Chapter Text
At this point, Kanade more or less thought that she was kinda dating Mafuyu.
They had never actually asked each other out or verbally established their relationship status. Rather, it was a fluid process which started when Mafuyu moved in with her. Over the several months that had passed since then, the two had consistently grown closer, in no small part because they comprised the vast majority of one another’s in-person human interaction. They ate, went on errands, and worked on songs together, day in and day out.
Ena and Mizuki had begun to tease the two, being more perceptive of their feelings than their own selves. More than once, Ena had told Kanade that she should make it official. Kanade consistently rejected such a notion, but was caught off guard when Mafuyu’s response to the teasing abruptly transitioned from mild annoyance to permissive indifference.
And then, when the fact the two shared a bed came up during a conversation in the SEKAI, it was like tossing a propane can on a bonfire. Mizuki nearly passed out upon hearing that and insisted there was no way the two had a fully platonic relationship when keeping such a thing in mind.
Kanade had, through her flusteredness, desperately tried to defend herself, pointing out it was for practical reasons—it was the only viable arrangement she could think of when she first took Mafuyu in, and it saved Honami the effort of making two beds. Besides, she argued, they kept to their own sides—there was no funny business.
Indeed, that was the truth. Once it became apparent Mafuyu would be staying there for an indefinite period of time, the two developed some unspoken rules in order to respect each other. One of those was that they wouldn’t cuddle or get too close, something Mafuyu didn’t hesitate to enforce. There was one time when Kanade semi-consciously rolled over too far and bumped into Mafuyu, only to be told off and pushed back onto her side.
All in all, Kanade felt like she was in limbo. She didn’t fully understand her relationship with Mafuyu, but… she knew she wanted to get closer. Yet, she was scared of being closer. After all, Kanade didn’t want to bring Mafuyu into the curse she had brought upon herself any more than she already had.
“…Right, I’ll have a demo ready for you all to listen to by tomorrow.”
“Looking forward to it~! Night, K!” Click.
“I’ll keep working on the art, good night!” Click.
Click. Kanade took off her headphones and cracked her neck before looking over at Mafuyu.
“…Ready to go to bed?”
“Yeah.”
Following the lyricist, Kanade watched Mafuyu get in bed before lying down herself. As she got settled and stretched, her hand accidentally bumped into Mafuyu’s arm.
“Ah!” She quickly retracted her hand and moved over to the edge of the bed. “Sorry…”
“For what? You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Eh? But I got too close and touched you…”
“…That’s fine.”
“O-okay…” Kanade pulled the covers up to her nose, still somewhat nervous. “…Sorry, you just… got upset the last time I did that, and I don’t want to violate your personal space…”
“…Oh.” Did I get upset at her for something like that? I don’t remember at all. “Well, it’s fine. Sleep well, Kanade.”
“N-night…” Kanade pulled the blanket up to her nose and soon succumbed to her exhaustion. However, Mafuyu remained wide awake.
Did something really happen like that? She seems so concerned for my comfort, but I don’t want her to have to be uncomfortable around me.
Mafuyu turned to look at Kanade, her brow furrowing. Ah… come to think of it, there is a lot I do not remember. There are so many holes in my memory… I hope I still remember everything important.
…Except, every moment with you is important.