Work Text:
the night sky has always been filled with mysteries; it has lent an ear to those who have been staying up late due to various reasons. it has always been a silent guardian who watches over those who cry their eyes out in the confines of their room or those who stay out until wee hours to have fun.
the night sky has always been a comforting blanket–especially for kyoko.
she remembers the first time she heard of the stories of the stars. it was when she was in preschool and she asked her parents why there are shining things in the sky. she vaguely remembers the answer but she believes her dad told her that those were the historians of the sky, keeping track of every story that takes place on earth.
and that was the time kyoko believed that each star contains a story. the vastness of the universe serving as a library and its galaxies are the neverending shelves of novels and short stories. growing up, kyoko was convinced that she was destined to be the bookkeeper of the skies herself.
"kyoko-san?" her daydreaming stopped when she felt the presence of another person in the room. she turned around to see a familiar face looking up to her. she sat down to level with the kid's height, "yes, nao?"
"i've read about a new dinosaur last night!"
"really? let me hear about it!" kyoko says while nodding to show that she's excited to listen.
nao raises her right hand's pointer finger before speaking, "did you know that the triceratops only had two genuine horns and not three?"
"is that so?" kyoko raises her tone to sound interested. the child nods her head, "and its skull was one-third of its body," nao's smile grew wider and kyoko appreciates the spark in the little girl's eyes.
"you seemed to really like the book i lent you," kyoko said as she stood up, starting to feel the pain on her knees from sitting down.
"i enjoy it! and i think the triceratops is now my favorite dinosaur!"
"that's nice!"
"do you have your favorite dinosaur?" nao tilts her head and kyoko reached for the child's hand as they walked around.
"can i tell you a secret?" kyoko turns to nao and the latter nodded in silence, "actually, i don't really care about these fossils nor anything down here. what i'm really passionate about are up there," she says as she points towards the sky through the huge glass window of the museum.
nao stares for a while before speaking up, "ah!" she says and kyoko turns her attention to the kid beside her, "look! there is a triceratops-shaped cloud!" nao started to jump up and down in excitement and kyoko couldn't help herself but pinch the child's cheeks.
"you have a good eye but that's not what i meant," kyoko chuckles and nao giggles back.
"what is it that you like then?"
"the stars. you should look up to the sky tonight before going to bed. there will be a meteor shower," kyoko pats nao's head and the child was about to talk when two figures appear right in front of them, both huffing and looking like they ran rounds around the museum.
"there you are!" one of them says.
"we were looking all over the place for you, nao," the taller of the two said as she slowly approached kyoko and nao. as soon as she reached the two of them, she knelt down to make direct eye contact with the kid, "don't run off by yourself like that again, okay?" she says in a sweet tone with a smile.
"sorry," nao puts her head down as she realizes her mistake. the woman in front of her pats her head, "it's okay. don't worry."
"I AM NEVER GOING AROUND LIKE THAT EVER AGAIN," the forgotten girl in the back complained as she walked towards the crowd.
"tired?" kyoko asks in an annoying tone trying to push the other girl on the edge.
"shut up, kyoko," shiho responds in between breaths.
"i think you're getting old," kyoko laughs and shiho hits her instead of talking back.
"you two stop that! not in front of nao," kumi tells them off as she stands up and offers her hand to nao, "let's grab something to eat, shall we?"
the three museum personnel–along with the child they were asked to watch over–headed to the cafeteria to eat their lunch. it has been over a year since kyoko, kumi, and shiho landed a job at the museum. all three of them met in college and ended up in the museum because kyoko was too obsessed with how pretty the museum was and how it looked more mesmerizing at night given that it has a glass ceiling. after spending much time in the museum, they also started to grow fond of the museum director's kid who hangs around the museum every weekend. despite the director trusting kumi and shiho more to take care of nao, the child actually prefers to be around kyoko.
"how's school, nao?" kumi asks as the only responsible adult in the group.
"it's okay. i don't really get to talk to my classmates because i kept reading the book kyoko-san gave me," nao says as she takes a spoonful of her snow cone. kumi and shiho glares at kyoko and the latter shrugs.
"don't be like kyoko, nao. go talk to people, get some friends. life's more fun that way," kumi says.
"kyoko-san here might get fired if your dad hears about this," shiho says jokingly and kyoko was about to call shiho off but then nao began to speak again, "but i do have a friend and she's like a velociraptor because she's smart and agile," she says before continuing, "her name's miku."
silence falls upon their table until shiho broke the ice, "one step better than kyoko then. at least you have a friend," she comments earning a slap on the arm from kumi.
"aren't you guys kyoko-san's friends?" nao wonders as she continued to eat her snowcone. kyoko lets out a sigh while kumi and shiho tries to stifle their laughter.
"depends on her mood," shiho replies, "but it's not like she has a choice."
"hey, i have other friends!" kyoko rebuts.
"who? ayaka?" kumi asks directly and shiho continues to add fuel to the fire, "ah, right! your childhood friend," she says while emphasizing the last few words.
"why haven't i met her yet?" nao questions as she scoops out the last of her snow cone.
"she's not really the type to go to museums. she's a model," kumi explains and nao nods her head.
nao puts down the now empty snow cone cup before turning towards kyoko, "is she really your friend?"
kyoko hums in response, "yes and she's also friends with kumi and shiho."
"can i meet her?" nao innocently asks.
"i'll try to ask her to come here when you're around. she's been busy lately."
nao smiles in glee and kyoko makes a mental note to tell ayaka about it.
it has been a couple of days since the conversation with nao and kyoko still hasn't found the chance to directly ask ayaka to drop by the museum during the weekend. although they're roommates, their schedules barely matched since some of ayaka's shoots usually last until midnight.
kyoko awakens at the creaking of their apartment's door and soft footsteps soon followed. she got up her bed and looked at the time: 10:32 PM.
"you're early today," kyoko says in a hushed voice as if someone else would be disturbed from their slumber.
her roommate looks at her surprised, "why are you still awake?"
"i just got up to get water," kyoko lies as she headed straight to the refrigerator, "how's work?" she asks to cover up the deafening silence.
"we finished earlier than scheduled and we were given a week off," ayaka replies while making her way towards the kitchen counter.
"oh, right, aya," kyoko starts as she stood across ayaka, "nao wants to meet you."
ayaka tilts her head, "nao? the kid you've been babysitting?" she says as she recalls kyoko's past stories.
"yes."
"and how does she know me?"
"kumi and shiho kinda teased me i didn't have other friends aside from them so i said i have you," kyoko feels her cheeks burning so she turned around to wash the glass she used.
a moment of silence fell between the two and the only sound to be heard is the gushing water from the faucet. as kyoko turned the faucet off, ayaka stood up to stretch.
"will she be in the museum tomorrow? it's saturday, right?" ayaka asks and kyoko immediately turns her head towards ayaka in surprise.
"y-yeah," kyoko stutters, "do you have time tomorrow?"
"i told you i have a week off," ayaka laughs, "but you have to wake me up," she adds before walking into her own room.
"rest well!" kyoko says in a voice loud enough for her roommate to hear.
"you, too!"
that night, kyoko told another story to the stars. she hopes that tomorrow will be a great day.
kyoko got up earlier than usual to grab some breakfast from the convenience store. after getting ready, she finally woke ayaka up and the latter made fun of her (again) for her inability to cook.
"i can't believe after all the time that i cooked breakfast for the two of us, you give back by serving me fried chicken from lawson's," ayaka complains as she takes one bite.
"i'm sure you'd rather eat that than whatever thing i make," kyoko glares at her friend while getting a spoonful of rice.
"honestly, whenever i remember the food that you made back in college, my stomach turns as a response."
"you're still going to hold that against me?"
"we both had to stay in the hospital for food poisoning, kyoko."
the two continued to reminisce their past memories before heading out to the museum. as soon as they got there, they approached kumi and shiho who exchanged knowing glances.
"aya! long time no see!" kumi says as she opened her arms for a hug.
"how did kyoko manage to drag you here?" shiho asks and she feels kyoko's piercing glare on her.
"she said nao was tired of seeing the three of you so she wanted to see other people for a change."
"that's not what i said!" kyoko contests and before she could even defend herself, they hear small rushed footsteps behind them.
the four of them turn around and they see nao with a big smile on her face approaching them. "hello," she waves her hand at the stranger.
ayaka waves back, "you must be nao," she said and the little girl nods, "i'm ayaka. i apologize in behalf of the three of them if they act more like a child than you."
nao chuckles, "only shiho-san acts dumb but she only does it to make me laugh," she explains and shiho was about to throw hands if only nao didn't add the last part.
"kyoko said you wanted to meet me?" ayaka sat down and pinched nao's left cheek.
"i really like kyoko-san and she said you've been friends since you were kids."
ayaka put her hand under her chin, "i think we started being friends when we were your age," she stood up and turned her head towards kyoko, "right?"
kyoko–clearly flustered with her sudden involvement in the conversation–slowly nodded her head as she tried to recall the first time they met.
it was one summer day when kyoko finally managed to convince her dad to make a DIY telescope so that they could watch the meteor shower clearly from their backyard. while setting up the telescope, their new neighbors arrived and greeted them. kyoko noticed a little girl hiding behind her mother and she guesses that they may be of the same age. for some reason, kyoko walked towards her dad who is currently talking with the new neighbors and she pulled on the hem of her dad's shirt to get his attention.
"yes, kyoko?"
"let's invite her to watch the meteor shower later," she said while pointing towards the shy girl.
kyoko was never one to approach strangers first. she doesn't really have anyone in her class that she could call her bestfriend but she wasn't really bothered by it. however, she somehow wanted to befriend their new neighbor and she hopes that she accepts the invitation.
"will it be okay?" kyoko's dad ask their neighbors who gladly accepted the offer. they figured their daughter–whose name was ayaka–would like to hang out with someone her age.
that night, they watched the meteor shower and kyoko had a great time sharing the things that she knows. despite kyoko's scientific explanation on things, ayaka had her fair share of superstitions to contribute. although not believing that meteors grant wishes, kyoko still closed her eyes that night when ayaka asked her to.
"so, what did you wish for?" kyoko asked.
"if i tell you, it won't come true."
"whatever," kyoko shrugs and they spent the night looking up at the sky until the meteor shower finished.
that night, little kyoko hoped that shooting stars really do grant wishes.
looking back, it was a good call for kyoko to wish upon a star that night. it was against her beliefs but it didn't really hurt her in the long run. all she knows is that her wish came true; and, she hopes ayaka got hers granted too but kyoko never really got the chance to ask her about it. snapping back into reality, kyoko notices that everyone is already looking at her. she tilts her head in question and the others end up laughing.
"she's back," ayaka says while reaching out for nao's small hands.
"what?" kyoko asks in confusion.
"nothing," ayaka replies as she stuck her tongue out, "you three go do your work. leave nao to me," she adds before walking away with a skipping nao beside her.
kyoko watched as the two walk away before facing her two other friends, "what was that about?"
"what were you daydreaming about?" shiho asks with a teasing grin.
"i wasn't–"
"you're too obvious, kyoko," kumi says as she shakes her head in disappointment. shiho nods in agreement and kyoko immediately grasps what they were talking about, "it's really not what you think it is," she sighs, "ayaka and i are just as close as you guys. you don't hear from me that you two would look good together or that one of you is helplessly in love with the other," she explains.
shiho, obviously flustered with what kyoko said, immediately waved her hand no, "why would you think that?" she side eyes kumi before continuing, "kumi's a great person and all but i don't think of her that way," she pauses again, "anyway, i need to use the restroom," she says as she excuses herself but kyoko takes note of shiho's flushed cheeks.
"sorry for your loss," kyoko tells kumi and she receives a strong slap on her arm.
"you'll owe me one if shiho stumbles on her words later when we attend to the museum guests," kumi says before walking away and following shiho into the restroom.
now alone, kyoko wonders where ayaka could've taken nao but she figures the little girl would be the one touring ayaka around. since there aren't really a lot of people going to the astronomy section of the museum–where she is stationed–kyoko decided to hang around the archaeology section instead. just as she thought, there she saw the two with nao looking like a little museum guide and ayaka looked like she was listening intently. as she got closer, nao must have noticed the sound of her footsteps because the child turned her head towards her before kyoko could even make her presence known.
"kyoko-san!" nao exclaims before running to kyoko.
"have you been touring ayaka-san around?" kyoko asks while she pats nao's head.
"i did! and i told her all about the triceratops," nao turned towards the display in front of them, "this is a triceratops, right?"
"it is! good job, nao," kyoko claps and the happiness in nao's face made her feel satisfied. "how's the museum?" she then asks ayaka who was silently observing them. "it's bigger than i thought and this kid really knows her stuff," she giggles and finds it adorable when nao appeared proud.
"i was worried nao pulled you directly into the archaeology section but it's good to hear she toured you around before mumbling about her favorite dinosaurs. for some reason, she really loves them."
"nao mentioned that you're stationed in the astronomy section? that was the only area we didn't go to because she said you'll do a better job at explaining things there," ayaka explains and kyoko was caught off guard, "do you want to go there now? we'd have the planetarium to ourselves and that's the best part of this museum," she offers and ayaka immediately nodded her head. nao, who have been silently listening to them, raised her hand, "i want to join, too!"
"of course! we can't leave you behind, you know," kyoko smiles at nao who beamed back at her.
it didn't take long for them to go from the archaeology section to the planetarium and when they entered, kyoko went ahead to set up the projector. "you could sit anywhere you like but i'd say the middle seats are the best," she says without looking at them as she opens the laptop for the show.
"ayaka-san," nao whispers and ayaka turns to look at her, "doesn't kyoko-san tell you these stuff at home? whenever i hang out with her, she tells me a lot of stories. does she do that to you, too?" nao questions and ayaka is surprised that kyoko is actually good at talking with nao. kyoko never really looked like the type to get along with kids but, apparently, that's not the case.
"she does but not as much as i think she tells you," ayaka answers, "and just call me ayanee-san. it sounds cuter that way," she smiles and nao obliges, "got it, ayanee-san!"
suddenly, they hear a click and the room gets dark. after a few seconds, the ceiling of the planetarium fills with shiny white dots. kyoko clears her throat and as soon as she started speaking, the starry view changed and now they're looking at the solar system. just like how she usually does whenever there are museum visitors, kyoko begins to explain how the sun is a star and that even though it may seem big to us, it is only a part of a much larger system called a galaxy, which is basically a collection of stars. she continues to mention a lot of technical terms and her two audience are polar opposites because nao–despite having heard this script for a number of times–looked enthusiastic while ayaka's obviously not that interested with whatever kyoko's mumbling about.
"like my father used to tell me when i was a child, the stars are like books for they have their own stories to tell and they stay there even when all of us have left this world. although you can argue that some of the stars that we see in the night sky may be dead, it still holds true that their light lives on for us to admire; until, of course, that light becomes exhausted after travelling long distances," kyoko concludes and she hears small claps. she looks at nao who is now standing up with ayaka beside her, looking like she's about to fall asleep.
"still boring for you, eh?" kyoko said as she sat in the seat in front of nao and ayaka.
"hearing you talk about this reminds me of the younger you. it's like you never really grew up," ayaka says before yawning.
"you didn't enjoy?" nao said in a sad tone.
alarmed, ayaka immediately shook her head, "it's not that i didn't enjoy. it's fun to see kyoko happy because she barely smiles but this is just something i'm not really interested in."
"kyoko-san barely smiles? she's always smiling whenever i see her though."
"then you're lucky for that," ayaka says and kyoko feels like something was struck in her heart.
nao spent the day with ayaka and kyoko who–in her opinion–are very different but somehow their friendship works. when nao said her observations out loud, ayaka commented that she thinks too maturely for her age but kyoko defended nao saying that it's only because nao is very attentive when it comes to other people. nao isn't really good with speaking to other people but she has a knack for knowing their personalities. this trait of hers greatly resonated with kyoko and, in kumi and shiho's words, the only reason why nao prefers to hang out with her.
when their shift finally ended, nao made ayaka promise to visit the museum again to which ayaka agreed to.
"when you said she was a quiet child, i thought you meant it literally," ayaka told kyoko while the latter gathers her stuff.
"i think the director keeps bringing nao here because he wants her to practice her interpersonal skills but since she's been hanging out with me, the plan backfired," kyoko laughs and ayaka joins along.
"i'm quite surprised you were able to win over the child. kumi is a thousand times more responsible than you and shiho's humor has always been famous with the kids."
"you won't believe how shocked i was when nao first talked to me and told me that kumi is okay but shiho is too loud for her. at first i thought she just wanted some peace and quiet but when she kept heading to the astronomy section, i realized that she thought i had no friends and wanted to keep me company."
"you're right. she's so observant she was able to notice that fact about you."
"hey!"
ayaka laughed at kyoko's reaction, "anyway, hurry up and let's go to the grocery before heading home."
"didn't we just get our supplies last week?"
"there's something i want to cook and we don't have the ingredients for it."
"just work with what we have at home. i'm too lazy," kyoko complains but ayaka's silence and glare made her change her mind, "fine," she sighs in defeat and ayaka's lips curve into a smile.
ayaka has the grocery memorized like the back of her hand so it didn't take long for her to find the things that she was supposed to buy. it took them a longer time to go to the store from the museum than ayaka picking up the ingredients. the ride home was quiet but they weren't really the type of friends to be chatty in public. of course, ayaka would be the one who normally speaks a lot but she understands that kyoko prefers to enjoy her space.
when they got home, ayaka immediately prepared the ingredients for the food she was going to make after changing into her home clothes. kyoko excused herself to take a shower and ayaka only answered with a hum. when kyoko was finished, she could smell a familiar scent from the kitchen. she headed out and saw ayaka totally focused with what she is making.
this sight isn't something new for kyoko but she barely wakes up in time to watch ayaka prepare their breakfast everyday. it's either she gets up as soon as ayaka finishes cooking or there are no signs of ayaka in the apartment anymore. kyoko made her way to the dining table and sat down quietly as she watched ayaka do what she does best aside from modeling.
ayaka turns the stove off and proceeds to plate the dish. kyoko stares at it and, somehow, it pulls onto some of her memory strings. it's like the dish is trying to resurface some kind of memory she had stored at the back of her mind.
"remember this?" ayaka asks as she puts down the plate.
"it looks familiar," kyoko honestly answers and she sees a hint of disappointment in ayaka's eyes.
ayaka said nothing and continued to prepare the table before sitting down across kyoko.
"sorry," kyoko apologizes, feeling bad that there might be something special about this dish and she completely forgot.
"no, it's okay," ayaka silently says, "it's nothing special, really. it's just the first dish i cooked for you when i was learning and you told me that i should make it my specialty."
with that, kyoko's suppressed memory made it back to the surface, "acqua pazza," she blurts out finally remembering the details of that very day.
"so you do remember," ayaka's face lights up and kyoko feels relieved.
the day that ayaka first cooked for kyoko was the same day that her dad got sent to the hospital. she was down but didn't want to tell ayaka about it. they were both away from their families for college and she knows how stressed ayaka is with her finals coming up. to make sure that ayaka wouldn't know about it, kyoko went as far as telling ayaka's parents to not mention it to her. however, kyoko underestimated their long friendship and forgot that ayaka has some sort of a gut feel whenever she's not like her usual self.
"if you want to keep it to yourself, then okay, i understand," ayaka says while reading her book. kyoko doesn't answer and ayaka follows up, "just know that you're not alone, kyoko."
again, kyoko doesn't respond and ayaka stood up to go to her room. after a few minutes, she went out without a word and kyoko felt sorry that she might've made ayaka feel like she's not a good friend.
kyoko waited in the apartment for a couple of minutes before ayaka came back with a grocery bag in hand. kyoko was confused but she couldn't make herself ask about it because of what happened earlier. she sat there in silence as she watched ayaka do her magic in the kitchen. when she finally finished, ayaka invited kyoko over at the table to eat with her. this caught kyoko by surprise because she thought ayaka was mad at her.
"what is this?" she asked as she settled in her seat.
"it's called acqua pazza. i've been trying out different recipes and out of all of them, this is the only one with available ingredients," ayaka explains and kyoko silently nods her head. she takes a bite and praised ayaka for her good cooking. now that she thinks about it, ayaka has been around the kitchen recently but this is only the first time kyoko got to taste her dish.
"this is the first time i've heard of this dish. you should make it your specialty, aya," kyoko suggests before taking another bite.
"you think so?"
"mhm."
"okay, then," ayaka says while watching kyoko enjoy her meal. little did kyoko know, her comment greatly boosted ayaka's self-esteem in cooking. she has always been afraid to make other people try her dish but hearing the compliments of her bestfriend gave her confidence that the time and effort she has put into learning how to cook was worth it.
that night, kyoko prayed for everything to be alright. she stared at the fluorescent stars she put up on her ceiling. she closed her eyes and asked the stars to keep her dad company but begged them not to take him too soon. at the same time, she thanks them for letting her meet ayaka. she falls asleep and despite the distress she felt earlier that day, at least her day ended in a lighter note all thanks to ayaka and the warm meal she prepared for her.
kyoko and ayaka–despite being roommates–don't usually spend their time together on their off days. most of the time, they would just sleep for the whole day and end up not doing anything. they do try to plan going out sometimes but they would raincheck the last minute due to exhaustion from work the previous day.
however, today was not like any other day. both of them woke up early and ended up talking a lot while eating breakfast. they had a good trip down memory lane when they talked about the things they used to do when they were in college; and, after some more backtracking, they ended up looking back to their childhood.
after lunch, they sat down on the couch at the living room and decided to watch some movies. ayaka suggested some chick flicks that she wanted to watch and she had to convince kyoko to watch it with her.
"it's not fun to watch movies alone," ayaka pouts and kyoko looks away.
"i'll stay here but i'll sleep. these movies make me sick," kyoko says while trying to find a good position to sleep.
"no! we're going to watch together."
"find another movie then."
"please, kyoko? it's been a long time since we watched together," ayaka's voice softens and kyoko hates that she's starting to feel guilty right now. "fine," she says in defeat.
"yey!" ayaka said before jumping on her bestfriend to hug her.
kyoko has always been a person who stands her ground; but, when it comes to ayaka, she finds herself unconsciously retreating.
halfway through the movie, kyoko thinks to herself that it wasn't too bad. it wasn't one of those idealistic romance where the two protagonists met when they were children, grew up as bestfriends, one fell for the other but is scared to confess because they might lose the friendship and then a couple of months pass and one of them confesses, they end up together, and voila a happy ending.
having been fascinated with the sky and stars at a young age, kyoko only believed in fate. however, this doesn't mean that everything has a happy ending. although these movies show that some people are really fated for each other, in reality, not everyone enjoy a happy ending. sometimes, people are just fated to meet–an encounter that she loves to associate with comets.
"kyoko?"
she snaps back to reality when she hears ayaka call her name. she hums in response and ayaka shakes her head while smiling, "why does your mind keep on randomly drifting away? are you thinking about your stars again?"
"how do you know me so well?" kyoko asks and ayaka only chuckles.
they continue to watch the movie and at its climax, the main theme song of the movie plays and both of their eyes grew wide. ayaka turns to kyoko while continuously hitting the latter's arm.
"kyoko, the song!"
"ow! i know! stop hitting me!" kyoko says as she tries to dodge and block ayaka's slaps.
"sorry."
"you knew about this, didn't you?" kyoko side eyes ayaka.
ayaka shakes her head, "i only looked at the plot. i didn't know they'd use this song."
fate.
"it's been a really long time, hasn't it?" kyoko says as both of them settled down again whilst the end credits of the movie played.
"yeah," ayaka sighs, "that was the first and last time you ever sang to me."
"hey! you've heard me sing after that!"
"i did, but having you do it at your own volition is different," ayaka rolls her eyes and kyoko could only glare.
"what are you trying to say?"
"sing for me, kyoko," ayaka says with her eyes looking directly at kyoko's.
kyoko blinks, "no," she says in an obviously fake hoarse voice, "i think i have a sore throat," she continues her facade as she walks towards the kitchen to get something to drink.
"you're annoying," ayaka comments before occupying the whole couch for herself.
kyoko didn't answer back but a smile curved up her lips.
before the sun even set, kyoko decided to knock on the door to ayaka's room. it took a couple of knocks before the latter opened her door by a tiny bit, enough for kyoko to see her but not too wide for her to enter.
"do you want to hang out later at the rooftop? the moon will be bigger tonight!"
ayaka stared blankly at her friend, "then good for the moon," she says before closing the door on kyoko's face.
"no, aya, i'm serious. let's go, please? like the old times?"
kyoko stood there in silence waiting for ayaka's response. when she felt like a couple of minutes have passed, she turned around to go back to her room. just before she could open her door, she hears ayaka's door open and when she looked, ayaka was standing with her arms crossed.
"no shooting stars tonight?"
"unfortunately."
"then you have to work extra hard to keep me interested."
"challenge accepted," kyoko says proudly and she smiles when ayaka started smiling.
an hour before midnight, the two went up their apartment's rooftop to set up their so-called fort. back in college, they used to stargaze at least once a week and they never missed any astronomical event. it was always kyoko who was worked up and ayaka being the friend that gets dragged. despite having the least interest in astronomy, ayaka still chooses to go with kyoko's shenanigans because it's only at those times that she sees her friend show so much passion on something.
"aya, look!" kyoko says as she points at the moon, "it's bigger, right?"
"i don't stare at the moon as much as you do to know that, kyoko," ayaka dismisses and kyoko pouts, "don't you find it amazing, though? how it manages to stay in its place? right now, it's at its closest point to the earth but some time next month, it will be on its farthest."
"are you going to give me the comet talk again?"
kyoko chuckles, "comets are different, aya."
"i thought you're going to keep on rambling about how comets keep coming back no matter how much time it takes."
ayaka lies down on the blanket that they laid out, "since i'm more interested with comets than that giant rock you're looking at right now, let's just talk about those instead," she suggests before turning her head to look at kyoko.
"but comets are technically balls of rock, too."
"no, shut up, kyoko. you know what i mean."
kyoko plops down beside ayaka, "what more about comets do you want to know anyway?"
"the missed opportunities. wouldn't it be sad?"
"hm?"
"to witness something so beautiful and expect them to come back for the next couple of years. what if they lose their way? what if something happens while they journey back? what if they suddenly go poof while travelling in space?"
"that's a possibility but gravity keeps them in their orbit. that's the amazing thing about nature."
"and don't they get lonely? imagine being alone up there."
kyoko looks at ayaka who is currently staring at the sky. she lets out a deep breath before looking back at the moon, "they could be lonely. who wouldn't, right? but maybe that's the reason why they keep coming back. maybe the warmth of the sun was enough to make them want to come back."
"but not enough to make them stay," ayaka whispers and kyoko pretends not to hear.
kyoko suddenly remembers the first time ayaka broke her heart.
it was their junior year in college when ayaka told kyoko that she is dating a senior. that was the first time kyoko saw ayaka's face light up as bright as the sun. at that moment, she knew her friend was happy; and with that, she was also happy. however, it did not take long for the two to part ways. kyoko saw how ayaka's best days instantly became her worst. every night she would hear her friend sobbing into her pillow trying to stay as quiet as possible.
seeing how much her childhood friend was devastated, kyoko knew she had to do something for the person that always had her back. it was time for her to repay all of the good things ayaka has done for her.
so the following night, kyoko decided to do what she hasn't done in front of anyone yet: singing.
it took some time for ayaka to stop crying and compose herself to finally get out of her room. kyoko set up some blankets and pillows at their apartment's rooftop and she also brought some chips to eat. when they both settled down, kyoko started singing much to ayaka's surprise.
as kyoko's bestfriend, ayaka knew that kyoko has a talent in singing but she never really heard it herself until this very moment. whenever she bothered kyoko to just sing a couple of lines, the latter would shrug it off and change the subject. with that, ayaka thought that kyoko might not be comfortable with others hearing her voice. listening to kyoko's singing voice now made ayaka tear up and she doesn't know if it's because of the song or because of the events that happened recently.
that night, kyoko sang her heart out while the moon shone on her like a spotlight. she silently hoped that her message was delivered clearly to the person she is dedicating the song to.
"still not over him?" kyoko teases and ayaka laughs, "you wish. the moment you sang that song, i knew it wasn't worth it crying over him anymore."
"about that," kyoko pauses and ayaka looks at her, "since you brought up wanting to hear me sing again, do you want me to sing you a song?"
"am i dreaming right now?"
"dumbass! i'm serious."
"well, i'd never pass on an opportunity to hear you sing, kyoko. you know that."
kyoko looked down while scratching her nape. she took a couple of deep breaths before clearing her throat. afterwards, she started singing the same song she sang for ayaka years back.
while kyoko was singing, ayaka closed her eyes to feel the song even more. her heart races at the thought of kyoko saying the lyrics directly to her. the song was implying a confession, a declaration of being there for someone no matter what the circumstances are. each word of the song felt like something kyoko has been keeping herself from telling ayaka all these years. even back then, ayaka have thought of the possibility that kyoko might be harboring feelings for her but she has kept it at the back of her mind thinking that everything that kyoko has done for her is all because she's the bestfriend. and, for the most part, it was because she was scared.
ayaka was scared that she might have fallen in love with her bestfriend.
when kyoko finished, she looked over to her friend who is now fast asleep. she reached over to get another blanket to put over ayaka's body. "you never really changed," kyoko says quietly as she looked at ayaka's peaceful face.
going down memory lane, kyoko vaguely remembers this scene back then too. she remembers ayaka falling asleep from crying so hard but at that time, it was on kyoko's shoulders and not on the pillows.
kyoko stands up to stretch before staring at the night sky above her. she smiles at the moon and she makes herself believe that it smiled back at her, "did it get across?" her smile becomes smaller, "will she finally understand now?"
she waited for the moon to answer; but deep inside, she knew that only the person who is fast asleep beside her has the real answer.
the weekend was well spent for kyoko especially that she and ayaka were able to bond–something that they haven't done in a while. when she got to work, her friends immediately noticed a huge difference in her mood and it made them conclude that something good might have happened.
"are you and ayaka dating now?" kumi asks straight to the point not minding if kyoko was caught off guard.
"no," kyoko answers with a straight face, "like what i've said before–"
"it's not what you think it is," shiho mocks kyoko with the very same tone the latter used last time.
"exactly," kyoko says looking unfazed.
"we might not have known you for as long as ayaka but we sure know you enough to see that there's something different between the two of you," kumi explains and kyoko could only sigh.
"let's say i really have feelings for her," kyoko starts to explain and shiho lets out a squeal, "and, hypothetically speaking, i sang her a song whose lyrics are the words i can't tell her directly, what are the odds of her getting the point?"
"you sang her a song?"
"so you do like her?"
kumi and katoshi lets out their comments at the same time and before kyoko could even answer it, the trio hears a small voice coming from behind them.
"are you talking about ayanee-san?" nao says while approaching them with her small steps.
kyoko knelt down to be at the child's level, "have you been listening to us from the start?" she asks to which nao shakes her head, "i just heard kumi-san asking if you like her. she was talking about ayanee-san, right?"
"how come you thought of her? kumi didn't mention any name, though."
"it was obvious when she went here and the way you treated her was different with how you treat kumi-san and shiho-san."
"it's because she's my bestfriend, nao."
"it's the same way kumi-san treats shiho-san," nao looks up to kumi, "you two are together, right?"
the two girls in question were suddenly caught off guard and they suddenly exchanged some glances. with the lack of verbal reply, nao continued what she was saying, "i saw the two of you get off work together while holding hands and shiho-san was talking in a tone that's–" nao wasn't able to finish what she was saying because shiho immediately put her hand over the child's mouth.
shiho chuckles nervously, "okay, nao, you're very observant. what a bright child you are!"
kyoko looked at kumi with her eyes full of questions while the latter shifted her gaze towards nao, "we always hold hands, nao. why would you infer that we're dating?"
"then why is shiho-san glaring at me as if she's trying to make me stop talking," nao says in a muffled voice due to shiho's hand that is still covering her mouth. shiho slowly takes her hand away, "am i wrong though? didn't you two just kiss–"
"okay, nao! what do you want to eat? it's on me!" shiho stands whilst hoisting nao up to carry her. shiho looks at kumi as if telling her to explain everything to kyoko herself and the latter couldn't do anything but to let out a sigh.
when shiho and nao were out of sight, kyoko's eyes narrowed while looking at kumi, "i knew that you guys would date sooner or later but i didn't think you two would be that obvious in front of a child."
"like you said, nao is different."
"KUMI YOU TWO KISSED IN FRONT OF NAO. IT DOESN'T TAKE A SMART ONE TO KNOW THAT."
"okay, geez. i'm usually the one who scolds but i guess you are an adult after all."
"and what does that mean?" kyoko's brows meet but kumi dismisses her friends question, "anyway, if it makes you feel any better, we were really planning to tell you that we started dating. it hasn't been long, really. remember that time you made an example out of me and toshi? we had a talk and we confessed to each other."
"i didn't know that it would escalate that quickly," kyoko says with her voice still full of surprise, "but i'm happy for you guys."
"now you should do the same to ayaka."
"do what?"
"confess."
"good joke," kyoko says before walking away so she could avoid the topic.
kyoko and kumi went inside the cafeteria and saw nao enjoying another cup of snowcone while shiho watches her with adoration. as they got closer, shiho noticed their presence and gestured at them to walk faster.
"where's my treat, shiho? don't i get any credit on this?" kyoko teases while moving her brows up and down.
"shut up. you did nothing," shiho rolls her eyes at her friend but deep inside she is actually thankful.
"how about this," kumi clears her throat, "we help you confess to ayaka because you helped us confess to each other. with that, we can call it quits."
"i'm telling you guys, ayaka doesn't see me that way."
"i think she does," nao says with her eyes still fixated on her snowcone.
"hm? did she say anything to you when the two of you were going around?" kumi curiously asks nao.
nao hums while thinking of an appropriate reply, "yes but i can't say."
"why not?" this time shiho asked.
"we pinky promised."
shiho brings her pinky close to nao's face, "okay, now pinky promise with me that you'll tell us about it."
"that's not how pinky promises work."
"it does when you grow up," shiho says but kumi hits her arm which makes her shut up.
kyoko pats nao's arm to get the child's attention, "if you pinky promised that you won't tell then why did you tell us that you think she feels the same way?"
"i promised ayanee-san i wouldn't tell what she told me but she didn't make me promise not to tell what my opinion is."
"how is this child so smart?" shiho comments while looking at kumi.
"are you trying to get some validation from me or?" kumi asks and instead of answering, shiho rolls her eyes before turning her back on kumi.
not minding her other two friends, kyoko continues to interrogate nao, "could you tell us more about what you think then?"
"dad said when adults have problems you talk it out. if you want to tell her that you like her then tell her directly instead of asking me what she told me. i'm pretty sure she'll be honest about it, she's just waiting for you to go first."
"right, why are we even asking a child anyway?" shiho whispers under her breath and kumi nudges her.
"i just," kyoko's voice trails off, "you're right," she says in a much softer voice. she gets up to get her own food and her two friends that were left at the table didn't pass the chance to talk to nao privately.
"since kyoko's not here, you can tell us what ayaka told you," shiho immediately says as soon as she was sure they were out of kyoko's hearing range.
"ayanee-san made me promise not to tell anyone."
"we won't tell her you told us."
"but my pinky will get cut off."
"that's not how it works, nao."
before shiho could continue arguing with nao, kumi intercepts, "then just tell us whether kyoko has a chance if she confesses."
"that's what i said earlier," nao shrugs and continued to munch on her snowcone.
kumi and shiho exchange knowing glances and they think they have the perfect plan in mind.
when kyoko got back to the table with her food, shiho immediately proposes that she and kumi and willing to help kyoko in her confession. they had a very elaborate plan and kyoko was amazed at how the two of them were able to complete each other's sentences as if they share the same thoughts. when they finished explaining, they asked kyoko for her opinion.
"isn't that too extravagant?"
shiho was about to defend their plan but nao spoke before her, "i think ayanee-san would love a simple surprise."
"okay, nao. do you hate me?" shiho asks with her arms crossed.
"no."
"then why do you keep on cutting me off?"
"i didn't–"
"shiho, she's just a child," kyoko glares at her friend.
"i actually like you because unlike kyoko-san and kumi-san, you're genuinely funny," nao compliments and shiho was about to smile but the child continued, "but sometimes you overdo it so i tend to run to kyoko-san at the astronomy section instead."
"i'll pretend i didn't hear the last part. don't ever repeat that bit the next time you say good things about me, okay?" shiho says while ruffling nao's hair.
"then what does that make of me?" kumi objects while pointing at herself.
"i like you better than shiho-san because you actually act like your age and you always take care of me like mom does," nao smiles and kumi feels herself melt.
"you gave me one compliment and two criticisms. how is that fair?" shiho complains but kumi shuts her up.
"thank you, nao. you're a great kid, too," kumi tells her while patting her head.
"how about me, nao?" kyoko rests her chin on her hand.
"i don't think it's my liking towards you that you have to worry about right now."
kumi and shiho were not able to keep their laughter and started laughing hysterically at what nao said. kyoko stared blankly at the child whose presence she actually liked having around but now she starts to question that.
"i'm joking, kyoko-san," nao says before flashing her signature smile. of course, kyoko wouldn't be able to stay mad at that.
the day ended and while the trio was getting ready to end their shift, nao went inside the employees' room. she made her way towards kyoko before pulling down on the hem of the older girl's shirt to get her attention. the child gestures for kyoko to go down so she could whisper something and the latter obliged. kyoko's eyes grew wide and in her mind, what nao is saying slowly makes sense.
"that's a great idea," she says while smiling at nao.
"if she asks you where you got it, tell her you thought of it yourself."
"got it."
"promise?" nao extends her pinky and kyoko crosses hers with nao's, "promise."
ayaka lets herself get dragged by the child in front of her because she finds it cute how nao's small hand tightly grips her own. she starts wondering if nao also treats kyoko this way and if the latter actually softens up in front of nao. if she's being honest, nao reminds her of kyoko when they were still children. seeing nao ramble about dinosaurs–which, to ayaka, all looks the same–is like little kyoko randomly pointing at any shining thing in the sky before telling their so-called stories.
"you really look up to kyoko. don't you, nao?" ayaka asks and the child turns to her, "i do."
"has she ever told you that when she was your age, she was also this passionate with the sky as you are with dinosaurs?"
nao nods, "i used to ask her before why she was working in this museum and she told me about it."
"has she ever told you anything else?"
"what do you mean?"
ayaka thinks twice before continuing. she forgot that she was talking to a child and nao might not understand what she's about to say. however, remembering that kyoko told her that nao is different from kids her age, ayaka takes her chance, "like what she tells the stars at night."
"ah," nao's face lights up as if she remembered something, "she did but i can't tell you. she said her wishes won't come true if i tell it to other people."
"funny how she didn't really believe that stars grant wishes until i kept bothering her to wish with me."
"sorry."
"don't worry about it," ayaka hums, "well, can you be my star then?"
nao tilts her head in confusion, "star? me?"
"let me tell you a secret," ayaka sits, "but before that you have to pinky promise," she explains before extending her pinky towards the child.
"okay," nao agrees before crossing her pinky with ayaka's.
"remember, if you break this promise, your pinky will get cut off. don't tell anyone, okay?" ayaka says and nao nods her head.
"i've always been curious as to what kyoko keeps telling the stars. you know, she says that they're the best secret keepers and that they're the historians of the sky but, honestly," ayaka lets out a sigh, "i'm actually jealous of them that they get to hear kyoko's unfiltered thoughts."
nao listens intently and ayaka continues, "there was one time where i felt like kyoko was trying to tell me something indirectly but i shrugged it off because i was scared," she pauses, "every night i wish that i wake up the next day with the courage to confront her about it."
"then why don't you talk to her?"
"because it's either i get to keep her closer or i lose my bestfriend," ayaka smiles bitterly, "and i can't afford to risk the latter," she says while convincing herself that a child like nao would understand where she's coming from.
"dad was right. adults are weird; instead of telling their problems with the people involved, they end up saying it to others instead."
"sorry for dragging you into this. i've been keeping it for so long that i feel like i'll explode if i don't say it out loud."
"so you want me to keep this from kyoko-san?"
"yes, and one more thing," ayaka puts her hands on nao's shoulders, "if ever she starts talking about her feelings towards me, do your best to nudge her into confessing, okay?"
"promise!"
a light tap on her shoulder makes ayaka slowly flutter her eyes open. she sees kyoko in front of her, "did you sleep for the whole day?" still feeling a little groggy, ayaka weakly nodded her head.
"let's eat then," kyoko says before making her way out of ayaka's room.
ayaka stretched her arms before scratching her eyes. she got up while dragging her feet towards the dining area. when she got there, she saw kyoko preparing the plates while the takeout box from lawson's sit in the middle of the table.
"why is it that when you get something to eat, it's always from lawson's?"
"i can't cook, aya."
"there are other places to buy food from," ayaka places her arms on the table before resting her head on them.
"you don't like it?"
ayaka was silent before answering, "it's better than what you cook so it's not like i have any other choice."
kyoko sits down in front of ayaka before equally parting the food for the two of them. they eat in silence while ayaka still tries to regain her senses.
"aya," kyoko calls out and ayaka answers with a lazy hum, "are you free tomorrow?"
ayaka blinks trying to recall her schedule, "i still have four more days off. why'd you ask?"
"kumi and shiho was asking if us four could hang out," kyoko pauses, "and they wanted to say something to you."
"they have my number, though."
"they want to do it in person."
"are they finally dating?"
"how–"
"good for them. so, how did it happen?"
"i don't think i'm the one to tell that but one confession led to another."
"ah, confessions," ayaka says under her breath.
"hm?"
she looks up to her friend, "nothing," she says while trying to come up with another topic, "how's nao?"
"right," kyoko giggles, "if not for her, it might've taken a while for me to know about kumi and shiho."
"how so?"
"nao caught them."
"i would imagine shiho being reckless but not kumi."
"it's not as bad as you think it is. it was actually funny."
"i wonder when i'll get to finally date again," ayaka says in a volume that she knows kyoko would hear. she cautiously looks over to kyoko only to see the other girl with her head down but her ears are turning into a brighter shade of red. ayaka wants to think that if she keeps this up, she'll finally get kyoko to tell her what she's feeling but a part of her dismisses the idea because ayaka doesn't want things to get awkward between her and kyoko.
"uhm, since you mentioned nao, would you mind if she tags along tomorrow?"
"i thought it'll be just the four of us."
"she overheard us talking and said she'll ask her parents about it."
"why would a child like her want to keep spending time with four adults. doesn't she have friends of her own?"
kyoko shrugs, "we told her that but she insisted and said that she wants to see how we act when outside of the museum."
"and isn't it a school night?"
"the day after tomorrow is a holiday."
"oh."
inside ayaka's head, she's thinking of different scenarios of what could happen tomorrow. she knows that she told nao about urging kyoko to confess but she doesn't know if this is already part of that plan or tomorrow's just some friendly dinner. although waiting for kyoko to confess and going as far as having a kid help her out with it sounds counterproductive, ayaka still can't find the courage in herself to admit her feelings to kyoko first.
ayaka woke up at her usual time and prepared breakfast. eventhough she's on her day off, kyoko still has work so she also decided to cook more servings so kyoko could bring it to work and share it. after an hour, kyoko gets out of her room all dressed in her work clothes.
"i made some extra and give these lunchboxes to kumi and shiho, too. send them my regards," ayaka tells kyoko while pointing at the lunchboxes she prepared.
"are you not going with me?"
"huh?"
"nao will be happy to have you around. i don't think i can watch over her later because there was a school who had a reservation at the museum for a field trip. the planetarium was popular with the kids i suppose."
"you're asking me to come with you to be a substitute babysitter?"
"oh, please. nao's probably the one who's going to babysit you," kyoko jokes as she sat down to eat but before she could have the opportunity to take a bite of her food, ayaka quickly snatches the plate away.
"say that again?" ayaka raises her brow.
"i'm kidding. geez," kyoko's shoulders drop and before she could even attempt to do something cute horrible, ayaka immediately gave her plate back.
"i forgot i get nightmares whenever you do that."
"do what?" kyoko pauses before looking directly at ayaka, "this?" she says before doing burikko in front of her bestfriend who promptly made her way back to her room, "i'll get ready in 30 minutes tops," ayaka says before closing the door.
seeing the museum packed with people was a sight that kyoko only sees once in a while. on the other hand, it is very surprising for ayaka to know that there are actually people who consider going to museums for field trips.
"there are a lot of things to learn in the museum," kyoko says to defend her workplace.
"sure, but those are kids, kyoko. they'd rather go to amusement parks than a boring museum."
"that's what you think but that's not totally true."
ayaka was about to continue her argument but she turned away from kyoko when she saw nao waving at her from the corner of her eye. she immediately ran to the little kid leaving kyoko behind.
"did you keep your promise?"
nao nods and ayaka pats her head, "where do you want to stay? i heard there will be a lot of people here today because of a school trip."
"i know. it's my school," nao answers and ayaka realizes that nao is wearing her school uniform.
"is it? why aren't you with your classmates?"
"my teacher knows that my dad's the director and that i stay here often so she gave me permission to go off on my own."
"not really a responsible teacher if you ask me," ayaka keeps her voice down in case the teacher in question is near them.
after some time, kyoko finally caught up to them, "ok, nao, which one of these kids is the friend you've been telling us about?"
nao only gave her a smile before running away. kyoko and ayaka looked at each other before turning their attention back to nao who has another girl beside her.
"she's miku," nao says while pulling her friend closer to the two adults in front of them, "she's kyoko-san and she's ayanee-san," nao then introduced kyoko and ayaka by pointing at them. not knowing how to react, the two just stood there while letting miku stare at them. a couple of seconds pass before miku gasps as if realizing something, "are you takamoto ayaka?"
"yes?"
"i'm your fan!"
"you know her?" nao turns to miku and ayaka takes note of how adorable the two of them looks especially that they're holding each other's hands.
"you don't know her?" miku looks at nao in disbelief but she immediately recovers when she realizes, "right, you only read about dinosaurs."
"it's because they're cute and interesting!"
"questionable but whatever makes you happy i guess," miku shrugs before looking at ayaka again, "can i have your autograph, please?"
"sure," ayaka smiles and miku squeals before letting go of nao's hand to put down her bag and search for a pen and a piece of paper.
"she seems very outgoing. how'd you two get close?" kyoko asks and nao looks up to answer her, "we were seatmates last year and she kept talking to me until i got comfortable with her."
"i thought you liked quiet people."
"well, miku's a good friend and even if we have more differences than similarities, i really like having her around."
"that's cute," ayaka comments after signing the back of miku's notebook, "don't they remind you of our younger selves, kyoko?"
"huh?" kyoko observes the two children in front of them, "maybe but i'd like to put it out there that i was the one who approached you first despite being the 'quiet' one."
"nao said you talk to the stars. are you okay?" miku asks and ayaka chuckles. "don't you do that?" kyoko returns the question, refusing to lose to a child.
"i know nao does so i don't find it weird," miku puts her hand under her chin, "but she said she learned it from you so you can be the weird one instead of nao."
"i think i get how they became friends," kyoko sighs not wanting to end up like shiho who never backs down from an argument with a kid. "anyway, i gotta go now," kyoko sits down to nao's height, "be good to ayaka, okay?" she says and the little girl nods with a big smile.
kyoko started walking away but stopped when she noticed miku wasn't following her, "aren't you supposed to be with the group?"
"i got special permission from nao's dad, too!"
"okay, then. don't give ayaka a headache," kyoko reminds them before waving her hand goodbye to head to her station.
ayaka sits down before putting her hands on the two girls' shoulders, "so what do you want to do?"
"tell me more about your job."
"tell me how i can help you with kyoko-san."
miku looked at her friend questionably but somehow it makes sense to her that something like that would come out of nao's mouth. "fashion it is," ayaka chuckles nervously while reaching for the children's hands so they could walk together.
"i don't want to talk about fashion anymore. nao's suggestion sounds more interesting," miku says with a sheepish grin and ayaka swears if she wasn't a child, she would've been dealt with.
"tell me, nao. was the dinner tonight your idea?"
"no but miku's coming with us. we'll have a sleepover at my house," nao smiles and when ayaka looked over to miku, the child was nodding with excitement.
"if i have something in mind, i would've done it myself, you know," ayaka says.
"but then again you said you were a coward so even if you have an idea, you wouldn't be able to do it anyway," nao straight up says and ayaka suddenly regrets having to watch over two kids for the rest of the day.
after some walking, the three finally reached the cafeteria where ayaka offered to buy the kids some snacks. they settled down in one of the tables and the two started interrogating her while stuffing themselves with food.
"what do you like about kyoko-san?" miku asks and nao only looked at ayaka in silence.
"she might not look like the type of person to care about others but deep inside, kyoko has a big heart," ayaka tries to put into words her main reason but this sentence is the only thing she can come up with that she knows the kids would understand.
"that's it?" miku sounded disappointed and ayaka turns to nao to ask for help.
"they love each other," nao directly says catching ayaka by surprise.
"oh," miku looks at ayaka, "then why not say it like that? it's easier and much more direct."
"i–"
ayaka is suddenly speechless. if only she could go back to having this child-like innocence that allows her to say anything she wants to say. she smiles upon the realization that growing up did complicate things. ever since becoming an adult, some words started having deeper meanings, making it harder to say it directly.
"she's scared," nao answers in ayaka's stead.
"of what?"
instead of answering again, nao looks at ayaka straight in the eyes. after a few seconds, ayaka breaks the eye contact, "you might not understand it much now but when you two grow up, i'm sure you will," ayaka sighs, "let's just say, friendships become complicated when feelings get involved."
"but nao just said you and kyoko-san love each other."
ayaka opened her mouth to reply but nao beat her to it, "they're both worrying about the same thing."
"adults are weird," miku comments before munching on her snack.
"so, what's your plan now?" nao asks ayaka.
ayaka shrugs. talking to kyoko after their dinner later would probably be the best time but she isn't sure if she is ready to face the consequences in case it doesn't go as planned.
hours flew by and the museum is finally empty again. when kyoko, kumi, and shiho entered their break room, they were immediately shushed by ayaka who had two sleeping kids on her lap. ayaka slowly rubbed the children's arms to wake them up.
"we have until 8 pm with the kids," kumi says while looking at her watch, "which is about 3 hours."
"i'm hungry. let's eat dinner and hang out somewhere after," shiho suggests while lazily removing her heels to change into her sneakers.
"don't you two have clothes you can change into?" kyoko approached the two children and both pointed at their bags, "good. go to the bathroom to change, then," she says as she points at the door across them. the kids got up and got their bags before making their way to the bathroom. kyoko then sat down beside ayaka.
"how was it?"
"spending a day with them was like spending a day with two nao's," ayaka says while cracking her neck.
"it's a surprise that miku's like nao, though. from nao's stories she didn't seem to have deep thoughts like nao."
"i guess that's what makes their friendship unique, don't you think?"
"is there something unique about ours?"
silence falls upon the two of them until ayaka broke the ice, "probably the fact that you see the stars as your bestfriend more than me."
"hey, that's not true."
"i could attest that it's true."
"i agree, too."
kyoko glares at kumi and shiho who just sticks their tongue out at her. before kyoko could even defend herself, the two kids finally came back wearing their casual clothes.
"when i thought about this dinner, i didn't imagine we would be eating in a fast food place," ayaka sighs in disappointment.
"where else do you think we'd eat? a family restaurant? while having these two kids tag along?" shiho sarcastically asks but ayaka only glared at her. "we're broke, okay?"
"how much money do you make, ayanee-san?" nao innocently asks and suddenly kumi and shiho were listening intently.
"let's order, shall we?" ayaka changes the topic but shiho doesn't let her, "nao's curious. if a child is curious, you should answer them, ayanee-san," shiho says and ayaka is so close to hitting her in the face.
"i can't answer that directly because it depends on the project i'm working on but with what kyoko has told me, it's a little over their salaries combined."
"their?"
"kyoko, kumi, and shiho's."
"hear that? now, can you tell your dad to give us some raise?" shiho looks at nao and kumi hits her back.
"as far as i know, our museum's the highest paying one compared to other museums," nao says without blinking and before shiho could even say something stupid, kumi gets up to drag her towards the counter.
"we'll order. should i get your regular orders?" kumi asks her two friends and they both nodded. the two kids followed kumi and shiho to the counter leaving kyoko and ayaka alone.
"sorry i didn't tell you we're not eating somewhere fancy. i kinda forgot–"
"it's not that serious, kyoko," ayaka smiles to ease her bestfriend, "besides, i haven't eaten here in a long time. it brings back memories."
kyoko starts laughing as she remembered one memory, "like the time when your ex suddenly showed up and shiho had this idea of ordering another drink only to bump into him and spill it?"
"his first reaction was 'aren't you ayaka's friend' and shiho looked like she wanted the ground to open up at that moment."
"we had to slowly leave before he saw you."
"and that cost us an earful from shiho."
the two kept laughing while reminiscing all of the funny moments they had at that establishment. little did they know, four pairs of eyes have been watching them from the counter.
as soon as they finished eating dinner, they decided to walk around the city and stay by the riverbank. there's only an hour left before the two kids get picked up by nao's dad so they hastened their walking pace to reach their destination faster. once they finally found a spot to sit at, they settled down and the children plopped down on the grass.
"kyoko-san, tell us about the stars," nao asks and kyoko looks up.
"what do you want to know exactly?"
"are they saying something right now?"
kyoko stays silent and ayaka looks at her waiting for her to answer nao's question.
"i think they're trying to cheer someone on."
"i think so, too," nao looked at kyoko with a smile.
ayaka unconsciously stared at the sky like everybody else. after a moment, a streak of light travelled across the sky. like a reflex, she immediately closed her eyes to wish.
"did you see that?" miku asked while pointing at the sky.
"that was a shooting star, right?" nao looks at kyoko for validation, "it is," kyoko answers, "what a coincidence," nao says while nodding her head to kyoko as if signalling something.
kyoko looks over to kumi and katoshi who both gave her a thumbs up. she clears her throat before tapping ayaka's shoulder. the latter slowly opens her eyes and kyoko gestures for her to follow.
ayaka obliges and her heart started racing. she thinks she has an idea of what would happen but she doesn't want to keep her hopes up only to be disappointed.
the two of them stopped walking as soon as they were far enough from the group. ayaka turned her head towards kyoko who is looking directly in front while biting her lip. they both stood there in silence before ayaka finally spoke up, "what is it?"
"there's something i want to say," kyoko pauses, "but i'm not really good with words so can you hear me out?"
ayaka definitely knows where this is going but, for some reason, she's still scared. she nods in reply to kyoko's question because she suddenly felt her words getting caught up on her throat.
after a few seconds, kyoko started singing the same song that she sang for ayaka when the latter got her heart broken. the same song that lulled ayaka to sleep that one night.
she was right.
ayaka was right to think that the words of the song were something that kyoko wanted to tell her. it wasn't her wild imagination that made her feel like she was giving so much meaning into what her bestfriend was doing.
kyoko stopped singing after the first chorus, "i like you," she says before taking it back, "i mean i love you."
ayaka stared at kyoko blankly upon hearing the statement. she tries to process everything and she reached out to kyoko's cheeks to pinch them to see if she wasn't dreaming.
"i," ayaka stumbles on her words, "i thought i was ready for this but i don't know what to say," she mumbles and kyoko starts getting nervous.
"sorry if it was too sudden."
"stop apologizing," ayaka lightly hit kyoko's head, "don't you know how long i've waited for you to confess?"
"i wasn't sure. so–"
"i said stop," ayaka frowns, "i should be the one apologizing because i shouldn't have waited for you to go first."
"then why didn't you?"
"i was so scared, dummy."
"that's all in the past now," kyoko smiles, "at least we managed to finally say it," she says before reaching for ayaka's hand and squeezing it. ayaka intertwines her fingers with kyoko's and they made their way back to the group. kumi and shiho immediately noticed their intertwined hands and pointed at it.
"look nao, they're holding hands!" shiho says while tapping nao's arm.
"yeah, but unlike the two of you they didn't k–"
"okay, i shouldn't have asked for your opinion," shiho narrowed her eyes at nao who only smiled at her while showing a peace sign.
nao stood up and walked towards kyoko and ayaka, "did your wish earlier come true?"
"just did," ayaka answered and nao's smile grew wider.
"congratulations," nao says before her expression turned serious, "that's what you say, right?"
"yes."
"so what happens now?" nao asks.
kyoko looks at ayaka and an idea pops in her head, "how about you tell me what ayaka told you last time?" ayaka's eyes grew wide, "nao, we pinky promised!"
"it's not like i know something you don't know, kyoko-san. if you want to hear something, ask ayanee-san directly," nao says before turning her back at the two to go back to her spot.
ayaka squeezed kyoko's hand until the latter let out a reaction, "what was that for?" kyoko asks and ayaka let go of her hand to sit on the grass.
"will a picture of you and kyoko-san appear in the newspaper tomorrow? that's what happens to celebrities when they date, right?" miku innocently asks and ayaka wishes she would have enough patience to deal with kids.
"that's not how it always works, miku."
"yeah, she's not that famous to have paparazzis follow her around," kyoko says while sitting down beside ayaka.
"that hurts but it's true," ayaka says and the group shares a laugh.
growing up, kyoko has always turned to the stars. they were her diary, her confidante, her comfort. now that she finally had her other wish come true, she trusts that the stars would archive this memory of hers so that whenever she looks up to the night sky, she can always relive that moment. with that, she feels content knowing that her story is now one of the many others that are safely kept in the vastness of the universe.
thanks to the stars, kyoko found her soulmate. and she is grateful that they are a part of the lucky ones who were fated to meet and be together.