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At heart, Ena is a hopeless romantic. Not that she’d ever admit it. If asked point blank, she would surely deny with all her might, huffing and puffing in indignation. No one knows about the romance manga she used to consume religiously in middle school, or about her tendency to cry and blow her nose in a tissue while watching romantic movies and dramas. Sometimes, even TV commercials get her.
One month ago, she and Mizuki have officially started dating. Mizuki is now her girlfriend, as well as best friend, and it is all still novel and magical and unbelievable. Everything has been perfect, so far; they were already so close and in tune with each other that taking that extra step has not hindered their bond nor made things awkward between them. They’re the same as they always have been, except now they hold hands constantly as they walk around the mall, and share little parting kisses when they go back to their own place. It’s all quite wonderful and Ena couldn’t be happier. Except for the fact that their one-month anniversary is tomorrow, and Mizuki hasn’t mentioned it. At all.
So, Ena has decided to take matters into her own hands.
She bangs on her brother’s bedroom door, making sure to be loud enough that he’ll get annoyed and won't ignore her like he always does.
“What?” He snaps as he opens the door, glaring down at her. Ena still thinks it should be illegal for younger siblings to grow up to be taller than you.
“Do you think Mizuki is going to school tomorrow?”
“Huh?” Akito looks confused and annoyed in equal measure. “She’s your girlfriend, ask her yourself. Bye.” He makes to slam the door in her face, but Ena had predicted this and quickly pushes against it with both her hands.
“Just ask Touya if you don’t know,” she grumbles. In all fairness, Akito has a point. She should just ask Mizuki. But if she did, she knows her annoyingly quick-witted girlfriend would immediately know it’s about their anniversary, and Ena wants to surprise her. Even though Mizuki has truly been quiet on the whole anniversary front.
“You’re such a pain,” Akito mumbles under his breath, but still diligently fishes his phone out of his pocket and texts Touya. The answer is almost immediate, and Ena wonders if her brother’s so-called “partner” spends his days waiting for Akito to text him.
“They have some kind of important test and she’s missed the previous one for that class, so Touya thinks she’s gonna go.” Akito pockets his phone and looks at Ena with that expression that always makes Ena want to strangle him.
“If that’ll be all,” he says flatly, and closes the door in her face before she can even thank him. Not that she was going to when he was being so irritating about the whole thing.
Well, at least Ena has her answer. Her plan already in motion, she calls Airi.
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Mizuki is bored. So bored she could cry. The test was easy, painfully easy, and she keeps wondering why attendance is mandatory when the curriculum isn’t even that challenging. She suffers through the last period, head on the desk as she ignores the pointed looks some of her classmates think are being sneaky in casting her way. They always act like that when shows up. They had kind of stopped when she had started attending a bit more regularly at the beginning of the year, but then that whole thing with Ena on the roof had happened and Mizuki had started skipping again. So now, whenever she shows up, she’s under even more scrutiny than before that wretched school festival. The bell rings, and she bids Touya goodbye as she gathers her books and stuffs them in her backpack.
Her phone chimes. It’s from Rui, and he’s asking her to meet him on the rooftop. Mizuki frowns at the screen. She’s about to ask him why or what’s wrong, before she remembers it’s Rui, and he never makes sense and yet always has a good reason.
Grabbing some juice, be there in ten 🧃
She zips her backpack closed and wanders the hallways looking for a vending machine. The weather has been hot and stuffy, and she needs some sugar. Sipping on her orange juice, she heads to the stairs and climbs them eagerly. Honestly, she kind of wants Rui to be quick about whatever he needs her for; today is hers and Ena’s one-month anniversary, and while she has been careful in not mentioning it in fear Ena would get all embarrassed and snappy about it, Mizuki still wants to celebrate it, in some form or another. She was thinking of waiting for Ena by the school gates, kiss her a little before her evening classes just to see her blush and hiss at her that they’re near the school.
Mizuki pushes the doors open.
“Sup?” She greets, but the word dies on her lips. On the roof is checkered pink and white blanket, onto which she can see two identical bentos, neatly wrapped, two thermoses, and a small carboard box with the logo of her favorite local bakery. Standing in front of the blanket is Ena, in her school uniform, a small bouquet of wild flowers in her hands. Her face is bright red, and she looks a little unsure of herself – her gaze keeps darting left and right, as though she can’t look at Mizuki for more than a split second at a time.
“What-” Mizuki can’t even finish her sentence. Her mouth is dry, her heart feels so full she’s scared it’s going to explode.
“You forgot our one-month anniversary so I had to do everything myself,” Ena grumbles, taking a few quick steps and roughly handing Mizuki the bouquet. Mizuki accepts it automatically, blinking in shock.
“Well, not really everything myself – Airi helped me cook. Touya and Akito let me know you’d be in school. Kamishiro asked you to come here so I could surprise you. Oh, and he and Tenma promised to guard the roof so no one will bother us. Lots of people involved, actually,” Ena scrunches up her nose, and Mizuki really wants to kiss it, but she finds she is frozen in place. She opens and closes her mouth a couple of times, but no sound escapes her throat. Ena’s defiant and embarrassed expression gives way to a softer one, although her face stays stubbornly red.
“You okay? Sorry if this is… a bit much,” Ena lowers her gaze bashfully, and the gesture snaps Mizuki out of her daze.
“No! This is… wonderful. I’m just a bit- I thought you wouldn’t care for this kind of romantic stuff, that’s why I didn’t mention anything about our anniversary. I didn’t forget.”
Ena manages to blush even more, somehow, and breaks eye contact with Mizuki.
“I can be romantic, you know. And you’re my girlfriend now and one month is a bit of a milestone,” she mumbles, staring at the ground. Mizuki reaches forward to hold one of her hands, and Ena looks up.
“A picnic,” Mizuki murmurs, clearing her throat. “Is it because of… that time?”
Ena’s hold tightens around Mizuki’s hand.
“I mean… that’s the time I realized I liked you in… that way. I told you already,” Ena tugs on her hand to lead her to the blanket, clearly unwilling to repeat her confession out of embarrassment. Mizuki loves her so much her lips spontaneously curve into a huge smile. Her chest feels light and bright, she’s walking on air. It's perfect. Ena is perfect.
When they started dating, they shared with each other the moment they realized their feelings for one another went beyond platonic. Ena told her that she had realized after that picnic with Airi and Shizuku, when Mizuki had ruined her favorite outfit to come to her rescue with a smile. And now, for their one-month anniversary, she has organized such a lovely picnic.
They sit down, and open their bentos. Ena tells Mizuki what exactly she prepared and why. Apparently, Airi has helped make all of Mizuki’s favorite foods, including French fries, cooked exactly the way Mizuki likes, salty and crunchy, and the shortcake from the bakery is the one she always orders. Mizuki can read Ena’s love and devotion for her in every little detail – it is clear Ena put so much thought and care in organizing this surprise. She has even overcome her natural tendency to hide her softer side by asking so many people to help.
“You’re such a romantic, Enanan,” Mizuki teases, expecting Ena to blush again and grumble something in that adorable way she does. She doesn’t expect for Ena to shrug and smile at her, her eyes looking so loving and kind they take Mizuki’s breath away.
“You make it easy,” she murmurs, and Mizuki truly can’t breathe.
“I love you,” she blurts out, and Ena’s smile grows even kinder, somehow. She leans in to kiss Mizuki’s cheek softly.
“Love you too,” she whispers close to Mizuki’s ear. Then, she lightly pulls on her earlobe. “But you’re gonna have to organize something yourself for the next anniversary.”
Mizuki laughs, and soon Ena joins in.
Ena leans back, picking up her bento box again. “Come on, let’s eat, my classes will start soon.”
Mizuki watches her eat for a second, before turning her gaze to the sky. Never would she have ever thought she’d be on the school rooftop, a place that holds so many bad, lonely memories, enjoying a surprise romantic picnic with her girlfriend – the grumpiest, most wonderful and loveliest girl in the world. Mizuki munches on a French fry and feels completely at peace, safe, cherished, loved.
She’d better think of something pretty awesome for their two-month anniversary. Ena deserves only the best, after all. But maybe she’ll still slip in a couple of pranks. She deserves those, too – her face looks so adorable when annoyed.
For one of the first times in her life, Mizuki finds herself genuinely looking forward to her future with unabashed excitement, without a shadow of doubt. She grins at the sky, and thanks whatever power of the universe put her on Ena’s path.