Work Text:
Alright Kanemura Miku , today you have to do it, come on, you have to pull this off.
Kanemura Miku pushed open the door, inside the waiting room was just one girl, silently reading a book, Kosaka Nao, her genmate. Kanemura quietly approached the table, pulled a chair and sat in front of her without saying a word.
Two girls sat face to face, one silently reading, the other fidgeting, clearly wanting to speak but unable to get the words out of her throat. The room was awkwardly quiet, only has the sound of pages turning. After a while, the brown-haired girl spoke first, eyes still not leaving her book.
- Is there something wrong?
- Eh? W-Why do you ask that?
- You’ve been staring at me for 15 minutes. Is there something you want to ask?
Busted. Kanemura stammered.
- Uh, well… I-I was wondering if you're f-free this weekend? Maybe we could go out somewhere? I-It’s been a while since the two of us hung out...
Kosaka lowered her book, her brown eyes looking straight at Kanemura, which made her shiver. Before Kosaka could reply, Kanemura kept going.
- A-And you said at the beginning of the year your New Year’s resolution was “to go out more” right? S-So I thought...
- ...
- B-But if you're busy, then just forget it-
- Sure.
Kanemura froze. She didn’t expect the brown-haired girl to agree so easily. It caught her so off guard she had to ask again to double-check.
- R-Really? You’ll actually go out with me?
- But weekends would be crowded. How about Friday?
Friday… Isn’t that Valentine’s Day? The day when couples go out together... Going out with Nao-chan on Valentine’s… just the two of us … Nao-chan… Valentine’s… couple… date...
Kanemura gulped, her cheeks burned. But Kosaka’s question snapped her back to reality.
- Are you busy that day?
- NO! TOTALLY FREE!
- Then where do you want to go?
- H-How about Disneyland?
Kosaka was a bit surprised at the suggestion but gave a small nod.
That whole day, the other members and staffs couldn’t figure out why Kanemura kept grinning weirdly to herself during the recording.
Friday came, Kanemura was too excited for the date so she ended up arriving early. While waiting, she kept feeling nervous, her mind immersed in thoughts like “I wonder what Nao-chan will wear for today?” or “What does she usually wear on outings?” Since Kosaka always wore black for work, today Kanemura also chose a black outfit, hoping to match.
- Have you been waiting long, Miku?
A soft voice and a familiar faint scent of lavender perfume pulled her back from the messy thoughts. She turned toward the voice and saw the pretty face she had been dying to see. Even though it was during the freezing cold winter, the source of voice made her cheeks flush hot, she tried to cover herself by talking nonstop.
- N-Not at all! I also just got here! Let’s go inside! L-Look, we even dressed kind of alike today… black and white, it’s like we’re a pair, haha…
Kanemura didn’t notice her random comment made the girl behind her blush as she grabbed her hand and tugged her toward the gate.
At the entrance, they both bought Mickey Mouse ear headbands, Kosaka wore black, Kanemura took white (because Kanemura insisted they had to wear them to feel like they were really out having fun, and Kosaka was too lazy to argue).
After that, Kanemura led her to a big building that made Kosaka blink in surprise.
- You want to start from here?
- Of course! You have to go to the haunted house at a theme park!
Yes, they were standing in front of the haunted mansion. The black-haired girl brought Kosaka there hoping to see her scared face, since she had never seen anything could ever seemed to scare Kosaka, not even bugs nor reptiles. But reality wasn’t even a bit close to her expectation. The ghosts and effects in there were ACTUALLY TERRIFYING. Every jumpscare made Kanemura jump off the floor and cling tight to the other girl’s arm. Her perfect plan was completely blown out of her mind, she squeezed her eyes shut and buried her face in the shoulder of Kosaka. The girl next to her didn’t say anything, just let her cling all she wanted.
When they finally exited, it took Kanemura a moment to recover, still clutching Kosaka’s sleeve. Until she realized, she quickly let go and stuttered, “S-Sorry, I was the one who invited you and yet I…"
She looked at Kosaka, expecting the person standing in front of her to laugh at her for being such a coward, but instead, the girl with brown eyes just smiled gently at her and said, "It’s okay." Which only made Kanemura even more embarrassed, not because she screamed her lungs off in the mansion, but because Kosaka was too kind after everything just now.
Next, they went to Cinderella’s Castle in the park’s center. Unlike the earlier calmness, Kosaka now looked like a kid visiting a theme park for the first time, her eyes wide and sparkling as she ran ahead, completely impressed by the displays inside the giant castle. They walked side-by-side in silence, until Kosaka stopped to gaze out a window. Kanemura halted behind her, about to ask what was wrong, the words immediately stuck in her throat. Kosaka in front of her eyes, head tilted slightly, eyes sparkling in the sunlight streaming through the glass, looked almost unreal, like a princess walked out from a fairy tale.
Kanemura’s heart pounded intensely, as if it could jump of her chest, she unconsciously whispered.
- So pretty...
Wait no! It was not that normally Nao-chan wasn’t pretty. She was, always. But today, she was extremely pretty, much more than usual.
Kosaka turned, seeing Kanemura standing there dumbfounded.
- Are you okay?
- A-Ah! I-I’m fine! I was just thinking, should we take some pictures together…?
Kosaka giggled softly and nodded toward her genmate. "Sure, let’s take a few."
Kanemura held up her camera, adjusting the angle to fit them both in the frame, when suddenly Kosaka leaned in so close their shoulders touched. Too close. Kanemura’s brain blanked. Her heart pounded so loud, she herself could hear it and she was hoping Kosaka wouldn’t notice it. With a trembling finger, she hit the shutter.
Click.
Click.
Click.
- Hey, aren’t you taking way too many photos!?
- O-Oh! Uh, I-I was just scared some might come out blurry so-"
Grrr ~
A loud grumble sound cut her off, but it wasn’t from herself. She looked over. Kosaka had turned away, the ears burning red peaked out from the smooth brown hair. Kanemura snorted with laughter.
- Should we go grab some food for lunch?
- ...
Kosaka didn’t reply and just walked ahead. Kanemura scurried to catch up.
- Sorryyy! I didn’t mean to laugh, don’t be mad~
- You’re paying.
- Okay, okay! Whatever Nao-chan wants, I’ll buy it all!
Kosaka took her up on that. She really ordered half the menu and practically emptied Kanemura’s wallet. The taller girl stood by, mourning over her poor wallet being deflated.
They ate by the lakeside. Kosaka enjoyed the view while eating, but for Kanemura, her view was the girl beside her. Kosaka’s eyes were like black holes, pulling Kanemura’s whole soul into them. She stared for so long her ice cream melted without noticing.
- Your ice cream is melting.
As she heard the voice of the brown-haired girl, Kanemura blinked, looked down, and frantically slurped it up, not noticing she got some on her face.
Suddenly, Kosaka turned toward her. Kanemura jumped at the eye contact, before she could say anything, a warmth feeling was felt on her cheek. Kosaka’s thumb gently wiped the corner of the black-haired girl’s mouth. Kanemura squeezed her eyes shut, heart wanting to pound of her chest, half-expecting something to happen.
Until Kosaka pulled her hand back.
- You had ice cream on your face.
Kanemura opened her eyes, seeing Kosaka was licking the ice-cream on her thumb.
She nearly exploded, just wanting to jump into the lake to cool off, completely missing the amused smirk at the corner of Kosaka’s lips because of her reaction.
After lunch, they just wandered around, sightseeing and taking pictures. During the time, Kanemura had accidentally took a lot of photos of the girl with the black-eared headband. Even though they were genmates, they rarely talked together alone, maybe because they have different interests, different vibes. The fact that Kosaka agreed to go out today was totally unexpected. Kanemura wanted to use this chance to grow closer. But most of the day, they didn’t talk to each other much, more like, it was just her rambling while Kosaka silently nodded along. As the time passed, Kanemura started wondering if she had made Kosaka feel uncomfortable.
But the negative thoughts immediately vanished the moment Kosaka gently pulled her hand and drew a smile which made her heart melt.
- Miku, look, the sunset is so beautiful!
- Yeah, so beautiful.
But Kosaka probably didn’t realize, that compliment wasn’t for the sky.
Kanemura felt like time flew too fast today, she wished it would slow down, just a little, so that she could be with the person she likes for a bit longer. She didn’t want to miss her chance again.
- Thanks for saying yes to today. I had so much fun! I really didn’t think you’d come to a place like this.
- I had fun too.
Kosaka’s eyes still stayed on the reddish-orange horizon. She whispered the rest in a very small voice so only the girl beside her couldn’t hear, "Maybe it’s because it was with Miku..."
- Should we go again next time? Maybe with the other members too?
- No.
- W-Why? You don’t like this place?
- It’s not that. I just want to go with you.
- Eh? What do you mean?
Kosaka let out a big sighed. She just wanted to bonk on this dumb girl on the head. Did she really still not get it? Did herself have to say it out loud?
- I don’t really like crowded places. But because it was with Miku, I enjoyed it a lot. But only because it was with you, Miku.
Kanemura stood there, stunned. It took her a while to process. Her face turned red like the sunset.
- Y-You mean...
- Yes, that is what I mean.
- B-Because you like me!?
- Why do you think I said yes to one of the most popular dating spots?
- I-I like you too!
- ...
When Kanemura realized, the confession had already been said, before she could excuse anything, she got cut off again.
- Do you know the rumor of if there are two people kiss at Disneyland, they become a couple?
Of course, the person who asked the question didn’t wait for a response, just staring at Kanemura, slowly stepping closer. Kanemura instinctively stepped back. One approached, the other retreated, until her back hit something behind her. She had no idea what to do, so once again. she shut her eyes.
Warm, soft lips pressed against her flushed cheek. The faint scent of lavender perfume from Kosaka wafted into her nose, making her knees almost give out.
A low husky voice whispered in her ear, "This is the second time today. If you want something to happen, next time, instead of standing still with your eyes closed… why don’t you try making the first move?"
Kanemura’s eyes opened wide, didn’t believe in what she just heard, immediately hid her face behind her hands. "That’s not fair. Nao-chan is bullying me..."
The brown-haired girl giggled, gently pulling Kanemura’s hands away and lacing her fingers with the hand turned pink from embarassment, "That’s your punishment for not realizing my feelings all day."
On the way home, they still held hands. Kanemura kept glancing at their interlaced fingers with a dumb smile. Like just now, they still didn’t talk much, but now, the silence was different, much more comfortable, the tension was gone, maybe because their feelings had finally reached each other.
- By the way, those sneaky pictures you took of me today...
- Y-You noticed!?
- You’re the only one allowed to keep them. If you post them, don’t blame me for what I’ll do.
- Y-Yes, ma’am...