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Nene has never thought too much about Valentine’s Day. She usually bought chocolate for her parents and Rui, nothing special. After joining Wonderlands x Showtime, her short list included Tsukasa and Emu too.
Tsukasa might be a loud annoying idiot, but he gave her the chance to put on shows again. And he was more trustworthy than he looked.
Emu might be a weirdo but she’s a very important friend. The pink-haired girl should really stop going to her school just to have lunch together though.
Rui… She’s known him since they were kids and he’s the one who encouraged her to try acting again, even making NeneRobo to try to help with her stage fright. If not for him, she wouldn’t be here, putting on shows as the troupe’s diva. Maybe she should give him a more special gift, to express her gratitude for all he has done for her.
Smiling, her eyes wandered to the sweets section of the convenience store. Spotting his favorite soda candy, she grabbed a few pieces and put them in the cart, next to the chocolate.
As she was making her way to the counter, Nene mused about the fact that her life had always involved Rui one way or another. He was her first friend, the first person she put shows with, the one who convinced her to try again after she froze on stage.
She wished she could get the chance to tell him how grateful she was for him always being by her side. And she hoped she could continue staying by his side for years to come. As a friend, of course.
She shook her head to prevent that other thought from forming. She shouldn’t hope for more. There’s no way Rui sees her in that way. Although the way he looks at her sometimes makes her think that might be the case. But maybe it’s just her heart wishing for that.
Shaking her head again, she grabbed a random box then started sprinting towards the cash register. Thinking about this wasn’t going to get her anywhere.
In her room, she wished the ground would open up and swallow her whole.
How did she manage to pick both heart shaped soda candy and a box with little hearts all over?
How was she supposed to be giving this to Rui?
She wasn’t planning to confess so what if he misunderstands?
She buried her face in her hands and groaned, box and candy dropping on the bed. It was too late to buy others now as the store was closing soon. She had no choice but to use these. She could tell Rui that the store was full of this kind of stuff since it was Valentine’s Day themed.
Only that the chocolate wasn’t heart shaped.
Rolling her eyes, Nene grabbed the box again and threw some chocolates in it. It wasn’t that big of a stretch. Plus, Rui wasn’t the type to jump to conclusions. Topping it off with the candy, she put the lid on and stuffed it in her bag, together with the other prepackaged boxes.
It will be fine.
She put the bag on the floor, covered herself with the blanket and turned off the light, falling asleep shortly after.
The way to school was uneventful. Rui must have left earlier than her, seeing as she had yet to bump into him. Which was fine with Nene, as she didn’t feel ready to face him yet.
She didn’t expect to receive so many chocolates from her classmates when she entered the classroom. It was a bit overwhelming but it also made her happy. Kind of a shame she didn’t buy any for them so maybe she could make up for it on White Day.
At her desk, Nene unzipped her bag to put the chocolate she received inside. Seeing the box she prepared for Rui made her thoughts from earlier resurface.
What if, despite her (weak) excuse, he misunderstands after all?
And rejects her before she gets the chance to confess properly?
And it ends up ruining their friendship?
Feeling her heart sink, she shook her head and pulled out a notebook and a pencil out of her bag. Class was more important for now. She should try paying attention.
As the teacher was writing an equation on the board, her mind began wandering again.
But what if he doesn’t reject me?
The thought of Rui possibly liking her back was so overwhelming Nene crossed her arms over the open notebook and dropped her flushed face on them. There’s no way that was the case, after all why would a genius like Rui love someone like her, a gamer girl who likes acting but is scared to be on stage?
And yet, who just makes a robot to help a childhood friend get over her stage fright? Is it really just because he wanted to see her put on shows again? That’s very Rui like but some of the smiles he gives her make her heart flutter. And he teases her at times, but she isn’t sure how much he really means it.
She had never thought much about this before so why was she doing it now? Was it just because today was Valentine’s Day?
She let out a muffled groan.
Behind her, An and Akito wondered if their green-haired classmate was alright.
Lunch time came before Nene knew it. She was on her way to the cafeteria when she realized that this was probably the best time to give Rui the box. It was too embarrassing to go to his class during another recess period and give it to him in front of everyone. She wouldn’t be able to express her gratitude properly like that. And after school they were going to practice at Phoenix Wonderland together with Tsukasa and Emu. She wouldn’t have much alone time with Rui.
Clenching her fists to stop herself from trembling, Nene started heading towards the rooftop. Rui was most likely there, working on something that she hoped wouldn’t set the school on fire.
It’s ok, it’s going to be fine, he won’t misunderstand…
As she was repeating those words like a mantra, the green-haired girl felt a hand on her shoulder and jumped backwards, startled.
“Kusanagi-san, are you ok?”
It was just one of her classmates, Shiraishi An. Nene let out a relieved breath.
“I-I’m fine, Shiraishi-san… But d-don't scare me like that…”
“Ah, sorry about that! I was wondering if you’d like to have lunch, but you weren’t answering me no matter how many times I called for you. Is something on your mind? Even repeating ‘It’s going to be fine’ over and over…”
Nene looked away and stuttered, unable to form a complete sentence. Shiraishi-san heard her, how embarrassing… And now she was concerned.
An studied her for a moment before asking carefully: “Could it be… Kusanagi-san wants to confess to her crush?”
Nene felt her cheeks burn but she managed to say: “It’s…It’s not a confession! I just want to express my…gratitude…”
An’s face lit up. “So there is someone!”
“It’s n-not like that!” Nene yelled, even more flustered, wishing she could somehow get away from this situation.
Barely registering her classmate’s excited “Who is it, who is it?”, the green-haired girl looked around the hallway and spotted Rui somewhere in the distance. Her heart skipped a beat. She wasn’t ready to talk to him just yet but she could give Shiraishi-san an excuse to leave.
“Is it Kamishiro-senpai by chance~?”
Nene yelped and turned back to look at her classmate, who seemed to have noticed her staring at a certain purple-haired senior.
This was bad.
“He’s – He’s just a friend!”
Ignoring her, An grinned. “Let’s go give it to him! Ooooooi, Kamishiro-senpaaaaai!”
Grabbing Nene’s hand, she starts chasing the guy in question. Nene can barely keep up, trying to tell An this wasn’t necessary.
But they reach Rui not long after.
Shiraishi-san is so fast…
She was still catching her breath as An started talking to the guy she both wanted and not wanted to see right now:
“Kamishiro-senpai! Kusanagi-san here has something to tell you~”
Rui raised an eyebrow with an amused smile. Nene looks to the side, unable to look at him, while mumbling “This is so unnecessary…”.
“Is that so, Nene?”
“M-maybe…”
“I’ll leave you two alone then. Good luck, Kusanagi-san~,” An waved and ran away.
This could not get any more embarrassing. Sighing, Nene unzipped her bag, rummaged in it for a bit before taking out the small box and handed it to Rui, still refusing to look him in the eye.
“H-Happy Valentine’s Day…”
Chuckling, he accepted her gift.
“But what’s with the hearts?”
“It was the only kind they had, that store was full of Valentine’s Day stuff…”
She finally looked at him, trying her best to look neutral, but her red cheeks betrayed her nervousness.
“A-and before you ask, it’s the same thing for the soda candy!”
“Fufu, you got me candy?”
Nene’s expression softened into a smile.
“I wanted to thank you for everything you have done for me so far. NeneRobo, inviting me to join Wonderlands x Showtime, always believing in me… I really appreciate it. So I got you your favorite.”
“It’s because you belong on stage. Everyone should see how brilliant you shine when singing your heart out, for everyone to hear.”
Nene snorted, the blush making its way back to her face. “You’re so cheesy.”
“You’re so cute I can’t help it.”
Nene rolled her eyes before pulling Rui into a hug, startling him. But he soon relaxed and wrapped his arms around her smaller frame, pulling her closer.
“Promise you’ll keep staying by my side,” came her muffled voice.
“Of course,” he chuckled again. “Because I love you.”
“I love you too,“ she replied almost instantly.
And then it dawned on her what had just happened.
Rui confessed to her. For the whole day she’s been worried about getting rejected despite not intending this to be a confession. And now he just goes ahead and does this.
Rui said he loves her.
And she even said she loves him back.
She pushed her face harder into Rui’s chest and let out a high-pitched noise. He started laughing and patted her head gently, his voice and comforting gesture calming her racing heart a bit. Pulling back a little to look Rui in the eyes, her breath hitched. He was looking at her like she was his most treasured thing in the world.
“I guess we’re…dating now, huh…,” came her voice, barely above a whisper.
“Fufu, it seems so~”
“…Alright, then let’s get lunch, I’m starving.”
Eager to get out of this situation (they were in the middle of the hallway after all), Nene pulled away from his arms and started walking, not bothering to check if he was following her. Rui soon caught up to her, grabbing her hand in his and intertwining their fingers, Nene not protesting.
Behind a wall not too far way from the new couple, An squealed behind her hands. She had been hiding in that spot from the moment she gave Rui and Nene some space.
“Why were we spying on them again?”, the guy beside her sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. Witnessing a confession scene wasn’t something he planned on doing during Valentine’s Day.
Akito happened to be passing by her hiding spot and she grabbed him without any explanation, only telling him to be quiet.
“I gave Kusanagi-san a little push and I wanted to see if things worked out.”
She smiled like a mom proud of her daughter. “And I’m glad they did.”
“Can we leave now that you saw?” he said exasperated.
An rolled her eyes. “Fine, let’s go see what Mizuki and Toya are doing.”
And with that, they left.
Holding hands with him was nice. His palm was big and the way her small hand fit perfectly inside it was comforting.
Nene smiled. She’s always felt safe with Rui. And now that they’d always be by each other’s side, she was sure that, one day, their ending will be a happy one.