Chapter Text
It had been a week since the soccer practice match happened. Ever since then, Akari had not been able to stop thinking about Kotone. Kotone seemed so lonely, Akari was so happy she had ended up coming to the practice match to watch Musashi despite everything. But now it had been a week and Akari still couldn’t stop thinking of her.
Now it makes perfect sense why, if you asked anyone, Kotone was a pretty girl. With lilac hair the gentle color of a sunset and eyes like rubies. Not to mention she’s very mysterious, it makes you wonder what she does for fun, what her favorite things are, did she ever name the kitten that Akari had brought back to her?
“Akari, you've been quiet for a while, are you still tired?”
Akari jumped and looked up at Hiroyuki, she had been so lost in thought she had completely forgotten that she was walking to school with Hiroyuki. “Oh yes! I’m sorry Hiroyuki-Chan, I was just thinking about something is all.” Akari gave Hiroyuki a gentle smile hoping that would satisfy him, it’s not that Akari didn’t trust Hiroyuki, he was her best friend since childhood and she had always confided in him when she was troubled. But something about this, it felt different, she isn’t really sure herself why her mind seems to keep wandering to Kotone.
“If you say so, but you better pay attention. If you walk passed the school gate I’m just gonna let you keep going.” Akari giggled gently at that and she said “I know, don’t worry. Come on Hiroyuki-chan we better hurry if we don’t want to be late today.” Akari began to run ahead and Hiroyuki ran to catch up with her.
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Akari sat at her desk looking out the window, she was trying to pay attention to class she really was, but right outside the classroom window was Kotone herself, the girl that had been infecting all Akari’s wandering thoughts. Kotone was alone, she had a broom and was sweeping some fallen leaves off the path. It was autumn afterall and it was apart of the first years duties to clean up the courtyard, Akari watched as the wind blew Kotone’s lilac hair all about, Kotone’s hand would come up to hold her hair in place and Akari began to wonder what it would be like to brush the hair out of Kotone’s face, she wondered if it was soft, if she smelled good. Akari was at Kotone’s house when she went to return the kitten and she remembered that Kotone’s house had a gentle saddle wood smell with the faintest hint of something sweet, Akari began to think that Kotone’s hair probably smelled just like that.
“Miss Kamigishi, would you please read the next line?”
Akari was startled out of her thoughts yet again, she promptly stood up, grabbing her English text book frantically looking for the line that the person in front of her had stopped on and said “Yes sir, I’m sorry!” Akari had a faint blush on her cheeks as she finally found the line and read, her heart was racing and she wasn’t sure why. She chalked it up to being startled.
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“It’s not like you to space out Akari, you’ve seemed out of it since this morning, what’s up?” Classes were over and Akari was just about to get up and head to the cooking club, when Hiroyuki asked the very pointed question. Akari wasn’t sure how to explain it, she felt like maybe it would help to talk to someone and maybe Hiroyuki would have some kind of advice to give, but at the same time she felt like if she said what she was thinking out loud, it would make her thoughts feel so much more real. She felt like someone else's hand was clutching her heart, she didn’t want to lie to Hiroyuki but she just can’t tell him. So she said “I’m sorry Hiroyuki-chan, I really have to get to the cooking club, I promise we can talk after okey?” Akari then grabbed her school bag and walked out of class and down the hall as quickly as she could, she knew if she had stuck around Hiroyuki wouldn’t have accepted that answer.
Akari took a deep breath and began to slowly make her way to the cooking club room when she accidentally bumped into someone, Akari fell to the ground dropping her bag, she guessed it was her fault for not looking where she was going. She looked up from her spot on the floor and offered the stranger an apologetic smile when she finally saw who it was. A girl with long lilac hair and eyes like rubies stared back at Akari, offering Akari her hand as she said “I’m sorry for bumping into you Akari, are you hurt?” Akari looked at Kotone her eyes wide, she had wanted to talk to Kotone again for a whole week, throughout the week Akari’s mind had wondered to thoughts of Kotone more times then she could count and now that she was right in front of her, offering her a hand, Akari couldn’t think of anything to say.
Akari finally willed her body to move and reached for Kotone’s hand, Kotone’s hand gripped Akari’s tightly as she began to pull her up. Akari felt like her skin was on fire, her heart was beating so hard in her chest she worried that Kotone could hear it. Kotone’s hand was so soft and warm, Akari noticed that Kotone’s fingers were much longer than hers and that her skin was so much paler. Akari’s skin was a warm olive color whereas Kotone’s was as pale as milk, Akari began to think they looked like a good match.
Finally back on her feet Kotone let go of Akari’s hand, Akari began to miss the warmth. Kotone grabbed Akari’s bag off the ground and handed it to her “Akari? I grabbed your bag for you.” Kotone was looking at Akari with a confused expression, Akari knew she needed to get it together, needed to say something, anything, Kotone was a naturally reserved girl Akari knew that if she didn’t say something, Kotone wouldn’t either and Akari had wanted to talk to her for a week, she couldn’t miss this chance even if her heart beats out of her chest. Akari reached out and took her bag from Kotone as she finally said “Thank you Kotone! I’m actually happy I ran into you, we haven’t talked since the soccer match last week.” Kotone seemed to flinch as she looked away, Akari knew that Kotone didn’t feel like she should have friends, Kotone had psychic powers after all and while it didn’t really surprise Akari, she was friends with an android after all, it was something that seemed to weigh heavily on Kotone’s mind.
Kotone began to play with the ends of her hair nervously as she said “I know, I really appreciate everything you did for me. I was really happy to watch Musashi play soccer. I just worry that if I’m around you too much, I’ll see things that you might not want to show me.” Kotone began to kick her foot awkwardly. Akari hated how nervous Kotone seemed, she began to think she would do anything to take that uneasy expression off her face, it didn’t suit her delicate features at all. Akari felt a surge of confidence grow in her as she grabbed both of Kotone’s soft hands into her own and held them there with all the gentleness she could, hoping her adoration for the girl with hair the color of a sunset would bleed through the gesture. Akari smiled at Kotone as she said “I know that your psychic powers cause you to see the futures of the people closest to you, I remember you told me that when I returned the cat to you. But, I still feel the same now as I did a week ago. I want to be your friend, I don’t want you to feel like you have to handle everything alone anymore.”
Kotone looked at Akari, her eyes wide, as a smile slowly graced her features. Akari felt her heart flutter as she began to think that there’s no expression that suits the girl in front of her more. Kotone softly gripped Akari’s hands back as she said “Thank you Akari for saying that, it truly…truly makes me happy. I don’t think anyone has ever been so kind to me.” Akari thought that that was a crime, that no one had treated this beautiful and gentle girl with even the smallest amount of kindness, it was a situation Akari would be willing to spend her whole life trying to remedy.
But sadly it dawned on Akari that time still existed and that she really did need to get to club, but she was reluctant, she didn’t know when they would have another chance to talk like this. Kotone was a first year and Akari was a second year, their schedules at school never seemed to match up, even this meeting in the hallway was a complete accident, just like when they had first met.
So Akari took matters into her own hands as she reluctantly let go of Kotone’s hands and pulled a pad of sticky notes out of her bag as she began to scribble on it. Kotone seemed bewildered but she didn’t move to leave, Akari finally pulled the sticky note off and handed it to Kotone with a soft blush on her cheeks, Akari knew this was forward of her but she couldn’t squash this feeling in her heart, she wanted to hear Kotone’s voice more. “That’s my home phone number. I have a club until 5:00 today, but my house isn’t too far away. If you’re not busy tonight around 5:30 it would make me happy if you called me.”
Kotone’s bewildered expression only seemed to grow more confused as she took the sticky note from Akari’s hand. Akari began to speed walk past Kotone, she knew she should stick around to hear her reply but she was out of time and she felt like if she stood there any longer she really would begin to go into cardiac arrest, as she quickly walked down the hallway she turned back to get one more glimpse of Kotone only to see Kotone watching her leave with a fond smile.