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It’s a quiet weekend in their usual family restaurant. Sayo is pressed back against the plush seat of the booth, opposite Rinko and Lisa, fry basket in front of her. Well, technically it’s for all of them, but they all know within their hearts it’s for Sayo. Not only because of the quite impressive rate she eats fries at, but also considering the interrogation they’re about to put her through, she probably needs them.
“So, Sayo~” Lisa says, leaning forward eagerly. “Your fries are here, so no more hiding. You gotta tell us everything!”
Rinko is very grateful for Lisa’s presence. In many ways, but right now specifically Lisa is the perfect cover for her. Because Lisa is nosy. Not in a bad way necessarily, it’s just her nature. She likes to know about other people, to help them, to talk to them. But the thing is, everybody knows Lisa is nosy. Sayo is especially aware of this. So if Lisa wants to know every single detail of Yukina and Sayo’s first date, Sayo won’t question it. Sayo will be embarrassed - she is embarrassed - but she will tell her.
Sayo stares down at her fries basket. She takes one gingerly, before mumbling “...Fine.” and chewing.
The catch is that Rinko is very nosy too. But nobody knows.
Not all the time, just for things she’s interested in. And when she is interested, she’s good at chilling in the back, watching events unfold from afar, not getting involved. That’s what people expect of her anyway, considering her shyness comes just as easily as her curiosity. But just because she doesn’t directly involve herself, it doesn’t mean she isn’t interested in… Well. Things.
She noticed the way Sayo looked at Yukina long, long time ago, before she even joined Roselia. It was on the video Ako sent her, of their rehearsal. After the song finished Yukina and Sayo turned to each other, satisfaction in their expressions, but for Sayo there was something more. A yearning, a want. A desire. She doubts Sayo knew it was there at all, but once Rinko joined the band proper and spent more and more time with her, she noticed it never went away.
Eventually, the same look appeared on Yukina’s face. Perhaps it was always there, and neither Yukina or Rinko had noticed. Sayo certainly hadn’t, in any case. But unlike Sayo, who had sat on her feelings for almost a year and seemed content to continue to do so, when Yukina realised her decidedly non-platonic feelings, she immediately told Sayo. The rest of Roselia weren’t supposed to find out, but Yukina had decided the best time to confess to Sayo would be when Lisa, Rinko and Ako had hopped out for a quick drinks break after practice, when their belongings were still in the studio. The scene they came back to - a heavily blushing Sayo and a tad embarrassed Yukina - was almost impossible to explain away as anything other than what it was.
But all had worked out, and now they’re here in the family restaurant, the day after Yukina and Sayo’s first date. And Rinko and Lisa are curious. Ako is curious too, but not in the same way as them. They want juicy details, and it’s easier to bully Sayo into talking to them than Yukina. All it takes is a 1000 yen super-size stress set.
Lisa’s eyes are watching Sayo like a hawk. So are Rinko’s, but Sayo doesn’t need to know.
Because no one really does know how nosy she is. And they don’t need to. So, Lisa is her cover.
“It was…” Sayo begins. “It was nice.”
They wait for her to continue. She doesn’t.
Lisa frowns. “Aw, come on Sayo, that’s it? Tell us more!”
Sayo shoots her a glare. “How much do you want to know?”
“Like I said earlier, everything!”
Sayo sighs. Rinko does feel a little bad, but if Sayo truly didn’t want to divulge any details, they wouldn’t be here. Sayo’s willingness to talk and the slight blush that adorns her cheeks proves that things did go well. And, Rinko suspects, Sayo wants to gush about her newly-found girlfriend. They just have to unlock it.
“We went to a small cafe outside of town, and had lunch there. It was…” Sayo bites her lip. “Minato-san is quite the carnivore. More than I would have expected.”
“Oh yeah, she loves food,” Lisa says absentmindedly, before the grin reappears. “So? Did she look hot while eating?”
“E-Excuse me????”
“Oh, is it too early for that? Fine. Did she look cute?”
Sayo glares at Lisa some more. The two are locked in a staring contest, before Sayo relents. “Yes. She looked… cute.”
Sayo probably meant to say that in a stern way, but unfortunately for her, she can’t help but mumble it into her fry as her blush grows.
“Awwww,” Lisa coos. “Trust me, Sayo, one day you’ll see her, like, demolish a burger and then you’ll get what I mean about being hot while eating.”
Sayo looks horrified. “Are you talking from personal experience Imai-san?”
(She’s not. Rinko knows Lisa’s talking about Tomoe, from what Himari has told them both.)
“Don’t worry about it for now.” Lisa says. “So, lunch at the cafe. What happened next?”
“Well, as you know, it was quite cold yesterday. We huddled in the cafe for a while.” Sayo says. “But eventually we visited some stores together. We tried to go to- I mean, ahem, we went to a clothes store, but we discovered… it wasn’t to our tastes.”
“So did you go to a music store instead?” Rinko asks.
Sayo looks caught off guard by her actually speaking. “I… ah, yes. We did. How did you know?”
“Just a feeling.” Rinko replies.
“I see. So, we spent a considerable amount of time in there, as we are looking to reach the greatest heights. And looking at other artists’ work is a fine way to do that-”
“Jeez, Sayo, you can say you liked being at the store anyway!” Lisa cuts in. “We
know
how nerdy you two are for music, you’re practically describing your dream date. You don’t have to link
everything
to Roselia.”
Sayo looks as if this is news to her. “Well, I must admit it was not all for Roselia’s sake. Minato-san has quite the passion for music anyway, as do I, but it was… nice, seeing her being enthusiastic. In our past discussions, she can analyse music from quite a critical angle, but she really let go during this outing. And it’s… pleasant, to see different sides of her…”
Rinko feels a little bit sorry for Sayo. Rinko isn’t the talker herself, but she’s never met someone as embarrassed over their gay feelings as Sayo. She still doesn’t feel guilty, though.
“Wow, Sayo, you MASSIVE LESBIAN,” Lisa says. “That’s actually so sweet. But I mean, come on, you didn’t just follow her around the whole date admiring her, right? You talked and stuff?”
“Of course we talked!” Sayo says indignantly. “You might not think it, but we
can
talk to each other, how else would we become… g-girlfriends?”
Well, if Rinko is being terribly honest, it’s quite a miracle the two people she knows who are as socially awkward as her got together, so seeing as they’ve cleared that hurdle, their dates are probably guaranteed to go well. Even though it seems as if Yukina will be doing most of the work in moving the relationship along.
Lisa’s about to reply to Sayo, probably to embarrass her further, when she notices the door to the restaurant open. Rinko does too.
And who else to enter at this time but Yukina herself, accompanied by Ran Mitake?
Seeing as Lisa and Rinko are facing the door, Yukina clearly spots them. She looks as if she’s about to go and greet them, but Lisa holds up a hand. She points at the booth behind Sayo. Yukina is perplexed, but seems to somehow get the message and starts walking to the booth. Ran flashes an awkward wave as she tries to appear as discreet as possible.
Well, it makes sense that they’re here. Roselia and Afterglow have a joint live planned, and Yukina did say she’d be meeting with Ran to work out the details soon. But today? At the same place Rinko and Lisa are for their important investigation? It’s a potentially mortifying coincidence, and Rinko has no idea what Lisa’s up to. But she trusts her. Maybe.
“Imai-san, are you alright?” Sayo asks.
Lisa snaps back to attention. “Just peachy!” she replies. “Listen, Sayo, it’s lovely to hear you had a lot of excellent conversations about music with Yukina on your date, but you did that in your lives already. You were on a
date.
So did you, like, take any initiative or anything? If you’re ‘girlfriends’, it must have been romantic, right?”
“Initiative?” Sayo replies. “What do you mean by that?”
“You know! Taking bold steps to advance the relationship.” Lisa replies with a grin. “Yukina asked you out, right, so you gotta be on equal ground to her! Did you hold her hand, or anything for example?”
Rinko watches in mild horror and curiosity as a confused Yukina and oblivious Ran sit down in the booth right behind Sayo. The restaurant is pretty quiet, and they’re obviously going to be able to hear their conversation. But Sayo is completely unaware, simply continuing her conversation with Lisa.
“Ah, so that’s what you meant. I did take some ‘initiative’, as a matter of fact, Imai-san.”
That’s a surprising answer. Rinko expected Sayo to shrink further into a ball of embarrassment and bottomness, but she’s nodding across the table at her and Lisa with confidence.
“What initiative?” Rinko asks. Sayo blinks.
“Well, I, ah, um… as we were leaving the music store, you see, it had gotten even colder. I was wrapped up quite warm for the occasion, having checked the forecast, but Yukina was in a thin long sleeved shirt and skirt. I felt bad for her, so, as any good girlfriend would, I gave her my jacket.”
Lisa looks a little impressed. Rinko shares her sentiment. She didn’t expect this from gay little Sayo-san. “Woooaaaaah.” Lisa says. “That’s like, classic romance! You’re growing up…”
Embarrassed Sayo is back. “I am not a child, Imai-san! Now do you want me to tell you anything more?”
“Sorry!” Lisa says. Rinko knows she is not.
“You can tell me, Hikawa-san. It’s fine.” Rinko says, trying to appear kind and encouraging. Which she is. She may be here for the gossip, but Sayo is her friend too. She does want to make sure the date went well.
“Thank you, Shirokane-san.” Sayo replies. “I mean, after that… I must say she did look quite adorable in my jacket, and I confess I may have stolen a couple of glances at her as we walked. But then, we came to a stop outside her house… and, um…”
Rinko can sense the vibe. This is the climax of the date, the final boss battle, the big moment of the movie. She knows Yukina and Sayo didn’t just walk around and talk about music all day. Something bigger happened, and Rinko and Lisa are about to find out.
“We kissed…” Sayo mumbles as she nearly buries her head in her bowl of fries.
Lisa actually whistles. “Woo! Get it Sayo!”
Rinko’s impressed. However, there is still important information to be obtained. “Who kissed who?” she asks.
“I kissed her.” Sayo says.
Impressive.
“Minato-san thanked me for the wonderful day, and I said I wanted to thank her too, but there was a specific way I wanted to… and then, when she asked what, I leaned down, paused so my intent was clear, and after I gained permission, we, well. Kissed.”
“Damn, that’s smooth.” Lisa says. “Never would have expected that of you, Sayo!”
“I’m happy for you, Hikawa-san.” Rinko chimes.
Sayo is busy stuffing around ten fries into her mouth, but she nods. “Thank you.” she says. “I think. I don’t quite know what I’m thanking you for. The support?”
“Of course we support you, Sayo!” Lisa says. “You’re happy. And also quite the gentlewoman, I see~ I didn’t know Yukina could bring out this side of you-“
“Excuse me.”
A silver head has popped up from the booth behind them.
“Minato-san???” Sayo says, looking as if she is ready to faint. Rinko can’t blame her, even knowing she was there, the sudden appearance of Yukina made her jump.
“Good afternoon, Sayo,” Yukina says with a nod. “How are you?”
“Fine,” Sayo squeaks out. She does not look fine. “Y-You?”
“Very well, thank you very much. However, I am here to correct some falsehoods-” Yukina’s voice cuts through the air like glass- “regarding our date.”
Sayo gulps.
“Huh? What falsehoods?” Lisa asks.
“Sayo is lying.” Yukina says simply.
“Did something happen?” Rinko asks nervously.
“Oh no,” Yukina says. “To be fair to Sayo, her description is fairly accurate. The first half, at least. But as for the rest… hm.” She taps her face. “Should I tell it, Sayo, or would you like to?”
Sayo is so red she looks like a videogame boss about to transform to their second phase. “You can…”
“Excellent.” How Yukina still looks so elegant and calm when she is essentially sticking her head over a booth divider is beyond Rinko. But perhaps some things about Yukina are never meant to be understood, at least not by Rinko. “Well, you see, Sayo came to our date in clothing not suitable for the weather at all.”
Rinko can tell where this might be going.
“I was quite concerned, but Sayo repeatedly assured me she was fine, so I left it at that. That is, until we exited the music store. Despite her insistence that she was alright, Sayo was shivering far too much. I myself was dressed in many layers, so I gave her my outer jacket. It was an excellent decision all around. Sayo was no longer suffering, and seeing her wearing my clothes had an effect on me I wasn’t quite able to name, but did affect my later actions. Isn’t that right, Sayo?”
Sayo groans.
Lisa is doubling over with laughter. “I knew something was up!” she said. “Oh my god, Sayo. I can’t believe you lied!”
“I’m sorry…” Sayo says.
“I’m not done telling my story.” Yukina cuts in. “There is more, is there not, Sayo?”
Rinko feels pretty sorry for Sayo at this point, who is probably not capable of becoming even more embarrassed. She’s looking at Yukina, scandalised. “Do you
really
have to tell them…?”
“I only will if you want me to.” Yukina replies.
Sayo lets out a deep sigh. Facing Rinko and Lisa, she mumbles out, “As you
may have gathered,
Yukina was the one who kissed me. Not the other way round.”
“Don’t sound so dejected, Sayo,” Yukina says mildly, “you’re a very good kisser.”
Rinko was wrong. It is possible for Sayo to get more embarrassed.
“Yukina!” she whines, as she covers her face with her hands, and then-
And then everyone falls silent.
Five long seconds pass by as everyone tries to make sense of what just happened. Rinko can hardly believe it herself. Did Sayo just-
Sayo can’t believe it either. She slowly slides her fingers off her face, peeking upwards to glance at Yukina…
...who, now as red as her girlfriend, swiftly slides down back to her own side of the booth with a thunk.
Five more seconds pass. Then Lisa breaks the silence, as usual.
“Woah, Sayo. Turns out you’re bold after all~”
“Imai-san.” Sayo warns.
“Ohhh, so I’m still Imai-san, huh? Is Rinko still Shirokane-san? Reserving first names for your girlfriend now, are we? Can’t blame you, clearly Yukina likes it.”
“Imai-san!” Sayo snaps, standing and picking up the bowl of fries with her. She looks as if she’s about to genuinely storm out of the restaurant, but then, she obviously catches sight of Yukina, still hidden in her booth.
Rinko watches as Sayo stops, and Yukina peeks her head out. Then her whole body, until she’s standing and facing Sayo.
“Minato-san?” Sayo asks. “Are you alright?”
“I’m… okay.” Yukina says weakly. Rinko can still see her blush from here.
“That’s wonderful to hear-” Sayo begins, but before she can say anything more, Yukina cuts in.
“Say it again.”
“Say what?”
“You know what, Sayo.”
Sayo breathes in. And out. She looks into Yukina’s eyes as she says: “Yukina.”
Two seconds later Yukina is kissing her. Hard. And Sayo is reciprocating, clumsily, but 10/10 for effort, as always. They’re right in the middle of the restaurant, but all the other customers can enjoy the display too, Rinko supposes, as Yukina wraps her arms around Sayo’s back and pulls her close.
“Well, Rinko,” Lisa says, nudging her, “looks like their date was a success after all. I didn’t know Yukina could kiss like that!”
Lisa’s right, and Rinko smiles. It seems that Yukina and Sayo’s blossoming relationship is off to a great start indeed.
But before she can get too sentimental, a previously unheard aggressive voice, normally much more suited to belting out Afterglow’s discography, pipes up from behind the booth divider.
“I
really
fucking wish I wasn’t here!”