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Sun. It seemed to always be gleaming in the sky when Kokoro was around. Her pure enthusiasm and excitement for life and adventure were enough to brighten up the saddest of people. It wasn’t a coincidence that both her quirkily cut hair and bright eyes were the colour of the sun itself; it was almost as if she was born on the orb of fire in the sky. Her radiance was blinding. Everywhere she went she exuded the most contagious happiness. Bringing smiles to people’s faces had always been her favourite hobby. Sometimes people found her a little over enthusiastic or too idealistic but the day that Hina laid eyes on Kokoro cartwheeling in public; she knew she’d found a new lifelong friend.
Hina had always been smart, a genius. Things clicked into place in her brain naturally, they always had. She had been considered rude and apathetic; though that wasn’t true in the slightest. Sometimes the feeling that people around her couldn’t handle who she was would drag her down, but Kokoro helped change all that.
Their friendship didn’t start off slowly, it was like a whirlwind that couldn’t be tamed. Some days they would go on adventures due to Kokoro’s extensive wanderlust and wealth, other days they would simply sit and talk. Kokoro’s eyes would gleam even brighter as Hina taught the new things she had learnt over the week to her.
Kokoro would usually know everything Hina told her already but it didn’t stop her from vibrating with excitement when the time came to listen to Hina.
Outside of Hello Happy World and Pastel Palettes, Hina and Kokoro slowly became best friends. Hina always had fun with Kokoro but her favourite time was always when they spent time together at their astronomy clubs.
The day was bright as Hina had expected, after all, it always tended to be when she had plans with Kokoro. She practically ran out of her house that morning forgetting entirely about breakfast.
This Saturday Hina and the rest of Pastel Palettes didn’t have any practice or interviews scheduled, so she seized the opportunity to spend some time with Kokoro.
She lapped up the sun's rays as she rushed down to meet the energetic bundle of joy known as Kokoro, somehow, she knew today was going to become one of her favourite memories yet.
After all the radio shows, interviews, lives and rehearsals, she definitely needed to unwind and have fun and there was no one better to do that with than Kokoro.
“Kokoro! Over here!” Hina shouted as she waved her hand excitedly to draw Kokoro’s attention from a nearby street performance.
Kokoro’s smile instantly brightened as she began skipping over to the spot that Hina had told them to meet at.
“Hina! Look what I got!” Kokoro said whilst practically bouncing on the spot, after seeing Hina’s puzzled reaction she produced a bag from behind her back and opened it to reveal a multitude of different sweets.
“That’s boppin’! wait… I just had an idea!” Hina’s eyes began to sparkle just like Kokoro’s. Kokoro tilted her head much like a confused puppy and waited for Hina to explain.
“How about we have a sleepover at a planetarium tonight!” Hina practically exploded.
It was quickly decided that a shopping spree was necessary, Kokoro and Hina began walking to the shops whilst chattering away about their weeks.
Strolling around aisles and aisles of clothes and essentials for any sleep over, Kokoro paid no mind to what she placed in their shopping basket. This, of course, involved the buying of matching pyjamas that were branded with an assortment of stars and planets, alongside some sleeping bags and other various bits and bats.
“Hina, come look!” Kokoro shouted down the aisle at Hina, who quickly jogged over to see what Kokoro was shouting for.
“Friendship necklaces look!” Kokoro said with a hundred-watt smile plastered on her baby face.
Hina spotted the perfect pair of necklaces for them, one was a moon and the other a spaceship, she daintily picked them up and held them in her hand. Kokoro stared at her and then picked them up as she winked and ran to the front of the store to pay.
Hina considered stopping her but decided it would be a waste of breath and instead just shook her head and followed her excited friend.
“They look so cute!” Hina squealed after both of them had put on their new necklaces.
“Smile!” Kokoro sang as she took a picture of them for her scrapbook, “Perfect! You look so cute Hina!”
The smell of Ice cream seemed to drift over and in an instant, they both began running over to the source of the smell.
Sitting on a bench under some trees for shade, Hina licked her bubble-gum flavoured ice cream in total euphoria, whilst Kokoro tackled cotton candy that Hina had needed to convince her not to buy the entire store’s stock of.
“Did you know that cotton candy is made by fairies?” Kokoro said between muffled bites.
“That’s impossible, fairies don’t exist, do they?” Hina raised her eyebrow back at Kokoro, who was now covered in bits of cotton candy.
“Mm-hmm,” Kokoro nodded, with her mouth full. Hina laughed and then continued to enjoy her the bursting flavour of her ice cream.
After finishing up with their food, the girls began making their way to the planetarium as Kokoro talked about why she believes aliens are real and that she had met one in a dream one night. Hina listened intently, not interrupting, she enjoyed nothing more than listening to Kokoro’s wild imagination.
The journey would have exhausted most people but with the infectious energy that bounced off of both Kokoro and Hina, they made it to the planetarium just in time for Kokoro to wrap up her alien stories.
“And THAT is my 100 top reasons why I know that aliens do really exist!” Kokoro smiled proudly; looking at the door she continued, “let’s go and have some more fun!”
The planetarium was massive, it had been built many years ago but was perfectly up kept and everything seemed to shine. Practically every piece of equipment, furniture, decoration and even the interior was white and gold, setting the most beautiful tone.
“That’s strange,” Hina’s voice echoed as she walked around the empty rooms, “no one else is here but us Kokoro.”
“Why of course! I rented out the entire planetarium tonight, so we could have bundles of fun!” Kokoro answered as she appeared next to Hina without warning.
“Really?! Tonight is going to be so much fun!” Hina jumped with joy.
Hina began setting up the sleeping bags whilst Kokoro split the sweets into two bowls. Night crawled upon them as they had multiple cartwheel competitions and took personality quizzes together.
After changing into their matching pyjamas, both of the energetic girls threw themselves down on their sleeping bags whilst laughing at astronomy jokes that Hina had found lying around the planetarium.
Above them, the peaceful image of stars was being projected onto the ceiling and both girls fell silent as their gazes fixed upon the stars. Hina’s mouth was open slightly as she became completely consumed by the images overhead; Kokoro’s lips raised into a gentle smile.
There was something so calming and beautiful about looking at stars that seemed almost impossible to fully explain. The way worries washed away with ease and the universe seemed to feel so big all of a sudden. It was grounding. When the world felt too stressful, the stars were always there to lighten the weight on both Hina and Kokoro’s shoulders. Sometimes it was too easy to get lost in one's thoughts, however.
“Hey Kokoro, do you ever worry about the future? What comes next? After Hello Happy World?” Hina asked in a quiet voice, much unlike her usual energetic tone.
Kokoro looked over at Hina, who was now facing her and smiled softly.
“Right now is all that matters to me,” Kokoro began explaining, “Making new friends and having fun together, playing awesome and exciting shows with Hello Happy World, and making the most precious memories I can with my favourite people like you Hina.”
Hina didn’t respond.
“After all, my only goal in life is to make everyone I meet happy and see their brilliant smiles! The future isn’t here yet, but you can always make the present amazing.” Kokoro continued before closing her eyes and exhaling happily.
“As expected of the radiant Kokoro…it just feels as if I’m having the best time of my life right now and before I know it, it could all fade away and we may all go separate ways…” Hina trailed off in thought.
Kokoro opened her bright yellow eyes once more and looked back at Hina, waiting.
“I guess, I’m just scared.” Hina finally admitted in a whisper.
A single sweet landed on Hina’s stomach, she looked down confused before a shower of sweets fell from above her accompanied by Kokoro’s melodic laugh.
“C’mon Hina! You should know that I will always be there to make you smile your brightest smile, no matter how far in the future it is! Now let’s turn that frown upside-down!” Kokoro said before picking up her pillow and hitting Hina with it lightly.
Hina blinked away the tears forming in her eyes and smiled at Kokoro gratefully, “I guess you have to stick around so I can keep beating you at pillow fights, I suppose, game on Kokoro!” she replied before rolling over and quickly grabbing her own pillow.
“That’s the spirit!” Kokoro laughed before failing to dodge Hina’s shot at her legs; she fell to the floor in laughter and threw more sweets at Hina who was now standing up and taking aim for her second swing.
Kokoro placed a sweet in her mouth then flipped back to her feet, facing Hina, she swung her pillow repeatedly as Hina’s collided with it.
Before too long the worries that weighed on Hina earlier had been tickled and beaten out of her with a soft, fluffy pillow.
Panting, the girls laid back down on their sleeping bags.
“Hey Kokoro, thank you for always being such a zappin’ friend,” Hina smiled with adoration.
“You’re on my level Hina, of course, I will always be your friend, you understand me after all,” Kokoro replied with grateful eyes.
“Let’s make a promise that as long as we keep these friendship necklaces on, we will be friends forever, deal?” Hina held out her pinkie finger towards Kokoro.
“Promise!” Kokoro replied gleefully as she wrapped her pinkie finger around Hina’s.
Snuggling into their sleeping bags, they both were overcome with bliss. Heat spreading up their bodies.
“How much were these sleeping bags Kokoro? They’re the comfiest thing I’ve ever felt in my life,” Hina asked curiously.
“Oh, you know! Your happiness and comfort are priceless Hina!” Kokoro smiled brightly, deflecting the question.
Hina laughed and closed her eyes, “I’ve had so much fun tonight!”
“Me too! Next time you should sleep over at mine and we can take a ride on my helicopter and maybe even fly to the moon!” Kokoro began planning one of her schemes, “…Oh! Also, Hello Happy World and Pastel Palettes should do a live together and we can base it on space and ALIENS!” Kokoro gushed ideas about what their joint live could include until she heard the heavy breathing of Hina coming from beside her, she stopped and smiled warmly at her friend.
“I can’t wait to have more fun with you Hina until we both grow super duper old,” she whispered, “Sweet dreams.”
Stars danced along the walls and ceiling of the planetarium and Kokoro fondly watched until she felt her eyes getting heavier. She gently held the rocket that dangled from her necklace in between her fingers and was filled with a fuzzy warmth that sent her into the most pleasant dreams of alien adventures with Hello Happy World and Pastel Palettes.
The last thought on both Kokoro and Hina’s minds that night was how they were certain that their friendship was eternal.