

Slowly, Tsugumi grabbed the edge of the book with both hands and brought it closer to her chest. The shy smile she wore made Sayo’s heart skip multiple beats.

“I...  I was thinking of wanting to get to know you better, too! I’ll start reading it as soon as I get home, I promise!”

“That would be wonderful. Go on home, you don’t need to worry about finishing.”

Tsugumi nodded, grabbing the feather duster and stool before making her way to the door. “Thank you again, Miss Hikawa! Um, good night…”

Sayo felt chills run down her skin as she watched Tsugumi leave, frilly dress fluttering behind her. As soon as she heard the front door shut, she fell on her bed with a loud sigh.

“When will she call me Miss Sayo?”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The crackle of the fire joined together with hushed conversations and whispers, giggles and clinks of canned sodas all coming together around it. The Girls’ Band Party were all huddled under blankets and thick sweaters despite it still being late summer, but it didn’t stop them from having fun. Kasumi and Kokoro were the life of the party, influencing others like Hagumi and Ako into their antics while Misaki tried to keep an eye on them from her spot on a lawn chair. Tents were set up behind them, and they faced a fantastic view of Lake Motosu and Mt. Fuji under a sea of stars and a color-changing sky.It was the last summer they could spend together before the many third-year students moved on to university or simply joined working society where their time would be even more limited than it was, and Tsurumaki Kokoro didn’t want it to go to waste.“When’s the BBQ starting?! The demon princess, sorcerer of black magic and flames of hell, who feeds on her, um… m-my prey or something, demands it…?”“I brought some fresh bread we can use to make some sandwiches if you’d like?”“Hmm… Yamabuki Bakery and fresh grilled meat… Moca-chan is in heaven, isn’t she?”Hazawa Tsugumi watched it all with a grin, taking a sip of the coffee can she had been holding for a few minutes. Instantly cringing at the absolute bitterness of it, she looked around to find somewhere to put it.“You look like you’re having fun over here,” Tomoe said with a chuckle, dropping herself into the comfy foldable chair next to her. Tsugumi tightened her hold on her coffee can, submitting to her fate of having to drink it. “Whatcha up to all by yourself?”Tsugumi hummed in content. “Just watching, I guess? Everyone is having so much fun that it’s a little overwhelming. But it’s nice, doing something like this.”Tomoe nodded, leaning back and crossing her ankles as she stretched her legs out. “Believe me, it feels like this all the time when I’m home with Ako.” She and Tsugumi chuckled together. “But it’s definitely nice to not worry about band activities and just relax.”Tsugumi took another sip of the black, bitter coffee, instantly regretting it and letting out a small sound of disgust as she swallowed it. Tomoe gave her a knowing look and reached her hand out to snatch it from her, chugging it with a loud exhale as soon as it was empty. “ Relax , Tsugu,” she emphasized, tugging on the ends of her bangs. The keyboardist let out a small laugh, blushing at how easy she was to read.The clatter of metal as the suit people (who were supposed to have left hours ago) set up the cartoonishly large grill for them to cook their foods interrupted their small talk, and they opted to just watch as Kokoro tried to douse the thing with gasoline but was yanked away with Misaki’s quick thinking and surprising physique; Hagumi soon found herself being dragged away in her pursuit of avenging Kokoro’s absence.“We thought we had it bad with Moca,” Tomoe laughed. She was about to add more commentary to the other shenanigans going on when their view was obstructed by the silhouette of one Hikawa Sayo, holding what looked like a container in her hands and a nervous look on her face. “Ah! Hey Sayo-san!” she greeted despite the sudden appearance.Sayo cleared her throat as her eyes darted from Tomoe to Tsugumi like she wasn’t quite sure to who speak to, but she gave them a small smile nonetheless. “Hello, Tomoe-san. I was wondering if I may borrow Hazawa-san for just a few moments?”“S-sure!” Tsugumi nearly jumped to her feet in excitement, and Tomoe raised an eyebrow though her smirk never faded. It wasn’t a secret, at least within Afterglow, that Tsugumi had a small interest in Roselia’s guitarist. She waved as Tsugumi was led to a quieter area of the campsite, stumbling just a little to match Sayo’s quick pace.Sayo’s teal hair matched with the cool shore of the lake, wavy and flowing with every step it was almost mesmerizing. From the corner of her eye Tsugumi could still see the other bands, but they likely were too busy doing their own thing to notice she of all people had disappeared.Sayo removed the blanket that was stuffed in the bag hanging off her arm and motioned for Tsugumi to join her, both of them just barely able to sit comfortably while not being too close to one another to be awkward. She unclipped all four sides of her container and pulled off the lid, showing Tsugumi a neatly assortment of what looked like cookies. Some were white, and some were various shades of red and pink.“Oh wow! Did you make these?” she asked.Coughing, likely just a way to stall for time, Sayo nodded. “These were ones I attempted to make, though I wasn’t quite sure if they were edible enough to share with the others…”Tsugumi could feel something squeeze her heart. It felt both nice and not quite so nice at the same time, but she ignored it and pointed at the inside of it. “May I…?”“Yes, please do.”The first one she pulled was one of the light pink ones. They didn’t have any special shapes or icing on them considering Sayo thought they were too questionable to share, but it felt soft between her fingertips, and still quite warm. She likely had just finished making them before leaving her house.“It smells pretty sweet! Hm… red velvet?”Sayo nodded, looking down at the others she had in her lap. “Yes. I wanted to try something a little different this time, though I wasn’t quite sure how food coloring worked so only a few came out looking somewhat like the pictures…”Tsugumi took a bite. It was slightly crunchy from being in the oven a few seconds too long, but it was just as soft and sweet on the inside. She could taste the vanilla and cocoa powder melting on her tongue, creating a soft blanket of sweetness she couldn’t wait to take another bite. There was still a little work to be done, as she could feel some flour that wasn’t mixed all the way being crushed between her teeth. Tsugumi and Lisa were likely the only ones who would notice, though.“It’s delicious! You definitely should share this with everyone!”Sayo lifted her head so quickly Tsugumi almost jumped off the blanket. Her pretty green eyes were shining under the evening sky. “Is it really?” she asked quietly. “Hina was saying how she really wanted to try something I made again.”Tsugumi nodded, finishing it off and showing Sayo her empty palms. “Mhm! You’ve really improved, Sayo-san! I’m proud of you!”The small smile on Sayo’s face was worth every compliment, and the small blush on her cheeks as Tsugumi took another from the box made her want to stall for as long as possible before they had to go back.“It was you who taught me how to bake, after all,” Sayo said after Tsugumi finished her second one with a confident nod. “I figured it would only be fair to show you my progress.”Tsugumi stared at the calm lake before them and rested her chin on her knees, feeling a familiar warmth she hadn’t felt with anyone but the guitarist.“I’m glad you think so. You can come to me for anything you need, Sayo-san,” she quietly said, tilting her head. She wasn’t sure what kind of expression she was wearing, but it seemed to be a good one as Sayo’s cheeks reddened when their eyes met. Hikawa Sayo was one adorable person. Sweet and caring, childish at heart despite her insistence on facing everything with seriousness… Tsugumi was completely crazy about her.A chill ran down her spine as she came off her high to finally recognize that the air had become significantly colder. “Should we head back? Maybe you can present them after dinner…?” she made a small move to begin standing when a steady hand took hold of her wrist, and Tsugumi’s eyes couldn’t move away from the warmth settling on the cuff of her sleeve.Sayo let out a small gasp and quickly removed her grasp, pressing her palm against the blanket like she was trying to keep it there. “I apologize. I was just… wondering then,” Sayo flicked her gaze to the sky, eyes slowly tracing the lineup of stars above them, seemingly gaining confidence as she did so. “If you would spare me some of your time again before bed.”Tsugumi gulped, heat gathering on her ears. “O-of course! Was there something you wanted to talk about?”The green eyes that faced her then were like stars themselves, drowning Tsugumi in the deepest part of the seafoam galaxy. She wasn’t sure if Sayo was interested in her… romantically , like she was. She hoped she was.“Nothing in particular.” Sayo’s reply, coupled with her soft smile made Tsugumi’s breath catch in her throat.Biting her lip, Tsugumi stared at her hands before letting her left one slowly settle on top of Sayo’s right. She avoided looking into Sayo’s eyes, wondering how far she was taking her misunderstanding. Afterglow praised her for her willingness to go for what she wanted, and this should have been no exception. But if Sayo were to reject her completely-She let out a squeak when Sayo slowly turned her hand to let Tsugumi’s fingers sink in between hers, clammy fingers tightening around her hand with a soft shudder. The cold air was replaced with a heat she hadn’t felt since she collapsed from overworking herself, but Tsugumi found she liked it.“Onee-chan? Where are you-?!”“Tsugu! We’re gonna start grilling, get over here!”The two jumped, turning their heads towards the source of noise to find Tomoe waving them over, holding empty paper plates and small tongs in her hands. Blushing, they hurried to their feet and Sayo collected her things, stuffing the dirtied blanket carelessly back into her bag. Tsugumi was going to make a run for it first, but decided to turn around and hold her hand out with a shy grin.“Let’s go?”Sayo looked at her dumbfounded, but soon let her shoulders slump and took Tsugumi’s smaller hand with her free one, beginning a slow walk across the shore to join the others. Tsugumi was sure, as she felt a soft squeeze of her hand every few steps, that she was only falling deeper in love with Hikawa Sayo, and she didn’t want to stop anytime soon.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

She was starving. It had been only a few days since she last satisfied herself and yet, as she walked through the dim alleys to try and make it home undetected, Hikawa Sayo had to clench the spot above her chest as if she were on the verge of death. The irony of it would have made her at least smirk, but her vision was blurring and every step she took sapped her of whatever energy she had left to spare.

“Guh… and to think

Hina

warned me about this, too. How could I have been so careless?” she hissed. The cold bricks and concrete surrounding her gave her some kind of comfort at least, but if she collapsed here Sayo would be complete dust by the time morning came.

Sayo blinked away the stars in her eyes to focus on following the well-known path to get home. Perhaps Hina had some in stock that she could spare, but Sayo likely wasn’t going to spend the rest of the night in peace if she didn’t have

something

. She didn’t want to resort to attacking random citizens, but she wasn’t going to have a choice at that point, was she?

Really, vampires were some of the most fragile beings in existence.

Clearing her throat to rid of the tempting thoughts in her head, Sayo trudged forward. She dragged her freshly polished blucher shoes across the concrete, likely ruining the soles but not really caring. Her stomach screamed and clawed at her from the inside, demanding she fill it with whatever she could find. At some point a stray cat had caught her eye, but she mentally slapped herself at the mere image of it. Hikawa Sayo was a vampire, but she wasn’t a

monster

. And cat’s blood, she figured, would likely make her wish she had just gone without it.

“Hang on, you guys go on ahead! I forgot something back at the restaurant!”

If Sayo had blood running through her veins, it would have gone cold at the sound of someone quickly approaching. Panic she hadn’t felt since the day she turned began to set her dead heart into action once again. She stumbled to hide behind the residential dumpster just a few feet away, but in her haste Sayo’s toe caught on the ground, causing her to fall right on her chest with a loud thud.

A gasp, followed by a concerned, “Oh no! Are you alright?!” made Sayo’s eyes widen, and she couldn’t stop the girl from scrambling over to her, crouching right by her head with an outstretched hand. Sayo admired the girl’s selflessness, but in her weak state it was rather embarrassing to be on the receiving end.

“I’m fine,” she grumbled coldly, slowly pushing her palms against the earth to push herself up. Her vest had been ruined, but she ignored it to straighten herself out. Slowly, one foot pushed against the ground, but all Sayo could hear was another loud gasp and the sound of her head knocking against the concrete as she fell again.

Embarrassing

.

“I don’t think so! Please grab onto my hand, I’ll help you get to a doctor!”

Sayo raised her eyes to get a look at the person willing to help her. She was likely no older than Sayo was when she became part of the undead, with healthy looking white skin and dazzling chestnut eyes. She was full of life, with a cute face to boot.

She bit her lip, the tip of her fang reminding her that there were more important things to be worrying about, but she couldn’t find any energy to sit up herself. She was going to die here, but at least Hina would be left behind, given she didn’t play around too much or got careless. The girl slowly lifted her head into her lap, fingers softly threading through her hair to find the bump on her head only to find none. Something like cracking her skull on pavement wasn’t going to be enough to kill her, but she couldn’t just say that to some stranger.

“You look exhausted - should I call an ambulance?”

“No- that’s not... needed,” Sayo said. If her eyes weren’t red already they sure were now; she could feel the rare heat begin to settle on her skin and the urge to bite and bite getting stronger. If this girl wasn’t careful, she was likely going to be another pretty face on the morning news.

But it was also Sayo’s job to be careful as well, wasn’t it?

“I live nearby,” she blurted, hoping it would be enough as she felt the girl’s hands run down her cheeks. “If I can just get home, I’ll be…”

She stopped mid sentence, fascinated by the lack of fear on those chestnut eyes. The girl cradling her seemed to notice that Sayo noticed, but instead of shyly pushing her away, she simply giggled.

“I didn’t think vampires existed.”

Sayo let out a deep breath. She could even feel the sweat peppering her forehead, but she was going to control herself. At least until she was finally left alone. “We’re normally not this pathetic,” she said, trying her best to crack a joke but also not quite lying. She was indeed proud of what she was, though it was moments like these that made her loathe it.

The girl seemed to only become more curious. “Is it true you can’t see yourselves in mirrors? I’ve always wondered how that was possible.”

The questioning was at least helping get Sayo’s mind off of wanting to just… chow down on whoever she looked at. Still, she much preferred being in her home, where she was sure Hina had blood packs waiting for her to drink up. Just the thought of it made her mouth water. She moved to sit up, but her stomach protested, sending a wave of weakness throughout her body to the point she could barely move her head.

“Oh! Oh no, I’m sorry -” the girl looking down at her flushed, looking around. “I didn’t really read many fantasy stories with vampires, so I’m not sure what to help you with…!”

Sayo watched her squirm with curious eyes. She had never seen anyone be so concerned about her well-being like this, at least those not named Hikawa Hina. It felt strangely warm, watching someone frantically try to keep her alive.

“My home is not too far from here,” she said slowly, waiting for the girl to calm down a little more before continuing. “You can just take me to the door, and I’ll be fine from there.”

The girl gave her a small hesitant look before nodding, but as she moved to stand, Sayo’s stomach let out a loud grumble, one that sounded louder than the ambulance passing by on the other side of the building they were behind. Sayo wanted to really die then and there.

“You’re… hungry…?”

“P-Please ignore it, I’ll be fine.”

But it didn’t seem to work, as the girl clapped her hands together, looking down at Sayo with a look of confidence. It unsettled Sayo, the

vampire

, to see such nonchalance from a girl she didn’t know. A

human

girl.

“Then! Would you be okay if you sucked a little of my blood?”

She looked at Sayo with absolutely no hint that she was second-guessing herself. Sayo bit the inside of her cheek. The offer was tempting but the girl had been so kind to her, how could she? In her state she was likely going to be unable to stop herself.

She shook her head, not giving it a second thought. “No, no. I couldn’t.”

But the face she was met with was slightly expected: the girl was pouting, just a little, though she looked more annoyed than disappointed. “Are you sure…? I-Is my blood just no good, then? Hm…” Sayo wanted to groan. She hadn’t even known this girl for more than an hour, yet here she was, completely wrapped around her cute finger.

“If you don’t mind,” she said quietly, voice hoarse, “Then yes it would help. It wouldn’t be much.” She would likely survive for another half day with just half a second of drinking, at least enough to get her home, but Sayo didn’t plan on taking more.

Her brown eyes seemed to shine like gems as she processed what Sayo said. The vampire could feel her thighs shaking, and she wasn’t sure she liked it, but Sayo let her gently get Sayo back on her feet, leaning her against one of the buildings around them.

“Were you not with other people?” she asked, curiously looking over to the spot where the girl had appeared from. “They’ll likely come looking for you.”

“Hmm, they’re pretty trusting,” the girl answered, setting her backpack on the ground. Sayo picked it up immediately after, not wanting it to get soiled. It was the least she could do. “By the way, my name is Hazawa Tsugumi! I’m seventeen.”

She was a girl who was likely too caring to realize the gravity of what she was doing. Was she not scared? Sayo could suck her completely dry and leave nothing left for her to survive, why wasn’t she asking Sayo how it worked? She sighed. “I’m Hikawa Sayo, and I’ve lost track of how old I am but when I was turned I suppose I was about that age as well, maybe nineteen.”

“Sayo-san,” hearing her name made Sayo’s skin crawl, but not in a bad way. Tsugumi unbuttoned her cardigan and the first couple of her blouse, exposing her unblemished white neck to Sayo’s bright red eyes. They were only inches apart, with Tsugumi’s hands on her shoulders bunching up the fabric of her vest and Sayo could finally feel the shudders.

Sayo gulped, running her tongue over her teeth. “This… this is going to hurt, Hazawa-san. A lot,” she said slowly, placing her hands on Tsugumi’s shoulders. She could finally see the hesitation settling on her face, and it made her feel sick. “Please tell me now if you would like to reconsider.”

It seemed she was going to, but then Tsugumi shook her head violently, resting it on one of Sayo’s arms with a face she couldn’t quite describe. But if she were human, Sayo was sure she would feel… certain things. “If it’s going to help you, I want to do anything I can. Because I’m Tsugurific,” she said with a small laugh.

“

Tsugurific

.”

“It’s a nickname… sort of?”

There really was a “kids these days” comment in there, but Sayo was sure any second she was going to collapse yet again and didn’t want to waste time, so she placed one hand on Tsugumi’s head to tilt it to the right, while the other placed itself on her lower back. Tsugumi’s grip on her clothing got tighter, and she took a quick glance to see her squeezing her eyes shut.

It had never felt this hard before in her life. Sayo had never thought about backing out. Yet here she was, wondering how she could get out of it when she was at the final step.

“Sayo-sa-”

Teeth piercing her artery interrupted her question, which was followed up by a loud cry of pain. Sayo shut her eyes as the blood poured in, yet all she could feel was Tsugumi’s thrashing and shaky hands grabbing onto her shoulders with all her strength.

It was sweet.

So sweet

, Sayo couldn’t believe it. Red eyes slowly dragged upwards as she took in more and more and

more

. Her grip on Tsugumi’s body tightened, she felt herself losing consciousness as she continued to down drop after drop. It felt so good, so satisfying to feel strength come back to her.

“S… Sayo-san…?” Tsugumi’s body was going slack, and if Sayo didn’t stop soon the girl was going to die.

Enough. Enough, enough, enough…

With a loud pop and gasp, Sayo released herself from Tsugumi’s neck. Her skin was coated with blood, her collar was completely drenched, and the two wounds Sayo left were larger than she expected. Had she really sunk them in that deep? She immediately dug in her vest pocket for a handkerchief, which she wiped across Tsugumi’s neck and chest before pressing it against the holes in her skin to stop the bleeding.

“Thank you. I’m sorry,” she said lowly into Tsugumi’s hair. The teenager had slumped over, but she was awake. “I will take you to my home to get you cleaned up. My sister Hina will take care of your wounds for you.”

All Tsugumi could do was nod weakly against her shoulder, and Sayo quickly slung the backpack over her shoulder before gently picking Tsugumi up into her arms to let her rest against her chest. With a quick scope of the area and confirming nobody was around, she sprinted her away out of the alleys and to the Hikawa household.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock, tock…
Keeping an eye on her watch felt like having Pastel*Palettes whispering in her ears, keeping her anxious and waiting for the minutes to roll by. But she couldn’t help it! She was dressed so nicely and had a model help her coordinate her outfit only to sit alone at one of the counters in the busy cafe, looking nervous and impatient. Unlike Hazawa Coffee, it was a much more fast-paced place, and sitting around for too long might make people stare…“Ah, Tsugumi!”She looked up from the table and whipped her head back to find one of the people she had been waiting for, hand lifted in the air in a greeting. Wearing an off-shoulder pink top with frills across the chest and a pair of white shorts, she looked ready for summer already. Tsugumi let out a deep breath and felt her cheeks redden in embarrassment, but she managed to give Imai Lisa a big smile.“Lisa-san! Hello,” she said, switching to another seat so Lisa could easily slip into the booth seat across from her. Tsugumi brushed the crumbs off the table in a furious fashion once she realized the mess she had made, and Lisa let out a small laugh.“You’re here early! Pre-date jitters, huh?” she teased lightly, searching through her bag for her phone. Tsugumi could feel her face turn hot but she didn’t deny it. After all, lying to Imai Lisa - and getting away with it - just never worked out.“Y-yeah… I mean- it’s not like we haven’t been on dates before, it’s just…” she weakly thumbed the ring on her index finger and felt a tug at the corner of her lips. “It’s our first time being on a double date, so I’m kind of nervous.”Lisa hummed as she flipped her phone so the screen was against the table, freeing her of any distractions. “That’s okay! You know, Yukina and I haven’t ever really been on date-dates. We’ve hung out alone so much growing up that it doesn’t feel any different even now!” She let out a sigh as Tsugumi’s eyes widened, and rested her chin in her palm with a soft grin. “I would like to do the traditional, romantic date at a fancy restaurant, candlelit dinner one day~”They shared a giggle, and Tsugumi felt the weight on her shoulders lift with every bit of small talk they had between them. She and Lisa knew of each other, but it wasn’t until she and Hikawa Sayo began dating that she realized the other members of Roselia were still quite a mystery to her. She was glad it was Lisa who had arrived early - she was fashionable and friendly and wouldn’t make Tsugumi scared of talking with her.“So! I see you’ve got a cute outfit on. Hm~ trying to impress someone I see?” Lisa said, eyes glued to the red shirt Tsugumi was wearing, causing the blush on her face to come right back. She was certain it didn’t suit her, as it was a more mature look than she was used to. The red long sleeve shirt was tucked into a black shinichell skirt that was a little too long on her, and finished with a pair of black ankle boots that Eve had been nice enough to neatly tie for her.“Ah… haha, Eve-chan said this was perfect for a spring date, so… she lent me some of her wardrobe. It doesn’t suit me, does it…?”There were a few seconds of silence before Lisa let out a laugh. “Are you kidding? You look gorgeous. You know, maybe after this we can spend some time shopping for a cute hat or two you can wear with this outfit! I think that’s what you’re missing.”Tsugumi whipped her gaze to her senior, who was looking at her with a soft look in her eyes. Suddenly, her chest felt warm and she gave a small smile in return. “That would definitely be nice.”“Hmm, Yukina’s on her way now… what about Sayo?”Tsugumi looked at her phone and shook her head when she saw no notification. “She’s probably just getting out of bed,” she laughed. “I’ll send a message.”“Then how about we just order something for ourselves while we wait? Smelling all this coffee is making me crave it!”Lisa was already out of her seat and practically dragging Tsugumi out of hers with a short stumble, both of them lining up behind five or so people. She had heard about how open and honest Lisa was with about anyone, but she hadn’t expected her to treat Tsugumi like a friend right off the bat.“Hm… I dont something too sweet, but I’m also not a huge fan of bitter drinks. Ah!” she turned to the shorter girl who was calmly reading over the menu. “You know a lot about coffee, don’t you Tsugumi? What would you recommend?”Blushing, Tsugumi once again let her thumb smooth the ring on her index finger and nodded slowly. “Um, I don’t really like black coffee either, so I usually go with a caramel macchiato,” she said, shyly tilting her head at the confession. “They put a lot of caramel syrup on top which makes it really sweet!”“That sounds pretty good! Hmm, then how about I buy the drinks and you get us something to eat with them?”Panicking, Tsugumi nervously tugged at her purse strap. “A-are you sure?! I can buy my own, they’re kinda-”“Don’t worry about it!” Lisa interrupted, patting the top of her head. Tsugumi had to surrender then, but she couldn’t help giggling.
I knew Roselia was kind…
“Hello, can I get two caramel macchiatos? Both tall!”The girl at the register nodded, tapping away at the screen before nodding. “Name?”Lisa opened her mouth immediately, but shut it with a hum. Tsugumi watched with interest, as her smile got wider and her eyes lit up. Then, she gave her usual cat-like smile and nodded. “Minato Lisa!”“Understood, Minato-sama. We will call you when your order is finished.”Tsugumi’s mouth dropped, and her cheeks flared red as she watched Lisa chuckle away with her receipt. Clearing her throat she approached the counter and nervously fiddled with the  zipper of her purse. She spotted a few small danishes behind the glass that looked pretty nice, so she pointed to them. “I’ll have two of those, please.”“Of course. Would you like them warmed? This will take a few minutes.”The sound of it made Tsugumi’s mouth water. “Yes! Please,” she answered excitedly. It would definitely soften them, and make it easier to avoid getting crumbs all over the place.“And your name?”“Hikawa Tsugumi.”She blanched. Lisa laughed from where she stood. Blushing, Tsugumi accepted her change with a shaky hand and hurried to Lisa’s side where they turned to return to their table when they noticed the two people standing at the door. One had her hand covering the lower half of her mouth in deep thought, while the other was completely red and staring at Tsugumi with wide green eyes.“Yukina~! Come over here~” Lisa waved, gesturing to the spot by the counter. Slowly, the vocalist made her way to where she stood, red ears almost the shade of Tomoe’s hair clearly visible from under her silver locks. “Tsugumi, would you mind getting our stuff while we pick a table upstairs? It’ll be quieter up there!”Tsugumi, too busy drowning herself in green, flinched. “Ah, y-yeah! Go ahead…!”Thus, she was left alone in the face of her girlfriend who seemed too stunned to even take a step closer. A million apologies were already on her tongue when a semi-loud “Minato-sama!” dragged her out of her daze. The two drinks were sitting in large mugs, and the white froth was topped with a rich caramel that made her want to run her tongue across it.She put a few spoons and extra condiments on the tray with the hand of a true waitress. It took her a moment to finally feel her presence, but Sayo was immediately by her side as she got everything in order, making her nerves settle just a little. As always, she looked stunning: her loose white blouse and black slacks made her look so mature and adult-like.“Hikawa-sama!” the same employee said, though Sayo’s head was the one that quickly turned.“Yes?”He raised an eyebrow and Tsugumi let out a small squeak, face turning red again. Sayo, despite her shaky breath, slowly reached out to take the paper bag in her hand and set it beside the mugs on the tray. Tsugumi wanted to hide her face but kept her head lowered as consolation.“I-I’m sorry, it just slipped out and I wasn’t thinking and I-”An arm snaking around her waist made her stop mid sentence, and Tsugumi looked over to see a gentle smile on Sayo’s face that made her heart swell even more. She couldn’t help but glance at the ring that hung on a chain around her neck that matched hers. It was slightly embarrassing to have matching promise rings like they were teenagers, but Sayo had been the one to buy them, and Tsugumi couldn’t remember a moment she ever took it off. She had thought about marriage a lot, and marrying Sayo was almost like a dream. They were both still in their early twenties, so maybe when they were just a little older...“Let us go?” Sayo said, eyeing the line that was only getting larger. With a small press against Tsugumi’s waist as they walked, she leaned down until her lips brushed the shell of Tsugumi's ear. “Darling .”“S… Sayo-san !”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

They didn’t have much of a choice, it was a situation they couldn’t have prevented even if they tried.

At least, the two of them hoped if they repeated that in their minds enough, it would be true. Squished against the window of a van packed with eight other band mates and friends, Sayo and Tsugumi were doing their best to keep at least an inch of space between them. But luck wasn’t on their side, as they had a whole cooler and Hina’s constant movement keeping them from comfortably enjoying the ride.

“I’m sorry, Sayo-san,” Tsugumi meekly said at some point, keeping her head low as a harsh turn, no thanks to Himari’s erratic driving, nearly threw her into the other girl’s lap. Her apologies were frequent in the beginning, but eventually became silent as Sayo got the picture. She kept her feet planted into the van’s carpet as best she could to steel herself for every turn or curve, but Himari was determined to make the experience as bumpy as possible.

They were on a near 10 hour drive to Osaka for a concert put on by Roselia, but the trains had been shut down for maintenance with an unknown window of when it would complete and the band needed to be at the venue to set things up before the concert within the next day. After that they planned on spending a few days sightseeing what they could before heading home.

All of it sounded like a pretty neat plan, and when Tsugumi mentioned it to Afterglow, Moca’s intense feelings for Osaka cuisine influenced her decision to help Roselia set up and clean up which led to the whole band joining them and then Hina, who just had to see Sayo on stage.

It

sounded

neat. But as soon as the van pulled up, with seats to fit all of them but not with all their luggage, they knew something was going to go wrong. Crammed in the back where only two seats were with all the bags, Sayo had volunteered to be the designated stewardess, and Tsugumi, with her blatant crush and need to help out, offered to assist. Thus they were opening the cooler and bags to get what everyone needed, but at the expense of being smothered.

“Um,” Tsugumi blurted, turning her head to see Sayo crane hers to keep space between them. Her cheeks flushed a ripe red, while Sayo’s were just a light dust of pink, and Tsugumi swallowed in nervousness. “Did you want something to drink?”

Almost furiously, Sayo shook her head. “I’m quite alright, thank you,” she said. A swift lane change made her nearly tumble into Tsugumi’s arms. Of course, the seats they had chosen had the unfortunate luck of being the only ones without seatbelts, making it increasingly difficult to stay in place with how often they were tossed around.

Looking behind her shoulder, Lisa gave them a good smirk - at least Tsugumi was able to catch it as Sayo was too busy concentrating on her balance. “Sayo, you’re too stiff! C’mon, relax, relax!” she urged, throwing her arms around Hina’s shoulders. Hina gave them a peace sign with her own smile to emphasize Lisa’s point.

It seemed Sayo was paying attention, as she seemed to visibly relax just a little and let her eyes do the talking before clearing her throat. “Imai-san, might I remind you this is not a

vacation

despite the…” she took a glance at Tsugumi who was busy taking deep breaths, “

favorable

situation. We do still have lots of work to do before we can relax.”

“But… but Onee-chan! It’s not like you can play your instrument in the car and if you could it would probably be bad with-” they hit another pothole, nearly sending Hina flying off her seat in a cartoonish manner. “-with how Himari-chan is driving!”

There was a faint “hey!” from the front, but a collective chuckle from all members of the vehicle said enough. Sayo let out a sigh, but leaned back as a sign that she had lost. “I suppose, for now at least, I should rest if I want to be alert for the event.”

“Tsugu-chan too!” Hina said, turning to stare right at Tsugumi. The keyboardist jumped, eyes swiping over every face before them. Lisa, Hina, Yukina and Ako sat closely in front of them while Moca, Ran and Rinko sat behind Himari and Tomoe who were at the helm of the operation. The only mischievous three before them were actually paying them any attention, but it still felt like all eyes were on her. She could even see Yukina’s curiously quiet eyes peeking over her shoulder every once in a while.

Tsugumi couldn’t form words on her tongue and could feel herself start to panic, but after a very obviously teasing wink Lisa pulled Hina into a conversation to distract her.

She took a glance at Sayo, who still had her arms crossed but was otherwise limp in her seat. Her eyebrows were still knitted together and a frown was still evident on her face, but she didn’t seem to be as stiff. Tsugumi bit her bottom lip and let out a small sigh, feeling her own stiff muscles begin to make way for relaxation as well. If Sayo wasn’t worried, then she wasn’t going to be either.

It was a quiet ten minutes, in which only Ran had asked for a water bottle, Ako had fallen asleep and only once did Himari jerk the van back into the lane. She could have busied herself with her phone or music, but couldn’t find the energy or interest. And looking at the time would have only made it worse if she were to find out there would be another five hours to go.

“Hazawa-san.” Tsugumi, starting to feel sleep drag her eyelids closed, blinked and looked to the side where Sayo had her back against the window of the van. A small breath escaped her lips, but she allowed her eyes to trace the path from her shoulders to her hands, where she was holding out her arms.

She still looked as serious as ever, too.

“S-Sayo-san?” she squeaked, feeling her cheeks going cherry red. She sat up straighter in her seat once she realized she had been slumping forward without knowing it, while Sayo raised an eyebrow in confusion.

“I’ve noticed you’re falling asleep. Laying like this will provide us the most comfort while we are back here,” she explained in a calm fashion. Tsugumi, still flustered, could just barely hear her explanation over the sound of her heartbeat, but nodded along with her anyway. Sayo nodded in response, gesturing with her arms.

Gulping, Tsugumi slowly moved from her spot and began to get closer to Sayo’s arms when the largest shake the van had yet literally threw her into Sayo’s chest, the guitarist wrapping her arms around Tsugumi’s waist in an effort to keep her safe from harm. Warm skin met her lips, and Tsugumi took a moment to realize her face was buried in Sayo’s neck, hands bunching up the fabric on her shoulders.

“Oi, Himari!” Tomoe’s voice boomed from the passenger seat. “Closest gas station,

now

! You’re gonna kill us before we get there!”

“We’ll be fine, he just cut me off!”

The rest of their conversation faded completely. Tsugumi could feel the rapid thumps underneath her chest, and her rapid breathing was making the skin under her cheek grow warm. Sayo’s body was soft and comfortable, and the hands on her lower back made no effort to move.

“S… Sayo-san…” she said after a few more moments in silence. Tsugumi was starting to get comfortable, but she was crushing her, and if she didn’t get up soon Sayo was likely going to hate her! “Um- I’m sorry I’ll - get of…”

Sayo didn’t say anything in response, but the pressure on her back got firmer, planting Tsugumi where she was. Sucking in a breath, Tsugumi nodded against Sayo’s neck and buried her face into her collar, wondering when the steam in her head was going to start escaping through her ears.

It was the most comfortable she had been since they sat down, and she didn’t want it to end after only a few hours.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

It was like a montage summer cliches. The bright, blue sky. The shiny summer seas just calling their name. White sand that threatened to melt off the skin of their feet with a single step… just watching everyone getting excited upon seeing the beach appear from behind the hills made Tsugumi’s skin vibrate in excitement.

“We’re lucky Ran-chan’s dad is so kind,” she commented, watching as the black-haired vocalist jumped in her seat with a small blush on her cheeks. Tsugumi giggled, feeling a hand tighten around hers. Of course, beside her and watching the seagulls fly them by on the train was none other than Hikawa Sayo. “Are you excited, Sayo-san?”

“I can’t say I’m not,” her friendly girlfriend answered quietly. “I’ve been on a summer camp with Roselia before, but we didn’t really have much time to indulge ourselves… for most of it, anyway.”

Tsugumi hummed. A summer camp… Afterglow had been on their own little adventures before, but they weren’t so serious about their music they felt one was needed. But the idea was certainly nice. “Hm… I’m looking forward to getting a tan!” she declared, clenching her fists. She heard Sayo chuckle, just a little, before resuming her sightseeing through the window. It was the first summer since they had started dating, resulting in nearly hours of shopping with Himari and Lisa for the perfect swimsuit.

She pressed a hand to her thigh, her shorts keeping it concealed until she was ready. Every so often she would see Himari peek over her seat to give Tsugumi a not-so subtle eyebrow wiggle, and it would just make her even more nervous. Eventually her butterflies would settle down, and she would forget about it until Himari’s green eyes appeared before her again.

They hurriedly got off the train, with Ran leading the way until they found the building her father rented out as a summer home. “It’s not much, he said, but…”

Tomoe whistled. “I can’t believe he never told us about this until now! Man, these Airbnb places are sweet!”

They were greeted with a fully clean, fully furnished apartment. Two sofas, a small kitchen and dining table, and three doors that, after a quick peek, hid two futons each. Three large windows let in a fair amount of natural light inside, giving it a warm, welcoming feel.

“Ah!!” Himari yelled, nearly ripping the curtains open. “Ocean view! Ran, your dad is amazing! We

have

to give him front row seats at our next show!” She hurriedly wrapped her arms around the shorter girl, who flushed and turned her head, sputtering a counter that went ignored.

Sayo nodded. “It’s very nice. It looks like we’ll be able to do plenty of cooking during our stay.” She tugged lightly at Tsugumi’s hand, the two of them walking towards one of the doors. “I suppose we should claim bedrooms now. Considering we have three couples here it should be no issue?”

Tsugumi blushed, but Himari and Tomoe nodded in agreement fairly quickly. Sayo picked up the bag at her feet and walked into the one nearest to the entrance, setting it down. They heard the others shuffling around, following their lead. It was only going to be a four-day stay, but if they wanted to make the most of it, now was the best time to unpack.

“Tsugumi-san,” Sayo said, turning from her spot at the small window. “Which futon would you like?”

“Um..!” they both looked the same, and had a small lamp in between to light up the room when it was dark. “I’ll do the one near the door. I tend to get up to use the restroom late at night and I wouldn’t want to disturb you…”

“Even if you did it wouldn’t matter to me, but understood.”

It was also the first time in a while that she and Sayo slept together in the same room. The butterflies from before came back in full force, and she had to step out of the room to catch her breath as Sayo laid out pajamas and towels for easy access on top of her bag.

“So!” Himari shouted, plopping down on one of the two couches with a loud sigh. The air conditioner rumbled a little as it blew chilly air into the stuffy apartment. “It’s still really early, we should hit the beach as soon as possible!”

“I’m game!” Tomoe said. Moca could be heard from behind the door of her and Ran’s room, and Tsugumi hummed with a nod. She was already wearing her bathing suit, as Himari had already planned to suggest the beach once they arrived.

Thus, within the hour they were walking down towards the sandy shores, towels and bags and sunglasses prepared for the day. Tsugumi sighed as the sun hit her skin again, the cold air from the apartment fizzing away from the strong rays. It was a weekday, but seeing as it was the middle of august and everyone was on summer break, there were quite a few crowds milling around on Zanpa Beach.

She had nervously stepped out of the changing rooms, clenching her bag to her chest while watching for Sayo’s reaction. At first, she was busy watching Himari and Tomoe set up the umbrellas while Ran and Moca were already heading for the water, until Tsugumi reached out to touch the tips of her fingers.

“All do-”

And Sayo’s voice died. She was in a familiar bikini, one Tsugumi had seen before with a pair of shorts. Tsugumi, however, tried something a little more cute. It was her band color - yellow, with a single white stripe in the middle and a floral patterned skirt hanging at her hips. There were regular bikini bottoms underneath, but Tsugumi preferred having a little more coverage despite Lisa’s claims that the former would send Sayo into orbit.

She finished off the look with a cute yellow flower pin to really give off the beach vibes, braided bangs away from her face. “U-um,” she nervously gulped, playing with the strap of her bag, “Do… I look okay?”

For a moment, Sayo could do nothing but stare - eyes lingering in places that made Tsugumi hotter than the sun. Then, a small gulp, followed by a quiet “yes”. Taking her hand, Sayo guided her to the umbrella, where Tomoe and Himari had left everything alone to join the others.

“You’ll need sunscreen before you join them. I know you want to tan, but I wouldn’t want you to burn,” she said, gently laying down one of the towels stuffed inside her personal backpack. Tsugumi quietly followed her lead, blushing hotly as she connected the dots in her head. Sayo simply stared as she slowly lay on her stomach, resting her cheek against her arms with a nervous flick of her eyes.

Sayo, somehow immune to the embarrassing atmosphere, dug into Tsugumi’s bag to retrieve the sunscreen. She gave Tsugumi a small nod before sitting on her knees beside her stomach. Tsugumi bit her bottom lip as Sayo slowly pulled the knot at her back, setting the straps aside to give herself full access to Tsugumi’s back.

Then, the coldest sensation she had ever felt touched her, resulting in a small squeak and flinch. “S-sorry!” she said, burying her face into her elbows even further. She could hear the small chuckle leaving Sayo’s lips, but a quick peek showed her girlfriend turning as red as a crab. A small sense of relief washed over her - that she wasn’t the only one who felt embarrassed.

Sayo’s fingers were rough, but strong, and Tsugumi felt like she was getting a massage rather than some sunscreen on her back. Still, she allowed herself to relax. Sayo took that as a sign to continue, and applied a little more lotion on her hands before reaching up to touch the back of her neck, the tips of her middle fingers gliding along the underside of Tsugumi’s chin.

“I think I can do my arms and legs myself, Sayo-san.”

“Sure.”

The slow pace and the warmth of the air made Tsugumi let out a small calm sigh, feeling herself being lulled to sleep. Until Sayo’s hands dipped a little lower, that is. They slipped across her ribs, just barely brushing the edge of her breast and Tsugumi kicked upwards in surprise, sending a shower of sand down Sayo’s back.

“S-Sayo-san! Oh, I’m sorry!”

“D-don’t worry. I apologize, Tsugumi-san… I wasn’t paying attention.” Gulping, the snap of the lid being shut and the feel of her straps being tied again made Tsugumi feel a heavy sense of guilt and disappointment, until the bottle was handed to her. Shy green eyes looked up at her, pale skin going red. “Perhaps, you… could do me?” her face shot up with a small gasp. “I mean - rub me - my back… the lotion.”

Giggling, Tsugumi sat up with a content groan and made room for Sayo to lay down.

“Of course.”

It wasn't until Himari came running to drag them into the ocean that they realized nearly an hour had gone by and they still had no sunscreen on their arms or legs.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Her internal clock was set to go off every morning at 6:00, no earlier and no later. A small stretch, a quiet yawn, and a ruffle of brown hair later, Tsugumi set her blankets aside and was on her feet, feet dragging across the cold floor towards the bathroom.

She brushed her teeth first, then washed her face, combed her hair and braided her growing bangs until they were out of the way. The cafe downstairs, now under her ownership, didn’t open until eight, giving her a few hours to bake and prepare - but of course she had a few hands to help her out which lifted a few pounds off her shoulders.

She was dressed in her uniform and making her way to the kitchen a little after 6:15, small yawns here and there but her eyes shiny and excited for the new day.

“First things first…” she whispered, reaching into one of the cabinets for her coffee grinder. Slowly, quietly, she paced around the kitchen while making sure to check the clock every so often. Gathering cups, plates, small bowls, she rolled up her sleeves and dove into the fridge, wondering if she could possibly finish just a little faster than yesterday.

As soon as the rice let out a low beep, so did Tsugumi’s phone.

Tsugumi-san! I’m here now, did you want me to start warming the ovens?

Yes, thank you! I’ll be down to help you as soon as I’m done up here!

She could hear the doors downstairs open, then close with a loud clack as they were locked again. Tsugumi was ever grateful to have Eve as her trusted assistant manager, especially since she was still so eager to start the day as much as she was. She did feel a little bad some days, listening to her work while she was still preparing breakfast, but Eve never once complained, so neither did she.

Given that it was Monday, one of the cafe’s busiest days, Tsugumi went for a lazy breakfast: onigiri. It was going to be appreciated whether it was something fancy or not, but she still took her time gently packing them full of tuna and mayo, and patting them until they were nearly perfect. Forgoing the seaweed wrap, she placed them on the table along with a fairly large empty mug to be filled later.

She counted the minutes until exactly seven, when the rustle of sheets and the sounds of pillows hitting the floor came in succession. Sipping at her drink, comprised mostly of milk and sugar but still waking her up, Tsugumi watched as the form of her long-time girlfriend Hikawa Sayo slumped out of the bedroom.

“Good morning, Sayo-san!” she chirped, feeling her cheeks grow hot at her presence. The honorific was familiar on her tongue - far too familiar, she couldn’t help letting it slip despite them dating for nearly five years now. Sayo blinked once, then twice, until finally her head turned to her, a small smile only ever seen in the morning made its way onto her face.

She leaned into Tsugumi’s personal space, giving her a chaste kiss before she headed into the bathroom to freshen up. It only took a few minutes, even with her long hair to look presentable. “Your uniform is hanging in the bedroom, I found some time last night to iron it for you!” Tsugumi called from the kitchen, watching as Sayo stopped mid-step before nodding and returning to the bedroom. A few seconds later, Tsugumi heard the rustling of sheets again, presumably Sayo throwing the pillows onto the mattress.

“Should I fix the bed?”

“Hmm… I can do it later, don’t worry about it right now.”

“Understood.”

Tsugumi couldn’t help but smile into her drink at the formal reply, eyeing the hallway curiously until Sayo returned, fixing up the last of her buttons. “Thank you. I shouldn’t let you handle my laundry, but it seems you do a better job at ironing than I.”

“Only because the day you had an important meeting at work you left it in the washing machine,” Tsugumi answered with a teasing tone, tapping her nails against the cup as Sayo took her seat. Nodding, Tsugumi slowly sat up and brought over the steaming coffee pot, letting it fall into Sayo’s mug like a smooth waterfall until it was nearly full. “Did you want any cream today?”

Sayo, checking her watch, shook her head. “Not that I didn’t sleep well last night, but today Hina’s team is going to be making a visit…” she and Tsugumi shared a knowing, fond look, “I could use the energy.”

“Don’t bully her too much, Sayo-san. She’s your sister first, partner second. And she seems to be doing well, doesn’t she? That idol group is gaining popularity pretty quickly.”

Slowly picking up the onigiri on her plate, Sayo nodded. “They are, and I am proud of how hard Hina works to get them work. However, in the office she’s my work partner first. The same would go for you if you were in our field.”

Tsugumi pouted, just a little, going so far as to turn her head. Sayo didn’t react, too busy nodding her head along with the food going into her mouth.

“Ah! I bought that new mayonnaise you were talking about the other day. Is it good?”

Sayo continued nodding, not bothering to answer as she took another bite. As serious as she was in the music industry - intimidating labels and artists as they worked out contracts, Hikawa Sayo was still as soft and childish in private. It was a side to her Tsugumi wanted to keep monopolized, if shared a little with her practical sister-in-law.

“I should head down and help Eve-san with the rest of the coffee for the day,” she said, glancing at the clock that read 7:30. Sayo hummed, finishing off her breakfast with a sigh before lifting her mug to her lips now that it had cooled off a little. “Your bag is by the door this time, try not to forget your IC card?”

Flushing, Sayo shook her head as her dishes were taken from her. “I won’t - thank you.”

She stood as Tsugumi finished washing her dishes, and Tsugumi could feel the very firm touch on her waist as they huddled by the door to put on their shoes. “Go ahead,” Sayo said, letting her leave first as she took her bag and train pass, even lifting them so Tsugumi could see they were in her grasp.

“Tsugumi-san! Sayo-san! Good morning!” came Eve’s bright and cheery greeting, sticking her head out from one of the ovens they had behind the counter. “Tsugumi-san, we have a few cheesecakes in the fridge now!”

Tsugumi, tying her apron and rolling up her sleeves, smiled brightly at how eager Eve seemed to be this morning. “Thank you, Eve-san! I’m really trying to get you that raise, you deserve it.”

She was soon engulfed in a tight hug, Eve loudly proclaiming her appreciation for Tsugumi as a manager. Sayo stepped around them, flattening her suit jacket a little. “I will get going. Thank you for breakfast, it was delicious,” she said, green eyes cooling watching as Tsugumi wiggled out of Eve’s embrace. “Wakamiya-san, thank you for always helping her out. You truly are appreciated.”

Out of habit, Sayo gave her a formal bow, making Tsugumi blush and Eve press her palms against her cheeks in surprise. “Sayo-san! You’re welcome, I love helping out!”

Tsugumi stepped closer as Sayo neared the entrance of the cafe’s main floor, where the bright buttery sunlight was spreading across the oak tables. But also where anyone walking by could see them. She raised her hands to touch the edge of Sayo’s collar - purposefully left untouched and unkept for her to fix.

“Have a good day?” she said, patting down her collar until Sayo finally looked presentable.

Sayo nodded, her serious expression making way for that familiar warmth. “I will, thank you.”

Standing on her toes, and Sayo leaning down, their lips met in a gentle parting kiss. Eve let out a small, quiet squeak as she turned away with her ears red. It never lasted too long, and Tsugumi always broke it first, to tug at Sayo’s wavy bangs with a small giggle.

“I will call if I’m going to be late, I hope you gave a good day as well.”

“See you later!”

And at exactly 7:45, Sayo was out the door and heading towards the station, while Tsugumi and Eve hurried to finish off the rest of their preparations.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

As she lay there, feeling herself roast from the inside out, the feeling to just crack eggs on her thighs and call it dinner grew stronger and stronger. She wouldn’t do that, of course - not on her brand new couch, and especially not when it would require jumping into a hot bath… Tsugumi tipped her head back at the thought.

“Mhh… it’s way too hot…”

She was already in starfish position on said couch, with her socks pointed to the ceiling and arms softening like noodles by the minute. Her air conditioner had been on full blast for hours, yet anything the sunlight touched seemed to feel like the flames of hell had paid them a visit. Tsugumi was tempted to just shut her curtains, but her preference for natural light won that battle.

A lazy Sunday afternoon turned miserable. Any plans she had were quickly cancelled, as Moca and Himari were prone to avoid the heat, and the heatwave plaguing the nation certainly didn’t help. So she was left to her own devices, quietly broiling on her couch with no plans but watching whatever cheap dramas happened to be on TV.

Her phone buzzed three times, indicating she was receiving a call, and just as Tsugumi found the strength to touch her phone it promptly stopped and the click of her lock echoed through the apartment. She didn’t need to run to the door or even look at it, knowing it was exactly who she expected.

“Hello, Tsugumi-san.”

Hikawa Sayo’s gentle voice was slightly muffled under the powerful gust coming from the air conditioner, but Tsugumi felt too weak to feel embarrassed enough to turn it down. Still, she couldn’t help perking up at the sight of her girlfriend, who stopped in the kitchen to place a few things into the freezer.

“Ice cream?”

“Yes. I was curious about the coconut flavored one and bought a few, but there’s also strawberry for you if you’d like. I recommend we wait for them to freeze again.”

Sayo quietly joined Tsugumi in the main room, eyeing the couch for a spot to sit on when Tsugumi promptly snapped her arms and legs closer to her body, scooting just a few inches to let her sit comfortably. “Hi, Sayo-san!” she cheerfully greeted, turning her eyes to the TV. Daytime television was truly dull, wasn’t it?

“Hello,” Sayo repeated, curiously brushing her fingers across Tsugumi’s sweaty bangs. “You look like you’ve been having… a day.”

Blushing, Tsugumi shook her hair from Sayo’s touch, not wanting to gross her out despite Sayo being the one to reach out. “N-not really! I mean, I haven’t really done much of anything. Moca-chan and Himari-chan wanted to go to the movies and then lunch, but they said it was too hot.”

Sayo nodded. Her teal hair lightly brushed her cheeks as the air pushed against it, ruffling it just a little, while her ponytail was squished between Sayo’s back and the sofa cushion. “It is quite warm, isn’t it? You can also get sick from being too hot, Tsugumi-san. I hope you’ve been drinking enough fluids.”

“I have! Kinda…. Ahaha…” Tsugumi nervously scooted closer, until their bare thighs were touching. Tsugumi’s skin was slightly sticky from the sweat that had been accumulating all day, whereas Sayo’s skin was as soft as ever. Sayo’s cheeks went pink a little, but she didn’t protest. “How about you?”

“Hm… well, Imai-san and I had planned on trying a new recipe she found on the internet. But…”

Tsugumi blinked, watching as Sayo’s expression became more flustered as the seconds ticked. “But?”

Clearing her throat, Sayo crossed her arms with a defeated sigh. “She too cancelled due to the weather. Summer is my least favorite season.”

“Why is that?” Tsugumi could feel a cooler air radiating off of Sayo’s skin, nearly matching the air conditioner in how frigid it was. The mere presence of it made Tsugumi want to pursue it. Slowly, slowly… she leaned against Sayo’s shoulder. And again, Sayo barely acknowledged it was happening.

Tilting her head, Sayo hummed as she thought of an answer. But then, her fingers danced across the back of her hand. “It seems everyone but Hina and I are weak to the heat and rarely go out. Not that I mind the alone time, but it does get quite tedious having to make the trip when something does come up.”

“Hm…” Tsugumi had been listening up until Sayo’s cold hand rested on her sticky arm. She really hoped Sayo wasn’t thinking of how gross she felt. But as she leaned against Sayo’s arm, short sleeve just barely hanging over the curve of her shoulder, Sayo’s chilly skin nearly made Tsugumi fall asleep from how comfortable it felt. Soft, squishy, cool… like she had just flipped her pillow to the cold side in the middle of a hot summer night.

“Tsugumi-san?” Sayo, who had apparently been busy watching the crime drama, finally noticed her silence. Tilting her head to get a look at her, Sayo lifted an eyebrow in confusion before Tsugumi’s soft smile stunned her. “Are you feeling okay? Shall I prepare lunch?”

Shaking her head, Tsugumi merely pulled herself closer to Sayo until her back was against the thin armrest, Tsugumi’s head resting on her shoulder. Their legs brushed, and Tsugumi shivered as Sayo’s cold skin once again made her feel so much better. Sayo adjusted her position, slipping a pillow behind her back to rest comfortably against it.

“This is quite unexpected.”

“Mhh… it’s so hot… how can you be so cool in this weather, Sayo-san?”

Sayo, letting herself relax into the pillow, turned her head to the sliding door where some articles of clothing were hanging. Not even a small breeze was passing through, they hung completely still. “I’m not sure. If it helps, I can point the aircon towards us?”

“Ah… maybe in a bit. I’m feeling a little tired.”

“Understood.”

Sayo busied herself with the dull television programming - as the remote was out of reach, and Tsugumi’s breathing began to even out until she eventually fell asleep. Her warm cheek slid across Sayo’s shoulder and into her neck where her small shiver seemed to indicate it too was cold.

After a while, Sayo began to uncomfortably squirm as the heat from Tsugumi’s body began to transfer to her, and the coconut ice cream in the freezer began to call her name.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Lisa set her mug down with a sigh. The cool autumn hair brushing against the back of her neck was a welcome distraction from the pent up frustration growing within her. This was not how she wanted things to go, but with how stubborn and dense a woman Hikawa Sayo was, this was definitely something she should have expected.

Calm down, Lisa… just relax. Sayo is Sayo, she just needs a… a push. Yeah, a push!

She had called Sayo out on a lunch date as they both finally had free schedules and hadn’t seen each other for well over six months. Sayo wasn’t a particularly chatty person over text message; keeping things professional as she always did, or not bothering to reply and letting the “read” do all the talking shattered Lisa’s expectations of keeping a strong friendship in her pocket.

But now, one hour into the conversation and with empty plates sitting before them, there was a certain topic Lisa wanted to breach but didn’t have the courage to ask it bluntly.

And that was Sayo’s love life. Lisa tried to hint at it, mention how things were going between herself and her girlfriend Yukina, asking about Hina’s situation… but it seemed Sayo hadn’t gotten the hint.

Her olive green eyes surveyed the area as Sayo rambled about her new project: she was tasked with recording the tabs for a new single by an up-and-coming idol group. Lisa was still extremely fond of the cafes near Harajuku, where everything was lively and she could engage in excited conversation without worrying about being side-eyed by everyone around them.

It was also perfect to point out any cute person who happened to be walking by.

“Say, Sayo,” she said as soon as it sounded like Sayo was done. Her former bandmate nodded, stirring the last bit of iced tea in her glass. “If you were to pick out one girl - or guy - here who could be your type, who would it be?”

Lisa braced herself for the oncoming sputters and glares, but when she was met with silence, she blinked. Sayo seemed to have heard her question, as she was now looking at the crowd of people walking by - but there didn’t seem to be much clarity in her eyes, like it was an automatic response to her question rather than her seriously considering an answer.

“Hm...” Sayo merely hummed, then went back to her tea, though it was now just a pool of melted ice. Lisa wanted to nudge just a little more, but with how new this reaction was she wanted to see where this would go. So she opted for poking at the remains of her sugar-filled lunch, wishing the french toast could manifest with a few stirs of syrup and whipped cream.

But after a few more moments of silence, Lisa began to feel anxious and antsy, quickly turning her head to find something to bring up.

“That girl with the beret across the street is pretty cute, huh? She could be your type.” Lisa nodded as she looked at the girl’s blouse, frilly skirt and red backpack combination - definitely noticeable and attractive.

Sayo looked up again with the same look of disinterest. “She is pretty. I don't necessarily find her use of boots to be very appealing though.”

Lisa swallowed her scoff - the boots were the best part of the outfit! - and resumed her search in the sea of young women before them. “Ah, what about her? The one with the long dress. A little more punk rock-ish, kind of like how we used to be!”

“Those were costumes and outfits created for entertainment purposes, not something we’d actively wear in public, yes? I don’t find myself being with someone so outlandish.”

Her need to facepalm grew with every nitpick. It was like Sayo wasn’t actually looking at the options Lisa was presenting.

“Okay,” she sighed, drawing out the word. “How about… her? She seems more of a homey type of girl, kind of li-”

The sound of Sayo’s glass, finally empty save for a small pool of water at the bottom, interrupted her. With a small dust of pink on her cheeks, Sayo glared at her like she did when she was annoyed, eyes narrowing.

“Imai-san, what

is

this? I thought you invited me out to lunch to catch up, not to interrogate me about my type of woman.”

Lisa let out another sigh, this time of relief. “Sayo, we're almost 26 and you still haven't gone on a single date! Don't you think it's time to give dating a chance?”

There were a few stages of reactions on Sayo’s face as she processed Lisa’s question, but they soon were covered by Sayo turning her head, crossing her arms. Her sleeves rode up a little, and they exposed the millions of goosebumps spread across her skin. Lisa would accept the reason as the cool October air.

“What makes you think I haven't?”

“Have you?”

She and Sayo looked at each other - Lisa with her eyebrows raised, expecting proof, while Sayo was stunned silent, leaning back as if it would help her dodge the confrontation. Soon, Sayo gave up with a deep sigh, dropping her shoulders.

Lisa pointed her fork at Sayo. “See? When Hina and I try to ask for your opinion about how a girl looks, you look at her like a scientist. You state the facts - nothing more, nothing less. And you get so angry when we start pointing out men we think you might find attractive.”

Sayo blushed and shook her head with an offended scoff. "I already told you I have no interest in men, Imai-san."

"So you do have an interest in girls!"

Lisa winked, while Sayo blushed again, this time grumbling under her breath as she tightened the arms before her chest.

Time to go in for the kill!

“We know why, you know~”

Sayo’s eyes widened, snapping to Lisa’s smirking face with a clear message:

don’t you dare

.

But Lisa was on a mission, and she was dedicated to it. She leaned in a little closer, as if saying it would alarm the other two customers just behind them. “Don't think we haven't noticed how you seem to turn into puddy when you see a girl named Hazawa Tsugumi.”

Sayo narrowed her eyes again. “Don’t bring Tsugumi-san into this. She’s…”

“She's kind, she gives her all with whatever she does, she's extremely polite to her parents and strangers..." Sayo tried to interrupt but Lisa stopped her, "and most of all - she's

cute

, but not overbearingly cute, she has that natural cuteness to her that makes her attractive. She's a traditional girl and she's just. Your. Type.”

Lisa remembered, all those years ago when they would visit Hazawa Coffee and Sayo’s eyes would be completely glued to the girl running around the place. How softly the stone-cold guitarist would speak to and treat her. Lisa had known right away about the fondness Sayo had for Tsugumi, but when they graduated high school and Sayo still hadn’t asked her out she figured it was a small crush that faded.

Until they met up again, at the same cafe, and Sayo’s feelings were even
more
apparent.

She actually left their table with a barely-audible “excuse me” and ran off to the front where the Hazawa’s daughter stood, chatting merrily with her until it was time to go.

“Tsugumi-san, I heard about your studies. Astronomy and business administration?”

“Ahaha, you heard that? But, yes that’s what I’m studying! Ever since Hina-sen- Hina-

san

invited me to go see the stars all those years ago, I just couldn't stop reading up on space and becoming more invested.”

From her spot in the cafe, Lisa bore witness to Tsugumi shyly tugging at her hair. Still short, but longer than she remembered it being when they attended the following class’ graduation. Her body language made it clear that Sayo’s feelings may not have been all that one-sided.

Sayo cleared her throat, clearly thrown off by the adorable sight. “Well, I trust you enough to know when you take a break? Please look after your health. Two majors at once sounds like a lot of work.”

Tsugumi gasped a little, blushing while bowing her head, flattening her palms against her apron. “S-Sayo-san… I’m not fifteen anymore… but thank you, I will.”

The awkward, but warm, silence that followed solidified Lisa’s suspicions.

Lisa blinked as the images burned into her brain came to an end, and she was faced with a Sayo that was a little older, but still just as hesitant to take that step forward.

“The point is, Sayo, you don't even consider the possibility that there might be someone else out there for you.”

"There isn't."

Sayo, now the shade of red Lisa was waiting for, almost fell out of her chair when her automatic answer slipped out of her mouth while Lisa nearly screamed in surprise, hurriedly flying out of her seat to keep Sayo from running off (and her with the bill). A few glances came their way, and they both quickly pulled themselves together like nothing had happened.

Sayo smoothed her blouse to bide for time while collecting her thoughts while Lisa rested her chin in her hands, feeling accomplished. “Y-you’re not… exactly wrong, Imai-san. My feelings for Tsugumi-san might be… or have always been, romantic. But I also have no doubt that she has no interest in me.”

Lisa hummed. It wouldn’t be right of her to say something that might give Sayo false hope, or to put words into Tsugumi’s mouth when she might be completely off the mark. But she was absolutely sure the two of them were meant for each other - nobody would hold onto such feelings for ten years if they absolutely knew they were one-sided.

Soon they were paying their own tab and Lisa waited for Sayo at the front door, wearing a large knowing smile Sayo noticed as soon as they locked eyes.

“Imai-san…”

Ignoring the incoming butt out message Sayo was about to give her, Lisa turned towards the direction of the station. "Hey Sayo. When you said there isn't anyone else out there but her..."

"Yes...?" the tone in Sayo’s voice demonstrated her wariness, and Lisa wanted to laugh at how adorable she was being.

"Maybe you need to make that clear."

With that, she left Sayo with a quick goodbye, hurrying off to the station and the need to spill the tea to Yukina as soon as possible.

One week later, as Lisa was laying on the couch with Yukina on her lap, simply listening to the sounds of cars and trains outside, her phone buzzed with a new message. As soon as the message disappeared into a small notification on her locked screen, Lisa could feel an excited scream bubble in her throat.

“Yukina, it’s from Sayo!”

“And?”

Lisa giggled as she read the contents of said message, showing the screen to her girlfriend who began to grow a proud smirk on her face as she read the short message over and over again. There was no follow up, but they didn’t really need one considering who they were dealing with.

“Her agency is gonna be

so

mad when she can’t focus on her job…”

Sayo, 8:56pm

She said yes.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

If he were to describe his accelerated calculus teacher in one word, it would be: extreme. She knew how to teach, and he could understand new equations and new topics with ease after a few days. But she also expected them to keep up the pace, she had no room for slackers and any questions would have to wait until her office hours - outside of lectures. Out of all his professors she was the one he was scared of the most, especially when he noticed his grade was starting to slip once they hit a rather difficult unit.He wondered if he’d be able to pass the class. It was his sophomore year of university, the year where he could finally shed all his general studies and focus on his major. But all of that would come to an end if he couldn’t get his act together soon. He couldn’t bear having to take a remedial course to make up for it.And that required one thing: a visit to his professor’s office as soon as possible.He sighed one day, holding the syllabus before him as he walked through the halls, checking each room number and counting down until he saw her name plate on the door: Hikawa Sayo. Her hours were listed on the syllabus as being available between 12pm and 4pm, and he quickly checked his watch in a panic, sighing when it read half past one.“Here goes,” he whispered, knocking gently on the door. He heard some shuffling, the taps of a keyboard and a muffled “coming” before it opened, revealing his professor.Nervously, he gulped and nodded. “Hello Hikawa-sensei. I emailed you the other day about-” “Yes, come in.” She wasted no time going back to her desk and he bit his tongue as he followed her in, immediately shaking off his backpack to retrieve his textbook, bookmarked at the exact unit he was falling behind in. “Ah, right. I’m having trouble understanding this… improper integrals…” he pointed at the blocks of equations that might have been a second language to him. “I’ve done studying at home with the lessons you’ve uploaded and with practice questions and I still can’t seem to get it.”Hikawa nodded and reached for her glasses case, clicking away at her computer until the first lesson of the subject appeared on the screen. “I see. We have enough time to start at the beginning, so turn back to section one…”He nodded and took notes as she used the back of her pen to point at and explain how the equations worked, how to work through them and why certain paths wouldn’t work. Roughly forty minutes later, his notebook was filled with new information and equations he could actually do.“Ah… I see, so what I was doing wrong was trying to solve all the limits rather than determining whether they were finite or not…” He tapped his pencil against the most recent problem they ran through, looking much clearer than it did before. “Thank you sensei, I appreciate it.”“There really isn’t much to do with these problems once you know how to do them. I assume you will be able to manage with the rest on your own.”He nodded, sticking his bookmark into his textbook. “Y-yes, at least, I can try. I think I’ll continue studying the other units and try to catch up on my own, but I should have a better understanding now…”A knock on the door interrupted him, and when it opened without Hikawa saying anything he felt a nervousness creeping up in his stomach, one that made him want to shrink. Like he had just walked into something he shouldn’t have.“Pardon the intrusion, Sayo-san! I know you said you had an appointment but you hadn’t been answering my texts so I ran to grab you some lunch after I went grocery shopping. You haven’t eaten all day, have y…”The woman who just walked in holding a few paper bags and was now staring at him with surprise didn’t look to be a teacher, but he didn’t have knowledge on all of them to really say. He blinked, and she blinked, then snapped her eyes towards his professor, who covered her face with her palm. But it took her less than a second to regain that sharp gaze she usually wore during lectures, piercing him with blades of green.It didn’t take long for him to get the message. After all, fresh french fries only lasted so long before they went bad…“Um, I’ll be going then. Thanks for the help, sensei…?”He cursed himself for feeling so flustered, but he made quick work of cleaning up, awkwardly shoving his textbook into his bag and dragging it out of the seat beside him.Even more awkwardly, he stepped around the brown-haired woman who stepped away to let him through the door, face completely red. He wondered if steam would start bursting from her ears from how stiff she looked. “N-nice meeting you…!” she said quietly, hurrying to place the drink in her hand before his professor.“Uh, yeah, sure!”One quick bow later, he shut the door behind him and let out a deep breath. Hikawa was going to kill him, who answered their elders like that? Fixing up his backpack and throwing it over his shoulder, he sighed, feeling relieved that at least it was finally over.But as he passed her office window that was still wide open, he couldn’t help letting his curiosity take the lead. Taking one glance into the office and slowing his pace, he could feel his blood rushing to his face as he watched his professor being fed by the softly smiling woman across from her. She slowly pulled the glasses off Hikawa’s face and brushed her bangs into place before reaching into the cup of fries to hand her another, all the while his professor calmly accepted the attention, tilting her head until it rested in the woman’s palm.He pressed the back of his hands into his cheeks, hoping it would cool his skin down as he hurried down the hallway as soon as he caught a glimpse of her desktop wallpaper, displaying a rather adorable selfie of the two of them.“Should I tell her to close her blinds…? Nah, she’ll kill me… or thank me?”Instead of running back and possibly ruining the mood, he pulled out his phone to email her, hurriedly typing despite nobody else being around. Still, you never know when someone might come from further down the hall…!
Sensei,

Please shut your blinds. People can see you.
Less than a minute later he heard a thud, coupled with a loud “Sayo-san?!” and then the sound of blinds rattling against glass. He didn’t want to be around in case she began a search for him within the building, so he took off as fast as he could to catch the next bullet train to start a new life.…But he still had those calculus problems to work through, so maybe his room would have to be far enough for now.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

She hadn’t exactly meant for the night to go this way. It was a Thursday, barely a day to feel any kind of excitement when the weekend was still two days away. And yet, as Tsugumi stood on the platform along with other disappointed and stranded patrons of working society who had just missed the last train of the night, she couldn’t help but smile a little.

Her office job had been taxing on her lately - colleagues shoveling as much work as possible onto her because she was the newbie of the building, the doormat they knew they could take advantage of. Followed by a boss who saw how much she was getting done and decided

hey, let’s give Hazawa-kun even more work because she’s so great at it!

Tsugumi had been delighted at first to be seen as a reliable employee, but the late nights and missed trains were becoming a problem…

As she walked out of the station with the other doomed and disappointed salary men, checking her phone for the nearest business hotel she could stay at for the night, a thought popped into her head.

She clutched her phone and brought it closer to her chest, biting her bottom lip as she pondered. The yen she had in her wallet was money she really wanted to keep, and it wouldn’t be bad for her to keep it for one night longer, right?

With a nervous gulp, she nodded and took a sharp left - cutting off her route to the nearest business hotel.

It was a quarter past midnight when she finally climbed the loud, metallic steps of the apartment building, cursing her work heels for making such a racket. Tsugumi could feel her cheeks redden as she counted down the doors, keeping her eyes on her goal. If the person inside didn’t answer, she already had a hotel bookmarked…

She hoped she wouldn’t have to use it. If only Himari didn’t leave three stations away…!

Tsugumi cringed at the loud buzz as she rang the doorbell, wondering how inconsiderate this decision was. She was being a complete nuisance, wasn’t she? It was already so late, and she wasn’t the only one with a job to go to in the morning…

Her thoughts slowed to a halt when the light above the apartment door came on, followed by a sleepy “Yes?” came out of the intercom by the handle. Just one word made a warm shiver spread from her back to her toes.

“Ah! H-hi, Sayo-san… um, it’s Hazawa Tsugumi! I’m sorry for coming by so la-”

The door swung open as soon as she said her name, and Tsugumi’s eyes widened at the sight of Hikawa Sayo, in full pajama glory, standing in front of her. The first thing she stared at was the cute drawing of a sleeping dog on her shirt, followed by Sayo’s droopy face.

“Hazawa-san. What a… surprise.”

Anything Tsugumi was feeling came crashing down on her the moment Sayo’s sleepy voice entered her ears. It felt like she was standing trial in front of a grand jury of the angriest customers she had to deal with. Her first response was to get on her hands and knees and beg for forgiveness, considering it looked like Sayo had been asleep for quite a while.

“I-I’m sorry!” she quietly hissed out in panic, gripping her hands together before her thighs. “I didn’t mean to stop by so late - this was stupid, I’ll just be going now..!”

With a quick bow, Tsugumi turned around and began to hurriedly make her way back to the stairs to leave. But she was halted when Sayo stepped out of her apartment to grab the end of her purse, head tilted in confusion.

“Hold on, Hazawa-san. Come inside, it’s no bother.”

Embarrassed and shy, Tsugumi quietly followed her in. She began taking off her heels with a loud sigh, rubbing the balls of her feet that she finally realized had become sore while Sayo began to turn on a small lamp, casting a soft orange glow in the one-room apartment.

“Would you like some tea?” she asked, voice thick from a small yawn that began to escape her throat. Tsugumi took a seat on a cushion by Sayo’s messy bed, feeling her body start to relax now that she finally got a chance to rest and nodded, prompting Sayo to make haste in bringing her a hot cup of green tea.

She took a seat across from Tsugumi, gently setting down a single mug for Tsugumi and a water bottle for herself. “I’m sorry about not having any snacks on hand. I don’t… normally have guests,” Sayo awkwardly began as she uncapped her bottle, taking a small sip while keeping her eyes on the television behind Tsugumi’s shoulder.

Feeling the awkwardness but not wanting to make it any harder on Sayo than it was, Tsugumi let out a small breath, nails lightly scraping her mug before she lifted it towards her mouth, shaking her head as the warmth flooded her mouth for a second. “Don’t apologize, Sayo-san, it’s okay. I’m sorry for intruding like this, I… um…” she licked her lips as she thought of how to say it, “I missed… the last train tonight and I thought…”

For a moment, Sayo was silent. Stuck in the realm between consciousness and sleep, she took her time to process what was said before blinking, slowly nodding.

And then she quickly shook her head, eyes widening as she looked at her alarm clock. “Hazawa-san… are you saying you’ve been at work until just now?”

Tsugumi nodded, taking another slow sip of her tea. “Ah, yes. I lost track of time at work and I’m usually out by ten-thirty, but today I couldn’t bring myself to leave something unfinished so I stayed even longer and then… before I knew it, I was late for the last train home..”

Sayo usually wore a frown on her face, it was just how she was. But tonight, Tsugumi could

tell

she was frowning. She shifted her legs to distract herself from the very clear look Sayo was giving her.

The woman across from her sighed, closing her eyes. Tsugumi bit her lip. She knew she was being an inconvenience, and it looked like Sayo was starting to show she really was. If only she had just let her run to that business hotel.

“Would you like to spend the night here, then? I don’t exactly have the most space and I can’t guarantee your uniform will be ready in the morning, but it’s a better alternative to walking around late at night by yourself.”

Once, twice, Tsugumi blinked five times before what Sayo said finally made sense in her head. Although it was her initial goal, having it be offered to her like this made her feel guilty and excited at the same time. “A-are you sure…? And wait, what do you mean

my uniform won't be ready

?”

“Should we not wash it?”

“Um… but if we do that…”

Sayo, like an adorable puppy, tilted her head again, this time with an innocent look of confusion on her face. “Of course, I’ll be lending you something to sleep in…”

They both began to blush at the same time. But Tsugumi knew better than to argue when Sayo seemed so dead set on her decision. They had been friends for long enough for her to know that much.

“Thank you Sayo-san! I don’t really know how to repay you…”

Sayo stood from her spot on the floor of her apartment, rummaging in her small closet for something suitable to sleep in. “You don’t have to. Please don’t worry about it.”

She retrieved a shirt and comfortable pair of pants, then flushed as she thought of the next things Tsugumi needed, taking a step back with bright red ears.

“You should… choose one.”

Tsugumi shakily took steps towards the drawer Sayo had opened and didn’t spend much time looking in it, simply swiping whatever was at the top and shoving it underneath the shirt. Sayo directed her into the bathroom with a clean towel, leaving her alone to begin a quick bath. Tsugumi couldn’t bring herself to fill the tub to relax a little longer, especially when all she wanted was to crawl into bed and fall asleep.

As she scrubbed her skin using Sayo’s shower sponge, Tsugumi couldn’t help but feel like her schoolgirl crush was resurfacing. She and Sayo didn’t see each other often these days, the most was a short hello at her parents’ cafe when they were both visiting or running into each other at the general store. But every time Tsugumi saw her, Sayo looked more beautiful and made Tsugumi wonder why she didn’t do more to speak with her.

Her friends would often ask why she hadn’t gone on dates with anyone in her office or other colleagues that joined them for mixers, and Tsugumi could never come up with an answer. But as soon as she looked at Sayo or saw photos with her in them, she sure had one. The older they got, however, the higher the chances became of Sayo finding that special someone.

Tsugumi was sure it wasn’t herself.

She emerged from the bathroom to hear the washing machine running and Sayo sitting against her bed with her eyes on the bathroom door. Their eyes met for a moment before Sayo moved them in the direction of the noise coming from the kitchen.

“Thank you again, Sayo-san. Your soap smells so nice…!” Tsugumi said as she rubbed her hair with the towel. “Your shampoo too. Hehe, I’m covered in you now!”

Tsugumi’s statement seemed to go over her own head while Sayo nearly dropped the mug in her hands. Clearing her throat, Sayo spread her arm to direct Tsugumi’s eyes to the bed where the sheets were in disarray. “Feel free to rest when your hair is dried, Hazawa-san. I don’t have an extra futon or anything - but I’m not opposed to sleeping on the floor. I’ll sleep when your clothes are ready.”

The assault on her hair stopped and Tsugumi shook her head, lowering the damp towel with a displeased frown. “You can’t do that, Sayo-san!”

Sayo leaned back at her outburst, sleepy haze in her eyes clearing from how shocked she was. “H-Hazawa-san?”

“I don’t want you to make yourself uncomfortable for my sake,” Tsugumi pouted, hurrying back into the bathroom to hang the towel and coming back to cross her arms. “Please sleep on the bed? I’d hate for you to wake up feeling sore.”

Sayo blushed, looking both uncomfortable and torn about the idea. Tsugumi hated herself even more for imposing so much on her, but she also wouldn’t have been able to stop Sayo from being so stubborn about it either.

“I-if that’s what you want…” was Sayo’s only response, a shy mumble.

The washing machine hummed lowly in the background, the clock began counting down the hours until it was time to go back into the office, and all Tsugumi could think about was how long Sayo’s eyelashes were. Sitting side by side against the mattress of her bed, she turned her head, resting it on her knees as Sayo told her about the latest project at her job with a sleepy slur.

Just watching how Sayo’s face brightened with pride at her work made Tsugumi’s chest feel warm. She could listen to Sayo’s livelier voice forever, she quietly thought as she closed her eyes, scooting just a little closer. Sayo's body heat was so comforting.

Another cup of tea later, and the washing machine finally went quiet. Sayo moved to stand, but Tsugumi stopped her, taking a moment to will her body to stand. She gathered her suit in a small basket and hurried to hang it outside, hoping it would all be dry by morning.

“All done…” she whispered in relief, the last of her energy gone. Sayo was busy putting their mugs in the sink, not bothering to wash them. It was almost 2am at that point, and Tsugumi took it upon herself to shut the lamp off, casting the apartment in a cool blue light from the moonlight that managed to get through Sayo’s thin curtains.

“We should… go to bed now, huh?” she asked nervously, watching Sayo slip under the covers on the side closest to the wall. Maybe Sayo was tired enough that she didn’t care, so Tsugumi followed her lead, brushing her back just once with her hands as she settled under the warm blankets. She was slightly disappointed that Sayo wasn’t facing her, but her selfishness was already at its limit, so she opted to lay back-to-back.

“Um.”

“Hmm?”

Tsugumi already had her eyes closed, multiple alarms on her phone ready to wake her up in just a few hours, but she could clearly feel Sayo turn to face her back. She had gotten what she wanted, but Tsugumi found she was too nervous to move and face her, like her stomach had been filled with rocks right at that moment.

“Goodnight, Tsugumi-san.”

She bit her cheek, cursing her weakness for stealing away what might have been the cutest version of Hikawa Sayo she’d ever get to see. Holding back her excitement, Tsugumi ignored the rocks in her stomach and flipped, catching a glimpse of green eyes hiding away underneath Sayo’s eyelids.

“Goodnight, Sayo-san.”

We'd be good... we'd be great together.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“Tsugumi-san,” Sayo said one night as they were walking home from a nice dinner. Tsugumi felt Sayo’s hand grow tighter around hers. “I have been thinking about something for a while.”She tilted her head. “What is it?”Sayo continued looking forward, eyes drifting from the streetlights to the passing cars. Her grip tightened even more which concerned Tsugumi, but it wasn’t until she faced her that Tsugumi finally caught a glimpse of her red face. “Would you like to move in with me?”Tsugumi was rendered speechless, but her answer was, of course, yes. The next night she found herself sitting at the table with her parents. Sayo sat ramrod straight in her seat, hands carefully folded on her thighs and lips pressed firmly together. Her parents had no reason to argue, but they still wanted to talk things out with Sayo before giving the go ahead. “Tsugumi mentioned she wants to continue working at the cafe,” her father said, pushing his glasses up his nose. Sayo nodded. “And we can give her extra hours if you’ll need it for groceries and stuff… but are you working, Sayo-chan?”Tsugumi knew the answer to that. Her knowing smile was caught by her mom, who wrapped her hands around her mug of tea in anticipation. Clearly it was something good. With an elegant cough, Sayo lowered her head to be polite. “I am. I was recently scouted to work in a music production band for Victor Entertainment.”“Wow,” Tsugumi’s father said, glasses sliding right back down his face. “Congratulations! That’s incredible…”Her mother joined in with a nod. “It really is! I’m happy for you, Sayo-chan.”Sayo made sure to bow. “Thank you. It was an unexpected proposal, but the members of Roselia and Tsugumi-san were too enthusiastic about it to say no.” Tsugumi giggled into her sleeve. “I didn’t do much, but I’m really happy you went through with it.”“Well, that settles it! So long as you two take care of each other, I don’t see why you shouldn’t live together! I’m sure you’ll both be fine,” her mother said, finalizing their approval. They helped Tsugumi get all her things packed while she and Sayo searched for a comfortable apartment that was near both of their jobs, with Sayo’s mother’s skills as a previous realtor giving them a boost to find and negotiate for the best deal. It didn’t take them long to find one that also happened to be near a major train station. Within the next two months, everything had been settled and with all their things brought in through a delivery service, they took their first step into their apartment. Somehow it felt strange, tears pricked her eyes and she wanted to step out and go back home. It hadn’t even been a full minute yet but there was a slight fear tugging at her, screaming at her to stay still. Sayo slowly wrapped her arm around her waist, leaning down to get a look at her face. “Are you having second thoughts?”“N-no! I’m just… aha, I mean this is all so new so…” she rested her head against Sayo’s shoulder. “It’s natural to be a little homesick, isn’t it?”Sayo nodded. “Yes. If I remember, even Hina was spending the night at our house often, despite having moved out the month before. I believe it happens with everyone but with time this will eventually become home in your mind.”Tsugumi hummed as she rubbed her forehead into Sayo’s shirt. “I hope so,” she whispered.The apartment wasn’t anything special at first glance, but as she followed Sayo’s lead into the living area, a million thoughts of how to decorate the place began to run through her head. Tsugumi’s smile grew the more she thought about it. They still had to find a couch and some furniture, but the general layout was already putting itself together in her head.The main room had the kitchen, doors to the balcony and the doors that led to their two bedrooms. “Ah!” she said as her eyes grazed the doors. One would serve as their bedroom while the other would stay empty was her first thought, but a lightbulb went off in her head. Sayo turned to her, waiting for her to continue her thought. “We can make this second room into an office for you!”“An office?”“Mhm! Like a place for you to play your games on your computer or play your guitar!”Sayo opened the door to the room. There was a small window that let in the last bit of light into it, casting evenly spaced lines of orange on the wood floor. Tsugumi leaned against her arm as they stared into the abyss of white splashed across the walls. “That might be a good idea…” she checked her watch. “We don’t really have time to go to Ikea tonight, unfortunately. But tomorrow is Sunday, and we also need to purchase a proper bed as well as things like a sofa for the living room.”Tsugumi blushed. She had completely forgotten about sharing a bed with Sayo. They had slept in the same bed before, multiple times even, but this was a permanent thing. Sayo was going to see every embarrassing face and posture Tsugumi made in the middle of the night, every embarrassing sound…She pressed the back of her hands against her cheeks in embarrassment but didn’t shy away from looking Sayo in the eyes when she looked at her. “Y-yeah! I think it’s a good idea too...!”They agreed to go out for dinner that night to conserve their energy from the move and on their way back, Tsugumi leaned into Sayo’s arm as they casually chatted. Somehow, it felt like she had just stepped into another life or was watching a dream through someone’s eyes. But Sayo would occasionally tighten her grip, reassuring her things were indeed real. “There’s this nice sofa I saw online while we were eating,” she mentioned. Sayo looked down at her palm as she pulled out her phone and unlocked it, revealing said page. “It looks pretty comfortable, doesn’t it?”Sayo nodded, shivering and inserting their free hands into her pocket. “It does. Though before we buy it, we should probably measure the living space and compare it. I do remember putting measuring tape in my bag before leaving my parents’ house, so when we get home, I’ll get all the measurements down and we can have a list of things we’d like to see.”Tsugumi’s face grew red at how easily and quickly Sayo called it their home. Home, a word that meant something warm. The route home was different now. Instead of the dimmed lights of the closed stores downtown, they were surrounded by quiet complexes. Sayo fingers drummed against Tsugumi’s as they approached the apartment building. Their walk was silent, but comfortable. Sayo scanned her key against the second door to enter the building, both hurrying over to the elevator to reach their floor. It was nearly on the top floor, giving them a beautiful sight of the twinkling lights below and some landmarks like the Tokyo Skytree in the distance. The curtains Tsugumi’s parents gifted her were still sitting in a box somewhere, but she began to rummage through her bathroom box first. “Sayo-san, I’m going to put some stuff in the bathroom if you want to get started on the measuring?”“Sure.”Quietly, the two of them got to work on taking that first step to making the place feel more like home.With the bathroom a little livelier, Tsugumi used the momentum to hang up the curtains, finally giving them privacy from their neighbors. “Are those blackout curtains?” she heard Sayo ask from within their room. Tsugumi nodded in pride as she fluffed up the bottom a little more to get the wrinkles out. “Yeah! I know you’re not a morning person, so my mom gave these to me since she and my dad weren’t going to use them.”Sayo emerged from the bedroom as she scribbled down the measurements, then looked up with a gentle smile. “I will have to thank them. Thank you for putting those up, Tsugumi-san.”Her footsteps were light as she walked up to Tsugumi to place a kiss on her head, then moved on to find the box with the futon they would use until they found a bed. Tsugumi, meanwhile, stood in stunned silence. Since when did Sayo get so affectionate?Sayo prepared the futon while Tsugumi emptied a few more boxes of jackets and shoes into the closet by the front door, then their umbrellas. “Sayo-san, did you want me to prepare the bath for you now or later?” she called, breaking down a few boxes into a pile to recycle on Monday. “Now would be good, thank you. I believe this is all we should do for today, otherwise we will fail to wake up on time tomorrow,” Sayo answered. Tsugumi nodded and headed into the bathroom to start the water, pushing aside the cute blue and clear curtain she had set up. The more she walked around and touched everything, saw everything… the more Tsugumi could feel their presence. When they finally crashed into the futon, hair slightly damp due to Tsugumi having forgotten where the hairdryer was, all they could do was stare into each other’s eyes. Tsugumi’s hand drew circles across Sayo’s cheek. Soft and warm, until it settled on Sayo’s arm. She had been nervous about the thought of sleeping next to Sayo, but as she stared in her green eyes, the more Tsugumi wanted to get even closer. “I can’t wait until we get a bed,” Tsugumi laughed, rubbing a lock of Sayo’s hair between her fingers. “But until then…” she scooted closer to Sayo’s chest, wrapping a single arm around her waist. Sayo’s finger drew random patterns down her back, her soft breath fanning her ear. “Tsugumi-san…”She expected Sayo to say something else, but all she could hear was her soft breathing. A tender smile, and Tsugumi gave her a quick kiss on the lips before relaxing, falling asleep to the sound of Sayo’s heart. No matter where she was, as long as she was with Sayo, she was home.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The apartment was as quiet as it could be. Every so often the near inaudible hum as a car passed would drift through the window, or the breeze would make the curtains shuffle and dance. But the most noise was coming out of a bedroom, brightly lit with the afternoon sun shining through the blinds, where Hikawa Tsugumi was quickly typing away on a keyboard as she sent out the fifth email of the day.

“Whew,” she breathed as it was finally complete. The amount of times she had to replace her train of thought with another, then again as it sounded impolite made her head hurt. Tsugumi raised her mug of tea to her lips, body shivering as the warmth descended. She stretched, then sighed as the reply came in sooner than expected.

Business emails were her least favorite part of the day, but if they didn’t get done Tsugumi would get a barrage of questions the moment she walked back into her cafe. The small location in Shibuya was her pride and joy, but when it came to ordering materials and accounting for profits and losses… she wasn’t a fan.

Normally, she and her wife Sayo would spend the afternoon together in the living room, reading the local news or catching up on a TV show on Amazon. But Sayo wasn’t there. Actually, she wasn’t going to be there for quite a while, since she was contracted to go on tour with one of her label’s solo artists.

The decision had been made a little before they went on their honeymoon, but they had been a little too occupied with each other to think much about it until they came home and Sayo had to pack and leave within the next day.

“Sorry I must leave so soon after our honeymoon, Tsugumi-san,” she said as she brought her suitcase to the door. “If I could avoid it…”

Tsugumi shook her head, standing on her toes to place a kiss to Sayo’s cheek. “Don’t apologize! I know this is what you love doing, so I can deal with a few weeks away! After all, we.... um, spent a lot of time together.” Her cheeks turned red as memories of the weeks spent in privacy began to play in her head.

Sayo looked equally embarrassed, but adjusted her guitar on her shoulder with pride. “Thank you. We are flying so it should not be too long of a trip, but I might be too busy to do much beyond texting if that is okay with you.”

“Sure!”

Now that she stared at her phone, five days later, Tsugumi awaited the next update. Sayo had a habit of only letting her know when shows were beginning and ended, and she would check Twitter to see what fans were saying, but that was the extent of what she knew.

“Sometimes I wish Sayo-san were more of a phone person…” she sighed, resting her head against the back of the computer chair. She wasn’t particularly hungry or anything, and going out to find something to do seemed like a waste compared to relaxing on the couch.

Almost as if Sayo had been listening, her phone lit up with a notification of a new message. Tsugumi smiled at the timing and unlocked it, briefly letting out a sigh at the photo of them she made her home screen. Sayo had been a clumsy dancer during their reception.

Tsugumi-san, we have arrived in Sapporo. The concert this time will be in Sapporo Dome.

The message was accompanied by a delicious looking bento box she never thought Sayo would get. Sparkling, fresh meat blanketed a bed of rice, while a small portion was dedicated to a few vegetables and a half-boiled egg. Though maybe with the small selection of healthy foods, it was exactly what Sayo would get.

Kamiyama-san (our drummer) convinced me to get a beef bento at the airport. I’m sorry for doubting you.

She giggled as she remembered their little spat at the train station while choosing ekiben on their way to Miyajima. Sayo had insisted they get something lighter and easy on the stomach while Tsugumi wanted something more memorable, if a little pricey, but in the end they decided on something completely different: chicken katsu sandwiches.

She sent an encouraging message back:

That looks so good! I hope you enjoyed it! The Sapporo dome is big, isn’t it? I’d love to see it!

Tsugumi wasn’t much of a TV person, but she headed for the living room sofa to relax for a bit and turned a local channel on.

If only they’d cover events like concerts

she thought as she flipped it to some cooking show. Her phone buzzed not too long after she got into the part where a machine easily turned zucchini into noodles.

It was Sayo, again. Tsugumi immediately discarded her earlier interest and opened her message app, jaw dropping at the rather dark photo.

Tsugumi-san, here is the view from the seats. I will be on the right side of the stage from this perspective.

It was bigger than she expected, and it felt more like it was an abstract painting than an actual venue. A quick search led her to finding out the Sapporo Dome held nearly sixty-thousand people at once for a concert. The stage felt far from the angle, but she was sure it was a lot closer than it looked, especially since the picture wasn’t exactly crystal clear.

Tsugumi felt a small squeeze in her chest as she thought about it, but it was mostly blanketed by a wave of excitement. Sayo never found a specific dream she wanted to follow and always vaguely answered the question with

the sound she was searching for

.

But Tsugumi knew. Touring and performing, meeting new people and going on new adventures, whether she outwardly showed it or not, was easily Sayo’s biggest passion in life.

She didn’t throw her arms out and scream like Tomoe, or talk endlessly about it like Tsugumi herself would have. But as she watched recordings and saw the furrow of Sayo’s eyebrows, her eyes shut in concentration and head slowly bobbing to the sounds she was making, it became apparent that she had found what she was looking for without even knowing it.

“Oh, Sayo-san,” she whispered, full of warmth and emotions. Tsugumi glanced at the wedding ring on her finger, the simple silver band with the cute sparkly white trimming Sayo chose to make it special.

She couldn’t help it.

I love you.

If the Tsugumi who had confessed and asked Sayo to be her girlfriend knew about this, she would probably be admitted to the emergency room. But all she could do was calmly smile - after all, she had said it so often at this point the embarrassment was completely lost on her.

I can’t wait to hear about it, Sayo-san. When does the event begin? Maybe I can close the cafe and make it to see you. ( ˊᵕˋ )♡.°

Sayo’s reply was expected, but a small part of her wished it had been just a little different.

We begin rehearsals tomorrow, and the event will take place on Saturday. But please don’t close the cafe, it runs more smoothly when you are present.

I love you very much.

She wasn’t wrong there. Tsugumi relented, and finished the conversation with one last encouraging message before turning back to her program, only to find it was over and replaced with an afternoon drama.

“I should get to that email…” she sighed, heading back into their office.

On Saturday, Tsugumi returned home after a long day at work. Face smudged with all sorts of sticky material, coffee grinds stuck under her fingernails and black pants smeared with frosting, food coloring and eggs, she tossed her shoes off and immediately began undressing, not bothering to turn on any lights.

“I’m home,” she said, though no answer came as usual. Tsugumi threw her dirty outfit into the washing machine and jumped in the shower, letting out a sigh as the warmth began to settle in her muscles. She was out in less than ten minutes, threw on one of Sayo’s baggy shirts and plopped down onto the couch with a loud groan.

“I told Nana-chan the speed was set too high before she turned it on…” Tsugumi moaned as she tried moving her body into a comfortable position. Maybe she should have gone into the bedroom instead. Checking the time, she was reminded of the concert Sayo was performing at.

A smile still made it to her face as Sayo’s text telling her not to shut the cafe down came to mind. She shot her a text, though it probably would go ignored until late into the night.

Hi Sayo-san! I hope the concert goes well, I’ll be waiting to hear about it! I love you.

She wasn’t in the mood to sleep just yet, but she was hungry. Tsugumi had leftover curry in a pot she made a day earlier, and her mouth watered just thinking about it.

As soon as she sat back down on the couch with a piping hot bowl of said curry, she tapped on her phone in curiosity. And sure enough, there a notification about a new message sat on the lock screen.

Tsugumi-san, hello. We are on stage, I will do my best.

A beautiful sea of yellow pen lights spread across a black abyss met her eyes, and she gasped. She could only imagine what Sayo was feeling seeing it in person.

Knowing things were fine somewhat relieved her, and she began eating in peaceful silence. Eventually, Tsugumi headed to bed with a few volumes of her favorite manga from years back.

By midnight she set the last volume of fifteen on the nightstand and wiped a tear. “I can’t believe it still gets me,” she whispered, shutting off her reading light. The bookshelf was in the next room, but she was already too comfortable to move. A small, itch-like feeling formed on the back of her neck as she pulled the sheets over herself.

Almost as if she needed to look at her phone.

Tsugumi-san, what is a whiskey highball

The executive producer is here

A blurry photo of a man in a tan suit followed, making Tsugumi snort to keep her laughter down. It looked like they were at some kind of bar or izakaya celebrating the end of the night. Which only meant one thing: Hikawa Sayo was drunk.

She knew her wife’s tolerance of one glass of water more than anyone. The fact that Sayo was sending blurry pictures and asking about cocktails meant disaster wasn’t too far off on her schedule for the night. Hopefully some of her colleagues were reliable enough.

Sayo-san, um… he looks nice! I hope you’re having fun but… don’t drink too much, okay? You know how you get when you’re drunk.

It took a while longer than she expected for an answer. Sleep was starting to make itself comfortable, and she wanted to close her eyes and rest, but her worry for her wife’s well-being, as well as her reputation as an employee kept her staring at her phone and reopening apps in hopes of distracting herself.

A little over 45 minutes later, a new message appeared on her screen.

I am fine. I’m not as think as you drunk I am. Kamiyama-san’s girlfriend however, is no match.

“Oh

Sayo-san

…” Tsugumi buried her face into her pillow. Though her mind was put on high alert, the longer her responses went unanswered, the more she began to lose consciousness and couldn’t help falling asleep.

She wasn’t able to wake up until a little after ten in the morning, and she threw her sheets off in panic. But when she realized it was Sunday she fell back into her pillows with a sigh of relief.

Then panic settled again. “Oh god, Sayo-san…!”

Unlocking her phone revealed just a few more messages about wives not being a competition for something, a photo of Sayo and a man with a beanie pulled down low on his head giving the peace sign, then one final message that was a few minutes before she woke up.

Tsugumi-san, I was given an invitation by the executive producers for the company’s new year party.

She sighed. At least she was safe, and whatever happened over the night was little more than her wife being herself.

I don’t know why, but they expressed they wanted to meet you too.

Tsugumi dropped her phone and ran her fingers down her eyes. “Oh god… Sayo-san, what did you

say

to them last night…?”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Tsugumi’s hands are soft against her neck. Her fingertips gently brush Sayo’s skin in small, slow circles. A shiver runs down her spine that is pressed tightly against the wall of the dojo. Sayo’s eyes flicker from the spot behind Tsugumi’s head, to the bright grassy area littered with arrows - she was supposed to be cleaning up. But as their lips part and Sayo opens her mouth to bring it up, Tsugumi’s hands press against her shoulders and silence her for another long ten seconds. The puffs of air that brush against her cheeks make her weak, and she can’t help but watch Tsugumi’s eyebrows as they relax and stiffen as Sayo’s hands caress the soft fabric of her school cardigan, softly grabbing hold of the sides of her face.They had only been dating for two months. Sayo clearly remembers the day she shouted her confession in the middle of the cafe during an important event, embarrassing herself and the girl in question under the watchful eyes of just under one hundred people. But Tsugumi said yes anyway, even if she looked like she was about to fall apart. Their first kiss had been awkward, and it tasted like the Calpis sitting on Tsugumi’s tongue. Kisses became as natural as drinking water - and it was times like this when they couldn’t stop. Sayo normally didn’t feel hot or even sweat in the middle of summer, but as her tongue drags across the roof of Tsugumi’s mouth, teeth gently scraping Tsugumi’s bottom lip, Sayo feels the need to drench herself in ice water. The sounds escaping their lips as they part for a moment to catch their breath before diving right back in makes Sayo’s insides turn to jelly. She can hear her name in between inaudible gasps. She thinks she could stay like this for hours, for days, that she could spend a lifetime learning the fit of Tsugumi’s mouth against hers, the feel of Tsugumi’s hair against her palms and still never be satisfied, that she would still have more to learn and more to lose herself in. Well, they are still in high school. Sayo hoped - knew - that she would have an infinite amount of time to do just that. “Sayo-san,” Tsugumi gasps against her neck when they part for good again, shaky hands grabbing hold of Sayo’s kyudo-gi as she slumps against Sayo’s chest guard. Soft brown hair tickles her skin, hot hands snake their way around her waist and against her back. She’s hyper aware of the shape of Tsugumi’s face as it presses into her shoulder, of the soft bumps coming from her chest. Sayo lets out an overwhelmed exhale as she wraps her arms around Tsugumi, burying her head into her small shoulder while gentle fingers slide idly through her hair. It’s dizzying, to be this close. Tsugumi responds by taking a step forward, further pressing Sayo into the wall. “Tsugumi-san.”“Hm..?”The creak of the floorboards, the whine of the cicada… everything around them goes silent. Sayo closes her eyes and focuses on the curves and contour of Tsugumi’s body. She was always lecturing her club members about shooting the perfect arrow that would result in a clear body and mind, but here, as she ran circles across Tsugumi’s back, she could still feel the same results as she did when she shot ten perfect arrows in a row.  “It’s strange,” she whispers. “Hm?” Tsugumi’s voice is thick and slow, her fingers drag across Sayo’s scalp in gentle arcs before settling on the back of her neck, making Sayo shiver.  Sayo shakes her head, straightening her back to get a good look at Tsugumi’s face. Tsugumi’s lashes flutter and her head dips down so her hair falls in front of her face, shrouding her reddened face with her hair. A word gets caught in Sayo’s throat. There was nothing more she could have ever asked for, really. She’s overwhelmed with emotion as Tsugumi silently lifts her head, brown eyes glowing and full of love. This is how they were meant to be, she thinks as she tilts her head to catch Tsugumi’s lips in another long kiss.The muffled roar of the final bell for the day goes off in the distance, and the green glow of the open area is orange when they finally come up for air.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Weekends were supposed to be relaxing. Two whole days to yourself and all the time in the world to do anything.Sayo found that a little hard to do when the person (or people) living upstairs made a complete racket. Today was another one of those nights, where she stared at the notes sitting right in front of her, but she focused on the sounds of footsteps rushing to and fro, hopping in place, tapping and stomping… her fingers constantly froze on her guitar strings, not wanting to cooperate. She sighed, running a hand through her bangs. Why was it so calm during the week that it was almost like nobody lived there, but on the weekends a whole circus was having a show?Sayo knew there was an option to go up there and request some peace and quiet, but another part of her didn’t want to bother. Her mind would simply wander thinking about the faces of the people making the noise.So, she settled for relaxing on the balcony with a book in her hand. She didn’t often sit outside, not liking how it gave her a clear view of a busy part of the city - people watching had become such a bad habit of hers. It made those who noticed think she was some pervert. She leaned back in a chair, low enough to hide behind the wall, and opened it to where she last left off. “Aaah, man Tsugu, you really have a good memory. Himari doesn’t even know what beer I like.”A snort, followed by a soft laugh, made Sayo grunt in her throat. So, they had followed her outside, did they? Sayo shook her head, wondering if she should just go and buy those wireless earbuds she saw at the electronics store the other day.“The important thing is Himari-chan trying her best. How is she taking the move, by the way?”Sayo clenched the edge of her book, mentally kicking herself for eavesdropping instead of focusing on the story. It had been a part she was looking forward to, too…! Then again, it wasn’t like she had intentionally come outside to listen ― she was there first. “Ahh,” the so-called Tomoe answered, somewhat sadly. “She says she’s fine and happy, but I know she’s devastated… I mean, Osaka isn’t that far, right? But we won’t be able to do stuff like this all the time anymore, or crash at each other’s place whenever.”The way Sayo sipped her tea was more desperate than usual as she hurried to mask her surprised choke. So, these weekend parties would soon end, if she were hearing right. The immature side of her cheered. “Hmm… that’s true, it’ll be lonely without you around,” Sayo forgot who the other person was, but the sound of her voice was lovely. Very gentle. “But it would make the times we meet even more special, wouldn’t it? And Osaka is so you, I’m sure you’ll have so many stories to tell.”Tomoe laughed, uncapping her beer. “I’ll tell you all about the drunk uncles I form a band with on the side of the road!”Sayo smiled, not sure why she was so invested. It sounded like the people upstairs were close and one of them was leaving. A sad situation, indeed. Sayo silently apologized for her earlier thoughts. But now she was curious, and the urge to go upstairs got stronger the more times she read the same three sentences. “Tsuguuuuu, don’t encourage her!” a higher pitched voice joined them on the balcony, surprising them. Even Sayo jumped, sitting up straight in her chair. “You’re gonna be so far away from me…!“Himari…”There was a long pause. Sayo wondered if they had gone inside and settled comfortably back in her chair when suddenly:“Then move there with me!”“EHHH?!”Sayo covered her mouth as she joined the surprised girls upstairs in their surprise. She hadn’t expected the conversation to go there, or that she’d scream out loud. God, she was such a mess. She was free to go inside at any moment, but she stayed glued to her chair, almost like her novel was playing out before her ears. Sayo snorted as she considered this a sort of audio book. “Wh-what do you mean move?!” Himari gasped through a loud sob. Good, it seemed they hadn’t noticed Sayo’s sudden shout. “Idiot, I meant what I said! I don’t wanna be apart from you either, so why don’t you go with me?”“You’re the idiot, idiot!” was Himari’s only response. Her sniffs and sobs were eventually muffled, like she was pulled into a tight hug. When she finally quieted, she laughed. “What do you think my parents will say when I tell them I’m going shopping in Osaka, but forever?”“Pfft,” the three laughed, and Sayo shook her head. If she were the girl’s mother, she would have a heart attack for sure. After another long silence, the door to the apartment slid open, and new pairs of feet joined them on the balcony. Sayo wondered if this was time for her to call the reading a bust and go shopping for those earbuds. “Tsugumi, how do you get delivery here?”“Huh? D-delivery…?”“Uh-huuh~ Ran craves pizza.”Two new voices, one quiet and hard to hear and another light and sing-song-ish floated down to Sayo’s ears. It was a wonder how she even heard them.“Um…” the one named Tsugumi, who owned the voice Sayo liked, hesitated. “I’ve… never ordered pizza before. I don’t think I’ve ever really eaten it…”“You WHAT? You’ve never lived, Tsugu.”“E-eh?!”Sayo nodded. Pizza was expensive, she never ordered a pizza for herself either. It was also quite greasy and never sat well in her stomach, so it was for the best. “Okay~ We’ll make you see a whole new world, Tsugu. Let’s go order, Ran~”“You mean use my credit card while you order online, right? Jeez…”The door slid open and shut again, leaving the original three on the balcony to giggle amongst themselves. “Ah,” Tsugumi’s voice never failed to make Sayo twitch in excitement. She felt like a complete freak. “I wonder if I have enough drinks… knowing Moca-chan, she’s going to order a lot of sides…”“And Ran will do nothing but complain while swiping that card…”“If it’s drinks, Tomoe and I will go to the convenience store next door and get some, won’t we?”“Ehh… I’m sure Tsugu’s got enough-”“Won’t we, To-mo-e?” Himari’s tone took a dark turn that made Sayo shudder. She was sure she’d never be on the receiving end of it, but she still hoped it would absolutely never happen.The two stumbled off the balcony, finally leaving Sayo in peace once more. She wasn’t sure if Tsugumi had disappeared, but if she hadn’t Sayo was grateful for the silence.“Would you like to join us?”The sudden question threw her off. Flipping through the pages to return to the spot she abandoned, Sayo paused. Perhaps Tsugumi was on the phone?“If you’re still listening, I’ll save a spot for you. It would be rude not to invite you, wouldn’t it?”Was Tsugumi talking to… Sayo?Her lips shuddered in embarrassment and shame as she thought of what to say. “Me?” she asked. “Of course! I noticed your guitar playing stopped… and then I heard your scream earlier… I’m sorry,” Tsugumi paused to giggle, making Sayo toss her book aside with a quiet groan. She stood to lean against the rail, hoping it would make it easier for Tsugumi to hear her. “No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have been eavesdropping, but your friends-”Her mouth and mind stopped at the same time. Had Tsugumi mentioned guitar?“You know I play guitar?” she asked, curious. She was sure to always keep her amp at a certain volume so it wouldn’t disturb anyone. “Ah! Yes, I’ve heard it often this summer since I keep my doors open. It’s a very nice sound, so I find myself kind of… drawn to it? Sorry, it’s kind of embarrassing.”Sayo couldn’t believe how insanely hot her face was. She didn’t even know what Tsugumi looked like, and yet… But she had a chance to fix that, didn’t she? Sayo bit her lip and covered her mouth, bashfully looking down at the mobs of people completely unaware of the situation going on hundreds of feet above them. “I’d… be honored to join you for dinner.”“Great! Oh, um… I’m Hazawa Tsugumi.”“Hikawa Sayo. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”She went back inside to prepare, and clicked her tongue when she realized she had completely forgotten to bring up the noise she had endured for weeks. Perhaps it was a complaint that could be stashed away for a while, though.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Coming home late was one of those things that began as something that happened every so often, but soon became an everyday thing because of her taking on more work than she could handle in a day. It was difficult to say no when everyone praised how hardworking she was, and her boss had hinted at a bonus coming her way soon...Hikawa Tsugumi sighed as she walked home, thankful she lived so close to her workplace but not liking the strain it put on her feet. Her hands were worn out from how long she spent typing on her computer, and her lower back hurt… and she’d have to do it all over again in just a few hours. Her head was pounding, but it was payday in just a few days - she was excited to see her bank account restored to its former glory. She yawned as she walked up the steps, careful that her heels didn’t cause a ruckus as she made her way towards her apartment. Seeing the door made her smile. It hadn’t been that long since this became her new home, but it had also been the cause of her going nearly bankrupt. Still, there was a certain exciting feeling that came with calling it her own.She slowly turned the key and opened the door, slipping off her shoes as soon as she could and setting her bag right next to them...Only to then be blinded by a bright light coming from the living room. Sitting on the sofa with her arms and legs crossed, and her eyes narrowed so sharply it sent a chill down Tsugumi’s spine, was Hikawa Sayo. Her wife.“A-ah…” Tsugumi blurted, completely frozen in place. Sayo brushed hair away from her eyes and let out a short breath, prompting her to say something else. “I-I’m home, Sayo-san…”“Yes. Welcome home, Tsugumi-san.” Her tone was cold, and her response was short, making Tsugumi’s back sweat. She looked at the clock above the TV and inwardly hissed. Two in the morning? She had been late in the past - but she didn’t know it was this late. Walking home seemed to be a blessing and a curse. Sayo sighed, loosening her shoulders. “Do you know how late it is, Tsugumi-san?”“I… do now,” she answered quietly, shamefully lowering her eyes. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize-”“You seem to not realize that a lot lately.”Sayo’s interruption made Tsugumi’s mouth drop. Her shock rendered her completely speechless, which Sayo took as a sign to continue. She stood from the couch and took a few long steps until she was inches away from Tsugumi, her fingertips softly settling on her stomach. “You haven’t been eating dinner for days and your sleeping schedule is getting worse,” she said matter-of-factly, eyebrows furrowing. “You lose weight so easily, and I can see you’re getting weaker.”“Sayo-san-”“Do not tell me I’m mistaken. You’ve been taking on everyone else’s work, haven’t you?” Tsugumi was speechless again. The way Sayo stood firm and sharp made her legs weak, and her eyes stung as she was hit with the realization that she was no different to how she was as a kid. “I’m-” she said, sucking in a short breath. “I’m just...  we’ve been trying so hard to save since we moved- I…”Sayo pulled her into a tight hug, running a soft hand down her back. “Tsugumi-san. We are married, are we not?”“Yeah…” Tsugumi rubbed her cheek against Sayo’s shoulder. She smelled wonderful… It reminded her of how much she missed soaking in the bath. “Then does it make sense for you to take on that responsibility all on your own?” Sayo’s voice was gentle as she guided Tsugumi to the couch, easily pulling her onto her lap. She drew circles on Tsugumi’s tights with her thumbs, adding pressure to loosen her muscles. Tsugumi shook her head. “It… it doesn’t.”Sayo leaned forward to press her lips to Tsugumi’s neck, closing her eyes. Tsugumi let out a long breath, cheeks growing red. “Then please don’t forsake your health for it. We will get through this together, but if your health takes a turn for the worse…” Sayo frowned, “I would rather that not happen.”Tsugumi nodded, fingers absentmindedly dragging across Sayo’s shoulders. A small tear ran down her face, drying just before reaching her chin. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I’m just not sure how to turn people down, especially when I’m one of the newest employees…”“It is hard, but I believe being straightforward with them is the best option,” Sayo said, linking her fingers on Tsugumi’s lower back. It made her flinch, and Sayo frowned again. “All that sitting is wearing you out, isn’t it?”“A-ah… yeah.” Tsugumi blushed and lowered her head again, gripping Sayo’s shoulder until the pain subsided. “I hear soaking in a hot bath helps, but I haven’t had time.”She wiggled in place, then settled when Sayo got to her feet, barely making a sound with Tsugumi’s weight in her arms. Had she really lost that much weight? “Sayo-san?! What-”Sayo tilted her head, looking down at her with a mysterious haze in her eyes that reminded her of many nights spent under the sheets. Tsugumi blushed, her grip on Sayo’s shirt going slack. “Then shall we enter the bath?” Sayo whispered, already making her way across the living room. “We… haven’t you already…?” Tsugumi rested her head on Sayo’s shoulder, closing her eyes from how comfortable it felt being carried.Sayo gently opened the door with her foot, revealing a tub full of hot water and steam covering the mirror. She set Tsugumi back on her feet and shook her head.“I actually haven’t. Tonight, I waited for you.”Tsugumi blushed harder as Sayo shut the door behind her, not hesitating to start unbuttoning her shirt. Tsugumi followed suit, and soon looked away when they were both completely naked. “A-are you sure? I mean… it’s so late…”Sayo nodded, motioning for her to take a seat on the stool. Tsugumi let out a small yelp when the showerhead turned on. Sayo took it upon herself to do the scrubbing for her, making sure to softly rub circles once she reached Tsugumi’s lower back. Sayo-san… is being so gentle tonight, Tsugumi thought, letting out a small sigh of relief when the suds were rinsed off. It wasn’t like Sayo was never affectionate - she was quite the clingy woman in private - but it was rare for Tsugumi to be on the receiving end of being taken care of like this. Sayo was so thorough and careful with every move she made, even as she began to work on herself while Tsugumi waited by the edge of the bathtub. A familiar, citrusy smell made her smile.“Ohh, you used bath salts?”Sayo, with her hair covering her face after having just rinsed off her shampoo, nodded. “Hina dropped off more of her aroma oils this evening, and I watched a few videos on how to add them to your salts… I apologize for using it.”“Oh, no! It’s fine… Hmm, it smells so good…” Tsugumi entered the warm water, letting out a long sigh. She really missed soaking in the bath. Sayo joined her after tying her hair up, wrapping her arms around Tsugumi’s waist. Tsugumi leaned back into her chest, closing her eyes. It had also been a while since she and Sayo were awake at the same time… working late truly roughed up her daily routine.Sayo pressed her lips to Tsugumi’s neck again and again, trailing down until she reached her shoulder. “What would you like for dinner tomorrow, Tsugumi-san?” she asked, curious hands running down Tsugumi’s thighs. Tsugumi flinched at the sudden touch but looked up to the ceiling in thought. “Hmm...  would it be bad of me to suggest we go out somewhere?”Sayo laughed against her skin, warm breath making goosebumps rise on her arms. “Perhaps on Saturday, when you’ve had enough rest.”“Really?”“I don’t see why not. If we invite Hina and Aya-san, we could even split the bill…”“You’re bad, Sayo-san,” Tsugumi giggled. She tilted her head back to place a gentle kiss on Sayo’s cheek. “But it sounds fun… there’s a place I’ve been seeing on the way home... that looks so good, I’ve been meaning to bring it up to you…”Her words began to slur, and her body was going limp against Sayo’s. The warmth of the water and the fatigue combined to form a sleepiness she couldn’t fight. She closed her eyes for a moment, and the next she was under the covers, fully dressed. She had no strength to sit up or look around, but she couldn’t sense Sayo anywhere...“Hmm? Sayo-san…?”“I’m here,” Sayo’s gentle voice came from behind her, one soft arm draping over her hip. “Please sleep, Tsugumi-san.”“Hmm… mhm…” Tsugumi rolled over to bury her head into Sayo’s chest. “I love you, Sayo-san... I’m sorry…”Sayo shook her head, running her hand through Tsugumi’s slightly damp hair. “I love you as well.”
Please rely on me more, Tsugumi-san.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

They dressed her in the wisps that Magister Illyrio had sent up, and then the gown, a deep plum silk to bring out the violet in her eyes. The girl slid the gilded sandals onto her feet, while the old woman fixed the tiara in her hair, and slid golden bracelets crusted with amethysts around her wrists. Last of all came the coll-

“Hnn… Hina-chan…! We have a shoot tomorrow!”

“Ehh, but it’s not like we’ll be late or anything! We live right next to the station!”
Sayo bit her tongue, fingering the edge of the page. She was so close to turning it - so close! It had been such a long time since she had gotten so invested in a book, especially a whole series. All the time spent playing NFO made Sayo curious about other fantastical worlds, and how different they could be. Rinko was the one who let her borrow it, and it was - so far - a particularly good suggestion. If only she could read it...“Ahh, I lost again...  maybe Pikachu isn’t a good match?”Sitting to Sayo’s right with the sheets bunched in her lap, Hazawa Tsugumi shifted, eyebrows furrowing as she focused on her mobile game. It was cute, and her new tank top was even cuter on her, but right now Sayo was interested in one woman named Daenerys.Sayo paused, waiting until things settled and making sure everything was quiet again before nodding, returning to the paragraph her finger hadn’t moved a single millimeter from. 
-ar, a heavy golden torc emblazoned with ancient Valyrian glyphs. "Now you look all a princess," the girl sai-

“Hi-Hina-chan… don’t bite so hard…!”
Sayo slammed the book shut, letting it fall into her lap with a loud thunk. Tsugumi turned her head slowly from her game with a concerned frown. “Sayo-san? What’s wrong?”She locked her phone and set it beside her, letting Sayo know she had Tsugumi’s full attention. Sayo removed her glasses and pinched the bridge of her nose with a rough groan. “Hina and Maruyama-san…”That was all it took for Tsugumi to get the message; Sayo was always so glad they were often on the same page. She shuffled closer, her bare shoulder brushing against Sayo’s t-shirt. “I don’t hate that they live with us, since it helps pay the rent, but… I think they forget how thin the walls are,” she said, laughing slightly. “Aya-chan can be…”A thump on the wall, enough to make their mounted TV shake for a good while, made them jump. 
“Ah! Hina-ch.. aaan!”
“Loud,” Sayo finished for her, frowning. It wasn’t like it was Aya’s fault - she was… quite the doormat when it came to her twin, and there was no telling when Hina was going to jump her… but she was sensible enough to remember there were two people next door, right? It wasn’t like she disliked having them as roommates and letting them have a place to call home. They were responsible enough to give Sayo their share of the rent every month, they went grocery shopping every other week even if they came back with more junk and sweets than food, and they kept things clean.But when Sayo wanted to read… they always happened to be causing a ruckus. Like they were waiting for the sound of the spine to crack to start the usual brouhaha. Tonight, Sayo came home from work early, had a pleasant dinner and bath with Tsugumi, and finally had a chance to relax in bed and read in peace. Chapter two had left her interested in the mystery of the dead direwolf and the people who were arriving at Winterfell…Except, like usual, their neighbors decided they didn’t want her to keep going. It was times like these Sayo wished only she and Tsugumi lived together.“I can talk to them if you want?” Tsugumi suggested, resting her soft hand on top of Sayo’s. Sayo’s lips twitched, but she shook her head.“It’s better to leave them be. Hina can listen, but when it comes to Maruyama-san…”Tsugumi giggled, “That’s true. I can’t blame her though; it would be hard to keep myself away from you if we were in that position…”Sayo flushed, tracing the textured kanji on the cover while Tsugumi cuddled further into her shoulder. She chose to stay quiet, soaking in the peaceful moment. It was a few moments of simply sitting in silence when Sayo realized the others had gone quiet as well. “It sounds like they’re done,” Tsugumi whispered, sounding hesitant about jinxing it.Sayo nodded. “It does… thank you, Tsugumi-san. I’m sorry to get so irritable like this when I read.”Tsugumi shook her head. “It’s okay! I think you look really…” she sucked in a sharp breath, cheeks going red, “A-attractive, when you’re invested in your books.”“Tsugumi-san…”Tsugumi was the one who initiated the sudden kiss, making Sayo’s toes curl under the blanket. Her fingertips tightened around the book. When they parted, Sayo couldn’t remember what book she even had in her lap, too focused on the teasing slip of tongue Tsugumi left her with.“U-uhm!” Tsugumi’s voice was just a notch higher than usual. “You should start reading again, before they…!”“Ah! You’re right.”Sayo opened her book again and hurried to the page she left off, trying hard to ignore how hot she felt throughout her whole body. Tsugumi went back to playing her game, sending her right back to square one. She relaxed her shoulders, leaned back into her pillow, and nodded, immediately starting where she left off. 
A princess, she thought, but she remembered what the girl had said, how Khal Drogo was so rich even his slaves wore golden collars. She felt a sudden chill, and gooseflesh pimpled her bare arms. Her brother was waiting in the cool of the entry hall, seated on the edge of the pool, his hand tra-
A loud rapping on the door sucked her right out of it.“Onee-chan! Onee-chaaaannn, Tsugu-chaaaan! Are you awake?”Sayo groaned, loudly this time, flicking off her glasses with flames in her eyes. Tsugumi, knowing exactly what was brewing, scrambled to her feet. She opened the door where Hina stood with her usual smile, looking like she hadn’t just spent the last hour fooling around.“Hina-senpai…! What did you need?”Hina looked over her shoulder, locking eyes with Sayo’s fury-soaked ones. “Onee-chan! We forgot the password to the Netflix account!”“Sayo-chan, hurry! The new season of our favorite show just dropped…!”Sayo set the book aside with a sigh. She’d have to apologize to Rinko for not returning it sooner. “I believe the password for the parasites is on the fridge.”“The what?!”“Sayo-san!”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“Oh no…”

At the sound of rumbling, Tsugumi peeked around the curtain of the student council’s office to find a grey courtyard and an even bleaker sky above. Umbrellas of various colors and designs moseyed under as much cover as they could, all hurrying to get home. Tsugumi set the final stack of club applications and various complaints on Hina’s desk and left a sticky note to remind her to review them before the end of the week.

“Of course I forgot my umbrella today… haha,” she mumbled to herself, shutting the door behind her with a soft thud and making sure it was locked before heading down to the shoe lockers.

Her phone blipped constantly with messages from Himari in the Afterglow group chat: pictures of the sky, her soaked shoes, then a selfie of her by a flower bush near the gate sparkling with fresh raindrops. Tsugumi sighed, but replied with an enthusiastic sticker that got buried in more spam.

Another rumble of thunder made her skin crawl. It wasn’t that bad since it was still somewhat light out, but if it didn’t let up…

Well, there were apps for rides if she got really desperate.

She shook her head and planted herself on a bench outside that wasn’t completely drenched, telling herself it would clear up before she even knew it.

I’ll just watch those videos Himari has been sending me lately! Everything will be fine!

She focused all her attention on the videos Himari filled their private chats with, hoping they would muffle the sound of rain and thunder. The number of students passing by to leave campus started to dwindle until, as it got darker, she was left watching the sports club members finally leave together.

Oh no… I might have to call mom.

Her legs began to tremble as drops of rain snuck their way under the roof with the help of the wind. Tsugumi bit her lip and looked at her phone again. At this point the others were already home or showering, and she didn’t want to make them walk through the rain to get her…

Tsugumi rubbed her hands together. There was only one option then: simply deal with it. If she ran, she could make it! An extra hot bath could prevent her from getting sick!

“Tsugumi-san?”

As she stood with the resolve to finally head home, she saw a glimpse of brown and teal to her right. Under a pale blue umbrella and looking at her with concern was Hikawa Sayo.

“Sayo-san! What are you doing here?” Tsugumi asked, nearly shouting.

“I could ask the same to you… are you waiting for somebody?”

Tsugumi shuffled under Sayo’s gaze and remained silent, stomach fluttering in embarrassment.

“Not… exactly,” she laughed out, shoulders drooping. “I forgot my umbrella… but if I make a run for it now I should make it home before it gets really bad!”

Sayo lifted a hand to her mouth and laughed quietly, shaking her head. “I believe that time has passed; it’s quite bad

now

. I… initially came to pick up Hina, but I don’t mind helping you get home.”

Tsugumi’s face grew hot. “I couldn’t make you do that! Really, I’ll be fine!”

Sayo’s gentle smile faded into a frown that sent a colder chill down her spine. Coupled with another blast of thunder, Tsugumi could feel her legs going slack. Ultimately, she grabbed her things and took a spot underneath Sayo’s umbrella, careful not to bump into her. As soon as they took a step under the shelter of the school, the sudden heavy rain that pelted Sayo’s umbrella made her jump.

I wanted to run home in this?!

“Thank you, Sayo-san.”

The hiss drowned out her voice to her own ears, and she wondered if it even reached Sayo. Taking a curious glance to the side, she was met with that soft gaze that made bumps grow on her skin and warm shivers run through her arms.

“You’re welcome.” Sayo only needed to raise her voice slightly. She opened her mouth to say more, but a blaring noise from within Tsugumi’s bag interrupted her.

“Oh! It’s my mom… can I?”

“Of course.”

She didn’t know why she nearly fumbled answering, but Tsugumi held the phone up to her ear. Sayo kept her eyes on the road, face as relaxed as ever. If only they were both feeling as bubbly and off-balance as Tsugumi did…

“Hi mom,” she shakily answered as they stopped at an intersection. “I did! I’m sorry! N-no, it’s okay. Um… Sayo-san is walking me home.”

With an instruction to get home as soon as possible, the call ended and Tsugumi let out a small breath. “She says a hot cup of coffee will be waiting for you when we get there.”

“It’s a shame we can’t run unless we’d like to risk getting our uniforms wet,” Sayo mumbled with a shake of her head. It took her a moment to get it, but Tsugumi giggled and leaned against her shoulder once she did.

“We’ll have more chances! Maybe on another day when it’s not so crummy out.”

They spent most of the time in comfortable silence, pointing out shops they never paid attention to with the usual traffic. Sayo walked faster than most people, and kept her eyes straight ahead with hardly a glance to their surroundings unless Tsugumi brought it to her attention.

The further into the walk the more Tsugumi found herself watching Sayo more than anything - the way her eyes twitched when a truck sprayed water onto the sidewalk, how she would look both ways and make sure the road was clear before they crossed even on the narrow road leading to the downtown district. She often chewed her lip, and Tsugumi wondered what she was thinking about.

Soon enough, the bright lights of the cafe were in view. A brief feeling of disappointment bubbled in her chest, but it was smoothed over by relief that she was finally home.

“We’re here!” Tsugumi announced as they reached the doors. Sayo made a soft noise in her throat, but kept the umbrella over their heads until they were fully inside.

“Goodness Tsugumi, you could have called!” her mother chided from the counter, already preparing the promised coffee. “You’re so lucky Sayo-chan was here when we mentioned you were late.”

Beside her, Sayo stiffened. Tsugumi blinked. The cloud nine feeling returned in full force.

“O-oh, there’s no nee-”

“As soon as we pointed out that your umbrella was upstairs, she offered to get you and nearly ran out of here! Thank you so much again, Sayo-chan. Why don’t you two go upstairs and warm up? I’ll bring your drink when it’s ready.”

Tsugumi held her palm up to her mouth, the cafe’s interior spinning. Sayo rooted herself where she stood, and it took Tsugumi slowly taking her hand to snap her out of it. She waited until they were out of Tsugumi’s parents’ sight to say something.

“Tsugumi-san. Um,” she bit her lip again, but this time it made Tsugumi’s stomach tighten. “Pardon the intrusion.”

“Oh! Of.. course. Any time…”

They made their way upstairs, Tsugumi completely forgetting about the storm outside.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

It was nearing midnight when Sayo, busy chewing the tip of her pen and itching to go to sleep, heard the doorbell ring. She blinked, reached for her phone, and compared the time on the screen to the digital numbers on her alarm clock. “Who could-”Hurried footsteps in the hallway, followed by a deep thunk as their door swung open stopped Sayo from moving out of her chair even an inch. Hushed giggles and the rustles of a plastic bag passing by not even ten seconds later told her all she needed to know. Sayo turned back to her work and let out a deep sigh at the pang of jealousy that ran through her. Well, it wasn’t like she hadn’t had company that afternoon herself… That being the reason she was still tackling schoolwork.When she was finally finished with it all, Sayo settled into bed. Sleep usually came quickly, but she couldn’t help noticing noise leaking through the walls. It was a given since she had a guest - Aya, specifically - over, but she couldn’t help fixating on the sounds of them humming together and laughing. At some point Hina strummed her guitar while Aya spoke to an invisible audience. Maybe she was recording a video for her social media page, but past midnight? Sayo huffed and buried her head under her pillow to suppress it.“Goodness…”When thirty minutes went by and the noise didn’t seem to be settling any time soon, she kicked off her blankets. Mumbling incoherences to herself, Sayo swiped her phone off its charging stand and sat on the edge of her bed. She opened one of the few conversations she had.
Tsugumi-san. I apologize for messaging you so late, but I need advice. If you are awake, would you mind hearing me out?
The room fell into darkness once again when she locked her phone. There was a very high chance Tsugumi wouldn’t answer at all, especially since she mentioned having an early doctor’s appointment in the morning. But Sayo waited, nonetheless. A response came after ten minutes, just as Hina began to loudly proclaim that Aya’s blurry photos were far more natural than the staged ones she liked. Sayo could feel her head beginning to hurt. 
Sayo-san! I’m surprised you’re up so late too, haha. Of course I can!
Her finger tapped on the call button and felt a shiver of panic run down her spine. By the time she went to hit the end button, Tsugumi was already on the other line. “Tsugumi-san?” she asked, her hand instinctively going for her mouth as she wondered if that was quiet enough. The two next door probably wouldn’t hear her even if she spoke normally.She heard a soft, tired breath from the speaker and immediately felt at ease. “Hi Sayo-san. Are you okay? It’s rare enough to get a text so late, but a call …”“I’m fine, I’m sorry for worrying you. I’m not quite sure why I decided to call myself. Hina and Maruyama-san are being rowdy next door and I just couldn’t get to sleep.”She slid back under her sheets and heard Tsugumi let out a breath of relief. There was rustling on the other end, and she pictured Tsugumi doing the same. It almost felt like she was there with Sayo in person, curled up beside her and fiddling with her bangs the way she did when she spent the night.“I wanted to ask if you ever had to deal with this when you and your bandmates travel to other cities.”“Hmm…” Tsugumi paused. “It’s not usually difficult, but Tomoe-chan has gotten into some drinking habits and those episodes can be a mess…”“She drinks?”That wasn’t as much of a surprise as she expected, but it was still odd to imagine Tomoe drinking enough to have so-called episode s. She remembered her being reliable and level-headed, enough to know when she reached her limit, at least. But that was also a version of her she knew years ago, there was no telling what she was like now. Perhaps drinking was a way to cope with things Sayo couldn’t understand. Tsugumi might have been her girlfriend, but she and Afterglow still weren’t especially close.Tsugumi let out a louder laugh, and Sayo found herself smiling at the darkness, picturing her covering her mouth to keep herself quiet - until a thump against the wall made her eye twitch. She closed her eyes and focused on the small noises Tsugumi made. Her small breaths, the slow rustling as she flipped to her other side… “It’s not a problem yet! But she can be very loud and stays up late, so when we’re together at a hotel or something and can’t afford separate rooms, I try to listen to soft music or think of something else.”Sayo hummed, flipping onto her back and staring at the dark ceiling. She never thought to listen to music to sleep, but if it helped block the noise…“I see… Do you have any recommendations?”“It’s kind of cliche, but there are some very peaceful piano pieces I enjoy. I can send you the links if you want?”“Of course.”Tsugumi sent her a handful of links, most of which were of the same composer she never heard about. She made sure to save one to check them out in further detail when she had more time. It was always flattering when Tsugumi shared things Sayo never heard about, whether it was a book she always loved or music she listened to as she helped her mother bake in the morning. Part of her, deep down, hoped they were things not even her childhood friends knew. “Is there a reason you like this person in particular?”“Hm…” Tsugumi’s voice thickened with lethargy considerably. “Their music is so whimsical. I find myself having daydreams of things that relax me… and before I know it, I’m asleep. It’s not very good for your ears though, so try to not do it too often.”Sayo nodded, closing her eyes. Her headphones were somewhere in her desk drawer, but her body felt like lead at this point, and she wasn’t going to get up to get them. There hadn’t been a peep from the girls in the other room in a while, so she wasn’t sure they were necessary anymore. Or maybe she managed to just tune them out. “I think I understand. What sorts of scenes do you imagine?”Silence.“Tsugumi-san?”Sayo waited another moment, focusing on the sound of Tsugumi’s soft breathing. They were evened out more than before, slower… Sayo’s finger hovered over the red button, not sure how to confirm whether she was still awake or not. “Sayo-san?”Tsugumi’s heavy voice startled her, enough to slap the phone against her ear. “Ah. I assumed you had fallen asleep. Shall we end this here?”Another bout of silence.“Things like this. Um… is what- I think about.”“I’m not sure what you mean.”All Tsugumi did was laugh - a low, sluggish laugh that made her throat tighten. Sayo tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear, wincing at how hot the skin was. Being under the blanket for too long was beginning to get to her, clearly. “I’m… not sure how to describe it. But it’s good, I promise.”“I see.”They sat in peaceful silence, Sayo continuing to wonder what exactly she meant. Did she dream of having late-night conversations together? They could do that anytime.Tsugumi hummed and there was a combination of fabric rustling haphazardly and her grunting as she settled further into her bed - a sign it was time to end the call. Sayo felt hesitant, but they both needed sleep.“Thank you for staying with me so late, Tsugumi-san. Please don’t be late for your appointment.”“Mmhm. I hope you rest up, too. Good night.”“Good night.”The trio of beeps resounded in her head, and she returned to her room, alone. Sayo gathered enough energy to stand and reach her desk to fish for her earbuds, falling into bed once again with a grunt. She tapped at the first link in their messages and closed her eyes as soft, bittersweet tones began to play. She pictured a peaceful park during summer, hiding under the shade of a healthy tree, and looking up at the smile she loved.Before she knew it, she was fully dragged into the world of dreams.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

When did CiRCLE change the floor design? What was a plain, brown floor was suddenly a vibrant red, dotted with white spirals that slid across the room in a slow circle. Sayo’s eyes followed one until it disappeared, another taking its place shortly. Her head hung low, and she blinked slowly even after the weight of someone’s hand fell on her shoulder.

She could hear someone’s muffled voice. Lisa? Whoever was speaking, Sayo couldn’t concentrate; like her head was underwater and her ears clogged with cotton. She wanted to close her eyes and simply vanish among the dancing spirals.

“Sayo!”

In an instant, she was yanked to the surface. Sayo let out a gasp as the world returned to normal. Beside her, Yukina furrowed her brow and tightened her grip.

“I’m sorry,” she breathed, closing her eyes for a second. “I got… distracted.”

“I’ve been speaking to you for a while now,” Yukina said, taking a step back to get a better look at her. Sayo turned her head, afraid to meet her eyes. “You’re not sick, are you?”

“No,” she quickly responded.

Physically, she felt a little sluggish. Her head was fuzzy, and Sayo could feel the migraine making its way from the back of her head. But otherwise, she felt fine. Enough so that she could get through a rehearsal.

She grit her teeth as soon as Yukina turned her back, ignoring the pointed stares of the others in the room. Rinko gave her a knowing, nervous frown, but chose to stay quiet. The sight of Ako rubbing her chin was quickly smothered by a freezing water bottle suddenly pressing against her nose. Sayo grabbed it without thinking, a shout of surprise on her tongue.

“Sa~yo~” Lisa sang, setting her hands on her hips. “Don’t act like we can let you keep going like this!”

“I’m not sure what you mean.”

Sayo uncapped it and nearly sighed at the cool sensation flowing through her.

Lisa snickered and crossed her arms.

“You know, it’s

so

rare that I forget it can happen, but…” she ran a hand through her bangs and Sayo couldn’t help rolling her eyes at the obvious pause for dramatic effect. “You and Tsugumi got into a fight, didn’t you?”

“I see.”

Yukina wasted no time letting it click, and closed her eyes with a relieved smile.

“What makes you think that?” Sayo’s voice was stiff, a sheen of sweat forming on her forehead the longer she and Lisa stared at each other. If she tore her eyes away, she would see the lightbulb that sprouted from Ako’s head as she finally snapped her fingers with a loud shout.

“Ah! I remember Onee-chan laughing on the phone this morning! It was a sound only those lost souls who’ve wandered too far from the confines of their slumber hear as they’re dragged to… um… the abyss! I definitely heard her say Tsugu-chin's name!"

Sayo ignored the rest of Ako’s rambling, but couldn’t help clenching the neck of her guitar as she thought of something to counter with. In the end, she was speechless - and chose to stay silent instead of burying herself further.

Her head pounded again, and she shut her eyes as the lights began to pierce them, an unbearable pain making her wince.

“I think… you should rest for a while, Hikawa-san…” Rinko meekly suggested, avoiding eye contact the moment Sayo flicked her eyes in her direction. “You get… really distracted when you fight.”

It was embarrassing enough that her friends knew when things in her private life went sour, but that she exhibited behavior that made it obvious was far worse. Things like that were meant to fade once her feet hit the studio floor, no matter how much they affected her.

Sayo sighed, the strength in her legs giving out but not enough to make her fall yet.

“I suppose you’re right. Give me a moment to collect myself, then…”

They all moseyed out of the room, teasing smiles pointed at her. Yukina set her hand on top of Sayo’s head, silently reassuring her before following suit.

Sayo buried her face in her hands and let out a garbled groan, one that didn’t help her headache at all.

She gathered her things and headed out of the studio, sighing at the cool breeze that gently blew out of the vents above. There was a commotion from the lobby she couldn’t see yet, but there was the distinct sound of Hina’s voice under the loud music playing from the speakers.

“Ahaha! Onee-chan is funny like that, huh?!”

“This is worse than last time,” Yukina said, crossing her arms. “Though it is amusing, we can’t afford to let it last very long.”

Hina hummed, pressing her finger to her chin.

“She just has to apologize, I think?” she mused aloud.

“So it’s her fault?!”

“There is very little Tsugumi-san can do to upset me,” Sayo decided to cut in, setting her guitar against the table. Hina jumped up to launch herself into her arms, humming in happiness as she nuzzled into Sayo’s chest. “Hina, I specifically told you to keep it a secret.”

“Yeah, but… Onee-chan!” Hina protested, raising her head with a big smile on her face. “It’s so funny!”

“I’m… curious what happened, if you don’t mind telling us…” Rinko quietly said.

Sayo leaned against the armrest of the sofa and shook her head, feeling a rush of irritation bubble up in her gut. She remembered the argument they had on the phone that escalated the moment they saw each other at home. Tsugumi had never left their apartment in such a hurry before.

“Tsugumi-san claims my sleep schedule must be fixed and that I am coming home too late.”

A hum of understanding washed over the group, nervous glances and smiles being passed around like Sayo couldn’t see them.

It wasn’t like Tsugumi was being unreasonable - Sayo

was

coming home late. College classes and assignments, then band rehearsals and meetings for new compositions meant she had little time to do anything else in the day, and it did feel awkward coming into bed when Tsugumi was already asleep. But a session or two (or three…) of NFO didn’t hurt anybody, and it took the edge of the day off and cleared her mind! Sayo didn’t think she was in the wrong, but….

“You really do not understand the limited time I have to myself in the day, Tsugumi-san. I should be free to spend it however I want.”

“But you’re sacrificing a lot of sleep for it, you know? A game shouldn’t get in the way of your health.”

“It’s not just a

game

. There are so many things I must do to help my guild. I cannot be the only one not pulling my weight during this event. They rely on me, and I would like to do what I can in order to succeed."

Tsugumi’s frown was clear in the reflection of the TV. Sayo crossed her arms, unsure of where this was coming from. She couldn’t remember being so annoyed with Tsugumi, ever. Not even when she stuck a spoon as hot as an iron plate with freshly baked crème brulée straight into Sayo’s mouth without asking, scalding her tongue for weeks. Of course, it helped that she showered her with affection every day until it healed.

“Sayo-san you… you care more about that game than you do about me, don’t you?”

“As of right now, yes, the game is my priority.”

She remembered the way Tsugumi lowered her head, fists trembling in her lap. Sayo clamped her mouth shut, unsure why she let the words spill from her mouth. But they did, and she was too full of hot air to take it back, as much as she was regretful for it.

“Then have fun.”

Tsugumi quietly sobbed, then hurried to slip on her shoes before slamming their apartment door behind her, leaving Sayo to marinate in the heavy air.

“Is she right?” Lisa's voice brought her back to reality, quirking a brow when Sayo met her gaze. The way her eyes sparkled said she already knew the answer, and Sayo clicked her tongue before nodding slowly.

Hina took the chance to let out a loud laugh.

“Tsugu-chan is punishing her by not making her coffee in the morning! Or any of her special dinners!”

Sayo cleared her throat to smother the embarrassed garble that nearly came out of her mouth. The first day, Sayo could understand. The second, she was slightly annoyed - but still acknowledged that Tsugumi was upset. By the third day, Sayo could barely get out the door without stumbling over like a wasted drunk. The combination of energy drinks and take-out with her absurd schedule meant a severely off-balanced Hikawa Sayo. Even the quests in NFO were turning into steep hurdles; she could barely provide a fraction of helpful tanking, resulting in more losses and missed drops.

It didn’t help that Tsugumi left for the cafe earlier than her, or she would have begged for even a drop of her homemade blend. It was now Thursday, and Sayo was beginning to have delusions… but by the weekend, she would have time to stop by the cafe and order it herself. She could do it.

“Are alternatives not sufficient?” Yukina asked, voice flat with disbelief. “Even the convenience store provides coffee, do they not?”

“We sure do!” Lisa sang.

“Nope. Onee-chan can’t do other kinds anymore,” Hina answered in her place. “I watched her try a cup our mom sent me off with, and she couldn't hold it down! It was like a fountain of coffee!”

Sayo cringed, clenching her elbow with a sharp hiss.

“I have since apologized to her for that. But there is no other coffee blend that can compare; everything else might as well be dirt from the streets brewed with tap water. Tsugumi-san’s is perfect and gets me through the day like nothing else can, and I will not stoop so low as to get it at the

convenience store

of all places.”

The silence that followed swelled like a balloon until Rinko let out a stifled giggle. Then Ako joined with a loud, boisterous howl that infected the rest until they were all laughing at Sayo’s predicament. She could only let out yet another sigh and excuse herself for that rest she desperately needed.

But she didn't go home. Sayo tightened her hold on a plastic bag containing her usual dinner and stared at the bright lights pouring out from Hazawa Coffee, draping the empty streets with warmth. Sayo gulped as she couldn’t recall the last time she set foot inside, and a pang of guilt hit her like a brick as she watched Tsugumi giggle and rush from table to table.

When was the last time she saw her so cheerful? They lived together for gods’ sake, but Sayo couldn’t remember when they last sat together for dinner, idly chatting about whatever might have happened in the day or when they last read silently beside each other, indulging in warm tea and fresh cookies. Lately, the only time she saw Tsugumi was when crawling into bed, her eyebrows scrunched and lips down turned. It was the complete opposite of the peaceful face Sayo liked to gaze at before falling asleep.

What… what if Tsugumi didn’t want to be together anymore? Sayo shivered, her hand frozen on the door handle. Maybe she had come to a realization that she didn’t want to share part of her life with Sayo anymore, and cutting back on making her dinner and coffee was just the start? Maybe one day, she’d walk in late to see all her stuff packed up, and Tsugumi would be waiting on the couch to announce her departure-

I’ve become absolutely delusional.

It took a while to convince herself, but Sayo stepped inside and took a seat in the corner, where nobody could see her devour her food within minutes of opening it up. Full but not satisfied, Sayo lowered her head into her arms, the familiar smell of the coffee she so desired teasing her, calling her name and laughing at the fact she couldn’t have it.

Then, a gentle clink hit her ears as something was set on the table.

Sayo lifted her head so quickly it made her feel sick, and she groaned as she blinked to make out what was in front of her. A fresh, steaming… mug? And standing across from her, pressing the tray to her chest with a look of concern was Tsugumi.

“Tsugumi-san…”

“Good evening, Sayo-san. How… was your day?”

Sayo was speechless, and it took all the remaining power she had left in her to not stand up and declare how utterly sorry she was, right in front of the handful of people sitting around. Tsugumi gently bent over to run a hand through Sayo’s bangs, her frown disappearing.

“I’m sorry, Sayo-san,” she whispered, taking a glance behind her and nodding when the other customers were paying them no mind. “It was wrong of me to take out my frustration on you like that. And to storm out of the house the way I did… I really wish I hadn’t.”

“No, it was…”

Tsugumi shook her head, her gentle touch pausing to cup Sayo’s cheek. Her hand was so warm and smelled so much like the blend she loved. Sayo closed her eyes to drink it all in, not wanting the moment to end.

“You don’t have a lot of time to yourself, and I do understand! With work and school piling up, of course you need some alone time. I just… really missed being able to unwind together in bed at the end of the day. I let my frustration get the best of me, and it… didn’t come out right.”

Sayo blushed with her eyes wide, and Tsugumi followed suit after a confused tilt of her head.

“N-not like that! I mean,

like that

too, but… you know what I mean, right?”

Her voice trailed off with an embarrassed laugh, and Sayo let out a sigh, but this time of relief. Tsugumi

wasn’t

aiming to break up with her.

“I also would like to apologize.” Sayo watched Tsugumi take a seat across from her, their hands meeting in the middle. It was an odd place to have the conversation, and really at risk of Tsugumi getting caught in the middle of her shift, but it couldn’t wait.

“The things I said,” she looked down at the table, wanting desperately to chug down the piping hot coffee in front of her, “About you not understanding how small my window of free time is… it was uncalled for. I should have never made you feel like you were a nuisance.”

Tsugumi threaded their fingers together, then lowered her head to let out a breath through her nose.

“And I shouldn’t have made you feel bad about your hobbies. We were both in the wrong, weren’t we?”

“My contribution was much bigger."

A thought ran through her head.

"Perhaps a schedule might do us some good. I will try to do my assignments at home when I can, so we are still around each other even if we’re doing other things. As for NFO… I would like to dedicate one weekend day to it, if that is okay with you?"

Tsugumi nodded. “Yeah! And I’d like if we can spend Sundays together, like going on dates more often or just relaxing on the couch."

Sayo liked the sound of that. It made her feel so warm that she nearly melted in her seat then and there. She gripped the handle of her mug, her mouth watering so much she had to swallow.

“Will I… still be having coffee ready in the morning…?” she shyly asked, giving Tsugumi a pleading look.

“Of course!” Tsugumi chirped, tightening her hold on Sayo’s hand. “Oh, and…”

Sayo paused in the middle of her sip, holding back a whine.

“Can we walk home together tonight…? I promise there will be more where that came from while you’re here!”

Sayo wasted no time nodding. Then, she tilted her head back and felt instant nirvana.