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“I think Minori is getting bored of me,” Haruka sighed softly before letting go of the pen, the pout on her face almost indiscernible from unknowing eyes. Luckily enough, she wasn’t talking to someone with unknowing eyes. Which she’s still figuring out if it’s good or bad since she’s talking to An. It comes from a place of love and endearment, after all.
“What made you say that?”
“She won’t go on another date with me,” she chose to expertly ignore the amusement present in her friend’s voice and quickly returned to writing something on her paper but all focus she had was entirely fixated towards, well, something else. “When I confronted her about it, she told me she needed to prepare for a date she had planned for us,” Haruka scrunched her nose. “And to save my money?”
“That’s cute, her planning a date for the two of you,” An grinned before she frowned at Haruka. “Why are you upset though?”
“I asked but she told me it was a secret.” She pouted again and she was sure this one was far more noticeable.
There was an amused lilt to the chuckle that followed her friend’s response. “Sounds to me she’s going to surprise you.”
“Stop giving me false hopes, An.”
The laugh was louder this time and she felt a hand on her shoulder, prompting her to look at the cheeky expression that was painfully splayed all over her friend’s face. Haruka barely even opened her mouth before An took the paper from under her hand, reading through it like it was a magazine subscription for idols with gay problems.
Because that’s what she is currently: an idol with gay problems. An would probably call her that, at least.
“‘Theories on why Minori is mad at me and won’t talk to me?’” An scoffed loudly, Haruka thought she would inhale the paper. “This is what you’ve been writing for twenty minutes? Didn’t she just tell you she’s planning your date?”
“Leave me alone,” Haruka grumbled as she set her head on the table.
Instead of comforting her, An continued to laugh while reading through the paper. “‘Theory one. Minori is starting to think my penguin plushies are overwhelming and take up too much space?’”
Haruka can hear the rather disbelieving judgment clearly tainting An’s voice.
“This is nonsense! That girl loves your penguins!” An exclaimed, picking up the sandwich on the table in front of them with her free hand. Chewing, she continued, her voice muffled, “Do you know how many times I’ve caught her staring at you with literal hearts in her eyes whenever you cuddle with a penguin plushie?”
Flushed at the new discovery, Haruka smiled shyly as she replied, “How many times?”
“Tons!”
Before retorting something to An, the other girl beat her to it.
“I’m curious about this one though,” An said and Haruka spotted a somewhat serious expression on her face as she read through the yellow pad.
“About what?”
“This theory say that she’s avoiding you because you have been spending too much money on her?” An put the paper down and she was suddenly looking at Haruka with one eyebrow raised and her eyes filled with questions. “Did you like, I don’t know, buy her a building or something? Is that why she told you to save your money?”
“Oh,” she chuckled sheepishly and put a hand on her cheek. “About that…”
Haruka may be overthinking but it’s not her fault, in her defense. She wasn’t even thinking about this until this week when Minori was actively trying to stop her from spending money on her yesterday Monday.
It happened like this— a few weeks ago, Haruka treated Minori on a date on Phoenix Wonderland, not because of a celebration or idol related business but because she just wanted to treat Minori. She paid for the rides, even that new tunnel of love attraction that was recently added. She and Minori even rode the ferris wheel two times: one in the afternoon to enjoy the sunset and one in the evening to watch the colorful fireworks show.
(“Haruka-chan, the fireworks are so pretty,” Minori sighed wistfully after she quickly finished the cotton candy, and you guessed it right, the one Haruka bought for her. She put her head on the other idol’s shoulder. Instinctively, Haruka draped her arm around the idol and she grinned when she saw how quickly Minori’s face flushed.
Some people would think it’s a shame, really. Because here she is, at the top of the ferris wheel, a plethora of colorful fireworks from a respectable distance in front of them and yet not one speck of light in that acclaimed show is enough to take away her sights on the girl right beside her.
“You’re prettier.” It didn’t register when the words came out of her mouth. Not that she regretted it, though.
“Haruka-chan, you’re so corny!” And yet the smile and flush on Minori’s face was enough for her to continue saying those types of sentiments.
She laughed and pulled Minori closer to her as the cabin they’re in moves downward.
“Is it a good idea that we’re taking another ferris wheel ride though? These things are expensive. Not to mention, the other attractions we rode on were too.” There was worry in Minori’s voice and Haruka only shook her head and chuckled.
“Don’t worry about it,” she replied and leaned her head atop Minori’s before sighing contently. “I promised you I would treat you today on a date after all the great work we’ve done in the past weeks and I’m going to make good on that.”
Minori smiled at her, that one smile that Haruka classifies as a better substitute to Cupid’s arrow, and that’s all that was running through Haruka’s mind during the duration of the ride.)
She also treated Minori to a bunch of parlor games and how she can never expect her heart to pound ridiculously loud in her chest when Minori won her the Phenny plush.
(This Phenny, along with the multiple other Phennys she had back home in her room, was the softest and fluffiest plush she has ever laid her hands on. The little checkered jester hat, the frilly collar, and the cute beak, and it’s almost the size of her head which makes it the perfect size for cuddling. She has been staring at the plush in her arms for a grand total of two minutes and anyone from a good distance could see the sparkles in her eyes as she hugs the plush. Honestly, what could get better than that?
Right, the girlfriend that won it for her.
Haruka-chan, I will win you that big blue Phenny, she said. But I don’t have any more money for this booth, she said. A sigh of wist left Haruka’s lips and she honestly doesn’t remember what came out of her mouth next because Minori’s bold declaration took her breath away.
It probably took around a couple of attempts, maybe two or twenty-two, Haruka lost track of it admittedly but it was worth it since now, in her arms, a soft Phenny plush she adores endlessly and in front of her, a pretty and proud girlfriend with her chest huffed and arms on waist like she’s posing as a superhero.
She was snapped out of her trance when she heard a camera snap right in front of her. Looking up, Haruka caught Minori bringing down her phone just in time, a matching proud and giddy grin on the idol’s face.
“You really love Phenny-kun, Haruka-chan,” Minori giggled, her face a bit flustered as she took in the way Haruka looked at her; full of adoration.
“You’re right, I love Phenny-kun,” she agreed before letting a cheeky smile take over her face. “But I love Minori-chan more.”
“Haruka-chan!”)
So, what’s the deal, if one must ask?
Haruka was a good budgeter and an incredibly smart spender so it’s more than a daunting and almost hilariously frightening surprise that Haruka found her budget for the month cut by almost half.
The day she discovered it, Airi and An told her and quoting Airi eloquently, “the utmost audacity to act this surprised.”
Maybe dating for a few months made Haruka realize that she likes Minori, and by liked, she meant, really, really, really likes her. There’s this face Minori makes whenever Haruka wins her a soft and comforting plushie from those ridiculously and obviously rigged claw machines or whenever Haruka brings her to the theaters and she gets to see frontrow and firsthand the rollercoaster of emotions that encompass her face. It was almost like Haruka would buy anything for Minori, just to see the other idol happy.
And unfortunately for her finances, that’s what Haruka did for a couple of weeks.
When she was checking her budget for the month, her eyes very nearly popped out of their sockets when she saw that almost half of the yen she had budgeted for the entire month were slashed. She almost started pointing fingers but in a very intense reflecting session (it was just her scrolling through the pictures of the last couple of weeks), she wasn’t surprised that her gallery was filled with pictures of Minori on their dates. She had the idea that maybe spending too much on a date, especially on a limited budget, perhaps rubbed off wrong that’s why she put it on the list.
(“You’re meaning to tell me that you spent almost ten thousand yen on your date with Minori in Phennyland!? Where do you even get that money!?”
“I'm a retired idol from ASRUN, Airi, I had some money saved up somewhere” she only shrugged but at least she was sheepish enough to say it. “Also, parents’ allowance.”
Airi continuing to stare at her with an aghast look like she said something incredibly outrageous caused her to chuckle quietly and put a hand on the nape of her neck.
“I trust you with MORE MORE JUMP! finance more than anyone but finding out this is what you do with your money is making me lose my mind,” Airi let out a single disbelieving laugh. “It’s like you’re a different you.”
“I like treating Minori,” she replied, a small smile on her lips.
“Keep that up and you won’t be treating her in the future.” That was the last thing Haruka said before she hurled a small pillow towards Airi’s face, the younger idol laughing at the face her senior made.
“Why, you little!”
That night ended with pillows and penguin plushies scattered everywhere.)
“Haruka!” An was laughing now, slamming the palm of her hand atop the table occasionally. “Dude, I can’t believe you bombed your budget for the month because you like spending them on Minori!”
“Not funny, An,” she groaned before stealing the paper back from An. “It’s driving me insane that she hasn’t talked to me probably because of that. It’s been forever…”
“It’s been two days,” she deadpanned.
“Two days without Minori…” Haruka actually shivered.
Her friend merely stared at her with this specific look on her face. Haruka shrugged and sighed again, folding her arms on the table as she laid her head on them.
“Anyways!” An shook her head and looked at her friend again, softly this time. “I think this one is probably it, you spending too much money on her. I mean, I would probably also be embarrassed if Kohane even spent barely half the money you did on Minori.”
“You think Minori is embarrassed?”
“Most probably,” An chortled as she stood up from the booth, stretching her hand out for Haruka to reach. “Now, let’s go prepare for your date with Minori! Surprise her with new street clothes here in Vivid Street!”
“Can’t we just stay here in Weekend Garage?” She mumbled yet she stood up, sipping up the last of her iced tea before grabbing An’s outstretched hand. “Minori might not want to see me.”
“Oh no, Minori might not want to see me, the idol that she literally loves and adores, oh yeah, and also her girlfriend! And me, her girlfriend, who is known as a good financer, apparently overspends whenever she takes her out on a date!” An said all of that with that one mocking voice she had grown accustomed to and also a bunch of messy arm movements and hand gestures.
She heard An laugh in a ludicrous volume when she threw the scrunched up tissue paper on the table, her own pout deepening.
“Fine,” she sighed and she immediately stood up and straightened her skirt, a serious and determined face overtaking her features.
“Let’s go win Minori back.”
“You’re not losing her…”
She faintly heard the sound of someone’s hand connect with their forehead.