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Over the past months, Dia had ascertained a secure and strong friendship with Riko. With the exception of Ruby, the sophisticated and mature second year was undoubtedly her favourite junior, and out of all of the members of Aqours, she viewed Riko the most as her ‘equal’. Riko was pretty, elegant, polite, fashionable, and level-headed, all characteristics that Dia valued and saw in herself. The redhead was skilled too, intelligent and a talented musician, and Dia had found herself falling slowly but undeniably in love with Riko Sakurauchi. It seemed silly. Dia had never had any time for such frivolous and fanciful activities as love, and she had hardly realised her partaking in such an activity, until one day, it hit her.
One early summer evening, the younger girl was helping out the student council president with paperwork, and was the only person who Dia could trust to complete the sometimes complex task quickly, efficiently and reliably. In the early evening light, as the orange sun had began to sink down beyond the hazy horizon, Riko looked beautiful. The day had been rather warm for early summer, and the second year had resorted to scraping her glossy burgundy hair into a tight ponytail secured high on her head, exposing the nape of her neck as she shuffled papers. Dia watched with a certain fervour as Riko bit down on the tip of the pen with full lips, in just the right way to drive Dia crazy. How strangely alluring Dia found the smooth skin of Riko’s neck, how badly she wanted to bite down onto that smooth skin and mark Riko as her own. It was crude, she knew, and entirely shameless, but such thoughts had occupied Dia’s mind for so long now that she was almost indifferent to her lust-filled fantasies, and had long since stopped scolding herself. She couldn't help but wonder, however, if what she felt really was just lust, hormone-fuelled fantasies that she imagined were experienced by all teenagers about friends at some point or another. Of course, Dia paid attention in class, she was aware of the effects of growing up on the mind, so how could she be sure that what she felt for Riko was purely carnal desire?
Sometimes she would fantasise about just being with Riko. Taking walks with her in the park on moon-lit evenings, having water fights in the summer, cooking together, eating together, shopping together, loving together. She imagined teaching Riko to ice-skate, and in turn, Riko teaching her how to play the viola, standing behind Dia, slender fingers covering her own as she taught her how to hold the bow and position the viola in just the right way. How she would feel Riko’s hot breath on the back of her neck as she would drag the bow across the strings, the rich tones drawn out from the wooden instrument like a sorcerer casting a spell reverberating through the pair of them, connecting them, binding them together. How she would put the viola down carefully, turn to Riko, stare into her amber eyes as she moved closer, closer, tilting her head slightly as half-lidded eyes gazed lustily back at her. Was this normal? Did friends think about being romantically with friends? What's more, Riko was her junior, although she often didn't seem it. Did that make her some kind of terrible person? Dia, for the first time in her life, couldn't be sure. She didn't even know if she was gay. After all, she had never had any love experience to compare her feelings to. Maybe she was just going through a ‘phase’. Surely, she couldn't be in love with the pianist that occupied her mind so much?
As time went on, it was becoming harder to hide her feelings. Thoughts that had started as purely lust-filled desires had turned into something sentimental. Sure, she regularly thought about more ‘inappropriate’ things, but she could barely keep the blush that tinged her features at bay when she even spoke to the younger girl. She could hardly fathom how this had occurred, how she could sit and fantasise about having her way with the second year with careful, calculated indifference displayed on her face, but as soon as she thought about something far more innocent, she would be reduced to a blushing, blabbering mess.
Mari and Kanan had noticed too, and after much teasing, Dia was finally prompted to spill her feelings to her fellow third years. They confirmed what she already knew. She really was in love with Riko, and she was in far too deep to turn back now. Of course, they told her that she had to confess, but she didn't know how. How did she know that the second year didn't just think of her as a friend? How would she go about telling her? Although Riko remained blissfully unaware of the fact, Dia did know about the redhead’s little kabedon kink, so that was, she supposed, always a possibility, but deep down, she knew she wanted to do this sincerely, and properly. She had no idea whether being so aggressive as to pin the second year against a wall would actually help her to get her message across, although she was fairly confident that Riko would appreciate it. Seeking help from her fellow third years once more, and even confiding in her younger sister, who responded with nothing more than a resolute ‘Ganbaruby’, Dia decided to just tell her. Her pride and dignity were well and truly on the line, and, with her family’s strict traditional values and reputation to uphold, she would have to pray that she wouldn't tarnish the Kurosawa name. The Kurosawas never lost, always getting their way, and Dia prayed that she wouldn't be the one to break the family’s winning streak.
It was a day alike every other. The pair sat in the student council room after school, sitting in companionable and comfortable silence as Dia stapled and stamped papers whilst Riko sorted them. She couldn't help glancing at Riko’s butt every time the younger girl bent down, silently appreciating what Riko so innocently displayed before her. However, she knew now was not the time to fantasise about such lewd things, and steeling her self, inhaling deeply, she cleared her throat.
“Riko-san, if you could spare a moment, I have something I would like to discuss with you. Please.” She asked, the end of her sentence audibly laced with anxiety. It seemed that Riko could sense this emotion, and turned, nodding at student council president with wide, inquisitive eyes.
Dia closed her eyes, bracing herself for what was to come, folding her hands underneath her chin. “For a while now, I have been harbouring feelings of what I believe to be love for you. I wholeheartedly understand if you do not mirror these feelings, however, I believe that I cannot go on much longer without expressing such emotions to you. If you do not feel the same way, I do hope we can remain friends. Would you be so kind as to provide me with an answer as soon as possible?” There. She’d done it. Her rehearsed speech was out in the open. She had rattled it off with such vigour and speed that there was definitely no way to take it back now. She just hoped her slightly monotone delivery didn't cause her to seem insincere. Cautiously, slowly, she opened her eyes, worry already coursing through her. Had she ruined everything?
Dia’s eyes widened as she noticed the proximity of the redhead in front of her. She could feel the other girls breath on her lips, their noses almost touching as a small smile graced the features of the second year. She felt an arm slink round her neck, the younger girl smiling up at her shyly as she leaned over the student council president’s desk, and suddenly, tugging Dia closer, their lips met, and Dia swore she felt fireworks explode behind her closed eyes. Was this what love felt like?
Unfortunately, the kiss ended far too quickly for Dia’s liking, the redhead pulling away, biting her lip shyly.
“Does that answer your question?” Riko asked breathily, giggling slightly, and Dia swore it was the most arousing thing she had ever seen.
Dia cleared her throat once more, slightly dazed. “I..I believe we’ll have to do that once again Riko-san. Just to confirm everything. May I have your permission?”
“Permission granted,” the second year replied seductively, tugging at Dia’s green ribbon, pulling her closer. Their paperwork was quickly abandoned.