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Sonia paced down the sidewalk with an excitable spring in her step, her fingers tapping a nonsensical tune on the pastel blue straps of her backpack. She was on the way to her very first date - a blind date with a mystery member of her class, nonetheless - set up by Ibuki.
When the musician had first approached her with the idea, she had felt terribly confused. Why on earth should she need to wear a blindfold in order to go on a date? However, after a brief explanation of the concept, Sonia enthusiastically accepted the offer, her mind racing with possibilities, or more accurately, one possibility in particular.
Other than Ibuki and herself, there were thirteen people in their class, twelve of which she had no romantic interest in whatsoever, and one that she desperately did. The odds of her mystery date being her crush were far from great, but after Ibuki had accidentally let slip that Sonia's date was a girl, her chances were improved to one in six, a thought that made her heart flutter in anticipation.
Whether the mystery girl actually turned out to be Chiaki or not, Sonia was determined to have a good time. Besides, if it wasn't Chiaki, she could just use the experience as practice for when she finally gathered the courage to ask the gamer on a date properly.
She'd planned her outfit the night before - a collared white dress with a finely laced hem that came to her mid thigh, a lilac sweater, matching lilac knee-high socks and her regular brown school loafers. Her hair was secured by a silver satin ribbon into a ponytail, flowing down over her shoulders, only lightly disturbed by the gentle breeze as she neared the pre-determined location.
She didn't have a preference of where they met that day, and apparently her date didn't either, so Ibuki had chosen for them, a small library in a nearby town that she thought they'd both enjoy. Sonia had only visited the town a handful of times in the past, and she'd never even heard of the street it was on prior to Ibuki's directions, but as she gradually grew closer to her destination, her eyes widened in awe.
Despite the building's relatively small size, it was incredibly grand. The walls were constructed out of aged black bricks, their gaps filled with thin layers of crimson red mortar, and in the centre was an impressive arched mahogany doorway. There were four multicoloured stained glass windows, two on either side of the entrance, each with a unique and intricate nature themed design, which left the inside of the library mostly obscured.
Sonia smiled - Gundham would adore this. She'd definitely have to bring him to visit some time in the future.
Taking a deep breath, she pushed the heavy door open and entered the building, and as her eyes adjusted from the harsh sunlight, she found the interior was just as beautiful as the exterior. The edges of the room were lined with elegantly carved gothic bookcases, each filled with countless books of various sizes and earthy colours. The back half of the library was illuminated by the warm glow of a dainty yet modest chandelier, and the front half relied on the morning daylight, shining through the stained glass and casting delicate rainbow forms across the hardwood floorboards, tables and shelves.
Her date hadn't arrived yet, the only other person in the room being a short girl on the other side of the room that she presumed to be the librarian, with vibrant red hair and a name tag she couldn't quite read from her current distance. After giving the girl a polite wave, Sonia decided to take a seat at a small round table with two chairs wedged next to the leftmost window, the image of which depicting a crooked tree with leaves of every shade imaginable.
She pushed up the cuff her left sweater sleeve and checked her watch. She was perfectly on time, so her date should be arriving any moment now.
Sonia watched the door patiently, but after several minutes with no sign of her mystery classmate, she slid her backpack off of her shoulders and onto the table, deciding to find a way to pass the time while she waited. She rummaged through the contents, dodging the box of chocolate chip cookies she'd baked for the occasion, instead pulling out a notebook and a purple ballpoint pen, then zipping up her bag and setting it on the floor.
As she folded back the faux leather cover, she glanced fondly at the first page, a several months old love heart with a cursive 'S+C' written inside, before flicking past multiple half finished love letters and poems and turning to a fresh sheet of paper, beginning to draw.
Three and a half pages of flower doodles later, the door finally opened, causing Sonia's head to jolt up in exhilaration.
To her utmost delight, her date was revealed to be Chiaki, looking slightly out of breath and uncharacteristically awake. She was wearing an oversized coral pink hoodie with a large daisy embroidered in the centre, baggy jeans folded up to showcase stripy socks and bright yellow sneakers, and her hair was tied back into two short scruffy braids. Her face instantly lit up as her eyes met Sonia's, and with a bashful wave she shuffled over and sat down.
"Hey hey," she greeted, nervously tugging at the strings of her hoodie, "Sorry I'm late, my bus journey took a bit longer than I expected..."
"That's quite alright, there's no need to apologise!" Sonia beamed across at her, planting her elbows on the table and resting her chin in her palms. "You could've been a whole day late and I wouldn't have minded, I'm just so glad to see you! I've been really hoping that Ibuki picked you, I couldn't imagine going on a date with anyone else, it just wouldn't feel right... B-because we are such dear friends, of course! That's all!"
Chiaki laughed softly, a warm pink blush grazing her face as she shyly broke eye contact. "I'm... yeah, I'm glad too. I wouldn't wanna be on a date with anyone else either, so... I'm glad you feel the same." Oblivious to Sonia's equally flushed cheeks, her gaze remained downturned, and after a moment of silence she noticed the sketches in princess's still open notepad. "Can I have a look?"
Sonia nodded, rotating the book and sliding it towards the other girl, her hand lightly brushing against Chiaki's in the process. "It's nothing special, they're just scribbles really, so-"
"They're beautiful," Chiaki said, her words cutting off Sonia's despite their much quieter volume, "I had no idea you could draw..." She traced a few of the lines with her pointer finger, seemingly mesmerised, before passing the notebook back to Sonia and smiling timidly at her.
Sonia thanked her, her blush only deepening, then swiftly slipped the book and pen back into her bag, grateful that Chiaki didn't accidentally flip the page and reveal any of her frankly embarrassing poetry. "Well," she chirped, choosing to change the subject, "Since Ibuki must've picked the date location with my interests in mind, despite what she told me it doesn't fit you all that well... It's only fair that you lead the conversation, right? What would you like to talk about?"
Chiaki hummed as she tapped her finger to her chin in contemplation, an expression that Sonia couldn't help but find adorable. "I don't really mind, I'm just happy to be spending time with you, to be honest," she concluded, her hands returning to fidget with her hoodie strings, "So you can choose."
Sonia thought carefully for a minute, before settling on an idea she knew they'd both enjoy. "Did you bring your console with you? We could play a game together!"
"Oh," Chiaki mumbled sheepishly, "I um, I didn't bring it today, sorry, Ibuki said I should leave it at home for once and actually focus on the date, so... But I do have some multiplayer games on my phone, we could play a couple of those instead?"
With an eager nod, Sonia scooted her chair around to the other side of the table, her left thigh bumping against Chiaki's right as the gamer dug her phone out of her pocket, opening one of the many vibrant apps lining her home screen.
"Don't worry," Chiaki encouraged as the princess lost for what felt like the hundredth time in the past hour, "You're still a beginner, and I've been playing this for months, so it's not really a fair match."
"It's okay," Sonia replied, gently leaning into Chiaki's shoulder, "You're bound to beat me at your Ultimate talent! Besides, winning doesn't matter. What matters is that we're having fun, and I'm having plenty of fun! The best fun ever in fact!"
Chiaki giggled sweetly, putting her phone down and taking a moment to stretch her legs out under the table, accidentally kicking Sonia's backpack as she did so, causing it to emit a dull thud.
"Oh! I can't believe I almost forgot," Sonia exclaimed, leaning down to unzip her bag and lift out the tupperware container of cookies, "I baked these for us to share!"
Chiaki let out a small gasp as Sonia opened the lid, the sugary smell immediately wafting into the air. "They look delicious! You really baked these?"
"Nyeh... E-excuse me..."
Both girls' gazes snapped up to see the librarian, whose name tag was now legible as 'Himiko', her fingers anxiously pressed together as she hurried towards their table.
"Sorry, b-but you aren't allowed to eat in here, it's company policy... A lot of the books are old 'n' stuff, so it's important we protect them as best as we can, which means no food..."
"Hm?" Sonia stared at her inquisitively, furrowing her eyebrows. "We don't have any books on our table, so I don't see why it's an issue."
"I-it's not my fault," Himiko stuttered awkwardly, "I don't make the rules, it's just company p-policy, like I said."
"It's okay," Chiaki interjected before Sonia had the chance to protest further, turning on her phone screen to check the time. "My bus will be here in about fifteen minutes, so... I should probably get going now, since it's a ten minute walk."
Trying to hide her disappointment that the date she'd been dreaming of for months was ending so soon, Sonia smiled, picking up the box of cookies and slinging her bag over her shoulder as she rose to her feet. "I can wait at the bus stop with you, if you like," she suggested, holding her free hand out to Chiaki, "We can eat the cookies there, and spend as much time together as possible before you have to leave!"
"Thank you," Chiaki replied, her cheeks growing almost as vibrant as her hoodie as she intertwined her fingers with the princess's, "That would be... nice." She tucked her phone into her pocket and stood up, swiftly returning the other girl's chair to its original position before leading Sonia out of the library, muttering a quiet goodbye to Himiko on her way out.
"I didn't think it'd be possible for them to taste any better than they looked," Chiaki murmured, her eyebrows slightly raised and a few cookie crumbs spilling from her mouth onto her jeans, "But I was definitely wrong, this is so good! And is that... strawberry?"
Sonia nodded proudly, setting the open box of cookies on her lap, and placing her bag next to her on the bench. "We have many different types of chocolate in Novoselic you see, and as I said earlier, I really wanted the blind date to be with you, since you are such a wonderful... friend. So just in case I was lucky enough for it to be with you, I chose the strawberry variety, as it's your favourite fruit, is it not?"
"You know me too well," Chiaki laughed quietly, nudging her knee against Sonia's. "Actually... How do you know that? I don't think I've ever mentioned it..." She punctuated the end of her sentence by shoving the rest of the cookie into her mouth and quickly devouring it, her puffed out cheeks reminding Sonia of Gundham's hamsters.
"I'm just observant, I suppose," Sonia said, picking up a cookie for herself and taking a small bite. "You always choose strawberry things, like when Mahiru offered you some of her candy the other day, and the ice cream you had at lunch a few weeks ago... Oh, and of course, the strawberry lip gloss you always wear!"
"Huh. I guess I'm not that subtle then," Chiaki giggled, digging the aforementioned tube of gloss out of her pocket, untwisting the cap and applying a generous coat to her lips.
Sonia found herself unable to tear her eyes away, intently focusing on just how plump and pink and kissable Chiaki's lips were, until the gamer cleared her throat and spoke, thrusting Sonia out of her flustered haze.
"Would you... um, would you like to try some?"
Sonia nodded with a little too much enthusiasm, causing Chiaki to giggle again as she nervously twirled the tube in her hands. Neither of them spoke for a few seconds, until Chiaki broke the silence again, her voice wavering slightly. "Could you... close your eyes for a second? I can apply it for you, i-if you want."
Without questioning the action, Sonia twisted her torso to face Chiaki and obediently squeezed her eyes shut, smiling as she patiently anticipated the applicator wand. As the seconds ticked by, her heart rate gradually increased, wondering what on earth was taking Chiaki so long, until she felt the other girl's lips press against her own in a brief kiss, forcing a surprised squeak out of her throat.
"S-sorry," Chiaki stammered as they separated, her eyes glossing over as she glared at the floor in humiliation, "That wasn't fair, I know I should've asked seriously first, but... I really like you, I've wanted to do that for so long, a-and we are officially on a date after all, so I just... thought..."
Her sentence trailed off as Sonia squeezed her in an impossibly tight hug, squishing Chiaki's cheek against her shoulder and nearly knocking the cookie container off of her lap. "Thank you, thank you so much," she spouted giddily, "Thank you thank you thank you thank y-"
"I can't breathe," Chiaki croaked, desperately tapping Sonia's forearm, earning a flurry of apologies from the princess as she let go.
They stared into each other's eyes for several seconds, before Sonia leaned in to kiss Chiaki properly, cupping the gamer's burning hot face with shaky hands.
"I really like you too," Sonia whispered, tenderly running her thumb over Chiaki's cheek.
A sudden honk ruined the moment, both girls jumping at the noise as they realised Chiaki's bus had arrived, and the driver was waiting to see if they wanted to get on.
"Well, um... S-see you in class, I guess," Chiaki said quietly, her face a bright scarlet as she stumbled to her feet and rushed towards the vehicle's open door.
"O-okay, see you tomorrow," Sonia replied, taken aback by her urgent departure, "Thank you for today, I had such a wonderful time!"
The bus door swung shut in an instant, the driver barely waiting for Chiaki to find a seat before speeding off. Sonia waved cheerfully as the vehicle's silhouette faded into the distance, then released a joyful sigh, letting her brain fully process the overwhelming events of the past few minutes.
As her eyes skimmed downwards, she realised that she'd foolishly forgotten to offer Chiaki the mostly untouched box of cookies. She clipped the lid shut and slid it into her backpack, resigning to just give them to her the next day at school. She stood up, and as she quickly scanned the area to check she wasn't leaving any of her belongings behind, she noticed Chiaki had accidentally left her lip gloss on the bench, the slender tube glinting in the midday sun.
She picked it up, admiring its rosy shade for a moment before carefully unscrewing it, and applying a fine glittery layer to herself. Mentally promising to return the gloss alongside the cookies, she tucked it safely into her bag and began the journey back to her apartment, savouring the sweet strawberry taste on her lips as she walked.