Chapter Text
"Yo, can you help me with the code to get the blue keycard?"
Ei was slouching on her couch with a fresh plate of chocolate chip cookies on the coffee table. She let go of the L2 button on her PlayStation controller, muting her mic.
"Alright." The person on the other end of the screen replied.
Once the person inputted the code, the door that was once blocking Ei's path opened. She thanked the person as she walked into the hall, hoping that the person wouldn’t kill her while she was inside. Judging from the way they just let her grab the keycard, she can trust them. Well that was until right when she was about to exit, the floor beneath her character fell, leaving her character to die. She should’ve known. Ei let out a long groan before slamming her desk, almost making her cookies fall on the floor,
“FUCK!!!”
Her voice was loud enough to wake the neighbors ten doors away from her. She turned off her console and settled down to take a nap. Only a couple of minutes later was when unsurprisingly, she heard a loud banging on her door.
"Ah, it's probably another complaint."
A small smile appeared on Ei's face, knowing who was at the door. She knew what was coming. Although it did annoy her, she just couldn't help herself. Ei quickly put on a poker face and opened the door, revealing who she expected. A woman who looked around Ei's age. She was slightly shorter than Ei and had long pink hair, which looked majestic, even when it’s messy. Her stormy purple eyes were glaring daggers at Ei, with her eyebrows furrowing. Although she was pissed, her charm still remained. She almost looked unreal. Though a small part of her held an unspoken grudge against the woman. These constant encounters were the exact reason why. She vents her anger, is about to rest, hears banging on the door, and boom. A stunning yet furious woman appears.
"Do we SERIOUSLY need to talk about this again?"
Ei stares blankly at her neighbor.
"Sorry, Yae. I won't do it again."
Yae rolled her eyes in feigned disbelief,
"Oh really? I believe you said that same thing the other..." she began to teasingly count her fingers, "Ah, the other 19 times I knocked on this same door."
Ei averted her eyes from her critic, her face gaining a red-ish color from embarrassment,
"Yeah, whatever."
"It's good to know you want to see this pretty face of mine every day, but at least TRY to be considerate."
A slow, sly chuckle escaped Yae's lips. Ei thought if this were a fantasy world, she'd see fangs poking out of her mouth and a tail swishing behind her like a cunning, sinister fox. Almost immediately, Ei shot down the bold theory with an irritated tone. Yet, it sounded like an embarrassing whine.
Yae leaned closer to her face, their noses almost touching. Ei shuddered at the almost-non-existing distance between them. Yae's finger gently rested under her chin, a sly smirk appearing on her face,
"My My Miss Raiden, you should know that there are other ways to contact me that don't include testing my patience. Got that?"
Ei nodded frantically, her face reddening more upon feeling Yae's slender hand travel down her waist and slowly into her sweatpants. She removed her hand and walked away from the stammering Ei with a knowing and teasing glare.
Ei quickly shut the door and ghosted the area Yae touched her with her hand. Her expression went from shocked to confused. She pulled out a paper that she felt in her sweatpants as she read,
"...Text/call me, (###-###-####) -Yae Miko"
She sighed as she set the paper on the coffee table. She let out a frustrated groan, massaging her forehead,
"That damned fox."
Yae Miko. Raiden Ei's hot and almost unbearable neighbor. Truthfully, Ei subconsciously yet intentionally kept bothering her. She wanted to see her again and again. They hardly know each other, yet, Ei can’t help but feel a tinge of familiarity whenever she sees her. As if they’ve known each other for a long time. She can tell Yae feels the same way. She sometimes would call her “Ei” instead of “Raiden” whenever she scolded her. Ei smiles, feeling her chest oddly grow warm. She started to think about what Yae said before she left. She was also confused about why she couldn't just talk to her like a normal person. Considering this, she pulled out her phone to dial her best friend since birth, Sasayuri. The other line picked up,
“Hey, Sasayuri,”
“Hey! What’s up?”
“Do you…by any chance..know any good cafes nearby?”
“Oh? What about the one you usually go to?”
“Ah…well, you see, I want to treat one of my…uh, “foreign” friends..”
“Oh my goodness, Ei! If you’re going on a date, just say that. I won’t annoy you about it! Promise!” Sasayuri laughs, and Ei’s face flushes from the accusation.
“It’s nothing of the sort! It’s just a meetup.”
“Okay, okay, I get it. I know a nice cafe a couple of minutes from your house called Tenshukaku.”
“Great, thanks.”
“It's a shame you won't talk to me longer. You could’ve asked me through text like a normal person, but no problem! Cya.” Ei rolls her eyes and hangs up the phone, staring between the number on the paper and the phone in her hand.
She was contemplating what she’d say to Yae.
‘Hey. Let’s go out.’ too blunt.
‘So uh, would you PLEASE go out with me?’ too desperate.
Ei knitted her eyebrows in thought before an idea came to mind. She pulled up Yae’s number on her phone before texting her, saying,
“Let’s meet at the Tenshukaku on Saturday @ 11AM” She got a response sooner than she expected,
“Alright ;) don’t be late! You wouldn’t want to keep a pretty woman waiting, xoxo”
“Likewise.”
"In all seriousness, I'm glad u took my advice <3"
"mhm." Ei turned off her phone and flopped right back onto her couch. She takes a large bite out of one of her abandoned cookies.
Ei had trouble with something very simple. So simple that even she was surprised. She’s just meeting with someone at a cafe, so why can’t she just pick an outfit? Wearing a skin-tight dress was too formal, but baggy sweatpants and a hoodie was too casual. Especially for someone she’s properly speaking to for the first time. ‘A simple dress shirt and some leggings would be okay…right? Fuck it.’ She ended up settling on a dress shirt and a skirt. Ei exited her apartment room and headed down to the Tenshukaku. When she arrived, she took a seat and waited for the familiar woman to appear. Her concerns were still ongoing. Her eyes were glued to her watch. Ei was growing more and more anxious. She didn’t understand where her anxiety came from. It wasn’t a date, so she didn’t understand why she was so nervous. A million unanswered questions flooded her mind, causing her to space out. Ei nervously fiddled with the bracelet she planned on gifting to Yae. She was snapped out of her trance when she heard a familiar voice calling out to her,
“Ah, is there something on your mind?” Ei shifts her attention to the awaited woman in front of her.
“Erm…no. Thanks for coming.”
Yae went ahead and took a seat. Ei thought she looked amazing, as usual. She was wearing a casual black dress with a white vest. Ei also noticed that her makeup was very natural, further proving that Yae Miko is a natural beauty. She noticed how a cheeky smirk lifted on her face.
“Enjoying the view?”
“Yes, I think you look very nice today.” Ei could tell she caught Yae off guard, her face was almost as pink as her hair.
“Oh…thank you. You look nice as well.” Ei gives her a nod of appreciation before pointing at the menu. Her eyes start sparkling when she comes across the dessert section.
“Should I go for the dango milk or the strawberry jam donut?”
“Eh? Shouldn’t you go for something you’d actually have for breakfast like toast, miso soup or pancakes?”
“I guess I’ll go with pancakes then.”
“My, it seems like someone has a sweet tooth.” Ei’s face flushes upon realizing she accidentally revealed her adoration for sweets.
“Erm..yeah.” Yae lets out a soft chuckle. A timid waitress approaches their table and takes their order. Yae spoke up after the waitress left,
“If you don’t mind me asking, what’s your occupation?” Ei quirks an eyebrow and smirks at the question,
“Hm? Do you think I slob around at home all day? I'm a bit offended.” Yae guiltily looks around,
“Oh my Raiden, it seems like you’re getting very comfortable.” Ei laughs before answering her question,
“I work at an office. I just happen to be on vacation this month. What about you?” The other woman seemed shocked for a second,
"Oh uh, take a guess." Ei held her chin in thought and smirked,
"A model." A blush spread across Yae's face,
"I'm a writer." Ei let out a small giggle.
"May I have your hand for a moment?" Confused, Yae held out her hand. Ei took out the bracelet she prepared, and put it around her wrist. Her eyebrows raised at the gesture,
"It's very pretty, thank you very much Raiden."
"Just call me Ei."
"Thank you, Ei."
Ei nods.