Chapter Text
“It hurts…”
Mafuyu groaned, pressing her forehead. She had gone through a long, hard day at school, and the fatigue from not sleeping enough the night before had hit her hard. There were only ten minutes until school ended, so she planned on buying the books her teacher recommended her, and immediately going home.
Once the bell rang, she borrowed a few headache pills from the infirmary, popping one in her mouth before heading off to where the bookstore was.
Her footsteps were still slightly woozy as she walked, but she was sure it wasn’t as bad as that one time she fell sick during her second year. The breeze of the evening was flowing, and Mafuyu took a deep breath, her mind slightly clearing up.
“Maybe I can take a walk after my errands.”
After buying the books she intended to buy, she looked ahead, and noticed a huge park in front of her. “Oh, that’s Shibuya Park,” she said to herself. “Maybe I’ll go there.”
Shibuya Park was quite the large park, dotted with plants and trees. It served as a spot where both kids and adults could unwind, and Mafuyu didn’t hate the idea of sitting on a bench and losing herself in the ambience.
Taking a few steps in, Mafuyu heard the loud screams and laughs of children, and the small chatter between adults. As much as she preferred silence, she didn’t have anything against noise, either. Sitting on a bench, she looked around, seeing children run around and laugh as they were covered in bruises and mud. Mafuyu didn’t have such a childhood, she enjoyed seeing other children enjoy themselves the way she couldn’t.
Closing her eyes, she took another deep breath. She could smell the leaves and water, and her thoughts became clearer. Before she could lose herself in the wind, she felt something rub up to her and opened her eyes, jumping to see a snowy white cat rubbing its face on her leg.
“Why… hello there,” she whispered, giving it a small pat on its head. It purred in delight, rubbing up to her hand. “Aw, you’re such a cute kitty.”
“Hey,” a voice said from above her. “Seems Mii-chan’s taken a liking to ya.”
She immediately whipped her head to look for the source of the voice and saw a tall, ginger boy standing in front of her. “A-Are you the owner of this cat?”
“Oh, I’m not,” he replied. “Mii-chan’s just one of the many cats that reside in this park. I named most of them with a bunch of my friends when I was a lil’ kid. She hardly likes anyone here, though. I’m surprised to see she’s warmed up to ya.”
“I see. I’m glad,” she gave a soft smile. The boy sat beside her and tried to pet the cat, but it hissed at him in displeasure and climbed on Mafuyu’s leg, securing a seat on her lap.
“Aw, she still hates me…” he gave an awkward smile.
“Don’t worry. Everyone will soon come to love the things around them,” Mafuyu gave him words of encouragement. “By the way, who are you?”
“Me? Oh, I’m Akito. I’m a second year at Kamikou, and a regular at this park, I guess. You?”
“Akito-kun,” she said. “I’m Mafuyu, a third year at Miyajou.”
“Ah, you’re a year older than me,” he replied. “I guess I’ll call ya Mafuyu-san.”
“Do you know all the cats here?” she asked, interested.
“Pretty much. I keep discovering new cats around here everyday, so I come here often to try and name them. You wanna join me sometime?”
“Sure, I’d love to-” she tried to agree but her phone suddenly started ringing. “Yes, mom?”
“Honey, you’re a bit late. Where are you?” a concerned voice asked from the other end.
“I’m in Shibuya Park to take a breather, mom. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be back soon.”
“Okay. Don’t be too late, alright?” she warned her, cutting the call.
“Seems I’ll have to take you up on that offer tomorrow, Akito-kun,” she apologized.
“Oh, thats no problem,” he shook his head. “I wasn’t really planning on showing ya around just today. Do you want my number? Maybe we can communicate on when we can meet.”
“Of course,” she opened her phone again. He dictated her number to her, and after she saved his number, she stood up from the bench.
“See you later.”
Akito waved as she walked away, and got lost in his thoughts after she was gone.
“She’s super enigmatic… and pretty. Do ya think so too, Mii-chan?” he asked the cat.
“Mrow!” it turned its head away, hopping down the bench.
“Damn, what did I do to you?”
—
“Yuki? Yuki??”
“Huh?” Mafuyu snapped away from her thoughts, opening her eyes. “Oh, Enanan. My bad. I spaced out.”
“It’s not your fault,” Ena sighed from the other end. “You’ve been studying hard to go to medical school, right? You should retire from Nightcord a little early and go to bed.”
“Enanan’s right,” Kanade replied. “You’re working the most for your career than all of us, so it’s unfair if we make you stay up for so long. You can go to bed early, Yuki. The song can be done anytime you wish.”
“Thanks, K,” she smiled. “But I can work a bit more. I’ll leave in fifteen or so minutes.”
“Yuki’s been spacing out a lot during this call, more than usual, right?” Mizuki asked. “Did something happen that got you thinking?”
“I guess something did happen today,” she trailed off, and the call suddenly livened up. “Really? What was it, what was it?” Mizuki excitedly asked.
“Calm down, Amia! Give her some space, you idiot!” Ena exclaimed.
“Enanan’s so mean to me…” Mizuki sniffled.
“You guys are dating, right?” Kanade asked, concerned.
“Yes, what about it?” both of them asked at the same time.
“I met this guy today at the park,” Mafuyu continued, and Mizuki was practically screaming. “A guy?! Aww, our Yuki’s all grown up now!”
“Amia, I’d appreciate some silence. You don’t want to disturb your mother, do you?”
“Sorry, Yuki. Continue.”
“It’s nothing special,” she said. “He invited me to look at cats around the park.”
“Aww…” Ena blushed. “That sounds so sweet. So, when are you going?”
“Hopefully, tomorrow.”
“Good luck on your date, Yuki! I'm rooting for you!” Mizuki cheered.
“Mm. Good luck, Yuki,” Kanade nodded.
“I hope you find happiness in him,” Ena smiled.
“It’s not a date…” Mafuyu whispered, her cheeks slightly going red. A date? She hadn’t even known the concept until a while back, when she found out Mizuki and Ena were dating. How could watching cats be a date?
“I’m done with fully composing, by the way. Have a listen, everyone,” Kanade announced.
“...I think I’ll go to bed,” Mafuyu said. “I’ll listen to it tomorrow, and I’ll probably be done with the lyrics in three days.”
“Okay. Take your time, Yuki. Good night,” Kanade’s calm voice told her.
“Goodnight, everyone,” Mafuyu announced.
“Bye-bye, Yuki! Have fun tomorrow!” Mizuki said.
“I’m rooting for you,” Ena encouraged her.
She smiled as she cut the call. What did she do to deserve such friends?
—
Meanwhile, Akito too was having his own thoughts about the next day. Which cats would like her? Which cats wouldn’t? Where would she feel the most calm?
“Ah, I’m thinkin’ about this too much,” he rubbed his eyes, walking out of his room. He went to the kitchen to fetch a glass of water, and could hear his sister talking in her room as he poured out the glass.
“I hope you find happiness in him.”
So one of her buddies got a boyfriend? Good for them, he thought. They must have found a way to sort out their feelings.
He gulped the whole glass of water, but still couldn’t seem to calm down. “Damn, I could really go for a cheesecake right now…” he sighed. “Oh!”
“Ah, Akito-kun, welcome!” a kind voice invited him in as he walked inside. “It’s so late in the night. Are you craving something?”
“Not craving, really. I just need something to calm down at the moment, Meiko-san. Can I get a cheesecake?”
“Sure, we have a slice in the fridge. Kaito made some, and he saved a slice for you.”
“That’s sweet of him, I guess,” he said. “Give him my thanks.”
“Oh, he probably got the message by now,” she smiled, and Akito heard footsteps behind him. He turned around to see Kaito, wearing a red shirt and sweatpants.
“So you’re not in that outfit all day long? I’ve never seen you wearing something else,” Akito looked at him with slight shock.
“Of course not,” the man laughed. “Even a Virtual Singer needs his comfort. So, what’s going on in your mind that you need to calm down?”
“Uh, actually,” he scratched the back of his head while Meiko set the plate in front of him. “I kinda invited a girl to see cats with me at Shibuya Park tomorrow. And I’m slightly stressed on whether she’ll be able to enjoy the environment.”
“If she agreed to join you, then she’d be looking forward to it, no?” Kaito replied. “Entertaining a girl really isn’t hard.”
“For you,” he said. “You’ve got female fans gushing about you all the time, Kaito. And the only girls I’ve ever properly talked to are An, Kohane and my sister. An’s a stubborn girl, Kohane’s a wimp around me and my sister is the most annoying creature on the planet. How am I supposed to figure out what she’s like?”
“What’s her name?” Meiko asked.
“Mafuyu.”
“Mafuyu…” she got lost in her thoughts. “Can you describe her?”
“Well, I mean, she’s got this deep purple hair, is liked by cats that hate everyone, slightly enigmatic but nice, and…”
“And?”
“And…” he blushed. “Really pretty.”
“Do you fancy her?” Meiko asked, a small smile on her face. She now definitely knew who he was talking about.
“I mean, I’m not sure…” he let out a long breath, eating his cheesecake. “I’ve only just met her today. I’ll just see how it goes, I guess.”
“Good luck,” she smiled, patting his head. “As a girl, I can give you a few tips. Just be nice to her, and be enthusiastic about what you like. She’ll definitely like that about you.”
“Oh,” he looked up. “Thank you, Meiko-san.”
“Go get her!” Kaito tried to encourage him but was met with an unreadable glare. He awkwardly laughed, before speaking again.
“We’re just Virtual Singers. No matter how much we can help, in the end, it’s you who makes your decisions. So try to make good ones, alright?”
“Thanks for the cheesecake,” he stood up. “I think I’ll go to bed now. Thanks for the advice, Meiko-san and Kaito. I’ll see ya tomorrow.”
“Have fun!” Meiko waved, as Akito went back to his room. His mind cleared and tummy full, Akito slept soundly.