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The longer Kyoshika went on about all her insipid little domestic daydreams, the more Kurara felt like she was losing her goddamn mind. She grimaced behind her mask. It was all she could do to stay quiet and let Kyoshika keep talking and digging her grave deeper without cutting her off. She couldn’t keep her expression under control at the same time, not when it was hidden anyway. So Kurara gritted her teeth, clenched her hand into a fist under the table, and listened to Kyoshika go on, and on, and on.
Until she absolutely couldn’t take it anymore.
“God, why are you such an idiot, Kyoshika?!” she exclaimed, forceful enough that she was surprised their empty teacups didn’t rattle. Her throat felt raw from yelling so abruptly. Heat flooded her body, an all-encompassing sensation that Kurara couldn’t determine the source of. Was it rage or embarrassment? “How can you go on and on about… about wanting a family, and picnics, and a cheerful home, all those saccharine dreams, to some dumbass pervert who’s probably concussed and shedding brain cells by the day?”
“Huh?” Kyoshika cocked her head in confusion like the loyal little guard dog she was, hardly batting an eye at Kurara’s sudden aggression. If she wasn’t so fired up, Kurara might have spared a moment of private gratitude for the fact that her closest friends accepted her protective shell of abrasion without question, only pushing back when she truly went too far. Instead, she just continued to fume, certain that the temperature inside her mask was at least a degree or two warmer than outside of it.
“What do you mean by that?” Kyoshika continued, puzzled but undaunted. “We all had the same dream, didn’t we? You, me, and Tsubasa-dono. That’s why we began the dating game in the first place. To determine which of us might win Sumino-dono’s heart. I know you’ve already lost, but—”
“Never mind that! I don’t care that I lost,” Kurara insisted, slapping a hand down on the table to underscore her point. It made the teacups rattle again. “It was probably the best thing that could have happened. Because it’s not worth it, Kyoshika. That dream might not have even been natural. Maybe it was induced to control us for some reason. Point is, you’re only humiliating yourself trying so hard to woo him when he’s clearly not into you like that. The deeper you go into delusions of married life, the more pathetic you make yourself look, and frankly, the more repulsed by you he probably is. Do you really think he’s interested in that sort of thing? Really, you’d probably get yourself killed if I wasn’t around to look out for you.”
“You mean I need to take a different approach?” As soon as those words were out of Kyoshika’s mouth, it was all Kurara could do not to groan. She listed forward, body prey to the instinctual desire to lay her head down on the table and block out the depressing reality of just how oblivious this gorgeous, stupid girl was, but caught herself before she could betray her lack of composure, straightening back up with ramrod posture. “I really want someone to share a life like that with,” Kyoshika was venturing in a frighteningly shaky tone. “I’ve never experienced true love before and I don’t want to be single anymore.”
“That’s literally exactly why you’re single. You just need to find the right person. You’re actually quite a catch, so there’s no reason to settle for someone you need to fight so hard to win over.” Kurara looked down and idly flicked a bit of lint off her sleeve. Like she was generously giving Kyoshika a small piece of advice from her endless font of wisdom. No big deal at all, just common knowledge that anyone other than clueless country bumpkins should already know.
“But how do I find this right person if it isn’t Sumino-dono? A prophetic dream seems like one of the best signs you could possibly have of that sort of thing.” Kyoshika had a hand partially inside her sword bag, no doubt stroking the hilt of the blade for comfort and reassurance. Kurara tried to keep her eyes above table level. Watching Kyoshika play with her sword for too long always started to make her thoughts drift off in strange, erotically-charged directions.
“By listening to the advice of those smarter than you, my dear.” If her usual bluster wasn’t getting anywhere, it seemed reasonable enough to try a different strategy and try buttering Kyoshika up with sultriness. “What does any man have to offer that I can’t give you at a far higher quality. The Oosuzuki clan can provide a lavish estate after we return to the TRC, with ample resources to do whatever you want. And as for the physical side, well,” Kurara scoffed and tossed her head, hearing the soft swish of her hair brushing against the inside of her mask. Sitting tall, examining her nails, she hoped to convey confidence rather than any inexperience of her own. “Let’s just say that won’t be a problem. You must know that girls are way better in bed.”
Kyoshika’s expression, which had been clouded with utter confusion for the last several minutes, was starting to clear. Clouds parting to reveal the sun that was the sparkle of excitement in her eyes. She grinned, dopey and shameless. Kurara shifted in her seat to get more comfortable.
“Are you proposing that I try dating you, Kurara-dono?”
“Obviously that’s what I’m saying, if you’ve been listening to a single word I’ve said. Forfeit the game and end your turn early. Let Kawana have Sumino if she’s still so intent on him. Meanwhile, we will have won. We can have our first date tomorrow. I have an excellent movie picked out that I think you’ll find illuminating, if it doesn’t go right over your thick head.”
They could… both take some lessons from it, maybe. And put them into practice right there in her room.
“As you decree, Kurara-dono. I’d be foolish to disregard the advice of my dearest friend. Or, er, shall I start calling you my girlfriend now? Maybe such things should wait until after I’ve given Sumino-dono the bad news. Or…”
“Oh, forget it, Kyoshika! It doesn’t matter. All you need to understand is that you’re mine, starting tomorrow.” Yeah, maybe confessing wasn’t so hard at all when it was with the right person.