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The girl typed away at her laptop, making sure to get everything the professor was saying, or all of the important parts, at least. Transcribing was difficult, but after two years, she was used to it, clicking and clacking away at the keys of her bright pink laptop, with the Magical Kirin and Sailor Moon stickers on its back, making sure to take slight pauses to lean her head a bit sideways and take a sip of water out of the reusable, clear bottle, though one couldn’t be faulted for mistaking it for a bottle that was anything but clear - its surface was covered in so many stickers of Cardcaptor Sakura, Tokyo MewMew, Mermaid Melody, Pretty Cure, Danganronpa, Made in Abyss, Zombieland Saga, and plenty of other anime and games that were a strange mix of kawaii and gurokawa, to the point where one could hardly even see how much water actually remained in the bottle.
“Pfpfpfpfpfpfpf…” - that was the sound the straw made as she sucked on it, water filling her mouth, until suddenly, that sound was replaced with an empty sucking noise, like trying to, well… breathe through a straw. She looked down at the bottle, through one of the cracks in the stickers, and let out a sigh - it was empty. Quickly checking the time on her laptop while still typing away, she saw there would still be some time until the end of the lecture… not much, but a few more minutes. She could leave to go refill her water and risk missing some stuff - lord only knew she could use as much hydration as possible in this heat, but still… it wasn’t worth potentially missing stuff. ‘I can tough it out a bit,’ she thought to herself as she twirled a lock of her golden hair with a finger quickly, the magenta and cyan tips passing over her finger as she let go of it and continued typing with both hands.
She had smooth, fair skin; her elbow-length blonde hair, straight like an arrow, was done in twintails, which made the magenta tips that had a touch of cyan in them all the more noticeable; her hot pink eyes, a small, formed nose, and thin pink lips were all narrowed, scrunched, and bitten down on, respectively, in a particularly cute manner, showing anyone who looked at her just how concentrated on copying down the professor’s words she was; the blood-red frames of her glasses comfortably rested on her nose, despite it being scrunched, the light from her screen slightly reflected in the lenses. She was wearing a black tee that had blood-like splotches of red and pink on it, a cherry-pink blazer over that with hand-drawn scribbles of a zombie Hello Kitty covering its sleeves and back, and finally, she was wearing ripped denim pants colored black with a white bone design on them, and comfortable sneakers that had an image of the dog from Bluey on them, except the dog was a vampire, and seemed to be drinking blood from the tip of the shoe.
As Ashley Taylor continued typing away, she was distinctly aware of the seconds ticking by on the clock on the wall of the massive lecture hall, tick tock, tick tock, tick tocking away. Everyone else was also maintaining extreme concentration, not daring to make a single sound that might make them miss what the professor was saying, or disturb others, until finally…
“Alright, that’s it for today… no homework for you, so…” The professor started saying, though Ashley already couldn’t hear her words any longer, as she closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths, getting her mind back in gear. The professor seemingly said all she had to say, as she watched with a weary grin on her face while all the students packed up their laptops and started chatting amongst themselves. Now that she was done, Ashley quickly went over it all, making sure she transcribed everything the professor said in her lecture, before saving the document and closing her laptop, putting it and her bottle of water back in her bag. She leaned back in her chair and pulled her arm over her head, stretching in an attempt to relieve her stiff shoulders.
“...Uuuuhyah!” she let out that weird, cute sound quietly as she finished stretching, a feeling of odd liberation overcoming her muscles, not that she minded it that much. She slowly stood up and cracked her neck. “Uni’s so hard… even after two years, it’s still super difficult …” she muttered to herself in English as she quickly cracked her knuckles and left the lecture hall. “Still, at least it’s easier than it was when I just started…” she shuddered at the thought - she still remembered her first few weeks of university, how she panicked almost every single class and lecture, trying her best to keep pace and write everything down, almost crying herself to sleep every night because she just wasn’t used to typing so quickly. She got used to it soon enough, though.
“Actually, now that I think about it…” Ashley muttered to herself as she pulled out her phone, and checked her schedule, the sight of its contents making a smile spread across her face - she was so focused on making sure she didn’t miss anything, she completely forgot that that was her final class for the day, and after it, she would be home free. “Yippee! Alright! Freedom! ” she cheerfully cried out to herself, her blazer’s sleeves falling back to her shoulders thanks to her raised arm - thankfully, she was lucky enough to only celebrate in a less crowded location, so she didn’t get too many odd looks.
While the end of classes for the day definitely made her happy, it wasn’t the only thing - there was another thing that made her particularly excited, giggling and grinning in an uncontrollably giddy manner, that couldn’t be contained, people looking at her be damned. “Birthday, birthday, kawaii birthday, so kawaii, who could resist it?~” she sang to herself that silly, improvised song, skipping and spinning along as her mind got caught in the joys of planning once more, thinking of more and more kawaii ideas.
Kuroe’s 20th birthday, her girlfriend's birthday, was on the 28th of March - only about a week away, and near the end of the final semester, so in a perfect world, they would have a day or two off to properly celebrate it, but considering their financial situation as students and their schedule being limited by university, they’d have to wait for summer break in July to take a few days off to have a proper celebration. For now, though, Ashley just wanted to throw Kuroe a small surprise party - something low-key, but still fun and cute.
“Kuroe-chan doesn’t really like crowded places and big stuff, so something small at my place with just a few friends would be best… need to decide on who to invite… also figure out how to get a battalion’s worth of takoyaki, and what cake should I get… Kuroe-chan likes chocolate, but I think maybe something with some cream would be better…?”
Ashley found herself drooling a bit as she pictured a mixed cake, a blend of dark chocolate, white chocolate and mascarpone cheese, all presented in a gorgeous swirl of red, black and pink. “Dammit… that cake would be so kawaii, I wouldn't be able to eat it… especially if I got a fondant sculpt of her nighthawk plushie and stuck it on the cake… maybe I could stick a sculpt of Kumanosuke on it, too…?”
She closed her eyes and licked her lips as the image formed in her mind, however, her cheeks quickly flushed red as she found the surface of the cake turning from the previously-envisioned spiral of colors, into a pure-white surface. “Y-yup, that's a wedding cake,” she awkwardly muttered to herself in English while playing with the tip of her twin-tails, feeling self-conscious all of a sudden. “ Hold on! You can’t lose yourself and space out, Ashley Taylor! You need to actually plan things properly!” she said, in an attempt to psyche herself up, and get herself back on track. “I wonder if I should wake her up in some special way on the day of, though…” she muttered to herself, however, her train of thought was cut off when she felt her phone buzzing in her jeans’ rear pocket. She pulled it out, and saw a text from Kuroe.
“Hey. Can I come over to your place tonight?”
She didn’t even need to think about her answer, immediately typing it out. “Of course! I’d love that!”
“Thanks, I appreciate it uwu.”
Ashley had to clutch her heart to make sure it was still beating. “Kuroe-chan sending an uwu through text… so kawaii!” she whispered with a voice shrill from joy.
“I’m so excited! See you later, babe!”
After that, Kuroe simply sent a thumbs up, and that was where the conversation ended, prompting Ashley to let out a sigh. “She really is amazing…” she said dreamily, a distant look in her eyes, however, she returned to the present when her stomach rumbled. “Right, lunch… better go to that, before I’m late!”
Ashley agreed to go to lunch with some of her friends, and so, not wanting to keep them waiting, she picked up the pace, however, she was so happy that instead of running, she started skipping along.
This really was a great day.
---
“Hi! Sorry for being late! ” The blonde apologized, panting as she gave a small bow to her friends, then sat down in front of them in the booth. Even though she initially thought she could just lackadaisically skip along, she quickly realized she wouldn’t make it on time, and began running, hence her being out of breath by the time she arrived at the restaurant. The two girls sitting across from her in the booth scanned her with their gaze, watching her grab a cup of water filled with ice and instantly down it.
“...Ash, are you OK?” Rika Ayano asked, looking at her friend with slight worry - Ashley might not have realized it, but in actuality, she was drenched in so much sweat, her skin practically glistened with it.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Why?” She asked, oblivious. The fellow blonde was about to respond, however, the silver-haired girl next to her beat her to it. “You look like you’re on the verge of dehydration, Ashley,” Ren Isuzu briefly explained, a somewhat awkward grin on her face.
Ashley blinked, then looked down at herself, seeing both her shirt and blazer covered in dark patches due to sweat, before she shuddered all of a sudden, seemingly out of nowhere. “Oh god, I didn’t even notice it until now… ugh, I feel so yucky…!” she whined as she hugged herself, seemingly trying to alleviate some of the awful feeling of sweat trickling down her skin by soaking it into her clothes, which might not have been the smartest decision ever, but she went for it regardless. While Rika and Ren most certainly sympathized with Ashley over how bad that felt, the two girls couldn’t help but laugh a bit at her reaction - she was overreacting, at least a little bit.
Now that she was no longer perspiring (or at least, not as severely as before), Ashley let out a content sigh. “Anyway,” she started saying, before briefly pausing to take a sip of water. “How are you two doing? Give me deets - I gotta know!” She said with a sparkling grin on her face.
“Midterms are so hard… how did you two do it?” Rika immediately asked, her voice heavy with a depressed tone as she lowered her head, her hands placed on the table, almost as if trying to stabilize herself.
“Come on, Rika-chan… they can’t be that hard!” Ashley said cheerfully, her response causing Rika’s brow to twitch in irritation.
“Well, considering how much I’m studying for them, they have to be just the hardest thing ever, no? Otherwise, all those hours of memorizing formulas and English words and classic Japanese literature aren’t worth it even one bit…” she said, sounding even more depressed, resting her head on the table as she deflated like a balloon.
Ashley blinked. “Wait, aren’t high school midterms in May?”
“They areeee…”
“And you’re already studying?”
“I ammmmmm…”
“ ...You poor thing. ”
As Ashley looked at Rika in pity, feeling nothing but sympathy for that miserable girl, Ren Isuzu raised her hand and gently patted the pigtailed blonde on the head, Rika tensing up a bit, before loosening up as a grin spread across her face, kind of like a cat.
‘Kawaii…!’ Ashley thought to herself, that sight causing her heart to warm up and shiver from the cuteness of it all, though the sight cheered her up for a reason other than just how cute it was. “Ren-chan… you’ve become a lot more at ease, haven’t you?” she said with a smile - it seemed a tad bittersweet that a gesture as simple as that was such a massive sign of progress, but she was nonetheless happy for her friend.
Ren looked a bit surprised for a second, however, she quickly smiled back. “Yeah, I guess I have become more at ease over the years, haven’t I? Rika-chan really helped me feel more comfortable with myself, which I’m sure wasn’t easy for her…” she smiled back as Rika leaned more into her, playing the cat comparison up to its maximum. While Ashley did think it was cute, and both Rika and Ren seemed to enjoy it, she couldn’t help but wonder if they maybe acted more… domestic than she remembered?
‘Then again, that’s not necessarily a bad thing, and besides…’ she paused musingly as she saw Rika finally stop playing cat, and simply lean her head on Ren’s shoulder - the silver-haired girl seemed a bit tense, but happy at the same time. ‘I think they’ve earned this domestic-like peace and quiet…’
Ren was so scared and hurt in the past, Ashley genuinely was just so happy that she was doing that much better, and that her friends could be so happy together - the sight of them being lovey-dovey, as sickeningly sweet as it could’ve been to some, was honestly adorable to her, and made her smile.
“I wanna finish high school and go to uni already… or maybe just finish high school…” Rika muttered as she raised her head, finally breaking off the direct physical contact with Ren. She looked at Ashley again, and saw the cheerful expression on her friend’s face, reminding her of something. “Oh, that’s right… Kuroe-chan’s birthday is in a week, isn’t it, Ash?” she asked, tilting her head sideways in a questioning manner.
Hearing the words “Kuroe-chan’s birthday”, Ashley perked up immediately, her eyes sparkling like a starry night sky as she nodded her head enthusiastically. “Yeah! It’s her birthday in a week, and I’m super excited! ” She said, her childlike excitement practically contagious.
“Makes sense! A 20th birthday is even more of a special day than a normal birthday! What do you have planned?” Rika asked, almost matching Ashley’s enthusiasm levels, Ren nodding her head - she already knew from experience just how important celebrating one’s 20th birthday properly was. To be fair, Ashley also knew that, then again, Kuroe was always the more… low-key of the two of them - not that Ashley thought it was bad, of course! Kuroe still arranged her a wonderful 20th birthday last year and she couldn’t have been more grateful, but still… Ashley knew she’d probably go a bit further than Kuroe went…
‘...Or maybe I shouldn’t? Kuroe-chan prefers things to be low-key, after all… except for my 20th birthday, most of the birthdays we’ve celebrated together have just been the two of us hanging out together, and that’s it… even for my 20th birthday, when Kuroe-chan arranged something bigger, she was clearly pushing herself there just so as to not disappoint me… the last thing I would want is for her to push herself during her birthday, so maybe…?’
As Ashley got lost in her head, the distress from her thoughts was clearly visible on her face, what with the dizzy look in her eyes, and her anxiously red cheeks. “Ash? Ash, are you OK?” Rika asked, concerned - saying she had a bad feeling about things would be an understatement.
Seeing everything that unfolded, a memory resurfaced in Ren’s mind - a summer festival, from a few years ago… one that didn’t go down as well as it could’ve. “Rika-chan, I think I know-” she began saying, but before she could get anything more out, Ashley suddenly buried her face in her hands.
“I thought… I had great ideas… but now I think I’m just gonna make Kuroe-chan anxious with them…!” she mewled, sounding down and on the verge of tears. Rika had no idea what vision Ashley had seen, but she had a feeling it surely was not good. Feeling a bit lost, she shot a pleading look to Ren, asking the silver-haired girl to help, since she seemed to have been trying to say something that Rika had forgotten, before she was interrupted by Ashley’s despair-full breakdown.
Ren let out a sigh, mostly in an attempt to help herself calm down a bit - everything seemingly rested on her shoulders, something she had become better at handling over time, going from crumbling under the tiniest amount of pressure, to being able to handle herself if the need truly arised. ‘Taylor-san is relying on you, Ren… don’t let her down now!’
“Taylor-san, you’re stressed because while your plans seem fun, you’re afraid that even after all this time, they might not meld the best with Kuroe-san’s nature, and instead of enjoying her birthday, she’ll feel pressured to pretend to enjoy it, right?”
Ashley nodded her head heavily, a somewhat dull look in her eyes - she kind of looked like a dead woman walking. Rika looked a bit confused for a second, not quite understanding what did Ren mean when she referred to Kuroe’s nature, however, her eyes turned wide as saucers when the realization hit her (rather quickly, thankfully). It had happened a few years ago, so she didn’t quite remember it happening, but once it came back, she remembered everything.
The first time she met Kuroe, she was with Ren, Hinano Miyako and Emiri Kisaki. They had run into the raven-haired girl at the coordinator’s, inviting her to join them for a summer festival. The girl seemed a bit reluctant, but agreed nonetheless. While the four of them greatly enjoyed it all, when the festival was done and they parted ways with Kuroe, only then did they learn that the girl had found the festival to be far too loud, far too bright, far too crowded - she didn’t enjoy it all that much, however, she tried her best to hide it in order to not offend them, concluding that as nice as Rika and her friends were, they were simply incompatible with herself, and that’s it. Her anxiety had stopped her from voicing her discomfort on time, before things reached a point of no-return. Kuroe was even more anxious than Ren, and without the support that Rika had offered the latter… it made sense that she was so frightened of telling others how she truly felt.
“You've been by Kuroe-san's side for what, 3 years now, Taylor-san?” Ren asked, waiting for Ashley's response in the form of a nod. “I understand why you're anxious, but… I don't think you should be worried. You know Kuroe-san better than anyone, better than she even knows herself, potentially. You should just trust yourself! At least, that's what I think…” she added that last part meekly, seemingly feeling self-conscious over being so confident all of a sudden.
Ashley looked at Ren, blinking for a few seconds before suddenly, she deflated, however, it seemed less like she was deflating as a form of surrender, and more like she was deflating from relief. “You're right… I should trust my intuition more. I know what Kuroe-chan can and can't work with. Thanks, Ren-chan! You really did save me there!” She said, smiling thankfully at the silver-haired girl. Ren simply smiled back and muttered a quiet “happy to help”.
‘Ren-chan… she really did become so much more confident… the old her never would've thought her ideas were good, let alone would she dare advise someone…’ Ashley thought to herself. As she watched Rika feed Ren a bit of her parfait, she couldn't help but feel a tiny pang of jealousy.
‘I wonder if I helped Kuroe-chan feel that confident already…’
Just as quickly as that pang of jealousy appeared, it vanished, as Ashley returned from her thoughts to the conversation at hand. “Anyway… Ren-chan, how are you handling university? Are you enjoying it?” Ashley asked, genuinely curious.
As if a switch had been flipped, Ren's eyes began sparkling, the same way Rika's or Ashley's eyes would usually sparkle - uncharacteristic for sure, then again, that just went to show how excited she was to answer that question. “Yeah! It’s a lot of fun! I knew I wanted to take a social studies course, that’s why I took it, but it really has been getting only more and more fun over time… I’m learning so much!”
“That’s so cool! Anything specific that stuck in your mind more than other things you learned?”
Suddenly, Ren looked a bit less energetic. “Actually, I’m kind of burnt out for the rest of the day, so I’d rather not talk about the course… if that’s OK?” she asked somewhat timidly. Ashley nodded, which caused Ren to let out a sigh of relief.
The three girls weren’t quite sure how to continue the conversation after that, but it was fine. Just being in each other’s company was plenty pleasant for them.
Her mind free to think about whatever, Ashley returned to what Ren told her earlier.
“You know Kuroe-san better than anyone, better than she even knows herself, potentially. You should just trust yourself!”
‘Trust myself… I can do that. You’ve got this, Ashley Taylor!’
Overall, Ashley’s day was going rather well.
---
After separating from Rika and Ren, Ashley returned to her apartment, taking the train from Shinsei to Kosho. In the roughly 4 years she had spent in Japan, she had always lived in the same apartment in Kosho she first rented when she arrived in Kamihama, precisely because it was so cheap, which made sense, considering its size.
…Well, Ashley's place wasn't that small - it wasn't small at all, as a matter of fact, but Ashley thought it was a cozy and quaint place. Then again, the daughters of famous Hollywood filmmakers had different standards than most people, so who could really tell how big that place truly was?
The moment she entered the apartment, she locked the door behind her, put her bag down on the small bench by the door, and ran to the shower - she wanted to wash off all of the sweat, pronto. “ Ew, so gross…” she muttered to herself in English as she shuddered from the feeling of her drenched clothes clinging to her skin, though the moment she peeled them off, she let out a small sigh of relief - finally, that sticky feeling let go of her skin, and once she entered the shower and the water started running…
She let out a small, content sigh as the warm water poured over her, flowing down her body, washing away the sweat and anxiety, making her feel like she was simmering in the world’s most comfortable drizzle. “I love this…” she quietly groaned as she stood there with her eyes closed.
She stood underneath the running shower head for a few more minutes, letting herself simply enjoy that warmth for a while before finally stopping the water. She grabbed a bottle of shampoo and slathered her hair with it, then poured some soap on her hand, and spread it across her body, then turned the shower head back on again, letting the water wash everything off her body, making sure to be thorough and not miss any spot.
After she was done with that, she stood underneath the water for a couple of minutes, but she eventually stopped it and stepped outside the shower, even though she couldn’t help but whine a bit - stepping out of a warm shower was the worst feeling ever. Regardless, she quickly grabbed a towel and wrapped herself up in it, drying herself up, though not before she paused in front of the bathroom mirror to inspect her toweled physique. It wasn’t the clearest sight, considering that she wasn’t wearing her glasses, and the steam from the warm shower had obscured her mirror a bit, but she could still see herself in it, the towel clinging to her body tightly in some areas, while being loose and even a bit poofy in others. Scanning herself from top to bottom, Ashley took a few seconds to process her reflection, before ultimately smiling.
“I think I’m pretty kawaii, at the end of the day…” she thought to herself out loud as she left the bathroom and entered her bedroom, making sure to not accidentally drop her towel as she grabbed her purple bear plushie and lifted it in her arms, looking directly into its dot-like black eyes. “What do you think, Kumanosuke? Am I kawaii?” She asked the bear in a serious voice, tilting her head sideways a bit as she smiled - Kumanosuke was the last thing her father gave her before his passing… a memento that she’ll cherish forever, and never let go of, even if it was arguably a bit childish for a 21 year old woman to still sleep with a teddy bear.
“...Wait, my glasses!” Ashley exclaimed as she realized that she forgot her glasses in the bathroom. She quickly dashed back there and put them on, letting out a sigh of relief - now she understood why her vision was so blurry. Returning to her bedroom, she turned Kumanosuke to face the wall before finally letting go of the towel, and quickly getting dressed - she put on some comfortable undergarments, and over them she put on a white tank top with an image of a vampire Hello Kitty , a pink hoodie over it that had purple, poison-like dots all over it, and a pair of short, black lounge pants. Now that she was dressed, she turned Kumanosuke back towards her, patted it on the head and gave it a small kiss on the forehead, before opening her walk-in closet and taking a yoga mat out of it.
“Yoga day, yoga day, yoga day…~” She sang to herself as she entered the living room, spread the mat out on the floor and sat down on it, though she quickly changed her position to have both of her legs in front of her, at which point she started stretching.
She still remembered her 18th birthday. Kuroe’s birthday present to her was the yoga mat she was currently using. “A yoga mat?” Ashley had asked back then, a bit puzzled as she held the hot pink mat in her hands, inspecting it closely - the foam-like material it was made of was light and soft, yet still durable.
“Ah, well, I, umm…” Kuroe stuttered, her cheeks red with anxiety. She took a deep breath, and forced herself to push the words out. “I thought you’d like it… since yoga is fun, and also healthy… and that we could also maybe… do yoga together sometime…?” she said, her gaze averted as she twiddled her thumbs.
Ashley dropped the mat, which caused Kuroe to flinch, however, she eased up when Ashley simply lunged forward and pulled her into an embrace. “I love that idea! Thanks, Kuroe-chan - I’ll cherish this forever!” the foreigner said cheerfully, genuinely happy at that gift, which made Kuroe let out a sigh of relief - she was hoping for that outcome so, so much.
“Gyahh… That’s it…!" Ashley said with an odd voice as she pushed herself more, reaching her limit and pushing a bit past it before she stopped, now focusing on holding the pose for as long as she could. Her muscles ached and throbbed, but… it wasn’t the bad kind of pain - she found herself smiling at that pain, contemplating whether or not she should push a bit further. ‘It is actually getting easier… I can't believe it was so hard when I just started…’ she thought to herself as she began reminiscing - the first time she used the mat, she barely managed to hold a Paschimottanasana for half a minute. When she discovered just how rigid she actually was, she almost wanted to cry a bit - she didn’t remember her body being that way. Have the years dulled her flexibility? She wanted to give up then and there, but before she could…
“It’s fine, Ash… don’t give up!” Kuroe’s voice called from her left, gently cheering her on. Ashley turned to look at Kuroe, and she almost rolled onto her back, as the shock of the sight she witnessed made her immediately let go of her legs and stop stretching; in stark contrast to Ashley, who could hardly lean forward, and visibly struggled to hold her pose, there was Kuroe, who held an Upavistha Konasana that was so low to the ground she was practically parallel to it, her legs parted sideways until they formed a one-hundred and eighty degrees angle, all seemingly without struggling at all to hold it, considering she raised her head and smiled at Ashley without any visible strain.
Ashley watched with awe and slight jealousy as Kuroe let go of the pose, stood up, and sat behind her. “I’ll help you reach the pose and hold it, OK? You just tell me when it’s too much for you,” she said with surprising confidence as she placed her warm and soft hands on Ashley’s back. The blonde nodded her head and leaned forward as much as she could, at which point Kuroe began pushing her hands still felt so gentle, applying enough force to help Ashley stretch a bit more until she let out a small whimper, at which point Kuroe eased up a bit, letting Ashley pull back a few millimeters, before letting the force she applied plateau at a certain point, holding Ashley there and not letting her back down from the pose.
Kuroe held her in that pose for about 5 minutes straight. It hurt like hell, and by the time she was done, she felt like her arms and legs were halfway through turning into jelly, but at the same time… the pain was kind of relieving - it was a different kind of pain than, say, getting hit. And also, Kuroe’s warm, soft, gentle hands… feeling them on her back was also more than pleasant enough for Ashley to be fine with the soreness.
Ever since that day, Ashley would find herself doing yoga every once in a while. Not on a consistent basis, but enough that her flexibility and wellness of body gradually improved. Just like Kuroe had told her; it really was relaxing, fun and healthy.
Also, the first time she could actually meet up with her friends after starting yoga was about two months after she started, and had been doing it semi-consistently - about two to three times a week, for an hour each time. The first thing they all said once they saw her was “wow”, with stunned expressions on their faces. Turns out, while she wasn’t on the same level of yoga as Kuroe, the level she was on, and the consistency with which she did yoga, were enough for her body to take a more defined, slim shape - she still distinctly remembered Rika saying how weird it was to see the usually cute and “kawaii” Ashley looking so sexy and curvaceous. At that very moment, Ashley Taylor decided she would never stop doing yoga - like hell she was going to refuse an opportunity to be complimented by her friends like that.
Back then, that did make her wonder if Kuroe was also “sexy and curvy” underneath the baggy clothes she always wore. It took her another two years to receive her answer. Nowadays, she confidently knew that the answer to that question was “yes”.
Back in the present, Ashley held the pose for a few more seconds before finally letting it go. She then turned flat on her stomach and lied down, placing her hands down on the mat by the sides of her chest, and pushed herself up, trying to curve and strain her upper body as much as possible without moving her lower body.
She began humming to herself cheerfully as she continued holding the Urdhva Mukha Svanasana. She usually did yoga for at least an hour and thirty minutes, sometimes two hours, so she had some time. It was difficult enough that it was still a genuine exercise for her, however, it wasn’t so difficult that it was mind-meltingly painful, and so, she simply smiled.
“Date night tonight, me and Kuroe-chan… and also yoga day… I really am gonna get an endorphin high today, aren’t I? Heehee.”
With a smile on her face, she started singing, joyfully holding the pose. It really was fun for her.
---
After finishing her yoga, Ashley sat down to quickly check her laptop, making sure there wasn’t any homework or projects she missed - thankfully, this seemed to be a rare day where she didn’t have anything. She closed her laptop and leaned back on her couch as she took a few seconds to process that, but found herself feeling strangely lost and empty. “Oh god, am I seriously that lost without school work to do…?” she muttered to herself in English, the thought disturbing her a bit, but she quickly shook it off. “No! Come on, this is a chance to do stuff you’ve wanted to do for a while! Take advantage of it, Ashley Taylor!” she said in an attempt to psyche herself up a bit. Despite that, she was still unsure of what to do.
After taking a few minutes to think, she eventually walked back to her bedroom, and quickly inspected her bookshelf, fishing some books she hadn’t yet read out of it. “No better time than now!” she said cheerfully as she returned to the living room and lied down on the couch, opened one of the books and started reading.
She was afraid that it would feel kind of dull, and she would give up on reading quickly, but thankfully, she found herself getting drawn into the books more and more, just barely remembering to take a break to go to the bathroom, with how engrossed she was in the fictional world she had entered - she really did make the right choice, deciding to catch up on some reading.
It was only after finishing an entire novel that she finally raised her head from the book, letting out a small noise as she stretched her stiff neck, and finally checked the time - it was around seven pm, early evening. Knowing when Kuroe would usually come to her place on their date nights, Ashley knew she had somewhere between thirty minutes to another hour, give or take, and so she set the finished book down on the table, and picked up a different one… except this one wasn’t a book, it was a manga volume - one that had the words “Cardcaptor Sakura” on its front cover in big, bold letters. “That’s odd… I thought I only grabbed books I haven’t read yet, but I know for sure that I already read this one…” she thought out loud, however, she quickly shrugged it off and started reading instead of questioning things any further. “Can’t go wrong with the classics…” she muttered to herself as she shifted around, getting comfortable once more, before finally opening the book and diving headfirst into the world of fiction again.
She didn’t notice the passage of time at all as she read; while the orange lights of early evening finally left to make room for the darkness of late evening and early night to stream in through her open windows, she hardly registered it at all, as her living room was flooded with the fluorescent light of the lightbulbs above anyway… or, well, not quite “flooded” - she did have dimmers installed, after all, and the lights were rather dimmed so as to not disturb her reading. Regardless, she was once more completely absorbed into her reading, nothing taking her attention away from the page, until suddenly…
Knock! Knock, knock!
A knock at the door, the unique knocking pattern of none other than Kuroe herself.
“Kuroe-chan…!” Ashley whispered with rising excitement as she carefully placed a bookmark in the page she had reached and placed the closed book back down on her coffee table, before standing up and skipping towards the door, opening it widely with a grin on her face - her energy most definitely returned.
Across from Ashley, waiting in front of the open door, stood none other than her girlfriend, Hikari Kuroe - she was a young woman, about to turn twenty years old. She had smooth, neck length raven hair done in pigtails, and lilac eyes that seemed a bit dull, though they quickly lit up once she saw Ashley in front of her. Kuroe was wearing a black kangaroo hoodie, with a purple feather drawing on its front, the feather slightly curved upwards, with purple text above it reading “Blackbird” in English - a gift from Ashley from last christmas. The hem of a dark blue tee peeked out from underneath the hoodie, and covering her legs was a pair of light pink denim pants, a pair of black ballet flats with a pink strap on top of them on her feet. Seeing Kuroe like that, something immediately felt off to Ashley - she wasn’t unused to seeing Kuroe wear comfortable, homey clothes when she could, but for their date nights…? Even Kuroe usually tried to doll herself up a bit, not necessarily with makeup or the like, but wearing something nice and pretty. When she didn’t, it was always because she couldn’t bring herself to do it, which was usually either because she was tired, or, the more likely explanation…
‘She’s feeling down…’ Ashley thought to herself with slight unease as Kuroe stepped in and pulled her into an embrace - another sign that something was wrong, as even Kuroe, with all of her awkwardness, usually greeted Ashley with a chaste kiss even when tired. She only refrained from doing so when something was wrong. Regardless, Ashley returned the embrace, gently nuzzling Kuroe’s shoulder as she ran her hand across Kuroe’s back, the raven-haired girl seemingly appreciating the gesture, as she tightened the embrace a bit and gently pressed against Ashley’s lower back with her knuckles, a gesture she knew the blonde liked.
The two continued embracing for a few seconds more before finally letting go of each other, Ashley moving to the side to let Kuroe inside and close the door behind her, before turning around and seeing Kuroe already sitting down on the couch - something was definitely, definitely wrong. “Are you hungry?” She asked as she walked further into her own apartment - Ashley knew that sometimes, Kuroe just forgot to eat, or didn’t eat enough, and making her sit down and eat a normal meal would improve her mood immediately. Just like she thought, Kuroe nodded her head.
“Alright. What do you wanna eat?” She continued, stepping towards the kitchen, however, Kuroe’s response stopped her in her tracks.
The raven haired girl was a bit hesitant, but she quickly responded. “Can we… get takeout? Pizza, or something? I’m not really in the mood for home-cooked food… sorry…” Kuroe said, clearly uncomfortable.
Ashley nodded her head. While Kuroe usually did the cooking, she was more than capable of cooking for the two of them, and that’s what she was planning on doing. Kuroe probably knew it too, and yet… Ashley wasn’t the slightest bit offended - she knew Kuroe wasn’t saying she didn’t want her cooking, she just wanted something that requires less effort from them, Ashley included, and could still satisfy her desires. In short, she wanted comfort food, and she didn’t want to burden Ashley, which was fair.
Ashley approached Kuroe and sat down next to her on the couch. She pulled out her phone, ready to pull up the Domino’s website, or whatever other pizzeria they were in the mood for, however, she stopped in her tracks when she felt a ticklish sensation on her neck as Kuroe tilted her head sideways and buried her face in Ashley’s neck, wrapping her arm around the blonde’s waist and pulling her close. She could feel Kuroe’s warm breathing and lips on her neck, as the other girl planted a few gentle kisses on her scruff. While the sensation was certainly pleasant, and the gesture was cute, it did make Ashley even more concerned - that gesture was a sign that Kuroe was either in full makeout mode, or absolutely exhausted and depressed, and considering how she was acting, the latter of the two seemed more likely.
Regardless, Ashley smiled - it was still pleasant, and it was better to hope for the best case scenario. She wrapped her own free hand around Kuroe’s waist, making sure to stretch her fingers out over Kuroe’s covered abdomen as she gently caressed it, pulling Kuroe closer to her in return. “Hey,” she said gently.
“Hmm?”
“What toppings do you want?”
Kuroe remained where she was for a few seconds, not responding at all, until finally, she sluggishly raised her head from Ashley’s neck and spoke. “Do they have takoyaki?” she asked with a dead serious expression, that question causing Ashley to burst out laughing, which made Kuroe crack a small grin - she still had a sense of humor, seemingly, which was good.
“Probably not… What about mushrooms?” Ashley asked, hoping she wasn’t accidentally shooting in the wrong direction - Kuroe liked mushrooms, but maybe she wouldn’t be in the mood?
“Mushrooms sound good,” Kuroe quietly responded, making Ashley smile a tiny smile to herself in relief - she really did know Kuroe that well, which was vindicating, but at the same time…
‘That just means that I’m probably right about my impression of how she’s feeling right now…’ She thought to herself, though she quickly brushed it off - better finish the order first. “Alright, mushrooms it is. I’m taking pepperoni - you don’t mind, right?”
Hearing the word “pepperoni” being said, Kuroe licked her lips a bit. “If you don’t mind making the entire thing mushrooms as well, we can put it on the entire pie, instead of splitting half-and-half.”
“Ooh, good idea… alright, one mushroom and pepperoni pie it is!”
After Ashley finished the order, she turned her phone off and put it down on the coffee table as Kuroe buried her face in the blonde’s neck again, kissing it more intensely this time. It was fun, and Ashley tried her best to not react audibly, however, she didn’t forget that this was also a cry for help in its own unique way, probably - she had to figure out what was bothering Kuroe, but… she knew her girlfriend would probably be more cooperative after eating something, and so, she decided to put it off for now.
Ashley waited for Kuroe to pull her face out of her neck, which took the raven haired girl about a minute, and once she did, Ashley finally spoke again, knowing she had Kuroe’s full attention… or, well, as much attention as she could reasonably get, considering Kuroe’s current situation. “Hey, you wanna watch a movie?” she asked, hopeful - a good movie always helped cheer Kuroe up.
Kuroe smiled again - a small smile, but a smile nonetheless, which was good. “Sure, I’d love that,” she said.
“What movie do you wanna watch, then? Your choice.”
Ashley hoped that Kuroe would pick a comfort movie of her’s, to potentially help improve her mood, however, the raven-haired girl surprised her… or not really, if she was being honest; being asked to pick the movie made her furrow a brow, seemingly displeased… Though upon closer inspection, it seemed like Kuroe wasn’t displeased, just a bit lost in thought trying to figure out her answer. Thankfully, it didn’t take her long to respond, as she quickly raised her head and answered, her brow no longer furrowed.
“What about that new PreCure movie? You wanted to watch it together, no?”
Ashley looked at Kuroe and blinked, a tad stunned. “You remembered?” She asked, surprised - it’s not that Kuroe was a bad girlfriend who didn’t care, it’s just that she didn’t have the best memory, so Ashley didn’t expect the girl to remember that.
In response, Kuroe simply chuckled. “Wouldn’t be a particularly good girlfriend if I forgot, right?” she said with a small expression of cheer on her face. Seeing that… Ashley couldn’t help but wonder if maybe, just maybe… Kuroe really was just tired, and she was overreacting a bit.
‘Maybe I can wait a bit more for after the movie before I decide whether or not to be more worried…’ She thought to herself as she grabbed the remote, turned on the TV, and started the movie out of some streaming service. She put the remote back down on the coffee table and leaned back into the couch’s backrest. Once she did, Kuroe scooched closer and wrapped her arm around Ashley’s waist again, a gesture the blonde returned while covering them with a blanket, the two girls cuddling as the movie’s logos started playing.
‘Yeah… I can wait until after the movie.’
---
Roughly thirty minutes into the movie, a knock sounded at the door. “Probably the pizza…” Ashley said quietly as she gently pried Kuroe off of her, then got up to open the door. She took the tray from the delivery guy’s hands, thanked him and gave him his tip, then closed the door and went back to the living room, sitting down next to Kuroe and opening the tray box on the coffee table.
They didn’t stop the movie as they began eating, letting it continue rolling in front of them. They did briefly stop cuddling, though, in order to free their hands, which was a good idea - trying to eat pizza while snuggling under a blanket would probably have been incredibly difficult.
It took them about 20 minutes to finish the pizza, meaning the movie was almost over. The pizza came with napkins, thankfully, so after they were done, the two girls wiped their hands and lips clear of all the grease, before getting back under the blanket and cuddling once more.
It was magical. Perfect, almost - how Ashley and Kuroe sat there in each other’s arms, enjoying that bright movie. It was a dream date, limitations considered, and yet… she couldn’t let go of that nagging feeling that maybe, just maybe, something really was wrong. She contemplated it for a few seconds, wondering whether or not she should bring it up… before ultimately deciding to just go for it - Kuroe had something to eat, so in theory, she should be cooperative. She turned her gaze to Kuroe. “Kuroe-chan?”
“Hmmm?” the raven-haired girl responded, not looking away from the screen.
“Are you OK? Is something going on? It’s just that… you seem distant, and out of it. I’m just a bit worried…”
For a few seconds, Kuroe didn’t respond at all, the silence making Ashley worry that maybe she overstepped, but then Kuroe smiled, leaned in and buried her face in Ashley’s neck again, planting one soft kiss on it. “I’m just tired,” she said quietly, then pulled her face out of Ashley’s neck, flashed her another grin, and turned her attention back towards the movie.
Over their years together, Ashley had learned how to tell when Kuroe was hiding something from her, and this time… this time, it seemed as if Kuroe was hiding nothing - she probably really was just tired, and yet, Ashley just couldn’t shake off that feeling. Maybe she should press harder…?
‘No, don’t. Trust your instincts… and trust Kuroe,’ she reminded herself as she reached underneath the blanket and clasped Kuroe’s faraway hand in her’s, leaning her head sideways onto Kuroe’s shoulder. The raven-haired girl seemed a bit surprised, but she quickly adjusted to it, putting her hand around Ashley’s waist again and pulling her closer.
‘Just enjoy the movie, Ashley Taylor…’ she thought to herself as she rubbed up against Kuroe, feeling more and more snuggly.
They spent the next fifteen minutes like that, cuddling under the blanket until finally, the credits rolled, signifying the movie was over. They paused it, to stop the streaming service’s autoplay feature, then took a few seconds to take in the time that had passed, how it affected the room - Kuroe had arrived at around eight fifteen pm, and they started the movie at around eight twenty five pm, maybe eight thirty. The movie was about an hour and fifteen minutes long, so by the time they finished it, it was only around a quarter to ten, and yet the night had already become significantly darker. Despite the darkness, it was still rather early, and both girls weren’t particularly tired.
“Hey, you wanna watch another movie?” Ashley asked, which Kuroe immediately responded to with a nod - she definitely seemed to be feeling better, which was good. Ashley went back to the streaming service’s home page, and searched for a specific movie.
“Night on the Galactic Railroad…” Kuroe read the movie’s title. Ashley shot her a questioning look, and Kuroe simply returned a small grin - it seems like she appreciated the gesture, which was a relief to Ashley. She started the movie, and the two went back to cuddling as the opening credits started playing.
While the two girls weren’t really tired, the soft music of the movie, plus the warmth of the blanket and each other, combined with the weight of the pizza on their stomachs, made them both a bit tired and so, they found themselves dozing off before long.
Thankfully, they woke up about five minutes later, when the movie blared out a loud sound that made them jump, the two girls accidentally slapping each other. “I’m sorry, babe…” Ashley quietly apologized while massaging her cheek - Kuroe knew how to slap real hard, apparently.
“It’s… it’s fine, just pause the movie,” was the only response Kuroe had, and Ashley obliged. She paused the movie, and so they sat there in silence, not saying anything.
Finally, after about one minute of silence, Kuroe stood up from the couch. “Hikari?” Ashley asked, a bit worried - she only used Kuroe’s first name when she wanted to show the most genuine intimacy possible… or when she was really concerned.
“I’m gonna go get us some water, so that we can actually manage to sit through the movie without falling asleep,” she briefly answered as she marched to the kitchen, looking to be rather fine, considering everything.
As Ashley heard the flowing water in the distance as the can of water was being filled, she let out a sigh. “Don’t fall asleep again, Ashley… Kuroe might be great to snuggle with, but just… contain yourself, OK?” she muttered to herself, finishing just in time for Kuroe to return with a full can of water and two already-full cups. She handed one cup to Ashley, then sat back down on the couch, already sipping the water. Ashley tilted the cup backwards, emptying it in about five seconds.
It was just one cup of water, but she already felt much more awake. “You ready to go?” she asked. Kuroe nodded and so, Ashley continued the movie. As it started playing again, the two girls returned to cuddling, making sure to drink water every so often. This time, they got through the entire movie, not dozing off even once. Since they initially dozed off about five minutes into the movie, this time around, roughly two hours later, the credits rolled, and the movie was officially over at around twelve am.
The two girls slowly separated from each other and stretched - Ashley couldn’t believe she felt stiff again, but it did make sense when she thought about it, considering the fact that she had been sitting without moving at all for over an hour. Regardless, after a quick stretch and cracking her neck and knuckles, she turned off the TV.
“I’m getting tired…” Kuroe yawned, covering her mouth with her hand. “I should probably head out,” she said quietly as she stood up to leave, only to stop when Ashley grabbed her wrist. “Ash?”
“It’s late. There’s a chance you won’t make it on time to the last train. And besides, you seem tired… how about just spending the night here?”
It really was late, and Kuroe really did seem to be too exhausted to ride the train back to Takarazaki, so she had no objections to the suggestion on a logical endpoint. On a girlfriend endpoint… Well, who was she to refuse cuddling in bed?
“That sounds like a good idea,” she said with a grin, which caused a massive smile to spread across Ashley’s face, the blonde practically sparkling with excitement. She quickly stood up and pulled Kuroe along, taking her to the bathroom so that the raven-haired girl could shower and brush her teeth.
---
Since the hour was late and they were tired, the two girls didn’t dawdle around, quickly brushing their teeth (Ashley had a spare toothbrush just for Kuroe to use in case she stayed over), and showered… the latter of which they debated whether or not to do together, before deciding to do it one at a time, only to ultimately decide to share the shower, with the justification of “making efficient use of their time”, a bold faced lie, considering the fact that in their shared shower, they spent far less time doing regular shower things such as slathering themselves with soap and shampoo and cleaning themselves up, and far more time with their hands on each other’s bodies. Mostly locking lips, though.
After exiting the shower, they quickly dried up - though not before Ashley caught a quick eyeful of Kuroe’s naked body, a gesture the raven-haired girl returned a bit less obviously than her girlfriend, right until the moment where she very clearly averted her gaze in a failed attempt to hide her reddening cheeks. Eventually, though, they pulled themselves together, finally drying themselves up and putting on their pajamas; Kuroe wore the same undergarments from before, and the same dark blue tee she had underneath her hoodie - she would’ve loaned a pair of shorts from Ashley but unfortunately, she already knew that with the difference in their waist and hip shape and measurements, no pants or skirts of Ashley’s would fit on her, unfortunately. Ashley wore the same clothes she wore beforehand as well, minus her hoodie - so, a white tank top with an image of a vampire Hello Kitty , and a pair of short, black lounge pants.
Now that they had both brushed their teeth, showered (Ashley for the second time that day already), and put on some pajamas, they headed towards Ashley’s bedroom. Well, Kuroe did while Ashley closed the lights and locked the apartment up, but that took her barely any time and so, she quickly slid underneath the covers next to Kuroe, the two laying there in the dark.
She considered saying “good night”, but she knew that if she did, she’d be expected to fall asleep, which would be kind of awkward if she stayed up and so, she said nothing, lying on her back, looking up at the darkened ceiling in silence, the only sounds filling up her bedroom being the occasional chirping of crickets or the hooting of an owl outside her window.
She stayed like that for about a minute before finally, she couldn’t take it anymore - she could feel her heart pounding in her chest, begging her to just ask the question already, to remove that weight from it and allow herself to rest, relax… enjoy Kuroe’s touch. She turned towards Kuroe and spoke.
“Kuroe?”
“Hmm?”
“Earlier, when you said that you’re just tired… Are you really just tired? Or did you just say that so that I wouldn’t worry?”
There it was, the moment of truth - she’ll finally know whether her concerns were justified, or if she was just being overly wary. Ashley lay there in her bed, waiting for Kuroe’s response with baited breath, looking directly at her and yet seeing nothing, as the raven-haired girl’s face blended into the darkness of the night, making it impossible to guess her response based on her expression.
She could hear her heart racing in her chest, her blood pounding in her ears - why was this so nerve wracking? Why?
After a few seconds of silence, which Kuroe seemingly dedicated to thinking over her response, she finally gave one… by chuckling. Kuroe chuckled to herself once, twice, thrice, the gesture quickly becoming a gentle giggle. The clouds shifted, letting the rays of the moon enter the room, illuminating Kuroe’s face - she was smiling widely.
Seeing Kuroe smile made Ashley feel more relieved, obviously, but she couldn’t help but wonder about the giggling. “What’s so funny?” she asked, more curious than hurt. Kuroe continued giggling for a few seconds more before she calmed down, now just smiling, no audible laughing to be heard.
“Nothing, Ash. I just… remembered how much you care about me, and how happy it makes me. I really appreciate it, y’know?” she said, her eyes closed - it really made her smile look all the more adorable, was what Ashley thought to herself upon seeing that. The smile on Kuroe’s face quickly turned into a serious expression as she sat up in bed, Ashley sitting up straight next to her.
‘I hope she’s OK… she seems OK, but still…’ Ashley said a quick prayer in her heart as she saw Kuroe take a deep breath, and then, the raven-haired girl spoke.
“I really am… just tired. It’s exam season, so I’ve been sleeping less and less in order to cram in more studying time and do homework. It’s helped me keep my scores high, but also, well…” she gestured at her face - Ashley just now noticed the dark bags under Kuroe’s eyes… were they there before? Or was she masking them with magic?
“Alright… don’t get me wrong, I’m happy to see you here, Hikari, but if you’re so tired, why didn’t you just get extra sleep? Why did you ask us to meet up? I wouldn’t have been hurt, y’know…” Ashley said quietly, gently stroking Kuroe’s arm back and forth, as if trying to comfort her.
“I considered doing that, but then I realized… I needed the change of scenery and pace, and I knew you’d help me recharge my batteries… like you always do.”
‘Ah, dammit! Not fair! That’s way too kawaii and romantic - my heart can’t take that! Cheater!’ Ashley pouted, but she quickly smiled, happy to hear Kuroe say that - it really was a relief to know for sure that her girlfriend really was just extremely tired, and also that she was relying on her for help, like she should. “That’s good to hear… but if that’s the case, we should get some sleep - goodnight!” she said in a serious manner, almost chastising Kuroe in an attempt to get her to take care of herself, seemingly.
Ashley thought that would be where things would end - it was a natural assumption to make, right? Which is why she was so surprised when Kuroe instead grabbed her arm and leaned in, whispering in her ear.
“There’s one thing… I’m never too tired for…”
She pulled away, and Ashley saw the slight red on the Japanese girl’s face as she pushed Ashley back onto the bed and climbed onto her. The blonde couldn’t help but giggle - Kuroe hardly ever took charge, and therefore did it in her own unique, slightly-awkward, Kuroe way…
…But Ashley didn’t mind that.
---
Kuroe dragged her heavy feet as she walked up the stairs, towards Ashley’s apartment. Having just finished a massive exam, she was mentally drained and wanted to get something for her headache and just rest, which is why she was so happy that Ashley had already told Kuroe to come over after her exam was finished, to be pampered by her.
“Being pampered by Ash… I need that, after everything that happened today… I really do…!” she muttered to herself tiredly, a dreamy expression on her face as she imagined what would Ashley do to pamper her: maybe she made takoyaki, or sweet muffins; perhaps she would be willing to rub Kuroe’s feet, or maybe she’d just offer to snuggle with Kuroe under a thick duvet, burrito-wrap style; or maybe they’ll get in bed, strip down to their underwear, and…!
Kuroe’s overly-excited train of thoughts was cut off when she reached the door to Ashley’s apartment. “Contain yourself, Hikari… don’t get too excited, not while you’re outside of Ashley’s house, at least… if anyone sees it on you physically, so help you god…!” she muttered to herself as she put the key in the lock and turned it, and opened the door, stepping inside.
‘Huh, that’s weird; why are the lights-’
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!”
Countless voices suddenly cried those two words out in a deafening choir as the lights turned on, restoring Kuroe’s vision, allowing her to see Ashley at the front of the living room, smiling brightly from ear to ear, Riko Chiaki standing by her side. Behind the two of them stood Iroha Tamaki and Yachiyo Nanami, both with equally large smiles on their faces. She could also see Tsuruno Yui, Felicia Mitsuki, Sana Futaba, Ui Tamaki, Touka Satomi (she looked a bit grumpy), Nemu and Sakurako Hiiragi, Ryou Midori, Ikumi Makino, Shizuku Hozuki, Ayaka Mariko, Mifuyu Azusa, Rika Ayano and Ren Isuzu, and so many more, all of them wearing and holding a wide array of party favors, from hats, to whistles, to tiny flags, banners hanging behind them that read “happy birthday, Kuroe-chan” on them, the text surrounded by little, purple nightjars.
Her and Ashley’s friends. Her friends. The friends she made thanks to being a Magical Girl, who didn’t give up on her, even with how difficult she was… who gave her a chance.
Who were willing to accept her for who she was, even if it wasn’t the easiest thing in the world.
Time stood still, completely frozen. Kuroe thought that an eternity passed even though in actuality, she knew it was probably a few seconds at most between the moment all of those girls in front of her had cried out the words “happy birthday”, and the moment she finally responded. Her headache and exhaustion both vanished, replaced with a shiver. She wanted to cry… but not due to sorrow; she wanted to cry tears of joy, and yet, she held herself back.
She felt like even if it was out of joy, she shouldn’t cry on her birthday. She gently set her bag down on the ground and closed the door behind her using her foot.
“Thank you all so much!”
She cried out that response as she ran forward and pulled Ashley into a hug, kissing her on the lips. With joy overtaking her, Kuroe could only think one thing to herself.
‘I really have been blessed with such amazing friends… I really am so lucky…!’
This was the best birthday surprise she could ask for, and the best pampering Ashley could’ve given her.