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Ai was the Goddess of the school. She was the captain of the school’s Ōendan, had a fantastic body, but it was nothing compared to her personality. Many confess their love for her only to be kindly rejected and usually given chocolate for their troubles. Or, there are the poor few who are scared off by her overzealous twin brother.
Yuki was the Queen of the school. She was vice president of her class, beautiful as she was intelligent and cousin to the King of the school. Most steer clear of Yuki as her diligence, along with her beauty and intelligence, is highly overwhelming. Still, the student body sees her as a leader and adore her for everything she’s done for them.
It was fate that brought Yuki and Ai together as best friends, that fate being a really hard science exam.
“Please tutor me, Hanazono-chan! I know you don’t know me, but I need to pass this exam.” Ai had confessed one day after class, surprising the Queen.
Yuki blinked, “Oh, okay?”
A huge smile appeared on Ai’s face, “Really? Thank you, Hanazono-chan!”
“You can call me Yuki.”
“Yuki, then! I’m Kisaragi Ai, nice to meet you.”
Since then, the pair were almost inseparable. Many found their friendship to be strange as their personalities and social standings seemed to make them unlikely friends. But the girls made it work, and everyone knew that they cared deeply for one another.
“Yuki-chan!” Ai called her best friend, surprising her with a hug from behind.
“Hello, Ai. Ready to head home?”
“Yes, but first,” Ai took a seat next to her friend, “I have an idea.”
“An idea?”
“The school year is ending fast, right? We’ll be graduating soon and maybe off to different universities.”
The idea of separating from Ai pulled on Yuki’s heart, “Yes, what about it?” She inquired, trying not to frown.
“I want to do a big thing together, something really fun that the whole school could enjoy before we go. Like a going away gift to remember us by.”
Yuki rested her chin on the back of her hand, “What do you have in mind?”
“A Prom!”
“Prom?”
“It’s a school dance that’s usually held at the end of the school year where everyone dresses all fancy, bring dates, and we enjoy the company of our class.” Ai explained, “There’s even this thing where the school votes on a King and Queen.”
“Interesting enough.” Yuki let out a humming noise, “Where will this Prom be located?”
“Usually the schools find venus and such, but I feel our gym is big enough for it. Plus, I know this is all last minute, I don’t want to put stress on you to find a place.”
“For you, it’s no stress as long as you’re happy.” Yuki proclaimed, “I’ll find you a venue if you want one.”
Ai giggled, “You’re too kind to me, Yuki. I’ll be happy with the gym, so please don’t worry about it.”
Yuki smiled, “If you insist.”
“Besides, the money it would cost for a venue can go into decorations and such! We can make it where no one would even know they’re walking into the gym.”
Yuki furrowed her brows as she did the calculations of the treasury in her head, “You’re right, we have the money to throw this dance here and decorate it with the finest.”
Ai’s eyes were sparkling, “So, is Yuki saying she’ll approve Tsukiuta High School’s first-ever Prom?!”
“If I get this approved, Ai is going to need a team to help her do all of this in the small amount of time we have. This is not something we can do with only the two of us.”
“No worries Yuki-chan, if you can get me the approval, I will have a team ready.”
“Then it’s as good as done. I’ll let you know what the council and principal say tomorrow.”
“Yay! Yuki is the best.” Ai hugged her friend.
Yuki laughed and returned the hug, holding Ai close.
—
The council approved the idea, and the dance was given a date. Ai stayed true to her word and had a team assembled out of her friends. Kurisu and Matsuri were tasked with electronics, lighting, and music. Wakaba and Chisa were tasked with spreading the word to everyone. Chisa made posters and promoted the dance through social media. Meanwhile, Wakaba had the news spread through the sports clubs. Akane and Reina were in charge of food and desserts, with Akane having a side job to keep Reina in check and that the appetizers aren’t cupcakes.
The rest of the girls without a set job were placed on the decoration committee and spent their time mostly in the gym. Hina was mapping out the placement for the plants and flowers that she and Yuki ordered a while ago. Yuno helped in the heavy lifting, and even the president of the class, Himekawa Mizuki, lent a hand. Yuki was with Tsubaki in the middle of the gym, attaching lights into lanterns and discussing the upcoming event.
“I’m curious, does Ai fancy anyone?” Tsubaki asked and jumped a little when Yuki tore a hole into a lantern.
The Queen cursed herself and moved onto another. “I’m not sure. Why do you ask?”
“Many of the boys have asked her to the Prom, but she’s turned down every single one of them. I was curious if she had someone specific in mind she wanted to go with.”
“She is rather busy creating this Prom and making sure this event runs smoothly. She may not want the extra stress of a date.” Yuki guessed, a part of her hoping it was true.
“Maybe.” Tsubaki hummed as she played with the lantern in her hands. “What about you, Yuki-chan? Has anyone caught your eye?”
“No and I don’t plan on taking anyone to the Prom.” Yuki replied nonchalantly. ‘Anyone that isn’t Ai…’
“A shame, I hear many murmurs of people wanting to go with you. You know, even your dashing cousin has a date to the Prom.”
“Hajime? Really?”
“A tragedy to my heart and I’m sure many others,” Tsubaki let out a sigh, “But his date is a worthy one.”
“Who is it?”
“Shun-san.”
Yuki blinked, “Shimotsuki Shun? The bizarre fanboy who follows him around? How did that happen?”
“Shun-san asked him, and to everyone’s surprise, Hajime-san said yes.”
“Wow.” Yuki giggled, “I never thought Hajime would have a crush on his fan.”
“I don’t think Shun-san did either. He was so shocked by Hajime’s acceptance to be his date that he started crying, and Hajime had to take him away to comfort him.” Tsubaki laughed a little at the memory.
Yuki laughed, “I wish I was there to see that.”
“It was quite a sight.”
The girls shared a laugh, and Tsubaki went into more detail of how Shun cried again during a fan club meeting, still in disbelief he was going to Prom to Hajime. Thus, the entire session was spent trying to calm him down.
“To be so in love with someone like that and for that love to accept you,” Yuki sighed a little, staring at the light she was holding, “It must be nice.”
“Well, acceptance can only come if the one in love makes a move,” Tsubaki advised.
“But what if they’re rejected? What then?”
“They should respect the other’s feelings and move on. It’ll be sad, maybe even heartbreaking. But that person shouldn’t let rejection define them or their relationship with that person, and they should be proud of themselves for trying in the first place.”
Yuki went quiet as Tsubaki’s words sunk in, not noticing the red eyes studying her expression.
“You should ask Ai to Prom,” Tsubaki suggested.
Yuki broke another lantern, one she intended to pick up. “Huh?”
“You could go as friends, of course. It’d be nice to go with someone close, and you both understand the other since you are both extremely busy.”
“Friends, right.” Yuki nodded, “That’s a good idea, Tsubaki-chan, thank you.”
Tsubaki smiled, “You’re welcome. I hope everything works out for you two.”
—
At the end of the day, Yuki waited for Ai to finish up finalizing plans for the Prom. She said goodbye to their team, who went by her at the school’s front door until finally, a familiar pink-haired student came trudging over.
“Long day, Ai-chan?” Yuki patted her friend’s back.
“It felt like an eternity.” Ai groaned, but she fixed her posture and gave Yuki a smile, “Still, everything is now finalized. Next week we can set up and have our Prom!”
Yuki returned the smile and nudged her friend with her shoulder as they began their walk home, “How exciting. I’m proud of you Ai, you worked hard to put this all together.”
“Thank you! But I can’t take all the credit, Yuki-chan, the girls, and even our class helped make this a reality.” Ai intertwined her fingers with Yuki’s and gave her hand a squeeze, “So, thank you, Yuki! I’m going to make sure to make gifts and cards for the girls tonight. Ah, but I have no idea what to do for the whole class…”
“I feel making this Prom a success is gift enough for the class,” Yuki assured with a small chuckle. “Please don’t overwork yourself, Ai-chan. If you want, I can come over and help with the gifts.”
“No way! Then you’ll ruin the surprise for your gift.”
“I don’t need a gift Ai, really…”
‘Your smile is gift enough.’
“You may not need it, but I want to give you one anyway,” Ai stated.
Yuki let out a sigh, “Fine if you’re insistent on giving me a gift. Let my gift be your company to the Prom.”
Ai stopped in her tracks, causing Yuki to freeze as well and look at her friend with concern. “You...You want to go to Prom? Together?”
“If that’s alright with Ai, yes. It’ll be convenient for both of us if we went together and then won’t have to worry about a date anymore. Plus, we know how busy the other is and won’t expect too much.” Yuki explained.
Ai’s smile faltered, “You want to go together as a convenience, then?”
“In a sense.” Yuki scratched her chin, “Plus... it’d be nice going with a close friend. Not as lonely either.”
“Hm, Yuki-chan riding to my house in a limo, looking stunning as always in a dress that compliments my own.” Ai let out a dramatic sigh, “Sounds absolutely romantic.”
“Oh, um, yes, I can arrange that!” Yuki flustered.
Ai giggled, “You don’t have to, I’m only kidding. I’d gladly go with you to Prom without the fancy gimmicks.”
“Oh.” Yuki felt a bit relieved. “Wait, so you do want to go with me?”
“Of course! It’s a date.” Ai winked.
Crimson spread across Yuki’s face, “Yes... it’s a date then…”
Yuki felt her heart soar at the idea of going on a date with her best friend. True, it was a date between friends, but it was close enough. She and Ai continued home happily discussing the details of their upcoming’ date.’
—
The night of the Prom came faster than anyone had anticipated. Thankfully, everything was done and well on its way, or at least Yuki hoped as she waited for her ride to the school. Yuki continued to insist on the limo if that was how Ai wished to present herself, but her ‘date’ promised her that it was all still a joke. Ai went on explaining how she had to arrive at Prom early for final checks anyway, so the limo was unnecessary.
Thus, the chosen mode of transportation is a car driven by Ai’s brother Koi, pulled up in Yuki’s driveway. The Queen secured her purse strap on her shoulder and lifted up the skirt of her lavender dress as she exited her home. She sat in the back seat next to Ai, making sure none of the fabric from her dress was straddling outside the car before closing the door.
“You look gorgeous, Yuki,” Ai commented with that bright smile of hers.
“Thank you Ai, you look lovely.” Yuki returned the compliment.
“This? It’s nothing really.” Ai blushed a little as she fluffed up her poofy skirt.
Yuki eyed her friend from top to bottom, adoring the way she looked. From the top of the dress with its floral collar that matched the floral design at the bottom of Yuki’s dress. Down to the short puffy skirt, that exposed a good amount of Ai’s beautiful legs.
“It’s definitely not nothing. Everything about the dress is beautiful, especially the girl wearing it.” Yuki smiled, and the blush on Ai’s face became more apparent.
“I think it’s too short.” Koi interrupted.
“Nii-san! We talked about this!” Ai huffed.
“I know, but…”
“I think you should leave your sister alone and start driving to the school.” The short golden blond sitting in the front seat chimed in.
“Hey! Who’s side are you on Kakeru?” Koi chided.
“Just because I’m your date doesn’t mean I can’t put you in your place.” Kakeru waved a finger at Koi, who pouted, “Now drive before Ai is late.”
“Okay…” Koi submitted, and the car went into motion.
Upon arriving at the school, the boys made sure to drop off Ai and Yuki at the front door before Koi drove off to find a parking space. The pair entered the school and followed the trail of rose petals to the gym. They entered the gymnasium, and music instantly started to play, thanks to Kurisu, who noticed their arrival.
Ai gasped, looking about the beautifully decorated room with lanterns attached to the ceiling lighting up the gym. Bonsai trees in the middle of every table which are located near the door, with a large enough space in front of the stage for dancing. The food tables were to the side of the gym with food lined up on top and filling the gym with a pleasant aroma. The dessert table was placed to the left of the food tables and had a Reina already eating a cookie, telling everyone she was testing it for poison.
The stage in the back of the gym had two fake cherry blossom trees on both sides and Kurisu’s music table set in the middle, where the blond was currently reviewing the tracklist for the night. As Ai and Yuki walked further into the gym, a spotlight appeared overhead. The girls turned and looked up to see Matsuri waving from the light booth and giving them a thumbs up that everything was ready to go.
“This is amazing. I can’t believe we pulled it off.” Ai mumbled.
“I’m not surprised. We did have an amazing leader and coordinator.” Yuki wrapped an arm around Ai’s waist.
Ai giggled, “But that coordinator was nothing without her hard workers and her amazing best friend.”
“If you two are done being adorable.” A voice came from behind the pair and they turned to see a familiar white-haired student. “Students are starting to file in.”
“Thanks for the warning, Tsubaki-chan.” Ai patted her cheeks, “Everything looks like it’s running smoothly. We’re only missing Chisa and Wakaba to hold down the voting table for Prom Queen and King, but I have no problem keeping it close until they get here. When it’s open again, I’ll make sure to give the announcement.”
“I have your microphones up here,” Matsuri called.
“Great! Thank you!” Ai shouted to her friend. “Alright, ladies, let’s get this Prom in motion!”
—
Two hours or so later, after the doors had been officially open, the gym was filled with people. Dinner was starting to close up, and everyone was heading to the dance floor to work off their meal. Yuki observed the entire thing from afar, leaning against the wall by the door as Ai was making another round of checks.
“You’re tendency to overwork has rubbed off on her.” A figure commented and approached the black-haired student.
“I know, I’m such a bad influence.” Yuki smiled at her cousin.
Hajime stood next to Yuki with his arms crossed as he looked out to the crowd.
“How do you like the prom so far?” Yuki asked her cousin.
“It’s crowded and loud.” Hajime complained as his eyes landed on Shun dancing with some friends, “But enjoyable.”
Yuki smiled, “A school celebrity and his number one fan. It’s like a plot from a movie.”
“Hey, don’t make it sound so dramatic,” Hajime playfully rolled his eyes, “Besides, Shun is my sixth fan or at least that’s what he tells me.”
Yuki laughed, and Hajime couldn’t help but chuckle along with her. She crossed her arms and looked out at the party, her violet iris scanning the place until they reached their target.
“I’m jealous of you cousin. I wish I came with the person I liked the most.” Yuki sighed a little as she watched Ai move around the party, attending to everything.
“Didn’t you?”
“Yes, but only as friends, nothing more.”
“Did she say that?”
Yuki paused, “I may be exaggerating.”
“She said something similar then?”
“I may have been the one who asked her out and then pushed the idea I only did so as a convenience.”
“Then, you’re only telling yourself that this isn’t a date, but two friends hanging out.”
“It’s for the best…”
Hajime let out a sigh, “You know, that’s one thing I don’t like about our family. We tend to form opinions on what’s best for everyone and act like we’re selfless by doing what we consider right.” Hajime turned his attention to his cousin, “But really, we’re selfish, and only doing what keeps us from getting hurt.”
Yuki looked to the ground, “It’s nothing like that...I know she doesn’t like me.”
“You don’t know anything, you’re hoping she doesn’t like you in order to halt any hope that you two could be together. It makes it easy to stop any urge to ask her out.”
Yuki grabbed her arm, “Even if we do end up together, what if we don’t stay together? What if she finds someone better?”
“Then that’s an obstacle you should both face together. You’d be surprised how strong a bond you can form with your partner.” Hajime smiled a little as he looked back at Shun. “Sometimes, it can feel almost unbreakable.”
“I don’t even know how to ask her out. Or even when to ask her out.”
“It’ll come a time where your feelings for her will become too much, and you have no choice but to express yourself, or it’ll eat you inside. Or, you can be lucky enough like me where he asks you out on a limb, and you can just go from there.”
Yuki snorted, her shoulders started to shake, “I still can’t believe you made him cry.”
“He can be so emotional, I swear.” Still, Hajime smiled at the memory of holding Shun until he calmed down.
Suddenly, a spotlight appeared from above and was directed on stage where a teacher, Tsukishiro Kanade, stood with a microphone.
“Hello, everyone, and thank you for coming to Prom.” He greeted, everyone thankful he had a microphone as he spoke in a quiet voice.
“It is now time to announce the Prom Queen and King.” Kanade opened the piece of paper in his hand, “The Prom Queen is none other than...Hanazono Yuki!”
Yuki blinked, surprised to hear her name called. She started walking to the stage, and a spotlight appeared above her following her with every step. The crowd’s attention was on her, clapping and congratulating her for the title. When she reached the stage, Hina appeared with a tiara and gently placed it on her head with a smile.
“Congratulations, Yuki!” She cheered.
“Thank you, Hina.” Yuki smiled in reply.
“Now for the Prom King,” Kanade announced after the applause died down, “Our Prom King is...Mutsuki Hajime!”
Hajime was hesitant to move until Shun came around and urged him to go up. He made his way to the stage with everyone applauding him with a spotlight shone down on the Prom King. Once on stage, he leaned down for Hina to put the crown on his head then took his spot next to Yuki.
“Would the Prom King like to say a few words?” Kanade asked, handing the microphone to Hajime.
Hajime didn’t take the device. Instead, he leaned down and said, “Thank you.” Then stood tall again, as that was the end of his speech.
“Short and to the point. Thank you, Hajime.” Kanade smiled. “What about the Queen?”
Yuki nodded and politely took the microphone from Kanade. “Thank you, Tsukishiro-sensei, and thank you, everyone, for voting me your Prom Queen. It’s truly an honor.” Yuki bowed, and the crowd clapped.
“Thank you to everyone who helped make this Prom come to life, and a special thank you to Kisaragi Ai who came up with this whole idea!” Yuki’s violet eyes met Ai’s pink ones as she spoke. “Ever since the council approved hosting a Prom, there have been many stressful days in buying, creating, and setting up this entire thing. However, through it all, you remain optimistic and always had a smile on your face, a smile that gave us all the energy to keep on persevering.”
Yuki took a breath before continuing, “I’m so happy you came to me about the idea for Prom...I’m even happier that you came to me long ago to help you study for science. We’ve been quite a pair since then, and if I didn’t have different classes or had to go home, I don’t think I would ever leave your side. All because, Ai, you’re absolutely beautiful in more ways than one, and I love you for being you.”
The crowd gasped, and murmurs started to circulate the gym. A spotlight appeared over Ai, and she blinked when Akane tapped her shoulder, handing her a microphone.
“Matsuri-chan wanted me to give this to you, in case you want to respond.” She whispered, then disappeared into the crowd.
“You keep talking about how amazing I am, but really, we complement each other! That’s why we’re the perfect pair!” Ai cried. “Yuki-chan is so intelligent, always able to give me an answer to my problems. And my smile? Half the time, that’s because I know at some point in the day, I’ll be able to see you. Every day, I’m thankful you were kind enough not to turn away from me when I needed your help. Every day, I was able to grow closer to you and eventually realize that I love you too.”
Yuki’s heart started to race from Ai’s response, “You...You love me? Really?!”
“Yes, really! I really, really love you!” Ai smiled, probably the brightest smile Yuki has ever seen on Ai. And it was for her and only her.
The adrenaline of the moment rushed through Yuki as she handed the microphone back to Kanade and jumped off the stage. The crowd made a path for her as she rushed to Ai and nearly knocked the poor girl over from her embrace.
“You don’t realize how happy you’ve made me.” Yuki sniffed, “I was so scared for the longest time you wouldn’t love me. I even convinced myself this day would never come.”
“Aw Yuki…” Ai wiped the tears coming from the other’s eyes, “I’ve always loved you, you know? I’m so sorry that I made you think you couldn’t open up to me about your feelings.”
“You shouldn’t apologize Ai. I was the one being selfish, only thinking about myself to avoid getting hurt.”
“How about we call it a draw because knowing us, we could apologize for hours.” Ai laughed.
“I’m okay with that.” Yuki joined her friend in laughing.
The pair continued to laugh about how dramatic they made the situation with their foreheads pressed together. Yuki was the first to calm down and admired her beloved Ai, how cute and bubbly was the laugh coming out of her pink glossed lips. The Queen lost all control of herself and silenced her Goddess with a kiss, causing the crowd to erupt around them. Ai was thrown off by the sudden kiss but was quick to recover from the shock and kissed back.
When they finally broke away from each other, the spotlight that shone on them turned off, and Kanade announced the continuation of the dance. A slow song played, and the crowd dispersed into pairs, dancing around the new couple in the middle that held each other close. The Prom was a truly magical night and made the inseparable pair that is Ai and Yuki closer than they had ever been.