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Pink petals fell everywhere. The sky was light blue with a touch of fluffy clouds that looked like cotton candy. That reminded Nanami of something.
"Rui-rui, do you wanna get some cotton candy?"
Nanami turned to the tall girl beside her with hands crossed on top of each other positioned perfectly on the first button of her long skirt.
"I do not remember to have tried it before. I don't think I would need to today." Rui replied.
Nanami pouted a little, to which Rui has taken notice of. She did not know why they were even doing this, going on a walk together at the park, under the bright sun. She could only recall going to this park early, the band had invited her to do so. They were nowhere in sight though, Nanami was the only one sitting on the bench near the pond north of the stone statue at the entrance.
She looked ethereal, Rui thought. Her salmon hair under the brightness of the sun looked quite beautiful, it matched perfectly with the flowers around her. She was smiling to herself while simply swinging her legs back and forth. Why did she suddenly think of Nanami this way?
Rui ought to reprimand the other band members for not being punctual, she found it quite rude whenever they would run late. She caught herself lost in her thoughts as Nanami called her name.
"Rui-rui... what do you want to do?" She thought for a moment.
"If the other members do not plan to come, they should have stated an excuse. I will have to go home if this proves to be insignificant."
"That’s Rui-rui for you..." Nanami said to herself more than to the other.
"Don't you wanna do something, something normal?" The light-haired girl turned to the other and smiled. "Ahahaha, just as a way to know each other more... being in the same band and all."
Rui could not argue with this. Forming a good relationship with Morfonica's bassist would prove useful, she is the one that ties all the other instruments together after all.
"What do you suggest we do?"
"Hmm... maybe we can go to that café over there!" Nanami suggested.
Just like their guitarist, Touko, all the other members of Morfonica seem to be inclined to choose this kind of place to 'hang-out' as they say. Rui did not mind this though. She simply nodded in reply.
As they entered the café, the smell of coffee beans and pastries embraced them. It was surprisingly quiet, with only bits of conversations filling the air.
They neared the counter. Nanami noticed the spicy buns on display and immediately ordered it. She also asked for their most unique drink.
“And you?” The lad at the counter looked at Rui, who simply tilted her head as she scanned the menu as well. She thought about her order for a minute and settled for red bean mochi with a vanilla milkshake.
They both walked to an outdoor table of the café, as Nanami had suggested since it would look prettier with the cherry blossoms in their view.
They were both quiet for a few minutes until Nanami spoke. “Don’t you think spring just makes everything so pretty?” she asked as she watched a pink petal float its way to the ground.
“I never stopped and thought to pay attention to the aesthetic of my surroundings, but I think many have mentioned that spring looks best at dawn.”
Nanami shook her head. “Well, I think spring looks pretty no matter what.” this time, she was looking at the dark-haired girl in front of her.
Rui felt something flutter inside of her. What is this feeling? She asked herself. It was so unfamiliar. She had never been one to be in touch with her emotions, but something about this one made her want to explore it just a little bit more, just a little bit further.
“I think you’re pretty no matter what, Hiromachi-san…” she whispered to herself.
“What?” Nanami asked, surprised.
Rui’s eyes went wide and blushed.
“Sorry, it was nothing.”
Nanami stared at Rui, whose eyes seem a bit too fixated on her food. Her cheeks had a tint of red that she never had on her face before. It was for a split second, but she was sure she saw it.
A question suddenly popped into her mind.
“Rui-rui, why did you quit playing the violin?”
Rui dropped her mochi back on her plate. “Do you not remember, Hiromachi-san? I told Morfonica that I found it to be a path not worth taking anymore.”
Her tone was sharp, so Nanami did not press any further. She then decided to talk a little bit about the bass, not finding any other interest they had in common besides the band.
“You know what I like about playing the bass? I just love how my music blends with the others in the band. It makes me feel like I belong!” Nanami smiled to herself while drinking.
“I can recall the reason why you chose to play it, was it not because the band simply needed one?”
“Oh yeah. Ahahaha. I don’t regret my decision though.”
They finished their food and decided to go for another walk around the park.
“Hiromachi-san, have you ever encountered an unfamiliar feeling?” Rui searched for a way to start a conversation, something she rarely ever done. If she ever did, it was for academic purposes and such.
Nanami started swaying her hands as she walked. There was a spring in her step as she started to guess what it was.
“When people usually say that, it means they’re in love, Rui-rui. It means your heart starts to flutter and you start to blush when you see them. You start imagining scenarios where you’re together. Ahahaha.
I rarely ever read romantic manga. I once did because it just seemed like the normal thing to do, but horror really is where I’m interested though. There are some bits of romance in the books I read, sometimes. When the world is about to end because of some zombie apocalypse, they look into each other’s eyes and promise they’ll survive together. I wouldn’t mind that though, the author tends to make them essential to the story too.”
Rui smiled at Nanami as she rambled on and on about love, then romance, then a bit of horror. She looked as pretty as the cherry blossoms around them. Rui started to notice how Nanami’s hair was a bit lighter than those petals landing on her hair. Her eyes seemed to match their color though. Her lips were also a beautiful pink hue.
“Ah, I must be in love as you have inferred so, Hiromachi-san.”
Nanami stopped skipping. The smile disappeared from her lips. Her eyes looked down. She tried her best to hide it, but she was a little sad when she heard Rui was in love.
It couldn’t be her, that’s impossible. In the one romantic novel she read, there had been a character that would be in love with the protagonist. The problem was, the main character was in love with someone else. Nanami must be that character the protagonist wasn’t in love with.
As much as it pained her to ask, she was a bit curious. Whoever this was must really be Rui’s type. She hoped for the best for this person she was in love with. She’ll just ignore that ache in her heart and fully support Rui and that person.
“Who is it, Rui-ru-, Yashio-san?”
It was the dark-haired girl’s turn to pause in her tracks. She looked at the other in the eye.
“It’s you, Nanami.”
Rui had never called anyone by their first name. This was a miracle. Nanami felt light, her face was warm. She looked away.
“Wh-what… Why… Huh?” Nanami looked away and covered her face.
She looks so cute. Rui thought and smiled to herself.
“I’m sorry for the sudden confession. You see, I really am unfamiliar with this. Please forgive me if I-”
“I love you too, Rui-rui.”
The tall girl’s eyes widened. She was taken aback now too. Her lip quivered.
Silence fell on both of the girls. The sky has taken a pink-ish tone now. They were nearing sunset. Rui should’ve been home by now if she didn’t take the time to… do this with Nanami.
“Ahahaha… this doesn’t feel normal at all.”
“Well, it is as strange to me as it is to you.”
“Do we kiss?”
“Oh, would that not be a bit quick for us?”
They were both blushing, not knowing what to do.
“I’m so sorry! Ahahaha… that’s what the romance manga did when the two characters confessed to each other.”
“Ah, but the data would be incomplete and flawed since you only had time to research a single source.”
Rui looked at Nanami’s pink eyes. “But I will be willing to try if you consent to it.”
She secretly wanted those pink lips on hers. She waited for an answer to this.
Nanami put her hand on Rui’s while intertwining their fingers.
“Sure!”
She smiled, leaned forward and tiptoed to kiss her.
Rui bent down and put her lips on hers.
Their hearts pounded as their lips met under the light of the sunset and the petals of cherry blossoms falling around them.