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Yukina stood before the mirror nervously and stared at her own reflection. The white cat ears that sat on her hair twitched a bit.
I hope this is what Hazawa-san meant when she said a costume…
Yukina sighed. She switched on her phone and the screen lit up. On the screen is a conversation between her and Tsugumi.
“Yukina-senpai, the party would be at the cafe. Please remember to wear a costume here!”
“A costume?”
“Yes, it’s a Halloween party! The rest of us would be wearing a costume each!”
“Ah, okay. I shall find a costume then.”
“Hehehe okay! See you tomorrow at 7pm!”
“See you.”
And after that it was panic. Yukina frantically called Lisa, asking if she could borrow a costume for the party. Thankfully, Lisa kept something from last year’s Halloween. That’s how she ended up with the cat costume she was wearing now.
“Are you sure this will work?” Yukina frowned as she kept on twisting her body in front of the mirror. “The skirt is a bit too short…”
“Don’t worry about it, you look fine~” Lisa chuckled as she sat on her bed, swinging her legs, “besides, I am sure Tsugumi will appreciate you wearing such a cute costume~”
A light blush came on to Yukina’s cheeks. “I...I think it’s time for me to go, or else I will be late…”
“Mhm! Remember to have fun at the party! Take lots of photos with Tsugumi!” Lisa gave Yukina her purse and escorted her to the door. She waved goodbye to the embarrassed girl as she made her way to Hazawa Coffee. Lisa giggled to herself; she does feel like a mom sometimes…
Yukina looked at the timing written on her phone.
6.45pm… I am a bit early…
She walked back and forth in front of the cafe, wondering if she should go in. However, she didn’t have to wait long before a familiar voice called out to her.
“Yukina-senpai!!! Why won’t you come in?” Tsugumi’s head poked out from behind the door. On her head was a bat wings accessory and she was wearing fake fangs over her teeth. Yukina scurried over to Tsugumi. Then, she saw the full costume Tsugumi was wearing.
It was a vampire costume. The red crop top and flowing skirt exudes a kind of dark yet elegant demeanour. The cape adds on to the grandiose of the costume and the fangs provided a bit of cuteness to it.
“H-Hazawa-san…” Yukina started to feel a bit small compared to Tsugumi’s costume.
“Wow, Yukina-senpai, you look really cute, ehehe,” Tsugumi complimented the silver-haired girl and patted her head. Yukina blushed slightly as she nodded a little.
“Thank you, yours look...amazing.”
“Ehehehe, my mom helped me make this. Do you like it?’
“Of course!” Yukina replied immediately in a loud voice; almost too loud for someone like her. But she found it hard to contain her admiration for her girlfriend’s costume.
Tsugumi opened the door to reveal the halloween decorated cafe. There were skeletons in random corners, spider webs hanging from the lights and jack-o-lanterns sitting on the cafe tables, illuminating the cafe with their orange lights.
“The cafe looks... different.”
“Ehehehe, me and my band spent the whole afternoon decorating~ We were just about to start the event, come join us!” Tsugumi held Yukina by the hand and rushed forward to a makeshift stage. Yukina was dragged along to the front where Ran and Moca already were. There were also their family members there.
“Yukina-san!! You’re here!!” A high-pitched sound shouted across the room. Yukina turned around to see Ako rushing towards her. Ako seemed to be wearing a necromancer costume with a skull hanging from her neck.
“Ako! Don’t run around or you'll bump into someone!” Tomoe shouted from behind Ako. Tomoe was wearing a werewolf costume, the furry suit seemed to showcase her tall figure even more. She saw Yukina and did a wave with her paws, at which Yukina responded with a slight nod.
“Tomoe-chan!!” Tsugumi’s eyes lit up and walked over.
“Yo! Tsugu!” Tomoe grinned as soon as she saw Tsugumi.
“The Spooky Brain event is about to start soon, have you seen Himari-chan?” Tsugumi asked.
“Nah, she must be late again. Typical of Himari~” Tomoe answered in a loud voice.
“Hii-chan needs at least 2 hours to pick an outfit~” Moca appeared behind the pair.
“Mhm. It’s the same as always,” Ran added, crossing her arms. She glanced over to Yukina, seemingly surprised by her cat outfit and looked away as her face got red. Yukina got a bit self-conscious and stood behind Tsugumi. The thing was Yukina had only really hung out with the Afterglow members a few times since dating Tsugumi and she still does feel a bit out of place when with them. Luckily, her girlfriend has been really understanding and always finds opportunities to include Yukina into their activities.
“Everyone!! So sorry I am late!” Himari burst through the front door as the bells at the door jingled. She was wearing a tight-fitting succubus costume. There are contacts in her eyes that reflect a red glow and the costume screams sexy yet not voluptuous.
“Woah, Himari, you look…” Tomoe was speechless, her face entirely red.
“Eheh!” Himari tucked her arms at her waist. “How do I look? I took a long time picking this costume~” She smiled smugly.
“I told ya~ At least 5 hours~” Moca teased.
“Moca!!!” Himari pouted.
“Himari, you look pretty. Although, a bit too revealing for me.” Ran looked away.
“Awww Ran is blushing~” Himari went over to Ran and hugged her, rubbing her face on to Ran’s.
“Te- Stoop!” Ran groaned.
“Himari-chan! You look awesome!” Tsugumi added with a bright smile.
“Tsugu!!! Oh my god!!! You look so pretty toooo!!!” Himari went over to Tsugumi to give her a hug. Yukina stared at the commotion as she stood at the side awkwardly. Yeah, she definitely feels out of place.
“Ah Yukina-san! You’re here too!” Finally, Himari turned to Yukina. “That costume...That was what I wanted to wear at first! You look so cute in the cat costume!”
“Thank you.”
“I’m so happy you can make it!!” Although Himari looked excited, she dared not touch Yukina. Maybe it was the years viewing Yukina as a senpai, both in school and in music, there seemed to be a subtle intimidating aura Yukina had.
“Everyone, the Spooky Brain event is about to begin. Please find your partners and get ready to participate!” Tsugumi’s mother was the host of today’s party as she stood in front of the stage, announcing to the crowd.
“Yukina-senpai, I assumed we are doing this together?” Tsugumi looked at Yukina with sparkling eyes.
“Yes. I supposed we are.” Yukina nodded.
Soon, the all the members got into pairs. Tsugumi was paired up with Yukina, Ran was paired up with Himari, Tomoe paired up with Ako, and Moca declined to participate.
“Okay everyone, the Spooky Brain will now begin! This is a trivia about some Halloween themed questions and the pair with the highest points would win these neko plushies! You get 1 point for every correct answer and minus 1 point for every wrong answer. Please press the buzzer in front of you to answer.” Tsugumi’s mother revealed 2 black neko plushies behind her. Yukina’s eyes immediately lit up and Tsugumi let out a small giggle. She is fully aware of her girlfriend’s obsessions with cats.
“First question: How many cat breeds have completely black fur?”
Buzz!!
Yukina immediately pressed the buzzer even before the other girls could. Even Tsugumi was slightly taken aback by Yukina’s abnormal speed.
“22.”
“That’s correct! One point to Yukina and Tsugumi!”
The other girls all stared at Yukina as if she was some extra-terrestrial species.
“Next question: When is Halloween thought to have originated?”
There was some hushed discussion as the girls glanced at each other. Yukina frowned and looked down.
“Yukina-senpai, do you know the answer?”
“I’m afraid I don’t, Hazawa-san.”
“Hmmm, I remember reading it in a book that says it’s around 4000 BC…”
“I shall follow along with you.”
“You sure? If I get it wrong…”
“I trust you.” Yukina smiled a little, giving Tsugumi some reassurance.
“M-Mhm!” Tsugumi’s eyes burned with passion as she slammed the buzzer. “4000 BC!”
Tsugumi’s mother paused as she stared at the cue cards.
“That’s absolutely right! 1 point to Yukina and Tsugumi!”
Tomoe and Himari both groaned. Ran crossed her arms and nodded, as if she expected Tsugumi to get the answer.
“Good job, Hazawa-san.” Yukina lightly placed a hand on Tsugumi’s shoulder, at which Tsugumi blushed a little.
“Ehehehe, thank you~”
The quiz went on for a few more questions. The scores were pretty even and soon the quiz came to an end.
“Last question. Looks like you all are pretty even. I shall increase the points to 5 points so each of the teams get an equal chance. What are Cat Siths?”
Buzz!
Just like the first question, the buzzer was immediately pressed. Yukina crossed her arms and said in a nonchalant voice, “ Cat Sìths are fairy creatures in Celtic myth that look like large black cats with a white spot on their chests. ”
Tomoe’s and Ako’s jaw dropped. Himari looked bewildered while Ran frowned and looked down. Tsugumi was stunned on the spot.
“Congratulations to Yukina and Tsugumi!!! You all won the neko plushies!”
Yukina flipped her hair in an almost sassy manner as she walked up with Tsugumi to collect their prize. Tsugumi still hasn't recovered from the shock of that last question and how Yukina managed to even know the answer.
“Hazawa-san, are you okay?”
“Y-yeah!” Tsugumi slapped her face a few times, then smiled brightly at Yukina. “How did you-”
Yukina looked away, her face flushed red. “I-I saw it on the internet before…”
“I see ahahaha…” Tsugumi laughed. They both took over the neko plushies from Tsugumi’s mom. Yukina instantly brought it to her chest and hugged it tightly.
“You really like cats, Yukina-senpai.” Tsugumi grinned.
“Ah! I--” Yukina quickly hid her burning hot face behind the plushie.
“Hey, you two did a good job out there!” Tomoe walked over to Yukina and Tsugumi to congratulate them.
“Good job.” Ran crossed her arms as she pouted. The feeling of losing to Yukina wasn’t great.
“Thank you.” Yukina recovered her composure as she straightened her back.
“Thank you!!” Tsugumi giggled.
“You two really make a great pair. Actually, do you want to join Ako and I to go trick or treating?” Tomoe suggested.
“Trick or treating?” Yukina asked curiously as she raised a finger to her chin.
“Yea!” Tomoe shouted.
“Ah, Tomoe-chan, I think Yukina-senpai don’t know what trick or treating is ahaha….” Tsugumi laughed nervously.
“Ah?” Tomoe’s smile froze as her mouth opened halfway.
“It’s like we go knocking on people’s houses and ask for candy and if they can’t give them, we play a trick on them!” Ako chimed in cheerfully.
“That sounds very inappropriate.” Yukina frowned.
“Ahhh! It’s just an expression, you don’t really have to play a trick on them…” Tsugumi quickly added.
Yukina went into deep thought. Finally she said, “Hmm...if Hazawa-san is going, I don’t mind following along…”
“Nice!” Tomoe gave a thumbs up with his furry paw and went to get the baskets.
“Yukina-senpai...if you’re uncomfortable with it, you don't have to-”
“Hazawa-san, I am ok.” Yukina couldn’t help but giggle, sometimes Tsugumi worries too much. Yukina and Tsugumi both grabbed a basket and made their way towards the exit of the cafe.
“Trick or treat!”
Marina opened the door to be greeted by four girls shouting at the same time.
“Everyone, your costumes look awesome! Here are your candies!” Marina smiled and handed them each a chocolate bar. “This reminds me of the time when I was going trick or treating with my band members… ah good memories.”
“Marina-san, why didn’t you all just go trick or treating now?” Ako asked curiously.
“We are all much older now… I think we will get chased away if we actually did.” Marina chuckled. “Although, seeing Yukina here is definitely a rare sight.” Marina turned her gaze towards Yukina.
“I…” Yukina turned bright red, then she looked away, “...I came because of Hazawa-san…”
“Ahahaha, love is definitely a mysterious power, huh?” Marina teased.
“M-Marina-san!” Tsugumi turned even redder than Yukina. Both Tomoe and Ako laughed along.
“Alright alright, I won’t tease you girls any more. Go have fun!! Hope you all get lots of candies!” Marina waved goodbye to them.
“Thank you, Marina-san!” The four girls waved back as they left Marina’s house.
Yukina and Tsugumi were back at the cafe. They stared at the Afterglow members horsing around in front of them. Ako was chasing Himari with a cake in her hand, Ran was trying to control them but failing badly, Tomoe was laughing her ass off and Moca was downing some fruit punch like she hasn’t drunk for days.
“Yukina-senpai, I hope you enjoyed the trick or treating.” Tsugumi giggled.
“I certainly did, with your company.” Yukina had already opened one of the candy and was sucking on it.
“Eh?” Tsugumi covered her face, “...don’t say such embarrassing stuff!”
“Hm? I mean it.”
“Y-Yukina-senpai…” Sometimes, Tsugumi don’t know whether to laugh or cry. Yukina can be a wooden block when it comes to actually flirting, yet she does it unknowingly most of the time.
Yukina reached into her basket for another candy.
“No no, you have eaten too many already.” Tsugumi held on to Yukina’s wrist.
“Just one more?”
“No means no. Too much candy is not good for you.” Tsugumi puffed out her cheeks. She looked like a mother chiding her child for eating too much candy.
Yukina paused and looked at Tsugumi. Then, she took out her hand from her basket and sighed. “Fine, I shall listen to you, Hazawa-san.”
“Good.” Tsugumi gave Yukina a head pat. Yukina’s frown immediately disappeared and a small smile replaced it.
“More…” Yukina grabbed Tsugumi’s retracting hand and placed it on her head.
“Okok.” Tsugumi laughed out loud. Yukina let out a satisfied sigh. Tsugumi couldn’t help but think… Yukina does behave like a cat sometimes...