Archive of Our Own

Summer eats away at her.

The peaches on the dining table ripen as Takina lays on her bed, watching the slow whirl of the ceiling fan pass by. The sticky-sweet feeling of August in her mouth doesn’t go away even when she opens and closes it, teeth clacking.

A slant of sunlight peeks through the crack of her borrowed curtains. When she turns her head, the clock on her nightstand flashes 8:27 AM. Just a little longer. Takina puts her hand over her eyes. The sun shining through her fingers.

Someone’s talking, laughing; faint voice cutting through the lethargic air in her room. The distant rumble of a car; muffled like radio static.

Takina closes her eyes again, expression tamed into something almost peaceful. She drags her hand down to her neck. Under her palm, she can feel the slow, steady thump of her heart.

And soon, she falls, sinking to the bottom of the ocean.

“What do you wish for, Takina?”

A soft hand, curled around her cheek. Strands of blonde hair tickling over the ivory of her shoulders. The chokecherry red of Chisato’s eyes, half-lidded and dark.

A thumb tugging at her lower lip. Takina feels herself let out a sigh. Feels herself opening up under Chisato’s touch like a flower, hand ghosting over the back of her neck. She is the sailor out at sea, struck down into the ink-blue of the ocean while Chisato entangles her in her whispers of sweet nothings, dragging her deeper and deeper.

“I only wish for…”

Takina opens her bloodshot eyes to the shrill ringing of her clock. 8:45 AM.

Her hand is still at the side of her neck, and underneath it hides her heart—climbing and climbing outside her ribs to avoid drowning inside her.

She sits up. Her hair cascades down her face, hanging like two waterlogged curtains as she puts her head in her hands. The once dry air of summer feels suffocating, pressing on her skin like arms draped over her, a warm chest pressing against her own, body heat and scent mixing into one and lips—

Takina grabs her pillow, smushes her face into it, and screams.

♡

“Sorry for being la—“

“Ohh! Takina!”

The smell of cherries and peaches hits her first, familiar as an old sweater, and she takes an involuntary breath. Then, a warm body colliding into her own, sending her stumbling backwards, one step, two steps, outside into the summer air again. Past the spinning in her head and the haze of the slow wind, the only thing truer than the arms encircling her waist is the name in her head: Chisato.

“Takinaaaaa,” Chisato whines, burying her nose further into Takina’s neck and squeezing her until they’ve nearly merged into one. “You wouldn’t even believe what happened today!”

Takina’s hands flutter above Chisato’s form, like butterflies unsure of where to land. The back of her neck pricks with the beginnings of nervous sweat. “Chisato,” she says as a means of acknowledgement. “What are you doing?”

A quick glance into the café tells her that the day hasn’t started yet. Mika is at the front, nursing a cup of cold water; Mizuki is slumped over the counter, face stuck into the path of all five portable mini fans arranged around her in a semicircle; Kurumi sits in front of a giant fan, eyes closed and mouth wide open, voice clipping while she speaks into the void.

Takina raises a brow.

Chisato’s still clinging onto her like a koala. “I’m hugging you, obviously.” She gasps. “Oh my God, don’t tell me you hit your head so hard from the last mission that you forgot about our daily hugs??” Almost immediately, Chisato unlatches herself, a worried furrow on her brow as she takes Takina’s face into her hands. Her lips are downturned in a frown, and Takina wants nothing more than to kiss that worry away. “You okay?”

The sound of Chisato’s voice, so close and laced with such genuine concern for Takina, sends her hurtling back into her own mortal body, where she’s still standing in front of her workplace with a pretty girl in her arms. She licks her lips. “Y-Yes, the doctor said my head was fine and I would be back in good health after a few days of rest.”

Chisato breaks into a goofy, relieved smile. “That’s good. I’m glad! I wouldn’t know what to do with myself if you forgot all about—“

“Ugh, can you guys get in here already? You’re letting all the hot air in!” Mizuki yells, not even moving an inch to look at them.

Chisato turns around, sticking her tongue at her. She grabs Takina’s wrist and finally leads her inside the café.

When the door closes, the sweat building at the back of Takina’s neck only heightens. The air inside is stale and humid, only half-stifled by the sound of the fans whirring and artificial wind. Several fans of different sizes are placed strategically throughout the entire area.

Chisato swipes her bangs out of her eyes, fanning herself after. “So… Pretty hot, huh?” There’s a sheepish smile on her face.

“The air conditioning is still broken,” Takina mutters, her face contorted with horror. She whips her head around to look directly at Mika, but his eyes are closed and his hands shake as he takes another sip of water.

Takina marches up to Mika, sidestepping Kurumi and almost bumping into Mizuki in the process. “Mika, it’s been three days since the AC unit broke. You said it would be fixed by today,” she says, slamming her hand on the counter for good measure. Mizuki’s head bounces against the wood. “At this point, we’ll be losing any potential customers looking for a place to retreat from the heat.”

Mika sighs, placing his drink down. The ice cubes jostle against each other, condensation dripping down the cup. “This is what your next mission will be, actually.”

Takina’s face scrunches in confusion. “Fixing air conditioners wasn’t included in the Lycoris training package.”

“It might not have been, but you’ll be helping out the people who can fix them—“ Kurumi appears beside Takina and places a poster on the counter, “—by catching this cat.”

“Awww, this kitty is so cute!” Chisato squeals from behind. “Hey, doesn’t it kinda look like you, Takina?”

On the poster before her are the words ‘WARNING: BEWARE OF THIS CAT’ in black, bold font. Below it, a picture of the cat is attached. Its blue-eyed glare pierces through the camera, black fur a menacing sheen still captured with the shoddy, pixelated image and shaky hands of the photographer. There’s a piece of fried chicken held between its white fangs. The box it came from lies sprawled on the road, chicken spilled out like guts alongside chunks of chicken nuggets.

“‘This black cat has been terrorizing local neighbourhoods for several weeks and has now made its way up north, expanding its territory as it grows in power and tenacity. It is not to be played with, pet by, taunted by or attempted to be caught by untrained personnel. It will retaliate, steal your food and make your life a living hell. If you catch this cat ALIVE, please call this number…’” Takina reads. She looks up at Mika, hoping he can see the metaphorical question marks that appear above her head.

Mika clears his throat. “Earlier today, the mechanics responsible for fixing our AC unit called. Apparently, their tires got slashed by the cat and some of their equipment got stolen,” he says. “So, I suggested that you and Chisato would catch the cat in exchange for a discount on the repair fee.”

Takina rubs her fingers on her temples. “This is a ridicu—“

“Let’s do it, Takina!” Chisato pipes in, practically yelling in her ear.

Takina frowns. “The poster clearly says this cat should not be approached by non-professionals when attempting subjugation. It is dangerous and we are unfamiliar with its quirks or any particular methods on how to capture it.”

“Pfft—the highly trained, majorly skilled, great Lycoris girl of many talents including taking down five men at once, Takina Inoue, is scared of a tiny cat? Just look at its cute little face!” Chisato shoves the poster so close to Takina’s face that she has to squint and back away from it. Huh. Maybe the longer she stares at it, the cuter it becom… Nevermind. She can’t get past its death glare.

Chisato places the poster down, its surface crumpled from the manhandling. “It’s way more harmless than the guys we fought last time! Plus, haven’t you seen those cat videos online? Grab a thick blanket, roll it up like a burrito while making sure you’ve secured its legs, and it’s safely captured!”

“Cat… videos?” Takina shakes her head. As cute as they are, this is not the time. “No. It’s still dangerous. And like I said, we don’t know its behaviours at all. I don’t want to waste our energy running around all day when we could be looking for another mechanic or waiting for our current mechanic to solve their problems.”

“About the cat’s behaviours, I’m already tracking it with one of my drones,” Kurumi says with her laptop in her hands. She plops it on the counter. Mizuki stirs, tilting her head just a little to see what the commotion’s about. The screen shows a live video feed of the cat wreaking havoc in a restaurant, running to hide its stolen goods, digging up dirt from backyards, knocking over garden gnomes and then catnapping.

Chisato squeals for the seventh time today, grabbing Takina’s shoulders and shaking her back and forth. “It’s sososo cute! How can you resist it?! Oh my God—just look at the way it’s loafing! Like a piece of evil bread!“ She squishes her cheek against Takina’s, forcing the girl to look at the screen for longer than she’d like.

Takina clears her throat, willing her blush down and separating herself from Chisato. “I…”

Mizuki yawns, but quickly fixes her face. “Takina, Chisato,” she starts, words slurred. “If you catch the cat and bring the repairman and he’s hot, you’ll have my eternal gratitude.” She twitches both of her eyes into what could vaguely be called a wink.

“I…”

Chisato grabs Takina’s hands in hers, lips puffing in a pout and eyes sparkling with tears. “Takina,” she calls. “Please?”

Takina feels her heart skip a beat. Desire an electric jolt in her chest like someone’s handed her a live wire.

“Okay,” she breathes out, a little too shakily. “Fine—only because I’m curious about the cat, too.”

Chisato cheers, opting to throw her arms around Takina and hug her in lieu of a proper response. She rubs her cheek against Takina’s, her lips coming close to the corner of the girl’s mouth. It’s too casual to mean anything besides being one of Chisato’s habits, but Takina still blushes anyway.

“Come on come on, let’s go!” Chisato runs off in a flurry of movement, nearly hopping over the counter and past Mika to grab the thickest towel they have. She has the biggest grin on her face that Takina’s ever seen, alongside a near manic sparkle in her eyes. “Takina! Get changed, we have a cat to catch!”

♡

“Chisato,” Takina huffs. “Wait… up.” Arms aching, heart pounding. Ribs sore in her chest.

Up ahead—the thud of shoes against pavement. The flicker of a black-tipped tail, like a brush dipped in paint. Chisato, rounding the corner and disappearing fast.

Takina grits her teeth and runs faster. The wind threads through her hair, right past the haze in her head and into the deep of the summer heat. Her footsteps ringing out against the path in tandem with her heart; wild as a cat. She hoists her bag up higher, mumbling frantic apologies to every passerby she dodges. Chisato’s back is a familiar sight she clings to like a life buoy.

They run past it all: the onlookers that gawk for a little too long, who scramble out of the way when Chisato loudly announces her presence. Across the parks teeming with plastic slides and swings that creak with each shift of the passing wind. Into alleyways where only slivers of sunlight can reach, but the blue of the sky is still visible past the buildings. And, unheard, muffled by the wind brushing past Takina’s shoulders like uncut hair: the crackle of Kurumi’s voice in her earpiece, tinny and faraway. Vaguely, she can hear Chisato’s laughter beside her. When had she run up right next to her? How long had they been running together?

Chisato lightly nudges her with her elbow. Takina looks over, the words what’s wrong? on the tip of her tongue, before her thoughts pause. They’re both still running, breathing heavily, the thick towel clutched under Chisato’s arm and the bag on Takina’s back more a liability than an asset. Chisato flashes her a grin with all the whites of her teeth showing, as if asking, isn’t this fun?

Heartbeat a whirlwind in Takina’s chest, thumping, thumping. The sun is noon-high, relentless in its shine, and the sky's the shade of ‘too late to turn back’ blue, where its infinite vastness stretches as far as the eye can see.

Another question underneath Chisato’s smile—isn’t this freeing?

The privilege of freedom. Of course she’s dreamed of it. What she’s missed. The weightlessness of summer, of having no debts or anchors tying you home. Only the promise of the endless sky above and the heat like a second skin on her.

She feels like smiling. Like laughing with her whole chest. Yes, her grin says. Pure, unadulterated joy, burning alongside the adrenaline in her system and the muscles in her legs.

Chisato’s smile gets impossibly softer, like her happiness at this moment is inextricably tied to Takina’s. The corners of her eyes crinkle and with the sun shining a spotlight on her, Takina thinks she looks dazzling.

Kurumi’s voice chimes in. “There’s a problem,” she crackles.

Chisato slows down just a bit, enough for her to speak clearly. “What’s up?”

“I lost track of the cat after it climbed up a tree. When I went to check, it was gone…”

“Did you check the other trees around the area? But don’t worry—me and Takina’ll scout the lower grounds, ‘kay?”

“I’m checking right now. Good luck.”

Takina raises a hand to shield her eyes. Kurumi’s drone is a yellow dot against the blue backdrop of the sky.

They’ve slowed down to a jogging pace and suddenly, the stifling heat of late August is upon her like a fever, tangling her hair with sweat and uncomfortable warmth.

“Ughhh,” Chisato whines beside her. “I can’t believe they made us go on a running mission in this type of weather!”

“This is exactly why I refused in the first place,” Takina says, loosening her collar.

“Noooo, I think I would’ve died if I had to be stuck serving dishes and not getting to eat any of the ice cream!”

“You would’ve been fine. Don’t be so dramatic when you sneak bites during your break time, anyway.”

Chisato makes a choking noise. “H-How do you know that?!”

Takina cracks the tiniest of smiles. “I see you sometimes. And you get crumbs on your face when you’re eating something else.”

Chisato raises an eyebrow, holding her chin in a thoughtful gesture. “Ms. Takina Inoue, may I ask what you were doing at the ice cream section?! As far as I know, my foolproof plan has gone unnoticed for several shifts! Unless…” She gets closer to Takina and looks her up and down, then points at her scandalously. “You were also there to sneak a bite of the ice cream!”

“The freezers are right across the kitchen. Everyone can see you, but they don’t say anything.” They turn the corner, ambling onto the street where a convenience store stands.

Chisato clutches at her chest, suddenly slumping down and leaning her whole weight on Takina. “My poor, poor, delicate ego can’t handle this slander much longer, Takina! Oh, how will you mend this broken heart of mine? Perhaps with a fair maiden’s ki—“

Takina opens the door to the convenience store. The cold air of the AC unit rushes past them, bell jingling to alert everyone of their arrival.

Chisato immediately perks up. “Oh thank God,” she says. She unravels herself from Takina and skips over to the freezer, ooh-ing and ahh-ing at the variety of ice cream brands. Takina opts to buy two portable mini fans and two water bottles for both of them. Then, she lingers far too long in the snacks section. A blueberry granola bar? Cranberry? Or should she go for the konjac jelly again? Would that give them enough energy for the rest of the mission?

A cold, wet sensation presses itself on the back of her neck. She whirls around, hands shooting out to retaliate, but her attacker grabs her by the wrist and promptly sidesteps her.

“Ooh!” Chisato has an amused smile on her face. “Sorry, Takina, I didn’t mean to scare you. Look at what I got you, though!” She holds up a strawberry popsicle, waving it slightly.

Takina immediately relaxes, deflating like a balloon popped with a pin. “It’s okay. Thank you for the popsicle,” she says. She picks up the two fans and water bottles she left nearby. “Let’s go pay.”

They ring up the cashier, pay for their things and, begrudgingly, step outside into the sun again. Chisato complains about how hot it is again while Takina busies herself with enjoying the measly air of the mini fan. Eventually, they stumble into a park with an empty bench under the shade of a tree. A few kids are here and about, playing without a care in the world. Some are using the slides, others are running around, chasing each other and giggling the whole time. They settle on the bench, glad they made it on time for their popsicles to remain intact. It’s been a while, Takina thinks as she opens the wrapper and licks her popsicle. Since she’s had downtime like this. And a treat for the summer.

Takina sits perfectly straight on the bench while Chisato crosses her legs and leans back on her free hand. At this point in the afternoon, the sun is still high but the humidity has settled. The wind is starting to pick up despite all odds, and the few clouds that slowly roll by in the sky are peaceful.

For the entire time they eat their respective treats, it’s quiet. The only sounds in the background are the distant laughter of children and the occasional gust of wind that blesses them, rustling the leaves on the tree they’re sitting under. Chisato shifts beside her, uncrossing her legs, stretching with vigour and yawning loudly. Takina’s eyes unintentionally shoot downward to Chisato’s thighs, briefly taking in the sight before she moves her gaze away.

They’ve both finished and thrown their popsicle sticks into the trash. Takina half-wishes she had bought those granola bars to stow away for later. She peeks at Chisato from the corner of her eye. The other girl’s watching the children play, her gaze dreamy. Wistful, even. She’s leaning on both hands now, shoe tapping absentmindedly at the ground beneath her. There’s a permanent tiny smile on her face, and it widens into a grin or a giggle when one of the kids falls over, or they’re scrambling to get their turn on the slide.

Takina thinks she can do this forever; watch Chisato’s face light up in a smile and admire the slope of her perfect profile, softened by the daylight.

“Hey, Takina?” Chisato turns to her, the ruby of her eyes sparkling like starlight under the shade.

“Yes?”

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For everything,” Chisato says. “This is my first time, y’know? Hanging out with a friend like this in the summer. Eating a popsicle, running around, laughing like teenagers.” Her hand inches ever-so-slightly closer to Takina’s.

“You don’t need to thank me for that.” Takina takes the bait. She puts her hand on top of Chisato’s, looking away. “You’re my first too,” she murmurs.

Chisato bursts into giggles, moving to fully intertwine their hands together. They’re shoulder to shoulder now—this point of contact between them, familiar and warm.

For now, this is enough.

♡

“Oh come on!“ Chisato says after her heroic dive after the cat. She falls short a couple centimetres, arms outstretched in front of her and sprawled out on the street like a worm. The cardboard trap lays empty and abandoned, with a large clawed-out hole on its side. “How did it even make an escape route in two seconds?!”

Takina crouches down beside her. The cat swiftly takes height on a nearby tree. It licks its paws and grooms itself, looking wholly unbothered about its two chasers.

“Chisato,” Takina says. “This isn’t working. I suggest we go with Plan C and buy a laser pointer to—“

Chisato flops around like a fish out of water. “No way!” She stops flopping around. She raises her head to glare at the cat and waves her fist at it. “I swear to God that I’ll get you with my own hands!!”

The cat continues grooming itself. Then, it hops off the tree and takes off once again.

Chisato makes a sound caught between a strangled noise and a gasp of surprise, and shoots up from her spot to chase after it again.

Takina barely manages to say “I still have leftover cat treats!” before they’re both back to running after it again. At this point in time, Takina can only depend on the willpower of Chisato and her own determination to see the job through. The weary sag of her mouth betrays both of them as she crosses yet another alleyway, right into the crowd of a busy street.

The cat slinks through people’s legs like water, weaving and cutting through a path of its own.

Chisato speed walks against the flow of the crowd. Takina lags behind, mumbling apologies (again) for every person she bumps into a little too hard. She barely manages to keep the sight of Chisato’s red uniform in view, shoving and elbowing her way through the waves of people. Eventually, the cat speeds up and so do its chasers, keeping a steady pace behind it until it sneaks its way inside Oshiage Aquarium’s doors.

Chisato’s nose barely makes it past the entrance before Takina grabs her collar and drags her back.

“Takina?!” Chisato lets out some sort of high-pitched squeal when Takina drags her even further to avoid people exiting the aquarium.

“You’re causing trouble for other people,” Takina says, turning Chisato around so they’re face to face. She tightens her grip around her collar. “Promise me you won’t run around all over the place.”

“Y-Yes, ma’am! I promise that I won’t run around when we get in there! Also, you’re kinda close, haha…”

Takina sighs in relief, letting go of her collar. In exchange, she grabs Chisato’s wrist—(“Takina, you’re awfully bold today! Did you finally warm up to me? Did you?”)—and pulls her inside. There are several clusters of people in the main waiting area, huddled around each other. Murmurs and hushed whispers blanket the atmosphere in an air of confusion. Takina pays for both their tickets, then plunges them into the watery depths of Oshiage Aquarium.

“Chisato, we are here for a job today. Please don’t linger near the tanks.”

“Aw, come on, Takina! It’s not like the cat will escape before we get to it. There are people everywhere! They’ll catch it for us in no time. Plus, we didn’t get to explore some other exhibits last time we went here on our date,” Chisato says, her face and hands pressed up against a tank. “A teensy-tiny break won’t do us any harm.”

Their date.

The mention of that word stirs something in Takina, like waves washing ashore. She lists forward, next to Chisato, pulled in by the reluctant beat of her heart. “The spotted garden eel again?”

Chisato nods sagely. “Did you know? The name “garden eel” comes from the appearance of a colony, which looks similar to seagrass.”

Takina moves closer to the tank. She blinks. The garden eels are standing straight up, darting their heads up and down. They do this for a while before curling their bodies into question marks. She thinks she sees them tilt their head in confusion at her, but chalks it up to a trick of the light.

When she looks over at Chisato again, the other girl is garden eel straight, languidly waving her hands in the air.

Instead of berating her this time, Takina only laughs.

Chisato giggles in response, undeniably fond. “Come on,” she says, holding her hand out.

What does she want from her? She grasps the other girl’s hand in an unsure handshake.

A burst of laughter. “No, no, I’m asking to hold your hand, silly! Here, give me your other hand.”

Takina’s fingers are hesitant, ghosting feather-soft. Then, Chisato fully takes her hand and holds it with such care that she feels like crying. Her dream was wrong. There are calluses on her palm, hardened from years and years of training. But her touch is so, so soft and warm. The weight of her hand in hers is something reassuring and right, as though having found the ground beneath her after a fall, as it had always been there. She wonders if she can trace the lines of her palm and find the thread that ties both their futures together.

She looks up at her. The sight of her face slices open Takina’s heart, bleeding red all over the blue of the aquarium. Glimmers of light and glassy reflections mix with the fishbowl blur of her vision. This has become—has always been—a person she cares for. Her best friend. No one other than Chisato. Her skin prickles with longing and shame for the girl in front of her.

Chisato squeals, swinging their hands between them. “Oh my God, I’m so excited!! I can’t wait to show you all the lobsters, sharks and jellyfish we didn’t get to see last time!! It’ll be so fun, I swear—you’ll love the jellyfish!”

She drags Takina along with her, all the way into the blue light of the ocean, murky with the undercurrent of the unknown desire inside her. The twinge of her heart painful as they wade deeper. Waves crashing in her head.

“Did you know this aquarium is home to the giant blue lobster?” Chisato asks, eyes immediately brightening. Her fingers flex in Takina’s hands.

“N-No, I didn’t know that,” Takina manages to stutter out.

Chisato smiles at her. “Well, you’re about to find out!” She quickens her pace, which Takina is forced to match.

Before long, they’ve arrived at the tank where a crowd of people are gathered, taking pictures before moving on. The blue lighting of the aquarium around them submerges the pair, bringing them right down to the bottom of the ocean. Chisato manages to shoulder her way through to the front. She points excitedly at the tank with her free hand like a child, her eyes sparkling with glee. “Takina, Takina! Isn’t this the coolest thing you’ve ever seen?!”

“Yes,” Takina says without skipping a beat. The tank before her is massive, spanning almost the entire wall. Every inch inside is filled with gallons upon gallons of water and pebbles of all colours decorating the floor. There are a few pieces of boulder scattered around, sea vegetation twisting around them like vines. In the middle lies a lone blue lobster, unmoving in its own habitat.

Chisato snaps a few pictures while Takina stares at it, gauging if it’s alive or not.

“Don’t you think it’s kinda sad?” Chisato asks. “It’s all alone in there. No other lobster friends to keep it company.”

Takina nods. “Finding a blue lobster is a one in two million chance. Even rarer to find one this size, too.”

“It reminds me of you, I think.”

“Does every animal we encounter today remind you of me?”

Chisato laughs. “The spotted garden eel is nothing like you. It’s too wiggly!” She squeezes Takina’s hand. “I mean, I’m just saying that it gives off your energy? So independent and blue and hard to approach at first but when you get closer, it looks even cuter! Even with its giant pointy claws.”

“Huh,” Takina says.

“It’s…” Chisato’s eyes flicker between Takina and the lobster. “Lonely, too. Fuki told me you didn’t have a lot of friends back then. N-Not that I mean anything bad by it, of course! Being alone doesn’t always mean you’re lonely, but in this context—”

“I’m not lonely.” Takina cuts her off with a swift glare, but relaxes her face into a small smile. “I have you now,” she says. “And all the other members of LycoReco.”

Chisato’s mouth forms a perfect ‘o’ shape. Takina swears there’s a blush on her face, but the blue lighting makes it hard to see. “Takina,” she starts, mouth curling up into a smile. “You actually really like me, don’t you?”

“We are friends,” she simply says.

Chisato untangles their hands to swaddle Takina in a bear hug. “Aw, it’s okay to admit that you like me! I like you too, y’know?”

Takina hugs her back. Like. Is this what it is? If she turns her head just a bit, she can place a kiss on the corner of Chisato’s mouth. And maybe Chisato will be shocked and recoil, or maybe she’ll kiss her back with her hands cupping Takina’s cheeks. Maybe at that moment, her entire world will be engulfed in the hazy red of Chisato’s eyes, and a finger will lift her jaw ever so slightly, teeth tugging gently at her bottom lip—

They separate from the hug. Takina startles when Chisato clears her throat and looks away to the side. “Let’s go see the jellyfish now,” she says, taking Takina’s hand in her own again. “We have lingered too long here anyways.”

Hand in hand, they walk forward, guided by muscle memory and excitement. Chisato babbles all the way through while Takina listens to her, nodding and answering. The other girl’s movements are animated even when they’re holding hands. She gestures to emphasize her points and illustrate her stories, swaying their arms at times. Her smile is bright as she points to the various fish tanks they pass by (“Takina, Takina, look! The pleco fish are suckling on the glass! Isn’t that the cutest thing ever?!”) and Takina indulges her all the same, (“Yes. The most adorable.”) her gaze fixed on the planes of her face.

It doesn’t take them long to reach the deepest level of the aquarium, where the lights are dimmed and the only illumination is from the tanks themselves. The bottom of the sea is swarming with wildlife; bioluminescent fish flickering around their habitats, eels of all shapes and sizes crawling over each other, and small shark species swimming in and about the artificial environments.

Chisato gasps. “There they are!” She speed walks towards the small crowd of people huddling around the jellyfish tank, right until she trips.

Hand in falling hand, they go tumbling down, Chisato face-first into the aquarium rug and Takina right behind her.

The world goes off-kilter for a moment. Water rushing into her ears. The feeling of Chisato’s palm fading away, replaced by the sensation of her hair standing on end. Not from disorientation or a sudden temperature drop. But from something she can’t see, gliding like a limb across her arm.

Takina looks up, eyes darting around the darkness. Then, it appears. Two blue eyes glow in the low lighting, reflecting the shimmer of the aquarium like its own jewels.

Chisato goes from a prone lying position to a pounce, her arm shooting for the cat—lightning fast like a shark in water.

The cat jumps without flinching, landing on Chisato’s hand like a tightrope. It swarms up her arm, snakelike in its motion as it taps her on the nose.

Chisato freezes. Takina takes out the towel she had stowed away and springs into action, slamming the towel down onto the cat’s body. She gets it trapped under the towel, but with a slight hiss and a firm tail whack, it twists its body outwards to the areas Takina hadn’t been fast enough to secure.

The cat turns around to swipe her on the nose and smack her eyes with its tail. Then, like it was never here, it disappears into another section of the aquarium before Chisato or Takina can recover.

“...Did we just get beat by a cat?” Chisato’s holding her nose and even in the darkness, the red spot caused by the fall and the cat’s hit is visible. They’re both sitting up now. Takina rubs her eyes in defeat.

“It would seem so,” she says.

“I’m filing a complaint and asking for cat-capturing courses the next time I go to DA.”

“That… may be necessary.”

Chisato doesn’t respond for a bit. Then she suddenly groans, draping herself all over Takina.

“Is something the matter?”

“Everything!” Chisato whines and shifts to hug Takina from the back, arms circling her waist. She rests her chin on her shoulder, and Takina can feel the muscle of her jaw with everything she says. “We’ve been chasing this cat for the whole day and now it even has the audacity to interrupt our date!”

“This is not a date. This is a job and the location simply coincided with our hangout spot last time.” Takina’s heart flutters. But why? “A-Anyways, please get up. The floor is dirty and this is a public place.”

“I know this isn’t a date, but…” Chisato’s tone is glum. She rubs slow circles on her stomach. “I’ll only get up if you carry me on your back, deal?”

A fire ignites in Takina’s abdomen. “If the cat appears again, this will be detrimental to both of us.”

“Aw, please? My legs are so tired from running around today and I just fell on my face.”

“...Fine. Deal,” Takina grumbles, trying to keep her blush down. She’s grateful for the aquarium lighting.

Chisato cheers, marking red-hot trails when she moves her arms to Takina’s shoulders. They’re already mostly in the piggyback position, and all Takina needs to do is lift her up. So she does, hoisting both of them up and securing Chisato’s legs under her. She’s light. The feeling of her bare thighs on Takina’s hands stirs the fire in her stomach even further, and she sways with every step she takes, ignoring the warmth of the chest on her back. Her heart skidding in her chest. Chisato’s quiet breaths on her ear. The aquarium rug under her feet and the blue atmosphere of each fish exhibit they pass.

In the dark, Takina thinks she will never be this close to another person. Just her and Chisato. No one else.

Takina treks through the halls. Chisato’s surprisingly silent, not making any sound or movement for the whole journey. She doesn’t even say anything when Takina pauses for a moment to look at the tank of spotted garden eels.

“Chisato?”

“Hmm?” Her face is nuzzled in the place where Takina’s shoulder and neck meet, arms hugging her upper front.

“Are you okay? We can stop here and go back to the café if you’re not feeling well.”

Chisato giggles. “Thanks for worrying about me, but I’m fine!” She rubs her face all over Takina’s back. “I was just a little tired, nothing too serious.”

Takina wishes she could see her expression. “Okay,” she says. “Whatever you say. We’re almost at the exit now. Unless you want me to carry you outside, too?...”

“Naww, I’m okay now.” Saying this, Chisato abruptly hops off of Takina, lands on the ground with all the grace of a cat then smooths her uniform out. She winks, flashing her a thumbs-up. “I rate this uber service five stars! The driver was very accommodating, super strong, comfortable and she smelled nice!”

Takina blushes a bright red. “I-I’m glad you were able to recover.”

“Now that that’s over, come here, Takina!” Chisato turns around, bending her knees and thrusting her arms behind her back. “It’s your turn to get a piggyback ride!”

“No, thank you.” Takina passes her on the way out, opening the door to the sweltering summer heat. She hopes it can hide the red of her ears.

“What?? Why not? Do you think I’m not strong enough? I’ll have you know that I can lift two people at once. Pleasee, Takina!”

Chisato’s whines only continue when they’re both out of the aquarium. Takina ignores her, instead contacting Kurumi and asking about the whereabouts of the cat. They set off on their journey again, into the heart of this blue summer.

♡

Takina and Chisato are crouched in a nearby bush. Takina waves the laser pointer around while Chisato sips loudly from her milkshake, eyes tracking the cat. It swats at the red point wherever it appears, although Takina makes no move to lure it anywhere.

Chisato swallows and smacks her lips. Takina cringes.

“Do you think the cat’s following us?” Chisato asks. She chews on the plastic straw.

Takina veers the laser to the left. The cat follows, pouncing on it with all feet. “Aren’t we the ones following it?”

“No—I mean yes but no? It just feels like…”

The cat trails behind the red point when Takina moves it in a slow, straight line.

“...it’s toying with us.”

Chisato stops chewing on her straw. There are teeth marks gnawed onto it, a permanent scar marring its red body. Takina points the laser to a trash can and aims it up into the exposed lid. The cat dives right into the bin, knocking it over in the process as it digs around for its mysterious prey.

Takina looks over at Chisato.

“What?” she says, more ”whash?” sounding with the chewed straw in her mouth.

“Throw that away already. It’s been an hour since we got that for you.”

Chisato releases the straw and pouts at her. “Sorry, sorry,” she says, not looking sorry at all. “How’d you finish that fast anyways? I swear, the moment I started drinking mine, you had already finished and thrown it in the trash!”

“Being fast and efficient in consuming meals or beverages is expected of every Lycoris.”

Chisato makes a sort of exasperated noise, knocking Takina’s knees with her own in disbelief. “Food is not just about nutrients and energy! You’ve gotta enjoy the taste too!”

“I enjoyed the milkshake. Strawberry is a delicious flavour.”

“I mean actually savour everything! Who knows when you’re gonna have another treat like this? Enjoying life to the fullest by eating tasty food and drinking yummy things is one of the best ways to spend your time.”

Takina smiles. “I guess so. I won’t rush through my milkshake next time, then.”

Chisato grins. “You better not!”

Before Takina says anything else, she scans the area in front of them for the cat.

Her eyes must be playing tricks on her. The cat isn’t in the trash can. Maybe the tree again? Or the shady spot by the corner?

Slow horror washes over her. “Chisato,” she says, tugging her sleeve. “The cat is gone.”

“Huh?” Chisato performs her own survey across the scene. “It couldn’t have run that far, right?”

Takina furrows her brow. “Kurumi?” she tries, pressing the mic on her earpiece. Only static comes out from the other end. “She’s not responding.”

“She might be busy helping out. It’s after work hours, after all,” Chisato says, getting up and stretching. “You know what this means?” She waggles her eyebrows. “We’re gonna have to run around and find the cat again! Like a game of cat and mouse, except we’re the cat and the cat is the mouse!”

“...Hide and seek would be a better analogy.” Takina gets up, dusting off the dust from her skirt. “According to its previous habits and places it’s led us to, it could be in a nearby tree, on top of a vending machine or near water.”

“It’s so funny how cats typically dislike water but this one wants to be near it all the time. Anyways, what are we waiting around for? Let’s chas—”

Takina grabs the scruff of Chisato’s uniform and drags her closer. “We will not waste our energy mindlessly running around the area,” she says. “We need to tactically search around the places I’ve mentioned and try contacting Kurumi every five minutes.”

Chisato wriggles in her grasp. “Yeah, yeah, okay, I got you. Methodically search around the general areas and yell into the earpiece whenever possible.”

“I’m glad you can listen to my instructions well.” Takina releases her collar and Chisato spins around, looking so pathetic that she needs to turn her head away to avoid laughing. As she does that, she spies a black shape lurking in the undercurrents of a bush, watching but not quite.

“Are we going to get another running montage? It feels like I could tell a novel just from how long we’ve been chasing after that cat,” Chisato mumbles.

“Fortunately, no.” Takina grabs Chisato’s wrist, leading them closer to the cat. When it sees them approaching, it pops out from the bush and jogs on the edge of the street. They follow along at a comfortable pace, holding hands all the way.

“This is probably the most romantic date I’ve ever had,” Chisato says when they’re stuck at a crosswalk. The cat has already crossed and is sitting off to the side, watching as people do their best to step around it.

Takina’s eyes flit over to Chisato’s. Their gazes meet for a split second, red and purple and all colours soft, before Takina looks down at their connected hands. “You’ve dated before?”

“Hmmm,” Chisato says, the teasing lilt of her tone poorly concealed. “Maybe I have. Maybe I haven’t. Why? Are you curious? Jealous, perhaps?”

The crosswalk light turns white. The people around them spill out into the road, forming a sea around them as they stand in the middle of it all, encased in a bubble of their own world.

“I’m curious. You’ve never mentioned dating anyone before.”

Chisato giggles. “Just so you know, I like you the most in this world.”

“Don’t joke around. Not now.”

“I’m serious.”

So she looks at her. There’s not a hint of playfulness on her face. Only the sunset red of her gaze and the world set into motion around them, their hands intertwined. Reflected in the eyes of her best friend is a vibrant shimmer of colour amidst the blur of everything else, focused on only one thing. Takina’s heart twinges with a faint ache; is this why it’s painful—that nobody but Chisato has ever come so close to her, nobody has seen her this vulnerable and still looked into her eyes so seriously and with so little fear?

It’s obvious. And anyway.

Someone bumps into Takina and she snaps her head away. “We’re on a job.” She can barely bring herself to say it. The crosswalk light is still white. They drift alongside the crowd and the cat ambles forward, guiding them right until it doesn’t anymore. It stops in front of a fenced-off public pool and sits still.

Takina and Chisato pause a few paces behind. Chisato brings herself closer to Takina. “Isn’t this the perfect opportunity to finally capture it?!” she whispers, shielding her mouth from the cat.

“This could be a trap,” she whispers back. “But we might not get another chance like this. Take the towel and try it, I’ll be right behind you.”

Chisato nods, taking the towel from her. She tiptoes behind it, knees bending to lower herself to the cat’s level. Its ears flick back, tail swaying left to right. Takina follows closely and copies her. They manage to get closer to it than ever without it running off.

Chisato looks back at her. Their eyes meet. She nods.

It happens faster than Takina can react. The cat jumps up from its sitting place, twisting its body to use Chisato’s face as a leaping point. It bounces off her face and leaps in a graceful arc above them, higher than Takina’s reach, right over the fenced boundary of the pool.

They stare as the cat lands on its feet on the other side and licks its paws.

“This is so unreal,” Chisato mumbles. She walks up to the fence and grabs the chain links, shaking the barrier. “What the hell are you?!”

Takina stands shell-shocked, mouth shaking in disbelief. She can still trace the curl of the cat’s leap in the sky, Chisato’s flabbergasted face as it squished her nose, and the sun in her eyes, rays melting through her fingers when she reached up into the light, grasping for some kind of conclusion. What would have happened if Takina jumped just a little higher, reached just a little more? She would have captured the cat. Chisato would have wrapped it snugly in her towel until only its head was out, and she would pat it while cooing over how cute it is. They would go home, forget about the word ‘like’ and move on with their jobs as Lycoris. Takina and Chisato would remain just partners and best friends.

Chisato looks back at her with wide eyes. Takina can vaguely make out the paw print on her cheek. Her hair is all messy, blonde strands sticking up like translucent straw in the sunlight. They’re both sweating from the heat and the exertion, and Takina feels the beginnings of a mosquito bite forming on her leg. They’ve spent the whole day chasing down an overpowered cat, relentless in their pursuit while it dodges them as easily as stepping out of a child’s way.

Takina stares at Chisato. Chisato stares back.

A giggle escapes Takina’s throat.

Chisato’s mouth shoots up into the largest smile Takina’s seen on her all day.

Then they’re doubled over with laughter, eyes watering and stomachs burning with joy. For a moment, she forgets that she’s a Lycoris, that she’s on a job, tasked with capturing a slippery cat, that her best friend might be in love with her, and she might be in love with her, too.

The moment fades when Kurumi’s voice comes through her earpiece. “Did you guys—” she pauses to catch her breath, “—manage to catch the cat?”

Takina clears her throat. “No, it escaped again.”

“Ohh, hi Kurumi!” Chisato waves enthusiastically at the drone in the sky. “Aww, is the café that lively without us?”

Kurumi sighs. “Yes, which is why I ran back here as soon as I could. So you guys need to—” Her voice yells SHUT THE HELL UP! in the background, and various clattering plates resound in response. “—hurry up and capture that cat already!”

“Yes, sir!” Chisato salutes the drone in the sky.

“The cat’s on the other side of the pool fence. We’ll need to go through the front door first and—”

“No need to. I just checked the hours for this pool and it’s always closed early around this time.”

“For real?” Chisato says. “It’s only like, 5 PM though?? Aren’t pools supposed to be open for another few hours?”

“This one is pretty unpopular so they close early often. It’s rare that people will swim here when there’s a bigger and better public pool nearby. But anyways, I gotta run—you guys better be back here fast.”

“We will,” Takina says. She marches up to Chisato. “We need to climb the fence.”

Chisato looks around them. “This is definitely not legal,” she says, giggling. “But this shouldn’t be too hard!”

Without warning, she leaps back to get a running start. Then she dashes to the fence and jumps up, hooking her foot into one of the chain links. When her hands find grip at the top, she hoists herself up in one smooth motion until she drops to the other side with a roll.

By now, the cat is already at the farthest corner of the pool, lying flat on its back without a care in the world.

Chisato shoots her a wink. “Takina, if you need help, I can climb back up and carry you!”

“I will be fine,” Takina says. “But thank you.” She does the same running start as Chisato and lifts herself up with ease over the fence. She drops herself beside the other girl, dusting her skirt off.

Chisato whistles. “Look at you,” she says, patting Takina’s back. “Are you ready for the grand finale?”

Takina nods. “Always.”

“Don’t fall, okay?” Chisato nudges her with a smile. “But if you do, I’ll be there to catch you.” Her hand lingers at Takina’s shoulder before dropping down.

Takina looks at her, ears flushed red. “Of course I won’t fall.”

Chisato shrugs, handing the towel to her. “Whatever you say.”

They advance towards the cat, Takina with a determined fervour in her steps while Chisato skips behind her. The cat gets up from its sunbathing spot and walks alongside the edge of the pool.

They approach faster. The cat walks faster.

They start running. The cat dashes in response.

Chisato breaks off from her to go in the opposite direction, counter-clockwise around the pool to intercept the cat.

Here she is again; the smell of the pool-bleached wind in her hair as she runs. The water shining like a chunk of molten sky. She just needs to put one foot in front of the other. Needs to be faster, needs to get close enough to finally wrap the towel over the cat, to pull the curtains and drape the stage in the darkness of an ending.

So she grits her teeth and speeds up. Somewhere, she can hear something along the lines of wait, wait, wait, you’re a little too close to the edge— but she runs right through it. The only thing she can see is the world blurring around her, blues and greens and yellows and greys swirling into a silhouette of black, increasingly getting further away from her. Every breath she takes is bone-white searing, turned inside out like a ribcage exposed to air. The wind burns at her eyes. The summer heat crawls up her head, choking her with the promise of relief if she chooses to stop here.

The cat turns the corner to where Chisato is running up to. Takina needs just a little bit more to close the distance—

Until she slips on a trail of water, and her world jolts into blue. Her earthly tether falls out of her grasp. She tries, clumsily, to reach for something to hold on to. For anything. Anyone.

But she’s falling. Falling, falling, falling, with no start or end. The water hugs her, surrounds her with all its arms, and captures her in its moment of blue. She closes her eyes. There’s nothing else but the weightlessness of her limbs, achingly familiar as she floats in limbo. Here, she is anything but human; simply something unfortunate swept up by the currents, swallowed by the void and forever sinking, waiting to be flensed and devoured.

Once, when she first moved into her apartment, she sank head-deep into her bathtub and stayed there until her fingers pruned, as if she was out at sea. She imagined the deep blue bulging out against the seaside cliffs, crashing in angry but controlled waves onto the shore, engulfing everything in its path until there wasn’t anything but salt water. And she imagined those waves would come for her when she stood by the shoreline, water pooling around her ankles and rushing up her legs, waist, chest—up until it consumed her entire body in its encompassing embrace. Her life didn’t play out like a film before her eyes, as many others had said. She only saw the darkness of the sea, the small fish that swam by and the invisible hand turning the pages of her feeble memory book, filled with nothing but photographs of hole-ridden targets. Then she gasped for air, head bursting out of the bath and water spilling out the sides of her tub.

She imagines once again: the hazy shimmer of the sun at the bottom of the pool. The sky melting into the water. A hand reaching out for her. The sound of her name being called out amidst the water in her ears—

She opens her eyes. A blurry figure is swimming toward her. Their outline is pierced by the rays of sunlight breaking through the water, highlighting their almost white hair like a halo. She reaches for them, willed by the instinct to just touch, and they take her hands into theirs. Calluses adorn their palms like stitchwork on a tapestry, but their touch is so, so soft and warm.

The figure comes even closer to her now, and she thinks the red of their eyes is undeniably Chisato.

Chisato. The name in her head. The name she wants to say. The name that’s become more than just a name to her, but something irreplaceable instead. Chisato. I think I…

A wave of revelation washes over her, so big that it sends her back to the ocean of her bathtub, where her heart breaks for a little love. This is the moment—not the decisive act of breaking into a run, not when her heel drives into someone’s cheek, not even the dizzying rush of a free fall—when she realizes. It is the moment of impact when she falls into the water, the wind knocked out of her, every muscle aligned in the same direction of contact, that she realizes.

And the water tells her, it’s the summer of your youth and you’re in love with your best friend, and she tells it back, I want to think this isn’t a mistake, I want to love with my whole heart, I want to drown in this moment of captivation.

So she does the one thing she wants to do right now: tug her close and capture her lips in a slow kiss.

Chisato kisses her back, fully awash with desire. She reaches for Takina’s chin to pull them even closer, and Takina presses her hand to the small of Chisato's back, knocking their hips together. It feels like she’s been spellbound by a siren, lured in by the sweetness of her longing and snared to the bottom of the ocean, where the only company is the sound of her pounding heartbeat. Her hand wanders into Chisato’s hair, anchoring there. In response, Chisato traces her waist, trailing up her rib to her back.

Then, they separate at the same time, eyes fluttering, and swim up together, breaking the water’s surface. Takina feels the blood rushing in her ears as she heaves in air. The sun shines quietly, white light trembling on the ripples of the water.

“Oh my God,” Chisato says, panting. Her hand splashes around, searching for Takina’s own. “I really thought we were going to die under there!”

Takina takes her hand and intertwines their fingers together. Their hands are shaking—or Chisato’s fingers are shaking and if she listens closely, her breaths are unsteady, too. She thinks of how light she is to hold, and a dark-scaled feeling folds around her heart like an eel. “Why did you dive in for me?”

Chisato’s bangs are slicked back, highlighting the incredulous curve of her eyebrows. “Why wouldn’t I dive in for you? I said I’d be there to catch you when you fell,” she says. “I would come for you, wherever you are, be it in the jaws of a deep-sea creature or at the bottom of the ocean. Don’t think you’re the only one who does the saving here.”

She smiles at Takina, her cheeks flushed, and how she looks is how she had looked then on the crosswalk. She had looked at her with an expression of such warmth and tenderness, as though having found the one person she’d been longing for her whole life. She had looked at Takina like she was seeing nothing but her, and even now, her expression is unchanged—forever devoted to Takina and no one else. It strikes her that she doesn’t want this to only last for one, fleeting moment.

“Chisato,” Takina says. She cups Chisato’s cheek. Their faces are close, skins wet and warm. “I like you the most in this world, too.”

That’s all it takes before she leans in and kisses her again.

Chisato reciprocates instantly, arms coming around Takina’s shoulders, hooking behind her neck and drawing her closer, mouth opening up and letting her in. Takina deepens the kiss and grasps at her waist, clutching the uniform there until it bunches up. Every touch an answer in flashes of heat and teeth and tongue—you, you, you. I love you. It has to be you.

Takina breaks first, gasping for air. They part but only slightly. Chisato’s breath is still on her lips and when she speaks, it’s barely a murmur. “I’ve been waiting forever for this. You’re so dense, Takina.” She giggles quietly. “But we should do this again. And often.”

“I would like that a lot,” Takina says, placing a short, sweet kiss on her cheek.

♡

“You guys are both idiots,” Mizuki grumbles from the driver’s seat.

Takina and Chisato are wrapped up in matching towels alongside the equally wet cat, also bundled up in its own towel. It sits on Chisato’s lap with all its limbs bound like a burrito.

“Sorry…” Chisato mumbles, pouting at the view outside the window.

Takina sneezes.

The cat yawns.

“But mission completed, right?” Chisato giggles, unashamed. “Anyways, can they fix the AC already? It’s been sooo long since I’ve actually sat in a nice, cold place!”

Mizuki very obviously rolls her eyes, readjusting her rearview mirror. “They actually fixed it while you guys were gone. Anyways, we’re here now so get out, children!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Chisato says, wrapping her towel around her like a cape. She gives the cat to Mizuki, opens her door, then sprints around the car to open Takina’s door.

“...Thank you?”

“Anything for you, m’lady.” Chisato tips her imaginary fedora, winking at her.

Mizuki looks back and forth between them, absentmindedly petting the cat’s head. “What happened between you two?”

“A lot,” Takina says, getting out of the car. They all walk into LycoReco, where Mika greets them from his usual spot at the front. Their regulars aren’t here for board game night yet.

Right then, Kurumi walks into the front and bursts into laughter. “Did you guys actually fall into the pool?!” she says, pointing at their pathetic wet states. Their clothes still haven’t fully dried and the water drips everywhere, creating a pond-sized puddle at their feet.

“It was my mistake. I made a careless error and slipped so Chisato had to rescue me because I wasn’t coming up for air.”

“I seriously thought she was a goner!” Chisato comments, sighing in mock disappointment. “The splash she made from that fall literally soaked the cat in its trajectory so it slowed down too! Imagine falling so hard that you deal AOE damag—”

Takina steps on Chisato’s foot. She clears her throat. “Anyways. We captured the cat and now we need to call that number listed on the poster.”

“Ohh, I got it! I memorized it so leave it to me!” Chisato fishes her phone from her (fortunately) dry bag and dials the number.

“Ah, my phone.” Kurumi takes her phone from her pocket and answers. “Hello? Oh, did you guys find Mochi? Thanks for that.”

Her voice echoes, coming through the other end of Chisato’s call.

“Kurumi.” Takina stomps towards her. “What is the meaning of this?”

“This is my cat. Her name is Mochi, say hi!”

The cat meows. Chisato gasps dramatically. Mizuki shrugs, handing the cat to Kurumi, who takes her and cradles her like a baby.

“If it’s your cat, why did Chisato and I go through all the effort to capture this ‘neighbourhood menace’ for the job?”

Kurumi pets Mochi’s stomach. “She was getting a little out of hand,” she says. “But also this was for fun.”

“For… fun.”

“It was fun!” Chisato chimes in, her smile lighting up the entire room. “We got to run around and eat ice cream and see fish and even swim in the pool! It was so fun, right Takina?”

Takina reluctantly nods. “It was fun. It was a very unconventional mission and refreshing, to say the least.” Chisato cheers, throwing herself around Takina to wrap her in a hug. She presses a kiss to the corner of her lips, loud and obvious.

Takina immediately blushes, but she doesn’t push her away.

Mizuki whistles. “A lot did happen between you too, then,” she says, her grin teasing in tone. She switches to mourning for herself not even two seconds later. “Ugh, when am I going to find love for myself?!”

Kurumi grimaces. “I walked in on them making out in drone view. It was a terrible experience, would not recommend.”

“I’m truly sorry,” Takina mutters, covering her face in embarrassment. “We need to go. Shower. Change into new clothes.” She hooks her arm into the crook of Chisato’s elbow. “We’re going to your apartment.”

Chisato’s eyes sparkle with glee. “I just got new shampoo that I haven’t tried yet and I think you’d love the smell of it!”

Takina smiles. “Yes, I definitely would.”

They exit the café, arm in arm, waving goodbye to everyone. Outside, they’re met with their regulars, who quickly give them space when they notice their towels and trails of water. Chisato flashes them a big smile, the words don’t be late for board game night! tumbling out of her mouth.

Then it’s just Takina and Chisato again, hand in hand, together like they have always been. And Takina thinks this is the happiest she’s ever been, even if she’s soaked to the bone. But at least she’s with her best friend. Her girlfriend. No one other than Chisato.