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Kurara wasn't the fondest of pool parties. The only reason she had gone in the first place is because Nozomi had convinced her to unwind and have some fun with everyone else. It was better to relax when they had the time to, Nozomi had said. Unfortunately for Kurara, Nozomi was absent from the party, opting to stay in her bedroom since she wasn't feeling well. It wasn't uncommon for Nozomi to shy away from events; Kurara could notice occasionally there was something going on with her, but she didn't want to pry into the details.
Kurara sat on a pool chair near the side of the water. She promised she would be here, and as an Oosuzuki she had a duty to uphold her promises, even if she really didn't want to come.
A ball bounced her way, hitting against the side of her chair. Kurara picked up the wet ball and gave it a squeeze, before looking at the assailants in the pool.
"Do you want to play pool volleyball?" asked Moko. Kurara glanced at the other players. It seemed the only people interested were Takemaru, Shouma, Gaku, and Kyoshika. Hard pass.
"Throw the ball around in the pool with you peasants?! Hard pass. I'll be relaxing while the rest of you tire out!" Kurara called out. She reclined on the pool chair, and looked up at the ceiling. It was no beach, but it was something at least. She grabbed a book she had picked out from the library about a lesbian affair— although no one would be able to tell from the title, and the only other person who had read the book was trapped in a cage in the courtyard.
"I'll play!"
Kurara snapped her attention from her saucy book to look at who had decided to join this juvenile game. But instead of finding someone to make fun of, she saw Nozomi, wearing a cute one piece swimsuit as she showed up late to the party.
"I thought you weren't coming?" Kurara blurted out.
"I'm feeling a lot better from this morning, so I decided to stop by," Nozomi said with a cheery smile.
"Awesome! You can join the girls' team, now we're even!" exclaimed Takemaru.
"I mean not really, it's still girls vs boys," said Gaku misogynistically.
"Yes… We are at a disadvantage because I am on our team," moped Shouma.
"Pfft, even without considering that, a team made up of Moko, Kyoshika, and Nozomi would clear your pathetic little team," sneered Kurara. She looked to see if Nozomi liked her shout-out there, but she seemed to display no reaction.
"You care a lot about this game for someone who didn't want to play," said Takemaru, rolling his eyes.
"Well, I don't care!" Kurara retorted. She turned on her side so the pool was out of her line of sight, and buried her face in her book. She could talk to Nozomi some other time, it didn't have to be playing some childish game. Kurara turned her attention to the text, but her mind was unable to really internalize anything as she re-read the page for the third time in a row. She sighed and put the book down.
Nozomi was having so much fun with everyone else. Kurara felt her eyes turn as green as her mask as Moko and Kyoshika picked her up out of the water in celebration for winning the point from the other team.
Kurara held her book up again, peeking over the top so she could continue to watch Nozomi. She crinkled the page she was on when Nozomi just barely missed the ball, the impact on the water causing a startling splash. But that didn't seem to upset Nozomi, who was still determined to get the points back.
The groups would have to take a break soon. Kurara smiled to herself as she devised a plan to grab Nozomi a water and one of the ice cream cones from the cooler. Maybe she would want to take a longer break, and they could push their pool chairs closer together and have a nice talk while the others invested in another game—
Bonk.
Kurara saw stars as she fell right off her chair and onto the floor of the leisure lounge. The ball bounced next to her, as if it were mocking her, then rolled back into the pool.
Ouch…
Tears began to well up in her eyes.
"Lady Kurara! We must get you to the infirmary!" Kyoshika exclaimed.
"Yes! It is of the utmost importance that you are treated for any possible head injury!" exclaimed Nigou, who was their improvised life guard on duty.
"I had my mask on, I'm fine," snapped Kurara, hiding the quiver of her voice as best she could. This was terrible. No matter what, she could not let them take her mask off right now.
"I'd really rather you showed up," said Nigou. "The Honorable Sirei would never forgive me if you were deemed unfit for battle…"
"I could go to battle right now if you needed me to!"
This was absolutely humiliating! If she hadn't been so distracted, she wouldn't have gotten hit in the head with the ball. And worse yet, Nozomi witnessed it. Kurara got up off the ground, but it was too late. Everyone else had come out of the pool.
"I didn't even hit the ball that hard," said Gaku, shrugging his shoulders. "You wouldn't have got hit if Moko blocked the shot."
"You were way out of bounds with that one. I'd have to have been a meter taller to spike it back!" Moko exclaimed. She turned her attention to Kurara instead. "Let's get your mask off so we can check for a bruise."
Kurara looked over at Nozomi, who had her hand up to her mouth in concern. Her cheeks flushed red. If she really did have a bruise, or redness, she didn't want Nozomi to see that, not to mention her eyes were still red and puffy from when she started crying! Kurara held onto her mask tightly.
"Do you really think that pathetic weakling is strong enough to injure me? Fat chance," Kurara derided.
"I definitely think she has brain damage. Take the mask off," said Gaku, reaching his hand closer.
"Let's not do that," said Nozomi, grabbing Gaku by the wrist. She turned to look at Kurara. "How are you feeling?"
She could tell Nozomi was asking from a place of genuine concern. She wanted to tell her the truth, but there was so much happening right now that it was all a bit overwhelming. Her head hurt where the ball had hit, but her knees and palms hurt too from where she had fallen onto the ground. She hadn't even fallen that hard, and Gaku's hit hadn't been that strong. It was absolutely pathetic to be put out like that. Everyone was overreacting.
"I'm fine! Just… Leave me alone!" Kurara shouted. She pushed past the crowd of her concerned classmates, turning around to retrieve her book before anyone else could snoop through it. She stormed out of the room. As much as she enjoyed being the occasional center of attention, this was bad attention, making her look weak and feeble. And worse, it was in front of Nozomi too. Kurara marched up the steps of the stairs and played the incident in her mind over and over again, and how stupid she probably looked, regretting not sitting further away from the game. She had wanted to stay close to watch Nozomi play, and now she suffered the consequence. She couldn't wait to get back to her room, take a hot shower, and curl up for the rest of the night.
There was a knock at the door.
Kurara grabbed her handkerchief and used it to dab her tears. Who could be bothering her after the scene she made half an hour ago? Obviously someone who had no respect for her personal time. Kurara hastily grabbed her mask and slipped it on over her face to greet her mysterious visitor at the door. She cracked it open slowly.
"I hope you don't mind me dropping by!" said Nozomi with a little wave and a grin. She had put on a pair of shorts, but was still wearing her adorable green bathing suit. Except now it wet and stuck to her skin. Between her soft thighs, and breasts tightly packed into her swimsuit, there was certainly a feast for the eyes.
Kurara suddenly didn't mind at all. In fact, all she could do was look at Nozomi, mouth agape under her mask. This made up for having to leave the party so soon. She wondered if Nozomi could tell she was staring at her through her mask. She definitely was, but there was no way Nozomi could prove it!
"It's awfully late, is someone scared of the dark, needing to spend the night in someone else's bedroom?" Kurara teased. She hoped that since the lights were on, Nozomi wouldn't notice her own night light in the corner of her room. As an Oosuzuki, she was a prime candidate for an assassination, and could never be too careful. And… it made her feel just a bit more comfortable.
"Oh, no, I'm actually here to check up on you," said Nozomi. "May I come in?"
Yes.
"Check up on me?!" asked Kurara. She put her hands on her hips.
Nozomi's face paled.
"Don't tell me… You're experiencing memory loss! You were hit in the head with a volleyball when we were in the leisure lounge, remember?" said Nozomi. "You didn't want to have Sirei assess you for injuries."
"Oh. Right. That. I only didn't remember because I found it so inconsequential," said Kurara, crossing her arms. She wasn't so weak that a simple ball to the head would cause any serious damage. Besides, she had her helmet on, so nothing could affect her.
"Then would you mind if you did a quick test— for me. I don't think I'd be able to sleep tonight if I'm worrying," said Nozomi. She steppes into the room uninvited, and closed the door. Kurara sighed audibly. There really was nothing to worry about. As much as the idea of Nozomi staying up all night thinking about her was quite delectable, she didn't want to put her friend out any more than she already had.
"Fine. But make it quick. I need to complete my nightly routine and acquire an adequate amount of sleep. If you're keeping me up, you'll be the one responsible for any crankiness I exhibit tomorrow," declared Kurara. Nozomi laughed softly to herself.
"Huh? What's so funny?!" Kurara exclaimed.
"Oh, nothing. I was just trying to imagine what 'crankier' would even entail," said Nozomi.
"Hey! I am not cranky! I just have a lot to say!" Kurara said, crossing her arms tightly. Despite trying her hardest to express herself, she did find it a difficult balance.
"True…. Alright, Kurara, can you take your mask off for me?" asked Nozomi.
"First you come into my bedroom in the evening, then you demand I undress… How lecherous," complained Kurara. Nozomi's cheeks flushed red.
"I only said the mask! That's hardly undressing," she exclaimed. "Thought, I can see how it may feel a bit… sensitive. You always keep yourself covered up."
"Can your tests only be done if I take it off?" Kurara whined.
"I suppose the first one doesn't have to. But I thought it would help with your balance," said Nozomi. "Can you stand on your left foot for me?"
Kurara rolled her eyes and stood on her left foot. What was this even doing…
"And now your right?"
She switched feet.
"This is stupid," said Kurara.
"Well, it's reassuring that it's very easy for you," said Nozomi. "You haven't been experiencing diziness, have you?"
Did heart palpitations count? Kurara shook her head so quickly she almost induced diziness in herself.
"That's good… Any confusion or memory loss?"
"Nope!"
"Also good!"
"Just one more thing, and this one you really will have to take your mask off for. But it will be quick, I promise!" said Nozomi. Kurara sighed audibly. She really didn't want to do this. She was already agitated from earlier, and if she took off the mask, she had no idea what would come out of her mouth. An Oosuzuki would never show her true, vulerable form to someone unless she really trusted them.
Did she trust Nozomi?
Apparently so, as her own hands moved up to lift the mask off her face. She shut her eyes tightly. She waited for Nozomi to say anything, but was met with silence. Slowly, she opened one of her eyes. Nozomi was smiling at her.
"I hardly see your face, it's very pretty, you don't need to hide it," said Nozomi. "Although if it makes you more comfortable, I understand keeping the mask on."
Kurara bit down on her bottom lip. Nozomi called her pretty… She was probably just being nice! Especially because Kurara was of higher status of her. It was the bare minimum, anything less would be unacceptable.
"What's the last test?" Kurara said softly.
"All you have to do is follow my finger with your eyes, don't move your head, alright?" asked Nozomi. She held her index finger out for Kurara.
Kurara looked at the tip of Nozomi's finger as she started tracing a shape. She started off fine, following the first motion, but as Nozomi brought her hand down, Kurara couldn't help but have her eyes wander towards her cleavage. Her cheeks flushed red. She snapped her eyes back to Nozomi's finger— and stole another glance at her perfectly shaped breasts pressed together in her bathing suit. Kurara felt like she needed to smack herself on the head and give herself an actual concussion for that one. She could not be staring at Nozomi's chest like that, especially not in the middle of the test! Her eyes darted upwards when Nozomi brought her finger lower again, not daring to even pass a glance in that direction lest she end up oogling her again.
"Oh… Hmm…"
Nozomi sounded worried. Kurara's cheeks burned red. She wished she could put her helmet on right now and chase Nozomi out of her room so she could spiral into her own embarrassment. She'd scold Nozomi for wasting her time being concerned for her.
"What's wrong? Did I fail? What does that mean?!" Kurara squeaked out.
"Why don't we try it again, I wasn't paying enough attention…" Nozomi grabbed her swimsuit strap and pulled upwards, covertly covering more of her cleavage.
Oh.
She totally knew! Kurara's eyes teared up. She hadn't meant to perv on her, but with Nozomi so close and demanding so much focus, her wandering eyes had found a place to rest. Nozomi was totally weirded out by her!
"Hey! Don't cry, I just said the previous results were inconclusive, not that you have an injury," reassured Nozomi. She grabbed a tissue to wipe Kurara's eyes. That only made her sniffle more, helpless to the charms of Nozomi's kindness.
"I can't do the test if I'm c-crying," Kurara sniffled. Nozomi nodded her head.
"That's fine! We can take a break!" Nozomi offered. Kurara sat on her bed with her head looking downward, feeling like a red and ripe tomato as she clenched her fists and her jaws to try to make herself stop gushing tears like a geyser. She wanted to put her mask on so badly, but she knew if she had the opportunity, she may yell at Nozomi for the mess she was in now. And Kurara just didn't want that.
Nozomi sat down on her bed next to her, awkwardly shifting before getting up and touching Kurara's comforter to make sure it wasn't wet.
"Oh good, it's dry. I probably should have asked first. Kurara, may I sit on your bed?"
"… Yes."
Nozomi sat back down, and took Kurara's hand in hers. She gave it a little squeeze.
"We'll redo the test. But… There's really nothing shameful about having an injury. Sometimes things happen that are out of our control. I don't think of you any differently because of it, and I'd like to think you'd feel the same about me too," said Nozomi. Why was she being so nice to her? Kurara had rolled her eyes at her concern earlier. But… Nozomi cared about her, a lot. The least she could do was comply with the test and not stare at her chest.
"I think I'm ready to try again," said Kurara. Nozomi smiled.
"Good! Alright… Follow my finger…"
Kurara locked on to Nozomi's finger with her eyes with laser focus. She had to pass the test this time, so Nozomi would stop worrying about her, and also because she would probably die of embarrassment if she ended up staring at her boobs again.
Thankfully, the results seemed to be good enough for Nozomi.
"Much better, I guess you were just nervous the first time," she said. Kurara's cheeks blushed.
"Yeah, obviously— I mean, probably!" she squeaked out. Nozomi paid her slip up no attention. Instead, she pushed Kurara's bangs back, and gave her a quick peck on the forehead.
"A kiss to help!" she said. Kurara finally felt the dizziness of a concussion. She thankfully was already sitting down on her bed, but had she been standing she may have fallen over and actually hit her head.
"Huh?!" Kurara exclaimed. Now it was Nozomi's turn to blush.
"Oh! I just thought… When I was younger, my mother used to give me a kiss to help the injury heal faster. I don't know what I was doing…"
Nozomi looked over to the side awkwardly. Kurara bit down on her bottom lip. Of course, it was just a reflex for her…
"My head feels a bit better," Kurara admitted. "So maybe… it does work…"
Nozomi beamed.
"Really? I'm glad," said Nozomi. Kurara felt like her heart was trying to escape her chest. She didn't know how much longer she could last with Nozomi being here.
"There's nothing to worry about with me! You can go home now!"
Why did she say that?! Kurara nearly strangled herself for blurting it out without thinking. She didn't want Nozomi to go, but at the same time, she knew she couldn't stay here since Kurara was addicted to making a fool out of herself.
"Alright, have a good night, Kurara!" said Nozomi with a little wave. She left Kurara's room. Kurara melted into a puddle on her bed. She totally blew it! Nozomi had made a scandalous visit to her room, and all she did was cry and almost fail her concussion test. Kurara grabbed her pillow and held it tightly against her chest.
There was a soft knock at the door.
"Oh, Kurara, before I go, I was wondering if you wanted to get breakfast together tomorrow?" asked Nozomi through the door.
Perhaps all was not lost.
"Sure!" she replied enthusiastically. She hugged her pillow again, this time kicking her feet and grinning.