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The soft light illuminating the Hanasakigawa classroom, combined with the lively chatter of students that sounded bright, stood in stark contrast to the frustrating feelings of Shiina Taki. Her chin rested on her palm, her deep gaze seemingly wanting to bore a hole into the wall in front of her. Nothing could divert her thoughts at this moment from the person who was increasingly occupying her mind: Tomori.
It had been several months since their eyes started frequently meeting in the practice room, since those beautiful, poetic words appeared, whether in writing or spoken so softly they could make Taki blush instantly. Yet, they remained as they were before: friends. Every opportunity to get closer to Tomori, every hint she gave, seemed to have no effect on Takamatsu Tomori.
There was only one, an unavoidable truth she had to admit. The only way.
She needed advice. And that meant she had to face her two close friends, who were also problematic: Yahata Umiri and Misumi Uika.
Just thinking about it made her forehead wrinkle. Umiri, a single girl who claimed to have a wealth of experience in love. Whenever this topic came up in conversation, she would become hysterical, as if cursing those who were (in her view) showing off their love stories. But sometimes, she would also give advice, and if they seemed even slightly bothered, her signature line would come out: "Am I trustworthy?"
Just thinking about it made Taki's head hurt.
And as for Uika... Uika was a different kind of nightmare. Since falling in love and dating Chihaya Anon (which to this day Taki still didn't understand how it happened), Uika seemed to have lost her independence. Once, if someone wanted to borrow her things, or when someone asked for her help, she would ask Anon for permission first, or if they were far apart, she would call Anon first. And every time they met, Uika would immediately enter lovestruck mode with those cheesy, overly sweet lines, which sometimes made Taki nauseous.
But, every time she remembered Tomori's hesitant smile, the shy-looking smile, and the sweet smile she flashed, for each of those smiles she was willing to endure whatever might come. With that resolve, she stood up from her seat and walked towards Umiri's desk, placing a carton of milk as a sign that she wanted to have a serious talk.
Umiri, who understood, simply gave a brief nod, and then the two of them left the classroom, heading to the vending machine.
"So, what do you want to ask?" Umiri asked, with a smile as if she knew everything.
Taki was silent for a moment. Seeing Umiri's annoying smile made her want to hit her with her hand. But she had to hold back. For Tomori.
"I... want to ask for your advice. What should I do to make Tomori aware of my feelings for her?"
"Hoo, you've come to the right person. Let me, a love expert, guide you. First, buy her flowers, then go to Haneoka while bowing repeatedly, then—"
"Forget it," Taki cut her off, then walked away leaving Umiri behind while gently massaging her own forehead. It seemed she needed someone who was... a bit more realistic. Or at least, someone who was in a relationship, ignoring Umiri's shouts asking if she couldn't be trusted.
She returned to the classroom, heading to Uika's desk, who was still smiling to herself while looking at her phone. She then placed a carton of milk (again), as a sign that she had something to say.
Uika was silent for a moment, understood Taki's intention, pressed the speed dial on her phone, calling someone.
Taki could feel the blood rising to her head, but she desperately tried to hold it back. This was the only way.
For Tomori.
"Anon-chan? Yeah, I'm in class. Shiina-san wants to talk to me about something." A pause, then giggling. Giggling that made Taki's whole body shiver. "I don't know yet... okay then. You're the best, Anon-chan~! Mwah!"
Taki stared at a hole in the wall behind Uika, questioning all her life decisions that led her to this point.
"Anon-chan has given permission," Uika announced cheerfully, as if it were the most important thing in the world. "So, what do you want to talk about, Shiina-san?"
Taki prepared herself mentally, for the umpteenth time today, forcing the words out of her mouth. "How... did you manage to... start dating?"
Hearing that, Uika's face immediately lit up, clearly happy, which almost, just almost, made her charming if you didn't know the context. "Anon-chan is very straightforward. She said that even my dark side looks very beautiful and she wants to be by my side forever, even if the world ends," she said with dreamy eyes.
Ahh, she's beyond saving, thought Taki.
"...okay, but how did you... know that you liked her?"
"Oh," Uika said as if the answer were the simplest thing in the world. "My heart decided it, which only beats for Anon-chan, so I accepted it," she tilted her head slightly, thought for a moment before a lightbulb went off above her head. "If you're still unsure, why don't you ask Anon-chan too? She's good at this sort of thing."
That suggestion seemed to hit Taki directly. Ask Anon? That pink-haired attention-seeker? Besides, she could already imagine how disgusting the combo of Anon and Uika would be. It made her hair stand on end immediately.
"No. Absolutely not."
"Huh, why?" asked Uika. "Anon-chan gives the best advice."
"Not necessarily," she muttered. "And I also don't want to see you two... being all lovey-dovey like that."
Uika blinked once, then pulled out her ace card. "But, Anon-chan is in the same class as Takamatsu-san at Haneoka. Surely she knows more than we do."
Taki froze. Damn. She had completely forgotten about that. The fact that Anon had all the data on Tomori: her mood, her habits, and her interactions with others. Data that was completely impossible for her to obtain.
She let out a long sigh, preparing herself mentally once more. "...Alright. Just arrange it."
—
Hazawa Cafe that afternoon was bathed in the warm light coming from outside the window, but for Taki, it felt like a stage, a form of torture. She sat opposite the disgusting scene in front of her. Her only savior was the bitter coffee she had ordered, to at least reduce the intensity of the overly sweet atmosphere.
Anon casually placed her left hand on Uika's shoulder, half-hugging her. And Uika immediately melted into Anon's embrace. They were feeding each other cake with equally nauseating words.
And that went on for 15 minutes.
She questioned her decision for the umpteenth time that day.
Just as she was thinking about pretending to have a seizure to escape the situation, Anon finally moved slightly away from Uika, then put on a somewhat serious face.
"Okay, Uika told me earlier. You're confused about how to get close to our vocalist, right?"
Taki only grunted.
"Okay, listen. Tomori sees the world differently. You can't just confess your feelings the same way as most people and expect her to understand. She always... pays attention to other things. The sound of falling leaves, echoes in empty corridors, things like that."
...Taki had to admit that the advice she was receiving... was completely unexpected.
"What you need to do is translate your feelings into a language she can understand," Anon continued. "Don't just say 'I like you.' She won't get it. Say something like, 'I like the way you hold your pen when you're focused on writing lyrics,' something she can notice."
That... was a brilliant strategy. Throughout the time she had known Tomori, Taki did feel that the way Tomori saw the world was a bit different, but she had never once thought of approaching her like that.
Anon, who was serious before, grinned widely. "And when she's spaced out because you're speaking her language. And boom, you grab her hand. No need for grand gestures. Got it?"
Taki looked at Anon, then at their still-intertwined hands, then back at Anon with a face she wanted to punch. It was genuinely good advice, advice she didn't want to admit came from Anon's mouth. She could only sigh. "Got it."
Before she left after paying for their orders (after all, Taki still knew how to be grateful), Anon called her with a mysterious smile. "You know, she watches you every time we practice. And not just once or twice. She seems to want to sync with you."
With a reddened face and a warm feeling rising in her chest, Taki only gave a short nod before leaving the place, which made Anon laugh and Uika smile faintly at her departure.
With the advice in her head, she just needed the right moment and place to execute it.
—
The next day, after practice, Taki steeled her resolve and approached Tomori. "Tomori, before we go home, would you... go somewhere with me?"
Tomori looked up, her face looking surprised, but a small smile appeared. "Yes, of course."
Taki caught a glimpse of Anon in the corner of her eye, who looked like she was holding back laughter. But Taki didn't care, because her current focus was the girl beside her.
They walked in comfortable silence, the surrounding sounds becoming a kind of background noise. Taki took Tomori to a park not far from RiNG, the atmosphere was comfortable with a gentle breeze sweeping their faces.
"Tomori, lately, I've realized something. Something... I like."
"What is it?"
"Your voice," said Taki, following Anon's guidance. "Not just when singing, but also when speaking. I like your voice when it trembles when you're unsure about something, but when it's about something you love, something you believe in, your voice becomes very powerful. And one example of that is in the lyrics you write."
Tomori fell silent, her face slowly turning red, and her eyes locked on Taki. "So, you can see all that."
"Yes," Taki then took a breath, trying to calm her heart, which was currently beating very hard. "That's why... I want to be your lover, Tomori."
Then, the reaction Taki hoped for, whether a shy smile or a small nod, didn't come. Instead, Tomori's expression, which was initially red, slowly showed confusion.
"Lover?" she repeated. Her eyes slowly trembled, she bit her lower lip. "But... aren't we... already a couple?"
It was Taki's turn to freeze. The world seemed to stop turning.
"I... I thought, all the time we spent together... all the songs we sang together... and every time you seemed to know what I needed... I thought we were already that close," her voice began to tremble, occasional sobs audible. "So... all of that was just my imagination?"
Taki's brain short-circuited. All the details of her plan vanished instantly. Tomori's crying, growing louder, snapped her out of her daze. Immediately, she closed the distance between them and in one motion, her hands hugged Tomori tightly.
"Silly," she said softly, half-whispering. "I'm the silly one for not realizing it all this time. Because I thought we weren't lovers yet, that's why I confessed my feelings to you today."
Silence ensued, before Tomori lifted her face again, looking at Taki with eyes that seemed to see her whole world. "So... now... can I call you my lover?"
"Of course," Taki said eagerly, hugging Tomori tightly.
"That's good, I... I like being your lover, Taki-chan. Since long ago."
Taki sighed again, but this time with a satisfied smile on her face. Though reluctantly, she had to thank that annoying pink-haired girl, who was a brilliant tactician.
But for now, she had a lover to hug.