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Akiha seemed unusually cheery at dinner. Uncannily so, or at least that’s what the others at the table thought. No one was sure what to say, until Shiki trepidatiously broached the subject.
“Uh, Akiha… You seem like you’re in a good mood? Did anything happen today?”
Akiha blushed and steeled her expression, as if she hadn’t realized how she was coming across. She coughed nervously. “Oh, well, I- I went out this morning, and while I was downtown, I stopped in a restaurant for lunch.”
“Oh, is that it? If it's that good, I'll have to go by myself some time.”
Akiha bit her lip. “It's actually… It's a restaurant you mentioned to me, Shiki. Messian, that Indian restaurant.”
Shiki blinked as he recovered from his surprise. “O-oh. You never struck me as someone who would love curry like that.”
“Well, I wanted to try something new. The spiciness of it was unpleasant, but enjoyable. But…” Akiha smiled. “It's more than that. Some gentleman paid for my meal for me. I didn't catch a glance at his face, but…” Akiha did everything she could to hold herself back, but despite that, she was practically glowing.
Shiki shared a glance with Nanaya, who opened her mouth to respond, before shaking her head and deciding otherwise. Instead, she said, “I'm glad you had an enjoyable day, Lady Akiha.”
Several days later, Akiha was downtown again. This time, for a purpose, but she had already finished her errands. She was on her way home when she hesitated before a familiar building. She spent a few moments staring at the building before making her choice. She had plenty of time before she would have to be home, and besides, it was already lunchtime. She might as well.
As Akiha entered Messian, she spied a familiar silhouette. The person from the other day. She couldn't quite make them out, and they immediately ducked behind their menu. Akiha considered waving, but hesitated. Instead, she picked up a menu, walked across the room, and sat down across from the mysterious figure. The mysterious figure sat there for a few moments, hiding behind the menu, until they set it down.
They looked familiar to Akiha, but she couldn't tell why. As she tried to connect the face to a memory, she came up blank. Writing it off as a feeling of deja vu, she introduced herself.
“Hello. I'm Akiha Tohno. Aren't you the gentleman who paid my bill the other day?”
The figure persed their lips as they thought of a response. “I'm… Elesia. And yes, I was… Although I'm not much of a gentleman.” She laughed. “It's nice to meet you, Akiha.”
“Likewise, Elesia.”
The woman glanced down to her menu, but then her eyes flickered over to Akiha’s menu. “Are you very familiar with Indian cuisine?”
Akiha blushed. “Oh, no, I’m not. Do you have a recommendation?”
The woman giggled. “Well, I wouldn’t recommend the special set.” She set down her menu.
Akiha’s blush became a darker shade of red. “O-oh…” She wasn’t sure how to respond further.
The woman giggled again. “Oh, but don’t worry. I quite like it, but if someone has no experience with curry, then it can be quite a lot. It’s very spicy, as I’m sure you learned.”
Akiha nodded slowly. “Oh, yes… It was. That made it hard to eat, but it wasn’t unenjoyable. What makes it bad?”
“It’s as I said. It’s not something I would recommend to someone without experience with Indian cooking. Instead, I would recommend…” The woman pointed at the menu. “That. It’s spicy, but it shouldn’t be too bad. Unless you liked the special set, of course.
“Ah, no… I’ll take your recommendation. It looks good, anyway.
The woman already had her order settled, so they called over the waiter and placed their orders. Until their food arrived, and after, when they were eating, they made small talk. Akiha enjoyed the other woman’s company. She was evasive, which should have been odd, but more oddly, Akiha saw nothing wrong with it.
Once the waiter dropped the bill on the table, the woman reached for her bag. But Akiha stopped her. “Oh, no need. You paid for me last time, which is already too much.” She pulled out her wallet and put some money on the table. “In fact, let me pay. And I’ll cover you, to make up for last time.”
The woman bit her lip, then shrugged and laughed. “Okay! It’s only fair, I suppose. I paid because I was happy to see someone new enter the world of curry, but you’re quickly moving past that.”
Once the bill was paid, the woman grabbed her bag and stood up. “Thank you for this, Akiha. IT was nice eating with you.”
But before she could talk away, Akiha turned around and addressed her. “Elesia. Would you… want to have lunch here again sometime?”
The woman turned back and blushed slightly. “O-oh. I…” She hesitated. “Yeah, sure. This was fun. Why not? This time next week?”
Akiha thought for a moment. “My schedule should be open then. I’ll try my best to make it.”
The woman smiled. “Great. I’ll see you then.”
At dinner, Akiha was shining even more than before. However, to Shiki’s dismay, she was much more evasive than before, to the point that he wasn’t getting anything out of her. Eventually, he gave up. However, when Akiha retreated to her room for the nightm, Nanaya followed her.
With a knock, she entered the room. Akiha was lying in bed, reading a book by candlelight. As Nanaya pulled up a chair by the bed, Akiha set her book down and turned to face her.
“Lady Akiha, about… your recent shift in attitude…”
Akiha cocked her head to one side quizzically. “What do you mean, Nanaya?”
“You seem more cheery than usual.”
“O-oh, yes. I went to that restaurant again. The one I mentioned some time ago.”
“Ah, the one Shiki recommended to you?”
Akiha made a quiet sound of confirmation. “I was passing by it, by coincidence, and I decided to stop in for lunch. And, I saw that gentleman again. Oh, but, except, he’s not a man at all. She’s a woman, or maybe someone my age? I didn’t recognize her, but…” Akiha stopped to think. “I guess her face didn’t stand out, because I can’t really picture it in my mind, but I really enjoyed our conversation. Oh, but, the food was good, too, and she’s quite knowledgeable on the subject. I feel like I learned a lot about Indian cuisine from her.” Akiha laid down again, staring at the ceiling. “We're going to be having lunch again next week. I'm looking forward to it.”
Nanaya inhaled sharply. She wasn't sure how to respond to that, so she didn't at first. But she couldn't hold back for long.
“Lady Akiha, what you're describing is a date.”
Akiha glanced over at Nanaya. “No? We're just getting lunch together. We're both girls, so it can't be a date.”
Nanaya opened her mouth to respond, but her jaw fell slack as she was left unable to respond. After some stuttering, she offered, “Lady Akiha…? I don’t think the gender of the people involved changes this any. It can still be a date.”
Akiha practically laughed. “No it couldn’t. Dates are romantic and I already told you, Elesia isn’t a man.”
“But… is it possible that you are in love with her despite that?”
Akiha blinked, as if she didn’t understand the question. “But we’re both girls.”
Nanaya sighed. “Lady Akiha, what if…” She trailed off as she thought through her words. “What if you love her as a girl?”
“I… What?”
“What?”
Akiha sat up in bed, facing Nanaya. “Nanaya, what are you saying?”
“Lady Akiha, I…” She groaned. “I think you’re in love with this Elesia woman. Romantically.”
“But-”
“You’re both girls, yes. Does that matter?”
Akiha stopped to think about it for a moment, but caught herself. “Y-yes it does! I shouldn’t even be entertaining such an absurd idea.”
“It’s not absurd. It’s clearly what’s happening, and what’s been happening. If you want to be sure, go ask Shiki what he thinks you feel towards that ‘gentleman.’”
Akiha bit her lip, then sighed. “Maybe I will. If only to put this absurd notion to rest.” She practically leapt out of bed and out of the room. With a giggle, Nanaya followed.
Akiha walked down the hall as quickly as she could without running. When she got to Shiki’s door, she knocked, then opened it without waiting for even a second. He turned to face her with a startled look on his face.
“Shiki! What do you think of my relationship with the gentleman I told you about last week?”
Shiki blinked. “What?”
Akiha began to pace around him. “My relationship. Feelings. Whatever! Nanaya is saying some patently absurd things about that, which she says are obvious, so tell me. And be honest, don’t lie to me.”
Shiki paled somewhat. “Akiha…”
Akiha slammed her palm on his desk. “Shiki!”
He glanced over to Nanaya, who smiled and gave him a small wave, then turned back to Akiha. “Well… You seemed head over heels for him. Like a girl with a crush in a shoujo manga. Uh. Why?”
Without answering him, Akiha turned and left in a huff. Nanaya lingered behind slightly, bowing to Shiki and mouthing the word “thanks” at him, before following Akiha. By the time Nanaya reached the bedroom, the other girl had buried herself under the bedsheets.
Nanaya sat down in her chair again, but before she could even respond, Akiha shouted, “Shut up!” Nanaya persed her lips, then nodded.
“Good night, Lady Akiha. I hope you sleep well.”
A week later, Akiha came back around soon, once again glowing with happiness. Shiki greeted her as she passed him by. But as he watched his sister walk away with such a bounce in her step as he had never seen before, he grew suspicious. Suspicious enough for him to grab his phone and start walking downtown.
Some time later, he was sitting around in a familiar park. He had been waiting for a few minutes, and was expecting to be waiting several more, but he was startled when a woman came up from behind and tapped him on the shoulder. With a jump, he turned around.
“Oh, Ciel! Thanks for coming.”
Ciel gave Shiki a charismatic smile. “No problem, Shiki. What’s the issue?”
“Hey, uhhh…” Shiki hesitated befor speaking. “Hey Ciel, want to go get lunch?”
“Oh. I’d love to, but I actually just ate. Another time.” She giggled. “Is that really what you called me out here for? You could have just asked when you called me.”
Shiki shook his head. “Nah, I just wanted you to ask that question, to confirm a suspicion of mine.” He laughed nervously. “It’s a bit weird to say this, actually, but… Did you just go on a date with my sister?”
Ciel gave Shiki a blank expression. “Did I… What makes you think that?”
“Well, Akiha’s been going to Messian a lot lately… It’s your favorite restaurant, which I know because you told me about it and I later told Akiha about it. And she mentioned this gentleman who paid for her first meal there, and who extolled the virtues of curry to her. And, curiously, she can’t name a single detail about this person when asked. Almost like some sort of glamour is being used.”
Ciel held up her hands defensively. “Hey…” But as Shiki continued to glare at her. Eventually, she sighed and lowered her hands. “Okay, fine. Yeah, I’ve been having curry with Akiha. But don’t read too much into it, okay?”
“You’ve been going on dates with my younger sister.”
“They’re not dates! It’s not romantic.”
“Ciel…”
“It can’t be romantic because we’re both girls.” Shiki glared at her until she sheepishly ducked away.
“You can’t be serious.”
“Okay fine. I’m dating your sister. Do you want me to stop? I can.”
“That’s not the part I mind. Can you be honest with her, at least? She knows you, and yeah it might be weird, but be honest with her if you’re going to keep going on these dates. She’s clearly enjoying it, hell she’s happier than I’ve seen her in years. You know how weird it is to see Akiha smile? And not just a polite, political smile, but true happiness. She likes you. You like her or else you wouldn’t be doing this. So stop teasing my little sister. Just tell her you love her and get it over with.”
Ciel looked down at Shiki, practically biting her tongue as she thought. Eventually, she shrugged. “Fine. We agreed to meet up again next week. I’ll say something then.”
Shiki nods. “Thanks. And, uh, if it’s not too early, congratulations.”
Ciel groaned. “It is too early, yes.” She smiled. “But thanks.”
Ciel was already sitting at the table when Akiha came in. She gave the younger girl a wave and heralded her over. When Akiha sat down across the table from her, she waved back.
“Hello, Elesia.”
“Hi, Akiha.”
The two got started talking about their orders and before long, a waiter came by. Once he left, Ciel started the conversation.
“So, um… Akiha?”
Akiha beemed at her. “Yes, Elesia?
Ciel opened her mouth, but the words got caught in her throat. “Uh, nevermind. We can talk about that later.”
“O-oh. Okay.”
They fell into small talk. Ciel enjoyed it, but the entire time felt as though something was off. That feeling persisted even once food arrived and until the end of the meal. Akiha insisted on paying once more.
As Akiha stood up to leave, Ciel reached out and grabbed her wrist. “Wait, I-” She blushed. “Akiha, do you want to walk around? There's a nice park nearby.”
Akiha blushed back. “Oh. Oh yes, that sounds lovely. Thank you, Elesia.”
Ciel guided Akiha to the park and the pair began to walk along the path. They were both silent for a few minutes, until they were a bit deeper in. Ciel looked around to see if anyone was around, and when she had confirmed that they were alone, she stopped.
“Akiha, I…I need to be honest with you.” She removed the magecraft that was obscuring her identity.
Akiha gasped. “O-oh. Ciel. Um.” She glanced away with a blush.
“Sorry. I've known it's you the entire time, but… well, the first time was an accident, and the second, I didn't want to be caught. And then I just sort of got carried away with it. Because it was nice, talking to you and meeting like that. I was happy that it was happening. And I could tell you were, too. I didn't want to ruin that.” She chuckled nervously. “But then your dumbass brother came and yelled at me a bit, and I guess I saw what I had to do. So I. It's been fun.”
Akiha stared at Ciel in shock. “I don't even know what to say.”
Ciel grimaced. “I thought that might be the case. What I did, hiding my identity from you like that, it's bad. I regret-”
“Not that. Although yes, what you did is… unfortunate. But I'm in shock for different reasons. It's you . My brother's upperclassman. I know you. And yet… I didn't. I suppose that these …dates… have been our first meaningful time together, one on one. Any other time I've seen you, it's been with Shiki, and I never talked to you much those occasions. So this is how I really got to know you. And,” Akiha smiled, “I enjoyed it.”
They stood there, with neither sure what to say next, until Akiha walked the few steps between her and Ciel, leaned up, and kissed her on the cheek. Ciel blushed in stunned silence as Akiha tilted her head and gave her a smile. “I look forward to our next date, okay?”