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A few months had passed since Eli had met Nozomi. She still found it quite peculiar how the purple-haired girl had decided to introduce herself, but it was enough for Eli to stick around. The two spent most of their time sitting in awkward silence during lunch, and would quickly say their goodbyes before leaving the campus. It wasn’t much, but she found it more comforting than being alone.
Nozomi was always the one to initiate conversation with her. Most of her replies were short or straight to the point. However, as they continued speaking with each other, she began to ease up. While she's still not the best at conversation, Eli tries to make do with what she can.
“Ayase-san!” A voice Eli was beginning to get used to called out. Turning back, she watched as Nozomi strolled over to where she stood. Her emerald eyes gleamed with excitement as she spoke, “good morning!”
It always caught Eli off guard; having someone other than her family greet her in the morning was rare. That all changed once Nozomi began talking to her. With a swift nod she responded, “good morning Toujou-san.”
Nozomi offered a light grin and began walking beside Eli to class. As usual, silence enveloped them, and it lasted the entire walk to their classroom. This was common, as they hadn't found much to talk about in those short spans of time.
“Ayase-san?” Nozomi lightly poked the blonde’s shoulder once class had ended.
Eli blinked in surprise before turning to see what Nozomi had to say. “Yes?” She asked, slightly tilting her head to the side. This was the first time they’d ever really spoken after class- aside from their swift goodbyes when they would part ways after school every day.
“Would you…” She seemed to hesitate with asking her question. Her eyes darted to her hands before she finally finished, “like to walk home with me today?” She shot a nervous glance up.
Blue eyes widened slightly at the request. However, Eli quickly regained her composure, and answered, “while I appreciate the offer-
Nozomi’s face seemed to fall ever so slightly.
“-I have to watch my sister tonight,” she finished.
Nozomi’s look of slight disappointment was quickly replaced with curiosity. “Sister?” She questioned, leaning in a little. It had never occurred to her that her friend might have any siblings.
Eli almost chuckled at the reaction and nodded. After a moment of thinking, she spoke again, “how about I make it up to you tomorrow with dinner?” She offered a small smile to Nozomi, who quickly lit up at the proposal and nodded her response. With a hum Eli said, “that settles it, we’ll meet tomorrow, Toujou-san” With that, they stood and made their way out of the class.
The next day came faster than expected to Eli. She felt nervous- had she made the right decision? With a frustrated sigh, she pulled her hair up, and examined how she looked. Shaking her head, Eli made her way out of her room, but was promptly brought to a halt by her parents.
“Where are you heading to at this hour?” Her father asked, quirking an eyebrow. He didn’t look furious, just questioning.
Eli hesitated before answering in a careful tone, “I’m going out with a friend.” Worry bubbled in the back of her mind. What would she do if her parents refused letting her leave? She didn’t want to let Nozomi down. Before she could let her worries run too far her mother spoke up.
“From school?”
Eli responded with a curt nod.
Her parents shared a glance before returning their gaze back to their daughter in question. It was her father who finally said, “just don’t stay out too late. You still need to be ready for school tomorrow.” With that, they both proceeded to the dining room.
Eli stood stunned for a moment. Never had she expected her parents to let her go so easily. With a light smile to herself, she finally continued on. She waved a quick bye to her sister and set off to where she and Nozomi had decided to meet.
The distance wasn’t that much of an issue. In fact, Eli wished that she had left a little later, as she had arrived a bit earlier than her companion. She took a seat on a nearby bench, and watched as people walked on by. Eli continued this for minutes on end. Her eyes darted around, hoping to catch sight of the purple-haired girl that she had grown to enjoy seeing. Still, she couldn’t see her anywhere. ‘Maybe she’s running late?’ She thought to herself, stealing a glance at her watch. Almost instantly, she felt a hand on her shoulder.
“Boo!”
Eli visibly jumped and stood, whirling around to face who had disturbed her. She was met with an astonished Nozomi. Her cheeks began to flush as she watched Nozomi begin to try and contain her giggles. “T-Toujou-san!” Her voice cracked, and her cheeks continued to redden. This just spurred Nozomi on into a fit of poorly concealed snickers.
“I’m sorry, Ayase-san,” She apologized through breathless chuckles.
Even though she wanted to feel somewhat agitated by Nozomi’s actions, she just couldn’t be. Once the initial shock wore off, she let herself relax and smiled. Eli walked over to where Nozomi finally regained her composure. “Are you ready?” She asked, motioning towards the small diner they had chosen. When Nozomi gave a grin and nodded, they both continued to the decided area.
Upon entering, they both began examining the interior. It was your average fast-food joint. While it wasn’t anything fancy, they both decided that something more casual would be best. They both ordered a burger and fries before taking a seat, and began waiting for their food to be finished.
The pair was left in silence until Nozomi finally spoke up, “so what do you like doing, Ayase-san?” She rested her head on her hands as she waited for a response.
Eli seemed a bit taken aback. She suppressed a sorrowful gaze, and answered quietly, “I enjoy making accessories.” Her eyes darted away from Nozomi, for fear that she would notice her slight gloom. There was no point in bringing up her past failures as a ballerina.
Nozomi frowned slightly at her tone of voice, but didn’t press on. She didn’t want to make Eli feel uncomfortable. Instead she covered up her frown, and tried to continue making light conversation, “that’s really interesting! I’d really enjoy seeing someday.”
“What about you?” Eli asked, finally meeting Nozomi’s gaze once again.
“I help out at a shrine and do tarot-card reading,” she hummed in response. That seemed to catch Eli’s attention.
“Tarot-card reading?” She asked, eyes wide with intrest.
Nozomi grinned and winked at Eli, “maybe I can do a reading for you someday, Ayase-san.” Almost instantly the blonde flushed and turned her focus to something else. She stopped when her eyes landed on a small pamphlet sitting upright on the table. Nozomi followed her gaze and saw that it was advertising parfaits- a chocolate with strawberry parfait. Her gaze flicked back and forth between Eli and the pamphlet. Finally, she asked, “do you want to order one after we finish eating?”
Eli looked back at her and stammered, "I-I just was- I-" her voice trailed off as she tried to gather her thoughts. Was it this awkward for others when they went out with friends for the first time?
"Ayase-san?" Nozomi looked worried now. "I'm sorry, did I say something to upset you?" She asked, her brow furrowing ever so slightly.
"I- no," Eli mumbled, lowering her head. How was she going to explain this to Nozomi? Maybe she could be straightforward. 'We're friends right? I can be honest with her.' She considered her options before finally admitting, "I'm just not used to being out with a friend."
Nozomi offered a comforting smile. "We're both in the same boat then, Ayase-san."
Her words confused Eli. Nozomi seemed like the friendly type of person who would have many friends by this time in the year. It began to register to her that Nozomi only talked seemed to speak with her on campus. She wanted to ask for more info, but wasn’t sure if prying into her private life was something she should do. Before she could begin to speak again, someone called.
"Table 014!"
Nozomi stood before Eli could completely register what was said. "I'll go get it, wait for me okay?" Another smile was given before she walked off, leaving Eli alone. She had opened her mouth to object, but Nozomi was already gone.
This gave Eli some time to consider Nozomi’s words a bit more. The two knew virtually nothing about each other’s home life. ‘Maybe that’s something they could discuss? It might be worth a shot,’ Eli decided. If they were to talk to each other about that maybe it could lead to more conversation opportunities. Eli waited for Nozomi to return. It was taking a bit longer than she thought it should take to grab their tray and return.
After a little bit longer of waiting, she finally stood. Her worry got the best of her, and she began to search and find where Nozomi went. It didn’t take long for Eli to spot her companion waiting at the counter with the tray next to her. That converted her worry to curiosity. Just what was she waiting on? Her question was quickly answered as a worker placed a parfait next to the food on the trey. Blue eyes lit up instantly. Eli hadn’t considered Nozomi was serious about the offer to purchase one. Before she could return to the table they were at, Nozomi turned and noticed Eli.
A sly grin found itself on the girl’s face as she approached Eli. “My, my, impatient are we?” She giggled with a warm smile.
Eli flushed lightly and looked away. “H-here… Let me help,” she mumbled, reaching out to take the tray from Nozomi. Stealing a glance back, she watched Nozomi hesitate before handing the tray off to Eli.
“Thank you,” Nozomi spoke up as they strolled back to the table.
One they arrived they took a seat on opposite ends, and split the food amongst themselves. The pair continued on with eating in silence. Occasionally they would steal glances at each other, but nothing more ensued. Neither of them took the opportunity to break the silence as they continued their meal.
It was only when they had both finished Nozomi asked, “are you going to eat the parfait?” She nodded to the still untouched parfait sitting to the right of them.
Confusion flashed through Eli’s eyes before she admitted, “I had assumed you wanted to share it. I didn’t want to start without you.” Slight embarrassment washed over her as Nozomi watched her with curious eyes.
“You were the one who wanted it! You should have the honor of starting it… unless you want me to feed it to you?” Nozomi teased, pushing it closer to Eli. She watched as Eli’s face redden. It took everything she had to not laugh as she shot her hands up and rapidly shook her head ‘no’.
Eli stammered and looked back and forth between Nozomi and the parfait. The chocolate tempted her greatly, but she didn’t want Nozomi to be left out. She also didn’t find the act of her friend feeding her quite appropriate for the situation. “How about… we both try it together then?” She proposed, trying to return it to its original position.
Nozomi thought about her proposition, and agreed with a nod. Both Nozomi and Eli retrieved a spoon, and eased it into their mouths. While chocolate wasn’t Nozomi’s favorite treat, she did enjoy it when offered. Her eyes shot up, and she watched Eli’s features brighten. It reminded her of a child on Christmas.
“This is really good, Toujou-san!” Eli exclaimed with a bright grin. Almost instantly she took another bite, savoring the sweet taste of chocolate.
“Nozomi,” she started, “you can call me Nozomi.” Nozomi smiled back at Eli as she spoke.
Eli blinked in surprise before she swallowed some more parfait and responded, “Okay, To- ah, Nozomi.” She tested the name almost cautiously. After she repeated it again to herself to make sure she didn’t mess up again, she responded, “then please, call me Eli.” Eli found herself enjoying each time Nozomi’s face lit up.
“Okay, Eli!” Nozomi hummed, taking another bite of the parfait. Somehow, just saying ‘Eli’ didn’t sit perfectly with her. After a moment she spoke up again, “Elicchi.”
Eli looked up from the parfait again, spoon still in her mouth. After a quick swallow, she questioned, “Elicchi?”
Nozomi nodded instantly, “then I’ll call you Elicchi!” She loved how smoothly it rolled off of her tongue. Eli blushed lightly and nodded before continuing to eat the parfait. It was becoming quite evident to Nozomi that her friend really liked chocolate, or at least enjoyed sweets.
Once they finished up, they exited the diner, and realized just how long they spent there. Dusk had washed over the town, leaving the street lights and building signs the job to offer light to those still out. Eli unconsciously moved closer to Nozomi once she realized that the sky had begun to darken by a vast amount. Nozomi, however, didn’t seemed bothered by it, and began to walk forward. “Nozomi!” Eli quickly said, moving to stick near her purple-haired friend.
“Yes Elicchi?” Nozomi hummed, looking over at Eli.
“W-would you like to walk home together?” She asked, trying not to let the uneasiness edge into her voice.
Nozomi stared at her for a moment and looked around. It would be quite late when they would arrive home. While she didn’t mind, it wasn’t normally like Eli to ask things like this- aside from her dinner offer. If it were a day that she had to offer her assistance at the shrine, she would have politely declined. However, since she didn’t have anything occupying her morning, she assumed it wouldn’t hurt to stay out a little longer. “Yes, that would be nice,” she finally responded.
Eli let out a sigh of relief and murmured a quiet ‘thank you.’
“Anything to spend more time with my Elicchi,” Nozomi giggled.
“N-Nozomi!”
“I had a lot of fun with you,” Eli admitted as they walked together. Their stride fell into sync as they walked through the slowly emptying streets.
“Me too,” Nozomi replied softly. Going out with a friend had been something she had longed for as a child. However, transferring schools had always prevented her from getting close. It felt nice to finally have someone to call a friend.
Eli hesitated before breathing out, “Nozomi?”
“Yes?” Came her reply.
“Can we do this again?”
Her voice had begun to trail off near the end and Nozomi could barely catch what she had asked. Without a moment’s hesitation she responded, “of course, Elicchi.”