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“–And then she laughed so hard she snorted MILK out of her nose!”
Rika burst out laughing, the mental image of Momoko covered in milk and snot clear in her mind. She could also hear Kazusa’s giggles through her phone.
At the moment, they were facetiming, something they did whenever they had time so they could catch up. In fact, all of the former literature club members had each other’s contact info and a group chat in which they made plans to hangout, usually on the weekends. They always cherished that time together since they were always very busy.
Especially Rika. Ever since she’d started her college journey, there had been no end to things to do: reading (the college’s library was HUGE), studying (though she sometimes went a bit overboard – she couldn’t help liking the material!), participation in club activities (there was a literature club here, and while it wasn’t anything like her former one, it was lots of fun. And she had also been dabbling with pottery), going on dates with Amagi (who ended up at the same college as her – a massive relief), and many more.
On her graduation, her friends had cheered for her and if she was completely honest, there was lots of crying. In the end, they’d all promised to stay friends and keep in touch. So far, they had fulfilled that promise, and Rika was eternally grateful for it.
As their laughter died down, Kazusa – who was laying on her bed – turned on her stomach and began kicking her feet. She leaned in closer to the camera, as if she was there in person with Rika.
“Sooo. . .how’re things with Amagi?”
Subconsciously, Rika’s lips slanted upwards and a light flush coated her face. Twirling a strand of her hair, she replied, “They’re wonderful.”
Kazusa raised an eyebrow, smirking. “I’ll bet they are, especially since you now live so close to each other. You can see him anytime you want. You’re probably living on cloud nine, eh?”
Rika pouted. “You’re one to talk. You’re living right next door to your boyfriend!”
Now it was Kazusa’s turn to be all shy and dreamy. “Yeah. . .” She blinked a couple times as if snapping out of her daze, then squealed. “I forgot to tell you earlier, but the other day Izumi and I went on a date to an arcade – which we should totally go to! I’ll put the address in the group chat later, ‘kay? – but yeah, we had fun for a couple hours, then we went to a nearby park and bought some ice cream. Then he gave me this!” She held up her hand to showcase a handmade bracelet. Its beads’ colors alternated between blue and orange. In the center, there was the letter “I”, a heart, and the letter “K”. All in all, a very cute gift. She said so, and Kazusa beamed at her.
“Yeah, he really is thoughtful. I actually asked him what the occasion was, but then he said there was none; he just wanted to make me a gift.” She drifted off for a bit, seemingly reliving that moment, then focused back onto Rika. “So, what about Amagi? Has he gifted you anything? I’m guessing yes, and a bunch of things too. He really likes you,” she added with a teasing lilt.
Well, Kazusa wasn’t far off. Amagi always thought of others, finding things that reminded him of them any- and everywhere. This meant that whenever he passed by a trinket store or a bookshop, he’d always come back with something for her. Rika was touched, both at the gesture and at how well he knew her, but sometimes she felt guilty. He was always bringing her stuff, what about her? And no, “her company” didn’t feel like a gift back since they both enjoyed each other's company.
So, she’d taken up origami. It was a calm, focused activity (when she wasn’t tearing her hair out in frustration), and she’d made some friends with the Origami Club members because of it. One day, she’d leave him a swan. The next, a rose. Then a fox, frog, elephant, and one time, a Mini-Amagi. He never threw them away, and at this point, you couldn’t walk a couple steps in his dorm without finding one of them.
With that in mind, Rika said, “Amagi-kun is very sweet, he’s always bringing me gifts–”
“Wait a second, hold up,” Kazusa looked at her incredulously, “You still call him by his last name?”
Rika tilted her head. “Yeah. . .why?”
“Haven’t you guys been dating for, like, half a year? I thought you’d reach that level by now.”
She shrugged, embarrassed. “Well, we’re already comfortable as it is. And wouldn’t it be weird?”
“I call Izumi by his first name.”
“Of course you do, you’ve known him since you were kids.” The camera blacked out for a second as Kazusa moved to a sitting position.
“Come on Rika, don’t you want to?”
Calling Amagi by his first name. Rika already called him a sort of nickname, dropping the “giri” at the end of his last name, but this would be on another level. Was she really ready for this kind of step, being as inexperienced as she is?
Kazusa, sensing Rika about to spiral, decided to speak up. “Rika, look at me.” When Rika did so, she continued, “Whether you want to or not, it all depends on what you're comfortable with. I'm just putting the thought out there, but it's your business. Frankly, I don't think it matters what you call each other because either way, it won't change your feelings towards each other. ‘Kay?”
Rika nodded, a smile growing on her face. “Okay.”
Kazusa smiled back. She glanced off-screen, then looked back at Rika apologetically. “Sorry Rika, I gotta go. See you next Saturday!”
“Bye!” Her friend ended the call, leaving Rika to work on her math homework. Sigh.
Rika worked very diligently, silencing her phone so she wouldn't have any distractions. It took her an hour to finish her math work, and half an hour to finish the work from her business class. Afterwards, she settled into her bean bag and began reading from a book of hers, but she just couldn’t seem to focus. Her thoughts kept turning back to what Kazusa said.
Is it really that weird that they hadn’t started calling each other by their first names?
Did she want to call him by his first name?
Yes. The answer rang out loud and clear in her head. She felt herself relaxing,
Rika tended to get herself worked up about her problems, but once she formed a clear understanding of the situation and what she needed to do, she’d resolve said problems. And she always got them resolved.
Now that she knew what she wanted, she could find a way to get it. Luckily, that would be simple; tomorrow, she would ask Amagi if she could call him by his first name, and knowing him, he’d say yes and that would be all.
Yes, she’d do just that.
Tomorrow.
A day later.
24 hours into the future.
. . .
She casually glanced at her clock. 4:24 pm. Did she really want to get up, get dressed, and walk all the way to his dorm?
Shaking her head, she turned back to her book. She clung to the words of her novel as hard as she could, ignoring the growing itch to just go.
Minutes crawl by. The itch grew.
It was after reading a paragraph so many times she memorized it, that Rika finally accepted defeat and looked once more at the clock. 4:30.
Yeah, she could still make it.
A short while later, she was outside her dormitory building and mounting her bicycle. On the way to his dorm building, Rika began brainstorming what her plan would be when she knocked on his door unannounced.
Knowing Amagi, he honestly wouldn’t really mind it, but she needed it—some way to structure her thoughts and actions. Besides, biking all the way to his dorm randomly just to ask him if she could use his first name was a bit ridiculous.
After a couple turns, she arrived at the front of his dorm building. She parked her bike in one of the racks and went to lock it only to realize that she forgot to bring her bike lock. She groaned. Deciding to take her chances, Rika left her bike in the rack and made her way into the boy’s dormitory building and up to Amagi’s floor.
She knocked three times, loud and precise. She heard someone shout “coming!” and a moment later, the door opened to reveal Amagi.
His hair was a bit messy and he was wearing a hoodie and a pair of shorts. That, as well as his surprised expression, told her that he wasn’t expecting any guests, least of all her.
Smiling sheepishly, she gave him a little wave. “Hey.”
“Sonezaki-san!” he exclaimed with a happy grin. “What a great surprise! Come in.”
She smiled back and stepped into the dorm. Her eyes scanned the room, and she was pleased to see her origami lining the wall. There were also some clusters of origami in places with enough surface area.
Luckily, none of them were tripping hazards. It was something she’d recently complained to Amagi about. He’d been very receptive to her criticism at the time, and it warmed her to see how fast he implemented the changes.
Rika slipped off her shoes, and reached down to grab them but Amagi beat her to it, placing them off neatly to the side. He held her hand and pulled her towards the living room.
“Is there a reason you came over? Not that I mind,” he added. She knew that spontaneous actions like this were out of character for her. She hadn’t really considered what he might think about this.
“I was, uh, wondering if you wanted to watch a movie?” Her response, though a bit stilted, seemed to do the trick. Immediately, Amagi began naming off movies that he thought she would enjoy (the obvious care he displayed never ceased to make her blush). Eventually they settled on a choice and onto the couch, sitting right next to each other. Rika smiled as he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close.
As the movie was still in its introduction, Amagi tugged on the shoulder of her shirt and commented brightly, “I like your shirt, by the way.”
With a small amount of embarrassment, Rika realized she had no idea what her shirt looked like. Back at her dorm, she had just thrown on a pair of jeans and one of her shirts without really taking into account how well they paired up. She pulled her shirt away from her and tried her best to read upside down. C. . .O. . .
The word spelled CONDUCKTOR, and beneath it was an image of a bowtie-wearing duck holding what she assumed to be a conductor stick.
Oh. Right. Hitoha had gotten her that as a joke a couple months ago. Rika didn’t really get the humor, but was glad Amagi got a kick out of it. “Thanks.”
The movie continued to play, but she was not paying a lick of attention to it. She glanced at her boyfriend and swallowed. Her tongue felt dry, and her stomach coiled.
This shouldn’t feel nerve-wracking. At least, she thought so? This being Rika’s first relationship, she was new to all the things they entailed. Her only experience was books, which was really no experience at all compared to the real thing. She knew there were “stages” in a relationship, but she didn’t know how much time needed to pass between them, or what she had to do or say.
On the flipside, Amagi had some relationship experience. Sure, it wasn’t much (only a few dates and kisses, he stressed) but still, more than her!
What if she was doing things wrong? What if he said no, or thought she was weird for waiting this long?
Could he resent her for taking things so slow?
Her thoughts staggered to a halt as she took in a new sensation: gentle fingers running through her hair in a rhythmic repetition. Soft scratches on her scalp that made her eyes flutter involuntarily shut. Both her hair and thoughts were untangled by Amagi’s deft fingers.
She leaned her head on his shoulders, eyes still shut, and heard him exhale fondly.
. . .What was she worrying about earlier? Oh, yes, their names.
“Amagi-kun. . .could I call you by your first name?”
The fingers caressing her hair paused, and that pleasant weight fell away. She was a bit disappointed, but that paled to the anticipation she felt for his answer. After glancing up, she bit her lip to stop the smile growing on her face.
He looked so giddy, like a kid given free reign at an arcade. The smile on his face was brighter than anything she’d ever seen. Butterflies made her stomach their home as she felt herself falling for him all over again.
“Yes,” he breathed, “of course you can.” He leaned in, then paused and retreated. “Can I call you by yours?”
Face flushed, she nodded.
“Rika.” He said her name softly, like he was savoring it. He said it again, this time punctuating it with a kiss to her cheek. “Rika-san. Sonezaki Rika. My girlfriend, Rika.” Each time was louder and more boisterous than the last.
Rika erupted in giggles, and he followed suit with laughter of his own. Eventually, they calmed down.
Shun glanced at the TV and remarked humorously, “We missed quite a bit of the movie. Let me rewind it.” She smiled, choosing not to tell him she barely knew the movie’s plot in the first place.
As they settled back down for the movie, Rika noticed how his hand remained perched on her shoulder.
Well, she asked for one thing, might as well ask for another. “Shun-kun?” she said shyly. “Could you keep stroking my hair?”
Shun’s smile softened. As he leaned forward and gave her a kiss on her forehead, his fingers snaked through her hair, eliciting a delighted gasp. “Anything for you, Rika.”