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"Did you complete the math homework from yesterday?"
Makoto flicked her gaze upward before averting her gaze back to her schoolwork. "Not really."
In her peripheral, she watched Yuzuki take the seat in front of her. "Me neither! Want to meet up after school?"
That made Makoto raise her head. "What?" She immediately regrets her decision when she meets crystal blue eyes and freezes.
Murashige Yuzuki was easily the most beautiful girl in the school. Everyone knew this, the girls envied her while the boys begged to be within her shadow. And yet she always chose to speak with her: Plain, dull, book nerd Kurume Makoto. Each time it happened she had to resist the urge to run away, and at the same time felt frozen in place. The latter always happened whenever the blonde looked at her the way she was now. Especially when she smiled. When her eyes sparkled with an uncontained happiness that sparkled like sun-kissed waters. At times like these, it was like she, and only Makoto, was the reason for the blonde's happiness.
And that made Makoto feel... things she wasn't quite sure how to interpret or process. It happened every time and only with Yuzuki. Makoto pushed her glasses up in a poor attempt to hide how hot her face felt.
Yuzuki's smile widened, her eyes glittering with something that looked suspiciously like amusement, before her gaze softened. "I asked if you wanted to meet up after school today. We can go to the Star Max close by! My treat."
It took an embarrassingly long time for Makoto to unstuck her tongue from the roof of her mouth. "Um.. Would Mistumi and Mika be joining us?"
Not that she minded if they came. It hadn't been so long ago that Makoto apologized for her prejudice against the blonde and her treatment of her. If it weren't for Mitsumi, she likely would still be giving Yuzuki the cold shoulder. Not for lack of trying! Just... Makoto had been burned in the past and it was still hard for her to get past that. Thankfully Yuzuki had been - is still - understanding and forgiving but there was a small voice in the back of her mind that was convinced that it was just a farce. The scary part, however, was the louder voice that wanted to get closer to her. It terrified her. And then have Yuzuki find out?! Absolutely not.
So yeah. It would make sense if the rest of their friend group were coming.
Makoto wouldn't blame her if she invited the others to cushion the awkwardness. Still... She won't lie that a small part of herhad hoped-
"Nah, Mitsumi has plans with her aunt and Mika mentioned something about staying away from sweets."
-that it would be just the two of them... Wait, what?
Makoto blinked once. Twice. Then felt the telltale signs of when she blushed. She could cook an egg with how hot her face felt. "O-oh. S-so it'd be just us two."
A pretty blush bloomed on the apples of Yuzuki's cheeks and spread to her jaw as she nodded with an affirming hum. "Yup! Just the two of us."
How is she even prettier like this? The speckled girl gulped. "I, uh-" She cleared her throat. "Yeah, I-I'd like that. I have literature club after school, so meet after?"
And there it was. That special look that Yuzuki only gave to the select few that she considered close to that always knocked the wind out of Makoto's lungs. Her countenance, her being, brightened and shined brighter than any sun or star. Her grin widened and her eyes glittered with joy as they crinkled into crescents. "Yeah! I'll meet you outside your club room after it finishes, 'kay?"
Makoto nodded wordlessly as the bell rang.
"Cool! Then it's a date," Yuzuki winked, her face flushed a beautiful pink, before gliding back to her seat.
As the rest of the students gathered back to their seats, Makoto stared slack-jawed at the blonde. Realizing she was catching flies, she closed her mouth with a clack and jerkily faced the front of the class. Not a moment later, she bit her lip in an attempt to stop the smile threatening to spread across her countenance. She still wasn't sure why the other girl wanted to spend so much time with her, why she asked her to hang out with her, or why her heart beat faster whenever the other was around, but...
If it meant getting to see Yuzuki's smile, being the reason why she smiled, then she didn't mind. Besides... if she were to be honest with herself... she liked being around her, too.
"It's a date," she whispered to herself with a shy grin.