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“ Kanade, hurry up! We’re all waiting. “
“ Don’t rush her Mizuki, we still have time! “
“ Ah, sorry. I’m coming! “ Kanade called, rushing out of her room. She awkwardly stumbled through the hall between her room, slipping on her backpack. Kanade slipped on her shoes before opening the door to the flat. She felt a smile crawl its way onto her face. In front of her door stood Mizuki, Ena, and Mafuyu.
Her friends.
It was her first official day at MIKUdemy , a school dedicated to music. It had been years since Kanade had gone to an actual school. Ever since her fathers hospitalization, Kanade had lost all motivation to go out. To go to an actual school. But all of that changed today. Kanade stepped out into the sunlight, harsh light practically blinding her. Her hands flew right up to her eyes, rubbing them. “ Ah, it’s bright! “
“ You need to leave the house more often. “ Mafuyu deadpanned, an emotionless; blank expression resting on her face. This earned a giggle from Mizuki.
“ She’s right- Ouch! “
“ Mizuki, you’re in no place to talk. You only leave the house to shop! “ Ena scolded, lightly shoving the taller one.
“ You’re not any different from me in that case. “ Mizuki retorted, a soft laugh escaping her lips. The two of them bickering back and forth with one another was nothing new within their little group. It was refreshing to see it in person.
“ Can you two calm down… That’s no way to greet Kanade. “ Mafuyu frowned. Kanade watched as a silence washed over Mizuki and Ena, earning a laugh from herself. It was so easy for Mafuyu to calm the two of them down. Perhaps it might’ve been her emotionless tone, or the grim expression on her face.
“ Be a little easier on them, Mafuyu. “ Kanade giggled, shutting the door behind her and locking it. Two years ago, she never would’ve imagined things would end up like this. She finally leaving the house to go to school along with the friends she had over Nightcord. Kanade walked to Mafuyu’s side, sliding her fingers effortlessly between Mafuyu’s, giving her hand a tight squeeze. This earned a small smile from Mafuyu, who softly nudged her.
“ We should start walking before you two get all cozy standing there. “ Ena sighed.
“ Why not we hold hands as well, my dearest. “ Mizuki teased, reaching to grab Ena’s hand.
“ Mizuki! “ Ena shrieked, batting her hand away. “ What’s wrong with you! “
“ Is it wrong for me to want to show love to my precious. “ Mizuki’s hand flew to her head in mock distress. Kanade smiled. She turned her gaze away from the mess of what was Ena and Mizuki to look up at Mafuyu. A small smile rested on her face, likely from how pitiful Mizuki was acting.
It was precious.
She would do anything to protect that beautiful smile.
……
“ …It sucks that we’re all in different classes… I wanted to steal some answers from Mafuyu. “ Mizuki sighed, twisting and turning to stretch as they began to enter the school grounds.
“ You’re acting like I would let you do that. “ Mafuyu scoffed. Kanade felt Mafuyu slip her hands away from hers. Her hands felt empty whenever they had nothing to hold. She peered up at the other. Mafuyu was more on edge.
Oh.
She had forgotten about Mafuyu’s persona.
“…At least you guys aren’t stuck with Akito… Out of everyone I had to be with, I have to be with my little brother! “ Ena whined, tugging at Mizuki’s hand. Despite her initial refusal, she had ultimately stopped fighting the idea and held Mizuki’s hand. “ Come on Mizuki, let’s go find the others. We’ll leave you two lovebirds alone. “
“ We’ll be out of your hair now, good luck! “ Mizuki called, following at Ena’s heels as the two of them walked to another group of people. She admired how popular the pair was, especially at a school that was so freshly open.
Kanade looked up to meet Mafuyu’s gaze once more. This time, her expression was harder to read. “ Is something wrong? “ She reached for Mafuyu’s hand, gently clasping it in hers.
“ Kanade… “ Mafuyu paused for a moment, taking in a deep breath.“ I have something to give to you. “ Mafuyu pulled away, reaching into her backpack. Kanade watched as her girlfriend pulled out a gray sweater.It matched Mafuyu’s perfectly, only just slightly lighter.
“ It’s wonderful… Thank you Mafuyu. “ Kanade took it in her hands, trying it on. She glanced back up at Mafuyu, she was smiling once more. “ I love it. “ And she truly did. It had fit her almost perfectly, slightly longer at the sleeves. It fit her just as she liked it. Kanade grabbed Mafuyu’s shoulder, leaning up to press a soft kiss to her cheek.
“ I’m glad you like it. “ Mafuyu hummed in response. The precious smile on her face seemed fleeting, like the last moments of a candle; just before it goes out. Kanade felt Mafuyu take her hand into hers, squeezing it just as Kanade had done before. “ Will you be okay? “
“ I’ll be okay.“ Kanade sighed, swaying their hands together. She looked around, despite how lovey-dovey they were acting, nobody seemed to notice the two. It was as though they were off in their own little world by themselves. It felt nice to share such a warm moment with Mafuyu. “ Will you be? “
“ I don’t know. “ Mafuyu responded. Kanade could hear the honesty in her voice, but it still felt painful to hear.
Ring.
Ring
Ring.
Kanade squeezed Mafuyu’s hand once more before letting go, a small sigh escaping her lips. She didn’t want to leave Mafuyu at that moment. In such a vulnerable position. Even though it was her first time in a school in months, schools weren’t typically much of a happy place for Mafuyu either. But the bell had rung and they had to go their separate ways.
“ I’ll meet you at lunch. “ The taller girl pulled away, leaving Kanade’s hands empty once more. She slid her hands into the pockets of the sweater Mafuyu had given her.
“ Okay. “ Kanade ultimately nodded. It was time to go, but it felt wrong to leave Mafuyu.
“ Bye. “
“ …Bye. “
……
“ …That’s a lovely sweater you have on, Kanade. It looks similar to the one Mafuyu has on. “ Shizuku settled herself on the desk beside her. Kanade perked up from her desk, a small smile resting on her face. The day hadn’t been as scary and nerve wracking as Kanade had expected. Her class had many people she was mostly familiar with, it was quite nice being around so many people interested in the same things Kanade was.
“ Ah, now that you mention it I see that too. It suits you very well. “ Ichika chimed in.
“ Ah… Thank you very much. She got it for me, as a gift! “ Kanade leaned back up to look at the two.
“ Kanade and Mafuyu are very close. '' Miku piped up. Kanade felt her cheeks heat up in embarrassment. She turned her gaze away from the two, burying her head back into her arms. Though she wasn’t wrong, she didn’t have to say it like that.
“ I didn’t realize you two were so close! “ Ichika smiled.
“ That’s lovely! Mafuyu’s a good person, I’m glad you two are close… “ Shizuku winked knowingly, walking off towards the door to leave. As if she had known something was going on between the two of them.
Huh?
“ Still, I wasn’t quite expecting that… Nobody else really knows her outside of school. I’m quite curious. “ Ichika chuckled, resting her head on her hands.
She hadn’t been expecting this reaction. Everyone seemed to have such a high perception of Mafuyu… A completely false perception but regardless it felt strange. How was Mafuyu able to keep up this persona in front of so many people? How did she last this long without breaking… Kanade buried her head deeper into her hands. “ Don’t worry about it. Mafuyu’s really- “
“ M-M-M-M-M “
“ MAFUYU! “ Emu shrieked, darting out of the room.
Kanade’s head shot up, she looked around before her gaze rested on the window covering the wall between the two exits. Mafuyu had a somewhat startled expression on her face, staring at the way where Emu had left. She was holding her lunch in her hands. Kanade chuckled, getting up from her seat. “ I’m sorry Ichika, we can continue this talk later… “
“ Don’t worry about it. “ Ichika smiled at her, she too, got up from her seat and started for where Shizuku and Toya stood, both dumbfounded. Kanade walked out of the room, meeting Mafuyu just outside the classroom.
“ I didn’t think I would scare her… “ Mafuyu mumbled, watching the direction in which Emu had gone. “ All I did was peek in… “
“ I’m sure she was just a little surprised. “ Kanade smiled. She reached for Mafuyu’s hand, gently resting their palms together. She clasped her fingers around Mafuyu’s hand. Her hand felt familiar. They were warm, but not in an uncomfortable way. She wanted to keep holding onto it. To never let her go. “ Where do you want to eat? “
“ On the stairs would be nice… I’ve never eaten outside the classroom before. “ Mafuyu’s usual blank expression settled its way onto her face. Kanade felt a tinge of relief that she could relax more, especially considering the situation that had just gotten themselves into. Kanade wasn’t sure of Mafuyu’s relationship with Emu. Emu had always seemed somewhat frightened by Mafuyu. Maybe she could sense Mafuyu’s true feelings. That'd seem more like a superpower rather than something real.
……
Real?
What was real?
Ever since that moment when they had found the Sekai, Mafuyu had admitted to Kanade of her true feelings. Her feelings of wanting to disappear forever. Her incapability to feel rendered herself to feeling inhuman. Like a marionette moved by strings. Mafuyu felt that she was a doll, trapped by the clutches of her mother. She acted like a saint, a proclaimed, “ good girl. “ by those who hadn’t known of her true self. All of them had issues with themselves, feelings of being different, feelings of guilt without purpose, and feelings of not being good enough. Mafuyu felt nothing, or rather didn’t know what she was feeling, She could never pin point those exact feelings until Kanade. Kanade’s love, her warmth, her care.
The two side by side on the rooftops of Mikudemy, sitting on the sides of a bench in silence. Mafuyu set her lunchbox to the side, watching as Kanade ate. She ate in an awkward position. Her legs resting against her chest, clutching her Cupnoodles while using her other hand to steer her noodles around with her chopsticks. It was funny to watch. Every so often, Kanade would look up to meet Mafuyu’s gaze. Her cheeks would flush up in embarrassment. She would turn away slightly, only to come back to the same position she was in before.
“ Are you going to keep staring? “ Kanade sighed, setting her empty cup beside her as she turned to face Mafuyu.
“ I’m done. “ Mafuyu blinked back at her. She couldn’t tell how she was feeling at that moment, but it felt nice. She didn’t feel like she had to say much more to Kanade other than the truth.
“ That doesn’t answer my question. “ Mafuyu watched as Kanade shuffled closer to her, resting her head on her shoulder.
Was anyone watching?
That didn’t matter.
“ I like watching you eat. I wish you would’ve eaten something healthier though. “ Mafuyu leaned her head against Kanade’s.
“ I couldn’t figure out what else to make… It was the easiest thing I could think of. “ She felt Kanade rest her hand on top of hers. Mafuyu turned her hand around to grab Kanade’s, intertwining their fingers together.
“ It’s not healthy to eat Cup Noodles every day, Kanade. It’s very high in sodium, even if it's convenient to make, you should still be careful… You should also start sleeping more. With all the schoolwork we’ll get soon, your sleeping schedule isn’t suited for it… You should also start- “
“ Mafuyu… If even you’re worried about me and my habits, I should really change them, huh? “ Kanade laughed. It sounded like a melody composed by the most blessed of people, it rang in Mafuyu’s ears. She couldn’t help but laugh as well. Whenever she was with Kanade, she always could tell what she was feeling. The familiar butterfly-like feeling in her stomach, the warmth in her chest. It was love.
“ How could I not be worried? I love you, Kanade. “ She whispered. She felt the warmth move itself up to her face, stinging her skin like a bee. She watched as Kanade’s face flushed up, just as it always did. She came closer. Mafuyu felt Kanade’s hands rest on her cheeks as she pulled her face closer, her warm breath against her lips. She felt Kanade’s soft lips rested against her own. Everything seemed to crumble apart, every small thing felt beautiful. Mafuyu shut her eyes, leaning into Kanade’s touch. She could feel her tears begin to drip from her eyes, a soft feeling digging itself into the depths of her heart.
She had never felt so warm.
“ Oh my- You can smile! “
Mafuyu pulled away, she felt like a deer in headlights. Everything she had built up to this moment was ruined… But did her good-girl persona even matter at this point? With Kanade she-
“ Emu? “
Emu?
“ It’ll be our secret! I won’t tell anyone. “ Emu grinned back at them, resting her hands on her hips. She felt bright, too bright. Mafuyu watched as Emu ran away, laughing.
“ Wah-Hah-Hah-Hah! “
“ I’m sorry… I should’ve been more careful.. “ Mafuyu began, her body felt numb, stiff, and cold. “ I ruined- “
Mafuyu looked up from her hands. Kanade’s melody-like laugh began to dance its way back into her ears. She felt Kanade’s hands rest back on her cheeks, gently stroking her skin. She stared into Kanade’s pale blue eyes. She felt captivated, stuck. She was stuck.
Struck by love.
“ I love you too, Mafuyu. “