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Nene was more of a reserved kid. She was shy and wasn't the biggest fan of being the spotlight. Her friend, Rui, was also like this. They both met at a playground and Rui would constantly try out new show ideas with her. Nene liked it. She never thought she would have an extroverted friend anyways, and it's not like she really wanted one either.
Until she met a pink-haired girl with some funny-looking bangs, like they were cut by herself.
Emu was all about smiles and was a ball of energy. She always did and said weird things, and when Rui wasn't with them, she would bring Nene into the wildest adventures she ever experienced. Emu liked shows and would always cheer on Rui whenever he came up with another marvellous idea.
She was the complete opposite of Nene, but there's nothing that Nene couldn't eventually get used to.
Nothing.
“Nene-chan, Nene-chan!” A somewhat shrill voice could be heard from the end of the street, probably being heard by every other kid in the playground. “Hello... Um? Where is Rui? Is he not coming today?“
“Ah, Emu...” Nene tried to hide her embarrasment from the other kids staring at them. “Good evening. Rui had to go out with his family, so he left earlier today.”
“Hehe, so it's just me and Nene-chan today! ♪” Emu sat down next to Nene, adjusted her position and began kicking her legs.
“I don't think I have enough energy for any adventure today, though...” All she could think of was having to explore the neighborhood with Emu again, and while it could be fun, Nene would wake up the other day with a horrible leg cramp, so she wanted to avoid this today. Frankly speaking, she also wanted to talk more to Emu. They could chat about their favorite foods, toys, maybe even what plays they liked... Nene wanted to know much more about Emu. She wanted to feel like a true friend, the friend who one could always count with, the friend one could spend hours and hours talking about the same repetitive things but never get bored.
Because Emu was her dear friend.
Despite everything, despite all their differences, Emu was the most important friend Nene could ever had.
“I don't mind just chatting with Nene-chan, you know?” The sound of Emu's soft voice that would surprise anyone who heard her screams earlier interrupted Nene's thoughts, “Because Nene-chan is my super, ultra, mega special friend, and I want to know much more about her!” Emu looked at Nene with a bright smile, a smile that Nene couldn't help but smile back.
“Well... I don't mind it, too.” Nene replied. “Um... So, what's your favorite food, Emu?”
“Ooh! I love taiyaki! ☆” Emu's eyes shone brighter than the sun, “Which part do you eat it from? I eat it from the middle!”
“From the middle...” Nene looked at Emu with a crooked smile, “I'm pretty sure Rui does the same.”
“Woah! Rui and I are so similar to each other!” Emu happily exclaimed
“Not really...” Nene's voice tone became lower. For a second, she regretted saying this, scared that Emu would interpret it wrongly.
“Ah, it's not like it's a bad thing...” Nene explained herself, “I really like playing with both you and Rui... Of course, Rui is closer to me personality-wise, but... I really like your bright personality, you know? I feel like me and Rui wouldn't have the courage to move further if it wasn't for you. Even if what you say might not make sense sometimes, even if I can't keep up with your pace... You showed me a whole new world, and... I enjoyed every single moment of it.”
Emu didn't speak for a moment. “Nene-chan...”
They both were silent.
“A-Anyways... I like being with you, Emu. Even if we're complete opposites.”
Emu smiled at her, with a warm smile, a smile that you just knew came straight from the heart. “Nene-chan, why don't we go for a walk?”
“It's fine for me, but don't make me run after a cat again.”
“I can't? Aww!” Emu frowned.
“Didn't I tell you I don't have energy to do it again?” Nene let out a sigh, followed by a discreet smile.
“Hmm... Then, let's make a sandcastle!” Emu suggested, pointing at a small pile of sand left by some other kids.
“Are we gonna use these toys? They were probably left by other kids, we shouldn't use them without their permission...”
“Nene-chan, we only live once! Do what you want to do!” Emu's voice became more serious, serious in a comical way.
“Then, just once wouldn't hurt anyone, I guess...” Despite trying to stop her at first, Nene actually didn't have the intention to keep trying now. She wanted to do what Emu says just today, even if it ends up being bad influence.
Nene never wanted an extroverted friend, she always felt like she could do things with fellow introverted peers easily. But now, she wouldn't want it any other way. If she could, she would love to be with Emu, she would love to grow older with Emu, to do shows with Emu... She always wanted to be next to Emu, by her side no matter what...
Perhaps she wanted more than friendship.
Isn't this the feeling fictional princesses feel when seeing their prince, she thought. Shouldn't I be feeling this for another boy, she thought. Maybe it was too early to think about this, maybe she was just overthinking it!
Nene started daydreaming for a moment, losing complete sight from the outside world.
“...ne-chan,” A voice echoed. “Nene-chan!”
Nene got back to reality, “Ah, Emu...”
“Are you okay? It's getting dark, maybe you're feeling tired? Should we go home?” Nene felt like Emu was genuinely concerned, and she could feel her cheeks become hotter.
“Ah... Um... Okay. It's getting dark, yeah.” Nene got up quickly, trying to hide her embarrasment from daydreaming about having feelings for Emu.
Emu got up shortly after, stared a bit at Nene and suddenly gave Nene a little kiss on the cheek.
“Nene-chan, when I grow up, I'm going to marry you!” Emu loudly exclaimed, “See you tomorrow!”
Nene was frozen up for a second. Did Emu read her thoughts? Why did she do this? What was the reasoning behind this?
Everyone only lives once.
Whether this was wrong or not, Nene didn't know. But breaking the rules isn't that bad sometimes
“I'll look forward to it, then.” Nene replied, more to herself, since Emu went home some minutes ago already.
Emu sent Nene a message around 8PM last night asking her if they could go out tomorrow to eat at a new cafe selling parfait that Emu discovered. As unexpected as that was and as unprepared as Nene was, she accepted it nonetheless.
Most of what the younger Nene wanted for the future was accomplished. She joined a theater troupe with Rui, Emu and another schoolmate, Tsukasa. They did shows, hang out and did all kinds of things. She graduated from high school, finished college and now kept doing shows with her troupe mates even after all those years.
But at the same time, she managed to stay by Emu's side. And she couldn't be happier.
The next day, they met near the Main Street and went to the cafe Emu wanted. After a long day shopping and playing at arcades as well, they stopped at a playground, similar to the one they used to play at when they were younger.
“Hey, Nene-chan,” Emu said, sitting on the swing next to Nene, “Remember that promise I made when we were younger?”
“Which one? I think we made many promises.” Nene replied.
“That one, the one where I said I would marry you when I grew up.” Emu recalled.
“Ah, I do remember. At the time, I was so confused by why you said that. A child's mind is confusing sometimes.” Nene giggled a bit.
“We have done so much since we met... I feel like I know Nene-chan better than anyone now! ♪”
“You're exaggerating it too much...” Despite her complaints, Nene had a smile on her face. She could try denying it, but she enjoyed being with Emu more than anyone.
“Even if I am, I want to make this a reality. I want to know Nene-chan better than anyone! And to do that, I have to always keep the promises I make with her!” Emu quickly got up and stood in front of Nene.
“So, Nene-chan... Let's be together from now on. Please, marry me!”