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It has been 3 months since the summer event concluded. Everyone returned to their usual routines, as well as the Spook Shack. Though it is not the same for Alice since she is new to this, every day goes by with Yuzuha’s teasing. It never stops and never will. It's kind of annoying, but Alice finds endearing adorableness in that playfulness. Since the weekend is near, she wants to spend some time learning more about the fun things Yuzuha has experienced, also to improve her courage at some point. So she decided to hang out with Yuzuha.
Alice peeks into Yuzuha’s room. Seeing so many asymmetrical things that she can’t tolerate, the first thing Alice needs to do before stepping into Yuzuha’s room is to controll herself not to fix anything. It is Yuzuha’s room; she can’t touch her personal space. One more thing, “Where is Yuzuha?” Alice thinks. She continues glancing through the door until she eventually opens it, stepping inside to find Kama is the only one here. Alice has texted Yuzuha before she came here, and she said she was home, inside her room, so where is she?
“Kama, do you know where is Yuzu-”
“Boo!” Coming from behind, Yuzuha slides to the side and scares Alice off.
“AHHHHHHH!” Alice screams and jolts instantly. Both of her ears and tail are straightened up, which is hilarious to Yuzuha, making her giggle mischievously. She calms herself down and turns to face Yuzuha with a pout, and her belt mood switches to an angry red face.
“Yuzuha, that wasn’t fun!” Alice points at Yuzuha. “If you continue doing this, I won’t…” Alice trails off. “Hm…” She ponders; she doesn’t know what Yuzuha is scared of.
“You won’t what, m’lady?” Yuzuha always has that mischievous grin on her face, and she leans closer, holding her hands up as if she is about to scare her again.
“Never mind.” Alice shakes her head dismissively. Her belt mood switches back to normal. She clears her voice before speaking up again.
“Have you prepared to leave yet, Yuzuha?” Alice asks with a programmed sentence just like in a grade 1 textbook. Though it is hilarious, Yuzuha also finds it adorable.
“Hehe~ Of course, m’lady, how could I not prepare for our very special and wonderful date!” Yuzuha chuckles playfully, testing if saying this as a “date” will fluster Alice. She grabs the backpack for Kama, which is on the nearby table. But Alice stops her.
“W-Wait…” Alice suddenly realises her actions and pulls her hand away. She smiles shyly and raises her hands in front of her chest.
“Can we not bring Kama?” Alice shrugs. “I mean, I want this to be our hangout with only us… without a third person…” Then she adds with a shy smile, “If only you are comfortable with it!”
Yuzuha widens her eyes for a brief moment before grinning again. “Are you accepting the fact that this hangout is a dateeeee?~” Yuzuha prolongs the syllable to emphasize her implication. But a slight blush can be seen if Alice pays attention to her face closely instead of shaking her head.
“What?! Obviously not!” Alice shrugs and denies. “I just wanted it to be a day where we can relax and learn more fun things!”. If she thinks it over, maybe it does sound like a date, with only two people.
“Hm…” With that, Alice’s face turns red without her acknowledging it. She feels a tingle inside her stomach like butterflies start forming and causing chaos. Her heart beat faster, making Alice feel like it was about to jump out of her body, and ready to accept to be conquered by Yuzuha. Her gaze descends to Yuzuha’s lip. Alice has read romantic novels. For her studies only, since she was weak in the romantic field and teased by her peers, who had already encountered countless dating, kissing guys, and maybe something unladylike she wouldn’t ever dare to think about. Lips are told to be soft and sweet, or different tastes depend on the person, as Alice has read in many novels. Yuzuha has a sweet scent, which is comforting, and it feels like Ylang-Ylang, the flower that represents unique beauty and resilience. Thinking about it, Alice wants to borrow her perfume someday to test it on herself. So Yuzuha’s lip might taste sweet. Why is she thinking about this? She is feeling weird, but it is refreshing and extraordinary. Perhaps, she really wants this to be a date.
“Daydreaming Miss bunny? Heeeellllooooo? Are you still with me? We’ll be late if you continue zoning out with that apple face of yours.” Yuzuha shouts loud enough to make Alice startle and come back to her senses.
“Ah! I’m sorry. However, Apples have other colors too…” Alice is such a nerd to Yuzuha. Okay, she’s a model student with great grades and stuff. But at least get the implication right. Maybe that’s something beloved about her.
“So YOU want to be a green apple! Alright, I won’t argue. We’ll have a green Thymefield that looks like she’s close to vomiting.” Yuzuha rolls her eyes with a frolicsome smile.
“That’s even more horrible than the red apple…” Alice sighs; her ears droop down. “Let’s get back to our main topic… Do you mind hanging out with me? Without Kama?” Alice smiles shyly and looks up at Yuzuha with her ears raise in hope that she will accept.
“Nope, not without Kama….” Yuzuha pauses and observes Alice’s folded ears, and her belt mood switches to a sad face. “… being taken care of by someone I trusted!”
Yuzuha’s grin widens when she sees Alice’s relieved sigh, and her belt mood switches to a smiling face. “Hehe~…”
After handing Kama to her father, Yuzuha turns to Alice and takes her hands into hers. “Let’s make this dateeee~ memorable!!” Yuzuha makes a run to the taxi with a chuckle.
“It’s not a date!” Alice corrects Yuzuha, blushing hard as she avoids the people’s gaze. Though she isn’t mad, she feels happy and contented when she knows she is supposed to be mad and shy. She has always felt a sense of warmth and relaxation when she is with Yuzuha, so she wants to spend time with Yuzuha alone. Only Yuzuha and her.
*Lumina Square at 5 p.m*
“As busy and vibrant as every day,” Yuzuha observes her surroundings with a grin and is so ready to start their date. But since they came here early, the movie they had planned to watch hasn’t close to starting yet, so they will wander and kill some time around this city.
“Since the movie won’t start soon! How about we head to Dew Gardening for a moment?” Alice glances over Yuzuha with a soft smile. Alice forgot to buy flowers on her way to Yuzuha’s house, so this is her chance. To gift Yuzuha something on their hangout or date.
“Ooh? That sounds… cool, m’lady.” Yuzuha grins and crinkles her eyes in mischief. “Are you going to propose to me with flowers? Hehe~” Having observed her movements, Yuzuha loves to gauge her reactions and watches those fluffy ears move, also her tail, if she can see that super duper adorable, bushy and tiny tail.
“H-Huh?!” Alice instantly goes red and looks at anything but Yuzuha. “It’s just a gift I wanted to give you on this… date.” Alice shouldn’t have said out loud that this is a date, but she did, which surprises Yuzuha. Making her rethink their relationship and this “hangout” of theirs.
“Never mind… Let’s head to the Dew Gardening!” Yuzuha shakes her head and grins slyly again to dismiss the strange feelings that start to grow inside her stomach and the heat gathering on her face.
After greeting Orchidea, they head into the flower shop with their interlaced fingers and only let go when they go looking around the shop. Though Yuzuha intends to buy a raccoon plush for Alice, some flowers might be a pretty good choice. People often search for the flowers' meaning when they give them to their loved ones, like giving out their impressions through flower language. Alice is a scaredy-cat, but when it comes to helping people in economic and knowledge, she is intelligent, determined, and studious, disciplined in her studies. And she is compliant and a sweetheart. She doesn’t fight for something even when she wants it, she thinks about others first. Born in a rich family, she must have elegance too. In conclusion, the flowers that will suit her should be orchids and clematis!
Yuzuha happily picks out some orchids and clematis, then turns around to find that Alice and Orchidea have already waited for her.
“Huh?? HUHHHH?! Why didn't any of you urge me to pick faster?!” Yuzuha exclaims and looks at the women in shock and disbelief, somewhat embarrassed because they might have watched her looking at a bunch of flowers for a while.
“Ah, my apologies. I thought I shouldn’t have disturbed you since you looked concentrated and…” cute, Alice was gonna say that, but she made up her mind. “… excited.” She smiles softly and giggles at the sight of a pouty Yuzuha.
“Let’s put that away for now. What flowers have you chosen for me, Yuzuha?” Alice looks at the flowers and knows their meaning. Orchids and Clematis both complement beauty, elegance. They also have their other separate symbolizations. Clematis stands for ingenuity and cleverness, while Orchids stand for luxury, strength, and… love. Every time Alice thinks about “love” in front of Yuzuha, she can’t prevent the heat from spreading on her face. It is unusual but not uncomfortable.
“Seriously, are you trying to copy my hair color, little bunny? Though I don’t mind it, having a red face to match my red hair and Manato’s red bang is quite interesting…” Yuzuha chuckles and leans closer, tilting her head to the side to tease Alice even more.
Alice shrugs and shakes her hands dismissively with a sheepish smile. “I can’t help it! It’s just… Never mind, we can put our flowers here so Miss Orchidea can look after them when we’re watching the movie! And when we’re done with our date! We can pick them here!”
Miss Orchidea only smiles softly and appreciates the banter between these two, thinking that this couple is quite like a fox and a rabbit, but they get along very well. And the flowers they pick for each other? Very amusing and considerate.
“Wait, I haven’t seen what flowers you pick for me yet!” Yuzuha frowns and pouts in mock frustration about Alice accidentally forgetting her. And slides around Alice and observes the flowers. Viola Philippica, Daisy, and Evolvulus. She looks at it for a while, trying to make out the symbolism of two out of three. She knows Daisy’s symbolization, but the other two? Nope.
Judging by the confusion on Yuzuha’s face and the shyness to even speak up on Alice’s face. Orchidea knows this is her time to speak up. “Viola Philippica.” She indulges the lightish purple flowers and their scent.
“It’s a symbol of healing, resilience, and purification. It also stands for renewal each year, blooming simply and modestly, yet carries unseen beauty.” Then she gestures to the pastel blue flowers. “
While Evolvulus is for peacefulness, optimism, and represents the strong will overcoming every difficulty in life.” She has a contented smile when she sees Alice’s face become a deeper shade of red. “As for Daisy-”
“Miss Orchidea, the movie will start soon, so we have to go! We’ll see you later!” Alice interrupts sheepishly and urgently grabs Yuzuha’s wrist to drag her out of the flower shop.
“Wait, Alice- Woooaaaaahhh, slow down!!”
After they made a run, actually, only Alice was dragging Yuzuha. They eventually settle in the little playground in New Eridu and catch their breath. Then Yuzuha lands her eyes on the kiddie ride, which has a design of a silly pink ice cream. She hasn’t had the chance to play it since childhood as an experiment, even after escaping that lab. Growing up, she was more mature, so playing those could have caused her to be teased by her peers, so she gave up the idea.
“Yuzuha?” Alice asks softly to snap Yuzuha out of her deep thought. She notices how Yuzuha’s gaze shows that she is feeling sad and a bit of longing.
“Alice… You must have tried these before, when you were a kid, right?” The sudden question from Yuzuha catches Alice off guard.
“Huh? I did.” Alice looks at the kiddie ride. The cherished and nostalgic memories flood through her mind, the old times when her parents were still around. But that doesn’t matter now since she has to make this date one of her memories. She is determined and, with renewed confidence, she asks Yuzuha.
“Do you want to ride one, Yuzuha? I won’t judge.” Alice turned to look at Yuzuha with a soft and reassuring smile.
Honestly, Yuzuha is shocked. She stares at Alice like she had just watched 2 horror movies straight without screaming or whining about how scary it was, it will be a kind of horrifying change. But she quickly has her iconic grin, but bigger, and it slowly turns to a devilish one, which makes Alice feel alarmed by it. “Hehe…”
“Since you’ve asked so nicely…” Yuzuha shrugs nonchalantly and puts her arm over Alice’s shoulder, pointing at the stupid-looking snail.
“How about we ride these together?” This causes Alice to instantly turn to face Yuzuha with a surprised, red-shaded face, and looks like she is going to refuse. “Or I will make your tail asymme-“
“I will do it…” There was reluctance in the sentence. It is difficult to make the tail symmetric, because it is behind Alice, and she has to ask Yuzuha if she has a sleepover with her, her friends, or her maids to brush it for her.
“I knew you would do it with me!” Yuzuha hugs Alice briefly, then lets go. She slides the coin inside the small machine and hops on the ice cream. Then watches Alice’s ears flop down in embarrassment as she gets on the silly green ride.
The two auto-kiddie rides start moving.
Whilst Yuzuha is having fun and shouting childishly. “Alice! I didn’t expect this to turn out super fun, did I? We should do this more often!” Yuzuha laughs loudly as she glances over and grins wickedly at the sight of an ashamed bunny with her ears and tail both drooping down further, and a covered face. Luckily, there aren’t any children around because it is pretty late, and they could have gone home earlier.
It is a 5-minute torture for Alice, but seeing Yuzuha happy after that makes her smile. “I suppose we visit this place often,” though she is blushing uncontrollably. Yuzuha’s smile has always been Alice’s top priority on this date. It sends butterflies to Alice’s stomach again this time; she isn’t complaining, she hopes this will last forever, so she can cherish and cosset it… Her emerald eyes are attractive, the symmetry is perfect. If those eyes were gems, Alice would sell her life to get them and. store them in a high-secured room. She wants to cup Yuzuha’s face and take a closer look at the gorgeous features. It is beautiful and mesmerizing, like green mycena, which brings a smile to Alice’s own face.
“Good afternoon, my beautiful princess. I hope you are having a good time holding my face like this.~” Yuzuha leans into the touch with a soft, mocking smile and startles Alice, causing her to snap her hands away as if she had been burned. She looks at Yuzuha with widened eyes and puts her hands on her own cheeks to feel the surprising heat on them. It seems like her cheeks are more similar to a microwave than Yuzuha’s.
“You know, I wouldn’t mind if you hold or even squeeze my cheeks.~ Your hands are adorable and soft as always.” Yuzuha grins and leans forward so Alice can hold her cheeks more comfortably. Waiting patiently for Alice to start moving instead of standing still like an electric pole on the street. “M’lady, if you continue standing there, I will send Kama to poke your side.~”
Alice’s gaze softens, flicking to Yuzuha’s lip before returning to her eyes. “But Kama isn’t here today…” She raises her hands and cups Yuzuha’s cheeks anyway, feeling the softness. She doesn’t dare to even squeeze them, let alone hurt them. However, those cheeks are just a distraction, not to let Alice dissolve into those mischievous and picturesque eyes, so she won’t accidentally lean in for a kiss without her acknowledgment.
Maybe she is deeply in love, so hard yet dearly, that she wants to make the smile shine for her only, to hold her close and feel her warmth, to let her know that, she wasn’t mad, or hostiled when her father sacrified himself to save Yuzuha back then, she felt proud, and happy to have a father like that, she should have thanked him, to give her a beloved Yuzuha right here. Just as she is leaning closer, her phone rings. It is her alarm; she set it so she wouldn’t get too engrossed in something and forget about the movie.
“Ah! It’s almost time for the movie!” Alice pulls away and turns off the alarm. “Let’s go, Yuzuha-” When Alice finally looks at Yuzuha. She doesn’t see Yuzuha; she saw a red-eyed tree frog with skin color and eyes, and feet swapped. At that moment, she realizes her earlier actions and matches with Yuzuha, then looks away shyly. She puts her hands behind her back and her body, as well as her tail, sways gently, too. Don’t forget about her mood belt; now has a pink-shaded, embarrassed face on it. Maybe their lips are so close at that moment, but only Yuzuha noticed.
“Haha…” Yuzuha chuckles, then it turns into laughing. She’s trying to save her face despite feeling embarrassed. She grabs Alice’s wrist and urges her to walk. “I didn’t know that my princess could be that bold! It was quite surprising.”
“I-I…” Alice stammers. “I didn’t notice I was doing that…” She looks down sheepishly. “Your eyes are so pretty, so I unintentionally stared at them…” Finally, gather enough courage to look up at Yuzuha as they begin walking to the cinema.
“You’re just jealous because they are symmetrical, unlike your ripe apple and almost ripe apple-colored eyes,” Yuzuha smirks in mock innocence and points at her wrinkled eyes with perfect symmetry. But she uses Alice’s attention on her eyes so she can entwine their fingers.
“What?! Absolutely not!” Alice startles slightly. “And why do you have to compare my eyes with apples!?” She pouts and frowns as she looks at Yuzuha. Her mood belt switches to an angry face.
“Because I love apples, and I was comparing my favourite things together.” Yuzuha winks and sticks her tongue out in a playful manner.
“Your eyes are absolutely appljestic, and I mean it very… much much much much much much.” She leans closer, grinning as Alice tries to keep a safe distance between their faces, closing her eyes in embarrassment.
“Thank you…” Though she is unsure about this, if it is from Yuzuha, it makes her feel flustered and good in some ways.
“Anyways, we’re inside the cinema soooo, let’s get our tickets!” Yuzuha pulls Alice toward the counter. “Two tickets for Haunted Rouge, please!” She pays for the tickets while Alice pays for the popcorn and sodas.
“Miss Astra Yao played in this movie, right?” Alice asks curiously, wondering if it will be terrifying when Miss Astra Yao is in this, outstanding with her beauty.
“Yep!” Yuzuha answers after taking a sip of her soda.
“I wonder if it’ll be scary. Miss Astra Yao’s beauty is outstanding, and her symmetry is magnificent. I hope she doesn’t outshine the female lead… I also want to see her acting; she’s good at almost everything, such an incredible individual in her field, and worth looking up!” Alice continues her chatter about how amazing Astra Yao is, which causes Yuzuha to feel like she is hearing the worst ghost story ever, making her frown and sulk at Alice for an absolutely ridiculous reason.
She’s jealous. Her heart stings painfully. It is worse than being injected with some weird liquids back in that lab. Perhaps mental pain is worse than physical pain this time, maybe it can cause her a heart attack, and shorten her life.
“I’ve listened to her video about how to improve your makeup-“
“You know, Alice,” Yuzuha interrupts, her face darkening, and it will be even worse if Alice mentions Astra Yao for a second today. “You said this is our date, then why did you start rambling about Miss Astra Yao, even though she isn’t here and doesn’t even matter right now?”
“But I never said that this is our-” Alice widens her eyes in surprise and pauses her talking, turning into shock when she sees the frustration in Yuzuha’s eyes. Did she overtalk? Did she ruin their almost-perfect so-called date?
“Doesn’t matter. It’s only us here now, right? Was it necessary to mention another person?” Yuzuha looks at Alice furiously, or is it mock furious? Then she takes Alice’s hands and brings them to her pouty face.
“You should talk about others within limited words. And talk about me more often! This is our date!” Yuzuha declares, loud enough for Alice to hear, quiet enough not to draw any unnecessary attention to them.
“Ah… O-Of course! I’ll talk about you more often in our… date!” Gotcha. Yuzuha successfully makes Alice accidentally confirm that this is their date. So she grins devilishly before gently holding Alice’s hand, bringing it to her mouth, and placing a kiss under her knuckle. Almost making Alice drop the popcorn, unfortunately, she had dropped her bottle of water before.
“Gotcha, princess. This is officially our date now~” She chuckles and pulls away. She kneels and grabs the bottle, then intertwines their fingers, pulls her toward the cinema room. While Alice hasn’t overcome the shocking situation; however, her mood belt still shows that she’s happy about this. Is it strange?
Settling on their seats, Yuzuha turns to whisper to Alice. “Hey, I’m sorry if my teasing caught you off guard earlier. Are you okay, m’lady? I’ll take you shopping later as an apology.” She feels guilty because Alice hasn’t responded to her yapping while they were walking to the movie room. She squeezes Alice’s hand gently with a worried face.
If Alice got to choose between being teased or getting affection from Yuzuha like this, she would choose both and get overwhelmed, so she would pass out (in Yuzuha’s arms). “I didn’t mind much… I was concerned that I had messed up our date…” She smiles reassuringly toward Yuzuha, hoping she’ll understand that. Maybe not.
“If I got mad at you, just slap me on the face, because I will never be mad at your cute, adorable, gorgeous face!” Yuzuha tenderly holds both of Alice’s hands and looks into her eyes with the surest face.
“Ah… I see…” Alice blushes slightly, but the more time Yuzuha stays in this position, the redder Alice’s face gets. Honestly, she feels warmth and embarrassment. They are in a room full of people, but the affection is intense.
“Also, let me remind you, little bunny. We’re about to watch a horror movie.” Saying that with the most innocent face ever is so Yuzuha. “You can stay close to me if you want~ I don’t mind it.”
“O-Okay…” Alice stammers, before the film even starts, she has already felt scared.
At the start of the movie, Alice’s grip increases intensively, and she starts trembling slightly, trying not to squeak with all her might. When the first jumpscare appears, Aliec jolts and pulls Yuzuha’s hand closer to her, and wraps both of her arms around Yuzuha’s instead of simply holding.
“I feel like I’ll be pulled more than one…” Yuzuha smiles concerningly, wishing for a peaceful time watching this instead of a theatre roller coaster experience. But seems like her wish can’t be true when Alice pulls her once again, making Yuzuha feel like she should stay in this position until the movie ends. During the chase scene, Alice tightens her hold on Yuzuha’s arm like she wants to break it, and she is able to do that…
“M’lady, if you’re scared… You can look away instead of trying to break my arm. I’ll tell you when it’s over.” Yuzuha speaks up to save the sake of her bones, although her back and arm bones surely won’t feel good after this. Hoping with a worried smile for her bones that she can make it through the whole movie.
“T-Thank you…” Alice trembles even when she’s turned away. The sound is made too vibrantly, which is good for Yuzuha, and Alice is the opposite. “Has it over yet?” She asks after a second.
“Not yet,” Yuzuha thinks of teasing Alice, but seeing her ears droop down and her tail twitch occasionally, she gives up the idea.
“Has it over yet?” She asks again after a few seconds.
“Not yet.”
“Has it over yet?...” Again.
“Not yet.”
“Has it over yet?“ Again!
“Not yet…” Yuzuha starts feeling annoyed now. This feels like they have been programmed to say these 2 sentences only, over and over, until this chasing scene finishes. But Yuzuha forgives Alice because of her cuteness during this state.
“Has it over-“
“My princess, you must wait until I tell you, not ask every 2 seconds. Or I’ll make you watch the scene.” Yuzuha snaps softly.
“Sorry…” Alice whispers quietly, feeling sorrowful because she’s such a scaredy cat and can’t make any progress in improving her courage. Her mood belt switches to a sad face.
That makes Yuzuha’s heart worse. She sighs softly, “Haiz… It’s okay, it takes a lot of time to get used to this. And I’m not mad.” Yuzuha tries to sit up despite being held by Alice.
“Even if I was mad, I won’t stay mad too long.” She cups Alice’s cheek with her free hand, rubbing it gently to soothe the anxiety or fear away, and the tear has been there for who knows when.
Then she grins slyly, “Woah hey, your tears look pretty just like your face, maybe I should let you cry.” She snickers silently and watches Alice pout.
“You always joke when things get emotional!” She whispers accusingly, although it sounds more tenderly. But she can’t help a cackling escape through her mouth, and unconsciously melts into the touch on her cheek.
Looks like the people sitting near them, not only getting to watch a horror movie but also relishing a live-action romantic film.
“Alright, little bunny, the chasing scene has long ended, we’re missing a lot of scenes here…” Yuzuha pulls away and sits back on her seat more comfortably because Alice has loosened her hold on her arms.
“We can always watch again…” Alice whispers shyly as they turn back to the show.
“Pfff… I bet you’re just making excuses to hold my arms like this again.” Yuzuha teases and tries to hold back a laugh since they have been making too much noise, and probably caused some annoyance for others.
“Maybe I do…” Alice mumbles to herself. Yuzuha’s arm is quite satisfying and heartening to hold; she craves to do this again. Not to mention, Yuzuha probably does carry stuff as her part-time job almost every day, so she can possibly have abs… Thinking about this creates some unladylike thoughts inside Alice’s head.
“Did you say something, milady? I didn’t catch that” Yuzuha glances at Alice briefly before going back to the movie. Honestly, she has to make the most of the show since they have flirted 1/3 of it already.
“Nothing… Let’s focus on the movie now…” Alice murmurs and smiles awkwardly.
Throughout the film, Alice repeats her motions: Getting too scared, so she holds Yuzuha tightly while shaking, and repeats. Why is this so coded? Did someone insert some temporary codes into Alice? Yuzuha ponders, while still concentrating on the show.
*After the movie, it’s 8 p.m*
“How was the movie?! Pretty good, right?!” Yuzuha chuckles devilishly at the still-shivering bunny. “Honestly, I should tell you to look at one of the jumpscares so everyone could hear your scream.”
“Yuzuha!” Alice cries out. “Stop teasing me in public...” She wipes a tear from her sobbing after a jumpscare scene in the movie.
“Fine, fine, I will, I will.” Yuzuha rolls her eyes and links their arms together. “But you can’t deny that the movie is amazing!” They start walking toward the coffee shop
“Indeed, Miss Astra Yao- Ah… the actors and actresses did a very good job. It was super scary…” Alice sighs softly. She feels refreshed and calm out here, and being close to Yuzuha helps, too.
On the rooftop of the café shop do Alice and Yuzuha relax. A black coffee with no sugar, no cream, extra sweet for Yuzuha, while Alice prefers pure black coffee.
“Alice, what did you order? Oh? Black coffee? Did you ask for extra sweet or…?” Yuzuha takes a guess, honestly, Alice doesn’t look like a type of person who would call extra for a drink.
“I just ordered a pure black coffee.” As expected
“Like… the very very bitter coffee?!” Yuzuha exclaims, not so shocked. Suddenly, she has an idea. “How about this! You try my coffee, while I try yours!” With a grin, she grabs Alice’s coffee when she has accepted and takes a sip, only for her to turn away and attempt not to spill the coffee out. Too bitter.
On the other hand, Alice endeavors not to choke on the sweet coffee. Her face darkens, her ears fold down on her head, while her tail sways like a helicopter. Too sweet. She has suffered through 3 types of torture today.
Then they both glance at one another, their gazes meet, then their chuckles harmonize, creating a soothing and tender atmosphere. Their face turns slightly red, their hearts beat faster, their laughter becomes louder. Honestly, the time feels slower than usual when moments like this arise. Only they with the night, only their voices suppress the sound of their heartbeats. To them, a moment to forget the past, a time to treasure the present, and a memory to lighten the future.
The breeze sweeps by, causing the bunny to shiver and hug herself, but it seems like their laughter slowly warms them up against the breezy night. Unexpectedly, Yuzuha stands up and takes off her coat, then wraps it around Alice.
“Here ya go, frozen bunny!” Her giggles continue, “Your shivering is so adorable. But you don’t need to worry about me!” She puts a hand on her chest proudly. “I’ve been laughing for minutes straight, so my body is warm enough for- Achoo!” She sneezes, triggering Alice’s laughter again.
“Seems like your body is against your will to stay cool, huh?” She can’t help but giggle even more as she stands up and wraps Yuzuha’s coat around them.
“Oh hey! It’s quite crowded in here!” Yuzuha laughs and wraps the coat over her shoulder while snuggling closer to Alice.
“Yuzuha!” Alice also giggles. “We should finish our coffee and head back to Waifu Peninsula.” She grabs her coffee as Yuzuha slips out of the coat.
“And have a sleepover! I can’t let my precious bunny over here walk alone in a cold street with the possibility that a ghost will appear…” Yuzuha whispers in the last four words and raises her hands to scare Alice, causing her to squeak and pout at her.
After paying Master Tin, they head to Dew Gardening to grab their flowers while both of them are wrapped in Yuzuha’s coat. Because Alice insisted on that, Yuzuha had no choice.
The taxi ride was peaceful. They just chatted about makeup and things they would do in a sleepover. It took almost an hour to get back to Failume Heights. On their way back to Mystic Wares.
“Sooo, how was the date?” Yuzuha grins and leans closer to Alice. She is curious yet afraid. Even when the date is a success, that doesn’t mean a confession will.
“It was fantastic. Everything was perfect, from the movie… to the person…” Alice whispers the last 3 words; she is unsure if this is the right time to say it.
“Ah… I see, then we should make this an occasion! And go more often.” Yuzuha’s voice has a slight tremble. Is this because of the breezy night? Or is it because she is afraid? Maybe she is afraid, the fear of how the future will turn out if she confesses. Will they still be friends? Or not? The present is already enough; she should treasure it, and shouldn’t risk some small steps in their relationship.
Alice hums approvingly, “I agree with you, maybe some changes aren’t that bad after all…”
As they arrive at Mystic Wares, “Home sweet home!” Yuzuha exclaims and stretches her arms before stepping forward. “Let’s head in, m’lady~” She turns around, then bows, winks, and offers a hand to Alice. “May I?”
She earns a giggle from Alice. “Of course.” But she hasn’t taken Yuzuha’s hand yet. “But will you be mad if I ask you a question?...” Her mood belt switches to a shy face. She wraps Yuzuha’s coat closer to herself and averts eye contact as if to gather her courage.
“Huh? Of course~ what could mayhap cause the princess to be so shy out of the blue?!” Yuzuha chuckles, leans closer teasingly, and tilts her head to the side curiously. Her heart unexpectedly beat faster.
“W-Will you be- Will you…” Alice starts stammering; she’s too nervous. This is bad. Awfully bad.
“M’lady, if you keep stuttering, we might be frozen to death outside!” Yuzuha laughs, but she gets interrupted. When Alice grabs both sides of her shirt, near the neck, and pulls her closer. A kiss, a quick one, a peck perhaps. Catching Yuzuha off guard. When they pull away, Alice’s face is as red as Yuzuha's, but the shock on Yuzuha’s face is more visible.
“Will you be my girlfriend?” Alice exclaims, maybe a bit too loudly. Luckily, it is late at night, so few people are around. “I’ve been feeling weird, strange for some weeks now. I can’t sleep without thinking about you. I always smile unconsciously whenever my head is full of your grinning face. I can’t think straight with you being too close to me. My heart always, ALWAYS beats faster when you’re near.” Alice pours out her emotions in one go, and pants heavily as she looks at Yuzuha.
The shock is visible; it makes Alice feel nervous, scared that she has ruined their friendship, and this date at the very end. “Yuzuha’s probably thinking I’m a freak now...” Alice thinks as she looks away. “You don’t need to answer…” She starts to sob despite her efforts to hold it back, her ears droop down and her tail twitches intensively. “I-It was my problem… I shouldn’t have-…”
Yuzuha, without warning, pulls Alice closer and throws her coat over their head. She kisses Alice with all her heart, a passionate yet gentle kiss. She can’t express her feelings in words, so she does it by actions. The happiness overflows in her blood veins. Every minute, seconds seem to be frozen as they give all into the kiss. It is all they need at the moment. Maybe the night isn’t that cold. Until they are breathless, they break the kiss. Both are panting heavily, both gazes are loving and caring, both faces are flustered. Then they burst out laughing as Yuzuha slides out of the coat after wiping the tears away.
“Hmmmm. I must admit! My little bunny was brave tonight! You confessed before me!” Yuzuha puts a finger on her chin as if she is in deep thought.
“W-Wait what?!” Alice is surprised; she pulls the coat to her shoulder and takes a step closer. “You were going to confess?!” Her face burns bright red.
“What made you hesitate?” She is curious because she thinks Yuzuha is braver than her, and she is a scaredy-cat.
“Uhm…” Yuzuha shrugs and looks away nervously. “We should head inside first… I’m a bit cold now!” With that, she takes Alice’s hand and pulls her into her workshop.
After greeting her father, she heads to her room, hands in hands with a roasted bunny. They settle in Yuzuha’s room, a soft click on the door. Alice sits on the bed before Yuzuha lets herself fall onto the soft fabric. She turns to the side, her back facing Alice.
“About your question…” Yuzuha sighs heavily. “I was afraid of the future, I was scared that you might’ve rejected me.” Yuzuha slowly feels the heat begin to gather on her face. This is quite embarrassing.
“Maybe I was the scared one, afraid of what the future would give to me. I don’t even have a dream, while you… are like a diamond, already set up goals and stuff. I was full of random pranks and teasing, honestly, I adore you at that.”
“Yuzuha…” Alice feels empathetic. She gets above Yuzuha and hugs her. “That doesn’t sound like you! You’re always free and enjoy without worrying about the future. That’s what makes you special. We’re different… We all have our own hobbies and dreams. Just you, being yourself, has already been admirable and dear to me, Yuzuha… I love you just being your own free self. Like a leaf lets itself fly with the wind without anything to care about.”
She is moved. Honestly, Yuzuha doesn’t think that Alice can be this understanding and caring. She can’t prevent the tears from forming, so she cries into Alice’s shoulder.
Although the position is unique and neither of them has noticed it yet. Only you, the reader, notices. And me, too. Ehe.
After a short while, Alice hears the sobbing has slowly died down.
“You know that I haven’t answered your confession yet, right?” Yuzuha chuckles and wipes the tears away.
“Huh? Yuzuha! You shouldn’t ruin the moment like that!” Despite the soft scolding, Alice can’t help the giggle. “But… I do want to hear the answer from you…” She leans in closer with her ears perked up while her tail swings left and right, then up and down uncontrollably.
“Heh… Feeling bold today, aren’t we?” Yuzuha grins mischievously before leaning up to peck Alice’s lip, then pulling away. “I WANT TO BE YOUR GIRLFRIEND!” She screams, causing Alice to convulse, her ears and tail straighten for a brief moment.
“Yuzuha! Not too loud.” She instantly covers Yuzuha’s mouth clumsily. Hoping that no one hears that.
The giggle vibrates her hands, Alice narrows her eyes in awkwardness, her face is bright red. Their relationship is endearing in every way possible. Every surprise is welcomed; maybe they can deal with it or acclimate to it. Alice pulls her hands away and leans down; they share their last gentle kiss of the night before the slumber.
As long as they are together, every night is one to remember across the four seasons.