Chapter Text
Enanan: You seem very cool! I’d love to hear more about you!
Enanan: Over dinner perhaps?
Mizuki has been staring at those two special messages for what seemed like the past hour, trying to formulate and post her answer. But despite how her hands continued to vibrate, they can’t bring themselves to write anything. Sweat dribbled down and threatened to stain her blue and white uniform.
“You can do it! You can do it!”
The encouraging voices of both Minori and Saki echoed in her head. While she would love to applaud her co-workers for being on her side, she would also like to slap them upside the head for their naivety. Thinking that the mere vocals of both her favorite idol and fashion buddy would be enough to cure Mizuki of her completely rational anxiety. She especially wanted to smack Minori for suddenly setting her up on a blind date with one of her cousins. Sure, the girl was cute. But again: sudden blind date. The potential mental slap then homed its way back to her own head, for daring to think about harming Minori.
Finally, Mizuki made the only correct decision in this scenario.
“Nope! Screw this! Consider that chick ghosted!”
By tossing her phone aside and turning away from the sad and frustrated faces of her co-workers. However, she wasn’t able to walk away for long, before they started to cling to her arms and try to drag her back to the phone.
“Aww! C’mon, Mizuki! It’s just a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’!”
“Well, excuuuse me for being a little bit cautious, Saki!”
“You’ve never been able to hold back your opinions before! So, what’s stopping you now?”
“Yeah, when it comes to actually important stuff! The facts and figures in life! Like fashion disasters and magical girl shows with obvious plot holes!”
Mizuki internally cursed at just how surprisingly strong the two girls are, especially Minori. But she knew that being deceptively strong is just part of being an idol. Knowing that she would never win this battle of will, Mizuki finally stopped moving, allowing all three of them to collapse and finally get the chance to breathe. It really seems like, no matter how much she runs, fate just seems to find her and toss her around, dooming her role in this unpredictable narrative.
“Just…wanted…to be…cautious…”
“What’s there to be cautious about? Ena’s great! A very determined and artsy girl! Someone like that must be right up your alley! And she clearly likes you! She chatted to me about those texts nonstop!”
“Just tryna play it safe! Why would she even ask me out anyways?”
Saki only rolled her eyes at this seemingly-obvious question.
“Because, like Minori said, she clearly likes you and wants to date you.”
Only to receive an eyeroll back from Mizuki.
“Pssh! Yeah, right. It was probably just a pity date. I mean, you set the blind date up yourself, Minori. There’s a lot of things I don’t know about her. The possibilities are endless! She probably talks too fast. She could ask questions about me before I’m ready. She might sit too close to me, only to call the waitress by her first name. She might be one of those monsters who eats the cookie before the cream on her Oreos! Heck, with how popular she is on social media, I wouldn’t be surprised if I was just the latest in her long line of flings-"
Mizuki only had a mere second to feel Minori’s hands on her shoulders, before the idol angrily shook her back and forth, in a comedic display of offense.
“Just a fling? Just a fling?! I’ll have you know that Shinonomes don’t do flings! Once they lock onto something, they get obsessed and nothing could ever stop them from getting what they want! It’s a family thing!”
“W-Woah! Woah! Woah! I get it! I’m sorry!”
Finally, Minori let go, but continued to glare at the dizzy pink-haired girl. Saki leaned down and rubbed Mizuki’s back, to sooth both her vertigo and pre-date jitters. Once she swallowed back up the bile rising out her stomach and up her throat, Mizuki glared back at the brunette idol.
“What the heck was that, Minori?”
“You were panicking! A-And you insulted my cousin, too! I had to do something! But like I said, Ena clearly loves you!”
Despite Minori’s intentions, Mizuki’s anxiety couldn’t stop crawling up her back. Although she knew how irrational her fears were, nothing could stop these thoughts from flowing. What if, when Ena sees her, she is only met with a disappointing fraud of a girl? That beautiful real girl would naturally respond by running away, and giving back everything Mizuki ever gave her. The mere thought of that happening breaks her heart, no matter how many times she has exhausted the scenario in her mind.
“Sorry, you two! But I would much rather stay inside my cute little shell! I get the best view from in there!”
The two girls only responded with doubtful glares in Mizuki’s direction, clearly not appreciating Mizuki trying to slip back into her devil-may-care facade, after having just spilled at least part of her guts to them.
“Don’t you think you’re being a tad bit-“
“I’M NOT DEFENSIVE!”
Upon seeing Minori and Saki jolt back in shock, a pang of regret hit Mizuki’s heart. Which she knew meant she had to double down on the humor. No matter how much the two girls continued to doubt her, before simultaneously facepalming as she further digs herself into her veritable pillow fort of delusions.
“I mean, I’ve watched enough anime to know how this whole narrative is gonna go! At best, I’d just be a partner-less sidepiece or just some kind of rebound! At worst, I’d end up in the relationship and find myself completely miserable, because I end up spilling the wrong things about myself to the wrong girl!”
Reaching over to the countertop and grabbing one of the knives, she dramatically channeled her inner Wonderlands x Showtime, much to the rapidly-growing concern of both Minori and Saki.
“She could be some sort of criminal! Some sort of psychopath who escaped from an institution! Somewhere where they don’t have any cute girls! She could have masterminded some way to find me! She might be color-blind! How untrustworthy is that?!”
Neither girl could come up with any remarks towards Mizuki’s overdramatic diatribe. And how could they even? Especially with how much their coworker is twisting herself into knots, trying to make Minori’s cousin sound as unappealing as possible in her brain. But luckily, she set the knife back down on the countertop, before anybody got hurt in the tirade.
It was only then, that they both noticed Mizuki’s manic grin darkening and slipping away into a tragic stare that’s facing the floor.
“Or even worse…none of that is true. And she’s genuinely nice. Very nice! With the cutest brown hair and matching eyes! And she knows what to say or do to make me laugh! And she’d get me to come out of hiding! What do I do with that?!”
She sunk to her knees, her eyes filled with tears, as the truth she has been trying so hard to avoid is blaring right in front of her face, like a flashy neon billboard in a dark city.
She, Mizuki Akiyama, was in love with Ena Shinonome.
That girl opened up a door in her life that she is unable to close, and set her previously-broken heart back into motion. And although she is unprepared and scared of her cute shell being broken open, Mizuki can’t help herself from hoping. Hoping that she can find someone to talk to. Someone who likes Mizuki just the way she is. Someone who, when they sees her, would want to again.
Finally, Mizuki made it back to her phone, her hands and brain finally able to cooperate.
Amia: Yes! That sounds awesome! 9:30 on Sunday?
Enanan: Of course! Cya!