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The sounds of a ceiling fan made it's way into Mafuyu's ears as she regained consciousness. Her eyes fluttered open, groaning softly as she saw the unfamiliar ceiling above her. She realized that this was not her room, nor the bench she rested on. She did remember someone helping her walk and coming to this place, but her memory was vague and she was unable to pinpoint who it was exactly. "Whe.." Mafuyu murmured, "Where am I..?"
She looked over to her right to find her bandmate and dear friend, Kanade, asleep in a chair beside her. Kanade..? Were they the one who helped me? Mafuyu's eyes trailed down to Kanade's hand, which was holding hers. Mafuyu's chest felt warm again, similar to how she felt while listening to Kanade's song. Yet, it felt..different. Her song felt like being wrapped in a warm blanket, while now, Mafuyu feels like she's being caressed and held. "Kanade...?"
Soon enough, Kanade's eye's fluttered open as a small "hm..?" slipped out. "Oh, Mafuyu," they said, not expecting Mafuyu to be awake and somewhat staring at them. She didn't mind though...odd. "Good morning..." she said, "how do you feel?" "Good morning." Mafuyu replied, "Much better..." Kanade smiled softly. I'm glad she feels better. She looked exhausted last night. "Thank you for taking care of me, Kanade." Mafuyu said. Kanade's smile grew a little wider, but thinking it over again, she felt guilty taking Mafuyu to her place without asking. It wasn't like they could've gotten a clear answer out of her anyway, but the guilt still remains. "No, I should be the one apologizing for bringing you here without asking. I..I wasn't sure what else to do..."
"Oh," Kanade began, remembering the extra apples left from her attempt at making applesauce for Mafuyu. She might be hungry, considering she just woke up. "There are still some apples left. Would you like some?" "Apples..?" "Huh? Y-Yes, I heard that it's good to eat apples when you catch a cold, so I made some applesauce for you." Mafuyu's chest got warm again, a little warmer this time. That was awfully nice of her, she really didn't have to do that. Nobody has cared for Mafuyu this much in a long time, and it felt...good. Really good. Too good, even. "I'm not sure if you remember, but you had some earlier." Kanade said, interrupting Mafuyu's thought process. "If you think your appetite's back, I can make some more." "I see..." Mafuyu replied, "Thank you, but I'm okay for now." "Okay.."
The dream Mafuyu had clicked in her mind. So that's why I saw that dream...apples connect to apples in one way or another, I suppose. "Oh, Mafuyu," the girl in question perked up. "Did you happen to bring and medicine with you? I can get you some water if you need to take it." Oh yeah, medication was a thing you take when you were sick. Apples cannot be enchanted to make you feel better. "Thank you. They should be in my bag, but they're the type that don't require any water." "Okay, got it." Kanade said in acknowledgement. "Wait, they're the liquid type, right?" Mafuyu was confused for a second. "Yes, why?" "Don't you want something to get rid of the taste?" "I don't taste anything." Kanade was astonished. How did Mafuyu get so fortunate? "Wow, lucky. I wish I couldn't taste medicine. It's the worst." Kanade sighed after moving a box out of the way. "Anyway, if you need anything else, please feel free to ask." Their warm smile made Mafuyu feel as if she was in a dream. A very warm dream she never wanted to end. "Anything else...?" She felt selfish, that she was doing nothing while Kanade was using her time into taking care of Mafuyu.
She did need something though. She had a question on her mind that she needed to ask Kanade. "I'm not sure if this is something that I need, but I do have a question." The other perked up with a hum. "Yes?" "About that song you composed the other day," Mafuyu asked, "what did you feel as you wrote it?" "That song...?" Kanade thought for a moment. Memories of their family came flooding back to them. "I thought about something that happened a long time ago, when I was with my mom and dad." "Your mom and dad?" Kanade nodded.
"I remembered how my dad said that he wanted to make me and my mom smile by playing this song he wrote for us," Kanade reminisced with a smile. "When we heard it...we couldn't help but smile and laugh." "Smile and laugh..." Mafuyu murmured. A small sense of envy stirred in Mafuyu's chest. How lucky Kanade was, to have memories like that. Mafuyu could only dream of a life Kanade once lived. "Yes, so..." Kanade spoke, her warm blue eyes gazing into Mafuyu's, "I want you to feel what I did. I want you to smile the way I did back then." The warmth returned to Mafuyu's chest. Her mind told her to search for any deception, but she only found genuine warmth and kindness radiating from Kanade.
"Mafuyu?" Kanade said, interrupting Mafuyu's train of thought. "Is something wrong?" "No, it's nothing..." Mafuyu found it hard to speak. "It's just..." Was she really going to spill her feelings to Kanade? "M-My chest..." Did she just stutter? Why in the world would Mafuyu Asahina stutter? It's just Kanade. It's just the person who is voluntarily bending over backwards to make sure Mafuyu is okay. The angel who created a song (and continues to do so) so Mafuyu can smile. "It.." C'mon! Spit it out! "Feels warm again..." The warm smile returned to Kanade's face. Mafuyu could see the way their eyes creased when they smiled. It was genuine and kind. Mafuyu really liked that, but why? "I see..." Mafuyu felt the urge to smile, but didn't. Why?
***
The moon shined down on Miyamasuzaka streets. Mafuyu and Kanade were walking side by side hand in hand to Mafuyu's. Mafuyu was going to walk by herself, but Kanade wanted to tag along so they can ensure Mafuyu's safety. Normally, Mafuyu would object, but she couldn't bring herself to do so with Kanade. There's never awkward silence between the two, people walking by might as well assume that they were dating. Mafuyu couldn't help but feel comfortable with Kanade, and it seemed like Kanade felt the same. She looked over to Kanade, she had a small smile and a faint blush on her face, and her eyes were contently gazing ahead of her. Feeling a gaze on her, Kanade turned to Mafuyu, smile unwavering. A pang hit Mafuyu's chest, similar to how she imagined a school girl's would when the cute boy she's been pining for.
"Uhm, Mafuyu.." Kanade asked, averting her gaze, but then returning it, "Do you mind if I..lean against you?" That was not something Mafuyu was expecting. She never had someone lean up against her before, but always wondered what it felt like. "Sure, go ahead." Kanade moved closer to Mafuyu's side and leaned against her side. A smile tugged at Mafuyu's lips. It felt really good. Was this what romantic affection felt like? Or was it platonic? Mafuyu let her head rest on top of Kanade's. She can save this confusion for later when she's alone (or with a virtual singer) in empty SEKAI.
About fifteen minutes pass when they reach close to Mafuyu's. Mafuyu didn't want to take up any more of Kanade's time, so she stopped here. "Here should be fine," she whispered, not wanting to cause too big of a disruption to the comfortable, silent atmosphere the two have created, "My house is just right there." Kanade pulled away a little bit, but still holding onto her hand. "Are you sure?" "Yes," she replied, "I think I can at least make it that far now." Kanade smiled. "Okay, that's good to hear. Please get home safe." Mafuyu smiled softly. It feels...nice to smile this time. "Bye Kanade...see you on Nightcord." Mafuyu saw the astonishment flash across Kanade's face for a second before returning to the warm expression they dawned before. "Okay. See you on Nightcord." Mafuyu did a small wave before turning around and walking home.
Mafuyu put on her façade again, just in case her parents are home, but the warmth in her heart remained. I'll need to write this down, she thought, so I'll never forget how this made me feel.